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Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
12:45pm (EST)
The bulls were making a push towards resistance on renewed optimism that a deal with Greek bondholders and euro zone officials could be reached but got stymied by worse-than-expected economic news. The headlines were “negative” due to the misses but the numbers were still pretty good for the most part despite what the talking heads are saying.
The Case/Shiller 20-City Home Price Index fell 3.7% in November while the Chicago Purchasing Managers report showed a reading of 60.2 versus expectations for a reading of 63. Meanwhile, Consumer Confidence came in at 61.1 versus a forecast for print of 68. These are solid numbers but the market isn’t seeing that way, yet.
As a result, the bears saw a little daylight to push support one last time. While there remains a ton of headline risk this week, we still need to be cautious of a pullback although we are hoping the bulls make one last push towards the 52-week highs.
We can afford to be a little aggressive due to our incredible month but we are taking smaller positions in case the bears crack a couple layers of support.
The Financial stocks have turned positive which is a good sign as the Financial Select Spiders (XLF, $14.15, up $0.05) are trying to hold support and make another push at resistance which is up ahead at $14.50.
As we head to press, the Dow is down 56 points to 12,597 while the S&P is off by 3 points to 1,309. The Nasdaq is lower by 7 points to 2,805.
We are adding 1 more NEW TRADE today so we have to roll.
Subscribers, please check the Members Area for the updates. Also, today is the last day to take advantage of our special offer to get the Daily and Weekly publications for one low price. We are also including our options trading manual, How to Trade Options on Momentum Stocks, at no charge. This package comes with bi-monthly videos that show you how to read charts and find trades.
We have set up a special tab on our subscription page where you will see both the Daily and the Weekly in a package deal that reads Annual Subscription to Daily and Weekly Wrap. You will not need a coupon for this deal and the savings are over 65%. The tab will be removed on Wednesday.
https://secure.momentumoptionstrading.com/amember/signup.php
Do the paperwork and we will send out our option trading course to you as soon as we get your order and provide you access to our videos right away.
We will be back in the morning with our next update.
Tags: binary options, call options, futures options, high beta stocks, Hot stocks, momentum options, Momentum stocks, option market, option tips, options, options mentoring, options trading, options trading course, stock market options, weekly options, what are options
Posted in Economic News, Financial Stocks, Market Analysis | Comments Off
Friday, January 27th, 2012
9:00am (EST)
The bulls made a run at the April/ May 2011 highs on Thursday and now the Wall Street pros and talking heads are calling for a pullback. Funny thing is, they have been calling for a correction all month. Economic news was decent and earnings once again came in above expectations but Wall Street was right, the market “pulled back” yesterday.
A bigger-than-expected jump in durable-goods orders, which came in at 3% versus expectations for a rise to 2%, was the good news. The semi-bad, unemployment edged-up as Initial Claims jumped 21,000 to 377,000. This is still below 400K and we said to watch this rise in January. If claims can stay below 400,000 in February, and maybe improve, then the bulls might still have some gas in the tank.
After 4 steps forward, housing took one step back as sales of new single-family homes fell for the first time in four months in December. This was expected in our books as homebuyers usually focus on the holidays in December if they didn’t rush to get into the new house by Christmas or knew the paperwork wouldn’t be finished in time.
If we can get some rebound numbers in February, which starts next Wednesday, then the rally might have further to run. It’s been a warm winter here on the Left Coast this year.
As far as the official numbers -
The Dow dropped a double-deuce (22 points), or 0.2%, to close at 12,734. The blue-chips reached a peak of 12,842, which triggered our 12,800 target we gave back in November, while the low was 12,695.
The S&P 500 slipped 8 points, or 0.6%, to settle at 1,318. The index kissed 1,333 but traded outside our 1,325-1,350 zone after touching a low of 1,313 with an hour to go in yesterday’s session.
The Nasdaq fell 13 points, or 0.5%, to finish at 2,805. Tech traded up to 2,834 and held our 2,800 target after kissing 2,794. We have said to watch 2,887 which is the 52-week high for the index and have mentioned a run to 3,000 could come on fluff.
The S&P Volatility Index (VIX, 18.57, up 0.26) traded down to 16.80 at the open and we have been saying for months the VIX was would move from the mid-30’s, down to 22.50, and then down to 15 on a continued run by the bulls. The “fluff’ should get the VIX down to 15 but we also realize the VIX could trade down to 12. For news subscribers, a declining VIX is bullish.
A few weeks ago we said to be prepared for a pullback in February which doesn’t start until next Wednesday and the first full week of February isn’t until next Monday. With ALL of the suit-and-ties, talking heads, and everyone else going on record this week and saying this week is the top, maybe the market ignores them until February officially starts.
This leaves a lot of room for a run past resistance and the “fluff” could give Wall Street fund managers fits because they are already underperforming the market. This could also get some money off the sidelines from individual investors. The market could also get some positive Greece news today or next week which could also extend a possible 4-week rally into next but the bulls have to hold their lead today which we will cover in the afternoon update.
Then again, the market could pull back but it will take a lot to change the TREND and we have support pegged.
We have closed 3 more winning call option trades this week for profits of 114%, 58% and 107%. We may close one or two more trades today and our 2012 CLOSED Track Record is now 16-1 for the Daily and 7-0 for the Weekly Wrap. Let’s keep the momentum going.
Futures are lower as we head to press and look like this: Dow (-55), S&P 500 (-6), Nasdaq (-7). Subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: binary options, call options, futures options, high beta stocks, Hot stocks, momentum options, Momentum stocks, option market, option tips, options, options mentoring, options trading, options trading course, stock market options, VIX, weekly options, what are options
Posted in Market Analysis, Market Commentary, Trade Update | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
1:15pm (EST)
Futures were strong across the board late last night following Apple’s (AAPL, $445.58, up $25.17) unbelievable quarter but when we saw futures mixed this morning, we knew the bulls would have trouble breaking through resistance. The bears have had the leverage this week as Greece continues to give Europe fits although the Fed’s cautious statements have helped matters.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept the range for the federal funds rate at 0%-0.25%, and repeated interest rates are likely to remain “exceptionally low” but moved the time frame even further out to late 2014. This a big change from the committee’s previous statements, which said in December that rates were likely to remain near dirt levels through at least mid-2013.
Although the markets got a lift on the news, we have been preparing for a pullback and we have used several indicators to help us call this 5-week rally. We have been questioning what will be the next catalyst to take the market higher once earnings season is over and we also said in early November when the Dow was at 11,800 that the index would rally 1,000 points to 12,800. We backed that up by going long a number of call options in which we are still ringing the resister on.
We also worked over the Christmas holidays when the Wall Street pros like to take a break and we said they would miss the rally when they got back. Sure enough, coming into the week, the Dow and S&P were up 4% for the year while the Nasdaq was showing a gain of 7%.
While we would love to see a continued rally, it feels like the market is topping and we want to make sure our portfolio is lean once there is a correction. The good news is that we have continued to play the upside by rolling into new trades while closing half positions in others along the way.
If the market can clear resistance, don’t worry, we won’t miss anything as there will be a wave of buying from Wall Street fund managers and individual investors. However, the headlines aren’t there, yet, for the bulls to run to new highs.
It remains to be seen if there will be a significant pullback and where support might hold but the choppy action is telling us something.
As we head to press, the Dow is down 4 points to 12,671 while the S&P is up a point to 1,315. The Nasdaq is showing a gain of 14 points and is at 2,801. The high for Tech has been 2,804 and it will be interesting to see if the bulls close above or below 2,800 by the close.
We have action to take on a few of our profitable positions so let’s go see where we are at. Subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: binary options, call options, futures options, high beta stocks, Hot stocks, momentum options, Momentum stocks, option market, option tips, options, options mentoring, options trading, options trading course, stock market options, weekly options, what are options
Posted in Hot Stocks | Comments Off
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
1:10pm (EST)
The bulls got a bevy of good news before the bell this morning which led to a good start for the market as the major averages continue to push the July 2011 highs. Bank of America (BAC, $7.11, up $0.31) is giving the Financial stocks a lift after beating Wall Street’s revenue expectations. The suit-and-ties were floored when the company posted a profit of 15 cents a share on revenue of $25.1 billion which beat their projection of $24 billion in revenues. We have been pounding the table on the stock when shares were at $5 back in December as it is a current member of our Weekly Wrap Covered Call portfolio which could start January at 10-0.
Economic news was fantastic as Initial Claims fell to 352,000 versus expectations for 384,000 while Continuing Claims were 3.43 million versus forecasts for 3.6 million. Elsewhere, Consumer Prices were unchanged which was below calls for an increase of 0.1%. The core reading, excluding food and energy, matched the hype and was up 0.1%. And finally, from the crib, Housing Starts dropped for the month of December, coming in at 657,000 versus expectations for 680,000 while Building Permits matched forecasts.
Google (GOOG, $636.00, up $3.09) will confess their quarterly numbers after the bell and shares have a history of making huge moves after they announce earnings. Of course, this is option expiration week and the January options are still in play so let’s take a look at the stock and some of the options.
The last time the company reported their quarterly results (mid-October 2011), shares surged $32-and change from $559 to $591, on better-than-expected numbers. The high that day was $599. In July 2011, Google also beat estimates and zoomed from $529 to $597 and kissed a high of $600.
A 10% move in Google would equate to a 63-point move in the stock and we could see that on an earnings miss to the downside. However, the upside may not be quite as huge if it is not a blowout quarter and could only be 5% or less which is still $30 but is it enough to create a possible strangle option trade?
The Google January 700 calls (GOOG120121C00700000, $1.10, down $0.20) and the January 575 puts (GOOG120121P00575000, $0.90, down $0.70) would cost $2 together and are a possibility but the stock would need to be at $702 or $573 for us to break even. At $704, or $571, the trade would double but again, the options expire tomorrow.
This is NOT an official option trade recommendation but we wanted to show you how strangle option trades work since we have a ton of new subscribers. The risk/ reward on this trade doesn’t look great and it may be better off to SELL these options but that is another strategy altogether and one we certainly don’t recommend on a $600+ stock.
We will take a look at these options again on Friday to see where they are at and we would like to see a blowout quarter which would help the Tech sector keep its momentum.
As we head to press, the Dow is up 14 points to 12,593 while the S&P 500 is higher by 5 points to 1,313. The Nasdaq is showing a pop of 20 points to 2,790.
As usual, we have a number of open trades and there is a lot to talk about so let’s go see where we are at. Microsoft and IBM and Intel also report after the bell so tomorrow could be explosive for either the bulls or bears depending how things go. Subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: goog earnings, momentum options, Momentum stocks, stock option picks
Posted in Earnings, Market Analysis, strangle option trades, Strategies | Comments Off
Friday, January 13th, 2012
9:00am (EST)
The bulls were able to finish Thursday’s session in the green despite spending much of the day in the red. We covered yesterday’s letdown on the U.S. economic news but the bears were unable to take advantage of the headlines as the market finished higher across the board.
The Dow added 22 points, or 0.2%, to close at 12,471. The blue-chips traded to a low of 12,385 before recovering to trade up to 12,483. It was a higher peak than Wednesday’s top but short of Tuesday’s run up to 12,514. We would give 50 cents to see a higher close than this going into the weekend, preferably, we would like to see 12,600 trigger today.
The S&P 500 gained 3 points, or 0.2%, to end at 1,295.50. The index touched a low of 1,285 at the open before making its way up to 1,296.82. Yes, we are rooting for a close above 1,300 or even a kiss on the cheek would be nice.
The Nasdaq advanced 14 points, or 0.5%, to settle at 2,724.70. Tech has shown the most strength this week, surprisingly, and will be key to a continued rally, along with the Financial stocks. After holding the 2,700 level, the Nasdaq reached a peak of 2,726.43 and fell just short of our 2,725-2,750 targets for the week but we still have today.
From the “one that got away” department…we listed a high-beta stock on our Watch List the other day and although it wasn’t an “official” recommendation, we got a ton of emails following yesterday’s close from some of our subscribers who did. Here is what the trade in cue looked like in our morning update (1/12/2012, 9am) before the market opened:
Polypore International (PPO, $47.37, up $2.27)
February 50 calls (LULU120218C00050000, $1.45, up $0.35)
January 50 calls (PPO120121C0050000, $0.35, up $0.10)
Thoughts: Shares appear headed for double-nickels ($55) if $50 is cleared which means the options would be worth $5. Obviously, the February calls have the better chance of making it but at $51 the January calls would more than double. (END)
Here are our thoughts this morning inside our Members Area:
Polypore International (PPO, $51.10, up $3.73)
February 50 calls (LULU120218C00050000, $3.45, up $2.00)
January 50 calls (PPO120121C0050000, $2.00, up $1.65)
Thoughts: Wow. We missed a golden opportunity to make some fast money yesterday. The January 50 calls opened at 40 cents and traded to a high of $2.05 which was 400% round trip! The February 50 calls opened at $1.60 and hit a high of $3.50. (END)
Although we have closed one triple-digit winner this year and working on others as we type, we missed a golden opportunity with this one but we are still watching Polypore. Sometimes our portfolio is full so we profile backup trades or ones we are watching so that we always have an opportunity to make some money.
Futures are showing a slightly lower open. Dow futures are down 19 points to 12,394 while the S&P futures are lower by 5 points to 1,286. Nasdaq futures are off 2 points to 2,377. Subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: Momentum stocks, PPO, Watch List
Posted in Earnings | Comments Off
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Bulls Challenge Highs, Bears Finish on Top
Friday, January 27th, 2012
9:00am (EST)
The bulls made a run at the April/ May 2011 highs on Thursday and now the Wall Street pros and talking heads are calling for a pullback. Funny thing is, they have been calling for a correction all month. Economic news was decent and earnings once again came in above expectations but Wall Street was right, the market “pulled back” yesterday.
A bigger-than-expected jump in durable-goods orders, which came in at 3% versus expectations for a rise to 2%, was the good news. The semi-bad, unemployment edged-up as Initial Claims jumped 21,000 to 377,000. This is still below 400K and we said to watch this rise in January. If claims can stay below 400,000 in February, and maybe improve, then the bulls might still have some gas in the tank.
After 4 steps forward, housing took one step back as sales of new single-family homes fell for the first time in four months in December. This was expected in our books as homebuyers usually focus on the holidays in December if they didn’t rush to get into the new house by Christmas or knew the paperwork wouldn’t be finished in time.
If we can get some rebound numbers in February, which starts next Wednesday, then the rally might have further to run. It’s been a warm winter here on the Left Coast this year.
As far as the official numbers -
The Dow dropped a double-deuce (22 points), or 0.2%, to close at 12,734. The blue-chips reached a peak of 12,842, which triggered our 12,800 target we gave back in November, while the low was 12,695.
The S&P 500 slipped 8 points, or 0.6%, to settle at 1,318. The index kissed 1,333 but traded outside our 1,325-1,350 zone after touching a low of 1,313 with an hour to go in yesterday’s session.
The Nasdaq fell 13 points, or 0.5%, to finish at 2,805. Tech traded up to 2,834 and held our 2,800 target after kissing 2,794. We have said to watch 2,887 which is the 52-week high for the index and have mentioned a run to 3,000 could come on fluff.
The S&P Volatility Index (VIX, 18.57, up 0.26) traded down to 16.80 at the open and we have been saying for months the VIX was would move from the mid-30’s, down to 22.50, and then down to 15 on a continued run by the bulls. The “fluff’ should get the VIX down to 15 but we also realize the VIX could trade down to 12. For news subscribers, a declining VIX is bullish.
A few weeks ago we said to be prepared for a pullback in February which doesn’t start until next Wednesday and the first full week of February isn’t until next Monday. With ALL of the suit-and-ties, talking heads, and everyone else going on record this week and saying this week is the top, maybe the market ignores them until February officially starts.
This leaves a lot of room for a run past resistance and the “fluff” could give Wall Street fund managers fits because they are already underperforming the market. This could also get some money off the sidelines from individual investors. The market could also get some positive Greece news today or next week which could also extend a possible 4-week rally into next but the bulls have to hold their lead today which we will cover in the afternoon update.
Then again, the market could pull back but it will take a lot to change the TREND and we have support pegged.
We have closed 3 more winning call option trades this week for profits of 114%, 58% and 107%. We may close one or two more trades today and our 2012 CLOSED Track Record is now 16-1 for the Daily and 7-0 for the Weekly Wrap. Let’s keep the momentum going.
Futures are lower as we head to press and look like this: Dow (-55), S&P 500 (-6), Nasdaq (-7). Subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: binary options, call options, futures options, high beta stocks, Hot stocks, momentum options, Momentum stocks, option market, option tips, options, options mentoring, options trading, options trading course, stock market options, VIX, weekly options, what are options
Posted in Market Analysis, Market Commentary, Trade Update | Comments Off