Daily State of the Markets
Is It Time To Go The Other Way (Again)?
What we've learned over the past year and a half (or so) is that the trends in the stock market (a) don't tend to stick around for long and (b) change directions at the drop of a hat. So, with the S&P 500 having run +11.75% from the September 28 low and now flirting with fresh all-tim…
Good News/Bad News From the Volume Front
I start my day each morning by reviewing about 40 different stock market indicators, models, and then a host of charts. To be honest, not much changes on a daily basis. However, it is important to remain diligent in this task as one never knows when something out of the blue will crop up …
Understanding How Ms. Market Thinks
A great many investors (professional and amateur alike) follow a similar process when considering how to invest. They start the process with their take of the economy and then go from there. The general consensus here is that earnings drive stock prices and the state of the economy drives…
If You Are Scratching Your Head...
After the usual post-Fed announcement hysterics, stocks stepped lively Wednesday afternoon and finished at the high of the day. For those of you keeping score at home, the S&P 500 is now more than 11% higher than where it closed on September 28. And lest we forget, that was the day th…
Some Very Scary Pictures
It is getting to be that time of year when it is oh so tempting to incorporate the season into the titles/themes of stock market commentary. While I usually try to avoid being trite when conjuring up my oftentimes meandering morning market missive, today I can't seem to help myself. So, w…
Scratch That. It's Still All About...
In yesterday's missive, we opined that the near-term direction of the stock market was being driven by (a) oil and the related global growth concerns, (b) the state of the earnings season, and (c) what the central bankers of the world were planning to do next (and when).
But after…
Sifting Through The Tea Leaves
As I have likely mentioned a time or twenty, the purpose of my oftentimes meandering morning market missive is to (a) identify the primary drivers of the market action, (b) ponder the important questions/issues facing the market, and (c) to try and stay in tune with what is ACTUALLY happe…
The Catalyst Is Clear, The Direction Is Not
If the action seen over past couple weeks has told us anything, it is that (a) the worries over global growth have dissipated and (b) there appears to be some trepidation over the state of the current earnings season.
The first part of this analysis explains why stocks have blaste…
False Alarm
The big rally seen over the last two weeks took many in the bear camp by surprise. Just when our furry friends thought stocks were ready to break down and embark on a new leg lower, a 7.1% rally in the S&P 500 sprang up out of nowhere.
However, for those following along in the…