The 7.9% gain in for the S&P 500 in January snagged the headlines last week, especially after the 10.2% decline in December. It was the best January since 1987, when the S&P 500 was up 13.2%. After the strong January in 1987, the S&P was higher for six of the next seven months, peaking in…
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Charts for the Week Ahead
The strong stock market gains a week ago set the stage for the market’s resilient performance last week. After the long weekend, stocks opened under pressure on Tuesday, which I had predicted based on the previous week’s excess bullishness. The S&P 500 was down almost 2% on Tuesday, but closed well above the lows. It continued to…
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The Week Ahead: Should Traders Ignore The Wall Of Worry?
The stock market shrugged off both political and economic concerns last week to close with solid gains for the fourth week in a row. The beaten-down financial sector led the market higher providing clear evidence that my earnings concerns over the sector last week were clearly misplaced. The bank earnings were mixed, but even those…
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Can You Bank On A Stock Market Bottom?
December 30, 2018: Prior to last week’s action many of the technical and sentiment measures that I follow had reached extreme levels not seen in the past ten years. One such measure uses the NYSE Advance-Decline data. The chart from last week (Will There Be A Not Going Out Of Business Rally) showed that the…
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The Week Ahead: No Rally, But No Fear?
Dec, 9, 2018: The stock market opened last Monday with lots of promise. The Spyder Trust (SPY) opened at $280.28, which was 1.7% above Friday’s close at $275.65. It peaked in the first 30 minutes to close the day at $279.30. Stocks opened a bit lower on Tuesday, but then President Trump tweeted “I am a Tariff…
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A Survivor’s Guide To Market Corrections
The severity of the fall stock market decline has shaken the belief of some investors in the bull market. For those who have not been following the stock market for more than a few years, their reaction is understandable. But those with a longer-term perspective are wondering what the recent decline means for their portfolio. Many…
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