Blocks.Com | My Blog | Most Recent | My Subscriptions |

August 2009

Futures Watch - Monday August 31, 2009 - Life In the Zone

The S&P closed Friday at 1028.93 - it's 4th straight close between 1028 and 1030.   Futures are down this morning (there was a big sell-off in the Asian markets overnight - I guess they didn't like th
Last Updated: Monday, August 31, 2009 8:55 AM

Mid-Day Check-In - Thursday August 27, 2009 - And.... REVERSAL!

S&P 500 - 15 Min Chart - 4 DaysSo the S&P emerged from the triangle and proceded to drop like a stone at the open.   Got down as far as 1016, - spitting distance from the Fibonacci 38.2 Retracement of
Last Updated: Thursday, August 27, 2009 3:47 PM

Futures Watch - Thursday August 27, 2009 - Three Dojis and A Triangle

 Futures are hanging out around the 826 line - basically where the S&P closed yesterday and pretty much where it's been hanging out the past 3-4 days.  At some point pretty soon things should jump one
Last Updated: Thursday, August 27, 2009 11:33 AM

Mid-Day Check-In - Wednesday August 26, 2009 - Range Bound Between S&P 1022 and 1037

S&P 500 - 15 Minute Chart - 4 DaysAfter the first hour of trading on Friday - the day of the big breakout - the S&P had already done it's big move of the day, broke through the big resistance, hit a w
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:55 PM

Futures Watch - Wednesday August 26, 2009 - Double Doji

The S&P closed yesterday at 1028 after failing again at the mid 1030s.  Overnight futures started lower, rose up to where they were at the close, and then dropped back again indicated a lower opening
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 9:25 AM

Futures Watch - Tuesday August 25, 2009 - Day After a Doji Day

The S&P made it up as high as 1035 on Monday before the bears finally showed back up and pushed things down to 1022 before closing at 1025 and forming a doji day. This futures chart is on a 20 min del
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 8:51 AM

Futures Watch - Monday August 24, 2009 - BOFFO BULL BREAKOUT BUMS BEARS

 The S&P climaxed an improbable August run by busting through hard resistance in the Valley of Death (S&P 1007-1014) that had stymied it on 4 previous occasions already this month.  Not only did the b
Last Updated: Monday, August 24, 2009 8:34 AM

Futures Watch - Friday August 21, 2009 - Big Showdown in the Valley of Death

The market closed right on the brink of the new foray into the Valley of Death at S&P 1007 yesterday.   Futures are up in the overnight, portending a higher open, and setting up a new assault on the F
Last Updated: Friday, August 21, 2009 10:02 AM

Futures Watch - Thursday August 20, 2009 - Mini-Reversal

 The S&P closed at 996 yesterday (so much for that big 992 resistance line LOL), so futures were up for most of the overnight.   This screenshot is a 20 min-delay chart - a not-favorable unempolyment
Last Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:09 AM

Futures Watch - Wednesday August 19, 2009 - Rebound FAIL

The S&P nudged against the 992 resistance yesterday, closing at 989.67.  Futures overnight evidently didn't like being up so high, and they've since dipped to the 980 level.  The low on Monday was 978
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 9:09 AM

Tuesday August 18, 2009 - Rebound Can't Get Past 992

S&P 500 - 30 Min Chart - 20 Days      

Last Updated: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 5:16 PM

Futures Watch - Tuesday August 18, 2009 - How Big A PullBack?

Futures are up nicely this morning - a bounce off of the downward action of the past couple of days.  These things are normal after a trend change or big move - the market is kind and forgiving and gi
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:00 AM

Tuesday August 18, 2009 - Best ETFs Since the August 7 Top

The S&P hit a 2009 high on August 7 and has since dropped back.  Which ETFs have posted the best return since then?  Let's take a look:Quite a mixed bag.   These are all 3x and 2x ("UltraShort") inver
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 7:34 AM

Futures Watch: Monday August 11, 2009 - Say Goodbye to 992 in the Rear Mirror

 It looks like the operative word for today is PLUNGE.  Sorry about that if you are afraid of heights.I highlighted last week the importance of S&P 992 as support - tested 3 times in 2 weeks - and the
Last Updated: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:38 AM

Mid-Day Check-In - Friday August 14, 2009 - Keep an Eye on S&P 992

S&P 500 - 15 Minute Chart - 7 DaysAfter 3 futile attempts, the S&P is backing off of its attempts to push past the Fibonacci 38.2 Retracement line of 1014 and has now retreated below 1000 again.   As
Last Updated: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:52 PM

Futures Watch - Friday August 14, 2009 - Nothing New Under The Sun

Futures are pretty much unchanged pointing to an open that is pretty much unchanged.  Since the S&P is in the middle of what I've been calling The Valley of Death ("where uptrends go to die"), the lac
Last Updated: Friday, August 14, 2009 9:08 AM

Futures Watch: Thursday August 13, 2009 - In The Aftermath of the Fed

Here's a very strong futures chart.  It gives the impression that things are headed way up today.  It is on a 20 minute delay - at the point this chart was captured, the S&P futures were at 1014 (our 
Last Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:40 AM

Futures Watch - Wednesday August 12, 2009 - Waiting On The Fed - As If They're Going To Raise Rates

The S&P finally had a bad day yesterday to match the signals the the indicators have been giving off,  dropping through the 1000 level,  finding support at the 13ma level (or some other sort of suppor
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:07 AM

Tuesday August 11, 2009 - Sectors to Keep an Eye On

Some interesting individual stock charts have been coming up on my screens.  First off, in the paper and paper products area (and intuitively I have no idea why these guys would be HOT):Clearwater Pap
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:57 AM

Tuesday August 11, 2009 - It's Hammer Time! ... Again

S&P 500 - Daily Chart - 2 Months    
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:41 AM

Monday August 10, 2009 - A New Head-And-Shoulders?

S&P500 - Daily Chart 7 Months The Head-and-Shoulders is one of the more recognizable chart patterns, signalling a reversal.  There was a very famously failed H+S earlier this summer (first circle on t
Last Updated: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:30 AM

Futures Watch - Monday August 10, 2009 - Did We Hit A Wall?

S&P futures are down about 7 points from Friday's close - having risen some during the overnight and then a steady smallish decline since then.   Which should lead to a more subdued open than on last
Last Updated: Monday, August 10, 2009 10:51 AM

Futures Watch - Friday August 7, 2009 - A Good Jobs Report

I put up a post discussing how this was one of those days that because of the employment report coming out at 8:30 what the futures did before that really didn't matter.   And the post got lost or eat
Last Updated: Friday, August 07, 2009 10:54 AM

Futures Watch - Thursday August 6, 2009 - FAS En Fuego

 The S&P closed yesterday at 1002 dipped in the overnight below 1000 and has rebounded.  I consider the steady upward move since midnight as portending a higher open in the markets. I wrote last night
Last Updated: Thursday, August 06, 2009 11:02 AM

Wednesday August 6, 2009 - Resistance At The Fibonacci Corral

Ok - today we're going to get into some more advanced chart esoterica - Fibonacci Retracements.  It can get complicated, but basically all you need to know is that there are certain ratios that often
Last Updated: Thursday, August 06, 2009 12:56 AM

Futures Watch - Wednesday August 5, 2009 - Meh....

 Here's the future's chart as of 8ish am - S&P isn't really doing a whole lot in the overnights and isn't really giving a whole  lot of guidance as to what will happen today.  Unless today will be meh
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 4:36 PM

Tuesday Aug 4, 2009 - The Case for FAZ

  FAZ - Daily Chart - 9 Months I'm not one to monitor the news looking to play Chicken Little - but this is potentially huge as far as I'm concerned - and could have serious market-impact reprecusions
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 9:10 AM

Tuesday August 4, 2009 - NTES - MORE ON THE MACD-H

Back in the day (ok, Thursday July 23) I put up a post about Netease (NTES) as a stock worth keeping an eye on - and as an example of the wonders of using the MACD-H.Here's the chart I posted: NTES -
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:38 PM

EXTRA! EXTRA! S&P CLOSES ABOVE 1000!!

S&P 500 - 15 Minute Chart - 4 DaysThe S&P started off the month of August with a bang(!) - cruising through the 1000 mark - maybe not like buttah - but pretty easily - almost as if it were not the big
Last Updated: Monday, August 03, 2009 5:37 PM

Futures Watch - Monday August 3, 2009 - Up, Up, And Away!

    Futures are way up this morning portending a big opening on the markets for the month of August.   Will this be enough to push the S&P over 1000?I've been having a lot of problems posting lately -
Last Updated: Monday, August 03, 2009 8:41 AM