The equity rally that began on February 11th has brought bad news to the shorts. Obviously. They have two choices: (1) stay short, which means holding a losing trade, or (2) cover, which will add more fuel to the rally, … Continued
The stock market got off on the wrong foot this year… which is probably an understatement. Using the January 20th intra-day low, the S&P 500 large cap index lost nine percent in 12 sessions, the S&P 400 mid-cap index 13.1 … Continued
In the latest reporting period, U.S. equity shorts made it big. But rather than covering, they added more. It remains to be seen if they will continue to win out or are setting themselves up for a mini squeeze. During … Continued
Stocks are rallying. In fact, off the intra-day low last week, the S&P 500 index (1906.9) is already up 5.2 percent. Last Wednesday’s hammer reversal on the index looks similar to the ones on October 15, 2014 and August 24, … Continued
U.S stocks are off to a stumbling start in 2016. In the year’s first eight sessions through intra-day lows yesterday, the Dow Industrials lost 7.3 percent, the S&P 500 large cap index 7.5 percent, the Nasdaq composite 9.6 percent, and … Continued
With 2015 now in the annals of history, the message that came out can be described as mixed at best and bearish at worst. The S&P 500 index fell 0.7 percent last year – essentially flat (Chart 1). The Nasdaq … Continued
December thus far has been uncharacteristically quiet. And that is putting it nicely. U.S. stocks have failed to get seasonal traction this month. So far. There are eight sessions remaining before the year is out. So there is hope. Since … Continued
Next week, the FOMC meets. The two-day meeting, the year’s last and a highly anticipated one, ends Wednesday. A rate hike is widely expected. The fed funds rate has been stuck near zero for the past nine years. Markets currently … Continued
If there was any doubt that short interest played a key role in the rally since September 29th, the latest short interest data should settle it. That said, since short interest remains elevated, the debate is still open as to … Continued
Turns out short interest was indeed a tailwind for stocks in the two weeks ended October 15th. On SPY, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, short interest declined 10.6 percent, to 332.1 million (Chart 1). The ETF rallied 5.6 percent during … Continued