Rate Cut Promises Rescued A Stock Market Near Oversold – Above the 40 (June 7, 2019)

AT40 = 38.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 44.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 18.9Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Stock Market Commentary From opening at the edge of oversold trading conditions to closing on near panic buying, last week was a wild week! … Read more

Forex Critical: The “Safety Trade” Drives the Swiss Franc Near A 2-Year Milestone

While the volatility index (VIX) is only reluctantly responding to the latest turmoil in financial markets, other safety trades are moving in full steam. The “safety trade” I left out of my last post covering the stock market was the Swiss franc (FXF). At the time of writing the Swiss franc fell to a near … Read more

Housing Market Review (May, 2019) – A (Seasonal) Top Unfolds Amid Rising Confidence and Mixed Demand

Housing Market Intro/Summary In several posts on the housing market, I made the case for a top in the stocks of home builders and pointed out the parallel weaknesses in the housing data. Last week, the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) appeared to confirm what looks like a triple top in the index. Not … Read more

Forex Critical – Turkish Lira Gains Fresh Strength on Central Bank and Political Moves

On May 10th, the Turkish lira finally sprung back to life after USD/TRY hit a 7-month high. The move came right on the heels of another move by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) to adjust its reserve requirements in a way to support the currency: “Considering the latest developments in financial … Read more

Oversold Conditions Loom As Indices Conveniently Test 200DMA Supports – Above the 40 (May 29, 2019)

AT40 = 25.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 39.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 17.9Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40DMAs, broke through 30% and closed at 25.2%. My favorite technical indicator is … Read more

A Stock Market Floating Precariously – Above the 40 (May 24, 2019)

AT40 = 34.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 43.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 15.9Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary Bearish resistance won the trading battle the previous week. Last week, sellers did their best to follow-through. It was a week of chop … Read more

Forex Critical – The British Pound Moves On: Out With May, In With Hope

Tears In May Three weeks ago, I wrote about my skepticism about the strength of the British pound (FXB) in the wake of a resounding political defeat for the Conservatives. Brexit-related moves in the pound have proven fleeting and this time was no different. The pound peaked right after that post, but the persistent nature … Read more

The Dow Jones Industrials’ Unimpressive 5-Week Selling Streak Could Become A Meaningful Prelude

The CNBC headline sounds scary: “Dow rises nearly 100 points, but posts longest weekly losing streak since 2011“. It sounds like sellers have gripped the stock market! Normally, I ignore the Dow Jones Industrial because it is meaningless as an unrepresentative price-weighted index, but I could not ignore this headline. At first blush, I thought … Read more

Bearish Resistance Won the Week Against Major Indices – More Churn Ahead: Above the 40 (May 17, 2019)

AT40 = 42.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 46.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.0Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary A day after the major indices flipped from bullish support to bearish resistance, buyers rallied these indices through resistance. It was a tenuous … Read more

Above the 40 (May 15, 2019) – Stock Market Flips from Bullish Support to Bearish Resistance As Signals Compete

AT40 = 43.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 47.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.4Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary Over the weekend, I wrote about a “constructive stock market” as a reference to the stock market’s consistently positive responses to U.S. vs … Read more