Daily State of the Markets
Of Dot Plots and Definitions
On Wednesday, the question of the day was a bit of a head scratcher. You see, after listening intently to first the FOMC statement and then the ensuing press conference, the question on investors' minds was, when a change is made to the Fed's statement on monetary policy and yet the state…
Using the VIX to Buy the Dip
Another day, another crisis averted. Phew!
In case you were out and about or weren't glued to your Twitter feed at approximately 8:00 am eastern time Tuesday, comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin were the source of a second straight up on Wall Street. Within minutes o…
Is China the Source of the Constant Consternation?
For the past week or so, the focus of the market has been all about Crimea and what could happen if the geopolitical tensions continued to mount. Would the referendum take place? Would Russia decide to expand into eastern Ukraine? Would the West do anything besides raise a stink? Was ther…
Should We Be Worried About Crimea?
It is clear that the focus of the stock market remains squarely on the geopolitical situation in Ukraine/Crimea/Russia. What is not quite so clear is why this actually matters to traders.
Before we go any further on this topic, let me first state that I am not, nor is anyone in my…
Are Stocks Becoming Over-Owned?
With stocks in some sort of consolidation mode at the present time, it is natural for one's thoughts to turn to the big picture. Is this it? Has the bull market finally run out of gas? Are stocks overvalued? Will the economy improve? Have earnings peaked? Is Crimea a real issue? Yada, yad…
The Way The Game is Played These Days
Call it a pullback, a pause, a consolidation, the beginning of a correction, a dance to the downside, an outside day, a failure at resistance, a near-term reversal, a pivot, or a good old fashioned sloppy session. But whatever label you prefer to slap on Tuesday's algo-induced decline, it…
Apparently This Bull's Not Quite Dead Yet
For about an hour on Monday morning, it felt like the #growthslowing theme was back. Germany was tanking. Shanghai had been creamed. And at 9:45 am the bears launched an attack on the S&P 500. Bam, the low for the day was gone. And five minutes later, Friday's intraday low had been ta…
Is The Ukraine Crisis For Real?
The drivers of the stock market on Monday were pretty obvious as the situation in Ukraine/Crimea dominated the headlines and overshadowed some pretty decent economic news. However, the real question of the day is if the current geopolitical tensions represent a true crisis or merely a dis…
All About The Ukraine - Here's Why
Since today's market is all about the situation in the Ukraine, we thought it would be a good idea to bring investors up to speed on what is happening and the impact it is having on the markets.
On Friday afternoon, the S&P 500 dove 20 points (1.07 percent) on reports that 20 …