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The Standard and Poors index (SPX) recovered the losses of last week, closing today at 4698, down 7 points. SPX opened Monday at 4689 so the index was slightly higher for the week, up 0.2%. The S&P 500 set intraday
all-time highs early in November, but then took a minor tumble on November 9th and 10th. This week’s trading took the index back to those highs, but SPX pulled back both times that it touched that resistance level this week.
Trading volume climbed steadily this week and moved above the 50 dma for the past two days. That was solid reinforcement of the S&P 500’s steady climb higher this week.
VIX, the volatility index for the S&P 500 options, closed today’s trading at 18%, up a full percentage point from Monday’s open. VIX moved higher the last three days of this week, as the market moved higher on Thursday and opened higher this morning. The VIX divergences we saw last week have continued but have not been followed by the expected downturn.
I track the Russell 2000 index with the IWM ETF. The owners of Russell have priced everyone out of the Russell 2000 index and option data. That is why I plot the IWM prices. IWM closed today at 232.72, down 2.14. Unlike the other broad market indices, IWM has declined steadily this week, declining 3.3%. In fact, IWM has been steadily declining since 11/8. Is this the canary in the coal mine?
The NASDAQ Composite index gapped open higher this morning, setting a new all-time high with a close today at 16057, up 64 points and up slightly over one percent for the week. High tech is hot. Can it carry the market? NASDAQ’s trading volume ran above the 50 dma all week but fell well below average today.
VIX divergences occur when the S&P 500 index trades higher, but the VIX also moves higher. This suggests that the large institutional traders are concerned about the market and are bidding up the cost of the SPX puts. In my experience, VIX divergences are rare and are nearly always followed by a reasonably significant downturn. Even though that has not happened here, I still am concerned. The solid down trend in IWM is a serious warning sign. In addition, the S&P 500 index has now recovered its losses, but it appears to be hesitating as it approaches those highs from early in November. It could go either way from here. My cash level increased to 58% this week as I closed positions and chose to open fewer new positions. A severe correction is historically very unusual for a holiday shortened week like we will have next week, but I remain cautious.
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The Standard and Poors index (SPX) finally took a breather this week, closing today at 4682, up 33 points or 0.7%. SPX opened Monday at 4701 so the index was virtually unchanged for the week (down only 19 points). Trading volume has been lackluster this week, running at or slightly below the 50-day moving average (dma) all week. This level of trading volume is actually encouraging, since a spike higher on Tuesday and Wednesday as the market declined would have been much more bearish.
VIX, the volatility index for the S&P 500 options, closed today’s trading at 16.4%, virtually unchanged from last Friday’s close. VIX opened the week at 17.2% and spiked nearly to 20% on Wednesday before beginning a slow decline. The VIX divergences we observed last week did in fact predict the market’s decline this week, but fortunately it was not too severe.
The NASDAQ Composite index followed the other market indices this week, closing today at 15,861, down 0.8% for the week. NASDAQ posted a 1.0% gain in today’s trading to make up a large proportion of the week’s losses. NASDAQ’s trading volume ran above the 50 dma all week but declined to the average today.
The VIX divergences we observed last week did presage the pull back we observed this week, but it has proven minor thus far. Today’s strong market served to reassure many traders, including me. It is actually very healthy and normal for strong bull markets to take pauses or breathers as they rise. I am still left wondering about the absence of solid economic underpinnings to justify such a strong market. In spite of my doubts, my cash level decreased to 35% this week. I am doing my best to be selective in my trades but also take advantage of this bull market while I have the opportunity.
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The Standard and Poors index (SPX) set new all-time highs this week on Thursday and Friday, closing the week at 4605 for a weekly gain of 1.1%. It is hard to overstate how strong this recovery has been since the last pull back. Trading volume has reinforced this bullish run, starting below the 50-day moving average (dma) on Monday, but then exceeding the 50 dma in increasing magnitude all week.
VIX, the volatility index for the S&P 500 options, opened the week at 16.1% and closed Friday at 16.3%, essentially unchanged for the week. VIX moved higher Tuesday and Wednesday but declined over the last two trading sessions of the week. Historically, this level of volatility remains moderately high. Some are suggesting this represents low volatility based on the averages since the beginning of the pandemic. I continue to view this level of volatility with caution.
I track the Russell 2000 index with the IWM ETF. The owners of Russell have priced everyone out of the Russell 2000 index and option data. That is why I plot the IWM prices. IWM has been extremely choppy for the past six months and that trading pattern continues. While the S&P 500 has moved up over 7% since the bottom of the pullback on October 4th and set two new all-time highs this week, IWM remains two percent below its recent high. IWM has not even recovered the high it set on Monday. The market’s high beta stocks are not leading this charge. This is bearish.
The NASDAQ Composite index is matching the performance of the S&P 500 this week, setting two all-time highs and closing at 15498 on Friday, up 50 points. NASDAQ’s trading volume ran above the 50 dma all week but peaked on Tuesday and declined thereafter.
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ are on fire, but the Russell 2000 continues to lag behind. When I read and listen to the daily news, I don’t come away optimistic and bullish on our economic future. But the markets are setting new all-time highs. This doesn’t seem consistent. I admit to a bit of stubbornness. I prefer to think of it as tenacity. I do not understand the economic underpinnings of this market and I remain very cautious. A correction appears to be a rational expectation.
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The Standard and Poors index (SPX) set several new all-time highs again this week, closing the week at 4698 for a weekly gain of 1.9%. I don’t believe I have ever seen the S&P 500 index move so far and so quickly. It worries me. Trading volume has reinforced this bullish run, starting at the 50-day moving average (dma) on Monday and then exceeding the 50 dma all week.
VIX, the volatility index for the S&P 500 options, closed today’s trading at 16.5%. VIX opened the week at 16.9% and steadily declined until Thursday when it posted a small gain to close at 15.4%. Today, it moved up a little over one point to close at 16.5%. We call these VIX divergences when both the VIX and the S&P 500 index rise in the same trading session. VIX divergences are rare and here we see two in succession. The market often pulls back after a VIX divergence. It is as though the big players see dangers on the horizon and start to buy protection even as the market continues higher.
I track the Russell 2000 index with the IWM ETF. The owners of Russell have priced everyone out of the Russell 2000 index and option data. That is why I plot the IWM prices. IWM has been extremely choppy for the past six months and that trading pattern continues. While the S&P 500 has moved up over 7%, it finally broke out of jail on 10/28 and has posted a strong run, setting several new all-time highs this week.
The NASDAQ Composite index is matching the performance of the S&P 500 index this week, setting a new all-time high every day and closing at 15972 today, up 2.8% for the week. NASDAQ’s trading volume ran above the 50 dma all week but declined to the average today.
When I look at the broad market indices, the S&P 500 index and the NASDAQ Composite, everything seems remarkably rosy. Even the Russell 2000 index has joined the “setting all-time highs” party. I have been concerned about this market for several weeks, simply because of marginal economic data that don’t support this booming market. The first VIX divergence posted yesterday when VIX and SPX both increased. Normally, these positive divergences, where the market is up, result in a market decline the next trading session. I think the extremely positive jobs report this morning set a very bullish tone, but that waned as the day wore on. Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I saw that we had posted another VIX divergence. I acted on that observation and closed several positions. I will relax a little more easily this weekend.
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The Standard and Poors index (SPX) set a new all-time high on Thursday at 4550 and then traded sideways today, closing at 4544, down almost five points on the day. SPX had a strong week, gaining 81 points or 1.8%. The lowest close in this most recent pull back was 4300 on October 4th. That computes to a 5.7% gain in fourteen trading sessions. It may be significant that this strong rise of the market this month has occurred with trading volume for the S&P 500 companies remained largely below the 50 day moving average (dma).
VIX, the volatility index for the S&P 500 options, opened the week at 17.3% and closed Friday at 15.4%. Although volatility declined this week, this level of volatility remains moderately high. Traders remain cautious.
I track the Russell 2000 index with the IWM ETF. The owners of Russell have priced everyone out of the Russell 2000 index and option data. That is why I plot the IWM prices. IWM has been extremely choppy for the past six months and that trading pattern continues. While the S&P 500 has been trading strongly higher since October 4th, up almost six percent, and set a new all-time high yesterday, IWM remains almost one percent below its recent high on September 2nd. The market’s high beta stocks are not leading this charge.
The NASDAQ Composite index managed a weekly gain of 1.7%, but the chart tells a different story. Today’s close at 15,090, down 126 points, took NASDAQ nearly back to Tuesday’s open. Monday’s strong gain was essentially the week’s gain. NASDAQ remains 284 points or 1.9% below its recent all-time high of 15,374 on September 7th. NASDAQ’s trading volume did manage to spike up above the 50 dma yesterday and today, although today was a down day, so that wasn’t reassuring.
I have been reeling from this market’s choppiness this year. It seems like the market twitches every few weeks, trips my stops and hands me a small loss. As I watched the stellar rise of the S&P 500 this week, it caused me to wonder about the long term trend and whether this market makes sense. Is this overall market trend consistent with the growth of the U.S. economy? Both the Producer Price Index and the Consumer Price Index are setting new records. On a recent driving vacation my wife and I took south, we frequently would stop at a fast food restaurant to take a break and get a snack and coffee. The dining room was usually closed because they only had enough staff to serve the drive through window. Even the Fed’s Beige Book mentioned staffing shortages as a common problem for businesses. And many businesses didn’t survive the economic shutdown. One fast food restaurant near our house is offering a hiring bonus of $500. The Fed is printing money every month and Congress is setting spending records. When interest rates finally start to rise, the bill to service our national debt will quickly become a significant burden. Remember Greece a few years ago?
Perhaps this explains the twitchy market this year. And it may explain why both the Russell 2000 and NASDAQ are not following the S&P 500 and setting new highs. My conclusions for this week are relatively unchanged. I am setting tight stops and taking profits early. This is not a healthy bull market and I remain very cautious.
