How to Buy Growth Stocks in an Economy That Isn’t Growing
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both hit record highs today - in a shortened, not-very-exciting trading session. But we’re also seeing numerous signs that the U.S. economy is starting to slow down. I think, if you look in the right places, we’re seeing really ominous signs of that dreaded beast, stagflation. And this is all…
Tesla and Tech Are Still Taking the Bulls Higher
The tech sector, as tracked by the XLK ETF, is up close to 22% over the past six months, beating, by a mile, the 16% gains seen in the S&P 500. While we’ve seen some compelling signs that the market is ready for new leadership, tech is still presenting problems for the bears. That said,…
What Bonds, Bitcoin, and Tesla Can Tell Us About This Market
Bonds were battered today as economic data, SCOTUS, and other news pushed prices lower and yields higher. While the bond market was anything but quiet, the reaction from interest rate-sensitive securities like REITs and financial and utility stocks was fairly muted. Sounds strange to say it, but I just did… If this all sounds like…
The Second Quarter Is Officially Over - Here’s What’s Next
Well, Q2/2024 ended with a whimper of sorts, drifting down 0.26% in late trading. But don’t let that fool you; the S&P 500 will actually close up a healthy 5.1% for the quarter. So don’t be distracted by the selling today - much of that is being driven by institutions engaged in quarterly rebalancing. But,…
How to Play the Two Weakest Sectors in the Market Right Now
Technology, healthcare, financials, energy - ask any average Joe or Jane on the street to name a sector of the stock market and you’ll probably hear one of these thrown back at you. They get headlines and headspace, plenty of capital, and, yes, they occasionally lead the market - particularly tech and energy - but…
The Tech Sector May Have Lost Its Mojo
Tech stocks (especially a certain $3.1 trillion chip company) have been leading the market to all-time high after all-time high for weeks now. But, as I sit here at the cash close today, I’m watching S&P 500 futures get absolutely rocked with volatility… and <boom> all the action stops and the S&P 500 is massively…
Tech Is Consolidating and the Market’s Seeking New Leadership
The tape tells the tale, just like it always does: The tech sector is clearly in consolidation mode right now. Don’t get me wrong - I still like the price action I’m seeing there in the sector as tracked by, for instance, XLK, the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF. But this means the market is…
The Only Stock That Matters…. And The Only Sector That Counts
The S&P 500 had trouble lifting off today, courtesy of a thousand-pound weight: NVDA. Today’s price action shows once again that this is the stock. Nine other sectors actually finished higher for the session. The rally that counts today is the energy sector - largely the result of the fundamentals of oil and even energy.…
The $5.5 Trillion Option Expiration Could Change Everything
There’s a lot talk about tonight. There are around $5.5 trillion worth of derivatives expiring as I write this - massive positions are coming off the books. That’s bigger than Japan, bigger than France - bigger than all but two world economies. That’s big. The SPX hit its $65 expected move, no sweat, this week.…
Tech Tanks and the Flight to Safety Is On
The Magnificent Seven oftentime market leaders were, collectively, down more than 1% by midday. The broader NASDAQ-100, around 55% of which is tech, was off around 0.06% over the same timeframe. That doesn’t sound like much, because it really isn’t, but the selling is important because it’s a sign of the times: The appetite for…