You Can Run…but Where to Hide?
The S&P 500 is off -5.4% YTD, and the Nasdaq Comp is -8.8% YTD. The healthcare and biotech sectors are holding up well. IHF (Healthcare Providers) is flat ytd, as is PBE (Biotech). What does this mean? It means investors who must hold equities have been rotating into defensive sectors. However, bear...
Homepage Leadership Strategy
RANKINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS – Updated for 02/06/12 Data Updated Every Monday by 12:00 pm Central Time – See list of applicable ETFs to trade. AKPC_IDS += "135,"; [Read more...]
AAII Survey: Food for Thought
The news is coming fast and furious these days, and as I type, we are experiencing a 10-1 day, meaning we have 10 declining stocks for every one advancing issue on the market today. The down volume on Nasdaq is at 93% versus up volume of 7% as I type! I can’t seem to find any “news”...
20 Tips for a Positive New Year
Jon Gordon, publisher of a terrific book called “The Energy Bus” – sends a weekly email that I typically share with my colleagues. It is packed with good ideas, but doesn’t drone on and on about feel good/positive thinking stories. It is on point and a quick read. Click here for...
Technology Turnaround
The next two weeks will be dominated by corporate news as companies announce their 4Q financial results. Naturally the performance of individual companies, even in the same sector, can vary quite a bit. It is always tempting to extrapolate the results from one company to the larger market. More often...
A Countrywide Windfall for Outgoing CEO
Yesterday, Patrick mentioned a potential rescue of the subprime-laden Countrywide Financial (CFC) by Bank of America. As a result, financials enjoyed the needed lift in the sector that has been so maligned as of late. Interestingly enough, there may be good reason for the market’s negative feelings...
Financials Rally
One of the more dangerous things an investor can do is try to pick a bottom. Picking the top is no easier. The sad fact is that markets always go down more than we think they can, and also go up more than we think they can. Legions of technical analysts have tried to develop indicators that identify...
Challenges Ahead
The Dow managed to avoid another triple-digit sell-off today, but hardly looked like a pillar of strength. The major benchmarks are sitting on critical long-term support, and a breakdown from here would be highly bearish. On the other hand, many indicators point to short-term oversold conditions. A short-term...
Buy the Dips on the QQQQ
The chart above says it all. In our nearly five year bull market, every time the Nasdaq 100 tested the 50 week average, or dipped temporarily below it, it was a terrific buying opportunity. The question today: Is this time different? As we roll into the new year, there is plenty of fear and skepticism...
Buying the Hard Stuff
Trading for the new year opened with commodities in the spotlight. Crude oil briefly traded up to $100 a barrel, thought we still haven’t seen a triple-digit close. Gold popped up to a new record high and agricultural futures zoomed upward. The commodity frenzy is related to supply concerns but...
