Above the 40 (November 29, 2017) – Bullish Divergence Powers Through A Wicked Rotation

AT40 = 59.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.7 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary “Time is ticking away for the bears and sellers as the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is typically a very mild, … Read more

The Surprising Implications of Periods of Extremely Low Volatility – A Year of Records

Trying to chase volatility higher has been like chasing fancy footwork. The S&P 500 (SPY) last completed a drawdown of 5% or more on November 4, 2016. That ended a period of pre-election weakness that began in early to mid-August, 2016. The last drawdown of 5% or more before that occurred around Brexit when the … Read more

As the VIX Plunges to All-Time Lows, Speculators Abort Their Seasonal Gold and Silver Rush

A month ago, I wrote about the near seasonal pattern of speculators accumulating net long contracts in gold and silver from July troughs to October peaks. THIS year, the speculators started up on schedule but aborted the mission as net longs peaked well ahead of October. Source: Oanda’s CFTC’s Commitments of Traders So seasonal patterns … Read more

Above the 40 (September 22, 2017) – Apple Falls from the Tree, the Stock Market Bends Without Breaking

AT40 = 63.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.6 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The stock market stubbornly held onto its bullish positioning despite the tumble of one of its biggest stalwarts: Apple (AAPL). AAPL … Read more

Above the 40 (September 5, 2017) – A Different Kind of Volatility and Fizzle for the Stock Market

AT40 = 44.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 48.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.2 (was as high as 14.1) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Another North Korean nuclear power move caused more rattling in financial markets. The last time the market … Read more

Above the 40 (August 14, 2017) – Another Fear Phase Fizzles

AT40 = 42.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.3 (volatility index fell 20.5%) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary As has been the pattern for quite some time now, the latest phase of fear fizzled out fast. … Read more

Above the 40 (August 9, 2017) – A Stock Market Pushing Against A Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 45.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 53.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.1 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral (first day of downgrade) Commentary The stock market had a weak open but a strong close. On the heels of ratcheting … Read more

Above the 40 (August 3, 2017) – The S&P 500 Makes Another Bearish Divergence With A Fresh Twist

AT40 = 49.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.4 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Here we go again. Last week, the S&P 500 slipped but did not fall off the edge. In my … Read more

Above the 40 (July 6, 2017) – A Stock Market Swivel

AT40 = 48.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.5 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Diabolically, the stock market has put my head on the proverbial swivel. I earlier noted how the NASDAQ in particular … Read more

Above the 40 (June 30, 2017) – A Simple Explanation for Stock Market Confusion

AT40 = 57.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.2 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The cats were particularly frenetic in the last week of trading for the second quarter of 2017. The major … Read more