Analysis Topic: Stock & Financial Markets
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Monday, December 29, 2014
Broad Stock Market At New Highs – Will Uptrend Continue? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Briefly: In our opinion, no speculative positions are justified.
Our intraday outlook remains neutral, and our short-term outlook is neutral:
Intraday (next 24 hours) outlook: neutral
Short-term (next 1-2 weeks) outlook: neutral
Medium-term (next 1-3 months) outlook: neutral
Long-term outlook (next year): bullish
Monday, December 29, 2014
2015 - A Great Investment Year Ahead! / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2015
In these closing days of 2014, I’d like to thank you all, (Clients, Students and readers alike), for an exciting year of discovery, teaching and market predictions.
The Holidays are a useful time to reassess the year past and place emphasis on the positive events and how they have brought us to today. The Year 2014 offered lots of positive market surprises. Positive, that is, for those who saw them coming and made plans to accommodate the change.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Stock Market Happy Holidays / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
The week started at SPX 2071. On Monday the market rallied to the previous all time high at SPX 2079. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday it made higher highs, reaching SPX 2093. For the week the SPX/DOW gained 1.15%, the NDX/NAZ gained 0.85%, and the DJ World index gained 0.80%. Economic reports for the week were mixed. On the uptick: Q3 GDP, personal income/spending, the FHFA index and weekly jobless claims improved. On the downtick: existing/new home sales, consumer sentiment, durable goods, and the WLEI. Next week, another holiday shortened week, there are only two reports scheduled: ISM manufacturing and Construction spending, both on Friday.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, December 26, 2014
Financial Collapse - A Tale of How It All Went Down / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
“Memory is fiction. So is the future.
But there is some truth in fiction.”
When they woke Thursday morning, the banks had been closed on the east coast for 2 hours. Electronic payment systems worked select areas only, government services, food, and energy distribution.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Santa Crushes Bears by Delivering Stock Market Rally to Dow 18,030 New Closing High / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Barely a week ago it was beginning to appear as though both Santa had come early AND that the Dow had just missed breaking above 18k early December, before turning lower which with each 100 point Dow drop emboldened the bears to once more start fantasizing of mega-phone patterns accompanied by proclamations that the top was in and a new bear market had begun that reached maximum intensity just as the Dow put its bottom in at 17,067, doing an about turn rampage to a NEW All time high ABOVE 18,000 to close today (Christmas Eve) at 18,030. Thanks Santa!
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Don't Let This Be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Uncle Sam / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Marc Lichtenfeld writes: Hopefully, your portfolio had a good 2014. The S&P 500 is up 12%. If you followed The Oxford Club, you likely did better. In 2014, The Oxford Club gave subscribers 122 double-digit gains and another 109 triple-digit winners.
Whatever the case may be, you likely cashed out some profits in the market this year. Those profits are classified as either long-term or short-term gains. Long-term gains are positions that were sold a year or more after you bought them. Short-term gains are positions entered and exited within one year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Biggest Unstoppable Market Trends / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
Keith Fitz-Gerald writes: Holiday markets tend to slow up a bit, and this week is proving to be no exception, so I thought we’d change things up a bit by diving into the mailbag and tackling a few of the fabulous questions you’ve asked recently.
Of course, as is our way around here, I’ll follow each answer with some actionable investment advice you can put to work right now as well as specific recommendations for your consideration.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Stock Market Crash and High Yield Debt / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
Since late 2008, the unprecedented quantitative easing (QE) that flooded our economy has produced another terrible consequence — the unbelievable mispricing of high-risk, high-yield bonds.
At the top of the previous boom in early 2008 high yield bonds grew to $710 billion and were yielding 10% after dropping to as low as 7.5% in early 2007.
That’s a more appropriate yield for investors taking such risks in what back then still looked like a good economy.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Could an Energy Bust Trigger QE4? / Stock-Markets / Quantitative Easing
In a normal economic times falling energy costs would be considered unadulterated good news. The facts are simple. No one buys a barrel of oil to display above the mantle. No one derives happiness from a lump of coal. Energy is simply a means to do or get the things that we want. We use it to stay warm, to move from Point A to Point B, to transport our goods, to cook our food, and to power our homes, factories, theaters, offices, and stadiums. If we could do all these things without energy, we would happily never drill a well or build a windmill. The lower the cost of energy, the cheaper and more abundant all the things we want become.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Patience is a Virtue: Unless you are a Central Banker / Stock-Markets / Central Banks
With the utterance of one word, “patience” in reference to the Fed’s anticipated lift off date from its zero bound interest rate target, Janet Yellen sent the Dow Jones soaring over 700 points in two days. It is clearly evident that our central bank is finding endless excuses not to raise interest rates in an effort to keep the equity and bond bubble rolling along. But this entrenched addiction to free money has now set the economy up for a catastrophe. The Fed’s $3.7 trillion dollars in QE and six years of ZIRP have created massive economic imbalances. When interest rate normalization eventually occurs, it will lead to wide spread insolvency.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
How to Play Weakness in Oil and Russian Stocks into 2015 / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
George Leong writes: We are three days away from Christmas and just over a week from the New Year. This is the perfect time to look over your portfolio and holdings in the stock market.
To get set for trading in the stock market in 2015, take some winners if you haven’t already done so and dump some losers. Then consider what is occurring in the stock market and global economy (especially oil and Russian stocks) in relation to your economic outlook for the New Year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 22, 2014
Stock Market Indexes Continue Their March Up As Investors' Euphoria Extends / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Briefly: In our opinion, no speculative positions are justified.
Our intraday outlook remains neutral, and our short-term outlook is neutral:
Intraday (next 24 hours) outlook: neutral
Short-term (next 1-2 weeks) outlook: neutral
Medium-term (next 1-3 months) outlook: neutral
Long-term outlook (next year): bullish
Monday, December 22, 2014
Janet Yellen's Christmas Gift to Wall Street / Stock-Markets / US Federal Reserve Bank
Last week we learned that the key to a strong economy is not increased production, lower unemployment, or a sound monetary unit. Rather, economic prosperity depends on the type of language used by the central bank in its monetary policy statements. All it took was one word in the Federal Reserve Bank's press release -- that the Fed would be "patient" in raising interest rates to normal levels -- and stock markets went wild. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average had their best gains in years, with the Dow gaining nearly 800 points from Wednesday to Friday and the S&P gaining almost 100 points to close within a few points of its all-time high.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 22, 2014
Stock Market At Minor Top / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Current Position of the Market
SPX: Long-term trend - Bull Market
Intermediate trend - More time is needed to clarify the market position.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Ride the 2014 IPO Stock Boom Into 2015 / Stock-Markets / IPOs
With 271 initial public offerings raking in $84.2 billion dollars to date, there’s no doubt that 2014 has been hot for IPOs.
From this week’s chart we can see that the number of IPOs this year is up 23% from 2013, representing the most since the height of the dot-com bubble in 2000. We can also see that IPO proceeds jumped more than 53% - from $54.9 billion in 2013 to $84.2 billion in 2014.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Stock Market Worst Week in Years... Buy This Dip / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Dr. Steve Sjuggerud writes: U.S. stocks had their worst week in over three years last week – falling 3.5%.
You couldn't have missed that – it was all over the financial news.
Is this massive fall in one week the sign of the end? Is this the peak of the great bull market? Is it time to worry?
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Stock Investors Look Ahead into 2015 / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2015
With 2014 winding down, now would be a convenient time to discuss the prospects for the financial market and economy in 2015.
Year 2014 was in some respects a tumultuous year; from the slowdown in Europe and China to the collapse in oil and ag commodity prices, the deflationary undercurrents of the 60-year cycle was apparent this year. The long-awaited bottom of the 120-year cycle of deflation was finally made in October, and aside from some residual weakness still evident, the cycle bottom was a successful one.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Stocks Bull Market Resumes / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
Another wild week in the markets. The market opened the week at SPX 2002 after last week’s 3.5% selloff. After a gap up opening on Monday carrying the SPX to 2019, it gapped down on Tuesday hitting 1973 right at the close. After that the market gapped up Wednesday, and on Thursday, then came with one point of its all time high on Friday. For the week the SPX/DOW gained 3.2%, the NDX/NAZ gained 2.2%, and the DJ World index was up 2.2%. Economic reports for the week were slightly biased to the downside. On the uptick: industrial production, capacity utilization, housing starts, leading indicators and weekly jobless claims improved. On the downtick: the NY/Philly FED, the NAHB, building permits, the CPI, and the WLEI. Next week, a holiday shortened week, we get Q3 GDP, PCE prices, and more reports on housing. Best to your holiday week!
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 20, 2014
What Are Technical Indicators Saying About the Stock Market? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2014
It was just a week ago that financial headlines bemoaned the market having suffered its worst week in 2 ½ years. The bears came out of hiding with scary forecasts. Plunging oil prices, previously thought to be a positive for global economies, were suddenly seen as a major negative, along with the collapse of Russia’s economy and currency. Warnings of a potential global meltdown, perhaps even a 1998 style mini-crash, grew in number.
Bullish investor sentiment and confidence plunged. The weekly poll of its members by the American Association of Individual investors (AAII) fell to only 38.7% bullish.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, December 19, 2014
Derivatives and Mass Financial Destruction / Stock-Markets / Derivatives
Globally systemically important banks (G-SIBs in the language of the Financial Stability Board) are to be bailed-in if they fail, moving the cost from governments to the depositors, bondholders and shareholders. There are exceptions to this rule, principally, small depositors who are protected by government schemes, and also derivatives, so the bail-in is partial and bail-out in these respects still applies.
Read full article... Read full article...