Simply Trading What I See; Chess Moves

23Jan12:15 pmEST

Biodegradable Burgers

After a brilliant bull run for roughly a decade, McDonalds is looking more and more like a major top by the day. Along the lines of my analysis of IBM, and even AXP, I view MCD as another iconic, stodgy brand flirting dangerously with maturity. On the monthly chart, below, you can see MCD's long bull run followed by the last few years of being...

23Jan11:09 amEST

Follow This Morning Roadmap

The market is mixed this morning, with financials lagging and technology leading. SBUX is staging massive post-earnings gap higher, defying the weakness in other consumer stocks of late, namely casinos and autos. My Treasuries short is under pressure, and I am likely to cut TMV into the weekend if there is no fade in TLT by the end of today....

22Jan4:41 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 01/22/15 {Video}

The following video contains coverage of relevant broad market issues (for equities) in addition to plenty of actionable trading ideas across other asset classes. Feel free to pick and choose which ideas and parts of the analysis fit your style. Always properly manage your downside portfolio risk for any trades taken. Enjoy tonight's...

22Jan3:38 pmEST

A Metaphor for the Market

After several days of bouncing, followed by today's sharp rally higher, the market is once again back at a critical technical juncture. I will discuss this idea after the closing bell in my video market recap. In particular, Facebook looks to be a metaphor for the market, in some respects. On the daily chart, below, you can see that since I...

22Jan2:08 pmEST

Another Contender Now

In addition to my analysis of IBM, a stodgy multi-national brand already in a downtrend from a confirmed multi-year topping pattern, American Express looks more and more by the day like it will follow suit. Thus, AmEx is a contender, now, for a multi-year topping pattern in its own right, especially with its latest earnings gap lower. On the...

22Jan12:33 pmEST

It's Already Baked Into the Piroshki

Crude oil continues to work through either a sloppy sideways period of trading, or instead is breaking down again. The first chart, below, is the 30-minute timeframe for the crude oil ETF showing as much. The second chart, however, is interesting. The ETF for Russia not only failed to breakdown earlier this week, but it is now moving higher...

22Jan11:22 amEST

Attack and Retreat; Attack and Retreat

In my mind, part of being a trader means not feeling the internal pressure you create or allow from peers to try to catch every single move, in every single market. Case in point: I have captured some strong winners to begin 2015, namely with select shorts in equities and leveraged longs in the precious metals and miners complex. My losses have...

22Jan10:42 amEST

Press the Restart Button After This Level of Super Mario

"Super" Mario Draghi of the ECB announced his own QE numbers this morning, as markets spiked up at the open only to abruptly fade into red. As I write this now. dip-buyers are giving it a go at recapturing the opening highs, namely 2,045 on the S&P 500 Index. I am seeing wild price swings across all markets, however, including crude oil...

21Jan4:36 pmEST

Stock Market Recap 01/21/15 {Video}

The following video contains coverage of relevant broad market issues (for equities) in addition to plenty of actionable trading ideas across other asset classes. Feel free to pick and choose which ideas and parts of the analysis fit your style. Always properly manage your downside portfolio risk for any trades taken. Enjoy tonight's...

21Jan3:17 pmEST

Simply Trading What I See; Chess Moves

I am long TMV here, at $26.44, with a protective stop-loss below $25. TMV is the triple-bearish ETF for Treasuries, which means I am betting against U.S. bonds. This is not a macro trade, nor a trade for or against Central Bankers around the world. Instead, I am simply trading what I see on that TLT chart I presented to you earlier today. On...