EWZ Breaks Out and “Gets Away” Again

As I watched the U.S. dollar swiftly reverse course after some early post-employment numbers strength, I concluded that this was the final confirmation I needed that the dollar is going much lower from here. I made a point to review my list of commodity charts and then did a quick check of EWZ, the iShares … Read more

Amazon Buyers Step Up for the “13% Discount”

A month ago, I took issue with a UBS downgrade of Amazon (AMZN) and tried to demonstrate how this analyst action and commentary could be twisted into a blueprint for a buying opportunity. At the time, I noted that a test of the November lows on a 13% drop could produce the 8% upside potential … Read more

The S&P 500 Erases Its Post-Quake Losses Amid Worsening Headlines and Technical Resistance

The stock market is officially tired of worrying about the latest crises around the globe. On Friday, the S&P 500 essentially recovered all of its post-quake losses. The last three days of buying featured low volume (no news there), but the index was still able to hurtle over the presumed resistance at the 50-day moving … Read more

No Watershed Quite Yet for Solar Stocks

Last week, I suggested that the nuclear power crisis in Japan could usher in a watershed moment for solar energy and its constituent stocks. For all of two days, most solar stocks soared. For example, First Solar (FSLR) gained 14%. However, March 15th marked a sort of peak in the market’s concern over Japan’s nuclear … Read more

Following the Charts Instead of the Bad News: Some Lessons from the Past Two Weeks

One of the many interesting features of the stock market since it broke down on March 10th is that the news has often been a distraction to underlying developments in the market. Following the charts has been relatively more effective than following the news in creating a (short-term) trading strategy. T2108, the percentage of stocks … Read more