One look at Chart 1, and U.S. equity bulls may have a reason to salivate. Or not. It can be a reason to worry as well. NYSE Group short interest is through the roof. Literally. By the end of September, … Continued
Semis have come a long way. Through last Thursday, SMH, the Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF, rallied 21 percent since the August 24th low and nearly 11 percent since the September 29th low. The latest rally in particular came in a … Continued
During the September 15-30 reporting period, short interest on SPY, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, dropped 15 percent period-over-period (Chart 1). This was interesting because the ETF shed 2.9 percent during the period, having just tested the August 25th closing … Continued
Traders – the good ones – must be having a field day. Stocks are swinging wildly. IWM, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF, fell 11 percent during August 17-24, then rallied nearly 10 percent by September 17, fell again – nearly … Continued
The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of October 6, 2015. Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: Since the September 16-17 FOMC meeting, barring comments from hawks like John Williams, president of the San Francisco Fed, and Dennis Lockhart, president … Continued
Despite the rout in stocks that August and September experienced, the fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) is alive and well. From low to high, the S&P 500 index rallied eight plus percent between August 24 and September 17, followed by a seven-plus percent … Continued
Third-quarter earnings season begins in earnest this week. Operating earnings estimates for S&P 500 companies have been persistently coming down for 2015 – from as high as $137.52 at the end of the second quarter last year to $110.98 as … Continued
By last Tuesday, non-commercials were net long 22,490 contracts in 10-year note futures, having reversed the bearish bet they had in the prior four weeks (Chart 1). Turns out it was the right thing to do. By Tuesday, TLT, the … Continued
The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of September 29, 2015. Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: Hat tip to bond vigilantes! Heading into the FOMC meeting two weeks ago, they never bought into the message coming out of the … Continued
Do non-commercials have it right? Their net shorts in Russell 2000 futures peaked at 46,064 contracts on August 18, a week before stocks, including small-caps, bottomed. Since then, they have gradually been reducing their bearish bias, with holdings at -27,708 … Continued