One of the things that helped propel stocks higher was rising conviction among equity bears that they were headed lower. As the major US equity indices bottomed last October and began to rally, a vicious short squeeze followed. Now, short … Continued
Tech has surprised everyone with its out-of-the-park performance this year. Even within tech, XLK outperforms QQQ, as the former posted a new high this week while the latter is still below its November 2021 high. It turns out XLK is … Continued
It is a seasonally strong period for stocks. Bulls are wasting no time getting ready for this. Stocks are rallying. In the best of circumstances, there is room to run still, with the caveat that an important inflation report is … Continued
It is easy to see why bears get tempted to short. Fundamentally, things are ugly. At the same time, the Federal Reserve has essentially backstopped stock prices. Shorts have gotten squeezed over and over. Bruised tech shorts are still not … Continued
Last week, the Russell 2000 jumped 3.6 percent, while the Nasdaq 100 slid 1.8 percent. If investors are indeed moving away from tech toward small-caps, this is no good news for markets as a whole. The five largest US companies … Continued
Bulls just wasted a huge opportunity to squeeze non-commercial shorts in e-mini futures. This is coming at a time when the Fed’s balance sheet is no longer growing at a breakneck pace, which stocks cherished earlier. Longs probably wasted a … Continued
Since March lows, large-caps led, and tech led the large-caps. Short squeeze helped. Amidst signs of distribution in the Nasdaq 100 the past several sessions, relief likely awaits bruised shorts near term. Shorts have gotten squeezed – for the most … Continued
The top five stocks report this week. They have rallied massively since March lows. Investor reaction to their earnings will determine if major cap-weighted indices continue their five-week upward momentum or hit the wall. This week, the big five report. … Continued
Mid-January, Nasdaq short interest rose to a four-plus-year high. In 14 months, the index rallied north of 52 percent. Shorts find this, among others, a compelling reason to build positions. Ironically, they may also end up helping longs defend support … Continued
There is no shortage of divergences – be it in macro or other assets, including equities. Major equity indices peaked early this month but put foot down early last week. Medium term, building on it further can prove difficult. Overbought … Continued