The Volatility Index During Oversold Periods In the Stock Market

When the stock market last flipped to oversold trading conditions, I expected at least one more spike in the volatility index (VIX) before oversold trading ended. I define oversold as a period of trading in the stock market when AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), closes below … Read more

Stock Market Gap-Downs Send Traders Back to High Tech Playbook – Above the 40 (September 21, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 28.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs). (traded as low as 24.8%)AT200 = 40.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 27.8 (traded as high as 31.1)Short-term Trading Call: neutral (changed from cautiously bearish) Stock Market Commentary For a brief moment the entire … Read more

A Tech Stock Breakdown While Rest of Market Yawns – Above the 40 (September 18, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 43.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 44.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 25.8Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary Tech stocks led the way up, and now they are leading the way down. The top 1% of the … Read more

Tech Fertilizes the Weeds in the Stock Market – Above the 40 (September 11, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 40.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (2-month low)AT200 = 43.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2 1/2 week low)VIX = 31.5Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary The weeds in the stock market thickened last week. Tech stocks fertilized the … Read more

The Stock Market’s Garden Grows More Weeds In Sell-Off – Above the 40 (September 8, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 42.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (2-month low)AT200 = 42.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2 1/2 week low)VIX = 31.5Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary The swift stock market sell-off took a fresh turn for the worse. AT200 … Read more

Stocks Unwind Ahead of Key Stimulus Decisions and Earnings – Above the 40 (July 24, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 53.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 33.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 25.8Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), barely budged all week … Read more

How to Protect Gains After Surviving A Stock Market Sell-Off

The stock market crash in March was stomach-churning and generated a lot of panic. At its lowest point, the S&P 500 (SPY) was down 33.9% from its all-time high set just the previous month. The rebound from that stock market sell-off has been heroic with a 32.1% gain taking the index within another 14.6% rally … Read more

Above the 40 (December 3, 2019) – A Quick U-Turn for Speculation in the Stock Market

AT40 = 48.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 50.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.0 (up 7.0% and went as high as 18.0)Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary It was fun for the short time it lasted. The speculative turn in the stock … Read more

A Stock Market Content to Drift Higher No Matter What – Above the 40 (November 22, 2019)

AT40 = 53.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 52.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 12.3Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) pulled back slightly last week as the stock market’s underlying bearish divergence finally proved too heavy. Yet, the pullback … Read more

A Quick Roundtrip for Apple Post-Earnings: Reviewing Trade Strategy

The bullish post-earnings scenario I painted for Apple (AAPL) worked out relatively well in the first day of trading. After AAPL quickly topped out, my proposed strategy for a calendar call spread rapidly transformed from under-performing the benchmark weekly $210 call strategy to outperforming. In the immediate wake of earnings, AAPL gapped over expected $215 … Read more