T2108 Update – August 29, 2011 (Finally Oversold No More)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag.) T2108 Status: 27% (The FIRST day out of an historic oversold period that lasted 17 days – 3rd longest … Read more

T2108 Update – August 3, 2011 (Brief Dip Into Oversold Territory)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page.) T2108 Status: 26%. VIX Status: 23.4 General (Short-term) Trading Call: Continue closing out bearish positions. Maintain list of bullish trades. Commentary Today was one of those days I wish T2108 reported … Read more

T2108 Update – August 1, 2011

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page.) T2108 Status: 33%. VIX Status: 23.7 General (Short-term) Trading Call: Hold. Commentary T2108 managed to nudge upward a bit after being at least as low as 29% when the S&P 500 … Read more

A Picture-Perfect Bounce but Risks to the Uptrend Increase

The stock market printed a timely and picture-perfect bounce on Friday. Ahead of the rally, I presented the relatively strong case for the bulls based on the previous 3-day pullback. By closing above Wednesday’s high of 1318, the S&P 500 is also poised to continue its gains. However, looking beyond this bounce from support, the … Read more

Toyota’s Second Rebound of 2010 Looks Solid

Toyota (TM) may be a beneficiary of the yen’s recent losses against the U.S. dollar as well as some encouraging economic news. As the U.S. dollar bottomed at fresh 15-year lows against the yen on November 1st, Toyota’s stock ended its last swoon. On November 4th, TM gapped up and closed 3% higher on a … Read more

Germany and Margin Issues Pressure First Solar, Overall Business Remains Healthy

While many gear up for the elections and the Federal Reserve, I am bracing myself for a barrage of earnings from solar companies. Thursday night, First Solar (FSLR) kicked off the earnings parade in disappointing fashion as the market reacted by taking the stock down 9%. It seems that the market agonized over two main … Read more

Lender Processing Services On the Defensive

Lender Processing Services (LPS) provides “…mortgage processing services, settlement services, mortgage performance analytics and default solutions.” The company claims that “a majority of the 50 largest U.S. banks” use its services. This business has put LPS right at the epicenter of “foreclosuregate.” On September 30, immediately before the foreclosure scandal engulfed LPS, the stock experienced … Read more

A Soaring September for Solar

Canadian Solar (CSIQ): 20% Evergreen Solar (ESLR): 20% Yingli Green Energy (YGE): 14% JA Solar Holdings (JASO): 11% Trina Solar (TSL): 10% ReneSola (SOL): 9% These solar companies are the top six performing solar companies in my watchlist….not for the month or the year, but for the last TWO DAYS. While only three of the … Read more

Fleckenstein: “Why would I want to hedge gold?”

Bill Fleckenstein, President of Fleckenstein Capital and one of my favorite money managers, was on CNBC’s Fast Money Wednesday night giving his typical, colorful commentary on gold. I am posting an approximate transcript to his brief interview because it included what I think should be a classic moment in gold commentary. Toward the end of … Read more

Trading Momentum Quickly Shifts Back to the Bulls, But…

With tongue reaching for the cheek last week, I declared the market both extremely undervalued and very overvalued, guessing that “as earnings season grinds on, I suspect the near-predictable pattern of post-earnings fades will finally wear thin, giving way to more bullish behavior.” I did not expect the turn to happen so clearly and dramatically … Read more