Beyond the “Magnificent 7”: How Market Breadth Could Support S&P 500 Performance in 2024

AT50 (MMF), the percent of stocks above their 50DMA, is rebounding sharply away from the oversold threshold.

FactSet’s John Butters laid out a case for the “Magnificent Seven” companies losing the majority of their earnings growth dominance by the end of the year. In “Are the ‘Magnificent 7’ the Top Contributors to Earnings Growth for the S&P 500 for Q1?“, Butters showed how analyst expectations for year-over-year earnings growth for the top … Read more

A VIX Follow-Through Confirms Bearish Signal – The Market Breadth

bear market breakthrough (Credit: Breakthrough by -RobW- from Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary Last week was a week like few other for the volatility index, the VIX. In my last Market Breadth I made the case for the VIX mattering again. A VIX follow-through demonstrated even more strength and resilience. The resulting closing high for the year is a firmer bearish signal for the stock … Read more

Suddenly, the VIX Looks Like It Matters Again – The Market Breadth

surprise (Credit: Surprise!!! 4/365 by Benson Kua from Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary While I watch the tense trading unfold in NVDA, the VIX, the volatility index, has suddenly returned to my radar as an indicator of interest. Thursday’s stock market setback came with a surging VIX that closed at a new high of the year. The regular programming of the volatility faders actually failed … Read more

A Curious Break in the Trading Action – The Market Breadth

A Curious Break in the Trading Action - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary A curious break in the trading action unfolded as financial markets wrestled with two “disappointing” inflation reports. Both the CPI (consumer price index) and wholesale inflation (the producer price index or PPI) came in slightly higher than “expected” (headline and core). The data just tell me expectations are unrealistic or at best … Read more

Is the Latest Topping Pattern Another Tease for the Bears? – The Market Breadth

Is the Latest Topping Pattern Another Tease for the Bears - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Is another tease for the bears underway? The current bullish rally has included so many temporary bearish signals that I had to stop using baseball metaphors to call strikes. Now, the latest bearish signal looks like the most ominous yet. In the wake of February’s job report, price action delivered a wicked … Read more

The Magic of All-Time Highs – The Market Breadth

The Magic of All-Time Highs - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Last week delivered the magic of all-time highs. Another all-time high for the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ’s entry into the all-time high club provided a benign feel to the stock market. Financial markets even look like a safe haven from all the turmoil and trouble in the world. Investors and traders … Read more

All Hail NVIDIA and A New Market Call – The Market Breadth

All Hail NVIDIA

Stock Market Commentary There is a deepening irony in my on-going bearishness on the stock market. The sector most visibly responsible for the anti-bearish animal spirits leaning against poor market breadth is the same sector I remain unapologetically bullish about: Artificial Intelligence (AI). The ironic contrast was in full display last week as the bullish … Read more

How Price Action Can Betray Good News: Stock Spotlight TWLO and FVRR

How Price Action Can Betray Good News

I am a strong advocate for paying attention to the message in price action. In this blog, I recount example after example of how and why price action matters for both short-term trades and long-term investments. One of my favorite suspects is non-confirming price action, especially when negative price action betrays good news. When a … Read more

More Red Flags After the Stock Market Moves in Chunks – The Market Breadth

More Red Flags After the Stock Market Moves in Chunks

Stock Market Commentary I hate to be one of THOSE bears, but this current wild stock market has turned me into the classic broken record of bearishness. Last week’s red flags consisted of mind-boggling price changes in certain stocks both up and down. Stocks should not move in big chunks at a time, sometimes for … Read more

A BE READY Kind of Day in the Stock Market – The Market Breadth

A Be Ready Kind of Day in the Stock Market

Stock Market Commentary Right after the stock market tempted me to flip from bearish to neutral, January’s CPI (consumer price index) turned brought the bears rushing back to the scene. Inflation’s fizzle turned to sizzle, and the technical picture of the stock market almost flipped on its head. The charts say it all – the … Read more