Above the 40 (May 18, 2018) – Stock Market Drift Stalls Bearish Signal

AT40 = 64.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 13.4 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Looks like there was a good reason to wait on flipping my short-term trading call back to (cautiously) bearish. After pointing out … Read more

Above the 40 (May 9, 2018) – More Sentiment Changes with Fresh Breakouts for the Stock Market

AT40 = 60.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 48.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 13.4 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The “Apple Temptation” of the stock market seems to be working. For starters, after a 3 week run with a cautiously bearish … Read more

Above the 40 (May 4, 2018) – The Apple Temptation of the Stock Market

AT40 = 53.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 45.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.8 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Commentary I was right to be bearish last week…until the very last day when all at once the market reversed almost all … Read more

Above the 40 (April 27, 2018) – The Market’s Stop Signs Fail to Yield to A Busy Earnings Week

AT40 = 54.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 46.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 15.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Commentary Source: My Daughter A week ago, I finally changed my short-term trading call: I went from neutral to cautiously bearish. When … Read more

Above the 40 (April 13, 2018) – The Bears Engulf An Otherwise Uplifting Week for the Stock Market

AT40 = 45.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 44.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 17.4 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) gained 2.0% for the week. Yet the week felt like a loser given the way it ended. The … Read more

Financially Vulnerable: A Critical Test for Financial Stocks

This week, I blithely accumulated call options on Goldman Sachs (GS) ahead of and after the Federal Reserve’s latest declaration on monetary policy. I assumed that the Fed’s calming influence would remind market participants that the economy is fine and the prospects are good. Under that scenario financial stocks would do well as long-term interest … Read more

Four Fed Rate Hikes This Year? Still Not Likely.

I heard commentary after the Fed’s proclamation on monetary policy on March 21st that the Fed is “one vote away” from 4 rate hikes this year. Yet, something strange happened along the way to over-speculation on the number of rate hikes in 2018: the traders putting their money on the line on the 30-Day Fed … Read more

Above the 40 (January 2, 2018) – Stock Market Version 2018 Launches With Fireworks

AT40 = 64.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 62.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The New Year started with fireworks with the S&P 500 (SPY) gapping up to a 0.8% gain and new all-time high. … Read more

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

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