Above the 40 (May 31, 2017) – The S&P 500 Makes A Signature Close to May Trading

AT40 = 43.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 52.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.4 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary And just like that, the stock market made it even harder for me to keep a bullish bias on … Read more

Above the 40 (May 19, 2017) – The Nut Job Stock Market: Nutty By Nature

AT40 = 42.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.0 (volatility index) – a 17.9% decrease Short-term Trading Call: neutral (bullish only after the latest Trump Turmoil reverses OR oversold conditions, potentially bearish upon a retest of … Read more

Trump Turmoil Takes 2017 Rate Hikes Down to Just June

I am surprised Fed futures traders still firmly expect a rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve in June. Source: CME FedWatch Tool After the stock market sell-off in the wake of more Trump turmoil, the market pegged the odds of a June rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve at 64.6%. Above 50% means … Read more

Above the 40 (May 17, 2017) – One Day Suffices: S&P 500 Breakdown Lands the French Fly With A Thud

AT40 = 36.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 15.6 (volatility index) – a 46.4% increase!!! Short-term Trading Call: neutral (downgrade from cautiously bullish) Commentary Time to downgrade my cautious bullishness to neutral. The S&P 500 (SPY) … Read more

Forex Critical: A Breakdown for the U.S. Dollar

I may have flipped outright bearish on the U.S. dollar index (DXY0) just in time. My change in sentiment started with my increasing bullishness on the euro (FXE). With the euro constituting about 51% of the U.S. dollar index, I realized that it would be hard to remain bullish on the dollar overall while adopting … Read more

A U.S. Dollar Check-In: A Grinding Descent

I finally have to release my long-standing bullishness on the U.S. dollar index (DXY0) even as the dollar recently managed to bounce off its critical, uptrending 200-day moving average (DMA). Source: FreeStockCharts.com Looking at this chart, I get the feeling of something that is biding its time for a definitive catalyst that pushes it down … Read more

The Fed’s Clarity Extends the Pain for Gold and Silver

Ahead of the May decision on monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, I concluded that the stars had aligned for a potential (sharp) relief rally for the SPDR® Gold Shares (GLD) and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV). In that post, I extrapolated from the market’s waning enthusiasm for two more rate hikes in 2017. … Read more

Gold and Silver Lag A Market Wavering On Two More Rate Hikes for 2017

Market expectations for a June rate hike remain as solid as ever. However, expectations for two more rate hikes in 2017 have wavered. A day ahead of the release of the next decision on monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, Fed Fund futures pricing in two rate hikes by December (assuming 25 basis point … Read more

Above the 40 (April 25, 2017) – The S&P 500 Follows Through And Scratches Overbought Levels

AT40 = 67.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 65.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The French Fly continued apace as financial markets continued to celebrate. In my previous post, I failed to post a … Read more

Above the 40 (April 7, 2017) – An Incrementally More Dangerous Stock Market

AT40 = 46.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 62.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.9 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (notable caveats explained below) Commentary The timetable for a May end to this period of extremely low volatility looks like … Read more