ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Stock Market Commentary After a month of churning, market breadth is wavering again. This slip is just about the only sign that the market cares at all about looming risks from a potential government shutdown. Even the volatility index (VIX) dropped 8.6% on Friday and remains just below where it closed right before the tariff … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Last week was billed as another marquee Fed week. While decision day brought a lot of intraday volatility, the churn became a mere speedbump as market breadth yawned and the stock market melt-up continued. The main message I heard from the Fed was an acknowledgement of an economy weak enough to warrant … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market leaned into a melt-up as a constant stream of IPOs signaled risk-on appetite even as a massive downward revisions in jobs in the 12 months through March, 2025 implied more than expected economic weakness ahead. Rate cuts beckon as a result of this broadening weakness, and Wall Street has … Read more
The Extremes I look for opportunities when markets overreact to sentiment extremes. The recent drama over the logo change for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc (CBRL) provided a textbook case. A redesign consistent with modern branding aesthetics set off a social media backlash, fueled by cultural politics and amplified by high-profile voices. In the … Read more
Stock Market Commentary In a flashback to August’s opening trading salvo, September trading started with a sharp pullback. The decline fit the standard theme of “professional” traders and investors returning from summer vacations to take profits from a market levitating on low volume vapors. However, sensing redux price action, the market’s persistent buyers jumped right … Read more