Stocks Negatively Reverse; End Week Lower
Friday, December 14, 2012
Stock Market Commentary:
Monday-Wednesday’s Action: Stocks Fail Near Last Month’s High:
Thursday & Friday’s Action: Stocks Negatively Reverse on The Week
Stocks fell on Thursday as investors digested a slew of economic data and House Speaker John Boehner said President Obama was not serious about cutting spending, and that the White House is ready to go over the cliff. Meanwhile, retail sales rose by +0.3% in November which fell short of the Street’s expectations for a gain of +0.4%. Weekly jobless claims topped estimates, falling to 372k, lower than the 375k forecast. Overall producer prices slid by -0.8% in November which is greater than the Street’s estimate for a decline of -0.5%. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone in CT who had to deal with this senseless and inhumane monstrosity. Stocks slid on Friday as Apple Inc. (AAPL) led the way lower and is currently retesting last month’s low. If Apple breaks, and closes below, 505 then another leg lower should commence. We mentioned this before, this is a classic case of a leading stock becoming a laggard. We have discussed this transition in our work many times, especially in recent years (few examples: CMG, NFLX, GMCR, FOSL, among others). Remember, we like to date our stocks, not marry them. Further, the longer the stock stays below its moving averages, the weaker it gets. A new buy signal will be triggered if/when it manages to break and close above its 600 (200 DMA line). Until then, the path of least resistance is lower.
Market Outlook: Downtrend
From our perspective, the market is back in a downtrend until the major averages break and close above resistance. It is important to note that the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite both closed below their 50 DMA lines on Friday, leaving just the DJIA slightly above its 50 DMA line. To further clarify an important point, the fact that the major averages failed to close above last month’s high is why we are placing more importance on that level, than the 50 DMA line. Furthermore, the fact that Apple is getting smacked and retesting last month’s low bodes poorly for the market. It is extremely important to be flexible in your approach and change when the facts change (Keynes). For those of you that are new to our work, 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 resistance. As always, keep your losses small and never argue with the tape.