ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the May Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. When I wrote June’s housing market review and described a “struggling flicker,” the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was once again bouncing off the bottom of 2018’s trading range. … Read more
It was the soundbite on the U.S. housing market heard from near and far: Despite a healthy economy, we are seeing a moderation in demand. Fourth quarter contracts declined 15% in dollars and 13% in units compared to a difficult comp from 1 year ago. Fourth quarter demand flowed to a per community pace more … Read more
AT40 = 25.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 23.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (just off a 32-month low)VIX = 23.2 (as high as 24.7)Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish CommentaryI am surprised the stock market has yet to close in oversold conditions. AT40 (T2108), the … Read more
In most of my Housing Market Reviews this year, I chronicled the growing warning signs in the housing market and the on-going technical damage in the stocks of home builders. Until the last few months, I remained hopeful that a turn-around waited around the corner; I kept looking for the reassurances of the home builders … Read more
AT40 = 22.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – ends an 11-day oversold period that followed a 4-day oversold period AT200 = 31.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 19.5 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary If you are a long-term passive index investor, you can … Read more
AT40 = 21.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – ends an 11-day oversold period that followed a 4-day oversold period AT200 = 32.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 19.3 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective … Read more
I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the May Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. When I wrote June’s housing market review and described a “struggling flicker,” the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was once again bouncing off the bottom of 2018’s trading range. … Read more
The S&P 500 (SPY) printed its best quarter since the fourth quarter of 2013. While the index gained 7.2% for the third quarter of 2018, home builders went in the exact opposite direction. The iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) tumbled 7.4% for Q3 and is now down a whopping 20.9% year-to-date. The selling accelerated … Read more
“Haters gonna hate.” That phrase was a great way for CNBC’s Jim Cramer to begin his monologue introducing his interview with Toll Brothers CEO Douglas C. Yearley. In 2018, investors have exhibited plenty of loathing for the stocks of home builders despite an on-going string of strong earnings results and the backdrop of a strong … Read more
AT40 = 48.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 53.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.9 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Almost a month ago, the stock market was in a similar technical position to the one it is in now. At … Read more