2019 was an easy investing year for everyone, right? The S&P 500 was up 31.5% (including dividends) while the Nasdaq Composite was up 35.2%; the best year for each since 2013. I'm sure everyone did at least that well. Many will look at the... READ MORE
Hey, I'm bullish longer-term so I'm not talking about a major bear market ahead, nothing like that. But as a short-term trader, I need to heed the signs of a potential top and I'm beginning to see them. There are a number of these... READ MORE
The headline index NIFTY is presently trading near its lifetime-high levels, returning a stellar 15% over the past 12 months and 1.08% on a Year-to-Date basis. Having said this, the loss of momentum and few negative divergences on the leading indicators are quite evident on the charts. It will... READ MORE
The S&P 500 preliminary earnings for 2019 Q3 are available, and based upon GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principals) earnings, the S&P 500 is beyond overvalued. The following chart shows us the normal value range of the S&P 500 Index, indicating where the S&... READ MORE
The Dollar Index has been rising in the last few sessions following its December decline, which has put it at a crucial technical juncture. Whichever way it breaks will have implications for commodities, gold and the relative performance of international equities to the US. A rising currency would have negative... READ MORE
A common question I hear now that we've seen a significant advance in U.S. equities is, "when should I get in"? Well, we're in a secular bull market. It started in 2013 and won't end, in my opinion, until the end... READ MORE
In this episode of DecisionPoint, Erin and Carl present their thoughts on the current market environment and the problems we should be aware of. Stocks above their 20/50/200-EMAs have negative divergences with the SPY price chart. Could ETF indexing be the next "bubble"? It seems the... READ MORE
In my last article for the Don't Ignore This Chart blog, which I write for on Thursdays, I wrote about the clear message that the rotation of Growth vs. Value is currently sending. As those are short articles meant to point to potentially interesting situations and usage of... READ MORE
Let's first look at our sector SPDR funds, in SCTR order: It's important to note that SCTR scores are calculated as of today. Performance ranks will change based on whether we look at one day performance, one week performance, six months performance, etc. SCTRs remain the... READ MORE
The final chart that I shared in my portion of the StockCharts 2020 Market Outlook (coming soon to our YouTube channel!) was a two-year chart of gold. After a pullback in the fall to Fibonacci support, gold appeared to be resuming its long-term uptrend.Later, gold reached an extreme overbought... READ MORE
SHORT-TERM STOCK VIEW LOOKS OVER-EXTENDED...Despite geopolitical concerns at the start of the week between the U.S. and Iran, stocks ended the week higher. All three major stock indexes also hit new records before experiencing some minor-profit-taking on Friday. All trends remain solidly higher here and around the world.... READ MORE
As the Indian markets traded on the anticipated lines, they continued to consolidate, but also saw tremendous volatility owing to the geopolitical tension in the West Asian region. The NIFTY traded in a wider-than-usual range and ended the week on a relatively flat note. The index witnessed close to 400... READ MORE
On Wednesday, I wrote about Mega-Cap Retail stock McDonalds (MCD) and its downtrend reversal. (You can read about that here.) Since then, more heavyweight retailers have begun to exhibit signs of renewed performance as they reverse downtrends or break out of lengthy flat bases. Hampered by reduced foot traffic and... READ MORE
I know a majority of my fellow investors are also ardent sports fans who live-a-little or die-a-little with each win or loss by their respective team. The parallels to investing are self-evident. Afterall, our portfolios of equities are our teams as well. According to the Krauthammer Conjecture, "the pleasure... READ MORE
This is an excerpt from yesterday's DecisionPoint Alert [with updated comments & charts]. If you'd like to subscribe to DecisionPoint.com's DP Alert, click here! You can also join our free newsletter list here! One of my favorite indicators is the 10-DMA of the... READ MORE
Most of the talking heads on TV have gone out of their way to indicate that analysts have lowered their expectations for Q4 earnings. Given the way the market has powered forward with a new year underway, one can only imagine what the S&P might look like if... READ MORE
On this episode of StockCharts TV'sThe MEM Edge, Mary Ellen reviews the top news from the world's largest tech show and the stocks that will benefit. Afterwards, she provides in-depth market analysis regarding major companies that are due to report earnings next week. This video was... READ MORE
After several tense days, some calm is being restored to global markets. The fact that last night's attack by Iran on allied bases in Iraq resulted in no casualties; plus a more conciliatory-sounding speech by President Trump shortly before noon appear to have reduced geopolilitical tensions in the... READ MORE
Ten of the eleven sector SPDRs are positive over the last three months. The Real Estate SPDR (XLRE) is the only sector sporting a loss (~.75%), but I am not concerned with relative weakness because the price chart looks bullish overall. Note that XLRE was the leading sector in early... READ MORE
December nonfarm payrolls were just released and they were solid, though slightly below expectations. They suggest moderate economic improvement and the very slight increase in average hourly earnings confirms that the labor market, while tight, is not too tight. That combination, moderate growth and tame inflation, along with the reduced... READ MORE
Relative Rotation Graphs enable us to see beyond sectors or individual stock rotations; they can also be used to visualize differently-sorted market segments. The RRG above illustrates growth vs. value stocks, a measure that often is also used to gauge the direction for the general market. In general, growth will... READ MORE
It's been a tough period recently for many retailers as they struggle to adjust to consumers' ever-shifting demands. Many of these shifts have been driven by technological advances, as digital sales and faster product delivery times are a must if companies want to succeed. Let's... READ MORE
In this edition of Trading Simplified, Dave reveals the first five of his twenty trading resolutions going into 2020. In addition, Dave presents a new edition of "The Missed, The Best or the Worst Trade of the Week", reveals a new Mystery Chart, takes some requests and more... READ MORE
GLOBAL STOCKS CLIMB ON CONCILIATORY REMARKS... After several tense days, some calm is being restored to global markets. The fact that last night's attack by Iran on allied bases in Iraq resulted in no casualties; plus a more conciliatory-sounding speech by President Trump shortly before noon appear to... READ MORE
In this edition of StockCharts TV'sSector Spotlight, I take a look at new monthly charts and asset allocation. Afterwards, I build more on the Seasonality visualization and interpretation that I started during last month. This video originally aired on January 7th, 2020. Sector Spotlight airs weekly on Tuesdays... READ MORE
Last Friday, I wrote about the sharp uptick in many defense-related stocks following news of a deadly airstrike against Iran. (You can read that article here) Since then, fears of a retaliation by way of a cyberattack against the U.S. has sparked interest in another area of the markets... READ MORE
DecisionPoint.comis live! In this episode ofDecisionPoint, Erin unveils the new DecisionPoint website and its features, including the new home of the DecisionPoint Alert and Daily Diamonds features and exclusive Sector ChartLists. In addition, Carl and Erin discuss the effect of rising instability in the Middle East on Oil prices,... READ MORE
CANADIAN DOLLAR HITS NEW 52-WEEK HIGH... A couple of my messages posted during Christmas week wrote about a more bullish outlook for commodity markets this year. And the likelihood for a weaker U.S. dollar. One of the messages wrote about the Canadian Dollar being the strongest developed market currency... READ MORE
If you haven't read the first ten 2020 resolutions, click herebefore continuing. 11. I will seek excitement and entertainment outside of the market. If you're looking for action, the market is a very expensive place to look. As I preach, "have an affair instead. That... READ MORE
Joe Turner and Jim Kopas of Pring Turner Capital Group join me for a discussion of the current state of the business cycle. Their firm (along with Martin Pring and Tom Kopas) does some of the best research on the planet on the domestic and global business cycle. Year end... READ MORE
2019 was quite the year with many stocks moving sharply higher from January to July-August. In particular, several Technology stocks moved higher during this period and then corrected into October. We can see this pattern reflected in the Equal-Weight Technology ETF (RYT) as it advanced over 40% and then corrected... READ MORE
The Indian markets witnessed consolidation again for the second week in a row. The markets saw a generally stable week, one that remained in a limited and defined range and ended mildly in the negative. In the previous weekly note, we had expected the consolidation to continue, and indeed the... READ MORE
Defense companies had a strong rally this week after a U.S. airstrike in Iraq killed a key Iranian military leader. While the big move was due to heightened risk fears, this mostly oversold group of stocks could easily trade much higher due to factors at play even prior to... READ MORE
The final chart that I shared in my portion of the StockCharts 2020 Market Outlook (coming soon to our YouTube channel!) was a two-year chart of gold. After a pullback in the fall to Fibonacci support, gold appeared to be resuming its long-term uptrend. Now, gold has reached the extreme... READ MORE
You pour yourself a cup and coffee, fire up the computer and begin your daily investment process. What do you look at first? What's the last thing you review before moving on to other things? Most importantly, is your daily process consistent from one day to the next?... READ MORE
This will be the last free issue of the DecisionPoint ALERT. Last fall StockCharts.com changed its business model regarding our free content, and Erin and I need to embrace the subscription model if we are to continue doing what we do. Our new DecisionPoint.com website launched yesterday, and... READ MORE
Thursday's price action in China resulted in a powerful signal that Chinese equities are headed significantly higher. That should be bullish not only for China but for the world as a whole. In making that statement, I am assuming that that this market is in the process of... READ MORE
Happy New Year and welcome to a brand new decade! A century later, I believe the stock market is about to repeat itself as I'm expecting another roaring 20's! And yes, that could lead to another rough 30's decade, but let's worry... READ MORE
XLC, the Communication Services Sector, is sending some mixed signals. On the price chart, XLC convincingly cleared resistance at $51 in November, when it pushed above the horizontal boundary that ran over the highs (four in total) of 2018 and 2019. That level was tested one more time as support... READ MORE
ATTACK ON IRAN'S TOP GENERAL PUSHES OIL PRICES HIGHER... Overnight news of the killing of Iran's top general by the U.S. is having a reasonably predictable effect on global markets. Global stocks are experiencing some profit-taking, while money is flowing into traditional safe havens like... READ MORE