Stock Market Blog -Jan 29th

The market popped on Wednesday (after the Fed announced that they will keep interest rates low till at least 2014), then gave up most of those gains on Thursday and Friday. Gold also popped, and interestingly enough, Bonds rallied too. Next week we could see a turning point in the stock rally.

New all time highs:
All time lows:  TZA ZSL

Pops & Drops:
AAPL popped on earnings. EMC, NFLX, and JCP also popped.
GLD popped after the Fed announcement to keep interest rates low.

RVBD dropped on earnings.

Weekly Unemployment claims

Next week: Economic reports   Next Friday we get the monthly Jobs report -a potential market mover.
Also, earnings reports from the following companies:

Mon: BIDU
Tue:  AMZN PFE UPS XOM
Wed: CMG MRO QCOM
Thu:  GMCR IP MA MRK
Fri: 

Market Commentary

The market settled mostly unchanged for the week, and looks tired up at these lofty levels from the December 19th low. I'm still looking for a pullback.

Bonds have been up this week too, as stocks remained flat. Earnings will continue to drive the market this week, along with news out of Europe. Longer term though, I'm bullish on the market for now, and looking to buy any pullback.

This week's charts:
AAPL  -largest market cap stock in the universe!
QQQ -ready to pull back yet?
SBUX -flying high


Commodities (charts):
Oil prices were mostly flat, closing near $99.56
Natural Gas finally rallied, closing near $2.77
Gold rallied again, closing near $1732
The 30 year Bond futures rallied, closing near $143.44
The US Dollar dropped, closing near 79.01

NEWS:
Dow Ends Lower; S&P, Nasdaq Gain for 4th Week
GDP comes in light at 2.8%
Fed Signals That a Full Recovery Is Years Away
Apple shares jump after earnings smash estimates
Apple’s Sweatshop Problem: 16 Hour Days, ~70 Cents An Hour
Why Starbucks Will Grow For Years

Facebook: Dead On Arrival For Investors?
Will the jobs report threaten the rally?
Stocks Worth Buying Before Earnings

Stock Market Blog -Jan 22nd

Stocks rallied again this week as we closed out January Option leaps for 2012. Not sure how much longer the rally will hold up though, since we've been in rally mode since Dec 19th. Bonds also fell as stocks rallied. Silver popped up on Friday.

New all time highs: CMG, INTU, MCD, NKE, PNRA, SBUX, TJX, UNP, WYN, YUM

All time lows: UNG, SDS, QID, TZA

Pops & Drops: GOOG dropped $57 on earnings! Also ISRG.
IBM and MSFT popped on earnings. SHLD also popped.

Weekly Unemployment claims

Next week: Economic reports    Fed meeting next week, along with more earnings from the following companies:

Mon: HAL
Tue:  EMC, JNJ, MCD, AAPL, YHOO
Wed: COP
Thu: CAT, MMM, SBUX
Fri:  CVX, F, PG

Market Commentary

The rally continued into options expiration week, despite disappointing earnings from a few companies. The indexes are overextended at this level though, so expect a pullback; maybe the Fed will be the catalyst, maybe Europe. I would hesitate to put on any 'new' long positions here, and would wait for a pullback instead. AAPL reports earnings on Tuesday and could have a positive impact on the NASDAQ if the stock rallies.

This week's charts:
SPY -overextended (RSI over 80)
QQQ -at the top of the 2011 range (5th time!)

Commodities (charts):
Oil prices dropped, closing just under $98.33
Natural Gas plummeted, again, closing near $2.34
Gold rallied, closing near $1664
The 30 year Bond futures dropped, closing near $141.88
The US Dollar dropped, closing near 80.41

NEWS:
Stocks Post Third Weekly Gain of the Year
F5, Monster, Madden Act Well; Google, Intuitive Fall
Stocks to watch Monday: RIM, Apache, TransDigm
Hot iPhone Sales To Fuel Apple's Q1 Report
Fed Meeting Key in Coming Week
Key Earnings Reports Next Week
A Deeper Dive Into The Whopping Surge Behind Sears’ Stock

Iran oil to be sanctioned by Europe Monday

Stock Market Blog -Jan 15th

The market finally pulled back this Friday, after more bad news on the European financial situation, and a rise in weekly US unemployment claims.

New all time highs: CMG, FAST, HUM, NUAN, PETM, PNRA, ROST, SBUX, SLXP, TSCO, YUM
All time lows: UNG

Pops & Drops:
Weekly Unemployment claims

Next week: Economic reports    Markets are closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday. Don't forget Friday is Options Expiration (leaps too).

Earnings season begins, with the following companies reporting (financials & tech):
Mon: (holiday)
Tue: C, WFC
Wed: GS
Thu: BAC, MS, AXP, GOOG, INTC, IBM, MSFT, ISRG
Fri: GE

Market Commentary

We did get a pullback as I expected, and the Euro did drop further and spoil the party as I expected! (looks like it wants to go to 120 eventually -see last week's chart). This week it's all about earnings (and the Euro of course), and Options expiration, so we could see a lot of action. Weakness in the banks early in the week could drag the market down a bit. Also a slew of tech companies report earnings on Thursday, right before option expiration. The overall trend is still bullish however. China stocks seem to be coming back to life too, especially solar.

This week's charts:
AZO -all time high
CMG -all time high
ROST -all time high
SBUX-all time high
YUM -all time high
PETM -all time high

Commodities (charts):
Oil prices dropped, closing just under $98.70
Natural Gas plummeted, closing near $2.67
Gold rallied, closing near $1630
The 30 year Bond futures rallied, closing near $145
The US Dollar was up slightly, closing near 81.79

NEWS:
U.S. stocks smacked by downgrade talk
U.S. stocks face lowered earnings bar
S&P downgrades nine euro zone countries
How Amazon ate Sears' lunch

Central Banks Have Us In a Monetary Trap
U.S. Stocks Funds Have Second-Worst Year as Clients Pull Out
Hostess, Maker Of Twinkies, Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Stock Market Blog -Jan 8th

The market did rally this week as expected, in spite of the rise in the US Dollar, so we have some divergence here. Gold and Oil also rallied. Bonds were weak. We got a good jobs report on Friday, with the unemployment rate coming in at 8.5%.

I'm still looking for more upside in stocks, but we have had a nice rally since Dec 19th so I wouldn't be surprised to see a pullback before we rally again.

New all time highs: AAPL, ALXN, AMT, FAST, HUM, ROST, TJX, SBUX, YUM
All time lows: FAZ, UNG

Pops & Drops: BKS, EK dropped.

Next week: Economic reports
AA kicks off earnings reports on Monday after the close.
JPM reports on Friday.

Market Commentary

We could get a pullback this week as we consolidate the gains from the past three weeks. I see this as a buying opportunity. Stocks like AAPL, ISRG, ROST, and SBUX are hitting new all time highs. Earnings season starts in another week and we could see good numbers push the market up  further. The chart technicals support this view.

Of course the Euro could drop further and spoil the party, though the market held up this week as the Euro dropped, so that correlation may be fading.

This week's charts:
Hot stocks
Jobs -scary

Commodities (charts):
Oil prices rallied, closing just under $101.56
Natural Gas was up, closing near $3.06
Gold rallied, closing near $1616
The 30 year Bond futures dropped, closing near $143.03
The US Dollar was up, closing near 81.60

NEWS:
U.S. Stocks Rise as S&P 500 Index Posts Its Second-Best Start Since 2006
U.S. Economy Gains Steam as 200,000 Jobs Are Added
Earnings in spotlight but Europe may steal show

6 stocks set to advance in 2012
Bonds Outperform Equities In 2011
McDonald's Will Outshine Apple In 2012
Oil Posts An All-Time Annual High
The 13 Worst Big Stock Stories Of 2011