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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New Year Begins with Profit Taking

Charles Schaap -

On Thursday, the first trading day of the New Year, market participants took profits and sent the indices falling.The Nasdaq fell -33 points (-0.80%), the S&P dropped -16 points (-0.89%), and the Dow gave up -135 points (-0.82%). Volume on the S&P increased 45% from Tuesday. Nasdaq volume increased +27%. Decliners beat advancers by a ratio of 2 to 1, and down volume beat up volume by 2.6 to 1. This was a broad market sell off.

None of the 3 major stock indices closed below their respective 10 SMAs today. If this occurs on Friday, it would be a negative development. A bounce off the 10 SMA could occur on Friday, or Monday. The downside support zone for the Nasdaq is at 4,050 - 4,080. Support for the S&P is at 1,800 - 1,810. These levels must be watched closely. A close "above" 4,150 on the Nasdaq would be a positive development.

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