Category: Commentary

Inflation, earnings, and oil pull market in different directions. Higher than expected consumer prices stoked concerns that the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) could potentially justify a rate hike at some point this year. Utilities and telecom stocks fell on the … Continue reading →

After the S&P 500 gained 1% on three consecutive days for the first time in four-and-a-half years, several questions were raised. How does the S&P 500 tend to do when above or below its 200-day moving average? With the S&P … Continue reading →

Rally sputters as oil, earnings weigh. Indexes snapped their three-day winning streak on Thursday after disappointing guidance from bellwether Walmart got the session off to a lackluster start, and a midday sell-off in WTI crude oil kept buyers sidelined into … Continue reading →

The S&P 500 is up 1% or more for three straight days, as of yesterday (February 17). This is the first time this three-day streak has occurred since October 2011. The last time it made it to four straight days … Continue reading →

Win streak continues, S&P exits correction territory. Indexes continued to rally for a third straight session on Wednesday as traders bid up WTI crude oil prices another 5.5% on hopes that Iran would cooperate with other OPEC members on a … Continue reading →

Crude oil has been all over the news during the past week with rumors of a potential OPEC supply cut. Oil spiked up 12.3% on Friday, February 12, on this rumor, but hopes of a cut were unfounded. Instead, on … Continue reading →

Bargain hunters still buying. Indexes diverged from their recent lockstep with WTI crude oil prices as Friday’s rally continued in the face of oil weakness. All 10 sectors advanced with shares in beaten down sectors like consumer discretionary and financials … Continue reading →

We came into this year believing the odds of a recession were around 10–15%, but after some pockets of weakness, we now have moved that up to 30%. The reason we don’t have this percentage even higher is because there … Continue reading →

Stocks, oil end bad week on good note. The S&P 500 snapped a five-day losing streak on Friday, courtesy of a 12.3% spike in WTI crude oil as whispers about potential OPEC supply cuts grew a little louder, and a … Continue reading →

In the face of the global sell-off, one major positive is extreme negative sentiment. By some measures, we are seeing levels of fear consistent with previous major lows. Why might negative sentiment be a positive sign for markets? Remember, from … Continue reading →