While Large- And Small-Caps Meaningfully Diverge, Several Options-Related Metrics Remain In Frothy Territory

The recovery in the economy from recent lows has been uneven. In equities, the S&P 500 (large cap) rallied to a new high last Friday, while the Russell 2000 (small cap) was rejected at a crucial resistance. Amidst this, several … Continued

Stars Lining Up For Decent Rally In Stocks

After rallying in June and most of July, stocks began selling off late last month.  Bulls nonetheless have managed to defend major support, even as stars seem to be lining up for them – magnitude and duration notwithstanding. Bulls are … Continued

Macro Deceleration Getting Confirmed By How 10-Year T-Yield Behaves

posted in: Credit, Economy, Technicals | 0

If early this year the 10-year T-yield vouched for the strength of the US economy as it broke out of multi-year/decade resistance, what is it trying to tell us now that it seems to have hit the wall and is … Continued

Of Late, ITB Not Taking Cue From Builder Sentiment, Rather Other Housing Data

Directionally, ITB, the iShares Dow Jones Home Construction ETF, and U.S. homebuilder sentiment tend to move together.  The correlation coefficient is far from perfect, but at 0.68 between May 2006 and November 2015, it is decent (Chart 1). The National … Continued

U.S. sales of new homes yet to catch up with ebullient builder sentiment, Part Two

posted in: Credit, Economy | 0

The piece yesterday on U.S. housing was based on June’s numbers.  New-home sales data came out yesterday, and it was anything but encouraging.  Year-over-year, sales (seasonally adjusted annual rate) rose 12.2 percent but fell 2.4 percent month-over-month.  The latter helps … Continued