Retail Rally Comes to A Screeching Halt

Toys R Us refuses to die. The hedge funds that own the debt of the bankrupt toy retailer decided to cancel an auction of assets and instead plan to revive the brand and even open new retail outlets. The prospects of another Toys R Us revival could become symbolic: the timing coincided with what looks … Read more

Above the 40 (September 21, 2018) – A Suspect Breakout for the S&P 500

AT40 = 52.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.8 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The stock market is not quite out the (short-term) woods yet. Last Wednesday I pointed out why the latest bearish divergence forced … Read more

Above the 40 (September 7, 2018) – A Shaky and Stretched Stock Market Redux

AT40 = 48.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 53.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.9 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Almost a month ago, the stock market was in a similar technical position to the one it is in now. At … Read more

Above the 40 (September 4, 2018) – Fading Prospects for FOMO With A Borderline Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 57.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.9 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The momentum for FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) on the major indices effectively fizzled out with the start of post-summer trading. At one point, the … Read more

Above the 40 (July 13, 2018) – Buyers Quickly Zip Past Latest Bear Signal But Is Enough Gas Left?

AT40 = 58.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.2 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary On Tuesday, July 10th, AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), rose as high as … Read more

Above the 40 (June 29, 2018) – Sellers Reward A Weak Stock Market Bounce With A Bearish Fade

AT40 = 48.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 50.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 16.1 Short-term Trading Call: bearish Commentary The market’s gains the last two days validated my expectation for a relief bounce. I used this bounce to make more bearish … Read more

Another Amazon Panic – This Time is Different for Pharmacies

Another Amazon Panic broke out last week. Amazon.com (AMZN) announced its purchase of PillPack as part of its entry into the lucrative business of selling drugs. The news immediately took down pill pushers like Walgreens Boot Alliance (WBA) and CVS Health Corporation (CVS). While WBA looks like it is already bottoming, sellers followed through with … Read more

General Electric’s Removal from the Dow (Re)Exposed the Index’s Key Flaw

The big index news of last week was General Electric (GE) getting dumped by the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index. The index managers at the Dow picked Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) to replace GE. Source: FreeStockCharts.com I wish the entire Dow index could follow after GE. Traders do not use the Dow for anything … Read more

Above the 40 (June 8, 2018) – A Promising Stock Rally Comes Up Short of Important Threshold

AT40 = 69.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a 4-month high) VIX = 12.2 Short-term Trading Call: neutral (“almost bullish”) Commentary Friday started out in bearish fashion. Apple (AAPL) took a broadside from yet another one of those … Read more

Above the 40 (June 1, 2018) – Uncomfortable Divergences Weigh On the Stock Market’s Manic Rally

AT40 = 62.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 52.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a near 4-month high) VIX = 13.5 (down 12.8%) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary A day like this past Friday makes me want to be bullish about the entire stock … Read more