SPX Day 1 Of a New Rally Attempt Friday, November 16, 2012 Stock Market Commentary:
The major averages ended the week lower as they continue tracing out their 9-week downtrend (series of lower highs and lower lows) helping the bears remain in clear control of this market. It is important to note that the market is “oversold” and due for a bounce. Keep in mind that oversold markets can get a lot more oversold before they bounce. Friday marked Day 1 of a New Rally Attempt which means that the earliest a possible follow-through day could occur, to confirm this rally attempt, will be Wednesday, providing that Friday’s lows are not breached. If the lows are taken out, then odds favor lower, not higher prices, will follow and the day count will be reset. The path of least resistance is down until the major averages confirm their latest rally attempt. The pullback has now officially turned into a correction evidenced by the fact that several major averages are now more than 10% below their recent highs. So far, the reaction to earnings has been outright awful which suggests investors are not happy with the results or the implications for the future. To be clear, we expect a solution to the fiscal cliff and most likely stocks will rally on that news. If they don’t, that will be extremely bearish. Once that rally occurs we can analyze the rally but shall remain patient to see if a new uptrend emerges or if the stubborn two month downtrend continues.
On Monday, stocks opened higher but quickly turned negative as investors continued to wait for Washington D.C. to resolve the looming fiscal cliff. News from overseas was mixed to slightly better than expected. Japan said its economy contracted by -0.9% in Q3 which sparked concern that the Japanese economy will join Europe and fall into a recession in the near future. Meanwhile, China said its trade surplus topped estimates in October which was a welcomed sign. Concerns from Europe eased a bit after Greece approved its 2013 budget which was the next step for the debt-laden country to receive the next round of bailout funds. The big headline in the US occurred after Jefferies Group (JEF) agreed to be acquired by Leucadia National (LUK) for $3.7 billion. Leucadia National is a smaller version of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKA) and nicknamed “Baby Berkshire.”
Stocks opened lower but closed higher on Tuesday as optimism spread that the Fiscal Cliff will be resolved sooner rather than later. Overnight, futures were down sharply after concern spread regarding Greece’s ability to meet its debt obligations and Germany’s economy edged lower. The German ZEW economic expectations index missed estimates (for a decline of -10) and fell -15.7 in November which was worse than October’s already low reading of -11.5. Germany is the strongest economy in Europe and any weakness from them bodes poorly for the Eurozone’s ability to get out of its recession and return to growth. In other news, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF and Jean-Claude Juncker, Chair of the Eurogroup, disagreed publicly over the deadline for Greece to lower its debt levels.
Stocks fell hard on Wednesday after President Obama held his first press conference since the election and made it clear that he wants to resolve the fiscal cliff but I felt there was not enough “urgency” in his stance. That said, I do feel as we get closer to the deadline D.C. will put together a last minute solution of some kind. Until then, uncertainty reigns supreme. October retail sales fell by -0.3% which just missed the Street’s estimate for -0.2% decline. The producer price index slid by -0.2% which was lower than the Street’s estimate for a gain of 0.1%. This bodes well for anyone that is concerned about inflation. Finally, the FOMC released the minutes of their latest meeting which showed continued concern regarding US economic growth and the jobs market.
Thursday & Friday’s Action- Stocks Continue To Slide
Before Thursday’s open, the Labor Department said weekly initial jobless claims soared to 439k which was sharply higher than the Street’s expectation for 388k. The sharp increase was due to Superstorm Sandy. The Consumer price index rose by +0.1% which matched estimates. The Empire Manufacturing Survey fell to -5.2 in November which was slightly better than October’s reading of -6.2. The Philly Fed Factory index fell to -10.7 in November which missed estimates and was lower than October’s reading of 5.7. A report from Europe showed that the eurozone fell into a second recession in three years. Stocks ended higher on Friday as investors were hopeful that D.C. will resolve the Fiscal Cliff before the deadline.
Market Outlook- Downtrend:
From our perspective, the market is in a clear downtrend and has now entered correction territory as the major averages continue to fall. On October 9, we said “the rally was under pressure” and then said the “rally was over” on Oct 19. Since then, stocks have gone straight down and a lot of technical damage has occurred. We will turn more bullish once the major averages confirm a new rally attempt and then trade back above their respective down trendlines and 50 DMA lines. As always, keep your losses small and never argue with the tape.
Stocks Rally On Strong Earnings The bulls remain in clear control of this market as the impressive rally continues unchecked. There are a few important things to note: First, the market is extremely extended. Second, it refuses to fall. In fact, pullbacks last a few hours, not even a few days. Third, even stocks that…
Thursday, September 01, 2016 3:45pm EST U.S. stocks traded mostly lower Thursday as investors digested a slew of economic data ahead of Friday’s key jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average traded about 20 points lower, after briefly falling more than 100 points. The S&P 500 fell about 0.1 percent, after being dragged lower by…
Market Outlook- Confirmed Rally:
The major U.S. averages are back in a new confirmed rally and are flirting with resistance of their current 2.5 month base. The benchmark S&P 500 index scored a proper FTD on Tuesday, October 18, 2011, i.e. Day 12, when it rallied over 2% on heavier volume than the prior session. The next important area of resistance is September’s highs and then the 200 DMA line. In addition, it is important to note that the bulls scored a victory since many of the major averages closed above their downward sloping 50 DMA lines for the first time since late July! Our longstanding clients/readers know, we like to filter out the noise and focus on what matters most: market action. If you are looking for specific help navigating this market, please contact us for more information.
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Market Action- Rally Under Pressure
The current rally which began with the Thursday, March 24, 2011 FTD is now under pressure as the Nasdaq 100 sliced below its respective 50 DMA lines. Remaining objective, it is bullish to see the other popular averages all trading above their respective 50 DMA lines. However, if that important level is breached, then lower, not higher prices, likely lie ahead. If you are looking for specific help navigating this market, please contact us for more information.
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Stocks Are Getting Weaker, Not Stronger Stocks are weak as the major indices continue forming a large topping pattern. All year, the S&P 500 has been trading in a large trading range as more and more areas of the market continue to break down and fewer and fewer areas of the market remain in good shape. The…
The action since this rally was confirmed on the September 1, 2010 follow-through day (FTD) has been strong. Looking forward, the window is open for disciplined investors to carefully buy high-ranked stocks, while many pundits are expecting that markets may consolidate following recent gains. It was encouraging to see the bulls show up and defend support (formerly resistance) last week. The next level of support for the major averages is their respective 200-day moving average (DMA) lines while the next level of resistance is their respective April highs. Trade accordingly.
