ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
The Market Breadth Summary This is the week I finally had to turn bearish on the stock market. The warning signs have piled up too high for me to continue ignoring them. The momentum in the S&P 500 and NASDAQ has been incredibly strong, and that momentum kept me from making this call earlier. However, … Read more
The Market Breadth Summary Stock Market Commentary A week ago, I claimed that the stock market was all about oil. Now the stock market is all about war. Oil prices are up because of the war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. An even larger issue is the cascade of impacts from an escalating … Read more
The Market Breadth Summary Small cap stocks led a market breadth breakout, then faded just short of overbought, leaving me encouraged by momentum but wary of a near-term pullback. The S&P 500 ground to fresh highs, while the NASDAQ lagged by stalling at prior peaks. A clean breakout still awaits for the NASDAQ. CES-driven leadership … Read more
The bearish to bullish reversal ended for home builder stocks with a return to bear market territory. Today, October 9, 2025, the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) dropped under the threshold that defines a bear market: 20% below the all-time high (see chart below). The 2.6% slide on the day is part of a … Read more
Stock Market Commentary In a flashback to August’s opening trading salvo, September trading started with a sharp pullback. The decline fit the standard theme of “professional” traders and investors returning from summer vacations to take profits from a market levitating on low volume vapors. However, sensing redux price action, the market’s persistent buyers jumped right … Read more