The Greek referendum brought a “No” and the world has not ended, so what is next?
Charts Courtesy of Yahoo Finance.
Market Commentary – February 2, 2015
With the end of January behind us, it is time to look forward to the next few months of trading. One of the consistently looming questions is about volatility in the markets. Remember, historically January is not the most volatile month. However, there is some merit to looking at monthly historical cycles.
Market Commentary – January 26, 2015
As the new year begins to take shape and certain market dynamics are beginning to play out has your trading style adjusted? Despite a seemingly volatile 2015, most equity indices are flat for the year. Your trading performance should be indicative of how you have weathered the storm that has taken broad equity markets everywhere, but ultimately nowhere.
Charts Courtesy of Yahoo Finance
Market Commentary – December 30, 2014
The end of the year is upon us. In terms of trading, the year end should just be a phase the market is passing through. However, you should still set a resolution to be a more effective trader or investor. The scorecard is resetting to zero soon. That means prior results, both good and bad, should not be brought into the new year and either give you inflated confidence or extreme despair. The odds of a winning trade are still the same. Make it a point to stick to trades where the most likely outcome is a positive one.
Charts Courtesy of Yahoo Finance
Market Update – May 5, 2014
The more things change, the more they stay the same. After a week full of economic news, the market ended up almost where it began last week. Will this week break the monotony? Will the popular catchphrase of “sell in May and go away” hold? The media will be using that phrase repeatedly this week.
Market Update – April 28, 2014
Markets up, Markets down. With no clear direction, the only direction is to stay nimble and keep expectations in check.
US Employment Report – April 4, 2014 – A Historical Statistical Perspective
Are you ready for the US Employment report this month? By now the excuses of harsh weather are over with.
Continue reading “US Employment Report – April 4, 2014 – A Historical Statistical Perspective”
Market Commentary – March 18, 2014
Beware of the ides of March, or in modern times beware of the news. It is easy to get wrapped into the drama of news and make irrational trading decisions expecting extreme events to occur. If you invest long enough you’ll come to realize that betting on extreme events more often than not leads to disappointing results. Most often when you are correct the payoff does not always make up for all the losing trades along the way. That is why we stress rational thinking here. Would wagering a weeks salary on lottery tickets sound like a good strategy? So how does this apply to the current events? Continue reading “Market Commentary – March 18, 2014”
US Employment Report Preview – March 2014
This Friday the US jobs report will be the focus of the market. Since most of the economic reports of late have blamed less than stellar results on the weather, traders are probably numb like frostbitten fingers by now. A disappointing number will probably not surprise anyone. The way the market has been behaving lately, bad news will be good for the market. The risk may be that the number is much better than expected. That may spark fear that the Federal Reserve Board may speed up the pace of reducing the bond buying program which has settled and helped the market take off the past few years. With the market at all time highs, perhaps a good employment number will be the opportunity for traders to take profits and lead the market lower. Only to take it back up later. What matters is that you are prepared to ride the wave.
Continue reading “US Employment Report Preview – March 2014”
Market Commentary – March 3, 2014
Are you ready for a busy trading week? This week could turn out to be one of the more volatile trading weeks of the year so far. Either be prepared to act swiftly or make sure you have a strong stomach.