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

Above the 40 (November 17, 2017) – The Stock Market Sharply Switches to A Bullish Divergence

AT40 = 47.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) failed to follow-through on Thursday’s snapback rally, but a bullish divergence kept the short-term prospects looking good. … Read more

Above the 40 (November 15, 2017) – A Stock Market That Wants to Drop

AT40 = 41.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 13.1 (as high as 14.5) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The narrowing rally in the stock market has officially resolved into a sell-off. The downward slide is … Read more

Above the 40 (November 3, 2017) – Strong Market Indices Still Fail to Move the Needle

AT40 = 52.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.1 (a new all-time low!) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary A week ago, I complained that AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their 40-day moving … Read more

Above the 40 (October 27, 2017) – A Fresh Market Surge Barely Moves An Important Needle

AT40 = 59.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 (a 13.3% drop) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Buyers ended last week on a strong note with the S&P 500 (SPY) surging to yet another all-time … Read more