Week-In-Review: Another Strong Week On Wall Street Ahead Of The Long Weekend

Another Strong Week On Wall Street Ahead Of The Long Weekend

The bulls showed up and sent stocks soaring last week helping the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite and Nasdaq 100 hit fresh record highs. The month ends next week and the end of the month typically, but not always, has a slightly upward bias. One of the hallmarks of a bull market is to see the market brush off nearly all negative news and race higher. Since the election, that is exactly what is happening. The market had every chance in the world to fall after the big sell-off on Wednesday 5/17/17. Instead of falling, the bulls showed up and quelled the bearish action and sent stocks racing higher. Once again, the sell-off was very short in nature which just reiterates how strong this aging bull market is right now. In the short term, May’s lows are the next level of support to watch, then the 50 DMA line for the S&P 500, Dow Industrials, Nasdaq Composite, and Nasdaq 100. Then, the next important levels of support to watch are: Russel 2000: 1351, then 1335, then 1308. The Dow Industrials: 20.6K, then 20.4k, S&P 500: 2352, then 2322.25, Nasdaq Composite: 5995, then 5805, then 5769.39. Until those levels are breached on a closing basis, the bulls remain in control on a short, intermediate, and long term time-frame. We are often asked about why the market is holding up so well with everything that is happening in the political arena. The answer is simple: investors only care about what policies come out of D.C. that directly impact Main Street or Wall Street. So far, the policies have been bullish for the economy and, as investors look forward there appears to be more economic-friendly policies in the pipeline. As previously mentioned, the other, more important, reason is that we are in a very strong bull market, and we pay much more attention to how the market reacts to the news.

Mon-Wed Action:

Stocks rallied on Monday as President Trump secured big contracts from Saudi Arabia and other countries on his trip. A slew of defense stocks soared after the deal was announced. Shares of, Blackstone, also soared after the company announced the creation of a $40 billion infrastructure investment fund with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the country’s main sovereign wealth fund. Stocks rallied on Tuesday after the White House released its budget. The proposed 2018 budget, will likely change before it is approved, aims to cut federal spending by $3.6 trillion over the next 10 years. Stocks edged higher on Wednesday after the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting were released. The Fed plans to slowly reduce its massive $4.5 trillion balance sheet. The central bank wants to do it slowly and delicately. The Fed will announce cap limits on how much it will allow to roll off each month without reinvesting. To help ensure market stability, the Fed said it plans to reinvest any repayments that exceed the pre-determined cap. Separately, Moody’s downgraded China’s debt. A few hours later, China responded by adjusting its currency and that helped stocks rally on Thursday.

Thur & Fri Action:

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite both vaulted to fresh record highs on Thursday as a slew of big cap tech stocks soared to fresh record highs. Shares of Amazon (AMZN), hit $999/share and are currently flirting with $1,000/share. Separately, oil prices plunged -5% after OPEC agreed to extend the production cuts until March 2018. Elsewhere, jobless claims hit 234,000, which was slightly higher than the prior week’s reading but remained near the lowest levels in 40 years. Stocks were relatively quiet on Friday after the government revised Q1 2017 GDP up to 1.2%. Meanwhile, Durable Goods fell -0.7%, missing estimates for a decline of -1.0%. 

Market Outlook: Stocks Are Strong

The market is very strong. As always, keep your losses small and never argue with the tape. Want Adam To Be Your Personal Portfolio Consultant? You Don’t Have To Feel Alone In The Market, There Is A Better Way: Learn More

Similar Posts

  • Economic Data Helps Stocks

    Market Outlook- Rally Under Pressure
    From our point of view, the market rally is under pressure which suggests caution is paramount at this stage. Looking forward, the next level of support for the major averages are their respective 50 DMA lines and resistance is their 2011 highs. The rally remains in tact as long as support holds. If you are looking for specific help navigating this market, please contact us for more information.
    Want Better Results?
    You Need Better Ideas!
    We Know Markets!
    Learn How We Can Help You!

  • 200 DMA Line Is Under Attack!

    Market Outlook- Market In A Correction
    The latest action in the major averages suggests the market is back in a correction as all the major averages are flirting with their respective 200 DMA lines. Our longstanding clients/readers know, we like to filter out the noise and focus on what matters most: market action. That said, the recent action suggests caution is paramount at this stage until all the major averages rally back towards their respective 2011 highs. If you are looking for specific help navigating this market, please contact us for more information.
    Stock Market Research?
    Global Macro Research?
    Learn How To Follow Trends?
    See How We Can Help You!

  • Stocks Tank On Contagion Woes

    Over the past two weeks, this column has consistently mentioned that the major averages have been steadily rallying since early February and a pullback of some sort should be expected. Furthermore, we mentioned that the current rally was under pressure due to the disturbing number of distribution days that emerged in recent weeks. So, we hope that Tuesday’s sell off (and any further downside action in the near term) should not take any of you by surprise. Trade accordingly.

  • Stocks Bounce Back As Dollar Falls

    Heretofore, the action since this rally was confirmed on the September 1, 2010 follow-through day (FTD) has been strong but the market appears to be placing an interim top here as the major averages consolidate their recent move. The S&P 500 sliced below its two month upward trendline (shown above) which is not a healthy sign. The next level of support for the major averages is their September highs, then their respective 200-day moving average (DMA) lines while the next level of resistance is their respective April highs. We have enjoyed large gains since the September 1st FTD and for the first time, the tape is getting sloppy. Trade accordingly.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *