Dow induction alone does not ensure peak in share price

posted in: Equities | 0

AAPL set to join Dow brings out ‘this is top’ talk Historically, tough to argue Dow inclusion ensures top If AAPL peaks, it will be for other business-related reasons AAPL (127.14) is slated to replace T in the Dow Jones … Continued

What is causing divergence between momo in U.S. jobs and other data points?

posted in: Economy | 0

Divergence between jobs momentum and other macro data points Annual growth in productivity past four years mere 0.68 percent Infrastructure, both structures and equipment, is rapidly aging It has been more or less an enigma.  The divergence between various U.S. … Continued

Peek into future through futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of March 3.  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: They continued to add to net shorts, and it has so far backfired.  Post-jobs report Friday, the 10-year yield shot up 13 basis points. … Continued

Amid slowing U.S. productivity, wage hike means margin shrinkage for business

posted in: Economy | 0

Recent WMT announcement notwithstanding, wage stagnation has been a trend 4Q14 U.S. non-farm output per hour goes negative – first drop since 3Q11 Businesses can pay productive workforce higher wages and still win Later this morning, we get February’s U.S. … Continued

The real bubble we should all be worried about — easy money

posted in: Economy, Equities | 0

Equity bulls seek to justify why Nasdaq of 2015 is not as bubbly as was Nasdaq of 2000 Bubble elsewhere – in VC, in biotech, and most importantly, in easy money Excesses driven by ‘this time is different’ psychology never … Continued

Contrarian in, complacent out

posted in: Equities | 0

March starts off by notching new highs for most U.S. indices Giddy investor sentiment – from pros to newsletters to individuals If past is guide, it pays to pull in horns when crowd becomes worry-free Uh-oh! The Nasdaq composite on … Continued

Recent wage-hike plans of WMT, TJX, AET one-off or new trend? Margin implications?

posted in: Economy, Equities | 0

Stagnant wages thorn in U.S. recovery’s side WMT, TJX, AET, SBUX, GAP have announced plans to hike wages Be careful what we wish for, given elevated valuation and risk of margin compression? One of the things that have been a … Continued

‘Buy the dips’ in process of transitioning into ‘sell the rallies’?

’15 growth in revenue/earnings expected to decelerate for most S&P 500 sectors Signal from options market points to probable pressure ahead for equities S&P 500 looks set to at least test if recent breakout was genuine At first glance, U.S. … Continued

Peek into future through futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of February 24 (Tuesday).  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: Non-commercials are doing it again.  They increased net shorts by 63 percent in the latest reporting period.  Turns out they picked a wrong … Continued

Squeezed and hurt, shorts likely to begin to rebuild position in XLU, XLE, IWM

posted in: Equities, Technicals | 0

Short interest inched up on NYSE and Nasdaq, and hovers near multi-year highs Shorts squeezed out of several sector ETFs since mid-Oct bottom in stocks Shorts probably will get active and rebuild position in XLU, XLE, IWM Short interest inched … Continued