Resume the Hike

17Dec6:27 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

I go to the movie theatre far less than I used to, mostly due to overall lower quality of most feature films released. We know that plenty of the top talent in Tinseltown has migrated to streaming television series, for example. But as I have noted before, Hollywood is a much more watered-down version of what is once was. On a more optimistic...

16Dec1:40 pmEST

Whole Year for Whole Paycheck

On the one hand, Whole Foods Market (also known as "Whole Paycheck," due to their high-end grocer status), will no longer be part of Nasdaq-100 Index. On the other hand, that may function as a contrarian signal for a stock which has essentially been dead money for actually well over a year now. And that dead period was preceded by a steep...

16Dec10:54 amEST

They're Not Playing for a High First Round Draft Pick

Unlike in professional sports, such as at this point in the NFL season, the very worst performers in the stock market have no (legal) incentive to intentionally tank all the way and position for a high draft pick. With that in mind, at this stage in the year, the notable laggards like FIT GPRO, even TWLO, and solars to boot, are at a moment in...

15Dec3:47 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 12/15/16 {Video}

The following video is a brief, condensed version of the Stock Market Recap which I present each evening to members of Market Chess Subscription Services. In the longer version, I offer tons of actionable trade ideas, educational content, and in-depth objective analysis across all markets. If you enjoy my videos and blog posts, then please...

15Dec3:44 pmEST

From Way Downtown at The Oracle

Along with Adobe, Oracle also reports earnings tonight after the bell. Both firms are mature tech plays with plenty of price memory we have at our disposals. On the ORCL monthly chart, below, for example, note how the name marginally broke its prior dot-com bubble highs in late-2014/2015, only to then relinquish those gains. However, sellers...

15Dec1:42 pmEST

Gold Bugs Not Quite Out of Business Yet for Christmas

As ugly as this sell-off in precious metals and miners looks and must feel for longs, the reality is that the metals and miners are still above their 2015/early-2016 respective lows. As such, the case for a bear market bottoms is still in play, even if it is under duress at the moment. On the GDXJ (ETF for those wildly volatile junior gold...

15Dec11:11 amEST

Chasing CHiPs

As we wind down 2016 for a remarkably resilient stock market, a performance chase by fund managers into the unflappable semiconductor sector becomes a more viable scenario. Beyond that, we know a last-minute M&A spree still may materialize before the ball drops in Times Square, as there are many buyout targets still in contention. Regarding...

14Dec3:51 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 12/14/16 {Video}

The following video is a brief, condensed version of the Stock Market Recap which I present each evening to members of Market Chess Subscription Services. In the longer version, I offer tons of actionable trade ideas, educational content, and in-depth objective analysis across all markets. If you enjoy my videos and blog posts, then please...

14Dec3:50 pmEST

Two What? What was That Word?

We have a mild sell-off going after The Fed raised rates and hinted at a few more hikes in 2017 to come. Stocks are mixed, to my eye. But the REITs in the IYR sector ETF and the utilities in the XLU are responding on kind to The Fed's hawkish tone. These are traditionally "rate-sensitive" sectors, so it makes sense to see them soft here. When...

14Dec1:24 pmEST

Resume the Hike

A widely-expected rate hike coming up later this afternoon by The Fed is likely on tap, as stocks meander into the event. Some big winners this year like the chip play NVDA and several materials miners (AKS CLF X) are flexing here. But it is tough to make too many assumptions in terms of the market's specific reaction. We can, however, make a...