Thursday Video – Divided Stock Market, Healthcare Leads, XLK and SOXX Hold Strong, Metals Make a Move (Premium)

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December Schedule

Note that I usually take off between Christmas and New Year, but will make time on Wednesday, December 29th for a commentary/update. The normal commentary schedule will resume on Monday, January 3rd. The holiday scheduling will be as follows:

  • Thursday 23-Dec: Weekly Video
  • Friday 24-Dec: Christmas Eve (day off)
  • Saturday 25-Dec: Christmas Day (day off)
  • Wednesday 29-Dec: ETF/Market Commentary

The stock market is about as divided as can be. It is clear that this is no longer a bull market that lifts all boats. Should we get a bear market, it may not be one that sinks most boats. The Composite Breadth Model is net bearish, but could go either way as the percentage of S&P 1500 stocks above the 200-day SMA gyrates around the 50% level. Even though small-caps and mid-caps are lagging longer term, they are showing signs of strength as Advance-Decline Percent surged three times in December. Elsewhere, yield spreads remain slightly elevated, Treasury yields have yet to break out and gold is breaking out. Defensive groups are leading in the stock market, but so are large-cap tech stocks, semiconductors and housing. Commodities are also performing well as oil maintains its uptrend, agriculture turns up and base metals break out.

       Broad Market Notes

  • Composite Breadth Model Flips to Bearish
  • Market is More Mixed than Bullish or Bearish
  • AAA and BBB Yield Spreads Remain Elevated
  • Fed Balance Sheet Surged to New High (last week)
  • %Above SMA Indicators Reflect Split Market
  • Advance-Decline Percent Leads for Mid and Small Caps
  • SPY and QQQ Consolidate Near Highs
  • IWM and QQQJ Bounce off Support
  • TLT Corrects after Surge
  • GLD Breaks Short-term Resistance (plus SLV)
  • Dollar Stalls after Becoming Oversold

      ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups:

  • ETF Ranking and Trend Table Review
  • Defensive Groups Lead (Utes, Staples, Healthcare, REITs)
  • Medical Devices ETF Goes for Breakout
  • XLK Works its Way Higher as IGN Hits New High
  • Semis and Housing vs Software and Retail
  • ROBO and CIBR Turn Up after Pullbacks
  • Lithium, Strategic Metals and Uranium Become Oversold
  • Water Resources ETF Consolidates within Uptrend
  • Global Carbon ETF and DB Agriculture ETF Pullback after New Highs
  • Electric Vehicle ETFs Pull Back after New Highs
  • Regional Bank ETF Forms Bull Flag after New High
  • Oil Turns Up within Uptrend
  • Energy-related ETFs Form Bull Flags (XES Bounces off Support)
  • Biotech ETF Bounces off Support
  • Metals & Mining SPDR Reverses Downswing within Bigger Pattern
  • Copper ETF Goes for Break Out as DB Base Metals ETF Surges
Thanks for tuning in and have a great weekend!

TLT Forms a Big Wedge, GLD goes for Breakout, Dollar Stalls after Becoming Overbought (Premium)

This commentary will cover bonds, gold, silver and the Dollar. Oil was covered in the ETF Report on Wednesday. TLT and the 10-yr Yield have big continuation patterns working, but the swings within these patterns are going the other way. Gold is going for a breakout as silver surges off support. The Dollar became overbought after a big advance and stalled the last few weeks.

TLT Forms a Big Wedge, GLD goes for Breakout, Dollar Stalls after Becoming Overbought (Premium) Read More »

Market/ETF Commentary – A Big Split, Defensive Groups Lead, Uranium Firms, Oil Bounces, Base Metals Break (Premium)

Even though the Composite Breadth Model is net bearish, the stock market seems to be more split than anything. This means we could see some sort of rotation instead of a broad bear market. In fact, we are already seeing some signs in December and there are splits within sectors. In Consumer Discretionary

Market/ETF Commentary – A Big Split, Defensive Groups Lead, Uranium Firms, Oil Bounces, Base Metals Break (Premium) Read More »

Market/ETF Commentary – SPY Volatility, QQQ Relative Performance, IWM Inconsistency, Cyber Setup, Healthcare Consolidation (Premium)

Stocks fell sharply the last three days with QQQ and SPY leading the way as they fell 4.12% and 3.32%, respectively. Small-caps held up better as IWM fell just 1.4%. Nevertheless, IWM is trading near its summer lows and the weakest of the three over the past month and since March.

Market/ETF Commentary – SPY Volatility, QQQ Relative Performance, IWM Inconsistency, Cyber Setup, Healthcare Consolidation (Premium) Read More »

Friday Video – Risk Aversion Remains in Play, Utes, Staples and Healthcare Lead, 10-yr Treasury Yield Reverses Upswing (Premium)

Risk aversion is spreading in the stock market. High-beta ETFs bore the brunt of selling pressure over the last several weeks and QQQ is starting to show some signs of buckling. On the flipside, money is moving into defensive groups with Utilities, Staples, Healthcare and REITs hitting new highs.

Friday Video – Risk Aversion Remains in Play, Utes, Staples and Healthcare Lead, 10-yr Treasury Yield Reverses Upswing (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Large-caps Still Leading, Pullbacks after New Highs in Play, GLD Firms in Reversal Zone (Premium)

The Fed has come and gone without much of a surprise, and the markets are saying good riddance. The market appears to be relieved that the statement is out of the way and the news flow will hopefully lessen. Volatility picked up significantly with the plunge on Back Friday

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Large-caps Still Leading, Pullbacks after New Highs in Play, GLD Firms in Reversal Zone (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – High Beta vs Low Volatility, Defensive Sectors Lead, Gold Firms, ETFs with Gaps and Failed Gaps (Premium)

There could be a change afoot in the stock market over the past month (21 trading days) as money moves out of the riskier parts and into the more defensive areas. The Composite Breadth Model remains bullish overall and the 5-day SMA for the S&P 500 is above the 200-day SMA. Even though

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – High Beta vs Low Volatility, Defensive Sectors Lead, Gold Firms, ETFs with Gaps and Failed Gaps (Premium) Read More »

Weekend Video – Broad Market is Bullish, Despite Concerns, Gold Sets Up, XLV and XLB Reverse after Pullbacks (Premium)

Stocks started their rebound with 1-day breadth thrusts on December 2nd and continued higher this week. Large-caps and large-cap techs continue to lead overall, while small-caps and next gen Nasdaq 100 stocks are lagging. After a big move last Tuesday, many of the high beta and momentum names fell back on Thursday and Friday. This pop and drop sets

Weekend Video – Broad Market is Bullish, Despite Concerns, Gold Sets Up, XLV and XLB Reverse after Pullbacks (Premium) Read More »

QQQ Advance-Decline Percent Lags, QQQJ Weakness Reflects Risk-Aversion, GLD Firms Near Key Retracement (Premium)

Even though junk bonds bounced and the most oversold ETFs surged this week, the high beta end of the stock market continues to look shaky and this reflects risk aversion. Today’s commentary will look at relative weakness in Advance-Decline Percent for QQQ and

QQQ Advance-Decline Percent Lags, QQQJ Weakness Reflects Risk-Aversion, GLD Firms Near Key Retracement (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Oversold Bounces and Gap Galore, Banks and the Yield Curve, QQQJ Channels Feb-Mar (Premium)

Stocks went from the edge of the abyss last week to a renewed bull market this week. Well, perhaps not so fast there cowboy. The price action over the last few days is certainly bullish because SPY broke out with a three day move accompanied by

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Oversold Bounces and Gap Galore, Banks and the Yield Curve, QQQJ Channels Feb-Mar (Premium) Read More »

Oversold Conditions and Bearish Sentiment Trigger Bounce, Breadth Issues Remain, Tech and REITs Leading (Premium)

The market went through the wringer the last two weeks and the bulls appear to have survived. Today’s analysis looks at the oversold setup and the strength behind the recent bounce. Even though the Composite Breadth Model flipped back to bullish, there are still reasons for concern and we will cover these.

Oversold Conditions and Bearish Sentiment Trigger Bounce, Breadth Issues Remain, Tech and REITs Leading (Premium) Read More »

Weekend Video – Small and Mid Caps Weigh, TLT Breaks Out, High-Bete ETFs Break Down, Oil Gets Interesting (Premium)

Mid-caps, small-caps and high-beta stocks are weighing on the broader market, but SPY, QQQ and some large-caps are holding up. We are also seeing a shift away from risk in the bond market as the Junk Bond ETF (JNK) hit a 52-week low

Weekend Video – Small and Mid Caps Weigh, TLT Breaks Out, High-Bete ETFs Break Down, Oil Gets Interesting (Premium) Read More »

Composite Breadth Model Takes a Turn, S&P 500 Breadth Deteriorates Further, Bond Spreads Widen to Multi-month Highs (Premium)

Weakness in mid-caps and small-caps is finally taking its toll on the broader market and the Composite Breadth Model. We are also seeing S&P 500 breadth indicators deteriorate and dip towards bearish levels. Even though

Composite Breadth Model Takes a Turn, S&P 500 Breadth Deteriorates Further, Bond Spreads Widen to Multi-month Highs (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – SPY Becomes Oversold, Copper ETFs Return to Breakout Zones, IBB Sets Up with Wedge (Premium)

Stocks were hit with a double whammy the last three trading days: the Omicron plunge on Black Friday and the Powell plunge on Tuesday. These, at least, seem to be the reasons given in the financial media. SPY fell 2.2% on Friday, rebounded somewhat on Monday and then fell 2% on Tuesday

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – SPY Becomes Oversold, Copper ETFs Return to Breakout Zones, IBB Sets Up with Wedge (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Three Tech ETFs Set Up, Clean Energy ETFs Pull Back after Breakouts, Banks Fall with 10yr Yield (Premium)

I used to have a Friday night poker group and this was the motto when someone needed to call a big bet. Go big or fold. For the stock market, large-caps are the name of the game and technology is still the best performing sector

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Three Tech ETFs Set Up, Clean Energy ETFs Pull Back after Breakouts, Banks Fall with 10yr Yield (Premium) Read More »

Measuring Oversold Conditions, TLT Forms Bullish Pattern, DBE and Stop-loss Strategies (Premium)

Big and sudden declines create short-term oversold conditions ripe for a short bounce, but they also distort chart patterns with their volatility. These outsized moves make chart analysis difficult and the volatility increases risk overall. Note that these moves occurred on a pseudo holiday and could be over-reactions

Measuring Oversold Conditions, TLT Forms Bullish Pattern, DBE and Stop-loss Strategies (Premium) Read More »

Weekend Video – Short-term Breadth Wanes, QQQ Leads with New High, Clean Energy ETFs Form Bullish Setups, Copper ETFs Pull Back (Premium)

The bull market remains in place, but we are seeing some short-term weakness in the breadth indicators. This weakness is reflected in small-caps, which pulled back the last two days. Pullbacks from new highs are normal and this could produce a bullish setup in the coming

Weekend Video – Short-term Breadth Wanes, QQQ Leads with New High, Clean Energy ETFs Form Bullish Setups, Copper ETFs Pull Back (Premium) Read More »

Short-term Breadth Underwhelms, TLT Ignores Inflation and Holds October, Dollar Extends Uptrend, Oil is Poised to Become Oversold (Premium)

The Market Regime is bullish, which means we are in a bull market. However, there are signs of underlying weakness over the last few days and this could give way to a pullback. Note that predicting a pullback within a bigger uptrend is challenging because the bigger uptrend is still

Short-term Breadth Underwhelms, TLT Ignores Inflation and Holds October, Dollar Extends Uptrend, Oil is Poised to Become Oversold (Premium) Read More »

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Tech Still Leading, Small-caps Pull Back, Copper Fails to Hold Short-term Breakout, Lots of Bull Flags Out There (Premium)

After a nice run from early-mid October to early-mid November, trading conditions turned rough with choppy price action the last two weeks. The tech-related ETFs are still leading, but still quite extended short-term. Some old economy ETFs extended further on their medium-term breakouts and

ETF Trends, Patterns and Setups – Tech Still Leading, Small-caps Pull Back, Copper Fails to Hold Short-term Breakout, Lots of Bull Flags Out There (Premium) Read More »

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