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

Above the 40 (April 13, 2017) – The S&P 500 Suffers A Convincing End to Bullish Divergence

AT40 = 38.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 16.0 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (notable caveats explained below) Commentary The 50-day moving average (DMA) is no longer golden. It figures that on a day … Read more

Trading Cocoa: A Declining Price Takes Its Toll But Brings Opportunity

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 27, 2017. Click here to read the entire piece.) In late August, 2016, I got ready to buy back into the iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) as a part of my strategy to trade its price range at that … Read more

Another Chicken Run for Restaurant Brands With El Pollo Loco Rumors

A little over two years ago, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), a quick serve restaurant that “offers individual and family-sized chicken meals, Mexican-inspired entrees, sides, and, alternative proteins,” was mentioned as a potential acquisition target of Jollibee Foods Corp, the largest fast food franchisor in the Philippines. LOCO closed that day at $26.25 and with … Read more

Above the Forty (AT40 – February 3, 2017): The S&P 500 Bids to End Bearish Divergence

AT40 Status: 60.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 Status: 68.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX Status: 11.0 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Nothing says “strong sentiment” like a stock market that actually rallies on a strong U.S. jobs report: the fear of … Read more