Skip to main content

Displaying 1 - 12 of 385

Alfonso’s Daily Note

A Major Thrust Signal Triggered

April 24, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

One of the most powerful and reliable signals in market history just triggered today: the Zweig Breadth Thrust.

This indicator is known for its unique ability to spot the start of major bull moves by combining breadth and momentum — showing not just how many stocks are participating, but also how quickly the shift happens.

Here’s how it works:

🔹The setup begins with the 10-day exponential moving average of advancing issues divided by advancing + declining issues on the NYSE falling below 0.40.
 
🔹Then, within 10 trading days, that same reading must surge above 0.615.

When you see this kind of rapid transition — from washed-out breadth to upside participation — it signals a violent shift in market internals.

And it just triggered....

Alfonso’s Daily Note

All Eyes on the Pinch

April 23, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

The market feels like a rollercoaster these days — volatile, messy, just trying to find its footing.

Headline-driven rallies and big swings in both directions is now the norm, and there’s no sign this will stop any time soon.

But things are getting interesting as major levels in the S&P 500 $SPY are coming back into play. 

The bulls came out this week. Let’s zoom in.

 

We’ve got the VWAP from the all-time highs and the VWAP from the April lows converging into a tight range. This is what our friend Brian Shannon calls a “VWAP pinch.”

This kind of compression often signals a buildup of...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

The Bitcoin Revival

April 22, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

The relative strength in Bitcoin over the past two months has been off the charts.

In a tough tape, I would’ve expected BTC to be the first to roll over and lead risk assets lower. 

But that didn’t happen. If anything, it held up better than ever. 

It’s the first time BTC has shown this kind of strength under any kind of selling pressure environment.

And now that the worst is behind us, Bitcoin is back into rally mode.

Today, price reclaimed the neckline from a major topping pattern, right around $90K.

 

That’s been the key level to watch for months.

...
Alfonso’s Daily Note

Financials Fail at Resistance

April 21, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

US equities remain under pressure as the major indexes break below key VWAPs anchored to their lows.

Meanwhile, critical polarity levels are serving as stiff resistance across key sectors and industry groups, capping last week’s bounce.

Whether it’s Semiconductors, Financials, or Software, buyers continue to struggle in reclaiming the broken support levels from earlier this month.

The SPDR Financial Sector $XLF is a textbook example of this theme. 

 

After briefly pushing back above the neckline of this top, XLF is now getting rejected right around 48.

That means an increasing supply is overwhelming the buyers near those prices.

Sellers are defending critical levels with...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

Defense Holds Strong

April 16, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

Volatility is still running hot, and wild swings in both directions are probably here to stay for longer.

Even though I think the worst is behind us, things still look soft.

There’s little to suggest this choppy, risk-off environment is fading just yet.

One thing that’s helped me big time this year is tracking risk appetite through key ratios.

These relationships show us how money is rotating and where investors are actually putting capital...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

High VIX, High Stakes

April 10, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

The market’s a rollercoaster right now.

Big moves. Wild swings. Sentiment flipping on a dime.

Intraday ranges are wide, and positions can move fast.

The CBOE Volatility Index $VIX just closed above 45 for three straight sessions this week.

That’s only happened three times in the past 30 years:

 

🔻 2008 (Great Financial Crisis)

🔻 2020 (Covid)

🔻 2025 (Today)

We’re in an extremely high-volatility environment.

And with the VIX this elevated, here’s a rule of thumb:

VIX ÷ 16 = the expected daily move in the S&P 500.

So, with a ~40 VIX, expect at least a 2.5% per day—in...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

A Day for the History Books

April 9, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

Today was one of the most epic sessions in the history of the stock market.

Amid rumors around tariffs, the S&P 500 ripped higher, closing up 9.5% on the day.

That makes it the third-largest one-day gain for the index going all the way back to 1950.

Moves like this aren't just rare… they are historic.

You can count on one hand how many times the S&P has rallied more than 9% in a single session in the last 75 years.

The green dots in this chart show these historical rallies.

 

Only during the depths of the Great Financial Crisis, have we seen stronger gains:

  • October 13, 2008: +11.6%
  • October 28, 2008: +10.8%
  • ...
Alfonso’s Daily Note

When to Buy?

April 8, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

The S&P 500 has already fallen 20% from its highs.

The VIX spiked into the 50s.

Panic and fear have taken over, and investors have been in for a roller coaster ride.

Volatility isn’t going away — that’s a given. But broadly speaking, I think the worst is behind us.

Now, we’re seeing key indexes and sectors retesting their prior cycle highs from 2021.

For long-term investors, this is what you wait for.

These kinds of “resets” often create historic opportunities.

But the goal isn’t to catch a falling knife. The...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

Where's the Support?

April 7, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

Volatility just took over the market in a big way.

Nothing has been safe—Tech, China, Europe, even Bitcoin got slammed.

This has been a full-blown flush.

The bears didn’t leave anything behind.

So now what?

Where’s the support?

Where can this thing stop bleeding?

For the S&P 500, I’m keeping an eye on those former cycle highs from 2021, right around 480. 

 

This looks like a good place to start—at least for a short-term bounce.

If there’s a line in the sand, 480 feels like the right spot where bulls...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

Tech is the Culprit

April 4, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

Today was another massacre for risk assets.

All 11 sectors got crushed.

VIX ripped past 45.

Copper had its worst day since October 2008.

Nothing was safe out there.

And if you're looking for the main culprit, it's Tech.

Tech has been leading this move lower

The warning signs were there for weeks

Back in January, I highlighted the implications of Technology and...

Alfonso’s Daily Note

Credit Spreads Don’t Lie

April 3, 2025

Sign up for my free note here.

Today was tough.

Equities got smoked across the board.

Transports suffered one of their worst days in history.

Semiconductors and Homebuilders  completed massive tops.

The damage is real.

Defensive rotation has been brewing for weeks, and today was yet another reminder the bears are in full control.

When it comes to the bond market, nothing tells the story better than credit spreads.

A month ago, I flagged the HYG/IEI ratio as one of the ...