Goldman Sachs at Two Year Lows….vs the S&P 500

Every now and then, I check in on the chart of Goldman Sachs (GS) as a potential indicator of the underlying health of the stock market. This year, I have been consistently surprised at Goldman’s persistent relative weakness compared to the general market. After recently refreshing my chart of the S&P 500 price in gold, … Read more

The Fed-Inspired S&P 500 Likely to Remain Overbought As Index Reaches for Previous Uptrend

With the S&P 500 hitting fresh 3-year highs this week, the index is poised to recapture the previous uptrend that was interrupted by March’s double calamities of the Japan earthquake and hostilities in Libya. The stock market is overbought with T2108, the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), at a … Read more

Following the Charts Instead of the Bad News: Some Lessons from the Past Two Weeks

One of the many interesting features of the stock market since it broke down on March 10th is that the news has often been a distraction to underlying developments in the market. Following the charts has been relatively more effective than following the news in creating a (short-term) trading strategy. T2108, the percentage of stocks … Read more

The Stock Market’s Latest Important Battle Lines

I did not think the bulls could pull off an Act 2 defending the 50-day moving average (DMA) support on the S&P 500, but defend they did. Presumably, the stock market left behind fears of a Korean conflagration and an implosion of European sovereign debt in favor of encouraging economic news, like unemployment claims dropping … Read more

The Stock Market Finally Tumbles From Overbought Conditions

After 46 days, the stock market finally dropped out of overbought conditions. On Friday, T2108, the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), plunged below the 70% overbought threshold all the way to 62.5%. The stock market had a historic run. These past 46 trading days created the sixth longest overbought … Read more

The Market Remains Unbroken…and Unloved

Like my friend TraderMike, I am extremely surprised at the timing of the market’s latest breakout. I too would have thought a breakout would come immediately after one of our three main news items of the week, not in between! I agree with TraderMike that the nature of this breakout leaves open the real possibility … Read more

S&P 500’s Rubber Band Is Ready to Snap Back

After a disappointing Monday, bulls got a good scare on Tuesday’s open as the S&P 500 marginally cracked the February lows. However, buyers stepped up in force and bid the index higher for the rest of the day. Buyers have now stepped up in force for the last two up days. With this oversold period … Read more