Here We Go Again
It’s been a tough three days for the bulls that is about to get worse as China retaliated for Trump’s tariffs with a series of their own. Their currency, the yuan, also fell below what analysts have deemed “critical” levels. It has long been argued that by weakening their currency, China has been able to partially offset the impact of the tariffs. I won’t get into another diatribe about how I detest and hate using tariffs as part of economic […]
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Date: August 5, 2019
Economic Reports Overshadowed by Trump & Powell
It’s been quite a week! Lost in the Fed and tariffs headlines has been three important economic reports that lead to a conclusion as clear as mud. The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index cratered to under 45, signaling trouble in the manufacturing sector. However, this number does have the importance it once did as the economy is only about 12% manufacturing these days. We also saw Consumer Confidence soar in July to just shy of an all-time high. That’s a little […]
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Date: August 2, 2019
Powell’s Arrogance & Ignorance to Continue – Here Comes the Cut
What to Expect Today Let’s get the worst kept secret out of the way. The FOMC is going to cut interest rates today by 1/4%. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t believe that short-term rates are going down today, regardless of whether they agree or not. The big question is going to be what Powell says after that. Is this an “insurance” cut as in one and done? Or, is it the beginning of a rate cut cycle like […]
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Date: July 31, 2019
Big Week Ahead
Boy, it only took a single day of weakness, Thursday, for bulls to get right back to work. Friday made quick work of the bears and the bulls look like they are not quite done yet. Of course, the Fed will have a lot to say about that when they conclude their two day meeting on Wednesday with an almost certainty for fireworks. More on that in another update. The government released Q2 GDP and it can be interpreted two […]
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Date: July 28, 2019
Lots of Sideways Action – Could Lead to Another Leg Higher
With tech earnings season in peak mode, we are seeing huge moves in the prominent companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook, but overall, the indices have been relatively calm. The Dow and S&P 500 have been range bound and the longer this sideways action continues, the more likely the ultimate resolution will be to the upside. Bears have been pointing to the poor action in the S&P 400 and Russell 2000. The problem is that they have been behaving poorly […]
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Date: July 26, 2019
Lots of Ammo for the Bears
Lots of focus on technology this week as some of the behemoths report earnings. One thing is certain; there will be movement. All of the major stock market indices ended last week on the defensive as the bears put the plow down with a very heavy selling wave last Friday afternoon. That resulted in hundreds of stocks closing lower from all-time or recent highs which a yet another sign of a tired market. Coupled with overly confident options traders and […]
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Date: July 23, 2019
Opening Gaps the Theme – Financials Leading Banks
As earnings remain the theme over the next few weeks, large gaps on the up and downside at the open can be seen as the more impactful companies report after the close of the previous day. After Wednesday’s close tech giant Netflix delivered a very poor earnings report that looked to weigh very heavily on Thursdays open. However, by morning, those losses were somewhat mitigated and a only a mildly lower open should be seen. After Thursday afternoon’s tech slide, […]
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Date: July 18, 2019
Earnings Season is Here – Internals Fairly Strong
With earnings season beginning in earnest this week, the markets are now focused on two major items, earnings and the Fed. Weaker than expected earnings will give the Fed another excuse to cut rates at the end of July, not that they are really looking for more reasons to cut. With stocks at all-time highs, expectations are now very high for companies to deliver this month. Those that don’t will be severely punished. Sentiment has also become very bullish with […]
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Date: July 16, 2019
Trump 1 – Powell 0
Fed Chair Jay Powell finished his second day of testimony on Capitol Hill and his comments were unambiguous regarding a rate cut. It’s coming and it will not be a one and done. When pressed about the very strong employment landscape, he basically dismissed it and focused on everything his mandate doesn’t include, like weakness in Europe and trade tensions. I couldn’t find those listed in the Fed’s dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment. Um, ah, the economy […]
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Date: July 11, 2019
Powell on the Hot Seat
Wednesday is yet another one of those media created “all-important” days this month as Fed Chair Jay Powell begins two days of testimony before Congress in what used to be called the Humphrey-Hawkins testimony named after the two Congressmen who created the act. With stocks at or near all-time highs the only precedent for an interest rate like the market is expecting at the end of the month is July 6, 1995 when stocks were also at or near all-time […]
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Date: July 10, 2019
Don’t Go to The Hamptons – Big Move Coming
With the world seemingly focused on Friday’s employment report, I expected a lot more fireworks than we saw. After a gap lower at the opening and some modest follow through, stocks made it all the way back to even before tailing off to end the day. I have been talking about the rally not looking “complete” yet and that is starting to change. Our models remain defensive and only a break above Dow 27.000 on a daily and weekly close […]
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Date: July 8, 2019
Rally Not Complete Even Though New Highs Waning
Stocks continue the traditional holiday week drift higher. The S&P 500 has made fresh all-time highs and I expect the Dow and NASDAQ 100 to follow suit very shortly. The S&P 400 and Russell 2000 may take some time. While I continue to be a little defensive on stocks over the short-term, some of the indicators within our models that caused that in the first place have strengthened. I imagine the next week or so will be key to see […]
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Date: July 3, 2019
Trump Lays Down As Expected
The G20 meeting in Japan is now behind us. Trump met with Xi and that’s no longer an uncertainty for the markets although you would have to be a fool to believe that something positive wasn’t going to come out of that meeting. That has been the president’s m.o. since he took office. He creates a spike in negativity and tough guy persona wit heels fully dug in to appease his base. Then he emerges as some victor or great […]
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Date: June 30, 2019
HUGE Crosscurrents on Friday
Interesting day on Friday. We have end of week, month, quarter and first half of 2019. The skeptic in me says some portfolio managers could play some games to mark up their positions. I know. I know. You are SHOCKED to hear this. I mean, money wouldn’t cause people to do unscrupulous things, right? Next, we have the last day for positioning ahead of the G20 meeting in Japan where Presidents Trump and Xi will meet tonight to discuss the […]
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Date: June 28, 2019
Bears Finally Get a Tiny Win But Tweet Watch Remains in Play for the Weekend
Tuesday was the first real down day since May. By “real”, I am referring to a day where stocks open near the highs for the day and close near the lows. Given that it’s the last week of June, that speak volumes for how strong the bulls have been. Unless stocks are going to fall hard right here, which I doubt, the bulls should make at least a little stand on Wednesday morning. As I have been writing about for […]
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Date: June 26, 2019
Mixed Messages – Playing a Little Defense
Earlier last week I wrote about a very binary outcome for stocks. You can reread it here. I thought a bigger move was coming, but the direction wasn’t totally clear. While stocks broke out to the upside across the board, the move was a bit more muted than I anticipated. With so many short-term indicators locked and loaded for higher prices at the time, I will say that the bulls should be a little disappointed. Of course, they could play […]
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Date: June 24, 2019
Post Fed – A Rate Cut – SERIOUSLY?!?!
Jay Powell & Company gave the markets exactly what they wanted on Wednesday. They threaded the needle which is no easy feat. As someone who has been very critical of the Fed, I have to give them props for not upsetting the apple cart. The problem now is that markets are pricing in a 100% chance of a interest rate cut in July which doesn’t sit well with me. If stocks continue rallying, how can the Fed really give it […]
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Date: June 21, 2019
Insurance Rate Cut, Oasis in a Recessionary Desert, Dow 30,000
Here we go. We went a whole two FOMC meetings without the media labeling them something like, “the most important Fed meeting ever”. That was a whole 12 week respite. But fear not, there is widespread labeling today that there has never been a more important FOMC meeting than the one ending today at 2:00 pm. Before I begin to unpack today and what lies ahead, I want to extend a thank you for the support I have received since […]
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Date: June 19, 2019
Big Move Coming. Binary Outcome.
The stock market begins the week in digestion mode as the Fed meeting looms on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stocks rallied in vertical fashion from June 3 to June 11 and have now paused. The next move should be a good one, whichever direction prices break. The longer the consolidation lasts, the more I would be on the lookout for a fake out, meaning that the first move out of the range sucks people in and then immediately reverses for the […]
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Date: June 17, 2019
Change in Character. Opportunity for the Bears
Earlier in the week, I offered that very short-term, nimble traders could sell the rally as stocks were beginning to look a little tired. I stick by that and still believe that’s a good strategy. Since then, several of our models have started to turn negative which changed my tone to be more defensive and less “risk on”. I think that will likely be the case into Q3 although that’s purely a guess. Of course, I could be wrong and […]
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Date: June 12, 2019
