An All-Time High Defines History, Not the Future

The S&P 500 (SPY) traded at an all-time high last week. This milestone means that the broad-based index never closed above that level, 2954.20, before that time. Specifically, “all-time” is an adjective with two meanings according to Dictionary.com: “never surpassed or greater” “regarded as such in its entire history” Despite the clarity of this definition, … Read more

From Loitering to Breakout: Stocks Look for Bad News Worthy of Rate Cuts – Above the 40 (June 21, 2019)

AT40 = 53.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 50.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 15.4Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The stock market is officially in bizarro world. The stock market is breathlessly rallying in anticipation of rate cuts that will come … Read more

Above the 40 (June 5, 2018) – The Apple Temptation of the Stock Market Redux

AT40 = 65.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a 4-month high) VIX = 12.4 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary A month ago I pounded the table for Apple (AAPL). I was tempted to extend that sentiment to the … Read more

Above the 40 (March 9, 2018) – Stock Market Returns To Its Originally Scheduled Programming

AT40 = 48.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 52.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.6 (11.5% drop) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The (expected) plunge in the volatility index, the VIX, says it all…the stock market is ready to return to its … Read more

Above the 40 (July 14, 2017) – S&P 500 Hits All-Time High Alongside Historic Volatility

AT40 = 63.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.5 (volatility index) (since 1990, only TWO days have been lower, both in December, 1993!) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The volatility index, the VIX, closed at … Read more

Above the 40 (June 2, 2017) – Breadth Returns to the Stock Market…Just In Time

AT40 = 55.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary In my last Above the 40 post, I noted how the trading action made it hard for me to … Read more

Above the 40 (May 26, 2017) – The S&P 500 Hits More All-Time Highs Floating On Pillows of Caution

AT40 = 47.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary I should no longer be amazed, but I am still amazed: the inability of sellers to generate follow-through in … Read more

Above the 40 (February 9, 2017) – The S&P 500 Celebrates “Phenomenal” Tax News

AT40 Status: 58.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 Status: 68.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX Status: 10.9 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary “We’re way ahead of schedule, I believe. And we’ll be announcing something, I believe, in the next two or three … Read more

T2108 Update (December 6, 2016) – The S&P 500 Flirts With A Major Overbought Breakout

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are … Read more

Awaiting the Next Sell Signal As the S&P 500 Enters the Season’s “Danger Zone”

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 8, 2016. Click here to read the entire piece.) Almost a year ago, I wrote about an interesting signal that tends to accompany a significant top in the S&P 500 (SPY) – “significant” meaning preceding a sell-off of 10% or … Read more