A little promising...

Forget about the CC# that came in better than expected and forget about the nice EPS report by AZO   (on heels of AAP, one of strongest groups),  this market is totally emotionally driven with no concern about what the consumer thinks on the recovery front (CC# is labour vs. financial market weighted) or earnings at this point for a positive twist.    Honestly, the best case for anyone who's playing on the long side is a massive gap down morning like today.    Basically, when the market gaps down these many points on catalysts that are only emotional or none at all as the case was today (in addition to an already way oversold environment which equals Feb. Bounce low), what you end up having is the end result of today, a bounce off 1044 support.   A nice rally, but one that came with no conviction on the morning selling or real afternoon conviction buying.   We want to see follow through with not a lack of sellers, short covering,  but one that has buyers chasing!!.   That is conviction buying.   This day could be promising, but does not prove anything yet.

So,  does today mean the end of the slide and beginning of a huge rebound?   Probably not!  What it means is that unless the market's volatility eases, this is the kind of market action we'll continue to see on a daily basis.    So when is the volatility going to ease?   Well, nobody has the answer at the moment.    What we do know, at this point, is that most of us are immune to the wild swing and 300 pt+ reversal these days.    About a month ago, any day where the market drops over 100 pts on Dow, it kind of spooks people and a back to back drop of that many points was even unthinkable.    This month, it seemed the world turned upside down as far as volatility is concerned.    Believe it or not, the volume of SPY within the last two weeks is actually more than the two weeks of Feb. 2009 when the market went from SPX 800 to SPX 666.    This goes to show the kind of action we are going through right now.    Here's the good thing, the volatility will eventually die down and we are definitely closer now than a week ago.   Perhaps, the long weekend that officially kicks off the summer season for traders can get this market to move in a quieter and more manageable fashion ending the ‘Mayfest’ .

There are two things we want to point out though.   Market's advance and reversal today has been led by Financials and Commodities.     Why could this be important?    Financials represent the area where people were backing off due to the European concern in the last couple of weeks.   Commodities represent the area of Economic recovery for the world.    Both are key representation of investors' sentiment.    Well, it may not mean that much if we get another gap down next couple of days ,but we just wanted to point it out because some charts of the plays from above sectors look like they are ready to rebound. 

Bottom line,  regardless how the institutions play out their game,  right now is a time to dip some toes on the long side.    Whether we have more points on the downside from SPX is somewhat irrelevant at this point because looking at a lot of individual plays,  the upside just looks way more appealing than the downside.

Shadowlist update

Shadowlist by sector money flow/ rotation to follow. (visit site).

...looking ahead

Following an eventful 4 days for the Bulls, today’s flat session is perfectly fine with us.   Actually, even better than fine if you consider the 200ma provided support.   Even though, we didn't see a lot of new buying/ conviction to push this market even higher (let’s be realistic short term..digestion needed),  it is almost as good because we saw ‘dip buyers’  come in.    An oppy’ to buy the market on dips has been methodology of longs for a long time to get into this market.  We just haven’t seen those explosive breakouts of years past, instead those wanting to be in the market..buy the dips.   This is what we will center around going forward and will use it ourselves to position into Q end.  

Speaking of Q end, entering the week, we discussed “…sidelined money should come in for June Q end”.  This Q provides more than one reason for this to occur.    First, look at where the SPX is today on June 16th…almost half way through the year…1115.!   Yes, that’s a hefty return of 0% on the widely followed benchmark for every manager with a book in 2010.   Secondly, consider this…Hedge funds – “Hedge funds hit in monstrous May….Global hedge funds in May suffered the heaviest losses for 18 months after some of biggest and most successful managers were wrong-footed by world markets”.      Simply,  if we’re these guys we’re in a mess after May and need to put up some numbers, not only for June to make-up losses and avoid consecutive months of underperformance, but they also have to put up Q numbers!.    To us at DJIM, this is almost a perfect storm for money flow to come in the next 2 weeks.    This is why we will be watching the dips carefully for oppy’ for accumulation.

As far a individual stocks, sectors, we are seeing many of our listed stocks hitting NCH’s the past few days…EDU AZO VCI SXCI RBCN  and these aren’t even offensive high beta stocks.   At this point,  we are concentrating on the tech’s and have many from our lists of techs/and earnings related that on any given day can pop..from VMW  to NFLX AKAM, NTAP (SNDK added)  etc.   Many like DLB VRSN  are also setting up near highs.    Hopefully in the days heading into Q end, the number of sectors in play extends to beat up commodity linked stocks and more high beta names/sec‘s.   Until this is evident, we’ll concentrate on Nazzy/ tech linked stocks.

Shadowlist update

Closely followed equities for sector money flow/ rotation. (Visit site).

DJIM Shadowlist outperformance

Entering the trading day,  yesterdays ‘biggest takeaway’  reversed and allowed the market to have a decent day, although the highlight around here was the outperformance of DJIM’s closely followed stocks.   Our alert in the premarket noted the nice reversal of the FTSE with ECB stepping up the buying of their problem children debt (Portugal, Greece etc. )/ bond buying program.   Once this ‘comforting’  act was done,  you knew the Euro was not going to slide further today and the US markets would be able to stabilize as yesterday‘s missing buyers would appear.    Also, the Irish sobered up and compromised with a good/bad split of one their banks, which is better than a complete wind down.  It’s good to see action being taken on all these Euro fronts immediately, instead of allowing problems to drag and watch the markets get spooked.   

Speaking of problem children, we have one in the US markets that underperformed badly (Semi’s)  and will keep this ‘rest period’ below 1108 extended if such bad behaviour continues to be exhibited.  SLAB   is #2 warning now after INTC.  Considering how early this comes, you can expect more from this sector.

On the home front (DJIM’s), we had an array of stocks outperforming off the latest Shadowlist update this weekend…

NZ , up >14%, flying already, it got some rumor mill action (IBM).  Stock is now up a good 25% since alert buy.   Note,  ARST  rumors from last week were refuted today and so this one may be too in days ahead.    Still, NZ is an EPS stock foremost in DJIM books this Q.   GMCR , announced a raise in product pricing and exploded to an intraday new high above $40.     NFLX  mentioned here plenty of times just the past week or so, kept on ticking to an intraday high of nearly $148...PCLN  >5% off upgrade,  APKT , NTAP , LVS , HLF  were also outperforming the tape with NCH‘s intraday.   In the commodity section off DJIM’s shadowlist, machinery’s outperformed, BUCY/JOYG  >5% were the winners going into Obama’s afternoon promises.    This was a day you can just ignore the broad markets stocks and sectors up and downs and just trade away the DJIM composite.  

Note: add retail PVH  to Shadowlist in consumer sector.

..CSCO on deck

If you blinked, you missed it!.  That’s the 7% blink in of an eye in the SP over the first 7 trading in September that has left those on the sidelines scratching their heads and/or suffering from some performance anxiety.    What’s come to fruition is simple …Journal sept1st/AMC….“September will be no different in dependence on data…It only takes a few day’s of data to change the prevailing sentiment away from ‘double dip’ speak.  We still have what may be 'determinative' numbers this week to sway the conversation of 'double dip vs. soft patch'’ . .  Buffet said today, no double dip at all and slmost all his corporations are coming back!

Today was no different as our lead-off hitter for the week (China data) got things rolling with a single up the middle and Basel iii was well received for not being (oppressive)as expected here.  That’s 2 critical groups (materials/ financials to get any rally up and running with the euro .  Also, the missing link (semi’s) came from nowhere and continued their late push from Friday for the market to bust through the 200ma (1116 last week here for next step if 1108 was closed above).   So, we had all the necessary Bull leaders in tow today, including small cap space (R2K) as evident in DJIM’s composite stocks making NCH’s across the board…RVBD+8%, FFIV 5%, NTAP, GMCR, HLF, HMIN, JOYG, EXPD, CMI, SXCI, LVS, APKT , ROVI, NFLX with FTNT/NZ flirting with NCH’s off ARST /news.   That’s a high percentage of stocks breaking out/ flirting with breakout moves at NCH levels, if you consider some stocks are just for watching money flow/rotation as part of the trading day.

What now?.  Playing around ~1120+ is probably getting shorts all riled up, especially those (this includes Bulls), who may think the market is going to continue it’s range bound  trade(1040-1120/1130) to eternity!.  We’ve laid at the catalysts for the week, now with our lead-off hitters doing their job, it’s up to the meat of the order with CSCO’s analyst meet up today (8:30-9.45am) and BBY earnings to continue the move to August high/June highs/ semi's continuation or the shorts will have some juice.

DJIM #38 2010

Friday’s gap up possibility (ES was 1132 ) not surprisingly deteriorated as v.good earnings tech earnings are not a mover and shaker at this stage for the market.  ORCL/ RIMM earnings were not one of the moving pieces we included as a worthy bit for the week and it turned out that way.  Market’s inability to breach 1130SPX was not because of renewed sovereign issues as CDS ‘ widened to new heights in peripheral Euro countries (same song and dance), but, mostly because the Euro was already in it’s textbook descent off fresh highs overnight.   Overall, the problem was there were too many little things interwined (Euro, CPI, financial weakness) and notably a big thing ahead next week that postponed a stand off today at 1130 levels.   It was more like shooting blanks from both sides.    The market’s focus has turned strictly on the September FOMC meet up  as the week progressed and what the FED may partially do has intensified ( give a taste of QE2 ) and/or hints of it’s readiness to do such or much of it for later.  

So, there is no disappointment or signs of failure at 1130.  The market was able to consolidate above the Monday gap all week, which is bullish, even if the majority of high flyers off DJIM’s list are pausing.  They are more likely being accumulated on slight dips for broader market highs to come.  As discussed earlier in the week about high beta action and steels as a ‘toppy’ possibility sign is gaining noise as the week concluded.   We still don’t think this is the case as long as an ‘accident’ catalyst doesn’t hit.   Another mark getting lots of attention is meteoric rise is ‘sentiment’ gauges over the past few weeks.  A couple of these readings (AAII for optimism on markets) correlate to previous market peaks (Jan/Aug).  Just like overbought technical RSI readings can stay overbought for longer than expected without market cratering, these readings should prove to do the same now for the short term.  What’s not getting a lot of attention is a ‘huge’ reversal in equity ETF inflows from outlflows the past few weeks.


In this view, the April-Aug DT and DJIM’s 20ma ‘bullish’ benchmark was Bull captured.   Also, holding the 200ma for the week is significant.  The longer we stay above 200ma, the sooner it will finally curl up, which would be very bullish.  The constructive action all week is lending to the thought we could end up with a big breakout day still, if the man vs. machine theme is hit by a favourable catalyst sending the market into an Algo covering /buying fit.    Question is where and how much of it is set in the 1130’s -1140'ish or ES levels to run the market into mid-Octobers earning season.