Periods of Extremely Low Volatility Remain Bullish – Now With Fresh Footnotes

The volatility index, the VIX, closed below 11 on April 24, 2017. That launched 184 trading days of extremely low volatility (ELV). The VIX is now just 1 more trading day away from finally bringing this historic event to an end. By my definition, it takes 20 trading days of the VIX closing above 11 … Read more

Above the 40 (February 8, 2018) – The Simple Stock Trades for the Latest Oversold Period

AT40 = 12.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (day 1 of the second oversold period in 4 days) AT200 = 39.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (near 2-year low) VIX = 33.5 (range from 24.4 to 36.2) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (with oh so many … Read more

Above the 40 (February 5, 2018) – An Oversold Stock Market Weighed Down By Historic Volatility

AT40 = 19.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – first oversold day after 19 percentage point plunge AT200 = 45.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 37.3 (115.6% increase! The largest since at least 1990) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish – oh so many caveats … Read more

Above the 40 (February 2, 2018) – Janet Yellen Exits As Oversold Market Conditions Loom

AT40 = 38.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 17.3 (28.5% increase!) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary “We cannot tolerate pervasive and persistent misconduct at any bank and the consumers harmed by Wells Fargo expect that robust … Read more

Above the 40 (January 30, 2018) – The S&P 500 Trips Over the Volatility Speedbump

AT40 = 55.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 60.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.8 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Last Friday, the S&P 500 (SPY) rolled over a volatile dollar on its way to another all-time high. The volatility index, the … Read more

Above the 40 (January 19, 2018) – Government Shutdown Edition

AT40 = 66.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – Day #1 of an overbought period AT200 = 63.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.9 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary When traders closed up shop on Friday, I am guessing they assumed, as I did, … Read more

Above the 40 (January 17, 2018) – The S&P 500 Invalidates Its Reversal But Not Cleanly

AT40 = 66.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – Day #1 of an overbought period AT200 = 63.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.9 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) made a resounding comeback from the previous day’s reversal. The move … Read more

Above the 40 (January 16, 2018) – Overbought Conditions Abruptly End On A Reversal Day

AT40 = 64.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – ended a 1-day overbought period AT200 = 62.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.7 Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary It figures that just one day after the stock market finally crossed into overbought territory, it … Read more

Above the 40 (December 15, 2017) – The Pause That Refreshed the Stock Market

AT40 = 59.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The market fatigue I pointed out last week lasted just one more day. In the spirit of this relentless bull market, … Read more

Above the 40 (December 1, 2017) – Another Sharp Panic Paves the Way for Fresh Buying

AT40 = 60.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary I call it a mini panic dip. Political news roiled the stock market for a brief moment, a grand 30 minutes … Read more