XLF shorts who are slightly underwater can use options to repair the damage. Hypothetically last Thursday, XLF ($28.06) was shorted intraday at $27.96 ($27.84 adjusted for dividends). Here was the thought process. The ETF remains overbought on nearly all timeframe. … Continued
Even as passage of tax measures in Congress looks like a done deal, 2018 operating earnings estimates for S&P 600 small cap companies are yet to show signs of stability. Post-presidential election in November last year, U.S. small-caps outperformed – … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of December 12, 2017. 10-year note: Currently net long 44.7k, up 30.4k. The Fed and the Administration are not on the same page when it comes to expected growth in the U.S. economy. … Continued
XLF (SPDR financial sector ETF) has come a long way. This past September, it broke out of major resistance at just north of 25. Back in May 2007, the ETF retreated after hitting 25.11, before dropping all the way to … Continued
Here is a brief review of period-over-period change in short interest in the November 16-30 period in nine S&P 500 sectors. XLB (SPDR materials ETF) In a shooting star session on December 4, XLB (59.51) rose to a new all-time … Continued
Traders are positioning for a Santa rally, but they are trying to play it safe. Intraday over the last six sessions, VIX (9.58) collapsed five points, in the process also losing shorter-term moving averages, as well as the 50- and … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of December 5, 2017. 10-year note: Currently net long 14.3k, down 109.6k. On Tuesday next week, a two-day FOMC meeting begins. This is the eighth – and last – meeting this year. A … Continued
With less than a month to go this year, momentum in U.S. corporate bond issuance continues. High-yield in particular is worth paying attention to. November saw issuance of $125.3 billion, made up of $97.2 billion in investment-grade and $28.1 billion … Continued
QQQ (PowerShares QQQ Nasdaq ETF) finds itself at an interesting juncture. The ETF (153.50) peaked at 156.69 seven sessions ago, before coming under heavy selling pressure in two separate sessions (Chart 1). The bulls nonetheless are putting their foot down, … Continued
The options market continues to reflect elevated optimism. In nine of the last 12 sessions, the CBOE equity put-to-call ratio registered readings in the 0.50s. The other three were in the low 0.60s. In fact, major U.S. stock indices yesterday … Continued