U.S. Concrete: A Strong Play on the U.S. Economy (My Interview with CEO Bill Sandbrook)

On August 15, 2017, I had the privilege of interviewing Bill Sandbrook, President and CEO of U.S. Concrete (USCR), a producer of ready-mixed concrete and aggregate products for domestic construction projects. I am relatively new to this industry, so I prepared by listening to earlier interviews, reviewing USCR’s latest earnings results for Q2 2017, and … Read more

Above the 40 (August 15, 2017) – The Retail Wreck Runs Over Strong Data

AT40 = 39.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 50.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.0 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Urban Outfitters (URBN) notwithstanding with its 19.5% after hours surge, Tuesday, August 15, 2017 was a signature day for the weakness engulfing … Read more

Above the 40 (June 30, 2017) – A Simple Explanation for Stock Market Confusion

AT40 = 57.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.2 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The cats were particularly frenetic in the last week of trading for the second quarter of 2017. The major … Read more

Above the 40 (June 27, 2017) – Tech Troubles Redux

AT40 = 53.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.1 (volatility index) (11.7% gain) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Suddenly, tech stocks are in trouble all over again. On June 9, 2017, tech stocks suddenly swooned, … Read more

Above the 40 (May 5, 2017) – The S&P 500 Again Skirts Past A Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 54.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.6 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Two hallmarks of this current stock market have been the 1) consistent weakness of sellers and 2) the persistent ability … Read more

Gold and Silver Lag A Market Wavering On Two More Rate Hikes for 2017

Market expectations for a June rate hike remain as solid as ever. However, expectations for two more rate hikes in 2017 have wavered. A day ahead of the release of the next decision on monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, Fed Fund futures pricing in two rate hikes by December (assuming 25 basis point … Read more

Housing Market Review – Lumber Issues Loom Over Another Series of Strong Data (April, 2017)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in March, 2017 for February, 2017. At that time, the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) was at the bottom of what turned out to be a very shallow pullback from a near 10-year high. The subsequent recovery has been grinding and slow, but ITB now trades above … Read more

Above the 40 (April 25, 2017) – The S&P 500 Follows Through And Scratches Overbought Levels

AT40 = 67.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 65.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The French Fly continued apace as financial markets continued to celebrate. In my previous post, I failed to post a … Read more

Above the 40 (April 21, 2017) – A Stock Market Knocking on the Door

AT40 = 53.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 61.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.6 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish) Commentary In the middle of last week, the S&P 500 (SPY) looked firmly locked in a state of stasis. The … Read more

The Turkish Lira Roils Around Constitutional Referendum But Remains Indecisive

By a slim margin, the Turkish people voted to change the country’s government from a Parliamentary system to a Presidential one. The change will reportedly cement the power of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and allow him to stay in power for as long as 2029 assuming he wins the next two Presidential races. Erdogan argued … Read more