Deconstructing Materials Stocks

The deconstruction continues in material stocks. The culprit this time around was a poor reading and interpretation of construction spending. Per AP News: “U.S. construction spending dropped 1.7 percent in March, the biggest setback in 11 months, with weakness in a number of sectors including the biggest plunge in home building in nine years. The … Read more

T2108 Update (July 22, 2014) – S&P 500 Presses Against All-Time Highs And Bottoming Volatility (Includes Chart Reviews And Addendum for Apple Pre-Earnings Trade)

(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

Companies Looking for Stabilization In Non-Residential Real Estate Beyond Today’s Continued Poor Performance

I continue to keep tabs on the performance of non-residential (commercial) real estate through the eyes of the companies that service this industry. Unlike previous quarters, earnings reports are a bit more mixed about the condition and outlook for non-residential real estate. Current conditions remain poor, but companies are now straining to see some light … 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

Commercial Real Estate Woes Weigh On Acuity Brands – Yet Again

The first half of 2010 has ended and another earnings season is upon us. The second quarter should be a time of easy comparisons as the economy hit a trough leading into spring of last year. If there is any credence to the argument that the economy is on a sustainable path to recovery, we … Read more

Acuity’s Earnings Report Launches the Second Quarter

Over the past several quarters I have looked to Acuity Brands (AYI) as a potential signal of the earnings season to come, especially when it comes to commercial real estate. For several quarters, AYI has reported dour news about its industry and the economy. Sometimes traders and investors sold the news, sometimes they bought it. … Read more