Shorts continued to raise bets, with short interest at multi-year highs October 15th reversal followed by sharp advance probably caused short-covering With QE gone and broken trendline resistance on S&P 500 intact, shorts could get active again Bulls probably took … Continued
Bulls desperately need to retake 200-dma on S&P 500 Potential unwinding of oversold technical conditions can act as tailwind Failure to build on Wednesday’s hammer reversal pattern will mean rockier times down the line Last week, we discussed the significance … Continued
Shorts added to already-elevated positions on time to take advantage of latest decline in equities Indices in gross oversold conditions, giving bulls opportunity to try to squeeze shorts If shorts resist these pressures well, that signals rockier time ahead for … Continued
Equity bulls and bears lock up horns in quest to dictate near-term direction Last week’s lows saved on major indices, amidst very bullish engulfing patterns VIX once again rejected at/near 17-18; one more opportunity for bulls to take out resistance … Continued
Encouraging signs of near-term bottom VIX unable to break past 17; several other indicators grossly oversold Medium-term risks remain; SPX, DOW, RUT, NYSE have broken late-2012 trendline The Dow Industrials and the Nasdaq Composite yesterday successfully tested trendline support going … Continued
VIX action yesterday constructive for equity bulls Medium- to long-term, equities have much more to go on the downside Near-term picture beginning to change, as beaten-down junk bonds and small-caps attract bids The morning gap-down in U.S. equities yesterday was … Continued
NYSE margin debt rises slightly in August, hovers near all-time highs Since 2009, margin debt has closely tracked expansion/contraction in Fed’s balance sheet Margin debt to drop when institutions, badly looking for buyers to sell into, run out of patience … Continued
Less than two weeks ago, when the S&P 500 Large Cap Index was giving out signs of fatigue, the VIX was giving out signs of stability. The former went on to post a new all-time high early this month, even … Continued
NYSE Composite short interest in the middle of August was essentially unchanged month-over-month at 14.8bn, while the Nasdaq Composite saw a 2.4-percent decrease at 8.6bn. The adjacent chart and the one below show how short interest has been building up … Continued
NYSE margin debt was essentially flat in July – $460.2bn, down from $464.3bn in June and not too far away from February’s all-time high of $465.7bn. It is possible August manages a month-over-month increase; numbers will be released in a … Continued