• 19Aug

    Mortgage Rates Hit Another Record Low: Freddie Mac
    Mortgage rates fell in the past week to the latest in a series of record lows amid concerns about the state of the U.S. economy, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

    Rock-bottom rates should continue to spur demand for home loan refinancing, putting extra cash into consumers’ hands that they can save, use to pay off existing debt or funnel into the economy through extra spending.

    Interest rates on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, the most widely used loan, averaged 4.42 percent for the week ended August 19, down from the previous week’s 4.44 percent and its year-ago level of 5.12 percent, according to the survey.

    Thirty-year mortgage rates have fallen to fresh lows for nine straight weeks. Freddie Mac started the survey in April 1971.

    Meanwhile, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.90 percent, down from 3.92 percent last week, the lowest since Freddie Mac began surveying this loan type in 1991. Fifteen-year mortgage rates have hit fresh lows in six straight weeks.

    “Investors in long-term bonds appear very confident that inflation will remain in check, and as a result long-term fixed mortgage rates have continued to fall,” Amy Crews Cutts, Freddie Mac deputy chief economist, said in a statement.

    Mortgage rates are linked to yields on Treasuries and yields on mortgage-backed securities.

    Tags:

  • 28Jul

    Beige Book Makes It Official: Economy Has Slowed Down

    The latest Beige Book report from the U.S. Federal Reserve confirms what other recent economic reports have suggested: The U.S. economic recovery slowed somewhat in the second quarter, with some regions reporting stalled conditions.

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  • 23Jul

    Existing home sales fall 5.1% as tax credit ends

    Resales of U.S. homes fell 5.1% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.37 million after a federal subsidy for home buyers ended, the National Association of Realtors estimated Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting sales to fall about 10% to a 5.10 million annual pace. Inventories of unsold homes increased 2.5% to 3.99 million in June, representing an 8.9-month supply, the highest since August 2009. In coming months, the supply is expected to rise above 10 months, putting downward pressure on prices, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the real estate agents’ lobbying and advocacy organization

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  • 20Jul

    Homebuilder confidence for newly built, single-family homes declined for a second consecutive month in July to its lowest level since April 2009, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. The HMI fell two points from a downwardly revised number in the previous month to 14 for July, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

    The data shows that the recession in the housing market is deepening and the decline may actually match or outdistance the one in 2008 and 2009. Foreclosure rates continue above 300,000 each month and could set a record–more than 3 million–this year.

    Home loan rates are at all-time lows but this has not offset the effects of the ending of federal tax credits on April 30 and the high levels of unemployment that have stymied a number of efforts to restart the housing market–the Administration’s $75 billion HAMP program among them.

    Congress needs to renew and expand the homebuyers’ tax credit or the housing market will be worse in the second half of this year than it was in the first.

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  • 18May

    America’s Underclass: Growing Gap Between the Rich and Poor
    Macro economic data suggest the great recession is over. But the gap between the haves and the have-nots is growing, thanks, in large part, to a jobless recovery. Wall Street Cheat Sheet’s Damien Hoffman says the growing underclass now accounts for about 10% of the U.S. population.

    In this clip, he and his brother Derek, who jointly run the Wall Street Cheat Sheet website, point to several signs America is turning into a two-class society:  

    -The foreclosure problem. 2.8 million homes were foreclosed in 2009.  RealyTrac expects that number to increase to 3-3.5 million in 2010.  Damien Hoffman thinks it could be even higher if “strategic foreclosures” become a more accepted practice.
    - Unemployment.  The official rate is 9.9% but the wider measure of under employed and those who have given up on their job search is more like 17%.   That’s more than 24 million Americans out of work.
    - Record numbers using food stamps. The Agriculture Department said a record 40 million Americans, or 1 in 8 Americans, may not be able to eat without government assistance.  “This is the ultimate sign of an under class,”  the Hoffman Brothers say.
    - Take a look at Dollar Tree Stores. The discounter’s stock is near an all-time high while revenues are up 12.5% this year.  In other words, more Americans are chasing cheaper goods.

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  • 17Sep

    In Wednesdays 09/15/09 US equity market trading session:

    The Dow rose 108.30, or 1.1%, to 9,791.71.
    The Nasdaq gained 30.51, or 1.5%, to 2,133.15,
    S&P 500 added 16.13, or 1.5%, to 1,068.76.
    Advancers outpaced losers 5-1 !

    8 of the last 9 sessions up for the DOW! (Time for a breather?) Increasing volume says not likely.

    Seeing an inverse of the 2005 monthly bounce pattern setting up here technically. (Potentially)
    Look up the chart and decide for yourself. Exact reverse of the 2 year rally from 2005 to late 2007.

    If this Technical chart pattern plays out we would be looking at an elliot wave 2 down for 2 years. (Highly unlikely but if we are looking at pattern recognition it is vital to throw it all on the list of possible outcomes.)

    Stockshakers is looking for the US Dollar to bounce off these lows at the pivot and mark a possible breather for most equities. Move all your stops up. RIMM is showing some warning sign candlestick Dojis here on various time frames.

    However the Fed actions are being heard loud and clear, Announcing the Recession is most likely over in the US. Perception!
    Our view of reality seems like it may have a delay filter on it?
    Kinda hard to see this from our house.

    Keep an eye on the US Dollar here it is the key indicator for price reversals on commodities and
    the US Equities markets have triggered in perfect sync on multiple time frames.

    Check kitcometals.com for the metals, the Dollar has a magnetic effect.
    GOLD and SIVER are projecting up here.
    Gold is approaching its $1033 per ounce intraday high from March of 2008.
    This along with the growing price of energy may be the first signs of a side effect to all of the government stimulus.

    INFLATION.  Is it starting or are we just seeing the hedges starting to be placed?
    SLW - Great news recently and ongoing.
    Volume up/Price up unusually high on equities - 897 on the scan at EOD Wednesday 091609. This is
    an unusually high number.

    Unusually high amount of Chatter about a market crash is at a high right now. Stockshakers rarely
    takes notice of these things but this time is different. It is a cacophony of restlessness
    brewing over the 8% rise on the S&P since early September 2009 without any real correction.

    Senate bill calls for 65% equipment utilization rate
    The health care reform bill released this week by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee would set the
    equipment utilization rate for Medicare reimbursement of imaging studies at 65%, significantly
    lower than the 90% level proposed in original versions of the legislation.
    Be cautious with the health care sector here we are long Healthcare looking to trade calls on COV here but stay nimble and keep your stops tight.
    Apple shares closed up 4% today, peaking at a new 52-week high of $182.75.   Why? Kind words from
    CNBC’s Jim Cramer last night, and a Needham & Company analyst this morning, who jacked his price
    target to $235.
    Will Obamas China trade war end well? Stockshakers suggest this will require a benefit on both
    ends for this to be resolved quickly. This is highly unlikely.
    Looking for a possible continuation with October near money calls on BIDU here for a 1-2 day trade.
    Options expiration week can drive many to do some screwy things don’t get suckered in. Trade what
    the charts are showing you and have a planned entry and exit at all times.
    Buying AAPL Calls here (Covered) for Jan 2010 and October 09 near the money.

    Tech can be a leader out of the recession when we have a return of jobs and the housing market is returned to proper health.

    Tighten the stops but stay the course.

     

    The Housing market

    Amid talk of exit strategies and the Fed winding down some of its extraordinary programs, the
    government is stepping up its role in one are near and dear to the hears of ordinary Americans:
    residential housing.
    “Over the past year, the government has intervened heavily at essentially every stage of the
    home-buying process,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “In fact, more than 80% of the new
    residential mortgage loans made this year benefited from some form of government support,
    according to the trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance.”
    The National Association of Realtors wants Congress to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit
    currently set to expire Dec. 1, The New York Times reports.

    Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf tells The Financial Times: “I would like to see Fannie and Freddie increase the size of mortgages [they buy].”It would be good for housing and good for the economy”.
    House Finance Committee Chairman Barney Frank wants to revisit cram down legislation, which would allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite mortgage contracts.

    The Fed has already purchased about $1 trillion of mortgage-backed securities, and is likely to keep going until it (at least) hits a previously stated goal of $1.45 trillion, The WSJ reports. 

     

    AdvisorShares Investments, Initiates Public Offering
    Launching its Unique Exchange Traded Fund Platform for Investment Advisors and
    Lists on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE Ticker: DENT)

    Fund.com, Inc. (OTC BB: FNDM.OB)
    announced today that its majority owned subsidiary, AdvisorShares
    Investments, LLC, initiated a public offering of the Dent Tactical ETF, the
    first exchange traded fund, or ETF, sponsored by AdvisorShares. The Dent
    Tactical ETF will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange next week
    under the NYSE Ticker: DENT. This is the first product of AdvisorShares Trust,
    an open-ended investment management company formed by AdvisorShares for the
    purpose of offering a series of actively managed ETFs.
    AdvisorShares is the investment advisor to DENT and is paid fees by the ETF as
    a percentage of assets in the fund. DENT is sub-advised by HS Dent Investment
    Management, LLC, an independent economic research and forecasting company and
    publisher of The Dent Method. HS Dent Investment Management is managed by New
    York Times best selling financial author, Harry S. Dent Jr. Previously, HS
    Dent has raised and managed a 1.7 billion dollar fund.
    The Dent ETF is a “fund of funds,” which means that it seeks to achieve its
    investment objective by investing primarily in other exchange-traded funds. As
    sub-advisor, H.S. Dent Investment Management, LLC seeks to achieve the
    investment objectives by identifying, through proprietary economic and
    demographic analysis, the overall trend of the U.S. and global economies, and
    then implementing investment strategies in asset classes that it believes will
    benefit from these trends. The fund investment objective is long-term growth
    of capital.
    The business plan of AdvisorShares is to develop a diverse range of “actively
    managed” ETFs together with established third party asset managers, like H.S.
    Dent Investment Management, and to list these ETFs on the NYSE, or a similar
    exchange.
    The target clients of AdvisorShares are third party advisors who already
    manage clients’ assets, have a favorable track record and desire to package
    their investment strategy using exchange-traded funds. AdvisorShares believes
    that by accessing the AdvisorShares ETF platform, third party investment
    managers will be able to establish their own branded, or “white-labeled,” ETF
    on a “turn-key” basis and can ease client administration and streamline
    compliance. Even more significant, by being listed on a major stock exchange,
    such as the NYSE, investment managers significantly improve their client
    distribution opportunities, are able to showcase their track record, and can
    increase assets under management.

     

    Market Technical signals:

    Bullish -

    Continuation & Trend.

    Bearish:

    10 day high on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100
    3 consecutive up closing on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100
    3 consecutive Higher Highs on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100
    Advancing issues 2 to 1 greater than declining issues on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100
    Advancing issues  greater than declining issues 3 days in a row on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100

    The VIX has breached the support line on the weekly time frame. (This may be construed as an issue if you are long the market)

    VIX has not made a new daily low with these new highs.

    Biggest VIX Drop Hides Options Bets S&P 500 Will Fall
    Interesting article from JULY of 2009.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ab1_.3MQtamQ

    Trading Ideas:

     

    SYNT
    TTEK
    TX
    HDB
    GTI
    AAPL
    RIMM
    TIN
    KF
    STAR
    MDRX
    ANR
    ESRX
    SEPR
    LVS
    JASO
    DRYS
    BIDU - Covered calls
    COV - Calls

     

                    Support      Resistance
    Dow         8000         10125
    Nasdaq    1700          2200
    S&P 500    875           1150

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  • 24Aug

     

    Friday rally lands Dow industrials, S&P, Nasdaq at 2009 highs; oil also ends at a 2009 high.
    Friday’s rally came on the heels of the big uptick in existing home sales during July, the largest monthly advance in more

    than 10 years. Sales jumped 7.2% to an annual rate of 5.24M units. First-time buyers flooded the markets to take advantage

    of the government’s tax credit prior to its expiration later this fall.

    NASDAQ 3 most active: $SIRI 0.70, $QQQQ 40.29, $MSFT 24.41, Fueled by NASDAQ Last Sale
    NASDAQ 3 biggest advancers: $STBK 38.89%, $SBGI 32.56%, $TGIC 30.49%.
    Warner Chilcott Ltd a specialty drug maker, is acquiring Procter & Gamble Co’s prescription drug business for about $3

    billion, two sources familiar with the matter said.

    Sinopec stock up 4.2% in Hong Kong, 3% in Shanghai.Japan’s Nikkei 225 Average jumps 2.4% in early trading, with autos,

    property pacing gains.

     

    This week the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index report for June is due out, along with the Durable Orders, New Home Sales,

    Personal Income, Personal Spending and PCE Core reports for July. Preliminary GDP, Core CPE reports for the 2Q, weekly

    results for Initial Claims and Crude Inventories, and Consumer Confidence and the Michigan Sentiment reports for August

    will be release.
    The top 10 performers since the start of the last recession are listed below, with their performances during the recession

    listed in the fourth column:

    Company Industry Market Cap. on March 1, 2001 (in millions) Return March 2001 to November 2001* Total Return 2001-2008
     
    Southwestern Energy Oil & Gas Exploration $262 14% 2,134%
     
    Goldcorp Gold $274 81% 1,551%
     
    Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Computer Hardware $6,489 (1%) 1,048%
     
    Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) Biotechnology $3,314 80% 887%
     
    Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) Internet Retail $432 72% 835%
     
    ITT Educational Services Education Services $721 23% 764%
     
    Strayer Education Education Services $454 64% 739%
     
    McAfee Systems Software $929 191% 726%
     
    Flowers Foods Food $1,728 139% 683%
     
    Range Resources Oil & Gas Exploration $298 (24%) 650%
     
    *Critics say Goldman Sachs Group Inc <GS.N> gives key trading tips only to its own traders and favored clients, hurting others who are not given the opportunity to profit from the information.

    * Policy blunders that drove the U.S. back into recession in 1937 are at the heart of the debate over how quickly the Fed should unwind its emergency measures.

    * The Obama administration is leaning toward outsourcing major components of its space program, such as ferrying cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.

    * Senator Ted Kaufman is expected to call for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to review all forms of current stock-market structure, signaling the broadest statement yet from a legislator in the continuing debate over the growth in high-frequency trading, a lightning-fast, computer-based trading technique.

    * Aluminum Corp of China, also known as Chinalco, is willing to open discussions with Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto PLC <RIO.L> for cooperation in bauxite and alumina production, Chinalco’s vice president, Lu Youqing, told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.

    * China Petroleum & Chemical Corp <600028.SS>, Asia’s largest refiner by capacity, said its first-half net profit more than quadrupled, driven by higher fuel prices amid China’s more market-oriented fuel-pricing system.

    * Specialty drug maker Warner Chilcott Ltd <WCRX.O> is expected to announce as early as Monday the acquisition of Procter & Gamble Co’s <PG.N> prescription-drug business for more than $3 billion, say people familiar with the matter.

    * Proposed federal legislation aimed at curbing global warming would drastically reduce domestic fuel production, according to a new study commissioned by the oil industry as part of its campaign to oppose new restrictions.

    * Reports of fraud and intimidation from election monitoring groups are undermining the legitimacy of Afghanistan’s presidential vote, posing a tough new challenge for the U.S. and its Western allies.

    * Iraqi officials, smarting from a disappointing oil-license auction in June, will showcase a second set of fields this week that they hope will garner more interest from international companies.

    * After a weekend sales surge, auto dealers are racing to file for “cash for clunkers” rebates before the program ends.
    * Officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve’s annual retreat voiced support for a second term for Chairman Ben Bernanke, citing his efforts to revive the economy.

    * AT&T <T.N> said it played “no role” in Apple Inc’s <AAPL.O> decision to keep Google’s <GOOG.O> Voice application off the iPhone. Apple said it is still studying the software.

    * Three technology heavyweights and some library associations are joining a coalition led by a prominent Silicon Valley lawyer to challenge Google Inc’s <GOOG.O> settlement with authors and publishers.

    * The sale of the operations of failed Guaranty Bank in Texas on Friday to the U.S. division of a Spanish bank signals that foreign banks can succeed in the auctions for collapsed U.S. lenders.

    Have a great trading day U.S.A. Stock Markets Monday August 24th 2009

    -stockshakers.com

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  • 18Aug

    Man buys mansion just to tear it down

    Everybody has a dream home, but for some people, it’s all about finding the perfect piece of property first.

    Don’t you hate it when you buy this spectacular house, but you just want more?
    The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Pacific Investment Management Co. “Bond Guru” Bill Gross plans to join the three other billionaires who live in the small, gated community on Harbor Island in Newport, Calif., after buying a bayfront home there for $23 million.

     

    The 11,000-square-foot Georgian Colonial home with nine bedrooms and 12 bathrooms was built in 1979 on a double lot with 112 feet of water frontage. But alas, he’s tearing it all down — to build his own mansion, according to WSJ.com.

     

    Bill Gross pad

    Bill Gross pad

    It’s gives me hope that in a state where there were 124,874 foreclosed homes on the market in July, and where Playboy founder Hugh Hefner loses $10 million in a home sale, there is still property that’s considered a rare find, and a buyer willing pay for it — not once, but twice.

     

    Apparently, Gross, co-founder and chief investment officer at Pimco, did try to be sneaky about the deal, purchasing it through the Monte Carlo Trust — which may not have been so sneaky after all, since Lin says Monte Carlo is actually the name of the street he now lives on with his wife in the Irvine Cove neighborhood of Laguna Beach, Calif.

    Do you want to tear down your home but can’t afford it? Check out these drab to fab makeovers
    In other high-end real estate news, Lin also discusses the recent sale of a $25.9 million Southampton, N.Y., home that the government seized from hedge-fund manager James Nicholson in March.

     

    Nicholson, president of Westgate Capital Management LLC, is accused of bilking at least $150 million from investors through a Ponzi scheme. He bought the 10,000-square-foot home with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms and 222 feet of oceanfront for $27 million in 2008, which kinda makes the feds look pretty savvy about the real-estate market.

     

    Although they put it on the market for $33 million after seizing it, considering the state of the luxury real-estate market, they nearly came out ahead at that price. I am impressed.

     

    Lesson for the day is: If you’re involved in finances, you’d really rather be considered a bond guru than a bilker.

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  • 31May

    Is Your Home a wise Investment?

     

    There’s the usual talk about what the latest Case-Shiller house price data mean for the next short term move in the real estate market. Has housing bottomed? If not, has the rate of decline slowed? And when will we see an upturn?

    Human nature likes the short term. Which is why so little attention is paid to something that is probably more important, if less urgent: What the latest data show about the long-term of the real estate market.

    We have just been through the biggest boom in real estate in American history. The subsequent bust surely hasn’t finished.

    Yet look at the numbers. Since 1987, when the Case-Shiller index of 10 major cities begins, it’s risen from an index value of 63 to 151. Annual return: Just 4.1% a year. During that period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices rose by 3% a year. Net result: Home prices produced a real return of just 1.15% a year over inflation over that time.

    Critics may point out that the analysis is unfair after all, it starts counting near the peak of the 1980s housing boom. Fair enough. Look at the performance since, say, early 1994, when home prices were near a historic trough. Surely someone who bought then has made a bundle.

    Not necessarily. Since then the ten-city index has risen from a value of 76 to 151. Annual return: 4.7%. Inflation over that period: 2.5%. That’s still only a real return of 2.2% a year above inflation.

    You can often do better on long-term inflation protected government bonds.

    And real estate often costs 2% or more a year in property taxes, condo fees, maintenance, insurance and the like.

    Conventional wisdom long held that home ownership was a route to wealth, and the imputed rent in other words, the right to live in your home was just part of the value you got from it. Under that widespread view, the recent housing bust was simply a temporary, though deep, pothole.

    Yet for very many people, even over the past 15 or 20 years, the imputed rent may have been all, or nearly all, the real value they actually got from their home.

    Yes, it’s only recent data. And it’s only ten cities. But there’s some reason to suspect these numbers may, if anything, flatter real estate performance. After all, it’s hard to look at the data and figure the bust is now over. And if they fall further, those long-term return figures will fall too.

    Prices weren’t just down 19% over the past year. They fell 2% just between February and March. And it’s not the worst-hit markets that worry me the most Phoenix is down 53% from its peak, Miami 47%. That smells of capitulation. It’s the other markets. New York and Boston are only down 20%. Denver’s only down 14%.

    Overall the ten- and 20-city Case-Shiller indices are merely back to mid-2003 levels. After the biggest boom and bust on record, history suggests things don’t stop getting worse until they’ve gotten a lot worse than that.

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  • 10Mar

    Stock Market trading wrap-up recap Friday 10/10/08 Mondays stock market trading outlook 10/13/08

     

    Radical Measures May Be In our future, the U.S. equities markets will require intervention, guidance, regulation, and stimulus.
    The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008’s vague language gives Paulson almost unlimited power to intervene.
    As the financial crisis threatens to spiral out of control, it’s more likely Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will take extraordinary steps

    through the extensive authority granted to him under emergency rescue legislation. Thursday Treasury indicated it would move by the

    end of the month. In a brief speech on Friday, President Bush promised the department would move quickly.  With the legislation’s main

    mechanism an auction system to purchase bad mortgage-based securities remains weeks away from implementation, Paulson may have

    to inject capital into any number of financial institutions even non-depository ones like investment banks, commercial banks, insurers,

    companies, and hedge funds.

    Bank nationalization would be a more extraordinary move for the US, during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s when major

    money center banks were facing possible loan payment defaults by sovereign governments, the US “had a contingency plan in place to

    nationalize banks.

    The Fed and Treasury have already taken a number of unusual steps from paying interest on bank deposits to backing up the

    commercial paper market to providing more than $100 billion in loans to the insurance giant American International Group. Potential plans

    for the government to guarantee banks’ liabilities would potentially separate credit risk from funding and may encourage more lending

    among banks. The Credit markets internationally and in the U.S. will require control measures and stimulation to regain confidince and

    begin flowing again.
    Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley may be nationalized this weekend.
    Pressure has been growing on Morgan Stanley for days now amid speculation Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ will not proceed with plans to

    purchase a major stake. Expect an announcement from Paulson, possibly on Sunday or Monday.

    GM’s reported earnings and the cash burn rate are extremely concerning. Survival is now a serious question for GM.
    GM is now close to Ford in burn rate of available cash to support world wide operations. The stock was off 31% yesterday.
    While the temptation may be strong to bottom fish here make sure to factor out the risk reward prospects before making any moves.

    Volatility remains at extremes.

    The Dow has fallen 22% so far in October

    The stock market posted its eighth consecutive loss on extreme volatility.
    Friday was the anniversary of the 101002 769 bear market low, and the S&P500 has declined -24% in the last seven days -0.3, -4.0,

    -1.4, -3.9, -5.7, -1.1, -7.6 This decline over the last 7 days qualifies as the 8th worst bear market of the 16 bear markets since

    5291946-5171947.

    The stock market finished its worst week ever with a dramatic rebound from even worse lows.
    The Dow Jones industrials moved more than 1,000 points during the session from a low of nearly 700 points to a gain of more than 300

    before falling back again.  It was the first 1,000-point swing for the DOW index.
    For most of us we may never see a week like this again. It’s history for the generations.
     
    Cash Should remain a focus however stocksshakers anticipate that there is going to be some sort of coordinated worldwide massive credit

    infusion coming very soon, Possibly Sunday Night or Monday morning.
     
    Watch the XLF and UYG which is the ETF and the Ultra-ETF for the financial stocks these ETF’s are leading indicators for the direction of

    the remainder of the U.S. equities markets.

    International stock markets close before the U.S. stock market rebounded, saw some of the worst sessions in decades. In Asian trading,

    Japan’s Nikkei fell 9.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 7.2%. In Europe, London’s FTSE fell 8.9%, Germany’s DAX dropped 7.0%

    and France’s CAC declined 7.7%. 8 of 10 economic sectors posted a loss.  Small-cap stocks outperformed, with the Russell 2000 surging

    4.7%.

    The three-month London interbank offered rate (Libor) climbed to 4.82% today from 4.75% Thursday. This is the highest level all year

    and was up from 2.82% just 1 month ago.  Higher Libor rates indicate a slowing in lending and an increased fear of risk in loans and

    lending.

    The stock market dive has seen the Dow fall 22% so far in October and has forced many hedge funds to liquidate stocks to meet margin

    calls.  Unless the cash gets freed up, experts say, the U.S. could face a very serious recession. Other countries may face bigger

    problems.  Finance officials from the major industrials were meeting Friday to discuss the situation. After the meeting, the U.S. and its G-7

    allies agreed on common guidelines to address the world financial crisis, a move that opens the way for a series of government actions.

    But The Wall Street Journal said the agreement falls short of the joint plan that many investors had sought.
    At the same time, Treasury Secretary Paulson announced that the government will move ahead with plans to buy equity stakes in

    financial institutions. The administration received authority to make direct purchases of stock in the $700 billion rescue bill Congress recently

    passed.
    Symbol             Last         Change
    Dow                8,451.19  128.00 (1.49%)
    Nasdaq            1,649.51     4.39 (0.27%)
    S&P 500           899.22      10.70 (1.18%)
    10-Yr Bond       3.8610%     0.0270
    NYSE Volume    11,606,424,000
    Nasdaq Volume   4,273,416,000

    Advances & Declines       NYSE        NASDAQ
    Advances                 1,201 (34%)  1,457 (47%) 
    Declines                   2,339 (66%)  1,583 (51%) 
    Unchanged                     30 (1%)  90 (3%) 
    Up Vol*                         88 (3%)  1,665 (39%) 
    Down Vol*                2,917 (97%)  2,568 (60%) 
    Unch. Vol*                     12 (0%)  41 (1%) 
    New Hi’s                                16  6
    New Lo’s                           2,631  1,709

    Seeking Alpha and Relative strength? Stockshakers again suggests the markets trading enviroment is still too volitile to take lightly.

    Symbol  Company Name  WeightedAlpha  Last  Rel Str  His Vol  Avg Vol  YTDPercent  52 WeekHigh  52 WeekLow 
    RXD  ULTRASHORT HEAL       +68.70  122.98  89.95%  71.97%  11825  90.09%  131.92  60.36 
    SDP  ULTRASHORT UTIL       +119.40  122.76  87.29%  69.00%  60165  145.10%  142.61  46.67 
    SDK  PST ULSHT RSL M         +160.10  163.34  86.17%  92.29%  33860  160.23%  186.98  56.16 
    SJL  PST ULSHT RSL M          +109.60  173.15  85.44%  91.13%  18665  113.20%  194.12  67.22 
    SMN  ULTRASHORT BASI       +100.50  92.99  85.28%  100.16%  3170660  130.73%  107.00  25.59 
    SFK  PST ULSHT RSL1K         +141.40  141.90  85.15%  76.17%  43255  131.50%  159.11  56.05 
    RMS  RYDEX INVERSE 2        +92.50  160.02  84.79%  77.74%  8195  106.98%  189.97  68.14 
    SCC  ULTRASHORT CONS      +114.60  157.86  83.31%  74.78%  279470  86.05%  176.96  65.26 
    EWV  PROSHARES US MS      +111.40  169.86  82.85%  80.62%  41175  124.84%  187.05  65.44 
    MZZ  PT ULTRSHR MC40       +107.40  111.00  82.75%  91.54%  1194290  104.85%  127.50  46.56 
    REW  ULTRASHORT TECH     +136.00  118.52  82.68%  79.15%  171915  122.92%  133.40  46.01 
    DUG  ULTRASHORT OIL        +67.60  74.40  82.38%  119.28%  19580990  119.73%  86.50  23.37

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