Above the 40 (February 27, 2018) – The Bulls’ Steamroller Abruptly Runs Out of Gas

AT40 = 31.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 48.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 18.6 (17.7% gain) Short-term Trading Call: bullish (caveats below!) Commentary During the thick of the sell-off earlier this month, I stated with tongue-in-cheek that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome … Read more

And Down Go the Consumer Plays

This year was supposed to be the year of retail. Last week’s sell-off not only took down a broad base of stocks, but also it plunged retail stocks in aggregate into under-performance against the S&P 500 (SPY). Moreover, home builders broke down in a very bearish way and thus put my “buy the dip” strategy … Read more

Above the 40 (January 30, 2018) – The S&P 500 Trips Over the Volatility Speedbump

AT40 = 55.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 60.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.8 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Last Friday, the S&P 500 (SPY) rolled over a volatile dollar on its way to another all-time high. The volatility index, the … Read more

Housing Market Review (December, 2017) – Seasonal Strength Launches With A Flurry of Activity

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in November, 2017 for October, 2017. At the time, the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) traded at a 10+ year high with the angst of tax reform left far behind in the rear view mirror. The day after my post, Toll Brothers (TOL) reported earnings that … Read more

A Housing Industry Sharply Split On the Impact of Tax Reform

Perhaps it is the pressure of having member companies whose stock trade on public markets. Perhaps it is a coincidental divide in politics. Whatever the explanation, the split in opinion on the impact of Republican tax reform on the housing market became even more stark this week as The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) … Read more