Pendulum Swings Back to “Sell” on the S&P 500

Almost on schedule, the pendulum has swung back to “sell” on the S&P 500. The technical setup on the index shows extremely overbought conditions with buying volume falling just as the index reaches for overhead resistance (see chart below). Combine these conditions with the launch of earnings season, a new round of U.S. economic releases … Read more

Commercial Real Estate Woes Weigh On Acuity Brands – Yet Again

The first half of 2010 has ended and another earnings season is upon us. The second quarter should be a time of easy comparisons as the economy hit a trough leading into spring of last year. If there is any credence to the argument that the economy is on a sustainable path to recovery, we … Read more

Poor Housing Numbers Send XHB to Another Retest of 2010 Lows

Many homebuilder stocks, like Toll Brothers (TOL), went parabolic in April. The homebuilder index, XHB, hit 18-month highs at the time. Since flaming out, TOL is down 26%, and the homebuilder’s ETF, XHB, has sunk 23% in two months. This action further confirms the principle that parabolic moves more than likely signal the coming end … Read more

S&P 500 Potentially Setting Up for A Directionless Summer (includes some charts of interest)

By now, I think we should recognize that low-volume rallies simply do not last – the odds tend to favor a return of most, if not all, those kinds of gains, sooner than later. Last week, I was particularly puzzled by a low-volume 2.4% rally on the S&P 500 that came on the heels of … Read more

The Latest Oversold Period Ends Inconclusively

T2108, the percentage of stocks trading above their 50-day moving averages (DMA), hit 21% on Wednesday. This milestone finishes nine days of technically oversold trading conditions as defined by T2108 dropping to 20% or below. I am reposting below a chart of the historical distribution of durations for oversold periods as a reminder that the … Read more

Market Oddities Abound in This Era of Globalization

(This is a guest post written by “Chenzo” of forexcharts.net) If any lesson was clear during the past few turbulent weeks of trading, it was that our markets are more closely entwined than ever. Perhaps this is a sign of our continuing globalization path, but the waves created by any financial event are traveling across … Read more

Adjusting to Potential For Extended Oversold Conditions

The stock market is now on day #6 of this oversold period and a powerful resolution to the upside is beginning to look less likely. Asia and Europe led off with powerful rallies. However, the U.S. follow-through stalled out and fell short. Although the indices faded hard and ended notably down, the percentage of stocks … Read more