A Defiant Fed, Unrelenting Bulls – The Market Breadth

A Defiant Fed, Unrelenting Bulls – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary The Federal Reserve took the stage right after the U.S. presidential election. The Federal Reserve and Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivered as expected. The unrelenting bulls had no reason to stop the momentum from the post-election rally. Powell stuck to the Fed’s script and unrelenting bulls kept charging. The uneventful meeting had … Read more

Stocks Stand By While China and Yen Surge – The Market Breadth

stand by (Credit: Mark Hodson Photos, www.101holidays.co.uk)

Stock Market Commentary The U.S. stock market hardly reflected last week’s action-packed news. China scrambled to address a weakening economy with a massive stimulus program with news rolling nearly all week. In Japan, voters elected a Prime Minister who favors a stronger currency in the Japanese yen (FXY). Capping the anti-climactic feeling in U.S. stocks, … Read more

Recalibration Time for Bulls and Bears – The Market Breadth

Recalibration Time for Bulls and Bears - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary In announcing the official end of monetary tightening, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell mentioned some form of the word “recalibration” nine times from his introductory statement to the Q&A portion of the press conference. Specifically, “….it’s a process of recalibrating our policy stance away from where we had it a year ago, … Read more

What Happened to the Housing Market – Stocks Topping and Sales Headwinds

A topping pattern for the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) includes the reversal of gains for the year and a breakdown below support at the 50-day moving average (DMA) (the red line).

Housing Market Intro and Summary What happened in the housing market in April, 2024? After four months of growing more positive, home builders proceeded into the spring selling season thanks to drag from the South. In my previous Housing Market Review, I pointed out a positive start to the spring selling season. April painted a … Read more

A Remarkable Year Ends With Signature Stock Market Moments – The Market Breadth

A Remarkable Year Ends With Signature Stock Market Moments - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Signature stock market moments capped a remarkable year for the stock market. Two months of nearly relentless buying delivered a stunning 70% of the gains for the S&P 500 in 2023 after bulls exploded out of oversold trading conditions. Housing-related stocks soared even more as financial markets celebrate the presumed end of … Read more

First Strike Against the Stock Market Rally – The Market Breadth

first strike against the rally

Stock Market Commentary The rally out of the stock market’s last oversold period finally suffered its first strike today as a strong open fizzled into some important fades. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ tapped highs of the year only to fail into marginally negative closes. Most importantly, market breadth perfectly tapped the threshold for … Read more

Retail Turns A Corner for Black Friday – The Market Breadth

Retail Turns A Corner for Black Friday

Stock Market Commentary The stock market continued its inflation celebration last week with a surge on Monday. The buying momentum abated from there as the holiday-shortened week rolled into Thanksgiving and then Black Friday. Even though NVIDIA (NVDA) stole the earnings spotlight for the week, the U.S.’s most storied day of shopping set the stage … Read more

A Stalemate Locks In the Pricing Action – The Market Breadth

stalemate (Credit: stalemate by ALEXMOFFAT1 on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary Last week was a time to avoid staring too hard at the day-to-day pricing action. The major indices were pretty much locked into a stalemate. Two breakouts were followed by two breakdowns. From a wider perspective, a stalemate has effectively been in place since mid-August. Despite my expectations, last month’s Jackson hole … Read more