Let's Be Careful Out There...

Since we've got some time on our hands this morning before Yellen & Co. do something they haven't done in nine years - raise interest rates - I thought it would be a good idea to pick up where we left off on our run-through of the important market indicators. If you will recal…

The Times (Err, Indicators) They Are A Changin'

Junk bonds are tanking. Oil is in a free fall. The Chinese are talking about moving their currency lower against the dollar. Stocks are overvalued by just about any traditional metric. And Janet Yellen's merry band of central bankers are about to raise interest rates. Super. And y…

It's About Oil, And Junk, And...

What a difference a week can make in this game, eh? What's interesting here is that things are traditionally kinda quiet at this time of year. However, while I spent last week running from meeting to meeting, the stock market appears to have embarked on a course correction that just might…

Why We're Back To Sideways

It is said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This has most certainly been the case for the stock market for going on more than a year now. Cutting to the chase, the stock market continues to suffer from a relatively severe case of A.D.D. as the up-one-minute, down-…

Back To The Bankers...

In light of the fact that yesterday's shootings in San Bernardino do not appear to be an ISIS-related terrorist attack (at this time), the markets have turned their attention back to the matters at hand this morning. And in short, this means the action of central bankers. For thos…

The Indicators Tell Us To...

I don't know about you, but I tend to find it difficult to refocus on the business at hand after Thanksgiving. After all the feasting, the family gatherings, and the football, it is all too easy to lose sight of what is going on at the corner of Broad and Wall. And given that I'm travelin…

A Market That Doesn't Go Down On Bad News...

On one hand, it would be easy to argue that stocks are currently consolidating the gains from October's joyride to the upside. The S&P 500 is back to within spitting distance (i.e. 2%) of its all-time high and after a spirited move to the upside, a "pause that refreshes" would seem to…

Macro Musings and The Big Bond Bear

Ever since the Credit Crisis calamity that occurred between late-2007 and March 9, 2009, a great many investors have begun to embrace a macro approach to the markets. From a big picture standpoint, the idea is to take a stance on the macro view of the world and then invest accordingly. Th…

Even The Indicators Are Confused

Good morning. Some say the stock market is a discounting mechanism for future expectations. Others suggest it is an example of crowd psychology in motion. So, given that the market appears to once again be "stuck in the middle with you…

Did Stocks Rally For the Wrong Reason?

Good morning. Don't you just love this game? The very moment the price action begins to make sense - bam! - Something happens that causes traders to reverse course in a big way, leaving many scratching their heads in the process. Of course, I'm referring to the decline in the S&am…