Stock Market update: Stock Market Blog -May 4th

The market was up a bit for the week, after a lousy GDP number, and an OK Jobs number (depending on which opinion you listen to). The unemployment rate dropped to 6.3%, but roughly a million people dropped out of the workforce too! TWTR dropped after reporting earnings, as did CVX. Bonds rallied, and Oil dropped.

New all time highs: COP, DYN, KR, MAR, MMM, NVS, SNDK, XOM, XNF
All time lows: -DRL

The DOW hasn't been able to break through 16,600

Pops: , Drops:

Next week: Economic reports, Fed before Congress

Earnings:

Mon - PFE

Tue - DIS, ODP, UBS

Wed -

Thu - REGN

Fri -

Market Commentary

We seem to be stalled around this level in the S&P500. The market is very unpredictable here, but with the recent sell-off in techs, there may be an opportunity for a bounce in some of those names.

Implied Volatility on individual stocks tend to rise ahead of earnings, then drop sharply once the earnings are out. Options strategies can be used to take advantage of these predictable moves (e.g. selling Credit spreads).

Another wreck in the financial sector -new all time low this week

This week's charts:

S&P 500 -still forming a top?
10yr Interest Rates
Labor Force Participation Rate (10 year chart)

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Crude Oil was up, closing around $99.82 -dropped below $100 again
Natural Gas was mostly unchanged, closing at $4.68
Gold was mostly flat, closing at $1300
The 30 year Bond was up, closing at 136.09

The US Dollar was down again, closing at 79.55