Serious Headwinds May Put A Damper On The Market

By: John Kosar of Street Authority

All major U.S. stock indices posted gains last week except for the Russell 2000, which lost 1.2% and is also the only major index in negative territory for 2014. Despite the weakness in small caps, the broader market, as measured by the SP 500, has managed to rack up a decent 8.9% gain this year, largely on the back of technology issues.

The Nasdaq 100 is up 14.2% year to date. However, as I have been stating in this space for some time, if and when technology stocks stop leading, the broader market may be in for some significant problems over the near term.

Dow Makes New High, but Problems Persist

In last week's Market Outlook, I warned that the early September new closing high in the Dow Jones Transportation Average had not yet been corroborated by a new closing high in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which, according to Dow Theory, was a red flag for the overall market.

That situation was averted last week by a new high in the industrials, clearing the way for more near-term strength in both indices.

But it may be too early to celebrate just yet, as potential problems continue to exist. Continue reading "Serious Headwinds May Put A Damper On The Market"

Winter is Coming - Here's My Favorite Seasonal Trade

By: Jared Levy of Street Authority

Over the years, I've been successful trading weather patterns as they relate to commodities such as crude oil, gasoline and grains. As unpredictable as the weather can seem, there are patterns, and traders who get ahead of the crowd can exploit them for reliable profits.

Today, I'm going to share one of my favorite seasonal trades with you, and that is the tendency for natural gas prices to rise in the winter months as the colder weather spurs demand for use in home heating.

Source: U.S. Energy Administration

For seven of the past 10 years, the price of natural gas has risen between the beginning of September and the end February, with an average gain of 17.6%. Continue reading "Winter is Coming - Here's My Favorite Seasonal Trade"

Duffey Footprints 5K & Toni Hansen - INO Cares

We had so many amazing organizations and events that we wanted to select for our August INO Cares Campaign. We just couldn’t choose between them, so we decided to carryover the giving into September.

If you recall, in August we sent a donation to Hope For Guatemala, as a close friend of the INO.com family was traveling to the area on a missions trip. Read all about the organization and Richard Lusk’s adventure.
Duffey Footprints
This month, we would like to highlight two causes that are very near and dear to our hearts!

INO.com partner, David Maher and his wife, Amy Maher, are very involved in the youth program at their church in Moorefield, West Virginia. Amy and Dave are passionate about personal and spiritual health in their tight-knit community. Along with other church members, the Mahers helped the youth group and community members train and prepare for a 5K. The final event was the Duffy Footprints 5k/1Mile Race to raise money for the new Family Life Center and youth programs at Duffey Memorial United Methodist Church.

This self-improvement program used the Run For God curriculum. Run For God began as a 2010 Bible study that paralleled faith and endurance. Since then, tens of thousands have walked successfully though this program and many have adopted new lifestyles which value both physical and spiritual health.

The Mahers also recognize that their home state of West Virginia is a state with one of the highest obesity rates in the country. The CDC reports that 67.4% of adults living in West Virginia are overweight and adolescent obesity is on an up-trend. The Duffy Footprints 5k/1Mile Race was an amazing opportunity to promote healthy living and exercise in their community, while also raising money for a Family Life Center that will help strengthen families in their spiritual faith.

The Duffy Footprints Race took place on August 2nd, 2014. There were approximately 115 runners and the event raised $3,100.

INO.com was proud to sponsor this race and provided the t-shirts for the runners. Because of this, 100% of the registration fee and race proceeds were given to the Duffey Memorial UMC to support their Family Life Center program. We hope that the congregation will make this an annual event!

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There was also a cause that came up quickly and we felt compelled to send aid. In August we wrote about Traders For Toni. This fundraiser was set-up by some of the most well-known and respected traders in the industry to help fellow trader, Toni Hansen.

Toni Hansen is a mother, author, trader, teacher, and friend to many people in the trading community. She has personal relationships with those here at INO.com and her call for help has been heard loud and clear!

After blacking out at home, Toni was taken to the ER. After numerous hospital visits, spinal taps, CT scans and MRIs, Toni has been accurately diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak. The doctors were able to treat her and she is currently in the recovery process. Unfortunately, her insurance company has denied a bulk of her claim and her medical bills have become unmanageable.

INO.com has made a donation to Toni to help ease the burden of out-of-pocket costs for her procedure. To learn more about Toni’s story or to make a contribution, please visit her fundraising page.

If you have any ideas for a future INO Cares campaign, please send them our way!

Best,

The INO Cares Team

Run Your Portfolio Like A Hedge Fund Manager

As I was perusing my morning news feed, I came across an appalling amount of headlines about the ever-dreaded 'correction.' While there is value in some of these articles, the majority provide no unique insight.

Here's how one should think about a possible correction: How do I spot a correction? How do I protect against losing my shirt in a downturn? And how do I properly implement any suggested strategy?

First Question: How does one even know if a correction is coming? Continue reading "Run Your Portfolio Like A Hedge Fund Manager"