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The main indexes tested and even went below their January lows, only to stage a major bounce towards the end of the week. Given the sentiment and economic backdrop, it’s probably just an oversold bounce within a bear market. And yet, it’s anyone’s guess is how long it’ll last. The S&P 500 testing its declining 20-day moving average or even 450 is not out of a question. 

Metals stocks have been notably the strongest sector, probably due to war-related sanctions. XME is at 10-year highs. Steel, aluminum, copper stocks are busting loose.

Oil stocks are also holding well and are setting up for potential breakouts – GUSH, ERX, AR, DVN, TRGP, FANG, MUR, SU, etc.

It’s good to see stocks outside of the commodity space starting to break out and set up – SEAS, LNPH, DOCS, etc.

It’s still a headline-driven choppy market that is capable of gapping up or down 2% on any given day. This environment requires one to be nimble, open-minded, and willing to trade both sides of the market.

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Most stocks are in a bear market. There has been no follow-through on earnings breakouts this season. Most upside gaps are either faded immediately or lead to exactly one day of upside action before they get slammed. On the other side, there has been plenty of follow-through on earnings breakdowns – see PYPL, FB, for example. 

Nothing goes straight down or up. Occasionally, bear markets have viscous short-term rallies just so they can scare the shorts out of their positions and trick new longs in. When the bear lays out honey, it is usually a trap. The tiny low-volume bounces just create better risk/reward short opportunities. The bounce we saw in the first half of February was followed by more selling. In fact, many cloud and Internet stocks have started another leg lower. 

To top it off, there is a war lingering in the air. I don’t know how much of it has already been discounted but markets tend to overshoot. Scared people tend to panic and panic leads to liquidations and forced selling. No wonder buyers are with one foot out the door and have to conviction. And this won’t change until the indexes make a higher high which currently means 460 for SPY. In rising markets, it pays to hold longer. During corrective, choppy markets is important to be nimble and take profits quickly on both long and short positions because they tend to disappear quickly. If you cannot adjust to this new reality, it is better just to stay on the sidelines and wait out the storm.

The main indexes seem headed for a test of their January lows. This means 420 for the S&P 500 (SPY), 334 for the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), 190 for Russell 2000 (IWM). They don’t have to get there in a straight line. There could be another bounce along the way.

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The latest CPI readings came at 7.5%; a bit higher than expectations. The market brushed off the initial selloff on the news and we even saw software and biotech stocks leading the bounce which to me was a clear sign that the 100-200 basis points increase in interest rates was probably already discounted. Then Friday’s Ukraine headlines came and the tech was poleaxed while commodity-related groups shone. Oil & gas: XLE, XOP, metals and mining: XME, fertilizers: CF, MOS NTR, SQM; are currently the leading stocks in the market. It’s not ideal when basic materials are rising and tech is in the gutter but we have to work with what the markets provide us. Trends are trends no matter the asset.

Commodities are cyclical. Their outperformance is not from yesterday. It started more than a year ago. It’s anyone’s guess how long the upswing stage is going to last. The narrative and earnings growth is on their side right now. Rising inflation expectations, reopening after Covid, and Russia/Ukraine crisis are driving oil prices. Financial markets always overshoot. Less than two years ago, no one wanted to touch energy stocks. The world was under Covid lockdown and WTI oil even went negative for a brief moment. Fast forward to today, people can’t get enough energy stocks. 

Thursday and Friday were big distribution days for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. Both made lower highs. SPY tested its 50-day moving averages and reversed lower. QQQ tested its 200-day moving average and pulled back. Both seem headed for a test of their January lows. If this happens, I will be watching for bullish divergences. Will fewer stocks make year-to-date new lows if the indexes revisit their lows? This would be a foundation for a more sustainable bounce. The alternative would be another leg lower. If QQQ cannot hold 340, it will probably test 320 which would represent about 20% drawdown. If 320 doesn’t hold, the next level of potential support is 300. Keep in mind that markets rarely go straight down or up. There are usually vicious rallies that interrupt downtrends. The silver lining is that the bigger the correction, the bigger the opportunities afterward.

Try my subscription service which includes a private Twitter feed with option and stock ideas, emails with concise market commentary and actionable swing, intraday, and position trade ideas, the Momentum 40 list of market leaders, and much more. See some of the recent testimonials.

PERFORMANCE

Here’s a Google spreadsheet tracking all closed options and stock ideas shared on my private Twitter stream and emails for subscribers.

Check out my free weekly email to get an idea of the content I share with members.

Disclaimer: Everything I share is for educational and informational purposes only and it should not be considered financial advice.