Pro Blog

Staying in touch with current events and market action is important for trading success. This blog contains topics of interest that relate to individual stocks, market indices, market sectors/industries, and ETFs. 

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A Market Out of Sync

Charles Schaap -

Last week, the Nasdaq, S&P, and Dow all had up weeks. The Nasdaq gained +1.19%, the S&P rose +0.95%, and the Dow advanced +0.93%. But volume was not impressive and many stocks breaking out to new highs do not have strong fundamentals. Strong sectors have been consumer defensive, energy (oil & gas), and utilities.

The Nasdaq has been unable to pop above its 50 EMA, and daily RSI 20 remains weak, closing Friday at 42. In contrast, the S&P and Dow, containing more large cap and cyclical stocks, both hold above their 50 day EMAs.  The S&P is acting stronger than the Nasdaq, a change from 2013 when the Nasdaq led the way up. The Nasdaq and S&P are not in sync; this is market that has been changing its character since the correction began. 

September Could Be Worse than August
Charles Schaap - August 30, 2013

Historically, August is one of the 4 worst performing months for the S&P 500 (source: Stock Trader's Almanac). This year, the S&P's performance in August fit the history, falling -2.8% during a market correction. The large, blue arrow represents the month of August....keep reading