ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Stock Market Commentary In Q2, the S&P 500 (SPY) enjoyed a 2-month rebound from an April sell-off. The index ended Q2 with a 3.9% gain. The stock market as a whole ended Q2 with a notable divergence in which market breadth, long maligned for the quarter, suddenly improved despite bearish topping patterns appearing on both … Read more
Stock Market Commentary A plunge in market breadth on Wednesday made me expect a more bearish take on the markets for my next blog post. A sharp rebound led by strong earnings from various retail companies, quickly changed the narrative from a continued NVDA hangover to a bullish divergence and then a bullish setup. Friday’s … Read more
Stock Market Commentary A curious break in the trading action unfolded as financial markets wrestled with two “disappointing” inflation reports. Both the CPI (consumer price index) and wholesale inflation (the producer price index or PPI) came in slightly higher than “expected” (headline and core). The data just tell me expectations are unrealistic or at best … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Market breadth tentatively tested the overbought threshold before buyers got a hit and made a dash into overbought conditions. The previous tentativeness created a first strike against the market rally. The dash into overbought conditions refreshed a broad bullishness in the stock market. Long-term interest rates were once again the center of … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The economic numbers keep coming up roses for the stock market. Last week’s celebration was driven by a soft inflation report for October that further emboldened buyers. A fresh surge in bond prices (lower yield) led the way as small caps in particular rocketed higher. The relentless buying pressure also solidified the … Read more
A major gauntlet dropped on the stock market. Apple (AAPL) soared as high as 3.2% but closed at just a 0.3% gain. AAPL broke out to a new all-time high last week in the middle of a swift 8-day run-up. In that time, AAPL bounced off support at its 50-day moving average (DMA) (the red … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The drag I described in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s pronouncements on monetary policy eroded the stock market a lot more than I thought. Market breadth printed a major fakeout with my favorite indicator plunging in the wake of deep selling in inflation-related trades from commodities to industrials to financials. The … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market is a cauldron of contradictions and divergences. Breakdowns below key support levels abound. Stocks suffer post-earnings fades even after companies report strong results, especially in both beaten up growth stocks and resilient big cap tech. Yet, the S&P 500 just rises above the steady erosion of market breadth with … Read more
Stock Market Commentary A week ago, the fading of the growth tantrum further solidified my bullish read on the stock market. Last week, big cap tech took over from the growth tantrum. Buyers passed the baton in impression fashion but left small caps behind. Regardless, market dips are attracting buyers in a rotating fashion. The … Read more
Stock Market Commentary All March long the stock market wrestled with inflation fears. After the S&P 500 (SPY) successfully rallied away from its 50-day moving average (DMA) (red line in the chart below) in early March, I recognized signs that the stock market’s churn was a sign of digestion of these fears. Yet, so-called growth … Read more