Recession Risks Revealed in the “Disindependence” of the Federal Reserve

Major central banks typically cut interest rates in response to economic stresses; they ease when the data force them to do so. Some important exceptions in recent history happened 1) in 2016 when Mark Carney’s Bank of England cut rates as a cushion against the potential downsides of the pro-Brexit vote, and 2) when the … Read more

How to Understand the Inverted Yield Curve and Its Relationship to Recessions

The Federal Reserve’s program of monetary tightening has been fighting the bond market since the process began about 3 years ago. Over that period, the Fed has painstakingly tried to hike rates in a way that would avoid roiling markets. Unfortunately for the Fed, long-term rates on U.S. Treasuries failed to cooperate and barely budged … Read more

Above the 40 (March 15, 2019) – Bears Give Way to Breakouts As Stock Market Remains Precarious

AT40 = 61.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 43.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 12.9 (5-month low)Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary The stock market’s scramble for support worked last week as buyers and bulls put the bears on notice. However, the rally … Read more

Above the 40 (March 8, 2019) – A Newly Precarious Stock Market Scrambles for Support

AT40 = 54.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 38.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.1Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary The above tweet begins the dilemmas that lay ahead for short-term trading after I first flipped bearish ahead of Thursday’s selling. First, I … Read more

Above the 40 (March 6, 2019) – Nick Widens: End of Overbought Period Exposes Precarious Stock Market

AT40 = 63.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (25th overbought day)AT200 = 41.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 15.7Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary The broken record in the stock market finally came to an end. The small nick in the overbought period … Read more