Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Stock Market Commentary:
China’s Economy Cools, Housing Starts Mixed:
Before Tuesday’s open, futures were down sharply due to renewed fear that China’s red-hot economy may begin to slow. Economic data was light in the U.S. but the news that did come out was mixed. The Commerce Department said housing starts fell -1.1% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 698,000 units, but building permits vaulted to their highest level in more than 3 years! The Street was looking for housing starts to be little at a 700,000-unit annual rate.
Market Outlook- Confirmed Rally
Risk assets have begun pulling back which at this point is considered normal. The key going forward is to gauge the health of the pullback and see if the bulls are able to defend logical areas of support (recent chart lows and important moving averages). So far this action is considered healthy for the risk on trade. However, if sellers show up and support is breached then the bears will have regained control of this market (still a long ways off). As always, keep your losses small and never argue with the tape. If you are looking for specific help navigating this market, feel free to contact us for more information. That’s what we are here for!