The sharp decline in US stocks last October-December forced the Fed to do a 360 as relates to its campaign to tighten monetary policy. The dovish shift apparently wants to unleash animal spirits. Investors have obliged – thus far. Will … Continued
The S&P 500 sits at/near October lows. How the bull-bear duel resolves in the next few sessions will decide the path of least resistance in this seasonally favorable period. Options and investor sentiment do not reflect panic. If stocks rally … Continued
Major US equity indices are at/past late-January highs. Investor sentiment, on the other hand, is nowhere near as giddy. Is this good or bad? The Russell 2000 small cap index (1722.54) just broke out of a two-month pennant. Of major … Continued
US small-caps are outperforming. Price action is great. But large-caps are not on the same page. And high-yield corporate bonds have diverged with small-caps for a while now. In early 2016 when US stocks reached a major low, several other … Continued
The S&P 500 just broke out of trend-line resistance from late January, and apparently spent tons of energy in doing so. Near-term, the options market is reflecting elevated optimism. Unwinding is likely. US stocks enjoyed a nice rally in the … Continued
Major US equity indices continue to try to repair the technical damage they sustained in February and March. After a decent rally in the past couple of weeks, risks are rising near term. Foreigners sold $1.2 billion in US stocks … Continued
It is a top. But is this the top? All of a sudden, it is not a crazy question to ask. The ferocity by which U.S. equities have dropped in recent sessions, one has to wonder if this marks a … Continued
A P/E of 17x on the S&P 500 large cap index cannot be called euphoric. A little above average, sure, but not euphoric. On forward operating earnings using next year’s estimates, that is what the index is currently trading at. … Continued
Driven by tax-cut optimism and favorable seasonality, trader/investor sentiment is giddy, but small-caps are not getting their fair share. The latest Investors Intelligence numbers will be out later today, but as of last week, bulls have been 60 percent or … 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