US Jobs Picture Strong, Hence Its Significance In Signaling Inflection Point

posted in: Economy | 0

US economic data of late have been coming in strong.  Real GDP printed 4.1 percent growth in 2Q18.  This was the strongest growth rate in 15 quarters.  As of last Friday, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model expects 4.4 percent growth … Continued

Amid Signs Of Fatigue, Potentially Bullish ‘What If’ For US Stocks

Arguably, US stocks are giving off some signs of fatigue.  The S&P 500 large cap index (2840.35) is still below its late-January high of 2872.87.  The Nasdaq 100 index (7395.49) in the week before was rejected at six-month-old channel resistance; … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures, How Hedge Funds Are Positioned

Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of July 31, 2018. 10-year note: Currently net short 590.1k, up 80.6k. The first paragraph of this week’s FOMC statement contains the word “strong” twice and “strongly” once in describing the economy.  This … Continued

Nasdaq 100 Defends 50DMA But Unconvincingly, Bulls Can’t Afford Weekly Chart To Take Over

posted in: Equities, Technicals | 0

The top five in the Nasdaq 100 are done reporting 2Q.  They have had their post-earnings reaction – mostly positive.  This is occurring even as the index just got repelled at six-month channel resistance.  If bulls do not put their … Continued

By Year-End, Fed Funds On Pace To Exceed Inflation Rate – That Should Begin To Bite

posted in: Credit, Economy | 0

If the Fed moves in September and December, the fed funds rate will be in excess of core inflation.  In a leveraged economy, that should begin to bite.  The FOMC dot plot expects three more hikes next year.  This is … Continued

QQQ Retreats After Testing Channel Resistance – Covered Put Possible Strategy

QQQ made an all-time high last week, but failed at channel resistance.  With the 2Q earnings season winding down, shorts may have better odds. QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) hit a new all-time high of $182.93 last Wednesday.  It has had … Continued

Long And Short Of Short Interest

posted in: Equities, Technicals | 0

Here is a brief review of period-over-period change in short interest in the July 2-13 period in nine S&P 500 sectors. XLB (SPDR materials ETF) After defending support at $57-plus late June, XLB ($58.72) subsequently rallied past both 50- and … Continued