Stocks are still trying to break out of this massive range since early 2018. After some selling early this week, the range is still intact. I think this chart of the Global 100 Index tells the story best:

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Today we're taking a look at one of the most important Emerging Markets out there, Brazil, on an absolute and relative basis.

Let's see what's going on there.

Today we're looking at our updated Monthly Chartbooks to identify the structural trends in India's major indices, sectors, and stocks.

This is a question I get a lot from friends and family or someone I just met that knows what I do for work.

What's funny is that they don't ask it quite like that. They won't ask, "JC how do I make money in the market?", even though that's what they really mean to say. It's usually more like, "Which pot stock do I buy?" or "Which Crypto Currency should I buy?", depending on where we are in the cycle. It's rarely an IF, and more of a Which One?

The way I see it, you can add the same amount of money every month for decades and just let it compound. If you're disciplined enough to do it (most of you aren't), I can see a good case for that strategy. But if you're looking to get into more specific trades or investments, I think a well-defined risk vs reward strategy is the only way to profit. If you can't manage risk responsibly you'll be gone soon.

Here's my take:

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

The TSX Composite Index is attempting to hold above its 2018 highs after breaking out earlier this month.

In early August we wrote a Canada Update for Premium Members outlining ideas (and another post 2 weeks ago), many of which are working well, however, we're following up on this post today with a stock on our watchlist that's become actionable.

Nothing will frustrate stock market bears more than European Stocks breaking out to new all-time highs!

Do you know anyone who has anything positive to say about European Equities? Are conversations you're having and articles you're reading preaching strength and growth out of this area? I don't.

Prices, however, are telling a different story! Let me point you to the WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund, which prices European stocks in local currency. This is similar to the $DXJ vs $EWJ Funds in Japan.

The way I see it, this looks like a consolidation within an ongoing uptrend and most likely the beginning of a NEW uptrend, and not near the end of an old one:

Stocks in the U.S. Financials Sector have been underperforming since the beginning of 2018. If you recall, that is precisely when the majority of stocks around the world stopped going up. It's been a sideways grind for many stocks and sectors since then and a solid downtrend for many more, like small-caps, emerging markets and certainly financials, particularly on a relative basis.

A funny thing happened last week, however, while the gossip columns were filled with impeachment talk and upcoming recessions: Financials broke out to new multi-month highs relative to the S&P500. But not a whisper about it anywhere. I like that!

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

This post is a follow-up to today's Chart of The Week, so if you've not read that I'd recommend doing so before continuing with this deep dive.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Technology is the largest sector of the market from an indexing perspective, but it's also pervasive because it finds its ways into other sectors/industries and often plays a big role.

With that as our backdrop, it's clear why Technology's relative performance is an important barometer for the health of the market...and it's been quite good since breaking out to new highs in 2016.

So can it continue, or are we due for some TECHnical difficulties in the weeks and months ahead?

We look at a lot of intermarket relationships and try to analyze the same things, but from different perspectives. It's all part of the weight of the evidence approach that we so often preach. Today we're focusing in on the relative strength (or weakness) in Consumer Staples as a heads up for the next move in the US Stock Market.

Consumer Staples are funny bunch. Think about it like this: regardless of how bad the economy might get, as a society we're still going to brush our teeth, wash our dishes, smoke cigarettes and drink beers. Those are Consumer Staples. They tend to be less volatile and underperform when stocks in general are going higher, but outperform when stocks are selling off, for the same reasons.

Weekends are great to just take a step back and see what is actually going on. It's really easy to get caught up in the day to day noise. I talk about the power of Monthly Chart Reviews. This is a similar process, just done more frequently and timeframes are shorter-term. But the taking a step back part follows the same philosophy.

Here are a few things that I'm thinking about this weekend: