MarketChess

10Apr3:23 pmEST

Beware the Nice Guy Syndrome

We have ourselves another day on Wall Street with extremely wide price swings. And, yet, it is another day where, as I write this, we are well off session lows into the final ninety minutes of the session as bulls continue to pound the table for a good bottom being firmly in place for equities.  Beyond the wild volatility, we have gold (and...

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09Apr3:31 pmEST

Roller Coaster of Tariff Love

The afternoon broad market surge today on the back of President Trump announcing a 90-day postponement of non-China tariffs has understandably galvanized longs while stupefying bears. After all, the major indices shot up nearly 10% in a matter of moments.  In moments like these, and indeed in markets like these, overall, it is quite easy to...

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08Apr3:03 pmEST

Now That's a Fade

Today's fade off a 4%-plus broad rally from earlier in the session seems like more evidence that we are in a new market regime, transitioning from long-term bull to bear. Tons of market players and pundits alike, respected veterans included, have planted the proverbial flag in the ground in recent sessions to declare a bottom is locked in,...

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07Apr1:15 pmEST

Yes, That Counts

With false rumors swirling all day today about alleged pauses and delays in tariffs, we saw the S&P 500 Index surge earlier from 4,826 up to 5,246 in a matter of moments. First and foremost, that sort of violence (hard and fast price swings, intraday moves) is far more characteristic of a bear than a bull market, overall. The reason being Bear...

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04Apr2:54 pmEST

Afternoon Update 04/04/25 {Video}

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03Apr2:20 pmEST

Sloppy Margarine or Smooth as Butter?

The main issue which intrigues me during this sell-off is whether we see margin calls (essentially forced, indiscriminate selling which often aligns with actual fear and panic as markets cascade lower) this afternoon into the closing bell, which of course is a function of brokers and risk management departments asserting themselves as markets...

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02Apr2:25 pmEST

Block Out the Noise

It looks like we will not know the full gauntlet of President Trump's tariff plans until after the closing bell today, with  a press event in the Rose Garden slated for 4 p.m. EST.  In the meantime, stocks have taken the liberty of rallying several times today, though as we speak we have a substantial fade well off session highs. The fact...

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01Apr1:11 pmEST

Nice 'N' Easy Does it for Energy Stocks

Much like the commodity complex at-large we have some energy stocks clearly making progress on the technical front in recent weeks and months while others are still searching for a clear bottom--Gold, silver, and natural gas have made clear strides in recent months, with gold being the ringleader in commodities, while other commodities like oil...

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31Mar1:18 pmEST

Drop, Stop, and Roll Up

What we have so far today in the market is a variation of the old, "Stop, Drop, and Roll," a fire safety technique used to extinguish flames if one's clothing catches fire.  In this case, it is more akin to a drop (at the open), a stop (dip-buyers step in), and a roll (slow grind up for the rest of the day). We have seen this pattern countless...

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28Mar3:04 pmEST

Afternoon Update 03/28/25 {Video}

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