Earnings and Economic Headlines to begin to Replace Geopolitical Concerns? No market-moving geopolitical news overnight and that might be allowing the markets to focus on economic and earnings related headlines. Chip stocks’ earnings concerns (read, Broadcom’s), China’s weak economic numbers, IEA’s oil demand outlook, and Gold’s rise…these are likely to consume investors’ sentiments today, (more…)
Choppiness Driven by Geopolitical Headlines The overnight futures have seen choppy trading driven by the headlines about the oil tanker fires in the Strait of Hormuz – sentiment oscillating between knee-jerk sell-off and knee-jerk bid-up. In which direction the sentiment stabilizes for the session is anybody’s guess, and potentially determined by the technicals of (more…)
May Payroll Numbers Good or Bad? The disappointing NFP data released this morning may be interpreted as “Good for the markets” or “Bad for the economy” or in myriad ways depending upon one’s own objectives. While the perma-bears look at the implied economic slowdown, the perma-bulls look at the imminent Fed rate cuts. If one’s interest (more…)
Getting Tired of the Trade War Rhetoric? Investors seem to be wishing to forget the trade war rhetoric and focus on something less chaotic, but complacency always leads to spectacular blowups (in either direction). Major indices are right in the middle of precariously stubborn support and resistance levels, but the trade war related headlines could be (more…)
Bear Trap, Bull Trap, Chop Chop! When the market action is driven by pure technicals and market-propping/bashing headlines, it could be prudent to sit on the sidelines to discern some clarity. While the bull trap we cautioned about has materialized fully, the market is now right in the middle of precariously stubborn support (more…)
Fed to the Rescue? Investors are trying to calm down with the hopes that the Fed would come to the rescue of the markets, especially with the Feds’ hinting of brewing economic troubles. Whether these are self-inflicted wounds (trade war, anyone?) or not, monetary policy maneuvers (or, just the posturing) could stop some bleeding on (more…)
Start-of-the-new-trading-month Factor to Trump Geopolitical Anxieties Today? Financial markets fell to new lows in the overnight futures market, but our models indicate potential for a bear-trap with the new-trading-month-start fund flows working to support the markets today (think 401-k, DRIPs, and other systematic/automatic investing fund flows). While the geopolitical situations are not getting any better (more…)
NFP Exuberance Adding to the Earnings Euphoria! Markets Feeling Giddy, Yet? NonFarm Payrolls just crushed the estimates and the index futures are flirting with overnight highs, albeit not pierced them yet. The headlines could add to the exuberance (irrational, yet? Need to ask Greenspan) already pervading the markets based on this week’s earnings beats (on (more…)
S&P 500 OUTLOOK for THU 01/31
Earnings Euphoria to Power the Markets Ahead! Is It Sustainable? Facebook and Boeing are just a couple of names to beat the estimates. Couple with this the dovish Fed, and lack of any major geopolitical news (notwithstanding Venezuela), and we can see why the markets are acting giddy with euphoria! Unless something totally unexpected pops (more…)
Apple and FOMC – Main Drivers of Today’s Market Sentiment Apple’s earnings last night (“the worst is over”?), FOMC Interest Rates decision this afternoon, and the key technical levels to be the main drivers of the market action today. As we have been indicating since 01/09, the index is looking at strong resistance level around (more…)