Daily State of the Markets
Building An Unemotional Market Model
Last time, we looked at the "Indicator Wall" a team of professional money managers I am involved with built for NAAIM - The National Association of Active Investment Managers. The idea was to provide NAAIM members with a complete rundow…
A Cold, Hard Look At The State of the Indicators
I have been suggesting for some time now in my oftentimes meandering morning market missives that the risk of a meaningful correction in the stock market has become elevated. I've relayed many of the reasons why I come to this conclusion such as the state of absolute valuation levels, the…
Is Sideways the New Normal?
We've been saying that the key to the current stock market environment is to recognize that the indices have been basically stuck in the middle with you (hat tip to 70's one-hit wonder, Stealers Wheel) for some time now. Some will …
Some "S" Words to Consider
For those that weren't around in the early 80's, it is important to recognize that parsing the Fed's verbiage is MUCH easier today than it was during the early days of Paul Volcker's rein. Although Alan Greenspan did make the game a little easier than his predecessor, recall that the thic…
The More Things Change, The More They...
In the last few weeks there has been plenty of issues for traders to focus on. Obviously the ongoing debacle in Greece captured everyone's attention for a while. Then there was the 3-week crash in Chinese stocks. The renewed plunge in oil/commodity prices. Earnings. Economic data. And the…
Once Again It May Be Time To...
To be sure, China is the focal point of the stock market at the present time. The world's second largest economy is now the poster child for the #GrowthSlowing worry and all the bad things that come with it. China is also front and center in what can only be termed as an impressive case o…
The Not-So New Worry Is...
For those of you keeping score at home, the S&P 500 has changed direction no fewer than 14 times in 2015 alone. This means traders are "going the other way" on average, about twice a month. And if this stat doesn't drive home the choppiness on display at the corner of Broad and Wall t…
Stalemate
With the negative news, or perhaps what was perceived as negative earnings news out of the likes of IBM, Apple and some other tech heavyweights, arriving right on cue, the S&P 500 appears to have bonked at the top of the trading range again. For those keeping score at home, the revers…
Cue The Negative News
What a difference a couple weeks makes in this market. A mere nine days ago, the S&P 500 was threatening to break down in a big way as the double whammy of Greece and China had traders embracing a "sell first and ask question later" approach. The news was all negative as Greece was de…
It's Time to Keep Things in Perspective
Given that (a) the crises in Greece and China now appear to be "fixed" (insert eye roll here), (b) the S&P remains stuck in its trading range, and (c) we find ourselves smack in the middle of summer, I'm going to continue my take on the big-picture and long-term investing success that…