Tuesday, October 03, 2017

Bear Radar

Style Underperformer:
  • Smal-Cap Value -.3%
Sector Underperformers:
  • 1) Oil Service -.8% 2) Road & Rail -.6% 3) Utilities -.4%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume: 
  • NVMI, PTCT, LL, DXCM, SCMP, MDXG, HEI, FIZZ and AEGN
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
  • 1) VRX 2) TWX 3) BBT 4) MNKD 5) BRK/B
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
  • 1) TTS 2) SCMP 3) AEGN 4) URBN 5) FFIV
Charts:

Bull Radar

Style Outperformer:
  • Large-Cap Growth +.2%
Sector Outperformers:
  • 1) Airlines +3.5% 2) Social Media +1.4% 3) Homebuilders +1.3%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
  • SSTI, LEN, PAYX, MANH, CALM, JP, SHW, NTLA, GM, MYOV, ICPT, PINC, EFX, FWONK, JBLU, BMA, CCU, SGH, DAL, TSLA, HLNE, MHK, EXAS, UNIT, RGR, SHW, ESIO, MTCH, EXTR, KR and MCRB
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
  • 1) JBLU 2) MGM 3) COF 4) LEN 5) LUV
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
  • 1) ECYT 2) MANH 3) GM 4) PAYX 5) LEN
Charts:

Morning Market Internals

NYSE Composite Index:

Monday, October 02, 2017

Tuesday Watch

Evening Headlines
Bloomberg:
  • Here Are Five Tailwinds Set to Boost the Global Market Rally. (video) Financial markets are dancing again to the risk-on beat, with the latest upswing in global manufacturing the latest reason to boogie. With the threat of higher interest rates, geopolitical shocks, and rich valuations, for now, seemingly powerless to unhinge stocks and bonds from their bullish foundations, there could be even more pain in store for naysayers. Here are five forces that may fan the flames of the risk rally. This is the season for investors to be jolly. Discretionary macro hedge-fund managers and active mutual-fund managers are likely to chase markets since they are flat or have lagged benchmarks for the first three quarters, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Add outflows spurred by the boom in passive investing -- estimated to hit $254 billion this year, matching 2008 levels -- and active equity mutual funds are under strong pressure to chase performance, the bank reckons.
  • India's Central Bank Seen Holding Rates Lower as Slowdown Bites. India’s central bank is expected to keep its benchmark rate at a seven-year low this week amid slowing growth in Asia’s third-largest economy. With inflation climbing fast toward the Reserve Bank of India’s medium term target, the Federal Reserve starting to shrink its balance sheet and growing speculation the government may loosen purse strings to bolster the economy, the room for lowering rates in the coming months is narrowing.
  • Stocks Add Gains, Dollar Climbs on Economic Cheer. Strong factory data and the prospect for American tax cuts boosted confidence in the global economy, lifting the dollar and emboldening bulls who drove U.S. equities to fresh record highs and pushed up shares in Asia. The Bloomberg dollar index was near strongest since mid-August, and the S&P 500 Index closed at an all-time high after data showed U.S. manufacturing expanded at the fastest pace in 13 years. That comes on the back of an unexpectedly strong factory gauge out of China over the weekend and the Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey showing the country’s big manufacturers are the most confident in a decade. Japanese shares rose, Aussie stocks gave back some yesterday’s gains and oil fell closer to $50 a barrel. Japan’s Topix index added 0.3 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 0.3 percent. Hang Seng futures were up 0.2 percent with traders returning after a long weekend. Indian markets also reopen after a holiday, while those in China and South Korea remain shut.
Wall Street Journal:
Business Insider: 
Night Trading 
  • Asian equity indices are -.25% to +.25% on average.
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 80.5 -1.25 basis points
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 18.75 -.25 basis point.
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 73.39 -.14%.
  • S&P 500 futures +.01%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures +.04%.
Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate

  • (AZZ)/.44
  • (LEN)/1.01
  • (PAYX)/.60
Economic Releases 
Afternoon:
  • Total Vehicle Sales for September are estimated to rise to 17.1M versus 16.0M in August.
Upcoming Splits
  • (ISRG) 3-for-1
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Eurozone PPI report, Australian Central Bank decision, weekly US retail sales reports, (F) Strategic Update, BofA Building/Infrastructure Conference and the (INTU) investor day could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE:  Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by industrial and commodity shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher.  The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the day.

Stocks Higher into Final Hour on Tax Reform Hopes, Economic Optimism, Short-Covering, Biotech/Defense Sector Strength

Broad Equity Market Tone:
  • Advance/Decline Line: Substantially Higher
  • Sector Performance: Almost Every Sector Rising
  • Volume: Around Average
  • Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line
Equity Investor Angst:
  • Volatility(VIX) 9.51 unch.
  • Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 137.95 -.49%
  • Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 7.85 -.76%
  • S&P 500 Implied Correlation 20.09 -9.38%
  • ISE Sentiment Index 200.0 +132.5%
  • Total Put/Call .90 -12.6%
  • NYSE Arms 1.03 -14.87%
Credit Investor Angst:
  • North American Investment Grade CDS Index 55.02 -1.46%
  • America Energy Sector High-Yield CDS Index 406.0 +.55%
  • European Financial Sector CDS Index 59.28 -.39%
  • Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 5.33 +6.81%
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 18.88 -.68%
  • Emerging Market CDS Index 182.05 -1.59%
  • iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporate High Yield Index 142.12 +.04%
  • 2-Year Swap Spread 25.25 -.5 basis point
  • TED Spread 29.0 unch.
  • 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -40.75 -.75 basis point
Economic Gauges:
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 73.51 -.24%
  • 3-Month T-Bill Yield 1.01% -3.0 basis points
  • Yield Curve 85.0 unch.
  • China Import Iron Ore Spot $62.05/Metric Tonne unch.
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index 1.50 +9.4 points
  • Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 45.60 -4.6 points
  • Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 18.90 +3.9 basis points
  • 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.84 -2.0 basis points
  • 70.5% chance of Fed rate hike at Dec. 13 meeting, 71.7% chance at Jan. 31 meeting
Overseas Futures:
  • Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating +95 open in Japan 
  • China A50 Futures: Indicating +153 open in China
  • DAX Futures: Indicating -5 open in Germany
Portfolio: 
  • Higher: On gains in my tech/biotech/medical sector longs
  • Disclosed Trades: None
  • Market Exposure: 100% Net Long

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
Wall Street Journal:
MarketWatch.com: