Analysis Topic: Stock & Financial Markets

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Stocks Bull Market Discussion.... / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Jack_Steiman

This has been one fascinating move up in what is undeniably a bull market. It's been more of a grind up most recently, and that's a good place to start this discussion. Just four weeks ago we had a bull-bear spread of just under 30%. That's getting dangerously close to complacency. Any time it's over 30%, especially when it hits 35%, we have to be on guard for a very powerful pullback. Understandable, as we need to lose the momentum as things are just too frothy. My concerns were laid to rest over the past month as the grind in the market served to bring down those feel good emotions throughout the market place. It appears the masses were expecting a very big pullback and went south on the market in terms of their short-term thinking.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Banks and Homebuilder Stocks Showing Impressive Strength / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Chris_Ciovacco

Financial stocks had been treading water relative to the S&P 500 for the past six weeks. That changed late yesterday after J.P. Morgan announced a dividend increase and stock buyback program.

While the chart below looks complex, the concepts are easy to understand. The chart shows the performance of financial stocks relative to the S&P 500 Index. Here are the key takeaways for investors:

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Investing in Japan One Year After Disaster / Stock-Markets / Japanese Stock Market

By: Money_Morning

Keith Fitz-Gerald writes: Like it has been for other Japanese families, this past year has been a tough one in my household, too.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Sunday's one-year anniversary brought long-buried emotions to the surface 12 months to the day after the horrific earthquake and the tsunami it spawned devastated Japan.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Trading the Sun : The influence of the sun on the financial markets and the macro economy / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2012

By: John_Hampson

There is an 11-year (average) cycle of solar activity, measured in sunspots. Solar activity causes geomagnetic disturbance on Earth. The sun is also responsible for a cycle of nocturnal lunar illumination on Earth that lasts approximately a month.

Psychological and behavioural research links geogmagnetism and lunar phasing with human mood, and sunspots with human excitability. Studies also link altered moods to more cautious behaviour, including financial decisions. In the last 150 years there have been several papers published demonstrating correlations between these natural phenomena and the financial markets and the macro economy. However, perhaps due a lack of scientific consensus over causality, solar phenomena remain niche disciplines in trading and economics, largely ignored by the financial and business media. In this document I will attempt to provide evidence that solar phenomena are the underlying cause of several financial and macroeconomic phenonema, and therefore deserving of a more central role in trading stocks and commodities.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How to Use Options to Hedge Against a Stock Market Correction / Stock-Markets / Options & Warrants

By: Money_Morning

Larry D. Spears writes: Stocks have been mostly higher the past five months, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently topping 13,000 for a few days and the Nasdaq Composite touching the key 3,000 mark on the final day of February.

However, the markets have turned erratic the last week or so, and big moves like last Tuesday's plunge have left many investors to worry about a looming stock market correction.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Stock Market Investing, The Case for Spitting into the Wind / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Money_Morning

Shah Gilani writes: You've heard the expression "You don't spit into the wind," haven't you?

Well, it's true when it comes to trading and investing, too. You keep the wind at your back, and you don't give up easy profits by bucking the trend.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Stock Market Volatility, Trouble In Paradise / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Tony_Pallotta

A chart is considered good when you do not have to add any commentary to make a point. The following is one such candidate.

Below is a chart of the spread between the volatility skew and the vix compared to the SPX. For those new to skew it simply measures the distribution of option implied volatility. When speculators price in tail events they buy out of the money options which "skews" or shifts the distribution of volatility from a normal bell curve.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Investors Appreciating China to its Fullest / Stock-Markets / Chinese Stock Market

By: Frank_Holmes

Wine expert and social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk attributes his ability to detect subtleties in wine that others might not recognize because of his unique taste-testing as a teen. Because drinking wine was illegal, he says he tasted the flavors associated with wine instead. He not only ate fruits and vegetables, but also chewed on chunks of grass, dirt, tobacco and wood so he could learn to recognize the complex flavors that wine has to offer.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Sun is Rising in the East, The Asian Century / Stock-Markets / Asian Economies

By: Chad_Bennis

Check out what Australia’s largest exchange operator(ASX) had to say about the Asian century.

“Australia will only truly advance its long-term position in the Asian region and fully participate in the Asian century by developing deeper partnerships and true integration with the region.”

Monday, March 12, 2012

Current Stock Push Has Hurdles To Clear / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Chris_Ciovacco

The rally off the lows of last week has some work to do before it becomes convincing. While the longer-term outlook remains favorable from a technical perspective, the conviction from buyers needs to pick up in the short-term.

When Williams %R, which measures momentum, fails to clear -20 during a rally, the odds of a retest of the recent lows increase. As the orange boxes show below, numerous markets have not yet seen Wm %R clear -20. This is not a big deal, but we would like to see it cleared up before investing additional cash. Gains lasting one or two days could easily clear these conditions.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Disconnected Financial and Commodity Markets Generating Great Trading Opportunities / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2012

By: Capital3X

We look at key charts and analysis to understand the bias in the markets. Not wasting too much time, lets go straight to the point.

First up has been the VIX/VXO charts which is still at the ceiling of a decade high. Nothing much has changed their.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Stock Market More Sideways Consolidation Before A New High? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Andre_Gratian

SPX: Very Long-term trend - The very-long-term cycles are down and, if they make their lows when expected (after this bull market is over) there will be another steep and prolonged decline into late 2014. It is probable, however, that the steep correction of 2007-2009 will have curtailed the full downward pressure potential of the 120-yr cycle.

SPX: Intermediate trend - The intermediate uptrend is still intact, but a short-term top is forming.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Mr. Market: Get It Through Your Head, The PSI DOESN’T Matter / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2012

By: Graham_Summers

I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but I’m saying it again.

Greece and the Euro are finished. The math is impossible. There is no way on earth that this Second Bailout accomplishes anything worthy of note. The idea that this country will somehow return to economic growth within two years, based on an additional €130billion in bailouts is outright insane.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Post Greek PSI Deal, We Are Not BULLish or BEARish, We Are GORILLAish / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2012

By: readtheticker

The Greek PSI deal is done, deadline passed, the ISDA has called a credit event on bonds that did not voluntary sign up for a 70% plus haircut. However what all the folks in Wall street are doing this weekend are trying to work out how long the queue is outside the door of the ISDA (the folks who trigger CDS deals) Monday morning coming, to see what debts will be forced to be reported on profit and loss statements.UPDATED2

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Fed On Deck... Jobs In Line... Stock Market Strength Continues... / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Jack_Steiman

It seems over and over there's build up to a report that's going to make a huge difference in what takes place in the stock market. It could be the ISM Manufacturing Report. After that, we hear about the NY State index, or the Chicago PMI. Then we get the news on the big jobs report, and in between, week after week, on Thursday, we get the jobless claims report. We get durable goods, etc. Some of the reports are far from great.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Why Financial Markets Ignored Jobs Report and Greek Debt Deal! / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2012

By: Sy_Harding

There was much anticipation in advance of Friday’s Labor Department employment report for February. The report has a reputation for often coming in with a big surprise in one direction or the other that creates a dramatic market response. This time it did not. The consensus forecast was that 213,000 new jobs were created in February, and the unemployment rate would remain at 8.3%. The actual report was that 227,000 new jobs were created, and the unemployment rate remained at 8.3%.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Handicapping The Collapse / Stock-Markets / Global Debt Crisis

By: Jim_Willie_CB

Scattered diverse and almost uniformly unfavorable and dangerous events are unfolding, as the global economy and financial structure undergoes the equivalent of endless earthquakes and bombardment of solar emissions. Reporting is difficult, since information is distorted toward the sunny side. Events are moving fast, as quickly as the danger level is rising. As conditions worsen, the hype and spin has risen almost out of control. The political machine, tied at the hip to the banking apparatus, has ramped up the growth story even as the strain on the information spin has become more visible and subject to heavy criticism. A re-election year is always fraught with risk of unmasked falsehoods making headlines. For some reason the Mayans have been lifted in prominence despite their cultural vanishing act. Like calling the dodo bird the epitome of future evolution in the aviary world of ornithology. The Jackass prefers the eagle, hawk, and falcon. Nonetheless, the list of acts on stage is replete with stories of collapse. A review is useful. Keep in mind that whatever happens to Greece will serve as vivid preview of what is to come in Italy, Spain, and perhaps France. Much more ruin comes. Witness the great unraveling. The only winners will be tangibles, like gold, silver, crude oil, and farmland.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Stock Market Affected By... / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2012

By: Submissions

Mark Blair writes:    The stock market is affected, short-, mid-, and long-term, by The Things That People Do. Sometimes those things are riots and revolutions. My thesis is that, as things go from bad to worse, people will indulge themselves in these pastimes, and that will impact negatively on the markets.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Don't Let the SEC Tread on Your Money Market Funds! / Stock-Markets / Market Regulation

By: Money_Morning

Martin Hutchinson writes: SEC chairman Mary Schapiro announced last week that she has set her sights on your money market funds.

I'm sorry, but that makes no sense at all. Losses on money market fund investments have been trivial in the almost 40 years they have existed.

Friday, March 09, 2012

How Big Money and Insiders Use Options to Manipulate the Stock Market / Stock-Markets / Market Manipulation

By: Sam_Chee_Kong

Anything that has to do with investments will be subjected to risk and return. Normally, the higher the risk the higher will be the return. Is there any investment that will provide you the opposite, where the potential risk is reduced while the return will actually increased? The answer is YES and it is through Options.

Before we delve into how ‘Big money and Insiders’ use options to manipulate the Stock Market, I think we should educate ourselves on the inner workings of the options market so that we as an investor will also can benefit from the versatility that options can offer.