Current Market Mood; Wait and See

Hello traders everywhere. The stock market has entered into wait and see territory with stocks falling for the third straight day after a positive open to trading on Monday morning. What are traders waiting for, the next set of clues in the U.S. - China trade talks?

Earlier this week, sources told CNBC that the U.S. and China were in the "final stages" of trade talks, with the two sides planning a Mar-a-Lago summit for the end of the month. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said Monday he thought Washington and Beijing were "on the cusp" of reaching a deal. So now, we wait and see.

Wait and See

The S&P 500 finally issued the new green monthly Trade Triangle that we've been waiting for at $2,813.49 in early trading Monday. However, that move higher was short lived as the S&P 500 closed lower for the day. But keep in mind that The S&P 500 has risen about 11% this year. That only leaves us with the DOW in a sidelines mode. Will we get that new monthly Trade Triangle soon or are in for a bit of a wait? Continue reading "Current Market Mood; Wait and See"

Best Start To The Year Since 1991

Hello traders everywhere. That's right, the stock market is of off to a roaring start to the year and it is, in fact, the best start for the S&P 500 since 1991. The S&P 500 posted a gain of +2.9% for February following a gain of +7.9% in January. That's helping put December in the rearview mirror for many traders.

Not to be outdone the NASDAQ closed out the month with a 10-week winning streak, it's longest such weekly streak since 1999. On a monthly level, it posted a positive gain of +3.4% for February, backing up the +9.7% gain in January.

Then we come to the DOW which opened March trading up about 270 pts before backing off that high. The DOW posted a monthly gain of +3.6% in February continuing its positive momentum from January where it posted a +7% gain.

monthly gain

The U.S. Dollar will end the week in negative territory losing -.13%, but on a monthly level, it was able to post a gain of +.73% erasing the January loss of -.49%. Continue reading "Best Start To The Year Since 1991"

China, North Korea And The Fed Weigh On Market

Hello traders everywhere. The week had started on high note extending last weeks gains and pushing the NASDAQ high enough to trigger a new green monthly Trade Triangle at 7,566.93. In fact, both the DOW and S&P 500 were close to getting their respective monthly Trade Triangles in early trading before they started to slide lower in Monday afternoon trading.

Stocks fell Wednesday as traders grappled with key testimonies on U.S.-China trade relations, Federal Reserve monetary policy and a host of geopolitical issues.

Stocks fell to their lows of the session as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer hinted that a trade deal was not yet certain, saying that any agreement would need to be more than just purchases by China. The deal would need to be specific and include a matter of enforcement, he said. Lighthizer also noted that it would be a "long process" to implement any deal agreed upon in March. Lighthizer was testifying in front of the House Ways and Means committee. Trade relations between the U.S. and China lowered this week after President Donald Trump pushed back a deadline on adding additional tariffs on Chinese goods. Continue reading "China, North Korea And The Fed Weigh On Market"

DOW Cracks 26,000 For First Time Since November

Hello traders everywhere. The DOW cracks 26,000 for the first time since November as the U.S. and China wrapped up another round of trade talks which has left investors increasingly more hopeful a deal will be struck soon. The move higher by the DOW, S&P 500 and NASDAQ have put new green monthly Trade Triangles within reach for all three major indexes next week. As it stands right now the DOW needs to trade above 26,277.82, the S&P 500 above 2,815.15 and the NASDAQ needs to top 7,566.93 for the new green monthly Trade Triangles to trigger.

The DOW and NASDAQ are both going to post weekly gains north of +.50% marking the ninth straight week of gains, meanwhile, the S&P 500 is sitting just shy of a +.6% gain at +.55% and will post its fourth straight week of gains.

DOW Cracks 26,000

The U.S. Dollar slipped into negative territory losing -.47% making this the first weekly loss in three weeks. The move lower can be directly related to the U.S. - China trade talks as President Trump is set to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He later on Friday. The meeting comes after a U.S. delegation met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. Continue reading "DOW Cracks 26,000 For First Time Since November"

Stocks Surged Higher To End The Week

Hello traders everywhere. Stocks surged higher Friday on increasing hopes for a U.S.- China trade deal. The Dow and Nasdaq are both on pace to post their eighth consecutive weekly gain. The S&P 500, meanwhile, was on track for its seventh weekly gain in eight. The indexes are all up more than 2% entering Friday's afternoon trading session. They check in with gains of +2.5%, +2.1%, and 2% respectively.

Stocks Surged Higher

Chinese President Xi Jinping said trade talks between the U.S. and China will continue next week in Washington. This comes after a U.S. trade delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was in Beijing this week.

China and the U.S. are trying to strike a trade deal before an early March deadline. If a deal is not reached by then, additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could take effect. President Donald Trump, however, is considering pushing back the deadline by 60 days to give negotiators more time to come up with a deal.

Key Levels To Watch Next Week:

Continue reading "Stocks Surged Higher To End The Week"