ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
While many gear up for the elections and the Federal Reserve, I am bracing myself for a barrage of earnings from solar companies. Thursday night, First Solar (FSLR) kicked off the earnings parade in disappointing fashion as the market reacted by taking the stock down 9%. It seems that the market agonized over two main … Read more
Prices soared for solar stocks in September. In October, volume has soared…but prices have swung sharply downward after a very strong start to the month. In most cases, solar stocks have lost all their gains for the month and then some. This trading action is creating buying opportunities, especially where uptrends and/or critical technical support … Read more
A fresh buying opportunity may finally be unfolding in the solar sector. In Tech Trader Daily on Friday, Eric Savitz broke news that the U.S. government is launching an official investigation into alleged unfair trade and investment practices by the government of China in green technologies. Across the board, solar stocks were slammed in reaction … Read more
After solar stocks soared in September, expectations are riding high for solar companies to carry their earnings momentum from the second quarter’s reports into the third quarter’s reports. First Solar (FSLR) made a big step in the right direction by announcing that it received an additional 380 Megawatt in orders from existing customers for delivery … Read more
Two weeks ago, I first noted an impressive “stealth” rally in some solar stocks like SOL, LDK, and JASO. At the time, First Solar (FSLR) was flat on the year, but it still made the list because this flat performance was out-performing the general market. I also noted that FSLR was due for a pullback … Read more
OK, by “stealth” I really mean I have not paid close enough attention to the rallies in several solar stocks. 2010 has been a year of true divergence for solar stocks. Some solar stocks have been in year-to-date rallies and others have been declining all year. The net result is an awful -25% year-to-date performance … Read more
As expected, First Solar’s earnings last week did not print any big surprises. Read a brief summary provided by earth2tech or flip through the earnings presentation for more details. The mixed results provided no clear trading catalyst, putting key technical levels in play that I was looking to trade. Support at the 200-day moving average … Read more
First Solar (FSLR) reports earnings this evening. Unlike the last two rounds, I have no strong feelings about the potential upward or downward moves this time around. I went neutral on FSLR after closing out positions on the great post-earnings pop in April, and I have not done much else since then with the stock … Read more
By now, I think we should recognize that low-volume rallies simply do not last – the odds tend to favor a return of most, if not all, those kinds of gains, sooner than later. Last week, I was particularly puzzled by a low-volume 2.4% rally on the S&P 500 that came on the heels of … Read more
First Solar (FSLR) has been stuck in a downtrend for two years (see chart below). The stock has traveled a volatile path through this trend, providing strong trading opportunities up or down. For example, a sharp two-month rally from the March, 2009 lows doubled the stock price. Insider buying earlier this year provided a convincing … Read more