Weekend Market Update
Major Indices Bounce Off Of Key Support Levels

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) Options Trade Idea

Buy the (DIA) Mar 20 $179/$182/$185 call butterfly for a $0.80 debit or better

(Buy 1 Mar 20 $179 call, sell 2 Mar 20 $182 calls, buy 1 Mar 20 $185 call, all in one trade)

Stop loss- None

Upside target- $182 in the ETF

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) Options Trade Idea

Buy the (XLF) Mar 20 $24 call for for $0.65 or better

Stop loss- None

1st upside target- $1.30

2nd upside target- $2.00

Select Sector Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) Options Trade Idea

Buy the (XLU) Mar 20 $44/$47 bear put spread for a $1.15 debit … Read More »

Weekend Market Update
Turnaround Friday In The S&P 500

From the lows of Thursday night/Friday morning the S&P 500 futures rallied over 30 points to successfully test the key support level under the 100-day simple moving average (more info on the Weekend Stock Watchlist Update). All three of the major U.S. indices finished in positive territory for the week, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s (DJIA) 0.37% gain led the way. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) and the S&P 500 (SPX) rose 0.22% and 0.33%, respectively. Volatility finished lower on the week as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) continued to struggle with the 17 level, falling 7.40% on the week.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
The Dow Turns Negative For The Year

Equities close out the week and month on a sour note, finishing negative for the month of July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 2.75%, which puts it in negative territory for 2014. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) and the S&P 500 (SPX) dropped 2.16% and 2.69% for the week, respectively. Volatility soared as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) rose 34.2% to close at 17.03.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Q2 Earnings Leave Equities Mixed For The Week

The S&P 500 (SPX) snapped its 10 up Friday’s in a row streak yesterday, following a new all-time high hit on Thursday (eking out a 0.01% weekly gain). Technology led the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) to be the best performer of the three major U.S. indices, rising 0.64%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 0.82%. Visa’s (V) 3.58% decline o Friday was a large contributor to this underperformance. Volatility finished off of the highs of the week, but the spot Volatility Index (VIX) put in a higher low on the weekly, adding 5.22%.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Markets Finish Strong Despite Middle East Concerns

Equities finished higher for the tenth consecutive Friday, making up for most of what was lost on Thursday’s MH17 crash in Ukraine. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rallied 0.90% and 0.92%, respectively. The S&P 500 (SPX) was the laggard of the major U.S. indices, rising 0.54%. Volatility had its best one day performance on Thursday, but the spot Volatility Index (VIX) still finished the week lower by 0.17%.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Gearing Up For Q2 Earnings Season

Equities gave back some of last week’s gains as the market finished out the first full week of Q3. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) remained the best performer of the major U.S. indices, shedding just 0.47% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 (SPX) dropped 0.73% and 0.90%, respectively. Volatility came back into the market as the spot Volatility rose 17.05% to close at 12.08 (well of off of the high print of 13.23).

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Dow 17,000

Equities went into the 4th of July weekend on a high note as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit and closed above the 17,000 level for the first time ever on Thursday. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) closed at another 14-year high, rallying 2.04% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 (SPX) added 1.28% and 1.25%, respectively. Less than 15 points separate the S&P 500 from the psychologically important 2000 level. Volatility put in a new 7 year low this week as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) fell 8.35% to close at 10.32.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Equities Pause Ahead Of The Holiday Shortened Week

Stocks finished in positive territory on Friday, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 (SPX) dropped 0.56% and 0.10% for week, respectively. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) was the best performer of the three major U.S. indices, rising 1.10%. Volatility moved off of the multi-year lows as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) added 3.78% (was up 15.30% intra-week).

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

 Weekend Market Update
Six Day Winning Streak In The S&P 500

Equities rallied for the fourth week out of the last five as both the S&P 500 (up 1.38% this week) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (up 1.02% this week) hit new all-time highs. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) tacked on a 0.72% gain. While volatility hit new lows not seen since 2007 with the spot Volatility Index’s (VIX) 10.92% decline.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Equities Snap A Three Week Winning Streak

Concerns in Iraq sent U.S. stocks lower and oil prices higher this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was the worst of the major U.S. indices, falling 0.88%. The Nsadaq-100 (NDX) and the S&P 500 (SPX) dropped 0.50% and 0.68%, respectively. Volatility spiked on Middle East instability as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) rose 13.51%. This was the best weekly performance since early April.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Stock Watchlist Update
Taking A Look At The Dow Jones

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Industrials Lead The Market To New Highs

U.S. equities finished at new all-time highs for the second straight week. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) was the best performer of the three major U.S. indices, rising 1.55% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 (SPX) added 1.24% and 1.34%, respectively. Volatility fell to seven year lows as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) dropped 5.88% to 10.73.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
SPX Closes Out May On A High Note

The S&P 500 (SPX) finished May rising on six out of the last seven trading sessions and up 1.21% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) added 0.67% and 1.62%, respectively. Volatility snapped a two week decline as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) eked out a 0.35% gain.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
The VIX Hits 14 Month Lows

The S&P 500 (SPX) closed above the 1900 level for the first time ever heading into the Memorial Day weekend, rising 1.21% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) added 0.70% and 2.51%, respectively. Volatility fell to levels not seen since March of 2013 as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) dropped 8.68% for the week.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
SPX 1900 Fails For Now

Both the S&P 500 (SPX) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit new all-time highs this week  before pulling back on Wednesday and Thursday. The (SPX) and (DJIA) fell 0.03% and 0.55% this week, respectively. Of the three major indices, the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) was the best performer, rising 0.89%. Volatility finished lower on the week as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) declined 3.72%. The (VIX) briefly went below the 12 level for the first time since January.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Mixed Week For U.S. Equities

Major U.S. indices remained range bound this week with alternating closes everyday for the S&P 500 (SPX), but finishing the week lower by 0.14%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was the best performer of the three major indices, rising 0.43%. While the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) continues to underperform, dropping 0.89% this week. The spot Volatility Index closed 0.01 higher than it did on last Friday, remaining near support at the 13 level.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Strong Finish To April

Equities rallied early this week to strong finish in positive territory for April. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500 (SPX) added 0.93% and 0.95%, respectively. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) was the best performer of the three major indices, picking up 1.54%. Volatility retested the April lows this week as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) fell 8.18% to 12.91.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update

SPX 1880 Fails Again

Equities snapped a six day winning streak on Wednesday and ended up giving back all of the early gains by the close on Friday. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) shed 0.04% and 0.08% this week, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was the worst performer of the three major U.S. indices, dropping 0.29%. Volatility rose for the third straight session to finish out the week as the spot Volatility Index (VIX) added 5.24%.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Bullish SPX Indicators

Equities continued the decline from last Friday’s intra-day all-time high in the S&P 500 (SPX) this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the Nasdaq-100 (NDX) dropped 2.35% and 2.61%, respectively. The S&P 500 was the worst performing of the major U.S. indices, falling 2.65%. Volatility soared near one month highs as the spot volatility index picked up 21.99% this week.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.

Weekend Market Update
Q1 Earnings Season

Following an in-line March jobs report on Friday, the S&P 500 (SPX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit a new all-time high before finishing in the red after continued selling in the technology and biotech sectors. The Nasdaq-100 (NDX) dropped 0.90% for the week, resulting in a close near two-month lows. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.40% and 0.55%, respectively. Volatility (VIX) briefly tested January levels this week, but the spot Volatility Index finished with a loss of just 3.12%.

You need to be logged in to see this part of the content. Please Login to access.