It takes a lot to turn a bear market around, but for oil services stocks it seemed that the requirements for such a move were starting to gel in May.  The PHLX Oil Service Sector Index (OSX) had just made a tentative breakout from a bottoming… Read More

These five stocks are widely owned and featured prominently in the media. You have, without a... Read More

These five stocks are widely owned and featured prominently in the media. You have, without a doubt, heard of them, and it’s very possible you even own a few. But I wouldn’t touch any of... Read More

When it comes to stock markets, China’s sure marches to the beat of its own drum.  The Shanghai Composite gained 145% in the past year, compared to about 7% for the S&P 500. Now, though, things may be unraveling in China — and given what happened there just… Read More

“Sell in May and go away” is one of those trite pieces of investment advice that traders would be wise to not follow blindly. This year, the Dow and S&P 500 finished up 1% in May, and the Nasdaq rose nearly 3%. That being said, I did warn my Profit… Read More

Despite the chorus of analysts and investors calling for the long-awaited correction, the market is showing some constructive bullish signs.  First, deterioration in the U.S. dollar has buoyed large-cap stocks, which are once again outperforming small caps. This removes a large headwind for the capitalization-weighted major stock indices as a… Read More

As the calendar turned from March to April, the retail sector, and apparel in particular, turned... Read More

As the calendar turned from March to April, the retail sector, and apparel in particular, turned from leader to laggard. The group has now been sagging for weeks and short-term downtrends have been... Read More

Bottom fishing in beaten-down equities is a popular strategy. The lower a stock goes, the greater its value may seem. A big decline can be especially appealing when it occurs in well-known, brand-name stocks.  I caution you on this approach, though. Relative strength (RS) studies have shown that underperforming stocks… Read More

Some chart patterns are pauses that will eventually resolve in the direction of the preceding... Read More

Some chart patterns are pauses that will eventually resolve in the direction of the preceding trend. Some are pauses that signal a change in trend. The trick is to wait for the market to tell us... Read More

These are five of the most widely owned stocks in the market. You have, without a doubt, heard of... Read More

These are five of the most widely owned stocks in the market. You have, without a doubt, heard of them, and it’s very possible you even own a few. Despite being featured prominently in the... Read More

Market action over the past week has been volatile, and at times, downright scary. With the major... Read More

Market action over the past week has been volatile, and at times, downright scary. With the major indices threatening short-term breakdowns, I like to look for stocks that have yet to make a downside... Read More