Daily State of the Markets
Has The VIX Issued An Important Sell Signal?
Back in March, we spent some time exploring how investors could use the VIX in order to help them determine safe entry points in the market after corrections. We looked at a couple of different buy signals that were tied to the VIX. As we
Confused? The Current Market Environment Is...
Much to the chagrin of those residing in the glass-is-half-empty camp (who, by the way, felt that May was definitely going to be their time), stocks have embarked on a new leg higher. The breakout to the upside, and then more importantly, the follow-through and confirmation by multiple in…
Is The Wall of Worry Crumbling?
With the stock major averages improving almost daily, the mood of the market is definitely on the mend. But think back... How long ago was it exactly that just about everyone on the planet was absolutely, positively sure that the stock market was going to take a dive? Remember all the tal…
There's Good News In Them Thar Charts
This just in... We interrupt your regularly scheduled review of the big-picture market environment models with... some good news. Yes, fans, the bulls appear to have rediscovered their mojo.
What a difference a few days makes in this business, right? Just about a week ago, traders…
The State of the Bull Market: What Do the Models Say?
It is safe to say that the current stock market is frustrating. But unlike 2013, when the environment favored the bulls for the vast majority of the year and it was the bears that wound up pounding their heads up against the wall, this year, both teams appear to be experiencing some frust…
Is The Market Environment Improving?
In a recent missive ("Can The Market Survive the Mo-Mo Meltdown?") we noted that momentum meltdowns don't necessarily lead to serious declines in the blue-chip indices. We looked back at history and found that there have been times (5 to be exact) where the Dow and S&P weren't dragged…
Time For A Portfolio Pep Talk
To say that this is a tough market may be the understatement of the year so far. Lots of areas are getting beaten to a pulp daily, the economy has sputtered, the masses have been fooled by the direction of interest rates, there is a new so-called crisis every time you turn around, and as …
Are Those Bear Tracks Important?
In yesterday's missive, we talked about the idea that really big, really bad bear markets just don't happen that often. And since investors were treated to two devastating bears within a 9-year stretch, most folks are keeping their eyes wide open and preparing for the next one.
Th…
Could a "Baby Bear" Be Around The Corner?
As the saying goes, the stock market likes to climb a wall of worry. And what a wall we've got these days, right? There is Russia, the mo-mo meltdown, China's sagging growth rate, the potential for inflation, the aging bull market, the technical divergences, the economic soft patch, the P…