On Thursday, markets started the day a bit higher (gapping up 0.24% on the SPY, up 0.33% in the DIA, and up 0.39% in the QQQ).  However, that was essentially the last we saw of the Bulls for the day.  After that open, the DIA managed to grind sideways in a very tight range until 11 am.  Then it sold off in waves, closing on the lows.  After its gap, the SPY sold off slowly until noon, had a very weak one-hour bounce, and then also sold off all the way into the close.  QQQ immediately sold off harder than the other two major index ETFs for the first hour.  At that point, it modestly bounced until 1 pm before it also sold off hard the rest of the day.  This action gave us large black-bodied candles with tiny wicks in the SPY, DIA, and QQQ.

On the day, nine of the 10 sectors were in the red again with Consumer Cyclical (-1.40%) once more leading the way lower and Energy (+0.83%) holding up much better than any other sector.  At the same time, the SPY lost 0.76%, DIA lost 0.78%, and QQQ lost 1.09%.  VXX gained another 4.81% to close at 26.38 and T2122 dropped even further into the oversold area at 2.86.  10-year bond yields continued to climb to 4.284% while Oil (WTI) climbed to close at $80.39 per barrel. This all took place on slightly less-than-average volume again across all three major index ETFs.  So, the Bulls opened us higher.  However, after that, it was all Bears all the time the rest of the day, even picking up speed in the afternoon.          

The major economic news reported Thursday included Weekly Initial Jobless Claims that came in just a bit below expectation at 239k (compared to a forecast of 240k and the prior week’s 250k reading).  At the same time, the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index was reported dramatically higher than predicted at +12.0 (versus the -10.0 forecast and even further above the July value of -13.5). However, the Philly Fed Employment Index came in well below anticipated at -6.0 (compared to a forecast of -0.7 and even the July reading of -1.0).  Then, after the close, the Fed’s Balance Sheet showed another reduction of $62 billion, down to $8.146 trillion from $8.208 trillion.

The NY Fed released survey results Thursday afternoon.  The survey found that, at least as of just before the late-July Fed meeting, big banks and money managers believed the July rate hike would be the last one for this tightening cycle.  The survey also showed that most “Primary Dealers” believe we will see Fed rate cuts starting in April, while money managers think the cuts will begin in March of 2024.  Furthermore, the big banks expect the Fed to stop reducing its Balance Sheet when it reaches $6.75 trillion (now at $8.146 trillion as reported above and falling at a rate of about $50-$75 billion per week).

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In stock news, Blue Shield of CA made major waves by announcing it will stop using CVS to manage its pharmacy benefits program and will instead work with AMZN and other firms.  (CVS lost 8.14% on the day on this news.)  Elsewhere, PFE announced that its updated COVID-19 vaccine does show “neutralizing activity” against the Eris subvariant in addition to the (still dominant) Omicron variant.  Not to be outdone, MRNA announced the results of an initial study which showed their updated COVID-19 vaccine is “effective” against Omicron, Eris, and Fornax variants.  In the afternoon, troubled electric carmaker MULN launched a $25 million stock buyback program in an effort to boost the stock price and avoid being delisted.  At the same time, private trucking company Estes Express submitted a $1.3 billion bid to purchase the freight terminals of bankrupt YELL.  Meanwhile, F and its partners (a consortium of South Korean firms) announced they will build a $900 million battery factory in Quebec.  In the late afternoon, Bloomberg reported that GS is on a hiring spree, having hired several hundred new staff to address concerns identified by the Fed.  Twitter (“X”) was in trouble yet again Thursday after ads from ADBE, GILD, and several other brands were run beside “pro-Nazi” content.  ADBE and GILD have suspended advertising on X after the latest in the social media platforms series of blunders.

In stock legal and regulatory news, the union for striking Hollywood Writers sent a letter urging the FTC to investigate DIS, AMZN, and NFLX on antitrust grounds.  The Writers Guild of America told FTC Chair Khan that those three companies have amassed too much power in the streaming media industry and are now effectively an oligopoly.  At the same time, GOOGL’s YouTube unit defeated a racial bias lawsuit that had been filed by black and Hispanic content creators.  A US District Judge in San Francisco threw out the case, saying the claims did not come close to suggesting discrimination.  Elsewhere, Reuters reported that US Customs has begun increased inspections of car parts being imported from China in an effort to identify and stop the import of any products produced by supply chains involving forced (Uyghur) labor.  At midday, TSLA notified Core Lithium it will sue the Australian miner in seven days unless the two sides reach a mutual agreement. This comes after the two companies failed to reach an agreement on supply quantities and prices prior to a mutually agreed prior date.  Late in the day, C was subpoenaed by the US House Judiciary Committee (GOP) over alleged data sharing with the FBI without the appropriate legal process prior to that disclosure.  This is part of the effort by the GOP members of the committee to help the January 6 defendants by using subpoena power to provide extra discovery for their defenses. 

After the close, AMAT, GLOB, KEYS, and ROST reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  However, FTCH missed on both the top and bottom lines.  It is worth noting that AMAT and ROST raised forward guidance.  On the other side, KEYS and FTCH lowered their guidance. 

Overnight, Asian markets were nearly red across the board with only Australia (+0.03%) barely hanging on to green.  Hong Kong (-2.05%), Shenzhen (-1.75%), and Shanghai (-1.00%) led the region lower.  In Europe, we see a similar picture taking shape at midday with only Russia (+0.64%) appreciably in the green.  Meanwhile, The CAC (-0.81%), DAX (-0.77%), and FTSE (-0.80%) are leading the region lower in early afternoon trade.  In the US, as of 7:30 am, Futures are also pointing to a red start to the day.  The DIA implies a -0.18% open, the SPY is implying a -0.33% open, and the QQQ implies a -0.61% open at this hour.  At the same time, 10-year bond yields are down sharply to 4.223% and Oil (WTI) is off a quarter of a percent to $80.19 per barrel in early trading.

There is no major economics news scheduled for Friday.  The major earnings reports scheduled for before the opening bell include DE, EL, VIPS, XPEV, and PANW.  Then, after the close, there are no major reports scheduled.

So far this morning, DE and EL reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  Meanwhile, VIPS missed on revenue while beating on earnings.  However, XPEV missed on both the top and bottom lines.  It is worth noting that DE raised its forward guidance while EL, VIPS, and XPEV all lowered their guidance.

In miscellaneous news, JPM reported Thursday that hedge funds have slowed down their exit from value and small-cap stocks in the last month.  The study said the flow of funds moving from value to growth stocks in the last month (as “AI fever” hit) has now drawn mostly ended.  This report seems reasonable as the “high growth” QQQ names are down 6.54% since the first of the month.  Elsewhere, China’s largest developer and the world’s most heavily indebted real estate company, China Evergrande, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in NY on Thursday.  (Chapter 15 is the foreign entity equivalent to Chapter 11.)  Finally, the Texas electric grid operator (ERCOT) issued a voluntary power conservation request for Thursday, saying it expected to hit its tenth record high demand of the summer in the late afternoon and evening.  NRG (which also serves parts of TX) also requested customer electric conservation for the same reason. 

In late-breaking news, Bitcoin plummeted 9% between 5:30 pm and 5:35 pm Thursday night.  The news came a few hours after SpaceX disclosed it had written down its Bitcoin holdings by $373 million.  The main cryptocurrency recovered about half of the losses by 9:30 pm.  Elsewhere, Reuters reported that last night President Biden approved the sending of F-16 fighters from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine.  These planes will eventually be replaced by F-35 jets from LMT.

With that background, it looks like the Bears are still in control so far in premarket. We see black-body candles trading near the lows of the early session in all three major index ETFs at this point. The trend remains bearish with all three below their T-line (8ema). QQQ and DIA are getting close to their next potential support level this morning. However, SPY still has air below it until it reaches potential support. Of course, the long-term trend is still hanging on to a bullish course but it is being pushed hard by the Bears over the last three weeks. As far as extension goes, we are getting extended below the T-line (8ema) in al three with the SPY and QQQ being especially stretched. The T2122 indicator also remains very oversold, but not yet quite pegged to the bottom of its range. So, we are do for a pause or bounce soon. However, remember the market can remain too extended a lot longer than we can remain solvent betting on a reversal that has not happened yet. Also keep in mind that this is Friday, payday. So, take some profits off the table and prepare your account for the weekend news cycle by lightening up, hedging, or buying some insurance for your positions.

As always, be deliberate and disciplined…but don’t be stubborn. If you have a loss, admit you were wrong and take that loss before it gets out of hand. And when the price does move in your direction, always move your stops in your favor and take a little profit off the table. You have to keep the “Legend of the man in the green bathrobe” in mind. In a winning situation, it is NOT HOUSE MONEY you’re betting, it’s YOUR MONEY! There is absolutely no reason to keep raising your bet (risk) size just because you’ve had a win. Finally, remember that trading is not a hobby. It’s a job. The money is real and so is the risk. So, treat it that way. Do the work and follow the process. Stick to your trading rules, trade with the trend, and take those profits when you have them. Do the work!

See you in the trading room.

Ed

🎯 Mike Probst: Rick, Got CTL off the scanner today. Already up 30%. Love it.

🎯 Dick Carp: the scanner paid for the year with HES-thank you

🎯 Arnoldo Bolanos: LTA scanner really works $$, thanks Ed.

🎯 Bob S: LTA is incredible…. I use it … would not trade without it

🎯 Malcolm .: Posted in room 2, @Rick… I used the LTA Scanner to go through hundreds of stocks this weekend and picked out three to trade:  PYPL, TGT, and ZS.   Quality patterns and with my trading, up 24%, 7% and 12%…. this program is gold.

🎯 Friday 6/21/19  (10:09 am) Aaron B: Today, my account is at +190% since January. Thanks, RWO HRC Flash Malcolm Thomas Steve Ed Bob S Bob C Mike P and everyone that contributes every day. I love our job.

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Disclosure: We do not act on all trades we mention, and not all mentions acted on the day of the mention. All trades we mention are for your consideration only.

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DISCLAIMER: Investing / Trading involves significant financial risk and is not suitable for everyone. No communication from Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates or representatives is not financial or trading advice. All information provided by Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates and representatives are intended for educational purposes only. You are advised to test any new trading approach before implementing it.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Terms of Service

Markets started the day just on the Bearish side of flat (gapping down 0.10% in the SPY, down 0.13% in the DIA, and down 0.13% in the QQQ).  At that point, we saw a modest divergence with DIA rallying sharply for 20 minutes to reach the highs of the day before slowly meandering back down the rest of the day.  Meanwhile, the SPY and QQQ meandered sideways with a very modest Bullish trend until shortly after 11 am.  Then the SPY and QQQ sold off briskly until 1 pm and ground sideways until 3 pm before resuming their move lower.  All three of those major index ETFs went out very near their lows of the day.  This action gave us black-bodied candles with upper wicks in all three. 

On the day, nine of the 10 sectors were in the red with Consumer Cyclical (-1.25%) leading the way lower and Utilities (+0.26%) being the only sector to hang on to the green territory.  At the same time, the SPY lost 0.73%, DIA lost 0.53%, and QQQ lost 1.06%.  VXX gained 1.61% to close at 25.17 and T2122 dropped slightly, further into the oversold area at 5.54.  10-year bond yields continued to climb to 4.27% while Oil (WTI) was down 2.22% to close at $79.19 per barrel. This all took place on less-than-average volume again across all three major index ETFs.  So, the Bears put in some work, following through to the downside after a tepid early attempt to reverse the downtrend by the Bulls.          

The major economic news reported Wednesday included Preliminary July Building Permits, which came in slightly below expectations at 1.442 million (compared to a forecast of 1.463 million and a June reading of 1.441 million).  On a month-on-month basis, this was actually a +0.1% move (versus a forecast of -1.7% and June’s 3.7% fall).  At the same time, July Housing Starts were reported above the predicted amount at 1.452 million (compared to the 1.448 million forecast and the June value of 1.398 million).  On a month-on-month basis, that was a strong +3.9% (versus a forecast of +2.7% and vastly better than June’s -11.7%).  Later, July Industrial Production was a matter of what timeframe you are considering.  On a month-on-month basis, Industrial Production rose more than anticipated at +1.0% (compared to a forecast of +0.3% and June’s 0.80% decline).  However, on a year-on-year basis, July Industrial Production was a bit worse than expected at -0.23% (versus a -0.10% forecast but still significantly better than June’s 0.78% decline).  At midmorning, the EIA Weekly Crude Oil Inventory saw a much bigger drawdown than predicted at -5.960 million barrels (compared to a forecast of -2.320 million barrels and far worse than the prior week’s inventory build of 5.851 million barrels).  The EIA also said that US Oil Production reached a new three-year high of 12.7 million barrels per day on average produced last week.

The July Fed Meeting Minutes came out Wednesday.  They showed a divided FOMC, with “some” members citing the risks of pushing rates too far even as “most” members still prioritizing the fight against inflation over the potential for economic harm.  For example, “a couple” participants called for leaving rates unchanged again in July.  Still, the vote was unanimous to raise a quarter point.  Later, the committee discussed risk management steps that might bear on future rate decisions.  In summary, the minutes showed the group was committed to following the course they had been indicating to markets for some time.  However, at least the written verbiage they want to put out will continue to say everything is “data dependent.”  With that said, they may have tipped their hand as to how the group is leaning when it was agreed that future moves will be dictated by the data which will “help clarify the extent to which the disinflation process was continuing.”  In addition, both staff economists and the committee members now seem to see a potential “soft landing” taking shape.

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In stock news, GM invested $60 million in another battery startup (Mitra Chem), which specialized in using AI to optimize the design and creation of lithium-ion battery parts.   Elsewhere, Bloomberg reported that BAESY is in talks to acquire BALL’s aerospace division for more than $4 billion.  At the same time, MULN announced that it will debut its ultra-high-performance FIVE RS crossover vehicle on August 20.  (The FIVE RS will reportedly do 0-60mph in less than 2 seconds and will have a top speed over 200mph.)  Later, Reuters reported that MT is now considering entering the bidding for X and has brought in investment bankers to help prepare an offer.  After the close, BX (along with a private company and Canada’s second-largest pension fund) struck a deal with BAC. The deal will allow them to buy $1.5 billion worth of solar and wind plants to capitalize on the 2022 Biden green energy funding in the Inflation Reduction Act.  As part of the deal, a private company (Invenergy Renewables) will sell BAC $580 million of tax credits and put the money toward 14 projects being led by AEP.  Overnight, the Wall Street Journal reported that GOOGL’s Health Science unit (Verily) is planning more cost-cutting after losing more money than expected in the last year.  The details are unknown but Verily laid off 200 workers and discontinued some products earlier this year.  At the same time, Reuters reports that TSN is now planning to sell its Chinese poultry business according to three sources.  That unit has $1.1 billion in annual sales revenue.  Also overnight, BAESY did agree to buy BALL’s aerospace unit but for a higher-than-expected $5.55 billion in cash.  Finally, early today Reuters reported that STLA is investing more than $100 million in CA lithium extraction company Controlled Thermal Resources.  (BRKB has struggled to extract lithium in the same area due to large concentrations of silica in the brine from which lithium is extracted.  Controlled Thermal has the technology to remove the silica and other undesirable elements prior to the extraction process.)

In stock legal and regulatory news, Bloomberg reported that V is facing an investigation by the Dept. of Justice over how much it charges merchants for the technology used to safeguard cardholder data.  (That service is called “tokenization” and it replaces the card number used with a computer-generated token.)  The DOJ is investigating the validity of charging merchants more for not using the new tokenization service it offers.  (MA reached a settlement in December with the FTC over the same practice the DOJ investigating V over.)  At the same time, a lawsuit was filed against SBGI, by its bankrupt subsidiary, accusing SBGI of siphoning off $1.5 billion from the bought-out firm, causing the bankruptcy.  Elsewhere, INTC announced it has abandoned the proposed purchase of TSEM after being unsuccessful in getting Chinese authorities to approve the deal.  As a result of killing the deal, INTC owes TSEM $353 million.  At the same time, the NHTSA announced that TM is issuing a recall for 168k 2022-2023 hybrid pickup trucks over a potential fuel leak fire hazard.  In Europe, the Czech government passed a law that will charge multinationals a 15% minimum profit tax for companies with greater than $817.50 million in sales in two of the last four years.  (This is aimed at preventing multinationals from moving profits to a country of the least taxes.)  Back in the US, the state of TX approved the TSLA standard for charging networks in that state to qualify for federal funds.  Meanwhile, officials from seven states wrote to FTC Chair Khan opposing KR’s proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of ACI.  At the same time, Reuters reported that ALL has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a class action suit brought by shareholders who had accused the insurer of lowering underwriting standards (poor risk management) to boost sales growth.  At the close, the FDA announced it has approved a bone disorder treatment from IPSEY.  The drug will have an estimated cost of $400,000 per year and this gives the company a lead over REGN which has a treatment for the same disease still listed as experimental.  After the close, 16 people who witnessed the 2022 Buffalo NY grocery store mass shooting filed suit against three firearms retailers and GOOGL (where the defendant live-streamed the shooting on YouTube).  Also after the close, the FTC approved the EQT acquisition of QMCO for $5.2 billion (announced in September 2022).

After the close, A, HRB, JKHY, NU, and LRN all reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  However, SQM missed on both the top and bottom lines. It is worth noting that A also lowered its forward guidance. So far this morning, JD, TCEHY, and TJX reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  Meanwhile, EAT, PFGC, and TGT missed on revenue while beating on the earnings line.  It is worth noting that TGT cut its full-year guidance.

Overnight, Asian markets were mixed but leaned toward the red side.  Shenzhen (+0.61%), Thailand (+0.61%), and Taiwan (+0.42%) led the gainers.  Meanwhile, Malaysia (-1.06%), New Zealand (-0.95%), and Australia (-0.68%) paced the losses.  However, in Europe, the bourses are leaning strongly to the downside at midday.  The breadth of losses is wide with Finland (+0.31%) being the only appreciable green while the CAC (-0.05%), DAX (-0.07%), and FTSE (-0.13%) are typical of modest losses and lead the region lower in early afternoon trade.  In the US, as of 7:30 am, Futures are pointing toward a modestly green start to the day.  The DIA implies a +0.27% open, the SPY is implying a +0.21% open, and the QQQ implies a +0.18% open at this point.  At the same time, 10-year bond yields are climbing again at 4.302% and Oil (WTI) is 1.12% to $80.25 per barrel in early trading.

The major economics news scheduled for Thursday includes Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Mfg. Index, and Philly Fed Mfg. Employment (all at 8:30 am), and the Fed Balance Sheet (4:30 pm).  The major earnings reports scheduled for before the opening bell include ARCO, BILI, DOLE, NICE, TPR, and WMT.  Then, after the close, AMAT, FTCH, GLOB, KEYS, and ROST report.

In economic news later this week, on Friday, there is no significant economic news scheduled.

In terms of earnings reports, on Friday, DE, EL, VIPS, XPEV, and PANW report.

In miscellaneous news, the National Futures Assn. approved COIN to sell crypto futures to us investors on Wednesday.  (75% of all global cryptocurrency transactions are done using futures.  However, US investors have not been able to participate in that market until this approval.)  Meanwhile in Washington, as Congress headed home for summer recess there was no movement on the Appropriations bills, which could lead to a government shutdown.  However, an interesting development was hinted at.  House Speaker McCarthy floated the idea of a continuing resolution, kicking the can down the road until December or January.  Democrats, especially in the Senate, were very supportive of the idea.  The “why?” is the interesting part.  Speculation is that some people believe pushing off the decisions until later may see legal developments having weakened one faction’s support from the base and made them more amenable to compromises.  It’s pure speculation, but it might make sense since nothing else is likely to change between the two sides whether the deadline is in 30 days or five months. 

So far this morning, BILI, NICE, and WMT all reported beats on both revenue and earnings.  Meanwhile, DOLE missed on revenue while beating on earnings.  However, TPR and ARCO missed on both the top and bottom lines.  It is worth noting, the BILI and TPR have lowered their forward guidance.  At the same time, WMT raised its forward guidance.

With that background, it looks like markets are looking to give us a modest gap-up, but indecisive start to the morning. The SPY and QQQ are giving us the strongest (white-bodied) premarket candles but that is not saying much. The trend remains bearish with all three major index ETFs below their T-line (8ema). None of the three major index ETFs have a potential support level immediately below at this moment. Of course, the long-term trend is still hanging on to a bullish course but it is being pushed by the Bears over the last three weeks. As far as extension goes, we are starting to get a little bit extended below their T-line (8ema) and the T2122 indicator remains very oversold, but not yet quite pegged to the bottom of its range. So, both sides have some slack to work with. However, the Bulls have much more room to run and we may be in need of a pause or pullup.

As always, be deliberate and disciplined…but don’t be stubborn. If you have a loss, admit you were wrong and take that loss before it gets out of hand. And when the price does move in your direction, always move your stops in your favor and take a little profit off the table. You have to keep the “Legend of the man in the green bathrobe” in mind. In a winning situation, it is NOT HOUSE MONEY you’re betting, it’s YOUR MONEY! There is absolutely no reason to keep raising your bet (risk) size just because you’ve had a win. Finally, remember that trading is not a hobby. It’s a job. The money is real and so is the risk. So, treat it that way. Do the work and follow the process. Stick to your trading rules, trade with the trend, and take those profits when you have them. Do the work!

See you in the trading room.

Ed

🎯 Mike Probst: Rick, Got CTL off the scanner today. Already up 30%. Love it.

🎯 Dick Carp: the scanner paid for the year with HES-thank you

🎯 Arnoldo Bolanos: LTA scanner really works $$, thanks Ed.

🎯 Bob S: LTA is incredible…. I use it … would not trade without it

🎯 Malcolm .: Posted in room 2, @Rick… I used the LTA Scanner to go through hundreds of stocks this weekend and picked out three to trade:  PYPL, TGT, and ZS.   Quality patterns and with my trading, up 24%, 7% and 12%…. this program is gold.

🎯 Friday 6/21/19  (10:09 am) Aaron B: Today, my account is at +190% since January. Thanks, RWO HRC Flash Malcolm Thomas Steve Ed Bob S Bob C Mike P and everyone that contributes every day. I love our job.

Hit and Run Candlesticks / Road To Wealth Youtube videos

Disclosure: We do not act on all trades we mention, and not all mentions acted on the day of the mention. All trades we mention are for your consideration only.

Free YouTube Education  •  Subscription Plans • Private 2-Hour Coaching

DISCLAIMER: Investing / Trading involves significant financial risk and is not suitable for everyone. No communication from Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates or representatives is not financial or trading advice. All information provided by Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates and representatives are intended for educational purposes only. You are advised to test any new trading approach before implementing it.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Terms of Service

Tuesday saw markets gap down again with SPY opening down 0.44%, DIA opening down 0.45%, and QQQ opening down 0.32%.  After that open, the Bears were able to follow through to the downside for the first hour.  At that point, all three major index ETFs meandered sideways in waves not far up off the lows until 3 pm.  From there, all three sold off in the last hour, reaching new lows for the day.  This action gave us gap-down, large-body, black candles in all three major index ETFs.  DIA printed what can easily be seen as an Evening Star signal that broke through the recent support level.  Meanwhile, QQQ printed a Bearish Harami that failed its T-line.  SPY did not print a signal, but definitely took out recent lows and at best (from a Bullis standpoint) could be seen as right at the potential support level now..

On the day, all 10 sectors were in the red with Financial Services (-1.85%) and Basic Materials (-1.84%) out front leading the way lower and Healthcare (-0.41%) holding up far better than the other sectors.  At the same time, the SPY lost 1.16%, DIA lost 1.01%, and QQQ lost 1.05%.  VXX gained 5.76% to close at 24.77 and T2122 dropped deep into the oversold area at 5.76.  10-year bond yields continued to climb to 4.217% while Oil (WTI) was down 1.85% to close at $80.97 per barrel. This all took place on less-than-average volume across all three major index ETFs.  So, the bears got a big tailwind overnight from the Fitch banking sector warnings and that was reinforced when Fed Member Kashkari advocated “significantly higher” capital requirements for banks (beyond even the just hinted and not yet proposed new ones from the Fed, FDIC and Comptroller of the Currency).           

The major economic news reported Tuesday included the July Export Price Index, which came in much higher than expected at +0.7% (compared to a forecast of +0.2% and far higher than the June reading of -0.7%).  At the same time, the July Import Price Index also came in high at +0.4% (versus the forecast of +0.2% and the June value of -0.1%). July Retail Sales also increased much more than predicted at +0.7% (compared to a +0.4% forecast and a June value of +0.3%).  However, the Preliminary August NY Empire State Mfg. Index was reported far lower than anticipated at -19.0 (versus a forecast of -1.0 and even worse compared to the July reading of +1.10).  Later in the morning, June Business Inventories came in lower than expected at +0.0% (versus the forecast of +0.1% and the May value of +0.2%).  At the same time, June Retail Inventories also came in lower than predicted at +0.3% (compared to a forecast of +0.4% and a May reading of -0.1%).  Then, at the close, the June TIC Net Long-Term Transactions (which is the difference between foreign securities bought by the US citizens versus US securities bought by foreigners…it measures whether money is flowing into or out of our markets) came in higher than expected at +$195.9 billion (compared to a forecast of +107.2 billion and far above the May value of +$23.6 billion).  Finally, after the close, the API Weekly Crude Oil Stocks Report showed a larger-than-expected inventory drawdown of 6.195 million barrels (versus the forecasted drawdown of 2.050 million barrels and much lower than the prior week’s 4.067-million-barrel inventory build).

In Fed-speak news, in addition to his statements calling for even stricter banking regulations, Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari said he was not ready to say the Fed is done raising rates.  Specifically, Kashkari said, “I’m seeing positive signs that say, hey, we may be on our way; we can take a little bit more time to get some more data and before we decide whether we need to do more.”  At the same time, he said the Fed is “a long way” from cutting rates, even though there is a possibility of cutting them next year “just to keep monetary policy at a stable point.”

SNAP Case Study | Actual Trade

In stock news, Reuters reported that sporting-related companies NKE, ADDYY, and DKS are scrambling to unload products at significant discounts after the US Women’s World Cup Soccer team failed to make the second round of the World Cup Soccer Tournament.  They reported that various retail analysts were seeing 25%-35% discounts on jerseys, t-shirts, sweats, and other branded apparel.  Elsewhere, BP announced they have invested in a start-up company that is seeking to use vapor from heavy industry locations to sharply reduce the production costs of zero-carbon hydrogen.  At the same time, financially troubled UP said Tuesday that it will give up to 95% of its common stock to investment firms in return for a $500 million lifeline.  The investors include DAL and two private equity firms.  Later, BLNK announced it will be expanding its Latin American electric charging network.  The company had previously committed to 2,100 EV chargers across eight countries in the region.  In unrelated news, TSLA launched two cheaper and shorter-range versions of its Model S and Model X cars.  (Both will have exactly the same hardware, but will use software to limit the range.  The shorter-range version will be about $10,000 less than their “full range” sister products.)  Late in the day, private firm Esmark said it had $7.8 billion of cash in the bank and was ready to close an acquisition of X (the all-cash offer was made Monday).  After the close, OXY announced it would be acquiring carbon-capture firm Carbon Engineering for $1.1 billion.  At the same time, drugmaker MNKKQ announced it is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection for the second time in three years after failing to make a $200 million settlement payment to opioid victims.  In addition, LUV announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing over 17,000 transport of its workers who handle ramp, cargo, and provisioning operations.

In stock legal and regulatory news, the White House and CFPB announced plans to regulate companies in the surveillance industry, including the data brokers that accumulate and sell consumer personal data.  The announcement specifically called out EXPGF, TRU, and EFX (consumer credit rating agencies) for selling “credit header information” such as names, addresses, and social security numbers.  This comes after the FTC sued (in late 2022) an Idaho company for selling cell phone geolocation data.  Elsewhere, the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that WBA must face trial (it revived the lawsuit) for defrauding the US and the state of VA related to billing and eligibility of patients for expensive hepatitis C drugs.  (A lower court had dismissed the trial on the odd reasoning that WBA had violated federal law in its pre-authorization filings making the post-treatment billing irrelevant.  The Appeals Court rejected that idea.)  At the same time, Canada’s corporate ethics watchdog announced Tuesday that it is investigating RL over allegations the company uses forced labor (including Uyghur labor) in its Chinese production facilities.  Meanwhile, NY state fined CAR $275,000 for refusing to rent vehicles to people who do not have credit cards, even if they offered to pay a deposit.

After the close, A, HRB, JKHY, NU, and LRN all reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  It is worth noting that A also lowered its forward guidance. So far this morning, JD, TCEHY, and TJX reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  Meanwhile, EAT, PFGC, and TGT missed on revenue while beating on the earnings line.  It is worth noting that TGT cut its full-year guidance.

Overnight, Asian markets were nearly red across the board with only two of the twelve exchanges barely hanging onto green territory.  Meanwhile, South Korea (-1.76%), Japan (-1.46%), and Hong Kong (-1.36%) led the region lower.  In Europe, the picture is more mixed but still leans toward the red at midday.  The CAC (-0.07%), DAX (+0.05%), and FTSE (-0.48%) are leading the region lower with five green and 10 red bourses (Russia being down 2.11%) in early afternoon trade.  In the US, as of 7:30 am, Futures are pointing toward a flat start to the day.  The DIA implies a +0.01% open, the SPY is implying a -0.03% open, and the QQQ implies a -0.05% open at this hour.  At the same time, 10-year bond yields have pulled back a bit to 4.186% and Oil (WTI is flat at $80.97 per barrel in early trading.

The major economics news scheduled for Wednesday includes July Building Permits and July Housing Starts (both at 8:30 am), July Industrial Production (9:15 am), EIA Crude Oil Inventories (10:30 am), and FOMC Meeting Minutes (2 pm).  The major earnings reports scheduled for before the opening bell include EAT, JD, PDGC, TGT, TCEHY, TJX, and ZIM.  Then, after the close, AVT, SQM, CSCO, KE, STNE, and SNPS report.

In economic news later this week, on Thursday, we get Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Mfg. Index, Philly Fed Mfg. Employment, and the Fed Balance Sheet.  Finally, on Friday, there is no significant economic news scheduled.

In terms of earnings reports, on Thursday, we hear from ARCO, BILI, DOLE, NICE, TPR, WMT, AMAT, FTCH, GLOB, KEYS, and ROST.  Finally, on Friday, DE, EL, VIPS, XPEV, and PANW report.

In miscellaneous news, China lowered its one-year and medium-term interest rates by 15 basis points to 2.5% on Tuesday.  Even as modest as it was, that was the largest cut in three years.  However, interest rates are far from China’s largest problems as another of China’s largest real estate developers is at risk of loan defaults and the country’s largest financial conglomerate (Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, often called China’s Blackstone) just missed payments on its investment products.  In addition, later Tuesday, it was reported that new bank loans fell to a 14-year low.  Elsewhere, Bloomberg reported that CS’s Annual Global Wealth Report found that global household wealth fell last year for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis.  Total net private wealth decreased by 2.4% to a total of $454.4 trillion in 2022. 

In late-breaking news, Nielsen reports that for the first time ever, TV (broadcast and cable) viewing dropped below 50% of all views.  At the same time, streaming media viewing rose to 39%.  Elsewhere, Bloomberg reports there is discontent in the ranks of senior management at GS.  Apparently, a large faction of senior GS managers want the CEO (Soloman) replaced.  Finally, China is going further in its efforts to prop up its economy by asking some of the largest investment funds in both the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges to be “net buyers of stocks.”  No carrot or stick was mentioned in the report.  Instead, it was just a request and exhortation, which may imply something in China that it doesn’t in other parts of the world.  China is also considering reducing the country’s “stamp duty” (which is a government fee for approval of loans, leases, insurance, and other financial contracts). 

With that background, it looks like traders are undecided this morning with small-body candles near Tuesday’s close level. The trend remains bearish with all three major index ETFs below their T-line (8ema). Only the SPY is sitting at a potential support level at this moment but the other two are not far above their own potential support. Of course, the long-term trend is still hanging on to a bullish incline but it is being pushed by the Bears over the last three weeks. As far as extension goes, none of the major index ETFs are too far from the T-line. However, the T2122 indicator is now oversold, but not yet quite pegged to the bottom of its range. So, both sides have some slack to work with. However, the Bulls have more room to run.

As always, be deliberate and disciplined…but don’t be stubborn. If you have a loss, admit you were wrong and take that loss before it gets out of hand. And when the price does move in your direction, always move your stops in your favor and take a little profit off the table. You have to keep the “Legend of the man in the green bathrobe” in mind. In a winning situation, it is NOT HOUSE MONEY you’re betting, it’s YOUR MONEY! There is absolutely no reason to keep raising your bet (risk) size just because you’ve had a win. Finally, remember that trading is not a hobby. It’s a job. The money is real and so is the risk. So, treat it that way. Do the work and follow the process. Stick to your trading rules, trade with the trend, and take those profits when you have them. Do the work!

See you in the trading room.

Ed

🎯 Mike Probst: Rick, Got CTL off the scanner today. Already up 30%. Love it.

🎯 Dick Carp: the scanner paid for the year with HES-thank you

🎯 Arnoldo Bolanos: LTA scanner really works $$, thanks Ed.

🎯 Bob S: LTA is incredible…. I use it … would not trade without it

🎯 Malcolm .: Posted in room 2, @Rick… I used the LTA Scanner to go through hundreds of stocks this weekend and picked out three to trade:  PYPL, TGT, and ZS.   Quality patterns and with my trading, up 24%, 7% and 12%…. this program is gold.

🎯 Friday 6/21/19  (10:09 am) Aaron B: Today, my account is at +190% since January. Thanks, RWO HRC Flash Malcolm Thomas Steve Ed Bob S Bob C Mike P and everyone that contributes every day. I love our job.

Hit and Run Candlesticks / Road To Wealth Youtube videos

Disclosure: We do not act on all trades we mention, and not all mentions acted on the day of the mention. All trades we mention are for your consideration only.

Free YouTube Education  •  Subscription Plans • Private 2-Hour Coaching

DISCLAIMER: Investing / Trading involves significant financial risk and is not suitable for everyone. No communication from Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates or representatives is not financial or trading advice. All information provided by Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates and representatives are intended for educational purposes only. You are advised to test any new trading approach before implementing it.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Terms of Service

Markets opened just on the red side of flat Monday (gapping down 0.21% in the SPY, down 0.08% in DIA, and down 0.22% in the QQQ).  However, the Bulls took over early and rallied all three major index ETFs to highs by 11 am.  Then the doldrums took over to give us a sideways grind in all three major that lasted until 3:55 pm.  Finally, we saw a strong rally the last 5 minutes of the day in SPY, DIA, and QQQ.  This action gave us Morning Star signal candles in the SPY and QQQ with the SPY closing right up against its T-line (8ema).  Meanwhile, DIA was much more indecisive, printing a white-bodied Spinning Top that closed just above the T-line after retesting that level. It’s worth noting that chip stocks (NVDA, MU, MRVL, and AMD) really led the parade Monday.  This all happened on less-than-average volume in all three major index ETFs.

On the day, six of the 10 sectors were in the red with Technology (+1.25%) way, way out front leading the way higher and Utilities (-1.13%) far behind, lagging the other sectors.  At the same time, the SPY gained 0.54%, DIA gained just 0.05%, and QQQ gained 1.12%.  VXX lost 1.68% to close at 23.43 and T2122 fell a bit but remains in the mid-range at 28.02.  10-year bond yields spiked again to 4.201% while Oil (WTI) was down 0.76% to close at $82.56 per barrel. This all took place on average volume in the QQQ and well below average in the large-cap index ETFs.  So, we saw a minor gap lower met with pretty much immediate buying.  However, after that move, markets just treaded water until the end of the day when the Bulls drove us higher into the close.         

There was no major economic news reported Monday.  However, the NY Fed did release its monthly survey of consumer inflation expectations.  The survey found that, on average, in July consumers now expect inflation to be at 3.5% a year from now down sharply from the 3.8% average expectation one month ago (June).  This was the lowest expectation reading since April of 2021.  In addition, 3-year and 5-year inflation expectations also dropped, although not as much, from 3.0% to 2.9%.  The survey also found positive improvements in consumer views on their personal finances and the job market over the next year.  The percentage that expect their personal situation to improve over the next year rose to the highest level since September 2021. Elsewhere, US bank regulators (FDIC, Fed, and Office of the Comptroller) said they will soon propose new regulations that require any bank with more than $100 billion in assets to issue enough long-term debt to cover capital losses in the event they ever fail.

SNAP Case Study | Actual Trade

In stock news, PYPL named current INTU exec. Alex Chriss as its new CEO.  Chriss will take over for the current CEO on September 27.  At the same time, AMC stock gapped sharply lower (closing down 35.55%) while APE (preferred shares of AMC) closed up 16.29%.  This was the result of fear that the recent settlement of shareholder legal challenges will allow AMC to issue more shares, diluting the existing ones.  (Also AMC announced at 10-to-1 reverse split for August 24 with all APE shares converted to common stock on August 25.)  Over in China, shares of electric vehicle makers (LI, XPEV, NIO, and BYDDY) fell as TSLA announced more price cuts as it continues the EV price war.  Later, HE fell 35% based on fear of the electric utilities’ potential liability from the fires on Maui last week.  At the same time, CHK announced Monday it will sell its remaining “Eagle Ford” assets to SBOW for $700 million.  Elsewhere, KHC named insider Carlos Abrams-Rivera as its new CEO. At the same time, BTAI announced it will cut more than 50% of its workforce as it pivots to restructure the business.  By mid-afternoon, FFIE announced it has delivered its first Futurist Alliance 2.0 car (priced at $309k).  This “electric supercar” has more than 1,000 horsepower (doing 0-60mph in 2.27 seconds) and the ability to go 381 miles between charges.  Late in the day, there were two updates to the Monday morning report that X had turned down a CLF offer to buy the steelmaker out.  On Monday, the USW union threw its support behind the CLF offer to buy CLF.  At the same time, privately-held Esmark made an offer of $7.8 billion ($35/share) for X (the rejected CLF offer was $7.3 billion).  After hours, LL announced it has begun exploring “strategic alternatives.”  LL shared plummeted 19% in post-market trading on that news.

In stock legal and regulatory news, GOEV revealed Monday that it has finalized $113 million in incentive agreements with the state of OK and the North American Cherokee Nation.  The deal would allow GOEV to earn $113 million over 10 years if it meets the set performance objectives.  Elsewhere, President Biden called on F, GM, STLA, and the UAW to come together to reach a fair agreement. (No mention was made of the potential to invoke a 30-day non-strike cooling-off period.)  Later, UBS agreed to pay $1.435 billion to settle US charges that the Swiss lender misled investors, leading them to buy distressed mortgage securities in 2008.  (The impressive thing is that UBS managed to drag out the process for 15 years.  For example, CS, which UBS bought in June, paid $5.28 billion for the same crime…but way back in 2017.)  At the end of the day, NKLA recalled all battery-powered trucks it has delivered and stopped sales of new ones after an investigation found battery coolant leaks led to fires.  At the same time, an Australian court fined DELL $6.5 million for misleading customers about discounts for add-on computer monitors.  In addition, the FTC fined EXPGF (Experian) $650,000 for spamming consumers with marketing emails without providing a way to opt-out.  Meanwhile, the FDA approved PFE’s blood cancer therapy named Elrexfio.  At the same time, K won a 3-0 decision by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals where plaintiffs had sought to revive a class action suit against K over the label claims on the amount of protein in its cereal.

After the close, GSM and XP both missed on revenue while beating on earnings. So far this morning, CAH and HD reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  Meanwhile, ESLT, IHS, and ONON beat on revenue while missing on earnings.  On the other side, SE missed on revenue while beating on earnings.  Unfortunately, TME missed on both the top and bottom lines.  It is worth noting that IHS lowered its forward guidance.

Overnight, Asian markets were mixed.  Hong Kong (-1.03%), South Korea (-0.79%), and Shenzhen (-0.70%) paced the losses.  Meanwhile, Japan (+0.56%), Australia (+0.38%), and Taiwan (+0.37%) led the gainers.  In Europe, the bourses are leaning heavily toward the bearish side at midday.  The CAC (-1.27%), DAX (-1.04%), and FTSE (-1.45%) are leading the region lower with only two exchanges in the green in early afternoon trade.  In the US, as of 7:30 am, Futures are pointing toward a down start to the day.  The DIA implies a -0.61% open, the SPY is implying a -0.57% open, and the QQQ implies a -0.52% open at this hour.  At the same time, 10-year bond yields are spiking again to 4.231% and Oil (WTI) is down more than one percent to $81.66 per barrel in early trading.

The major economics news scheduled for Tuesday includes July Retail Sales, July Export Price Index, July Import Price Index, and NY Fed Empire State Mfg. Index (all at 8:30 am), June Business Inventories and June Retail Inventories (both at 10 am), June TIC Net Long-Term Transactions (4 pm), and API Weekly Crude Oil Stock Report (4:30 pm).  Fed member Kashkari also speaks at 11 am.  The major earnings reports scheduled for before the opening bell include CAH, ESLT, HD, HIS, SE, and TME. Then, after the close, A, COHR, HRB, JKHY, NU, and LRN report.

In economic news later this week, on Wednesday, July Building Permits, July Housing Starts, July Industrial Production, EIA Crude Oil Inventories, and FOMC Meeting Minutes are reported.  On Thursday, we get Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Mfg. Index, Philly Fed Mfg. Employment, and the Fed Balance Sheet.  Finally, on Friday, there is no significant economic news scheduled.

In terms of earnings reports, on Wednesday, EAT, JD, PDGC, TGT, TCEHY, TJX, ZIM, AVT, SQM, CSCO, KE, STNE, and SNPS reports.  On Thursday, we hear from ARCO, BILI, DOLE, NICE, TPR, WMT, AMAT, FTCH, GLOB, KEYS, and ROST.  Finally, on Friday, DE, EL, VIPS, XPEV, and PANW report.

In miscellaneous news, Nomura Securities released data from its study of 0DTE (zero days to expiration) options.  The study found that 0DTE contracts are surging in use, accounting for more than 55% on S&P500 Index volume on a single day recently (1.86 million contracts).  The study also found that contrary to the past (when Call options were the most widely used) over the last 20 days 0DTE Put options had about 10% more volume than 0DTE Call options.  Elsewhere, Argentina made some “moves” on Monday, devaluing their currency 18% against the Dollar and hiking their central bank interest rate 21% to a staggering 118%.  Overnight, Russia’s central bank called an “unscheduled emergency meeting” in the hope of stopping the crash of the Ruble. 

In late-breaking news, Fitch announced warnings for dozens of US banks overnight.  This is the primary driver behind the strength of the bears in Europe and in the US premarket.  The warning said that if the industry score were to drop from AA- to A+ (a one-step downgrade), it would be forced to rerate all 70 major US banks it covers.  As of now, Fitch rates BAC, BNY, JPM, and STT as AA-.  It has MS and WFC at A+.  They rate BOKF, C, GS, and UMBF at A.  Fitch has CBU at A-.  COLB, HTH, and WTFC are rated BBB+ by them.  Meanwhile, BKU, EWBC, FINN, SNV, and TRMK are at a BBB rating. Finally, among the investment grade banks, Fitch has WAL at BBB-.  Fitch rates CATY and PACW as “below investment grade” BB+. 

So far this morning, JKS reported beats on both the revenue and earnings lines.  (ERJ has not yet reported.)

With that background, it looks like the bears have gapped the premarket down and have kept the pressure on with black-bodied candles sitting at the low of the early session. DIA has dropped back down through its T-line (8ema). The short-term trend remains bearish, but the long-term trend is still hanging on to a bullish incline but it is starting to be pushed. As far as extension goes, all of the major index ETFs remain close to the T-line and the T2122 indicator is still in its mid-range. So, once again both sides of the market have plenty of room to run…if they can find momentum.

As always, be deliberate and disciplined…but don’t be stubborn. If you have a loss, admit you were wrong and take that loss before it gets out of hand. And when the price does move in your direction, always move your stops in your favor and take a little profit off the table. You have to keep the “Legend of the man in the green bathrobe” in mind. In a winning situation, it is NOT HOUSE MONEY you’re betting, it’s YOUR MONEY! There is absolutely no reason to keep raising your bet (risk) size just because you’ve had a win. Finally, remember that trading is not a hobby. It’s a job. The money is real and so is the risk. So, treat it that way. Do the work and follow the process. Stick to your trading rules, trade with the trend, and take those profits when you have them. Do the work!

See you in the trading room.

Ed

🎯 Mike Probst: Rick, Got CTL off the scanner today. Already up 30%. Love it.

🎯 Dick Carp: the scanner paid for the year with HES-thank you

🎯 Arnoldo Bolanos: LTA scanner really works $$, thanks Ed.

🎯 Bob S: LTA is incredible…. I use it … would not trade without it

🎯 Malcolm .: Posted in room 2, @Rick… I used the LTA Scanner to go through hundreds of stocks this weekend and picked out three to trade:  PYPL, TGT, and ZS.   Quality patterns and with my trading, up 24%, 7% and 12%…. this program is gold.

🎯 Friday 6/21/19  (10:09 am) Aaron B: Today, my account is at +190% since January. Thanks, RWO HRC Flash Malcolm Thomas Steve Ed Bob S Bob C Mike P and everyone that contributes every day. I love our job.

Hit and Run Candlesticks / Road To Wealth Youtube videos

Disclosure: We do not act on all trades we mention, and not all mentions acted on the day of the mention. All trades we mention are for your consideration only.

Free YouTube Education  •  Subscription Plans • Private 2-Hour Coaching

DISCLAIMER: Investing / Trading involves significant financial risk and is not suitable for everyone. No communication from Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates or representatives is not financial or trading advice. All information provided by Hit and Run Candlesticks Inc, its affiliates and representatives are intended for educational purposes only. You are advised to test any new trading approach before implementing it.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Terms of Service