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 Last week featured an intense barrage of earnings reports. The collective response on the major indices was a major yawn. The S&P 500 finished flat for the week. The NASDAQ and the iShares Trust Russell 2000 Index ETF both softened by 0.4%. Financials were a notable exception as the Financial Select Sector … Read more
Stock Market Commentary A week ago, the fading of the growth tantrum further solidified my bullish read on the stock market. Last week, big cap tech took over from the growth tantrum. Buyers passed the baton in impression fashion but left small caps behind. Regardless, market dips are attracting buyers in a rotating fashion. The … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market got quite tricky last week. A day after buyers re-established control, sellers returned with a sustained fury. The selling on Thursday reflected the stock market’s split personality while the follow-up selling on Friday seemed broader. The pressure on the the stock market looks like an ominous setup for March … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The new low in volatility that appeared to breathe new life and promise to the overbought period fizzled out. The major indices experienced a downward drift, and the general market struggled to hold onto overbought conditions. The trading drift finally broke below the overbought threshold. The Stock Market Indices The S&P 500 … Read more
Stock Market Commentary After sweeping away bearish signals, the stock market moved right into overbought territory last week. The week started with a small gap up to all-time highs, and the stock market never looked back. More importantly, the volatility index (VIX) hit a new low since the stock market broke down almost a year … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Sellers beat a hasty retreat from the stock market as another bearish signal enjoyed a fleeting existence. The last bearish period lasted about three days. The previous bearish period barely survived a day. The stock market’s ability to quickly wipe away bearish signals is impressive. The buying force over the last week … Read more
Stock Market Commentary After the recent bearish divergence resolved to the downside, the stock market rebounded sharply. Volatility was over-extended and my favorite breadth indicator plunged at an extreme rate. In that context, the stock market’s subsequent bounce made sense as relief from extreme conditions. The sellers followed through on the resolution of bearish divergence … Read more
I have revised and implemented the Apple Trading Model (ATM) for several years. Last year was a banner year for buying and selling AAPL weekly call options in the ATM. The success makes sense given Apple (AAPL), along with so many other stocks, especially in tech, experienced incredible runs. The patterns for the Apple Trading … Read more
Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 71.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (Day #1 overbought) AT200 = 66.9%% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (near 3-year high and confirmed breakout above post financial crisis downtrend) VIX = 24.8 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The week of … Read more
Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 48.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (8-month high) VIX = 29.6. (a plunge of 16.8%) Short-term Trading Call: neutral (downgrade from cautiously bullish) Stock Market Commentary At the time of writing, the U.S. … Read more