Once again, small-caps are at a crucial juncture. The Russell 2000 slightly retreated three weeks ago after rallying hard post-1600+ breakout. Wednesday, bulls rallied past that high, but barely. A convincing takeout of this level brings the index one step … Continued
Small-caps broke out last week. This comes amidst earnings deceleration and softening in several macro data. If things turn up as they did in early 2016, bulls would have been vindicated. Their conviction level will be put to test by … Continued
Amid continued signs of macro deceleration, next year’s estimates for small-caps continue higher. The Russell 2000 index, however, is not quite buying this optimism. Last week, it led its large-cap peers, but remains under crucial resistance. Should small-caps come under … Continued
After a decent three-week rally, the Russell 2000 hit a ceiling just short of 1600 two weeks ago. It closed last week right on the 200-day. A convincing breach raises the odds of a test of support at 1450s. This … Continued
Small-caps get no love, even as large-caps rally to new highs. Non-commercials’ bearish position in Russell 2000 mini-index futures is near an 11-year high. At some point in the future, these holdings can provide a tailwind to the cash, as … Continued
The Russell 2000 closed Friday right at, or slightly past, crucial resistance. If bulls succeed in decisively take out this ceiling, risk-on sentiment can rise. Failure to do so can lead longs, who are sitting on handsome gains, to lock … Continued
On the eve of 1Q19 earnings season, the Russell 2000 sits right underneath short-term trend-line resistance. After this lies crucial 14-month horizontal ceiling. How non-commercials position themselves this week could leave clues as to how the index might fare in … Continued
IWM is breaking down, losing one after another support. Amidst this, the daily is grossly oversold. A bounce can happen – or not. This perhaps creates an opportunity for a non-directional trade involving options. Small-caps are taking it on the … Continued
Signs of fatigue are showing up in US equities. It began with large-caps, and now there are early signs it is spreading to small-caps as well as tech. The small-cap switch was turned on right after Donald Trump was elected … Continued
Small-business optimism remains near multi-decade highs. Small-cap stocks do not quite share this optimism. The NFIB optimism index rose two points month-over-month in January to 106.9, just a hair’s breadth away from November’s 107.5, which was a 34-year high. Optimism … Continued