Analysis Topic: Stock & Financial Markets

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Monday, May 10, 2021

Stock Market Entering Early Summer Correction Trend Forecast / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Nadeem_Walayat

The stock market is now moving into my forecast time window for a correction to begin of approx 10% decline as illustrated by my trend forecast graph-

9th Feb 2021 Dow Stock Market Trend Forecast 2021

Friday, May 07, 2021

Capital Gains Tax Hike News: Was It REALLY to Blame for Sell-off? / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021

By: EWI

Markets go where they go. The news is just rationalization.

As Elliott Wave International has noted many times, the mainstream financial press always tries to find a reason for a given trading day's stock market action.

In other words, if stocks happen to be up for the day, many financial journalists will say it was because of this or that "positive" news. If stocks happen to be down for the day, you got it, these journalists will ignore the positive news and search for something "negative" that happened in the country or world and say that was the reason stocks went down.

Friday, May 07, 2021

Stock Market Transportation Index Continues To Grind Higher / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Chris_Vermeulen

If the face of last week’s sideways price action and almost in a rebellious manner today (May 4, 2021), the Transportation Index is moving higher while the US major indexes are all broadly lower.  VIX has shot up over 20 again (over +13% higher) and the NASDAQ is off by more than 300 points (-2.75%) as I write this article.  Yet, the Transportation Index is bucking the trends and trading higher.

What Does It Mean When The Transportation Index Bucks The Major Index Trends?

My team and I have often highlighted the Transportation Index in our past research article. The reason we watch this index so closely is that it tends to lead market trends by at least 30 to 60 days.  In short, the Transportation Index is a measure of future expectations related to freight, shipping, transportation, and the movement of goods and commodities across the US and across the globe. 

When an economy contracts, the Transportation Index will likely follow major indexes lower as future expectations related to economic activity contract.  When a recession or deep price correction happens, the Transportation Index usually moves sharply lower as the sudden shock of an unexpected economic contagion vastly alters future economic expectations.  But generally, the Transportation Index tends to front-run economic expectations.

Friday, May 07, 2021

SPX Stock Market Correction Arriving or Not? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

One more day of upside rejection in S&P 500, in what is now quite a long stretch of prices going mostly sideways. As unsteady as VIX seems at the moment, it doesn‘t flash danger of spiking in this data-light week, and neither does the put/call ratio. As I wrote yesterday about the selling pressure, these tight range days accompanied by 30-ish point corrections is as good as it gets when the Fed still has its foot on the accelerate pedal.

Yes, you can ignore the Kaplan trial baloon (have you checked when he gets to vote on the FOMC?) that spiked the dollar on Friday but didn‘t put all that a solid floor before long-dated Treasuries as seen in their intraday reversal.

Highlighting the key Treasury, inflation and reflation thoughts of yesterday, as these are still here to power stocks higher:

(…) the 10-year yield has been quite well behaved lately, closing at 1.65% only on Friday. The April calm seems to be over, and I‘m looking for the instrument to trade at 1.80% at least at the onset of summer. Then, let‘s see how the September price increases telegraphed by Procter & Gamble influence the offtake – will the price leader be followed by its competitors? That‘s one of the key pieces of the inflation stickiness puzzle – and I think others will follow, and P&G sales and profitability won‘t suffer. The company is on par with Coca Cola when it comes to dividends really.

Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Fed Taper Smoke and Mirrors / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

Once in a while, stocks closed in red – is that a reversal or the most the bears could hope for these days? Thursday‘s hanging man got its follow through, yet the bulls staged a rebound into the close. Perhaps that‘s as good as the selling pressure gets, for I think the path of least resistance is still higher in S&P 500.

If you look at the VIX or the put/call ratio, Friday‘s setback is readily apparent, and stocks seem ripe for an upswing now. Fed‘s Kaplan did its job s with the taper talk, yet I think he played the bad cop part – the Fed will really act ostrich in the face of not so transitory inflation, for as long as the Treasuries market doesn‘t throw a tantrum.

And the 10-year yield has been quite well behaved lately, closing at 1.65% only on Friday. The April calm seems to be over, and I‘m looking for the instrument to trade at 1.80% at least at the onset of summer. Then, let‘s see how the September price increases telegraphed by Procter & Gamble influence the offtake – will the price leader be followed by its competitors? That‘s one of the key pieces of the inflation stickiness puzzle – and I think others will follow, and P&G sales and profitability won‘t suffer. The company is on par with Coca Cola when it comes to dividends really.

Once there, we would progress further in the reflation cycle when inflation is no longer benign and anchored. We‘re though still quite a way from when the Fed tries to sell rising rates as proof of strengthening economic recovery – once the bond market would get to doubt this story though, it would be game over for its recent tame behavior.

Friday‘s retreating Treasuries though didn‘t lift gold, and neither helped miners – it‘s not that inflation expectations would be sending a conflicting signal, as these slightly receded too. Inflation at the moment is probably still too low for the complacent market lulled to sleep by the transitory story, but look for that to change.

Tuesday, May 04, 2021

Stock Market SPX Short-term Correction / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Andre_Gratian

Current Position of the Market

SPX Long-term trend:  There is some evidence that we are still in the bull market which started in 2009 and which could continue into the first half of 2021 before major cycles take over and it comes to an end.

SPX Intermediate trend:  SPX has completed the next phase of its intermediate uptrend and should correct.

Analysis of the short-term trend is done daily with the help of hourly charts. They are important adjuncts to the analysis of daily and weekly charts which determine longer market trends.

Tuesday, May 04, 2021

Stock Market Investor Psychology: Here are 2 Rare Traits Now on Display / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: EWI

Stock market newcomers revel in their ignorance

In the past year, the stock market has been flooded by inexperienced investors.

Here's a May 12, 2020 CNBC headline:

Young investors pile into stocks, seeing 'generational-buying moment' instead of risk

The message of that headline matches up with the sentiment among many investors that the stock market is at the start of a boom -- not near an end.

Yes, financial history shows that the same psychology has been on display before, i.e., the heralding of "The New Economy" in 2000 -- just as stocks were topping. And, if you want to go all the way back to the 1929 top, the proclamation of "A New Era."

Sunday, May 02, 2021

Stock Market Enough Consolidation Already! / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

Stocks are readying another push higher, and not just on the heels of the still accomodative Fed. The Fed won‘t simply remove the punch bowl, let alone discuss removing it, and will keep repeating the transitory inflation mantra ad nauseam. The ingredients are in place for a continued upswing in stocks and commodities.

Look for nominal yields to continue rising, and my hunch is that won‘t be enough to turn the dollar around. We‘re about to experience continuously rising inflation expectations, rising nominal yields, and declining dollar:

(…) When even Larry Summers starts talking the dangers of an inflationary wave, things are really likely getting serious down the road.

(…) we‘re in the decade of precious metals and commodities super bull runs – and these are well underway. The debasement of fiat currencies against real assets is set to continue, and will accelerate given the unprecedented fiscal and monetary support already and ahead – sorry dollar bulls, the greenback declines are resuming – just look at the yen and yields nodding to the metals upswing.

Friday, April 30, 2021

Stock Market Correction Time Window / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Nadeem_Walayat

One of the most common questions I am often asked is when to sell ones stocks i.e. after a surge in stock prices there is a tendency to fear the gains will evaporate as followed soon after the March 2020 lows, where many investors are focused on trying to Sell the Tops with a view to Buying the Bottoms. Apparently this is how most investors tend to approach investing as it crops up in many communications I have with investors i.e. when should one sell their holdings with a view to buying back after a market correction, which is especially true at the present time given the recent rally in stocks to new highs that my trend forecast for 2021 suggests is now converging towards a time window for a correction.

Friday, April 30, 2021

Stock Market "Fastest Jump Since 2007": How Leveraged Investors are Courting "Doom" / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: EWI

The stock market uptrend has extended for more than 11 years.

Even so, instead of displaying caution, investors have been borrowing to buy stocks like there's no such thing as a bear market.

For example, consider this chart and commentary from the March Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, a monthly publication which provides analysis of major U.S. financial markets:

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Financial Stocks Sector Appears Ready To Run Higher / Stock-Markets / Banking Stocks

By: Chris_Vermeulen

As we transition into the early Summer months, we are watching how different market sectors are reacting to the continued shifting of capital over the past 60+ days.  One this is very clear, certain market sectors are strengthening while others have run into resistance and are consolidating.  We believe the next few weeks and months will continue this type of trend where capital continues to shift away from risks and into sectors that show tremendous strength and opportunity.

We wrote about how Precious Metals are likely starting a new bullish price trend on April 18, 2021. You can read that research article here: https://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/metals-miners-may-have-started-a-new-longer-term-bullish-trend-part-ii/.

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Stock Market Leverage Reaches New All-Time Highs As The Excess Phase Rally Continues / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Chris_Vermeulen

A recent Forbes article highlights the incredible increase in market leverage since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.  There has never been a time in recent history where market leverage has reached these extreme levels.  Additionally, highly leveraged market peaks are typically associated with asset bubbles. 

The easy money policies and global central bank actions have prompted one of the longest easy money market rallies in history.  Historically low interest rates, US Federal Reserve and global central bank asset-buying programs, and extended overnight credit support have prompted some traders and investors to move into a more highly leveraged position expecting the rally to stay endless.  Although, the reality of the global market trends may be starting to cause traders and investors to become a bit unsettled.  Precious Metals, Utilities, and Bonds have all started reacting to perceived fear related to this extended bullish rally trend recently.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

AI Tech Stocks Lead the Bull Market Charge / Stock-Markets / Tech Stocks

By: Nadeem_Walayat

let's see if the correction materialises so I can buy more stocks after the recent March dip in tech stocks that allowed me to pick up the likes of TSMC for $110, amongst several others on my target list including AMD and Nvidia, though Facebook failed to succumb to mainstream media hysteria instead took off like a rocket to currently stand at well above $300 which whether one likes it or not is precisely what one expects good stocks to do! Even the sleeping giant IBM broke out of it's year long trading range. Whilst Intel despite releasing a pile of garbage 11th Gen rocket lake processors, performing worse than their 10th Gen CPUs! That one would have thought would have resulted in weak hands selling out of their holdings and thus giving us a dip to below $50 to buy some more for the long-run, instead Intel has had a moon shot of its own trading towards 20 year highs! Hardly price action that one would expect from what I consider to be sleeping giants! Which is indicative of what's really going on under the hood that most still fail to grasp which is the exponential nature of the AI mega-trend and of course the rampant money printing inflation mega-trend. That and perhaps there aren't many weak hands left holding IBM and Intel stock.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Stocks Bear Market / Crash Indicator / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Current Risk Remains VERY LOW at 5%, Recent highest reading was 15%.

This Indicator is one of the neural nets I am working on as my AI takes baby steps into understanding how to interpret the stock market. It's task is to state the current risk of a bear market or crash being imminent i.e. within the next couple of weeks or so. So an independant technical indicator that acts as a warning to HEDGE stock portfolios ahead of further high probability drops in the market. Where my preferred hedging tool is to go short stock index futures so as to capitalise on any drop without selling any stock holdings, and delivering fresh funds to buy more AI stocks at deep discounts just as I did during March 2020. The last time this indicator triggered a warning was late February 2020, so it is NOT a trading indicator but instead advance warning that a correction already underway could turn into something worse so I need to hedge my stocks portfolio to some degree.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

No Upsetting the Apple Cart in Stocks or Gold / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

The tax hike proposal shock is over, and S&P 500 took again on the ATHs on Friday. Buying pressure throughout the day lasted almost till the closing bell, and is likely to continue this week as well. And why shouldn‘t it – has anything changed? The artificial selling any capital gains tax hike would generate, is likely to come before year end – not now:

(…) Look still though how little has changed, as if the tax raising plans haven‘t been around since the infrastructure bill or implicitly even before. It‘s still April, and markets are pricing in not only this select reality, but broader tax increases coming. Yes, they have woken up, and the reflation paradigm is getting an unwelcome companion. This hit won‘t bring down the bull, but will slow it down – and the implications for broader economy will only hasten the pronounced advent of the commodities supercycle (well underway since the corona deflationary crash last year).

The move towards risk-on was clearly there, overpowering the USD  bulls yet again as the dollar bear market has reasserted itself. It‘s not just about EUR/USD on the way to its late Feb highs, but about the USD/JPY too – the yen carry trade is facing headwinds these days, acting as a supportive factor for gold prices. While these went through a daily correction, commodities pretty much didn‘t – lumber is powering to new highs, agrifoods didn‘t have a down day in April, copper and oil scored respectable gains. The market is in a higher inflation environment already, and it will become increasingly apparent that commodity-led inflation is here to stay.

Back to stocks and bonds, the S&P 500 took well to a daily rise in Treasury yields – and that‘s the key factor overall. The turnaround was most clearly seen in tech heavyweights but defensive sectors such as consumer staples or utilities didn‘t do well (they‘re interest rate sensitive, after all), and Dow Jones Industrial Average traded closer to the optimistic side of the spectrum. The second piece of the puzzle came from value stocks and financials, which are working to put an end to their own shallow correction – just as you would expect when rates take a turn higher.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

SPX Indicators Flashing Stock Market Caution / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Andre_Gratian

Current Position of the Market

SPX Long-term trend:  There is some evidence that we are still in the bull market which started in 2009 and which could continue into the first half of 2021 before major cycles take over and it comes to an end.

SPX Intermediate trend:  SPX has completed the next phase of its intermediate uptrend and should correct.

Analysis of the short-term trend is done daily with the help of hourly charts. They are important adjuncts to the analysis of daily and weekly charts which determine longer market trends.

Monday, April 26, 2021

The Tax Plan to Slay the Stocks Bull Market? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

A day like almost any other – S&P 500 about to take again on the ATHs until the capital gains tax hike proposal came, shaving off 50 points in stocks within an hour. The 4,415 support held though, both before and after the closing bell. Are we ready to shake off the cold water and resume running higher again?

Depends on where you look – stocks have quite some recovering still to do, and it‘s the precious metals and commodities that are performing best today. Both as an index and sectoral collection, the S&P 500 sustained broad damage, concentrated in the tech heavyweights. The volatility spike has been partially repelled but option traders seem expecting another shoe to drop, which attests to us better dampening expectations of a fast return above 4,170.

Look still though how little has changed, as if the tax raising plans haven‘t been around since the infrastructure bill or implicitly even before. It‘s still April, and markets are pricing in not only this select reality, but broader tax increases coming. Yes, they have woken up, and the reflation paradigm is getting an unwelcome companion. This hit won‘t bring down the bull, but will slow it down – and the implications for broader economy will only hasten the pronounced advent of the commodities supercycle (well underway since the corona deflationary crash last year).

As the Chinese say, may you live in interesting times, and I am glad to have caught the April 2020 turnaround reasonably well.  I‘m bringing this up just to say that this isn‘t the time to turn bearish on stocks yet – not in the least. The initial panic is over, real economy keeps recovering (amazing how fast were the reasonably good unemployment claims of yesterday forgotten, right?), inflation expectations aren‘t running progressively hotter, and Treasury yields continue retreating.

Monday, April 26, 2021

See What’s Next for European Markets / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021

By: EWI

Dear reader,

"Will it break above $1?" That’s the question millions of crypto watchers are asking now.

Dogecoin may be on your watch list, too. After all, its 9000%+ rally year-to-date is no longer “funny.” What started as a joke is now very serious.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

SPX Stock Market Short Squeeze – Here Or Not? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2021

By: Monica_Kingsley

S&P 500 turned around at the open, and didn‘t look back. Is the selling over, have the markets turned the corner? Buy the dip looks to have won the day, VIX has been beaten back, and corporate credit markets scored strong gains. The benefit of the doubt would go with the bulls as the Russell 2000 and emerging markets joined in the buying spree. Heck, even the option traders turned more complacent again.

The table looks set for brighter days, but it‘s the odd performance in value (the reopening fireworks don‘t seem to go stale ever really) ignoring retreating yields, which the tech heavyweights strangely neither rejoiced. That reminds me of the dog that didn‘t bark story. I‘m thus looking for a daily consolidation of surprisingly easily gained ground without ruling out a weak downswing attempt – but it‘s the upside potential that‘s looking short-term limited here. The daily SPX chart doesn‘t give me confidence yet to declare this correction as not returning next week.

Nominal yields have again retreated a little, and inflation expectations are sending inconclusive messages – but don‘t forget that inflation is what the Fed ultimately wants. It just has to balance that with the Treasuries market not going into a tailspin – for now, mission accomplished, inflation expectations have peaked, move along, nothing to see here.

But the higher commodity prices are sending a clear message to the contrary – look for the PPI readings to be affecting CPI increasingly more. Markets aren‘t waiting for the Fed, and have been transitioning to a higher inflation environment already, even though the Fed sold the transitory talking points quite well – it would indeed be a 2022-3 story when inflation supported by the overheating job market would kick in. That‘s the context decreasing nominal yields should be interpreted in.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Fiscal Guilt: What a Shift in Monetary Policy Portends for Investors / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021

By: The_Gold_Report

Sector expert Michael Ballanger describes how he is protecting his portfolio as political and financial fortunes begin to change.

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
—from the poem "In Flanders Field;" 1915

I have a confession to make: I am reaching the end of my personal level of nonviolent tolerance when being forced to listen to non-elected "authorities" standing in front of TV cameras reading their "prepared notes" from teleprompters without the vaguest clue as to what they are talking about.

Worse still are the elected "representatives of the citizenry" of any country, state or province, standing in that very same spot ordering the populace to "stay indoors" while warning that the police have been instructed to issue citations (or arrest) those in violation of an order that has never been enacted into law.

Whether they are politicians or bankers or bureaucratic buffoons of questionable agenda, all of them should be gagged and bound and carted off to a facility of incarceration with zero chance of release back into the "general population." They all represent an ever-increasing threat to not only my sanity but also, and more importantly, to my personal liberty.