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EURO/DOLLAR INDICES HIT FIB RETRACEMENTS -- GOLD NEARS TRENDLINE AS RSI HITS SUPPORT -- DISSECTING THE PERCENT PRICE OSCILLATOR -- OIL DIVERGES FROM STOCK MARKET -- SMALL BEARISH DIVERGENCE FORMS IN NYSE AD VOLUME LINE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

EURO AND DOLLAR INDICES HITS FIBONACCI RETRACEMENTS ... Link for todays video. Some classic inter-market relationships were shaken, and perhaps stirred, over the last few weeks. First, both the Dollar and gold declined rather sharply the last three weeks. Second, weakness in the Dollar and strength in stocks did not help...   READ MORE 

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WHY RISING BOND YIELDS MAY BE HELPING THE HOUSING MARKET BY CREATING A NEW URGENCY TO BUY -- FOREIGN TIGHTENING IS ALSO PUSHING US BOND YIELDS HIGHER AND PRICES LOWER -- FALLING BOND PRICES CONTINUE TO FUEL STOCK RALLY

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

PENDING SALES OF EXISTING HOMES RISES FOR THIRD MONTH... It was recently reported that home sales for 2010 were the lowest on record. It was also reported, however, that those sales jumped sharply near year end. It was further reported today that pending sales of existing U.S. homes rose...   READ MORE 

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BONDS PLUNGE AFTER FED STATEMENT RATES CHALLENGE RESISTANCE -- RUSSELL 2000 ETF ESTABLISHES SUPPORT -- MOMENTUM REMAINS BULLISH FOR MATERIALS SECTOR -- MEASURING SECTOR RELATIVE PERFORMANCE WITH PERFCHARTS -- XLY HOLDS SUPPORT AND RECORDS 52-WEEK HIGH

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

BONDS PLUNGE AFTER FED STATEMENT... Link for todays video. Todays Fed policy statement offered few surprises as policy makers elected to keep the Fed Funds target unchanged (0-.25%) and continue its plan to purchase some $600 billion of US Treasuries. This program is slated to extend into June, but...   READ MORE 

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EMERGING MARKETS ISHARES BACK OFF FROM PREVIOUS HIGH ON BRIC WEAKNESS -- EUROPEAN HOLDERS TEST RECENT HIGH AS BRITAIN WEAKENS -- S&P 500 REMAINS ABOVE 20-DAY AVERAGE AS VIX CONTINUES TO TEST OVERHEAD RESISTANCE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

CHINA AND INDIA PULL EEM LOWER... I wrote an article last Thursday about the growing likelihood of a stock market pullback. That earlier piece was based mainly in signs of a short-term overbought condition. Another warning sign of a stock pullback is coming from emerging markets which have been market...   READ MORE 

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USING THE SLOPE TO DETERMINE THE TREND FOR QQQQ AND SPY -- LOW SLOPE READING SHOWS RELATIVE WEAKNESS IN SMALL-CAPS -- DOW TRANSPORTS FAILS TO CONFIRM DOW INDUSTRIALS -- BOND ETF FORMS BEAR WEDGE AS FED MEETING STARTS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

USING THE SLOPE TO DETERMINE THE TREND FOR QQQQ AND SPY... Link for todays video. Using the Slope indicator, chartists can quickly determine if a specific trend is up or down. First, chartists must choose their time horizon. Sharpcharts sets the Slope at 20 periods by default. This is 4...   READ MORE 

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A LONG-TERM TRADING RANGE FOR THE S&P 500 -- REVIEWING THE EXPANDING TRIANGLE IN 1974 -- MAPPING OUT AN ELLIOTT WAVE TRIANGLE INTO 2014 -- BROKEN RESISTANCE MARKS FIRST SUPPORT FOR $SPX -- STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY FOR FORECASTS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

A LONG-TERM TRADING RANGE FOR THE S&P 500 ... Link for todays video. Chart 1 shows the S&P 500 in a trading range the last 10-12 years. With the surge over the last few months, the index moved above the midpoint of this 12 year range. Looking...   READ MORE 

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JUMP IN VIX COINCIDES WITH STOCK PULLBACK -- STOCK INDEXES ARE THREATENING THEIR 20-DAY AVERAGES -- CONSUMER STAPLES OFFER DIVIDENDS AND SOME SAFETY -- WAL-MART HITS NEW FIFTY-TWO WEEK HIGH

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

VIX STARTS TO BOUNCE ... Two Thursday's ago (January 6), I showed the CBOE Volatility (VIX) Index having reached a potential support level at last spring's low near 15, and warned that a bounce off that level could cause a stock market pullback. That's because...   READ MORE 

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SMALL-CAPS LEAD BROAD PULLBACK -- RETAIL SPDR BREAKS PENNANT SUPPORT -- URBAN, LIMITED AND POLO LEAD APPAREL GROUP LOWER -- CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY SPDR MAINTAINS SLOWING UPTREND -- EURO, DAX AND CAC40 BREAK THEIR DECEMBER HIGHS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

SMALL-CAPS LEAD BROAD PULLBACK IN STOCKS... Link for todays video. The bigger trend remains up, but overbought stocks took a breather on Wednesday as profit taking took hold. Small-caps led the way lower with the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) loosing twice as much as the Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQQ) and...   READ MORE 

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SEMICONDUCTOR HOLDRS RECORD 52-WEEK HIGH -- SEMI EQUIPMENT STOCKS LEAD AS INTEL LAGS --- EURO CHALLENGES KEY RESISTANCE LEVEL -- GOLD ETF STILL TESTING DECEMBER LOW -- GOLD MINERS ETF NEARS SUPPORT ZONE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

SEMICONDUCTOR HOLDRS RECORD 52-WEEK HIGH... Link for todays video. The Semiconductor HOLDRS (SMH) remains one of the strongest industry group ETFs since September. Chart 1 shows SMH forming a pennant consolidation in late December and breaking resistance this week. Todays move forges a 52-week high for this key tech bell...   READ MORE 

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DIVIDEND APRECIATION ETFS OFFER CONSERVATIVE ENTRY FOR NERVOUS BOND HOLDERS -- VANGUARD DIVIDEND APPRECIATION ETF VERSUS DVY -- PROCTER & GAMBLE HITS 52-WEEK HIGH -- PEPSICO AND WAL-MART MAY BE NEXT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

WHERE CAN BOND HOLDERS GO... We wrote several messages during the fourth quarter about the breakdown in bond prices (and rise in bond yields). The fall in most bond categories was the result of a stronger economy and rising inflation expectations. That stronger environment is good for holders of stocks...   READ MORE 

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RISK-ON TRADE SURFACES AS EURO BOUNCES -- FINANCE SECTOR LEADS US EQUITIES HIGHER -- CUMULATIVE NET NEW HIGHS LINES TRENDING HIGHER -- AD VOLUME LINES SHOW NO SIGNS OF WEAKNESS -- %ABOVE 50-DAY SMA REMAINS STRONG

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

RISK-ON TRADE SURFACES AS EURO BOUNCES... Link for todays video. A successful auction of Portuguese bonds lifted banking shares in Europe and the US on Wednesday. The Euro moved higher as worry over European debt subsided. This confidence boost brought the risk-on trade to the forefront. Gold and bonds declined...   READ MORE 

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IWM BATTLES SUPPORT -- CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY SPDR STAKES OUT SUPPORT -- RSI HITS SUPPORT ZONE FOR GOLD ETF -- WEAKNESS IN THE EURO WEIGHS ON EURO SHARES -- GERMAN AND FRENCH STOCKS SHOW RELATIVE WEAKNESS IN 2011

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

IWM BATTLES SHORT-TERM SUPPORT AS IT UNDERPERFORMS... Link for todays video. Trading remains relatively subdued as the major indices either grind higher or trade sideways. Chart 1 shows the small-cap dominated Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) testing short-term support at 78. The ETF is up over 30% since late August and...   READ MORE 

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PUT/CALL RATIO DOES A DOUBLE DIP -- MACD(10,50,10) REMAINS POSITIVE FOR THE S&P 500 -- TECHNOLOGY SPDR LEADS SECTORS IN 2011 -- RAILROADS AND AIRLINES LIFT TRANSPORTS -- NIKKEI SURGES ABOVE DECEMBER HIGH

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

PUT/CALL RATIO DOES A ANOTHER DOUBLE DIP... Link for todays video. Those who have spent a few springs in tornado alley know that there is a difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A tornado watch means conditions are ripe for a tornado, but a tornado does...   READ MORE 

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DOLLAR RALLY PUSHES GOLD LOWER AND MAY CAUSE CORRECTIONS IN COMMODITIES AND STOCKS -- MONEY MOVING OUT OF OVERBOUGHT DISCRETIONARY STOCKS IS MOVING INTO FINANCIALS AND HOMEBUILDERS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

RISING DOLLAR THREATENS GOLD UPTREND... Tuesday's message wrote about an overbought condition in stocks and commodities, and showed gold in particular starting to roll over to the downside. Although some have questioned the viability of the dollar/commodity link, my view is that it's alive and...   READ MORE 

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RETAIL AND SEMIS MOVE FROM LEADERS TO LAGGARDS -- SMH CONSOLIDATES AT HIGH LEVELS -- INTEREST RATES PRICE IN A FED POLICY CHANGE -- BONDS ETFS FORM BEARISH CONSOLIDATION PATTERNS -- DOLLAR BOUNCES OFF SUPPORT WITH BULL FLAG

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

RETAIL AND SEMIS MOVE FROM LEADERS TO LAGGARDS... Link for todays video. Even though the major indices remain in clear uptrends, relative weakness in some key groups suggests that a little caution is warranted. The perfcharts below show the S&P 500 with nine industry group ETFs. The first...   READ MORE 

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JP MORGAN CHASE AND MORGAN STANLEY TURN UP -- RISING LUMBER PRICES MAY BODE WELL FOR HOUSING -- STOCK UPTREND LOOKS OVER-EXTENDED -- GOLD LEADS OVERBOUGHT COMMODITIES LOWER

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

TWO MORE FINANCIAL BREAKOUTS... I wrote several December messages showing upside breakouts in various financial ETFs that included banks, brokers, and insurance stocks. I also showed several stocks in those categories that were experiencing bullish breakouts. My most recent message a couple of weeks ago showed two financial stocks that...   READ MORE 

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QQQQ AND IWM BREAK DECEMBER CONSOLIDATIONS -- HANG SENG BREAKS WEDGE RESISTANCE -- SENTIMENT INDICATORS SHOWING EXCESSIVE BULLISHNESS -- PUT/CALL RATIO BOUNCES FROM BULLISH EXTREME -- VOLATILITY INDICES STILL TRENDING LOWER

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

QQQQ AND IWM BREAK DECEMBER CONSOLIDATIONS... Link for todays video. After consolidating the last two weeks of the year, the major index ETFs started 2011 with a jump above their 2010 highs. Chart 1 shows the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) breaking above 78 in mid December and then consolidating around...   READ MORE 

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SMALL-CAPS LEAD THE WAY -- STOCKS AND OIL REMAIN JOINED AT THE HIP -- SWISS FRANC DIVORCES THE EURO -- RISING COMMODITIES COULD BE INFLATIONARY IN 2011 -- DIAMOND BREAKOUT FORECAST $100 OIL -- LONG-TERM RATES CHALLENGE 20-YEAR DOWNTREND

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

SMALL AND MID-CAPS LEAD THE WAY IN 2010... Link for todays video. The last four months of 2010 witnessed some serious relative strength in small and mid-caps stocks. Chart 1 shows five key stock indices: the Russell 2000, S&P MidCap 400, Nasdaq, S&P 500 and S&...   READ MORE 

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A POETIC LOOK AT 2010

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

WITH APOLOGIES TO POETS EVERYWHERE... Twas the night before Christmas And on the street they call Wall Traders and investors were having a ball, Stocks and commodities were ending on a high note Which for the global economy was a positive vote, Extended tax cuts started by Bush Also gave...   READ MORE 

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HISTORY AND THE 6-MONTH CYCLE -- 6-MONTH CYCLE STAYS BULLISH UNTIL APRIL -- PRESIDENTIAL CYCLE TURNS BULLISH IN 2011 -- JANUARY EFFECT FAVORS SMALL-CAPS -- MICRO-CAP PERFORMANCE SUGGESTS AN EARLIER EFFECT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

HISTORY AND THE 6-MONTH CYCLE... Link for todays video. Stocks are currently in the bullish part of the six month cycle and about to enter the bullish portion of the presidential cycle. First, lets look at the six month cycle. History shows a clear bullish bias from November to April...   READ MORE 

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REVIEW OF RECENT STOCK BREAKOUTS AND A LOOK AT SOME THAT ARE CLOSE -- SUNTRUST BANKS TESTS OCTOBER HIGH -- JP MORGAN CHASE MAY BE NEXT BIG FINANCIAL BREAKOUT -- KB HOME IS LATEST HOMEBUILDER TO TURN UP -- AK STEEL BREAKS OUT IN STRONG STEEL GROUP

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

REGIONAL BANK LEADERS... I've written several articles recently on three underperforming stock groups just starting to turn up. The three groups are financials, homebuilders, and steel. I've shown several stocks in each group that have achieved bullish breakouts, and some stocks that were close to doing...   READ MORE 

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DIA AND QQQQ CONSOLIDATE ABOVE BREAKOUTS -- STRONG COPPER BODES WELL FOR ECONOMY -- SURGING LUMBER BODES WELL FOR HOMEBUILDERS -- OIL FORMS A BULL FLAG -- ENERGY SECTOR LEADS MARKET -- SHANGHAI COMPOSITE FAILS TO HOLD BREAKOUT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

DIA AND QQQQ CONSOLIDATE ABOVE THEIR BREAKOUTS... Link for todays video. Broken resistance turns into support. This is basic tenet of technical analysis. With the December surge, a number of indices and ETFs broke above their November highs. Once broken, these highs turn into the first supports level to watch....   READ MORE 

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DOLLAR HOLDS SUPPORT TO KEEP BREAKOUT ALIVE -- GOLD ETF RETRACES 62% WITH FALLING WEDGE -- BOND ETFS HIT POTENTIAL SUPPORT LEVELS -- OVER 50% OF SPX STOCKS REMAIN ABOVE THEIR 50-DAY SMAS -- NASDAQ 100 %ABOVE 50-DAY SMA FORMS DIVERGENCE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

DOLLAR HOLDS SUPPORT TO KEEP BREAKOUT ALIVE... Link for todays video. The US Dollar Fund (UUP) took a hard hit at the beginning of December, but ultimately held support and formed a potentially bullish wedge the last few weeks. Before looking at daily price action, lets review the long-term trend...   READ MORE 

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UPSIDE BREAKOUTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN HOUSING SECTOR -- NVR, LENNAR, AND MERITAGE HOMES ARE STRONGEST HOMEBUILDERS -- HOME DEPOT, LOWES, AND SHERWIN WILLIAMS LEAD HOME IMPROVEMENT GROUP -- AK STEEL NEARS UPSIDE BREAKOUT --

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

HOUSING INDEXES TURN UP ... We've written several messages of late about the recent upturn in financial stocks that had been lagging behind the rest of the market since the spring. I expressed the view that a sustained upturn in the stock market was unlikely without some help from...   READ MORE 

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HEALTHCARE SECTOR CHALLENGES NOVEMBER HIGH -- BREADTH WANES AS NET ADVANCES TURN MIXED -- NYSE AD LINE FAILS TO CONFIRM NEW HIGH -- VIX AND VXN TRADE IN LONG-TERM SUPPORT ZONES -- SPAIN LEADS EUROPEAN STOCKS LOWER

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

HEALTHCARE SPDR CHALLENGES NOVEMBER HIGH... Link for todays video. The Healthcare SPDR (XLV) has been lagging the market most of the year, but may be coming back to life with a surge over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Last week I wrote about the breakout in the iShares DJ...   READ MORE 

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FIVE AND TEN YEAR BOND YIELDS EXCEED 200-DAY AVERAGE -- PROSHARES SHORT BOND ETFS CONTINUE TO CLIMB -- SO DO STEEL STOCKS WHICH PRESENT GOOD VALUE IN COMMODITY GROUP -- FUND MONEY FLEEING BONDS MOVES TO STOCKS AND COMMODITIES

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

EVEN THE FIVE-YEAR HAS TURNED UP ... A month ago (November 9) I showed the 30-Year T-Bond Yield (TYX) exceeding its 200-day moving average, and warned that carried bad news for the bond market. Chart 1 shows the TYX climbing to a new seven-month high. Earlier this month the 10-Year Treasury...   READ MORE 

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DOW AND NY COMPOSITE EXCEED NOVEMBER HIGHS -- FINANCE SECTOR LEADS MARKET IN DECEMBER -- SEMIS AND RETAILERS LEAD LATE SELL OFF -- DOLLAR FALLS SHARPLY AS MACD-HISTOGRAM TURNS NEGATIVE -- EURO SURGES OFF KEY RETRACEMENT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

DOW AND NY COMPOSITE EXCEED NOVEMBER HIGHS... Link for todays video. Slowly, but surely, the major indices are moving above their November highs. Small-caps started as the Russell 2000 broke its early November high on December 1st. The Nasdaq followed suit with a breakout last week. Today, the Dow Industrials...   READ MORE 

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STOCHRSI HOLDS IN BULL ZONE FOR DIA -- RSI HOLDS BULL ZONE FOR QQQQ -- RISING RATES WEIGH ON REITS AND UTILITIES -- XLU AND IYR UNDERPERFORM -- MEDICAL DEVICE ETF BREAKS NOVEMBER HIGH -- MEDTRONIC, BOSTON SCI AND STRYKER SURGE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

STOCHRSI HOLDS IN BULL ZONE FOR DIA... Link for todays video. The Dow Industrials SPDR (DIA) remains in a long-term uptrend and momentum is bullish overall. Chart 1 shows the ETF stalling around 110-115 the last few weeks, but there are no signs of weakness yet. I would mark first...   READ MORE 

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FINANCIAL SPDR NEARS TEST OF NOVEMBER HIGH -- CITIGROUP AND WELLS FARGO HAVE ALREADY BROKEN OUT -- - HUNTINGTON BANCSHARES AND PNC LEAD REGIONAL BANK HOLDERS HIGHER -- INSURANCE BREAKOUTS INCLUDE METLIFE, LINCOLN NATIONAL, AND PRUDENTIAL

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

FINANCIALS CONTINUE TO SHOW NEW LEADERSHIP... Arthur Hill and myself have been writing over the last month about new signs of leadership in the financial sector. Over the last week, financials have been the market's strongest group (after being the weakest since the spring). Chart 1 shows the...   READ MORE 

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FINANCE ETF AND REGIONAL BANK SPDR EXTEND ON BREAKOUTS -- BOND VIGILANTES HIT US TREASURIES -- RISING INTEREST RATES ARE DOLLAR POSITIVE -- BUT DOLLAR GAINS ARE LIMITED -- US DOLLAR INDEX VERSUS US DOLLAR FUND

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

FINANCE ETF AND REGIONAL BANK SPDR EXTEND ON BREAKOUTS... Link for todays video. The Finance SPDR (XLF) and the Regional Bank SPDR (KRE) both broke resistance last week and continued higher on Wednesday. These two were featured with daily charts in the December 1st Market Message as they gapped through...   READ MORE 

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ONE WAY TO HEDGE FALLING BOND PRICES IS WITH PROSHARES SHORT TREASURY ETFS -- MARKET VECTORS STEEL ETF LAGS OTHER COMMMODITY GROUPS -- US STEEL AND NUCOR ARE JUST BREAKING OUT -- EMA LINES REMAIN POSITIVE FOR SPX

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

BOND ETFS CONTINUE TO DROP ... With the stock market continuing its climb, money is flowing out of the fixed income market. As I explained in last Thursday's message, Treasuries are among the worst performers (especially the long bond). Charts 1 and 2 show the recent deterioration in two...   READ MORE 

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BROKEN RESISTANCE LEVELS TURN FIRST SUPPORT -- HOME BUILDING ETFS CHALLENGE NOVEMBER HIGHS -- HOME DEPOT, LOWES, LENNAR AND KB HOME LEAD THE CHARGE -- EURO STOXX 50 INDEX RECOVERS FROM SUPPORT BREAK -- GERMAN DAX HOLDS STRONG AS FRENCH CAC WEAKENS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

BROKEN RESISTANCE LEVELS TURN INTO FIRST SUPPORT... Link for todays video. With more than a few breakouts last week, many charts show resistance levels that now become the first support levels to watch. This is a basic tenet of technical analysis: broken resistance turns into support. Once this overhead supply...   READ MORE 

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BROKEN RESISTANCE MARKS FIRST SUPPORT FOR SPY -- SMALL AND MID CAPS OUTPERFORMING LARGE-CAPS -- GOLD REMAINS STRONG DESPITE CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS -- EURO GETS OVERSOLD BOUNCE AS DOLLAR CORRECTS -- CUMULATIVE NET NEW HIGHS LINE REMAINS IN BULL MODE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

BROKEN RESISTANCE MARKS FIRST SUPPORT FOR SPY... Link for todays video. Point & Figure charts are straight-forward charts that focus exclusively on price action. Columns of Xs appear during an advance. Columns of Os appear during a decline. Nothing appears when prices are flat or move less than the box...   READ MORE 

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STRONG RETAIL CHARTS ANTICIPATE JUMP IN NOVEMBER SALES -- ABERCROMBIE BREAKS OUT -- FINANCIAL BOUNCE SUGGESTS DEBT CONCERNS ARE EASING -- SECTOR ROTATIONS FAVOR ECONOMICALLY-SENSITIVE STOCK GROUPS AND SHOW GROWING OPTIMISM

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH BREAKS OUT ... My Tuesday message wrote about the fact that retail stocks have been showing market leadership since midyear, and that several individual retailers were achieving bullish breakouts or were close to doing so. One that I highlighted was Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) which was challenging its...   READ MORE 

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DIA AND SPY BREAK CONSOLIDATION RESISTANCE -- FINANCE/BANKING ETFS BREAK TRENDLINES SEMI EQUIPMENT STOCKS LIFT SMH TO NEW HIGH -- YIELDS RISE AS STOCKS SURGE AND EURO BOUNCES -- 7-10 YEAR BOND ETF BREAKS PENNANT SUPPORT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

DIA AND SPY BREAK CONSOLIDATION RESISTANCE WITH GAPS... Link for todays video. Stocks surged with a broad rally that lifted all sectors. All major indices gained over 2% and the Russell 2000 showed leadership as it broke above its November high. Historically, December is the second strongest month for the...   READ MORE 

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RETAILERS CONTINUE TO ACT WELL IN FACE OF EUROPEAN WORRIES -- MACYS HITS TWO-YEAR HIGH -- ABERCROMBIE COMES CLOSE -- GAP EXCEEDS 200-DAY AVERAGE -- GOLD AND SILVER PRODUCERS RALLY AS WELL -- BARRICK NEARS 52-WEEK HIGH

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

RETAILERS LEAD DISCRETIONARY SECTOR HIGHER... It looks like a tug of war is going on in the U.S. stock market between worries over European debt problems and signs of improvement in the U.S. economy. I normally take my cues on the economy from stock action. And one sign...   READ MORE 

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FINANCE SECTOR LEADS AFTERNOON REBOUND -- DIA AND SPY HOLD SUPPORT WITH LATE SURGE -- OIL SURGES OFF SUPPORT AS GASOLINE HITS A NEW HIGH -- TRACKING EUROPEAN INDICES THROUGHOUT THE DAY -- SPANISH AND ITALIAN INDICES BREAK SUPPORT LEVELS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

FINANCE SECTOR LEADS AFTERNOON REBOUND... Link for todays video. Stocks were down sharply in early trading on Monday, but the finance sector showed relative strength early on and led the market during the afternoon rebound. In contrast to European equities, US banks seem to like the Irish bailout. Chart 1...   READ MORE 

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SMALL-CAPS MID-CAPS AND TECHS LEAD STOCKS HIGHER -- PORTUGUESE INDEX BREAKS IMPORTANT TRENDLINE -- SPANISH BOLSA LEADS EUROPE LOWER -- WEAKNESS IN GLOBAL EQUITIES LIFTS THE NIKKEI -- OIL FALLS BACK TO BROKEN RESISTANCE

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

SMALL-CAPS MID-CAPS AND TECHS LEAD STOCKS HIGHER... Link for todays video. Stocks surged on Wednesday with the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), the S&P MidCap 400 SPDR (MDY) and Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQQ) taking the lead. Just looking at the gaps over the last five trading days reveals a...   READ MORE 

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QQQQ AND IWM HOLD THEIR GAPS -- SEMIS SHOW RELATIVE STRENGTH -- ANALOG DEVICES, SANDISK AND TEXAS INSTRUMENTS LEAD SEMIS -- FINANCE SPDR REINSTATES PRIOR RESISTANCE LEVEL -- REGIONAL BANK SPDR FORMS HAMMER AT KEY RETRACEMENT

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

QQQQ AND IWM SHOW RELATIVE STRENGTH AS GAPS HOLD ... Link for todays video. The finance sector weighed on the S&P 500 ETF (SPY), but the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQQ) showed strength throughout the day and close with modest gains. Short-term, all three...   READ MORE 

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ALTERNATION SUGGESTS FLAT WAVE 4 FOR S&P 500 -- DEEPER CORRECTION TARGETS BROKEN RESISTANCE -- FINANCE HITS SUPPORT FROM RISING WEDGE TRENDLINE -- HOME-BUILDER AND HOME-CONSTRUCTION ETFS CONTINUE TO LAG -- MATERIALS SECTOR GOES THE WAY OF CHINESE STOCKS

by John Murphy,

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

ALTERNATION SUGGESTS FLAT WAVE 4 FOR S&P 500... Link for todays video. The S&P 500 has a five wave advance working since the July low. Wave 1 extends from the July low to the early August high. Wave 2 extends down to the late August low....   READ MORE