It Gets Tougher From Here
I'm going to submit that we've had what might be called the "easy" moves in the market over the past two months. First there was the upbeat market action based on the anticipation of the ECB's new -...
View ArticleThe Right Stuff?
After suffering through an extended "sloppy period" (my trusty charts indicate that the DJIA had been down 4 days in a row and it had been nine days since the S&P had enjoyed a good day - and...
View ArticleDo You Have What It Takes To Get Rich Quick?
It is probably a safe assumption that most people invest in the stock market with a goal of creating wealth (i.e. "getting rich") over time. And I'm guessing that a fair number of people - especially...
View ArticleDoes It Really Matter Anymore?
The bears were quick (I mean, VERY quick) to inform me that Monday's tape action was exceptionally bad. There was talk of a "key reversal" day, which tends to be a precursor of bad things to come in...
View ArticleAre Traders Preparing For The Worst?
As we've been discussing lately, the recent "tape action" seen in the market hasn't exactly been stellar. In fact, it's been pretty crummy overall and downright ugly at times. Over the past thirteen...
View ArticleWaiting On The Numbers
To be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with the current stock market environment. On the negative side, I hate the "feel" of the last fourteen days. As I've pointed out this week, nearly every...
View ArticleThe Next Phase is Coming Soon
I am going to argue that this year's stock market can be divided up into three or four distinctly different phases so far and that the current "sloppy period" could very well wind up being a prelude to...
View ArticleLet's Talk About HFT
Yesterday morning's sudden dive in the stock market was a great example of HFT (high frequency trading) in action. I was on a conference call at the time yammering on about our approach to stock...
View ArticleNo Catalyst Needed
The question I've been asked most frequently this week is, "Why are stocks going down?" The question has usually been accompanied by some commentary stating that there really hasn't been any major...
View ArticleIs the Sky Falling Again?
Do you feel it? Is that a twinge of doubt starting to creep in? Is your stomach starting to hurt just a little after a day like yesterday? Does each and every successive intraday failure cause your...
View ArticleA Very Important Decision
To be honest, I am not a terribly political person and I try my best to keep my political views out of my writing. I generally vote for the presidential candidate that I believe is best for the...
View ArticleBlame It On The Algos Or...
Yesterday's batch of economic data wasn't half bad. The Commerce Department said that Retail Sales were up +1.1% in the month of September, which was above the consensus for a third straight month. In...
View ArticleDoes Spain Trump Earnings, Fiscal Cliff, Etc?
After twenty-one days in which the intraday stock market action was just plain lousy, the bulls appear to have found their long lost mojo this week. While there is no telling whether or not the current...
View ArticleA Major Top?
If nothing else, the bear camp is certainly consistent. Despite the fact that the stock market (as defined by the S&P 500 Index) is up +16.2% year to dates and both the Dow and S&P are a...
View ArticleCan Stocks Survive The Earnings Slowdown?
Good morning. About the time the lunch hour rolled around on Thursday, stocks were surging and it looked like the bulls were going to run away with the game. After a shaky start, it appeared that the...
View ArticleA Catalyst Found?
To be sure, Friday's selling was intense as the market experienced its worst day in four months. The media had a field day as stocks sold off hard on the 25th anniversary of the '87 Crash (Was anybody...
View ArticleMy Best (And Most Disappointing) Call
As I may have mentioned a time or two hundred, I don't make "market calls." I just don't believe in investing according to what I expect or suspect is going to happen next. Perhaps this is why, despite...
View ArticleHave The Worries Returned?
After it became clear that the Mario Draghi was not going to let the Eurozone implode this summer and that the U.S. economy was not going to plunge into recession, investors began to look ahead. And...
View ArticleA Change In The Air
As I ran out for a quick errand on Wednesday morning, I couldn't help but take note of the fact that it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day in Colorado. There were crystal blue skies, bright sunshine,...
View ArticleI'm Surrounded
It only requires a brief glance at the charts of the stock market indices (especially the NASDAQ) to see that the trend is now down. And in all honesty, given the state of the earnings parade, this...
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