AM: Holding for the record

AM Update

The market set a new high and is in a position to break the all-time closing highs.  AAPL’s struggles continue as buyers are staying away.

MARKET BEHAVIOR

Stocks finally broke the 1565 barrier, but they need to hold it to set the all-time closing high.

MARKET SENTIMENT

How the market trades above 1565 will be insightful.  Will the market continue higher on breakout buying and short-covering?  Or was the new high already priced in and there are few left to buy the breakout?  How the market goes into the close will tell us a lot about people’s positioning and views.

This is the last day of a rough quarter for many money managers.  Anyone who was underweight the market had a bad time, but fortunately for them, most clients simply look at the bottom line to see if they made or lost money, neglecting to compare their expensive money managers against dumb and cheap index funds.  Everyone starts fresh next quarter and has the flexibility to trade their view of the market instead of scrambling to keep up with a strong rally.  Will this change the way big money approaches the markets?  Will they stop buying?  Will they start taking profits?  Or will they double-down on this teflon rally?

TRADING OPPORTUNITIES

Expected Outcome:
A lot of questions will be answered the next couple of weeks.  Can we hold these highs?  Will big money keep chasing?  Are there enough buyers left to continue the rally?  Right now we simply wait for those signs.

I remain reluctant to own the market because we always see step-backs and its been a while.  The February dip was three-percent and while noticeable, we will see much larger pullbacks this year.  No matter what we expect, we need to keep an open mind to what they market is telling us.  If the market doesn’t do what we expect, then our analysis is flawed and we need to adjust it.

Alternate Outcome:
This sideways trade emboldened bears and it is easier to find bearish commentary as compared to a couple of weeks ago.  These whipsaws refreshed the market by flushing out weak holders and reminding traders that the market is a risky place.  If we continue higher, this consolidation is where the new buyers will come from.   Of course we need to remember minor corrections and consolidations lead to minor moves, so even if we continue higher, don’t expect another 100-point, non-stop move without

Recent support is impressive and more suggestive of a continuation than an imminent pullback and that is why we are seeing new highs today.   Moving into next week will put quarter-end shenanigans behind us, giving us a clearer view on what the market is thinking.   Market tops tend to roll over quickly after the cracks develop, continued strength shows we are not there yet.

INDIVIDUAL STOCKS

AAPL’s bad luck continues as few are willing to buy the dip under the 50dma. All the buying happened in the run-up to the breakout and no one was left to continue the move.  This is a trading stock now and should be treated as such. Any strength is a selling opportunity because until it proves otherwise the trend remains lower.  Buying dips is okay as long as a trader is disciplined and uses hard stops for protection and to lock in gains.  AAPL’s next earnings release is nearly a month away and it seems unlikely Cook will surprise shareholders with good news in the meantime.

There is still a lot of bullishness left in this stock and it is not done humiliating bulls yet.