Stock Market update -Jan 31st

We closed out the month with a loss, one of the worst January's on record. The DAX and the Nikkei fared even worse, and China’s Shanghai index is down around 23% just in January. The US GDP number was pretty weak as well. Also, Japan shook up markets on Friday with a negative interest rate announcement, and our Fed on Wednesday's announcement didn't really change their plan to continue raising interest rates. Lets see what February brings!

When you look at a daily chart of the S&P 500, the 200MA is sloping in a downward direction, so I expect to see more downside action this year. For the next week, we could see the rally continue a bit longer.

And the Debt Clock is showing that we have now crossed $19,000,000,000,000!


FB had a big rally after blowing away earnings estimates!
UA and MSFT also popped after earnings
MCD hit an all time high this week!
AMZN dropped after earnings, as did AAPL and BA

New all time highs:   FB, MCD, NDAQ
All time lows:  FDC
Pops:  FB, MSFT, UA        Drops:     AMZN, AAPL
Mergers/Deals:  

Next week:  Economic reports, More Earnings next week... Monthly Jobs report on Friday
Earnings:            
MON -GOOGL, 
TUE -CMG, GILD, PFE, XOM, YHOO, UPS
WED -GM, GPRO, YUM
THU -COP, DNKN, LNKD
FRI -TSN

This week's charts:

AAPL vs. GOOG   (1 year chart)

S&P 500 -we bounced off the August low...
Gold rallied, closing near 1118
The 30 year Bond was up yet again, closing near 161.31
The US Dollar was up a bit,  closing near 99.61

NEWS:
Wild January stock market ends on a high note
Why 2016 keeps getting uglier for US economy
Mohamed El-Erian warns about a day of reckoning
It’s official: A lost decade for the US economy
Why Stocks Fell: It’s not Oil, China or the Fed
Apple Says Sales of iPhones Have Slowed
Amazon Plunges After Missing Q4 Revenue, Earnings...

Cramer's game plan: Don't get cocky next week!
Default danger for US high yield in 2016
Top asset manager hit with $13B outflows
Bank of Japan shocks markets by adopting negative interest rates 
A China bank contagion could blow up global markets
China's currency becomes the target of speculators: WSJ

IDC REPORT : 1.4 BILLION SMARTPHONES WERE SHIPPED IN 2015

Stock Market update -Jan 24th

The markets plummeted earlier in the week, then reversed course on Wednesday, followed by a strong rally on Thursday, giving us the first positive week for the year! We'll how far it goes next week, as we get a barrage of earnings, as well as a Fed meeting and a number of other global events.

I think we could see a volatile year in stocks as Oil, Currencies, and debt/credit worries linger... there's a lot of debt out there!


Oil had a nice rally -right after the Jan futures contract expired! Coincidence?
AXP dropped after earnings

New all time highs:   -
All time lows:  
Pops:  USO        Drops:     AXP, IBM
Mergers/Deals:  

Next week:  Economic reports, Big Earnings week! Fed meeting...
Earnings:            
MON -HAL, MCD
TUE -DD, FCX, JNJ, MMM, PG, S, T -AAPL
WED -BA, UTX, QCOM  -FB
THU -AMGN, BMY, CELG, CAT, F, BABA, UA, V  -AMZN, MSFT
FRI -CL, CVX, MA

This week's charts:


... So we finally made it to the Aug low, and bounced ...
How high will it go? Maybe 38 - 50%... we'll see


S&P 500 -we bounced off the August low...
Gold was mostly unchanged, closing near 1098
The 30 year Bond was up again, closing near 158.84
The US Dollar was up,  closing near 99.58

NEWS:
Earnings Preview:...
Oil's negative grip on stocks could be challenged
Alphabet Close to Overtaking Apple as Most Valuable Company
Facebook and Google Are Sucking Up Ad Dollars From Everyone Else...

Stock Market update -Jan 17th

Stocks continued to drop for a second week, showing the worst performance ever in history for the start of a new year!



China's Haier buys GE's appliance unit for $5.4 billion
Microsoft finally kills support for Windows 8. It's the end of an error

INTC dropped after reporting earnings
Walmart to close 269 stores, shut down 'Express' format
Goldman Sachs Will Pay $5 Billion To Settle Financial-Crisis Claims
GoPro shares hit all-time low
Arch Coal files for bankruptcy, hit by mining downturn

New all time highs:   
All time lows:  
Pops:          Drops:    INTC, SRPT 
Mergers/Deals:  

Next week:  Economic reports, First big week of Earnings!
Earnings:            
MON -
TUE -BAC, IBM, MS, NFLX, UNH
WED -GS
THU -AXP, ISRG, LUV, SBUX, TRV, VZ
FRI -GE
This week's charts:

S&P 500 -heading for the August low?
CBOE VIX 
10yr Interest Rates -
Labor Force Participation Rate (10 year chart)
Fear & Greed Index

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Natural Gas was down, closing near 2.09 
Crude Oil dropped again, closing near 29.70 -now below $30!
Gold dropped, closing near 1088
The 30 year Bond was up again, closing near 159.15
The US Dollar was up a bit,  closing near 98.98


NEWS:
Stocks close down 2% after hitting a near 15-month low on oil rout
These are risks for markets in week ahead
Here's why we haven't hit a bottom yet
Bear market is here—expect another 15% plunge: Technician
A recession worse than 2008 is coming
Mutual funds riskier than ETFs: BlackRock CEO Fink

Cramer: Don't bother buying. It's capital preservation time
Cramer: Market oversold—start picking these stocks
Cramer: How I knew to buy before the big rebound
Cramer: Mea culpa! I was wrong on these 2 stocks

Stock Market update -Jan 10th

2016 started on a very ugly note with the market down all week, sparked by huge drops in China's stock market. We appear to be headed back to the August lows, a drop that was also sparked by actions in China! We could also start to see more volatility in Currency markets this year.

The monthly Jobs report on Friday came in better than expected. Oil continued to drop, while Gold is showing some strength. Bonds are rising too!

The S&P 500 is showing lower highs and lower lows since early November -that's the definition of a downtrend.

Dow closes down triple digits as stocks end one of worst first weeks ever
NFLX rallied this week and continues to hold up
The Financials pulled back (XLF)
CMG continued to slide
GPS, GPRO, and FOSL continued to slide, among others
WMT rallied and showed a short reversal this week
AAPL closed under $100 -my take on Apple: they are a 1 trick pony (iPhone), in a highly competitive market. Its only a matter of time before sales and margins get squeezed.
Macy's announced layoffs and store closings


New all time highs:   nothing of any significance!
All time lows:  FEYE, FDC, RACE, SDRL, TWTR
Pops:          Drops:     
Mergers/Deals:  

Next week:  Economic reports, Earnings kickoff!
Earnings:            
MON -
TUE -
WED -
THU -INTC, JPM, 
FRI -C, WFC

This week's charts:


... Small-caps & Transportation leading us down ...

S&P 500 -heading for the August low?
CBOE VIX 
10yr Interest Rates -
Labor Force Participation Rate (10 year chart)
Fear & Greed Index

Commodities/Futures (charts):
Natural Gas was up, closing near 2.47 
Crude Oil dropped again, closing near 32.88 -approaching $30!
Gold rallied, closing near 1104
The 30 year Bond was up, closing near 156.59
The US Dollar was down a bit,  closing near 98.46

NEWS:
After dreadful week, stocks look for reason to bounce
S&P 500 'in a world of pain' so sell any rally: Technician
This isn't like 2008—but a correction IS coming
Soros: It's the 2008 crisis all over again
Nearly half of U.S. stocks are in a bear market

5 Stocks That Destroyed Shareholders This Past Week
Apple stock plunges below $100. Next stop: $65?
Q4 Earnings Season Takes the Spotlight
China Finds $3 Trillion Just Doesn't Pack the Punch It Used To
Something 'massive' is happening in the economy: Pal


Stock Market update -Jan 3rd

We closed out 2015 pretty much flat on the S&P500! The Small-caps (IWM) had a loss of around -5%, while the Nasdaq 100 had a nice gain (mainly due to stocks like FB, AMZN, NFLX, and GOOGL). Gold had a loss of around -10%, while the Dollar showed some gains.

FB was up nicely for the year
AMZN was up nicely for the year
NFLX was up nicely for the year
GOOGL was up nicely for the year
ATVI was up nicely for the year
Dow stocks GE, MCD, NKE, V, also up nicely for the year

AXP, CAT, IBM, WMT were Dow losers for the year
AAPL, also a Dow stock, was up earlier in the year, but ended the year at a loss
TWTR had a big loss, as did CHK, FCX, FOSL, KORS, WFM, USO, UNG, and others

2016 could be the year we see GOOGL overtake AAPL with the largest market cap in the world!



New all time highs:   SIX, 
All time lows:  SDRL,
Pops:          Drops:     
Mergers/Deals:  

Next week:  Economic reports
Earnings:            
MON -
TUE -
WED -MON
THU -
FRI -

This week's charts:

... 2015 performance ...

S&P 500 -downtrending
Gold was down, closing near 1060
The 30 year Bond was down, closing near 153.44
The US Dollar was up,  closing near 98.76

NEWS:
2015 year in review: The S&P 500’s winners and losers
5 Best-Performing Stocks That Shielded the S&P 500 in 2015
The 15 best financial infographics of 2015
Top growth stocks to buy in 2016
Facebook is Most Popular Mobile App for 2015

Is YouTube Really Worth Twice as Much as Netflix Inc?
Amazon Poised to Grab Even More Market Share
Does Google Stock Have Room Left to Grow in 2016? 
Why is the media so afraid of Facebook?
Star Wars just made 2015 the biggest year in US box office history
The Truth Comes Out: "This Is The Worst Global Dollar GDP Recession In 50 Years"