11111111111111111
Apple (AAPL), on which I own a small put position, edged down both yesterday and today. Next Friday is when the JesusPhone gets introduced. Obviously it will be fascinating on the 29th to see what happens to the stock. To say this product is widely anticipated is a gross understatement.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHiQmb1XI/AAAAAAAAC8c/ysG5Fq7QhwA/s400/0620-aapl.jpg
Let me pause for a second to make a socionomic observation. I saw a full page ad in the WSJ this morning for a series on CNBC (of course) called American Greed. Just another sign of the apocalypse, folks. The world's vomit-inducing obsession with cash, stoked terribly over the past few years, is reaching the saturation point. Barf.
Real estate stocks are a strange one to me now. They have very toppy formations. But they have also fallen far enough to be resting on some pretty significant trendlines. It is a difficult call. Apartment Investments (AIV) is a good example. I don't have a position in this one, although I do in some others, such as ESS.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHXgmb1QI/AAAAAAAAC7k/Om2ZXO7ldYs/s400/0620-aiv.jpg
Bolt Tech (BTJ) finally started to fall a bit today, although it would be hard for any stock not to do so on a day like this. I have great hopes for this one.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHXwmb1RI/AAAAAAAAC7s/ZYyIk3WuuY4/s400/0620-btj.jpg
CVH doesn't have any particular bearish pattern per se, but it does look like what would normally be a really bullish breakout is going limp-dicked. And that's bearish. Oh, random thought: if you ever see anyone spell it per say, shoot them. Because they are an abomination to the gene pool. Aw, hell, let them live. Most people are idiots anyway. No harm in letting a few more loose.
111111111111111111
CVH doesn't have any particular bearish pattern per se, but it does look like what would normally be a really bullish breakout is going limp-dicked. And that's bearish. Oh, random thought: if you ever see anyone spell it per say, shoot them. Because they are an abomination to the gene pool. Aw, hell, let them live. Most people are idiots anyway. No harm in letting a few more loose.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHXwmb1SI/AAAAAAAAC70/bPiXKJB6IqE/s400/0620-cvh.jpg
I'm sorry to say I got stopped out of John Deere this morning, but it went on to form a lovely shooting star. Sigh. Could have to re-enter this sucker.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHYAmb1TI/AAAAAAAAC78/TRi6YPXiYAY/s400/0620-de.jpg
InfoSys (INFY) isn't my favorite pattern in the world, but as lower lows and lower highs go, it's not terrible.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHHgmb1MI/AAAAAAAAC7E/b2dMbbVv_M0/s400/0620-infy.jpg
Lehman Brothers (LEH) is mushed up against its Fib Fan. Nice.
11111111111111111
Lehman Brothers (LEH) is mushed up against its Fib Fan. Nice.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHHwmb1NI/AAAAAAAAC7M/bsj-MEf3PLg/s400/0620-leh.jpg
My bullish notes on ONT have panned out OK, but, I dunno, I'd edge away from this one unless it busts through yesterday's high. Volume is slipping fast. And if you look at the entire history of this stock, it definitely is not beneath wrecking a perfectly good bullish pattern by going limp.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHIAmb1OI/AAAAAAAAC7U/4BwKezFZ_Lc/s400/0620-ont.jpg
The SPY (whose options have a surprisingly sucky bid/ask spread) sports a nice bearish engulfing pattern. Heavenly Father, would you please make the market fall hard for more than one day in a row? Please?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnnHIQmb1PI/AAAAAAAAC7c/f2AwBIPL02Y/s400/0620-spy.jpg
Remember: it's a beautiful world.
at 6/20/2007 50 insightful comments
http://www.blogger.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif Links to this post
Labels: $spx, $vix, aapl, ajc is a hermaphrodite, dia
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
111111111111111111
Tuesday, June 19, 2007The Show Must Go On
It was another relatively uninspiring day on the markets......but I dare not let a post go stale! So, as always, at least a few thoughts.
Akamai (AKAM) is a peculiarly slanted head and shoulders pattern which inched lower today, in spite of some general market strength.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVsgmb1JI/AAAAAAAAC6s/TEXThp6tXg8/s400/0619-akam.jpg
Albemarle (ALB).....and, good technician that I am, I have no clue what they do.... continues to fall nicely. There is really very little in the way of support on this stock, so I'll just keep tightening up my stocks.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVsgmb1KI/AAAAAAAAC60/QSxlywvs2Jc/s400/0619-alb.jpg
Just to show again I am not a bear a bear only, I've got a couple of bullish ideas. One of them is Blockbuster (BBI) which is trying......apparently with some success....to change their business model in the age of Netflix and Apple TV.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVsgmb1LI/AAAAAAAAC68/OyiMP2mG5gI/s400/0619-bbi.jpg
Another bullish idea - well, kinda - is DXD, which is a double inverse ETF based on the Dow 30. It's incredible how popular these things have become. Just look at that volume.
11111111111111
Another bullish idea - well, kinda - is DXD, which is a double inverse ETF based on the Dow 30. It's incredible how popular these things have become. Just look at that volume.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVewmb1GI/AAAAAAAAC6U/J6dxftcG8wQ/s400/0619-dxd.jpg
A bullish idea I've mentioned before which is moving in the right direction is JetBlue (JBLU).
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVewmb1HI/AAAAAAAAC6c/Lq223ayfJjE/s400/0619-jblu.jpg
My crusty old short in Sears Holding (SHLD) is ever-so-slowly moving downward. It finally edged beneath the support line you see drawn here.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnhVfAmb1II/AAAAAAAAC6k/GEzEkfI2irw/s400/0619-shld.jpg
I'll see you here tomorrow.
at 6/19/2007 21 insightful comments
http://www.blogger.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif Links to this post
Labels: akam, alb, bbi, dxd, jblu, shld
1111111111111111
Monday, June 18, 2007Post Number D
Well, this is it.......my 500th post to this blog. I would have hoped for some kind of momentous occasion (like a corresponding 500 point drop on the Dow), but it was not to be. I never thought I'd be writing this blog for this long considering its humble beginnings as little more than a personal diary
For anyone who has read my blog even a little bit, you know I'm a relatively incurable bearish sort. As such, the past couple of years have been rough sledding for me and other bears. Although there have been glimpses of hope (such as the early summer of 2006 or the brief plunge in February of this year), the market has, since October 2002, been owned and controlled by the bulls. Period.
Markets weren't always this way. Looking at over 80 years of the Dow in the 20th century, you can see a pretty even distribution of bullish years and bearish years (the latter shown in red).
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnb0FQmb1EI/AAAAAAAAC6E/wJkPlfbNsJA/s400/0618-%24dowold.jpg
But the past quarter century has been quite different. Offer any reason you like - globalization, mass credit, the benefits of computers - it hardly matters. The fact is that a down year in the stock market has become a rare exception.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnb0Fgmb1FI/AAAAAAAAC6M/oJIO7Yvtr4I/s400/0618-%24dowrecent.jpg
And of course, the king of all bull markets, China, shows no sign of slowing down. The hiccup in February is becoming a speck in the history of this market. Except for a small ETF position now and then in some related Asian market, I stay far, far away from China (either bullish or bearish). It's a bubble that no one knows where or when will burst. A true bear market could be years off.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbz6Amb0_I/AAAAAAAAC5c/wL150Qvbol8/s400/0618-%24china.jpg
Closer to home, the Dow inched lower today, and a potential double top remains in place. Of course, one strong day could pierce that possibility instantly.
111111111111111
Closer to home, the Dow inched lower today, and a potential double top remains in place. Of course, one strong day could pierce that possibility instantly.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbz6Qmb1AI/AAAAAAAAC5k/6eHiOYCynlg/s400/0618-%24indu.jpg
Most U.S. equity markets have a strong resemblance in that, over the past couple of months, volatility has increased (judging from the technical indicators), even as prices have plateaued into relative quiet. Here's the S&P 500......
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbz6gmb1BI/AAAAAAAAC5s/JQ2aKEa2FMw/s400/0618-%24spx.jpg
And a very similar reading from the Amex Major Market Index.......
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbz6wmb1CI/AAAAAAAAC50/K7rTVwwoGt4/s400/0618-%24xmi.jpg
Today was a pretty hum-drum, do-nothing day, but there were pockets of interesting stuff. ALB, a short of mine, cut beneath its neckline nicely.
111111111111111111111
Today was a pretty hum-drum, do-nothing day, but there were pockets of interesting stuff. ALB, a short of mine, cut beneath its neckline nicely.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbz6wmb1DI/AAAAAAAAC58/6DP62d61LBY/s400/0618-alb.jpg
BTJ, another short, rose some. But I'm still feeling good about this chart.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbzqwmb06I/AAAAAAAAC40/T0yksy8LZYc/s400/0618-btj.jpg
Another short, Constellation Group (CEG), eased lower, and the reversal in trend seems convincing.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnbzrQmb07I/AAAAAAAAC48/Sl2tysAc1Lo/s400/0618-ceg.jpg
Housing stocks seem to be rather stuck, although they pushed down somewhat today. ESS is one of them, shown below. Many housing stocks bear a resemblance of this head and shoulders (ish) pattern, but the firmness seems peculiar.
1111111111111
Housing stocks seem to be rather stuck, although they pushed down somewhat today. ESS is one of them, shown below. Many housing stocks bear a resemblance of this head and shoulders (ish) pattern, but the firmness seems peculiar.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbzrgmb08I/AAAAAAAAC5E/n09Vp1FIFUg/s400/0618-ess.jpg
I don't think I've mentioned Entergy (ETR) in a while. I entered a new short position on this today.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/Rnbzrwmb09I/AAAAAAAAC5M/r3ThKVPAUu8/s400/0618-etr.jpg
JC Penney (JCP), on which I own puts, also eased beneath its neckline (finally!) today.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnbzsAmb0-I/AAAAAAAAC5U/AdnOEwNLMLc/s400/0618-jcp.jpg
I toyed with the idea of making my 500th post my farewell to this blog, but I figured that would be a bit tooPlus, I do like writing this blog, for the most part. It's an honor.
The main reason I keep writing it is because thousands of people show up every day (for whatever reason) to read what I've got to say. And we've got somewhat of a culture built up around this place. So I might as well keep at it. And, believe me, I'm grateful for your interest and readership.
And, after all, every dog has his day. Stay tuned.
at 6/18/2007 41 insightful comments
http://www.blogger.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif Links to this post
Labels: $indu, $spx, $xmi, btj, ceg, china, cpt etr, ess, jcp
11111111111111111
Friday, June 15, 2007Son of a (Triple) Witch......
Well, what a difference three days makes.
As of Tuesday's close, things looked just hunky-dory for the bears. Although such a rapid, 400+ point drop from the Dow certainly suggested it was time for a bounce up. But the very unresolved question is whether the bounce was the contratrend in the scope of a real downtrend, or whether the 400+ drop was no more important than the one from late February.
One trend is clear - - comments are up. Even with anonymous posters shut out of the comments section, activity has been ramping up in line with the market's volatility. Big down days bring out the snarling bears, and big up days bring out the told-ya-so bulls. Of course, beanie11111 alone was responsible for 15 of the prior post's comments, so a few people are largely responsible for the activity. (And Beanie - we get it - solar, solar, solar - enough!)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnMQzgmb01I/AAAAAAAAC4M/4_xzRqfBfO4/s400/0615-%24comments.jpg
Looking at the $INDU, the best the bears can hope for at this point is a double top. A neat cascade of lower lows and lower highs simply didn't happen.......today's push higher broke that theory to pieces.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnMQzwmb02I/AAAAAAAAC4U/NoDFuRiHaQY/s400/0615-%24indu.jpg
If the market does continue its descent next week, the Russell 2000 is, in my opinion, the best place to play it. Not only because of the relatively decent bid/ask spread, but also because it is relatively weak in its performance.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnMQzwmb03I/AAAAAAAAC4c/UpXPAYLwyE4/s400/0615-%24rut.jpg
I don't think I've ever mentioned ACL before, but this looks like one which has turned the corner from uptrend to downtrend.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DC_WvCGCWQ8/RnMQ0Amb04I/AAAAAAAAC4k/BYn5s3q0esw/s400/0615-acl.jpg
I got into a short position with BEAS today, and it's a bit in the green already, in spite of the market's strength. The right shoulder of this pattern is half completed.