The ARK Funds Suffer A Setback in the Fight for Bottoming Levels

A month ago I laid out the case and conditions for bottoming across the collection of ARK funds. The key pivot rested with the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF). It still is the first and only of the pre-pandemic ARK funds to break its pandemic era closing low. Over the past month, ARKF struggled mightily … Read more

A Promising Divergence Between Anxiety and Breadth in the Stock Market

Stock Market Commentary: The market feels heavy and bearish. Yet, the major indices continue to bounce between the edges of their “churn zones.” Last week’s churn delivered a surprising ray of light tantalizing the dour sentiment. While the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ closed with a second straight week of losses, the major breadth indicators … Read more

Bullish Bearishness: Jim Cramer’s October Jitters

August through October are the most dangerous months of the year for the S&P 500 (SPY). The historical drawdowns create a well-known pattern of trading that Jim Cramer of CNBC has referenced several times for at least a month. While this year’s August failed to fulfill its destiny, September delivered on its promises with heavy … Read more

High-Tech Stocks Break Down In Fallout from Fierce Bear-Bull Battle – Above the 40 (March 5, 2021)

Stock Market Commentary The stock market continued its streak of trickiness. Buyers and sellers played a fierce bear-bull battle starting with one of the biggest fake-out one-day rallies since last September 2nd’s near parabolic run-up. Fresh money flowed into funds to start the month of March to for gains of 2.4% on the S&P 500 … Read more

Tricky Trading Quickly Took Stocks from Strength to Weakness – Above the 40 (February 26, 2021)

Stock Market Commentary The stock market got quite tricky last week. A day after buyers re-established control, sellers returned with a sustained fury. The selling on Thursday reflected the stock market’s split personality while the follow-up selling on Friday seemed broader. The pressure on the the stock market looks like an ominous setup for March … Read more

GoodRx: A Healthy Recovery from An Amazon Panic

The Amazon Panic An “Amazon Panic” describes a rush of selling in the stocks of companies potentially impacted by a new initiative from Amazon.com (AMZN). Invariably, the dust settles, the panic subsides, and buyers pick up the pieces. The whirlwind is a short-term, quick trigger reaction to a world shattered by Amazon. An Amazon Panic … Read more

The Day the Stock Market Lost Apple

Apple (AAPL) lost 12.9% and broke its 200DMA for the first time during the market collapse.

“Looking for one of the 4% of stocks still trading above their respective 200DMAs? Apple (AAPL) is one of those lucky few. If sellers break AAPL, I foresee two binary possibilities: 1) buyers will finally see enough bargains to go on a buying spree, or 2) buyers give up all hope and the resulting rush … Read more

Stock Market Lessons from Cramer In Turmoil

As I scrambled to write my update on a “suddenly oversold” market stock market, I listened to Jim Cramer’s Mad Money. Cramer is naturally entertaining, and I particularly like hearing his take at key market moments like these. On Tuesday, February 25th, Cramer was firmly in the bearish camp on his Mad Money show. He … Read more

A Stock Market Stuck In An Obvious Trading Range Still Produces A Rich Set of Expectations – Above the 40 (August 29, 2019)

AT40 = 38.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 44.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2-month low)VIX = 19.0Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The Trigger Finger On Tuesday (August 27), I saw enough hints of a flip from a bullish to bearish divergence … Read more

Trade War Realities Weigh More Heavily

The Australian dollar versus the Japanese yen (AUD/JPY) is back to trading at levels last seen in the immediate wake of the financial crisis. A declining AUD/JPY helps to expose the intensifying risk-off sentiment in financial markets.

An Inescapable Truth In June, 2018, I made the following claims and observations (with fresh emphasis): “…at the end of the day, Trump is determined to drive the U.S. trade deficit as close to zero as possible. This cannot happen without some substantial economic disruptions. To the extent the market refuses to price in these … Read more