Check out this week's Momentum Report, our weekly summation of all the major indexes at a Macro, International, Sector, and Industry Group level.
By analyzing the short-term data in these reports, we get a more tactical view of the current state of markets. This information then helps us put near-term developments into the big picture context and provides insights regarding the structural trends at play.
Let's jump right into it with some of the major takeaways from this week's report:
* ASC Plus Members can access the Momentum Report by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.
Macro Universe:
This week, our macro universe was positive, with 51% of our list closing higher with a median return of 0.11%.
Lumber $LB was the winner, closing with a 25.23% gain.
The biggest loser was the Dow Jones Utilities $DJU, with a weekly loss of -2.83%.
There was no change in the percentage of assets on our list within 5% of their 52-week highs – currently at 11%.
47% of our macro list made fresh 4-week highs, and 30%...
The S&P 500 has rallied off of its October and December lows, but the 200-day average, which rolled over in April 2022, continues to fall.
More Context: Price trends matter. Over the past 2+ decades, all of the net gains for the S&P 500 have come when the index’s 200-day average has been rising. When the trend has been falling, the index has struggled to keep its head above water. While stocks have begun 2023 in rally mode, they are still fighting a downtrend. Stocks can rally within persistent downtrends. But if stocks keep rallying, down-trends cannot persist. The math just doesn’t work. While we are seeing evidence of a tactically more constructive environment, the longer-term trend backdrop remains challenging. The recent strength has a better shot at being sustained if it can flip some of the longer-term trend indicators to a bullish setting.
In our Market Notes, we take a closer look at longer-term price trends, recent breadth improvements and paradigm shifts that are...
The Bull has been rolling. Have you noticed? Judging by the response I got from an innocent little bullish tweet last week during the midst of a mild pullback for stocks, you'd think I'm insane for thinking stocks have a chance to go up.
So many angry people looking for lower prices.
Maybe they'll be right someday? Chances aren't zero.
Meanwhile, I'll just keep paying attention to price and relative strength which is an excellent guide to point me into winning trades in any direction.
So for today's trade, we're going to ignore the digital assaults on our senses by the angry bears and get analog in our approach to riding this bullish wave.
Whether the former 2011 highs still hold any psychological significance doesn’t matter.
Gold bulls continue to find an overwhelming amount of sellers at that level. This will remain the case until demand absorbs supply.
How long will that take? It’s anyone’s guess – maybe weeks, perhaps even months or quarters.
The point is, gold needs time.
Meanwhile, silver futures are coiling within a tight range…
Check out the daily chart of gold’s crazy cousin:
At first glance, the current consolidation appears to be a bull flag or pennant.
But, in their classic “Technical Analysis of Stock Trends,” Edwards and Magee issue a clear and present warning: “A pattern of this type that extends beyond three weeks should be watched with suspicion.”
Since the silver chart is working on the fifth week of contracting, the bull flag interpretation is losing credibility.
That doesn’t mean silver futures can’t rip higher here, of course. If they do, I’m buying strength above 24.80 with a tactical target of 27.50.
It's not a secret around here that Energy stocks have been doing well.
No one here cares that some investors got caught holding the bag in those growthy tech stocks, and didn't have anywhere near enough energy exposure over the past couple of years.
It's not my fault that the S&P500 was only 2% Energy but 26% Technology.
But just because inflation might begin to ease doesn’t mean I’m taking a bearish stance on inflationary assets, especially commodities.
As crazy as that may seem, these next four charts support my case…
Check out the long-term chart of gold futures overlaid with copper:
These metals are in the process of carving out decade-long bases.
Based on Friday’s intraday action, gold is trading above its prior commodity supercycle peak at approximately 1,924, while copper is holding less than 50 cents...
From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza and Alfonso Depablos @AlfCharts
Risk appetite is returning to markets as breadth expands beneath the surface for US and international equities.
Insiders are getting more active and more aggressive, and the number of bullish opportunities from our Inside Scoop universe continues to increase gradually.
We think the coming months and quarters will be a favorable environment for those looking to buy stocks.
With that said, we have a handful of bullish setups today. Let's dive right in.
What do the movies The Wizard of Oz and The Matrix have in common? The answer is that they both are stories about artificial intelligence. The Wizard of Oz is one of the earliest examples of this in popular culture, with the philosophical question of what types of AI matter most - was it the Scarecrow, who needed brains (computational power), or the Tin Man, who needed heart (the emotional intelligence to understand us)?
Thanks to the efforts of early pioneers in the field like Alan Turing in the 1950s, who helped address and begin work on these problems, we can fast forward 70 years and marvel at contemporary companies like OpenAI, that have solved many of those initial challenges.
Here at All Star Charts, we’re more old school – but we’re not outdated. We know that the foundations of technical analysis are predicated on the study of behavioral science, and how biases like price anchoring, fear, and greed create repeatable patterns we can take advantage of.
And since we’re on the subject, it turns out that investors, computers, whoever or whatever is driving the market moves we’re seeing today; they’re paying attention heavily to...
From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza and Alfonso Depablos @AlfCharts
Our International Hall Of Famers list is composed of the 100 largest US-listed international stocks, or ADRs.
We’ve also sprinkled in some of the largest ADRs from countries that did not make the market cap cut.
These stocks range from some well-known mega-cap multinationals such as Toyota Motor and Royal Dutch Shell to some large-cap global disruptors such as Sea Ltd and Shopify.
It’s got all the big names and more--but only those that are based outside the US. You can find all the largest US stocks on our original Hall of Famers list.
The beauty of these scans is really in their simplicity.
We take the largest names each week and then apply technical filters in a way that the strongest stocks with the most momentum rise to the top.
Based on the market environment, we can also flip the scan on its head and filter for weakness.
Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the most important stocks from around the world.