Thursday, August 30, 2012

Bear Radar


Style Underperformer:

  • Small-Cap Value -1.20%
Sector Underperformers:
  • 1) Networking -3.50% 2) Disk Drives -2.82% 3) Alt Energy -2.71%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:
  • BHP, BBL, TEO, RP, TNGO, VRA, TJX, GIL, RBA, GWAY, CIEN, BRLI, SHLD, GLNG, FSLR, YELP, TROX, TFM, MSB, MTB, AAXJ, TD, BNS, JOY, KWR, RIO, ICE, RAIL, CLF, MDGN, RP, FNSR and MCP
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
  • 1) COP 2) WFT 3) BHP 4) UUP 5) CIEN
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
  • 1) KLAC 2) C 3) BA 4) GS 5) CME
Charts:

Bull Radar


Style Outperformer:
  • Large-Cap Growth -.70%
Sector Outperformers:
  • 1) Drugs -.50% 2) Telecom -.55% 3) Utilities -.56%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
  • BKE, ZUMZ, BPT, P, SRPT, VC and AH
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
  • 1) TIVO 2) SRPT 3) P 4) GIS 5) EXEL
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
  • 1) TJX 2) TGT 3) COST 4) LLY 5) EBAY
Charts:

Thursday Watch


Night Trading

  • Asian equity indices are -1.25% to -.50% on average.
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 151.50 -.5 basis point.
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 127.50 +.75 basis point.
  • FTSE-100 futures -.37%.
  • S&P 500 futures -.40%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures -.31%.
Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate
  • (CIEN)/-.02
  • (TD)/1.84
  • (ESL)/1.11
  • (OVTI)/.22
  • (ZUMZ)/.13
Economic Releases
8:30 am EST

  • Personal Income for July is estimated to rise +.3% versus a +.5% gain in June.
  • Personal Spending for July is estimated to rise +.5% versus unch. in June.
  • The PCE Core for July is estimated to rise +.1% versus a +.2% gain in June.
  • Initial Jobless Claims are estimated to fall to 370K versus 372K the prior week.
  • Continuing Claims are estimated to fall to 3307K versus 3317K prior.

11:00 am EST

  • The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Activity Index for August is estimated to fall to 3.0 versus 5.0 in July.

Upcoming Splits

  • None of note

Other Potential Market Movers

  • The Italian 10Y Bond auction, Germany Unemployment Rate, Japan PMI data, ICSC Chain Store Sales report for August, 7Y T-Note auction, weekly Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index and the weekly EIA natural gas inventory report could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are lower, weighed down by commodity and technology shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing modestly lower. The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Stocks Slightly Higher into Final Hour on Global Central Bank Stimulus/Action Hopes, Short-Covering, Lower Energy Prices


Broad Market Tone:

  • Advance/Decline Line: Higher
  • Sector Performance: Mixed
  • Volume: Light
  • Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line
Equity Investor Angst:
  • VIX 16.79 +1.82%
  • ISE Sentiment Index 115.0 -8.0%
  • Total Put/Call 1.03 +22.62%
  • NYSE Arms 1.14 -27.70%
Credit Investor Angst:
  • North American Investment Grade CDS Index 100.67 bps -.51%
  • European Financial Sector CDS Index 244.19 bps -.87%
  • Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 232.47 -.31%
  • Emerging Market CDS Index 247.99 +1.72%
  • 2-Year Swap Spread 17.5 +.75 basis point
  • TED Spread 32.5 -.25 basis point
  • 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -30.5 unch.
Economic Gauges:
  • 3-Month T-Bill Yield .10% unch.
  • Yield Curve 138.0 +2 basis points
  • China Import Iron Ore Spot $90.30/Metric Tonne -4.75%
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index -3.90 +3.0 points
  • 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.31 -1 basis point
Overseas Futures:
  • Nikkei Futures: Indicating +7 open in Japan
  • DAX Futures: Indicating +1 open in Germany
Portfolio:
  • Higher: On gains in my Retail/Tech/Medical sector longs and Emerging Markets shorts
  • Disclosed Trades: Added to my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges and to my (EEM) short, then covered some of them
  • Market Exposure: 50% Net Long

Bear Radar


Style Underperformer:

  • Large-Cap Growth +.02%
Sector Underperformers:
  • 1) Steel -3.02% 2) Oil Tankers -2.21% 3) Coal -1.70%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:
  • SLT, GDP, SZYM, SPN, CLF, CLMT, BIDU, FTE, TFM, STMP, CIEN, FSLR, SCHN, VRTX, HAIN and DY
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
  • 1) COP 2) VALE 3) APKT 4) KSS 5) NSM
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
  • 1) MOV 2) C 3) JOY 4) SO 5) VIAB
Charts:

Bull Radar


Style Outperformer:
  • Large-Cap Value -.14%
Sector Outperformers:
  • 1) HMOs +.95% 2) Medical Equipment +.32% 3) Telecom +.31%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
  • YELP, WLP, ANGI, MCP, SXL, JOSB, MAKO and SEE
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
  • 1) HTZ 2) ERY 3) WLP 4) MAKO 5) HNZ
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
  • 1) T 2) ANGI 3) GCO 4) CYBX 5) TCAP
Charts: