For Your Consideration

Well, after yesterday's 158 point drop, the market went up 14 points today, and CBS Marketwatch proudly trumpeted, "Buyers Come Back to Market!" Yeah, it's a veritable stampede.

The question over the coming days is whether yesterday's drop was a one-hit wonder or the start of something bigger. With the exception of mid-May to mid-July, the year 2006 has been largely a Big, Fat Disappointment to the brainy (and broke) bears, as the air-headed (and much richer) bulls have trampled all over us. Dogs do wonder when their day will come.

Take a look at this intraday chart of the S&P 500, for instance. The prior blue area was the last decent downturn. But as you can see, it only preceded yet another runup to new highs. There's every possibility this miniature rout could yield the same result.


The Dow Transports has been more consistently bearish than the Industrials. There was no rally today - it fell some more. This chart is probably one of the strongest reasons we bears have in our pocket for overall weakness in the future.


As mentioned a few days ago, the $VIX had gone (briefly) into single-digit territory (shown highlighted here). That didn't last. The $VIX exploded higher yesterday, and it seems to have broke its multi-month long downtrend.


I've augmented this graph of the Dow 30 with the Wilder RSI (shown beneath the price pane), and you can see the RSI has really tumbled hard lately. The Dow has plenty of room left to fall, even if the rising trendline stays intact.


The NASDAQ Composite has a similar story. There's plenty of open space (shown in highlighted blue here) between the current price and the supporting trendline. So even respecting the possibility that the bull market might be intact for many months to come, there's still an opportunity to make cash on the descent back down to the supporting line.


GOOG is a curious chart right now. One could take a very bullish view on this stock from a technical perspective, and it has had a very clean retracement back to its breakout point after having ascended well above the fabled $500 level. You be the judge.


Virtually everything about GOOG (except the bit about $500) can be said of SHLD as well, although it looks a touch more vulnerable to my eyes.


Now a couple of short ideas for you. NXY:


And U.S. Steel (X):


It was a pretty slow day on the market today, so that's it for now. I'll be traveling on business tomorrow, so my blog will probably be posted later than normal. I'll see you on the other side.