Prepare yourself. March Madness could be here. No, I’m not talking about the college basketball tourney either.

Stocks will be hanging onto Jay Powell’s every word and every breath on Wednesday (Mar. 17) and scrutinize his thoughts on interest rates and inflation.

Pretty much, we’re the Fed’s hostages until this thing gets some clarity. Even if Powell says nothing, the markets will move. That’s just how it’s going to work.

Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s CIO for global fixed income, echoed this statement. “I think the last press conference, I think I watched with one eye and listened with one ear. This one I’m going to be tuned in to every word and the markets are going to be tuned in to every word. If he says nothing, it will move markets. If he says a lot, it will move markets.”

Jay Powell is the biggest market mover in the game now. What’s coronavirus anymore?

So far, it’s been a relatively tame week for the indices. The Nasdaq’s continued playing catch-up and has outperformed, while the Dow and S&P are still hovering around record highs.

The wheels are in motion for pent-up consumer spending and a strong stock rally. Plus, we have that $1.9 trillion stimulus package heating up the economy and an army of retail traders with an extra $1,400 to play with.

Inflation fears and surging bond yields are still a concern and have caused significant volatility for growth stocks. But let’s have a little perspective here. Plus, jobless claims beat estimates again and came in at 712,000. This is nearly the lowest they’ve been in a whole year. Last week’s inflation data also came in more tamer than expected.

But bonds yields still remain the market’s biggest wild card. Yes, yields are still at a historically low level, and the Fed Funds Rate remains 0%. But depending on how things go around 2 pm Wednesday (Mar. 17), yields could potentially pop again, reinvigorating the rotation into value and cyclical plays and out of tech and growth plays.

Time will tell what happens.

My goal for these updates is to educate you, give you ideas, and help you manage money like I did when I was pressing the buy and sell buttons for $600+ million in assets. I left that career to pursue one to help people who needed help instead of the ultra-high net worth.

With that said, to sum it up:

There is optimism but signs of concern. The market has to figure itself out. A further downturn is possible, but I don’t think that a decline above ~20%, leading to a bear market, will happen any time soon.

Hopefully, you find my insights enlightening. I welcome your thoughts and questions and wish you the best of luck.

Russell 2000- Lessons Learned

Figure 1- iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM)

The Russell 2000 was the biggest laggard on Tuesday (Mar. 16). I think I’m starting to figure this index out, though, for a solid entry point.

I have been kicking myself for not calling BUY on the Russell after seeing a minor downturn when the markets got rocked in the second half of February. I may have broken my own rule about “not timing the market” also. I’ve wanted to buy the Russell 2000 badly forever but never thought it dipped hard enough (whenever it did). I was waiting for it to at least approach a correction.

But I think I figured out a pattern now. Notice what happened with the Russell almost every time it touched or minorly declined below its 50-day moving average. It reversed. Look at the above chart. Excluding the large crash and subsequent recovery in late-March and April 2020, 5 out of the last 6 times the Russell did this with its 50-day, it saw a sharp reversal. The only time it didn’t was in October 2020, when the distance between its 50-day and its 200-day moving average was a lot more narrow.

Now, look at the index. As tracked by iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), its rally since November and year-to-date have been mind-blowing. Pretty much, this is the one reason why I’m more cautious about buying the index.

Since the market’s close on October 30, the IWM has gained about 51.04% and more than doubled ETFs’ returns tracking the more major indices.

Not to mention, year-to-date, it’s already up 19.12% and around at an all-time high.

With that $1.9 trillion stimulus package set to greatly benefit small businesses, the Russell 2000 could pop even more.

Unfortunately, I’m keeping this a HOLD. But I am monitoring the Russell 2000 closely.

Aggressive stimulus, friendly policies, and a reopening world bode well for small-caps in 2021. I think this is something you have to consider for the Russell 2000 and maybe overpay for. The next time the index approaches its 50-day moving average, I will be a little more aggressive.

For more of my thoughts on the market, such as tech, if small-caps are buyable, inflation, and emerging market opportunities, sign up for my premium analysis today.

Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. If you would like to receive daily premium follow-ups, I encourage you to sign up for my Stock Trading Alerts to also benefit from the trading action described - the moment it happens. The full analysis includes more details about current positions and levels to watch before deciding to open any new ones or where to close existing ones.

Thank you.

Matthew Levy, CFA
Stock Trading Strategist

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Last week went a lot better than the week before. Especially if you’re a Nasdaq bull and bought the dip (like I recommended Feb 24).

The real story, though? We’ve still got the Dow, S&P, and Russell firmly at record highs.

This week should be full of excitement for the indexes. Will we see more record highs? Will the Nasdaq catch up and recover? How will the newly signed $1.9 trillion “America Rescue Plan” impact the market? Will inflation fears and accelerating bond yields spook investors again?

As you can see, there are clearly questions right now for stocks- despite the wheels in motion for pent-up consumer spending and a strong stock rally. Plus, we’ll start having many retail investors with an extra $1,400 to spend looking to have a little fun.

Inflation fears and surging bond yields are still a concern and have caused significant volatility for growth stocks. But let’s have a little perspective here. Bond yields are still at a historically low level, and the Fed Funds Rate remains 0%. Plus, jobless claims beat estimates again and came in at 712,000. This is nearly the lowest they’ve been in a whole year. Last week’s inflation data also came in more tamer than expected.

So what should you pay attention to this week?

More inflation data, jobless claims, and consumer sentiment will be released throughout the week, for one.

But pay incredibly close attention to the Fed. Bonds still remain the market’s biggest wild card. With the Fed meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, bond yields could take their cue from what they say. No action is expected to be taken, and the Fed is expected to indicate more substantial growth. Fed officials are also not expected to alter their interest rate outlook and may stick to the plan of keeping rates this low through 2023.

If this goes as expected, bond yields could potentially pop again, reinvigorating the rotation into value and cyclical plays and out of tech and growth plays.

Time will tell what happens.

My goal for these updates is to educate you, give you ideas, and help you manage money like I did when I was pressing the buy and sell buttons for $600+ million in assets. I left that career to pursue one to help people who needed help instead of the ultra-high net worth.

With that said, to sum it up:

There is optimism but signs of concern. The market has to figure itself out. A further downturn is possible, but I don’t think that a decline above ~20%, leading to a bear market, will happen any time soon.

Hopefully, you find my insights enlightening. I welcome your thoughts and questions and wish you the best of luck.

Is the Dow *Gulp* Overbought?

Figure 1- Dow Jones Industrial Average $INDU

Not much new to report on this. Except for that, it keeps ticking up towards overbought territory and hitting record highs. Year-to-date, we’re now up about 7.1%- almost double what the S&P and Nasdaq have done so far this year.

It also managed to gain over 4% this past week.

I don’t feel that we’re buyable at all right now. If you have exposure, HOLD and let it ride. Maybe start to consider taking some profits too.

The index could greatly benefit from the stimulus package due to all of the cyclical stocks it holds. I can definitely foresee some pops in the index as investors digest the unprecedented amount of money being pumped into the economy, coupled with reopening excitement. But you can’t expect the index to keep going up like this and setting records every day. Plus, the RSI is almost 69 and showing overbought signs.

So, where do we go from here?

Many analysts believe the index could end the year at 35,000, and the wheels are in motion for a furious rally. But you could do better for a buyable entry point.

From my end, I’d prefer to stay patient, assess the situation, and find better buying opportunities.

My call on the Dow stays a HOLD, but we’re approaching SELL.

For an ETF that aims to correlate with the Dow’s performance, the SPDR Dow Jones ETF (DIA) is a reliable option.

For more of my thoughts on the market, such as tech, if small-caps are buyable, inflation, and emerging market opportunities, sign up for my premium analysis today.

Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. If you would like to receive daily premium follow-ups, I encourage you to sign up for my Stock Trading Alerts to also benefit from the trading action described - the moment it happens. The full analysis includes more details about current positions and levels to watch before deciding to open any new ones or where to close existing ones.

Thank you.

Matthew Levy, CFA
Stock Trading Strategist

• Read more

Records were made to be broken. Thursday's (Mar. 11) session was the embodiment of that.

Every index closed in positive territory, and the Dow, S&P, and Russell all closed at record highs. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq led the way again with a 2.52% gain. After touching correction territory two times in the last week, the Nasdaq is up over 6.3% for the week. This is why you buy the dips, and why I said the second, the Nasdaq drops below 13000 support that you should buy.

Be bold, a little contrarian, block out the noise, and never try to time the market. Sure, when you buy a dip during uncertain times, you run the risk of encountering more pain. However, in the long-term, stocks trend upwards.

For example, do you also know what happened precisely a year ago, on March 11, 2020? The headline on CNBC read like so: Dow plunges 10% amid coronavirus fears for its worst day since the 1987 market. See for yourself.

You know what else happened? The market didn't bottom for another 2 weeks and declined another 21%.However, if you bought the Dow-tracking DIA ETF on March 11 and held it this entire time, you'd have gained 40.51%.

Imagine if you bought the dip as I recommended for tech.

I cautiously said to BUY the QQQ ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq, on February 24 but recommended doing it cautiously and selectively. I doubled down once it dropped below support at 13000 and tripled down once the Nasdaq hovered around 12600 on Monday (Mar. 8).

As I said before, the Nasdaq is up over 6.3% this week. If you followed my lead on this, you'd be pleased.

Inflation fears and the acceleration of bond yields are still a concern. But let's have a little perspective here. It appears as if things have stabilized for now. Bond yields are still at a historically low level, and the Fed Funds Rate remains 0%. Plus, jobless claims beat estimates again and came in at 712,000. This is nearly the lowest they've been in a whole year.

We will see how President Biden's newly signed $1.9 trillion stimulus package affects yields and inflation. But for now, with the Fed showing no signs of hiking rates shortly and inflation looking tamer than expected, we could see more firepower for stocks.

So is the downturn overblown and already finished?

Time will tell. I think that we could still see some volatile movements and consolidation to close the week out. That's just what happens with surges and swings like this. While I maintain that I do not foresee a crash like what we saw last March and feel that the wheels remain in motion for an excellent 2021, Mr. Market still has to figure itself out.

A broad-based correction of some sort is still very possible. I mean, the Nasdaq's already hit correction territory twice in the last week. Corrections are healthy and normal market behavior. Only twice in the previous 38 years have we had years WITHOUT a correction (1995 and 2017).

Most importantly, a correction right now would be an excellent buying opportunity. Once again- look at the Nasdaq since March 8.

It can be a very tricky time for investors right now. But never, ever, trade with emotion. There could be some more short-term pain, yes. But if you sat out last March when others bought, you are probably very disappointed in yourself.

You can never time the market.

My goal for these updates is to educate you, give you ideas, and help you manage money like I did when I was pressing the buy and sell buttons for $600+ million in assets. I left that career to pursue one to help people who needed help instead of the ultra-high net worth.

With that said, to sum it up:

There is optimism but signs of concern. The market has to figure itself out. A further downturn is possible, but I don't think that a decline above ~20%, leading to a bear market, will happen any time soon.

Hopefully, you find my insights enlightening. I welcome your thoughts and questions and wish you the best of luck.

Nasdaq- That’s Why I Called BUY

Figure 1- Nasdaq Composite Index $COMP

Can I flex again, please?

Flexing.

The Nasdaq's performance this week is why I called BUY despite hitting two corrections in the last week. On Tuesday (Mar. 9), the Nasdaq saw its best day since November. The index's gains continued after that and is now sitting pretty up over 6.3% for the week.

If you bought the dip, good on you. It's an excellent time to be a little bit bold and fearless. Take Ark Funds guru Cathie Wood, for example. Many old school investors scoffed at her comments on Monday (Mar. 8) after she practically doubled down on her bullishness for her funds and the market as a whole. After crushing 2020, her Ark Innovation Fund (ARKK) tanked over 30%. Many called her the face of a bubble. Many laughed at her. Tuesday, March 9, ARKK saw its best day in history. Week-to-date, ARKK is up a staggering 16.71%.

I'm not saying that we're out of the woods with tech. But I am saying not to try and time the market, not get scared, and have some perspective.

The Nasdaq is once again positive for the year, but unfortunately, I no longer think we're at a BUY level. We could see some consolidation and profit-taking to end the week. Still, if we see a significant drop, especially below 13000, it could be a good buy again. It can't hurt to keep nibbling- we're still off the highs. I'm going to stick with the theme of "selectively buying" sub-sectors such as cloud computing, e-commerce, and fintech.

I think you should now HOLD and let the RSI guide your Nasdaq decisions. See what happens over subsequent sessions, research emerging tech sectors, and high-quality companies, and buy that next dip.

For an ETF that attempts to correlate with the performance of the NASDAQ directly, the Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ) is a good option.

For more of my thoughts on the market, such as when small-caps will be buyable, inflation, and emerging market opportunities, sign up for my premium analysis today.

Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. If you would like to receive daily premium follow-ups, I encourage you to sign up for my Stock Trading Alerts to also benefit from the trading action described - the moment it happens. The full analysis includes more details about current positions and levels to watch before deciding to open any new ones or where to close existing ones.

Thank you.

Matthew Levy, CFA
Stock Trading Strategist

• Read more

Days like Tuesday (Mar. 9) are why you buy the dips. It was nothing short of a reverse rotation from what we’ve seen as of late. Bond yields moved lower; tech stocks popped.

That’s why I called BUY on the Nasdaq.

Inflation fears and the acceleration of bond yields are still a concern. But it looks as if things are stabilizing, at least for one day. The lesson here, though, is to be bold, a little contrarian, and block out the noise.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that recent sessions have been characterized by accelerating bond yields driving a rotation out of high growth tech stocks into value and cyclical stocks that would benefit the most from an economic recovery. The Nasdaq touched correction territory twice in the last week and gave up its gains for the year.

But imagine if you bought the dip as I recommended.

The Nasdaq on Tuesday (Mar. 9) popped 3.7% for its best day since November. Cathie Wood’s Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) surged more than 10% for its best day ever after tanking by over 30%. Semiconductors also rallied 6%.

Other tech/growth names had themselves a day too: Tesla (TSLA) +20%, Nvidia (NVDA) +8%, Adobe (ADBE) +4.3%, Amazon +3.8%, Apple (AAPL) +4.1%, and Facebook (FB) +4.1%.

In keeping with the theme of buying the dip, do you also know what happened a year ago yesterday to the date? The Dow tanked 7.8%!

There’s no way to time the market correctly. If you bought the Dow mirroring SPDR DJIA ETF (DIA) last March 9, you’d have still seen two weeks of pain until the bottom. However, you’d have also seen a gain of almost 36% if you bought that dip and held on until now.

Look, I get there are concerns and fears right now. The speed at which bond yields have risen is concerning, and the fact that another $1.9 trillion is about to be pumped into a reopening economy makes inflation a foregone conclusion. But let’s have a little perspective here.

Bond yields are still at a historically low level, and the Fed Funds Rate remains 0%.

So is the downturn overblown and already finished?

Time will tell. I think that we could still see some volatile movements over the next few weeks as bond yields stabilize and the market figures itself out. While I maintain that I do not foresee a crash like what we saw last March and feel that the wheels remain in motion for an excellent 2021, Mr. Market has to figure itself out.

A correction of some sort is still very possible. I mean, the Nasdaq’s already hit correction territory twice in the last week and is still about 3-4% away from returning to one. But don’t fret. Corrections are healthy and normal market behavior. Only twice in the last 38 years have we had years WITHOUT a correction (1995 and 2017).

Most importantly, a correction right now would be an excellent buying opportunity. Just look at the Nasdaq Tuesday (Mar. 9).

It can be a very tricky time for investors right now. But never, ever, trade with emotion. Buy low, sell high, and be a little bit contrarian. There could be some more short-term pain, yes. But if you sat out last March when others bought, you are probably very disappointed in yourself. Be cautious, but be a little bold too.

You can never time the market.

My goal for these updates is to educate you, give you ideas, and help you manage money like I did when I was pressing the buy and sell buttons for $600+ million in assets. I left that career to pursue one to help people who needed help instead of the ultra-high net worth.

With that said, to sum it up:

There is optimism but signs of concern. The market has to figure itself out. A further downturn is possible, but I don’t think that a decline above ~20%, leading to a bear market, will happen any time soon.

Hopefully, you find my insights enlightening. I welcome your thoughts and questions and wish you the best of luck.

Nasdaq- That’s Why I Called BUY

Figure 1- Nasdaq Composite Index $COMP

For the second time in a week, the Nasdaq hit correction territory and rocketed out of it. It saw its best day since November and proved once again that with the Nasdaq, you always follow the RSI. There could be more uncertainty over the next few weeks as both the bond market and equity market figure themselves out. However, the Nasdaq declines were very buyable, as I predicted.

If you bought the dip before Tuesday’s (Mar. 9) session, good on you. Be a little bit bold and fearless right now. Take Ark Funds guru Cathie Wood, for example. Many old school investors scoffed at her comments on Monday (Mar. 8) after she practically doubled down on her bullishness for her funds and the market as a whole. After crushing 2020, her Ark Innovation Fund (ARKK) tanked over 30%. Many called her the face of a bubble. Many laughed at her.

Tuesday, March 9, ARKK saw its best day in history.

I’m not saying that we’re out of the woods with tech. All I’m saying is don’t try to time the market, don’t get scared and have perspective.

The Nasdaq is once again roughly flat for the year, its RSI is closer to oversold than overbought, and we’re still below the 50-day moving average, near a 2-month low, and right around support at 13000.

It can’t hurt to start nibbling now. There could be some more short-term pain, but if you waited for that perfect moment to start buying a year ago when it looked like the world was ending, you wouldn’t have gained as much as you could have.

I think the key here is to “selectively buy.” I remain bullish on tech, especially for sub-sectors such as cloud computing, e-commerce, and fintech.

Mike Wilson, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley, had this to say about recent tech slides- “I don’t think this is the end of the bull market or the end of tech stocks per se, but it was an adjustment that was very necessary.”

I like the levels we’re at, and despite the possibility of more “adjustments” in the short-run, it’s a good time to BUY. But just be mindful of the RSI, and don’t buy risky assets. Find emerging tech sectors or high-quality companies trading at a discount.

For an ETF that attempts to correlate with the performance of the NASDAQ directly, the Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ) is a good option.

For more of my thoughts on the market, such as when small-caps will be buyable, more thoughts on inflation, and emerging market opportunities, sign up for my premium analysis today.

Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. If you would like to receive daily premium follow-ups, I encourage you to sign up for my Stock Trading Alerts to also benefit from the trading action described - the moment it happens. The full analysis includes more details about current positions and levels to watch before deciding to open any new ones or where to close existing ones.

Thank you.

Matthew Levy, CFA
Stock Trading Strategist

• Read more

The theme of last week was primarily the same as the previous few weeks - rising bond yields and inflation fears caused stocks to crumble.

Look, it's not the fact that bond yields are rising that are freaking out investors. Bond yields are still at a historically low level, and the Fed Funds Rate remains 0%. But it's the speed at which they've risen that are terrifying people. So far this year, the 10-year yield has soared 72%

Fed Chair Jerome Powell's statement that inflation could "temporarily return" did not help matters much last week either. However, despite the fears, the indices really did not perform all that badly the previous week after a Friday (Mar. 5) reversal. The Dow Jones managed to gain 1.8%, the S&P eked out a 0.8% gain, and after briefly touching correction territory and giving up its gains for the year, the Nasdaq managed to decline only -2.1%.

So what's on tap for this week? Is the downturn overblown and already over?

This is a massive week for market sentiment. First and foremost, the Senate passed President Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan over the weekend. On the one hand, stocks could pop from this, while on the other hand, this makes inflation a foregone conclusion. Remember this, too - when the market gets what it expects, it's usually a sell signal rather than a buy signal. Markets look forward; not to the past, and not to the present.

Important data being released this week also includes inflation data, initial claims, and consumer sentiment.

Time will tell where we go from here. While I still do not foresee a crash like we saw last March and feel that the wheels remain in motion for a healthy 2021, inflation is a genuine concern and could be here already.

According to Bloomberg, the price of gas and food already appear to be getting a head start on inflation. For January, Consumer Price Index data also found that the cost of food eaten at home rose 3.7 percent from a year ago — more than double the 1.4 percent year-over-year increase in all goods included in the CPI.

This could only be the start too. In its 2021 outlook report, the Economic Research Service for the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast the food cost from grocery stores to rise 1 to 2% this year.

Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi also believes that Wall Street is significantly underestimating inflation's seriousness and warns it could affect every sector in the market — from growth to cyclicals.

"Inflationary pressures will develop very quickly," he said. "I don't think there's any shelter here."

I'm not trying to sound the alarm, but be very aware. These are just the early warning signs.

I still feel that a correction of some sort is imminent. The Nasdaq touched it briefly last week and is still about 2% away from one. Other indices could possibly follow. But don't fret. Corrections are healthy and normal market behavior, and we have been long overdue for one. Only twice in the last 38 years have we had years WITHOUT a correction (1995 and 2017).

Most importantly, this correction could be an excellent buying opportunity.

It can be a very tricky time for investors right now. But never, ever, trade with emotion. Buy low, sell high, and be a little bit contrarian. There could be some more short-term pain, yes. But if you sat out last March when others bought, you are probably very disappointed in yourself. Be cautious, but be a little bold too.

There's always a bull market somewhere, and valuations, while still somewhat frothy, are at much more buyable levels now.

My goal for these updates is to educate you, give you ideas, and help you manage money like I did when I was pressing the buy and sell buttons for $600+ million in assets. I left that career to pursue one to help people who needed help instead of the ultra-high net worth.

With that said, to sum it up:

There is optimism but signs of concern. A further downturn by the end of the month is very possible, but I don't think that a decline above ~20%, leading to a bear market, will happen.

Hopefully, you find my insights enlightening. I welcome your thoughts and questions and wish you the best of luck.

Nasdaq - Buyable but Beware of the Risks

Figure 1- Nasdaq Composite Index $COMP

The Nasdaq is no longer in correction territory, nor is it negative for 2021 any longer. But beware- this could change very quickly. More pain could be on the horizon until we get some clarity on this bond market and inflation. However, this Nasdaq downturn is long overdue and starting to be buyable.

If you bought at the bottom on Friday, before the afternoon reversal and made some quick gains, good on you. It actually didn’t end up being THAT bad of a week for the Nasdaq after Friday’s reversal.

Be that as it may, Friday’s reversal does not mean we’re out of the woods. According to Morgan Stanley’s chief U.S. equity strategist Mike Wilson, “10-year yields finally caught up to other asset markets. This is putting pressure on valuations, especially for the most expensive stocks that had reached nosebleed valuations.”

Expensive stocks? Nosebleed valuations? Sounds like tech to me.

Wilson also said that once valuation correction and repositioning are finished, then growth stocks can potentially “rejoin the party.”

The Nasdaq is now mostly flat for the year, its RSI is closer to oversold than overbought, and we’re at almost a 2-month low.

It can’t hurt to start nibbling now. There could be some more short-term pain, but if you waited for that perfect moment to start buying a year ago when it looked like the world was ending, you wouldn’t have gained as much as you could have.

I think the key here is to “buy selectively.” I remain bullish on tech, especially for sub-sectors such as cloud computing, e-commerce, and fintech.

I also think it’s an outstanding buying opportunity for big tech companies with proven businesses and solid balance sheets. Take Apple (AAPL), for example. It’s about 15% off its January 26th highs. That is what I call discount shopping.

I like the levels we’re at, and despite the possibility of more losses in the short-run, it’s a good time to start to BUY. But just be mindful of the RSI, and don’t buy risky assets. Find emerging tech sectors or high-quality companies trading at a discount.

For an ETF that attempts to directly correlate with the performance of the NASDAQ, the Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ) is a good option.

For more of my thoughts on the market, such as when small-caps will be buyable, more thoughts on inflation, and emerging market opportunities, sign up for my premium analysis today.

Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. If you would like to receive daily premium follow-ups, I encourage you to sign up for my Stock Trading Alerts to also benefit from the trading action described - the moment it happens. The full analysis includes more details about current positions and levels to watch before deciding to open any new ones or where to close existing ones.

Thank you.

Matthew Levy, CFA
Stock Trading Strategist

• Read more