Divergence in the Housing Market: Slowing Stocks vs Soaring Data – Housing Market Review (October, 2020)

Housing Market Intro and Summary A divergence in the housing market is emerging between slowing home builder stocks and strong housing data. The housing boom in the U.S. continued to make its mark in the middle of the pandemic-induced recession. While new home sales took a bit of a pause in October, housing starts, existing … Read more

ShotSpotter Gets Back to Business With Solid Earnings Results

Gun-fire detection company ShotSpotter (SSTI) is lagging the recovery in the general stock market. Even with a 28.3% post-earnings surge on Friday, the stock still trades below its April high. Yet, those earnings suggest that ShotSpotter is on track and successfully navigating its business through the COVID-19 pandemic. Earnings Results ShotSpotter has a lumpy business … Read more

Tesla: A Great Time for A Bollinger Band Squeeze

Tesla (TSLA) ended the week with a 5.1% gain as it coils in the middle of a growing Bollinger Band (BB) squeeze.

Technically Speaking “…the most technical trade in almost any instrument has got to be Telsa stock….Investors love the company…there are some long-term and substantial holders…who are not inclined to sell…” – Michael Khouw, CNBC, May 8, 2020 The technicals are the main way I have come to understand and appreciate Tesla (TSLA). Once again, the … Read more

British Pound: From Organized Chaos to Orderly Selling

The freefall in the British pound is even more clear in the GBP/JPY pair.

Three months ago, I wrote about the “organized chaos” in the British pound (FXB). I described an organized process of GBP/USD bouncing off and pivoting around key moving averages with the occasional sharp interruption of Brexit-related trades. Ironically, the sharp Brexit-related rally that sparked that post looks now like the British pound’s last gasp for … Read more

Forex Critical – The British Pound Moves On: Out With May, In With Hope

Tears In May Three weeks ago, I wrote about my skepticism about the strength of the British pound (FXB) in the wake of a resounding political defeat for the Conservatives. Brexit-related moves in the pound have proven fleeting and this time was no different. The pound peaked right after that post, but the persistent nature … Read more

Forex Critical: The Organized Chaos of the Turkish Lira

The British pound (FXB) is not the only currency trading in well-defined chaos. The Turkish lira stumbled into the week in the wake of the political uncertainty and forex chaos caused by the cancellation of the results of Istanbul’s recent municipal elections. USD/TRY soared at one point about 3%. The renewed political uncertainty reportedly comes … Read more

A Path Higher for the U.S. Dollar: A Shrinking Trade Deficit

It is increasingly clear that President Trump and his administration will relentlessly pursue a goal of balanced trade with the rest of the world. Trump sees negative trade balances as an absolute bad, and his fiery political rhetoric highlights that positioning. If my interpretation is correct, then I want to stay net long the U.S. … Read more

Above the 40 (March 7, 2018) – A Lagging S&P 500 Stops Short Even As Trade War Tripwire Defuses

AT40 = 39.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 49.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 17.8% Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary “Dear President Trump: We are writing to express deep concern about the prospect of broad, global tariffs on aluminum and steel imports. … 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

Speculators Add to Expectations for Higher Gold and Silver

The SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) accomplished a major milestone in the past week: it fully reversed its entire post-election loss in what looks like a major breakout. Source: StockCharts.com Speculators have been rushing back to gold likely in anticipation of these much higher prices. Source: Oanda’s CFTC’s Commitments of Traders Since 2008, here are the … Read more