Buy-the-dippers have been a roadblock to shorts’ success. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the prevailing buy-the-dip mentality in U.S. equities has done to this bull market what oxygen does to a fire. When O is present, … Continued
So far this week, both bulls and bears can claim victory Watch out when VIX breaks out of downward sloping Oct 14 trendline Bulls have ball and could prove costly if they fumble; SPX at crucial technical level Bulls = … Continued
2nd straight M/M rise in orders for U.S. business capX proxy in April For several months beginning June, hurdle rate quite high for Y/Y growth Six years into expansion, ZIRP probably not confidence booster among CEOs Phew! A sigh of … Continued
Sales of U.S. new homes came in better than expected in April, up 6.8 percent month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 517,000. Monthly numbers tend to be volatile. The 12-month rolling total was 5.66 million in the month … Continued
IWM breaks out of 11-month range early Feb, but momentum slipping; loses Oct 14 trendline Short interest building from low level; large specs adding to net shorts in recent weeks Credit call spread to take advantage of probable sideways/down move … Continued
Twitter (TWTR) closed at $36.60 on Friday. Sellers of May 22nd 37 cash-secured puts are now long the stock, which was discussed on the May 19th post (here). The $0.39 premium earned makes it an effective long at $36.61. What … Continued
The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of May 19, 2015. Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: The April FOMC minutes for all intents and purposes put a nail in the coffin of June rate-hike odds. At the March meeting, … Continued
U.S. existing-home sales fell 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in April. March, however, was revised higher to 5.21 million from the previous 5.19 million. Depending on how one looks at it, there is both … Continued
U.S. financials continue to send conflicting signals. As important a sector as this one is, what happens next probably will hold clues to a whole host of things, ranging from what lies ahead for the U.S. economy to where interest … Continued
S&P 500 retraces 161.8 percent Fib extension of Oct 07-Mar 09 decline Transports not in sync with Dow/S&P 500, having broken several support levels Having spent lots of buying power of late, SPX shows signs of fatigue; pullback odds rising … Continued