Approaching Neutral
The major stock market indexes tacked on more losses last week, even though markets were only open for three-and-a-half days and trading was relatively light. The Nasdaq closed the week 4.3% lower, the Dow was down 4.4%, and the S&P 500 lost But...
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Market Views
Can Go Either Way
Resistance for the QQQ remains between 172.00 and 174.00. Support is between 165.00 and 168.00. A break below 165.00 would imply 162.50 is likely. A break below 162.50 would suggest the low on 10/29 at 160.09 will not hold a..
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Ready For Whatever Comes Next
The stock market is trying to pull itself together as October ends. Following Friday’s massive selloff, bargain hunters attempted to take control Monday, but selling pressures overwhelmed the rally and all three major indexes closed lower once again. Yesterday’s had...
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Market Views
Looking for a Sharp Pullback
Predicting exactly when the market will bottom is always a random guessing game at best. I offer no forecast as to when, or at what level, the major averages will hit their final lows. Based on the huge in...
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A Change in Leadership
Despite occasional hiccups, the stock market’s main trend is up. However, the advance has changed character a bit. We’re seeing investors rotate out of the growth stocks that had, until recently, led the market higher, and into more undervalued or names...
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Market Views
It’s the Earnings that Count
History shows that stock prices generally have followed earnings, so it is nice to see actual and projected EPS moving up, even as earnings forecasts often turn out to be too rosy. Happily, the number of companies (79.8%) expectations...
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At New All-Time Highs
The market is strong: the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are at all-time highs, and most stocks and sectors are participating.
The strength of the market made the selection of this month’s new addition challenging. The strong stocks on my watchlist have higher...
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Market Views
Long-Term Trend Remains Up
The overall market remains in decent shape, with the longer-term trend firmly up, though the intermediate-term trend is a bit iffy. But there remains a ton of rotation and crosscurrents in the market, with many (but not all) growth getting...
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Earnings Season Begins
Earnings season has begun. As usual, that means we’ll see larger-than-usual moves in stocks, many of which will turn out to be short term. Don’t overreact, stick to your plan, and be patient—do this and you’ll be fine.
Big picture, the stock is...
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Congrats to the Top Picks 2018, Mid-Year
The markets have seen more volatility in 2018 than last year, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average showing net gains of just 57 points for the year. But the good news is that our contributors have walloped score!
Capturing...
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Market Views
Further Gains Likely
Trading was quieter today as investors await the outcome of the Summit. Volatility could pick up as there are announcements this week by the Federal Reserve (FED) and the European Central Bank (ECB) regarding monetary policy where the Fed is to...
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Market Views
Bullish
The Dow successfully tested its lows Thursday and made a bullish tail, and then closed up strongly on Friday. The Dow has been consolidating into a 4-month Head & Shoulders type reversal pattern since late January and we expect it to break through...
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Market Views
Downside will bring Bargains
The market is responding both to the Fed, perhaps more than is realized, as they dismiss the 10-Year behavior and focus only on China. I believe it all matters; and don’t expect catastrophe at the end of the day, the...
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Market Views
Volatility Can Be Your Friend
A strong earnings season alongside recent inflation data has supported stock prices. Yet some analysts appear worried about rising inflation and interest rates. The change of tone has increased volatility, which is actually a good thing for investors have...
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Market Views
Volatility Continues
We remain braced for additional downside as the new trading week begins, though we note that the yield on the 10-Year U.S. Treasury ended last week at 2.85%, only a smidge higher than the 2.84% a week earlier. Certainly, interest rates and...
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Congrats to the Top Picks 2017
There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the stock market of 2017. Following the 2016 elections, the markets shot up, with very little down days. The latest estimates of 2017 gains (including dividends) are: Dow Jones Industrial Average (30.199%), 500...
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Market Views
Overbought, But Watch for Short-Term Weakness
The S&P 500 made another all-time high today, but it is overbought. We recently changed parameters for this indicator. Overbought was 70, but now it’s at 80. Note that the last three times it moved above that we...
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Market Views
Still Positive
In the final analysis, while there are definitely a couple of cracks in the stock market’s wall of worry that bear watching in the coming weeks, the weight of technical and fundamental evidence remains positive.
When the bull market has lost its and...
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Market Views
Bull Still has Legs
Today, almost two-thirds of NYSE-listed stocks are in an uptrend, the highest proportion since April.
The S&P 500 has gained about 3.75% since August 15, lagging the S&P 600 Small Cap Index, which has returned almost 10%. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy 100,...
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Market Views
Ready to Rebound
Here’s what the talking heads were saying. Irma wasn’t as bad as expected and North Korea didn’t do a missile test on their main holiday. Both of which are obviously true. The insurers and reinsurers most affected by Irma were sharply...
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