Guest View
User: Pass: | become a member
*** Test Environment ***
Author Archive for David Fry

Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 13, 2009

Meredith Whitney

Meredith Whitney, one of Wall Street’s new rock stars, has seen the light and in a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” moment put a buy rating on Goldman Sachs saying, it’s a buy in a bear market. Who can blame her? The company runs the US economy and so many confirming and negative articles are now appearing. The latest came from Rolling Stone and it’s hard to argue with the objective analysis and conclusion unless you’re just a shill for Da Boyz. Does anyone care or notice? It’s not popular to be a Cassandra on Wall Street.

As I wrote subscribers over the weekend, the bullish bias is ever present. Investment managers and trading desks are looking for reasons to buy at all times. You get light volume in the summer and it doesn’t take much to stampede the herd.

That said, markets exploded higher after her buy recommendation causing a short squeeze relieving recent short-term oversold conditions. Volume was July-light while breadth was overwhelmingly positive.

The McClellan Summation Index didn’t bat an eye today and continues its descent.

­­­­­­­­

­­­­


continue reading


Tags: ,



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 10, 2009

Investors need a fill-up no matter if they’re bulls or bears. So all we can do is get them earnings and economic data to push things one way or another. Today’s crummy Consumer Confidence data didn’t faze bulls too much or impress bears particularly. With volume summertime light it will be easy for trading desks to have their way with unsuspecting tourists. So be careful out there.

As stated, volume is light and breadth continues to breakdown at least on the NYSE versus the NASDAQ which continues to perform better.

Most July’s recently haven’t been kind to markets. Virtually all were followed by good performance in August. It’s a strange occurrence to note frankly. But that’s been the theme and this July is starting rough and down that same path.

Investors are looking for good news from both earnings and economic data. Thus far they haven’t gotten it and markets have reacted accordingly. Absent these, it will be a challenge to hold things together until the fall.

Via our friend Jesse from Jesse’s Café Americain is this article quite critical of China’s near future regarding inflation and civil unrest. You might find it an eye opener.

I guess we put up enough charts to make up for yesterday.

Have a great weekend.

Disclaimer: Among other issues the ETF Digest maintains positions in: MDY, IWM, QQQQ, BWX, LQD, GLD, DBC, USL, DBB, EFA, EEM, EWA and FXI.

The charts and comments are only the author’s view of market activity and aren’t recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations aren’t predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the author’s opinion as to a range of possibilities going forward. More detailed information, including actionable alerts, are available to subscribers at www.etfdigest.com.

 





Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 9, 2009

harpotypes

I’ll make this brief today as there are appointments to keep. Tomorrow marks the end of the week and there will be more to say then.

The highlights today were weakness in the dollar and feeble bounce in gold currently more attached to oil; Alcoa’s failure to hold last night’s gains; news that Goldman Sachs will exceed its record 2007 earnings; a comeback of sorts for banks and materials stocks; and more second round stimulus trial balloons aloft.

Volume was ultra light but breadth improved enough to move stocks from their short-term oversold conditions.

Meanwhile, the trusty McClellan Oscillator continues to fall reinforcing the notion that the top is in for stocks.

This is all we have time for today. It seems clear that investors are now lost between fears of a resumption of the bear market downtrend and hopes for green shoots. Earnings should prove inspiring to one side or the other.

I’ll be back with a more detailed report tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Among other issues the ETF Digest maintains positions in: GLD and USL.

The charts and comments are only the author’s view of market activity and aren’t recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations aren’t predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the author’s opinion as to a range of possibilities going forward. More detailed information, including actionable alerts, are available to subscribers at www.etfdigest.com.

 



Tags: ,



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 8, 2009

We had a lot more volume than we’ve seen recently. Short-term equity markets are much oversold while commodity markets continue to get hammered big time. The entire day can be summed up with just those two sentences.

But now we have earnings upon us and Alcoa is kicking things off with unremarkable results. Since they always have unique items in their earnings it’s often hard to judge their reports.

Below is the volume and breadth data with the former impressive while the latter continues its deterioration.

In the meantime it appears with hindsight that the falling McClellan Summation Index was tell predicting this downturn.

Markets are short-term oversold and could bounce at any time. Based on the McClellan Summation Index however, any rally could prove temporary. Now earnings are coming and Alcoa, despite losing around $5 million per day just to stay open, beat estimates. Bulls have bid the stock higher in after hours trading.
This behavior is what we’ve been witnessing for a long time—lower estimates to Armageddon levels and then beat. It becomes annoying after a while.

Nevertheless earnings are important and we’ve only just begun to see them roll out. Results can alter trends in a major way but today wasn’t pretty despite the late pop from those in the know.

Disclaimer: Among other issues the ETF Digest maintains positions in: MDY, IWM, QQQQ, DBC, USL, GLD, EWA, EFA, EWJ and FXI.

The charts and comments are only the author’s view of market activity and aren’t recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations aren’t predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the author’s opinion as to a range of possibilities going forward. More detailed information, including actionable alerts, are available to subscribers at www.etfdigest.com.
 



Tags: ,



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave’s ETF Digest, July 7, 2009

Hal, Goldman Sachs, program trading, code

I guess HAL has been deactivated and GS has lost this little memory unit. If you see it lying around, well hell, they’ll buy it from you no doubt. Or, worse, you might get thrown in the slammer since nobody, but nobody messes with the Da Boyz.

The green shoots have turned to pond scum as investors, currently sans HAL, don’t up from down. Volume is heavier on sell-offs while light on bullish days. In the meantime breadth data remains terrible.

The McClellan Summation Index continues to fall from high levels indicating the bull trend is over for awhile probably.


continue reading


Tags: , ,



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Courtesy of Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 6, 2009

A lot is being written, at least in the blogosphere about the high frequency trading program pilfered from Goldman Sachs. (The first article is here and you can follow many more at other sites.)

The questions being asked are pointed and terrific. For example, is the recent downturn in volume because Goldman’s computers were shut down for fear they were compromised?

Of greater importance to average investors is a dirty truth is revealed. Give Wall Street banksters a gaming stake (TARP) and what do they do with it? They give it to their HAL 9000 to trade the hell out of markets. Would you like a free trading stake and the computer to do it? Even though it would be self-defeating in the end, of course you would.

Okay, enough about that although it should provide plenty of interesting reading. Today markets were wishy-washy on continued shrinking volume. That brought out the “stick save” crew (perhaps HAL activated) but market internals remain weak.

AMG Data, like Trim Tabs, keeps track of money flow to mutual funds and ETFs. You can see recent deterioration below (subscription required for more detailed information).

The McClellan Summation Index continues to show markets rolling over.

You can’t make this stuff up sometimes. Da Boyz on Wall Street own the markets and always have, but it’s never been this over-the-top and outrageous. It’s enough to shine light on this nonsense and see it for what it is—blatant market manipulation with taxpayer money. You won’t see much in the way of investigations because the powers that be are in the hood.

Now let’s move to earnings. July will feature a steady stream to please (spun as “better than expected”) and disappoint (just ignore those please).

The week’s young and so is the month. Let’s see how it plays out.

Disclaimer: Among other issues the ETF Digest maintains positions in: MDY, IWM, QQQQ, RWX, BWX, WIP, DBC, USL, DBB, EWA, and FXI
 





Dave’s Daily

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 3, 2009


Emerging Markets from Russell Fry on Vimeo.

Disclaimer: Among other issues the ETF Digest maintains positions in:

The charts and comments are only the author’s view of market activity and aren’t recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations aren’t predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the author’s opinion as to a range of possibilities going forward. More detailed information, including actionable alerts, are available to subscribers at www.etfdigest.com. 
 



Tags:



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, July 2, 2009

 

Maybe, maybe not—this is all I can say since bulls have repeatedly demonstrated their “energizer bunny” quality. Maybe over the weekend investors will forget about the sting of today’s drop as no doubt the powers that be will roll-out their spokesmen to cheer everyone up.

This action is why over roughly the past two months our cash balances have been high. Once we got the weekly DeMark sequential 9 counts we were expecting a reaction. Sometimes we just move in a herky-jerky manner sideways while in other circumstances we get an immediate impact. If the trends are very strong then the DeMark 9 can be blown away and that’s the tricky part—how to get back in. But, never mind that for now, let’s look again.

Volume has been higher on down days and you can assuredly know that breadth both sucked and blowed today.

The longer-term Summation Index (not updated with today’s data) no doubt restarted its recently paused rollover.


continue reading




Dave’s Daily

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, June 25, 2009

Okay, sometimes it’s good to miss a couple of days. Everything and nothing has happened. Yesterday it was the amazingly boring and meandering Fed statement that had a little something for everybody. (How many “buts” can you stuff in this thing?) The bullish headline writers wrote many over the top gems claiming the recession is over per nuggets they gleaned.

Okay but not much happened really.

Today all the bad employment data was ignored with bulls focused on a few odd things. Bed Bath and Beyond “beat estimates” (folks need new towels and stuff. Or, was it the heavy expense cutting?) and economic growth, while still in the toilet hadn’t been plunged yet so to speak. Finally, some headline writers dubbed Bernanke a “rock star” as bulls hoped he would be reappointed.

Is that a good thing?

Impressively, volume picked up today as markets were short-term oversold and shorts remain easily squeezed. Breadth was quite positive. The hedgies and trading desks just continue to pick each other’s pockets as the games continue. And, after all, we are approaching the end of the month and bonuses need serious protection.

The McClellan Summation Index continues its decline. Now some have asked for the dates to be placed on the chart. That would entail adding another confusing chart to the mix and explaining it. Suffice it to say this is a “daily” chart and covers a year.


continue reading


Tags: ,



Dave’s Daily

MARKET COMMENT

Dave Fry’s ETF Digest, June 22, 2009

Goldman Sachs

The story is front and center: GS is reported (later denied) able to pay huge bonuses to employees this year. (Guardian story is here.) How can this happen especially now? TARP money to trade with thanks to US taxpayers. Warren Buffett and Senator Dick Durbin knew exactly what was going to take place when they invested with the in-crowd. They, and other insiders, got the vig and you got the tab. End of story. It’s as simple as that isn’t it?

Today was a rough day to put it mildly as markets tumbled hard on reports from the World Bank that growth (also known as “green shoots”) will be er, “worse than expected”. This news crushed previously healthy commodity and stock market rallies.

Volume picked up and breadth was awful.

Perhaps “the tell” was the rollover in the Summation Index as demonstrated in the chart below. It can rise to 1200-1400 and stay there for longer than you can imagine before it rolls over. Then a top is often the result. “Sell in May and go away?”


continue reading




 

Phil's Favorites

Jobless Claims Improve, Leading Indicators Decline: Economic Report Card

Courtesy of John Nyaradi.

Jobless claims improve while leading indicators decline in today’s economic report card

by Wall Street Sector Selector Staff

Weekly jobless claims declined to 424,000 from last week’s 432, 000 but stubbornly stayed above the all important 400,000 level for another week.

August Leading Indicators came in at +0.3% compared to 0.5% for July, as the economy continues registering weakness.

Good news came from July Home Prices which rose to +0.8% from the previously reported +0.7%.

But the biggest economic news of the week came yesterday when the Federal Reserve said it saw  “significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets.”

Global stock markets responded negatively yesterday an...



more from Ilene
 
 

Insider Scoop

Priceline.com Trades Higher on Q1 Earnings Results (PCLN)

Courtesy of Benzinga

Shares of Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) are trading higher in the after-hours following the release of its Q1 earnings results. Currently, shares are up 2.74%, trading at $548.60; they closed the regular session down 0.67 %, at $533.97.

The company said that its Q1 EPS came in at $2.66 on revenues of $809.3 million; this compares to the Street's estimate of $2.46 per share on revenues of $779.5 million. Revenues rose 38.6% year over year.

"In the 1st quarter, the Group benefited from strong growth in our global hotel business, particularly at Booking.com and Agoda," said Jeffery H. Boyd, Priceline President and Chief Executive Officer.

He added, "Room nights booked grew by 55.8% and our international gross bookings grew by 79% compared to prior year...



http://www.insidercow.com/ more from Insider

Zero Hedge

Fukushima Explosion Update: Core Presumed Intact As Sea Water Used To Bring Temperature Down, Radiation Level At 1015 Microsieverts/Hour

Courtesy of Tyler Durden

The damage control to the Fukushima explosion reported earlier is coming fast and furious. According to CNN, "the explosion at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant was not caused by damage to the nuclear reactor but by a pumping system that failed as crews tried to bring the reactor's temperature down, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Saturday. The next step for workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will be to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the reactor's temperature down to safe levels, he said. The effort is expected to take two days." While the government is trying to play down the threat from the explosion, it has nonetheless double the evacuation zone radius from 10 to 20 kilometers: "Radiation levels have fallen since the explosion and there is no immediate danger, Edano said. But authorities were nevertheless expanding the evacuation ...



more from Tyler

Chart School

The Mega-Bear Quartet and L-Shaped "Recoveries"

Courtesy of Doug Short

Note from dshort: I retired this chart series last summer in deference to my prefered inflation-adjusted series that aligns the S&P 500 2000 high with the Nikkei peak in 1989. However, I continue to receive requests for this version, despite the "V" shape of the the recovery since the March 2009 low. This chart series overlays the current S&P 500 with the L-shaped "recoveries" after the Dow Crash of 1929, the Nikkei 225 after Japan's 1989 bubble, and the post Tech Bubble NASDAQ. Click the chart below for a larger version and use the links to see various comparisons.


Click for a larger image

I've ...



more from Chart School

Sabrient

Sabrient Risers - 3/12/2011

Top 5 RisersStockRatingAnalysisVLOSTRONGBUYAn increasingly positive growth rate of past earnings, along with improving expectations for long term growth, make Valero a good prospect for high returns.KROSTRONGBUYKronos Worldwide has been gaining recognition from analysts as a good canditate for achieving higher than expected earnings along with higher overall projected valuation.SFIBUYiStar is one of the top candidates projected to achieve both higher than previously projected earnings in the short run and a higher earnings growth rate in the long run.AMATSTRONGBUYApplied Materials has been...

more from Sabrient

Option Review

Bulls Scoop Up Sprint Nextel Corp. Calls

 Today’s tickers: S, FTR, JTX & SBUX

...



more from Caitlin

OpTrader

Swing trading portfolio - week of March 7th, 2011

This post is for live trades and daily comments. Please click on "comments" below to follow our live discussion. All of our current virtual trades are listed in the spreadsheet below, with entry price (1/2 in and All in), and exit prices (1/3 out, 2/3 out, and All out).

We also indicate our stop, which is most of the time the "5 day moving average". All trades, unless indicated, are front-month ATM options. 

Please feel free to participate in the discussion and ask any questions you might have about this portfolio, by clicking on the "comments" link right below.

To learn more about the swing trading portfolio (strategy, performance, FAQ, etc.), please click here

Optrader 

Swing trading portfolio

 

One trade portfolio

...

more from OpTrader
 
 

Stock World Weekly

Stock World Weekly

Here's the newest Stock World Weekly:  Illusion Based on a Fantasy 

Comments welcome... share your thoughts. 

Download Newsletter 3/6/11


Stock World Weekly archives here >

...

more from SWW

Pharmboy

Biotech Junkies Update and Momenta Pharma Moving Forward

February is now past, and the Biotech Porfolio is loaded with winners and a miss (PLX).  MRK is down a bit, but I expect that trade to recover, and one could be more agressive and double down on it, or play another round at the Jan13 $30 options for roughly the same price.  Below is the summary, and note the grey boxes are ones that did not fill.  I am still a fan of BMRN, and like DEPO as well.  Now let's look at a few others.

Table 1.  PSW Biotech Plays Since January 2011

 

Our newest play is Momenta Pharmaceuticals (MNTA), who is pursuing a three-part business model which includes complex generic equivalents in partnership with the Sandoz division of Novartis, proprietary compounds, and follow-on- biologics (FOB).  It seems that this company is tied up in competition/litigation wit...



more from Pharmboy



FeedTheBull - Top Stock market and Finance Sites




As Seen On:




About Phil:

Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...

Learn more About Phil >>

About Ilene:

Ilene is editor and affiliate program coordinator for PSW. She manages the Favorites backup site (blogroll, archives, more). Contact Ilene to learn about our affiliate and content sharing programs.

Favorites Site >>