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7 Things You Should Know Before You Short a Stock
“As a very successful investor once said: “The bearish argument always sounds more intelligent.” -Peter Lynch, One up on Wall Street The stock market is the greatest wealth creation machine ever created. But every so often, you’re going to be tempted to bet against the market, or a particular stock or ETF. Maybe you see a technical pattern you don’t like. Maybe you see an economic downturn coming. Or maybe you think you’ve spotted an outright scam. But shorting is not as simple as you think. Shorting requires an intimate understanding of market mechanics, and the harsh reality that stocks sometimes go up for no good reason. So let’s go through 7 things you absolutely need to know before shorting a stock or ETF. 1) Understand What Shorting Really Is Shorting stock isn’t quite as simple as buying it. Shorting requires borrowing shares from another investor. Your brokerage firm facilitates this process for you. Then, you sell those shares in the hope that they’ll fall in price. If it drops, you’ll buy the shares back (which is called ‘covering’ a short), capturing a profit. For example, if you sell Amazon.com (AMZN) at $1000 and buy it back at $950, you’ve earned a profit of $50 per share. 2) You Can’t Short Everything You Want Not every stock is available to be shorted because it can’t be borrowed. Typically, when a stock is widely disliked or is facing a scandal, it will be so heavily shorted that your broker simply won’t be able to locate shares for you to short. Every brokerage platform has some mechanism for indicating that a stock is hard to borrow, or not available to borrow at all. For examples, as of June 12, 2017, shares of the troubled radio company Cumulus Media (CMLS) can’t be borrowed. With the company rumored to be on the brink of collapse, it’s already attracted plenty of shorts. So there are no shares left for new potential shorts to borrow. 3) Know Your Expenses and Margin Requirements If you want to short stocks, you are required to have a margin account. And you must have enough capital in your account to back up your short positions. For example, if you want to short $10,000 worth of stock, you may be required to have $5,000 of cash in your account. Plus, shorting isn’t free. To short a stock, you have to pay your broker a “stock loan fee.” And the more volatile a stock is, and the more difficult the shares are to borrow, the higher that fee is. Check with your broker for exact terms. 4) Realize That the Interesting Bear Argument Always Sounds Better Most investors want the stock market to go up. But many traders are attracted to contrarianism, and the often-sexy arguments of bears. For example, for years many bears have used obscure financial metrics like the Schiller PE (CAPE) Ratio, market cap to GDP ratio, and NYSE Short Interest to imply that the SPX is overvalued. These arguments always sound a lot more clever than the typical bull rationale, which revolves around plain old earnings and economic growth. And yet, the market’s done nothing but gone up: So think twice before buying into doomsday scenarios, no matter how attractive they sound. 5) Don’t Short Momentum Stocks on Valuation Never short a stock simply because it’s trading at 50 times earnings. You know why? Because it might be worth 60 or 70 times earnings a week from now. Momentum stocks have a tendency to go way farther than may seem reasonable, especially if they are reporting strong earnings. We suggest watching Scott Redler’s recent video lesson Facebook (FB) so you can see how a stock with consistently strong earnings can destroy the bears: And look at momenutm favortie Salesforce.com (CRM). It’s regularly been called overvalued throughout this bull market: Now look at this chart: The bears — as smart as they may be — have been wrong. Why? Because traders love to buy momentum stocks with strong earnings. 6) Your Timing Must Be Impeccable If you want to short a hot stock or the market as a whole, you need great timing. Being right doesn’t matter if you’re not right at the wrong time. For example, many experts correctly called the housing bubble and subsequent collapse of the financial system very early. We’re talking 2004 or 2005. But bank stocks didn’t peak until December 2006. And in the last 5 years, how many times have you heard that there’s a bond bubble?: The bond bubble people may be right… but the TLT chart hasn’t really broken yet, has it?: 7) You Are Betting Against Gravity The S&P 500 has returned an average of 11.4% since 1928, according to NYU Professor Aswath Damodaran. And when it’s rising, even the worst stocks can go up. So you are betting against the market’s reverse gravitational pull towards the sky. We’re not saying you can’t make money shorting. Just be careful!
Continue Reading -->Weekly Sentiment Report: With Record Highs All Around, Are the Bulls Out of Control?
Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. But let’s look at the actual numbers to see how the crowd actually feels. Last week, we definitely saw a bull party starting, with the VIX dropping back towards the 9.56 generational low set from May 9. And after I wrote that, the VIX made an even lower low at 9.37 while the SPX, Nasdaq, Russell, and Dow all hit record highs. The VIX hasn’t been so low since December 1993. While I always love talking sentiment, this latest market pop makes now the perfect time for an update on the market’s mood, especially since we justed passed this week’s big news trifecta — Comey’s testimony, the UK election, and the ECB Meeting. (click here for a primer on the 5 sentiment indicators below) 1) VIX Spread – Bullish Obviously, the VIX is pretty much as low as it gets. The 3-month curve is at +4.93, which means traders are extremely bullish. Readings near 5 are most definitely in froth territory. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Neutral The Fear & Greed Index is at 59, up from 56 last week. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and a reading of 59 is neutral. 3) AAII Sentiment – Neutral The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 35.4% of individual investors are bullish, up from 32.9% last week. This 32.9% reading is below the 38.5% long-term average, and indicates that individual investors are basically neutral. The 8-week moving average for bullishness is just 31.7%. At the start of the year, that 8-week moving average was 45.6%. So even though the markets have been going straight up, individual investors have grown less and less trusting. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Bullish The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio was at 0.55 yesterday with a 3-day moving average of 0.57. These numbers are under historical norms, indicating that traders are heavily leaning towards call options. This indicates high bullishness. 5) ISE Sentiment – Bearish The ISE Sentiment Index is at 77 this morning (77 calls bought for every 100 puts). The 10 day moving average is 83.7. The ISE has been steadily declining for the past couple of weeks — a bit of a surprise given the market’s stability. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have: 2 bullish 2 neutral 1 bearish These numbers are unchanged from last week. However, we are definitely approaching frothy territory, based upon the huge collapse in the VIX and the drop in the CBOE equity put-call ratio. The doomsday crowd has been consistently saying the crowd is too bullish — even though they never have numbers to back those views up. That said, they’re close to being right. The AAII sentiment number indicates that individual investors haven’t quite bought into the bull case, even though volatility has disappeared as the market keeps grinding up. Next, I want to repeat some data I posted last week: A recent Gallup poll showed that just 54% of US adults have participated in the 2009-2017 bull market. From 2001 – 2008, 62% of adults owned stocks. Before the financial crisis, as many as 65% adults owned stock. That means a huge number of people have missed out on a 267% move in the stock market. On Thursday, Scott Redler talked about the biggest risk of all — the risk of missing out on wealth creation via smart long-term investing. And it’s crazy that even now, with the market more than tripling and going straight up since the election, there are still a lot of folks that don’t believe. Scott set a target of 2470 by June 30, and that scenario looks more and more likely. Now if that AAII sentiment number was at 45%, I’d probably be looking at SPY puts or VIX calls. But for now, it looks like the bulls still have the ball.
Continue Reading -->The Sub-10 VIX Is About to Set a Crazy Record
Min Zeng of the Wall Street Journal just Tweeted a very interesting stat about the VIX: $VIX at 9.75, on pace to close under 10 for the seventh time this year–the most ever. I double-checked the data and indeed, Zeng is correct. But taking a deeper look at the data (my data set goes back to 1990), things get even more bizarre. All 6 of 2017’s sub-10 closes in the VIX happened on May 8 or later. (remember, today’s would make lucky number 7) And if get another sub-10 close, that would mark 5 in the past 7 sessions. Since 1990, the VIX has NEVER closed below 10 in 5 out of 7 sessions. So it’s on the verge of a truly incredible record. Already, the VIX has finished under 10 in 4 of the last 6 sessions. This has only happened 3 other times since 1990. Those 3 other occurences were on 12/28, 12/29, and 12/30 in 1993, during a streak when the VIX had 4 straight closes below 10. So the post-election collapse in volatility truly is remarkable. Now let’s take things a step further. Prior to May 8, 2017, there were only 9 sub-10 closes in the VIX. That’s right. Just 9 out of 6,891 trading days — or 0.13% of the time. And now we’re going on 5 in just 7 days — or 71%! This looks insane, but let me explain why it’s perfectly logical. The VIX represents expected volatility. And when actual market volatility goes to near-zero — as it has since President Trump’s victory — the VIX follows. Therefore, the VIX’ behavior is entirely logical. Anecdotally, I’ve been hearing a lot of traders chat up long positions in VIX-related instruments like VIX calls or VXX calls, or plain old SPY/SPX options. I’ll just leave you with one of the great all-time market one-liners: “The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.” -John Maynard Keynes 2017 has been BRUTAL to traders betting on a rebound in volatility. You can know why it should happen, but you had better know when, or else you’ll be eaten alive by time decay, one penny at a time. So if you’re going to put your chips down… be very careful.
Continue Reading -->Weekly Sentiment Update: The F.O.M.O. Train Is Unstoppable… for Now
Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. But let’s look at the actual numbers to see how the crowd actually feels. Last week, we saw traders show less more fear after the SPX broke to new all-time highs. And the question I asked was whether we were set for a F.O.M.O.-driven ride up to SPX 2500. With markets still clawing higher, it looks like the answer is yes. So let’s take a fresh look at our 5 primary sentiment indicators to see if the ride towards 2500 has made the bulls overconfident. (click here for a primer on them) 1) VIX Spread – Bullish The VIX dropped as low as 9.65 Friday, putting it within range of the the 9.56 generational low on May 9. A couple of weeks ago, the VIX curve nearly inverted, but the 3-month curve is at +3.7, indicating traders are not pricing in much near-term volatility. Or in plain English, folks are bullish. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Neutral The Fear & Greed Index is at 59, up from 56 last week. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and a reading of 59 is pretty much neutral. 3) AAII Sentiment – Bearish The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 26.9% of individual investors are bullish. This 26.9% reading is well below the 38.5% long-term average, and implies that individual investors do not trust this bull move. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Bullish The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio was at 0.66 yesterday with a 3-day moving average of 0.66. This is above historical averages. 5) ISE Sentiment – Neutral The ISE Sentiment Index was at 84 Friday afternoon (84 calls bought for every 100 puts). The 10 day moving average is 89.3. These numbers show higher put demand, but they’re actually in-line with recent averages, so I’ll also lump it in as neutral again. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have: 2 bullish 2 neutral 1 bearish So these numbers are unchanged from last week. The question to ask is whether we’re on the verge of outright forth. Last week, I said no. This week… I’m saying maybe. The AAII Sentiment Survey indicates that individual investors are pretty skittish. Typically, at tops, you see the masses wanting to get in. One possibility is that the tense geopolitical climate is preventing investors from getting too bullish, even though volatility has gone to basically nothing since the election. And the CBOE equity-put call doesn’t show rampant demand for call options, another thing we typically see at market tops. Therefore, I think there’s a reasonable chance we charge past SPX 2500 in the next couple of weeks as shorts throw the towel in, unable to withstand the bulls’ painfully slow push higher. And at that point, perhaps crossing a major round number like 2500 really gets the bulls overconfident, setting the stage for a drop. But for now, let the relentless post-election bid teach you an important lesson: the trend is your friend. And it can be your friend for a lot longer than may seem reasonable. So if you want to bet against it, have a really good reason. I’ll end with a tip: if you’re reason is “what goes up must come down,” go back to the drawing board!
Continue Reading -->Why You Need a Trading Checklist
Checklists can save your life. Literally. Anesthesiologist Peter Provonost studied how 100 Michigan hospitals inserted central lines (also known as intravenous tubing) into patients’ chests. . Central lines deliver lifesaving medications, and proper installation is critical for avoiding life-threatening infections. 30% of the time, surgical teams skipped 1 of 5 essential steps in the process. But by using a simple checklist, the infection went from 4% to zero, saving 1,500 lives and nearly $200 million. That’s not all. Checklists keep planes in the air. Checklists keep nuclear power plants operating safely. And checklists can keep traders like you avoid simple errors that can cost you money. Here’s a simple checklist you can use to avoid errors when they’re most likely — the order entry process. Before we get to the checklist, make sure your trading platform is set up in a way that works for you. For example, many trading platforms let you set defaults for trade parameters including share size. You can also often set little things like how your mouse interacts with the platform. Depending on your settings, you could even place orders with a single mouse click. And set your chart time frames in a way that corresponds to your actual trading. Since all platforms allow you to save your screen layouts, keep yours saved so you can always go back to square one. So take a half hour and go through your platform’s default settings. This will reduce the risk of placing accidental orders, or of accidentally looking at the wrong charts. Now let’s take a look at an actual order entry checklist that can prevent you from making errors: Step 1: Ask Yourself If You Have a Good Reason for Making This Trade Since they’re constantly bombarded with news, data, and ideas, traders are always tempted to act impulsively. You can counteract this tendency by asking yourself: do I have a good reason for doing what I’m about to do? Often, that will be enough to stop you from getting in bad trades. Step 2: Form an Entry and Exit Plan If you’ve got a good reason to make a trade, now it’s time to decide on an entry and exit plan. Know where you want to get in, and where you want to get out. You should have a stop loss to minimize downside risk, and a target price that gives you room to make a solid profit. This will prevent you from getting in a trade, and then asking “so what do I do now?” Step 3: Double Check Your Ticker There are two types of “fat finger” trades. That’s what happens when a trader hits the wrong keys on the keyboard, and a whole lot of money ends up in the wrong place. In 2015, Deutsche Bank’s foreign exchange desk accidentally sent a hedge fund $6 billion because of a simple typo. If you’re not watching carefully, you could very easily buy Advance Auto Parts (AAP) instead of Apple (AAPL). You could mix up Agilent (A) and Alcoa (AA). Or Dominion Energy (D) and Dupont (DD). Step 3: Double Check Your Share Size Let’s say you want to buy 100 shares of JP Morgan (JPM) at $80. That’s $8,000 — a decent chunk of change. But what if you accidentally pop in another zero, and buy 1000 shares? Well, you just made an $80,000 trade. That’s an an extra $72,000. And if the stock suddenly drops $2, you’re down $2,000. Had you bought just the 100 shares you wanted, you’d only be down $200! Step 4: Double-Check Your Expirations and Strike Prices on Options and Futures If you’re trading any instrument with an expiration date, like options or futures, you must absolutely double-check the expiration dates of what you’re trading. You’re often looking at dozens or even hundreds of small numbers on a single computer screen, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Make sure you select the right the expirations and strike prices. This is especially important if you’re entering an order with multiple legs. You may fool yourself into thinking you’ve found an especially attractive calendar or butterfly spread, when in fact, you just got ripped off! Step 5: Perform a Post-Mortem Analysis of Your Best and Worst Trades We recommend that traders keep a diary of their trading activities so they can accurately track their trading history. We’ve found that this piece of advice is mostly ignored. If you’re not willing to take this step, at the very least, do after-the-trade breakdowns of your best and worst trades. Was your rationale for the trade correct? Did you get lucky? What could you have done better? How did you know when to get out? Be honest with yourself, and you’ll start to understand your true trading nature.
Continue Reading -->The 7 Deadly Sins of Trading, and How You Can Cure Them
Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. That’s what Gordon Gekko said in the classic 1987 film Wall Street. And indeed, a little greed goes a long way. Greed can push you to work harder to bring home a bigger paycheck. It can push you to save more money for retirement. But greed can also eat you alive… even if you have all the money in the world. Greed is only one of the 7 deadly sins you’ve heard about from religious texts or pop culture. And as you’re about to learn, they all apply to trading, and they all have cures if you understand them. Lust is often associated with sexuality. But there’s another kind… the lust for money and power at all costs. That’s a recipe for disaster for 2 simple reasons. An obsession with making more money can push you to take bigger and bigger risks. You’ll put yourself in harm’s way when there’s no good reason to. It can also push you to cross ethical and moral boundaries. Remember, once you cross that line, there’s no turning back. The Cure for Lust Replace your desire for money with a desire to learn. As you become a more skilled and experienced trader, you’ll likely earn more money. So focus on building your skills and gaining experience, NOT the potential rewards of skills and experience. It’s like dreaming about buying a Ferrari before you’ve even had a job. It’s downright childish. Grow up, get good, and the rewards will come. 44% of lottery winners go broke, according to a 2015 study by the Camelot Group. Why? Because most people can’t handle sudden wealth. Traders are no different. Once a trader achieves financial success, he’ll be tempted to overindulge in everything from food to clothes to travel to cars to real estate. An upgraded lifestyle means upgraded living expenses So what happens when that trader has a bad month or bad year? Panic, frustration, and inaction. When the mortgage is due today and there’s just $28.71 in the checking account, it’s pretty dang hard to focus on the charts. The Cure for Gluttony As you earn more money, save a higher percentage of what you take home.. Let’s say that after a year of trading, you have $25,000 left over when all your taxes, trading expenses, and bills are paid. And let’s assume you feel comfortable spending $7,500 of that on “fun stuff” like new clothes, travel and entertainment. That’s 30%. On your next $25,000, take it down to 25%. And the $25,000 after that, reduce it down to 20%. The exact numbers don’t matter. The point is, by scaling down your spending, you’ll keep a safety net in place for the rough times. It’s okay to want a bigger house, a nicer car, and private school for your kids. And it’s okay to dream about having $10 million in your bank account. But if you’re trading just to make money to buy more stuff… go do something else. To become a great trader, you must love the process of trading. It’s not easy to stare at computer screens for 9+ hours a day, trying to make sense of news and charts and price action. Most people burn out from it. But the best of the best can’t pull themselves away! The Cure for Greed Revisit what you really love about trading. Is it the process of scanning through 200 charts to find the one that speaks to you? Is it the rush of adrenaline you get when you nail a trade? Or is it just plain fun? Your trading results are important. If they’re not, you shouldn’t be in this business. But it’s equally important to enjoy the process. So shift your greed for money to a greed for sheer enjoyment. Experienced traders often get nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ before high frequency trading, decimalization, and overactive central banks. Many of these traders run into trouble because they do more complaining than learning. Instead of learning new skills, they get left behind. Evolution is a cruel beast. And it comes for the weakest traders first, the ones that don’t adapt. It’s 2017. The strategies you use today may not work 3 years from now. What are you gonna do about that today? The Cure for Sloth Put yourself on a regular schedule for continuing education and personal development. Don’t give yourself the option of NOT improving. You could set a goal of reading 2 new books a month. Or learning 4 new chart patterns. Or writing out 3 case studies about your best — or worst — trades of the month. The possibilities are endless. And don’t forget about improving your non-trading self. Some of the biggest trading lessons are learned away from the desk on a racquetball court… or on a wild boar hunt in Texas. (seriously) An angry trader is one that just lost money, and is on the verge of losing more. If you’re angry, you’re impatient. If you’re impatient, you’ll make more bad trades. And if you make more bad trades, you’ll get even angrier. That’s when the ‘revenge trading’ starts. That’s when you lose $2,000 in the morning, and you’re determined to ‘make it up’ with more trading. Before you know it, you’re down $5,000. And then $10,000. And so on. And so on. The Cure for Wrath Clean up your mess as best you can. And then walk away from your trading workstation. Don’t come trade again until you have your anger out of your system. Talk to your buddies, watch a funny movie, or take a walk. But get it out of your system. And if you feel like you’re getting out of control too often, seek professional help. Anger won’t just hurt your bottom line. It will also destroy your body. On Wall Street, you can make $1 million a year and still feel poor. Why? Because the guy next to you made $2 million! Traders are competitive by nature. It’s no wonder so many love
Continue Reading -->Weekly Sentiment Update: Can We Ride a F.O.M.O. Wave to SPX 2500+?
Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. But let’s look at the actual numbers to see how the crowd actually feels. Last week, traders swung to a moderately bearish stance. But yesterday, the SPX blasted up to a new record high of 2418.71, so let’s see just how quickly sentiment is turning. (click here for a primer on these 5 sentiment indicators) 1) VIX Spread – Bullish Last Thursday, the VIX spiked up to 16.30, but it’s collapsed back down to 9.83, butting it within range of the the 9.56 generational low on May 9. Last week, the VIX curve nearly inverted, but the 3-month curve is at +4.0, indicating traders not pricing in much near-term volatility. Or in plain English, folks are bullish. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Neutral The Fear & Greed Index is at 56, up from 45 last week. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and a reading of 56 is neutral. 3) AAII Sentiment – Bearish The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 32.9% of individual investors are bullish, up from 23.9% last week. This 32.9% reading is below the 38.5% long-term average, and indicates that individual investors are not particulary trusting of the market. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Bullish The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio was at 0.59 yesterday with a 3-day moving average of 60.3. These numbers are under historical norms, indicating that traders are not buying many put options. Therefore, they are bullish. 5) ISE Sentiment – Neutral The ISE Sentiment Index is at 92 this morning (92 calls bought for every 100 puts). The 10 day moving average is 92.3. These numbers show higher put demand, but they’re actually in-line with recent averages, so I’ll also lump it in as neutral again. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have: 2 bullish (+2 from last week) 2 neutral (-1 from last week) 1 bearish (-1 from last week) The numbers indicate that we’re seeing much less fear than last week. So the important question to ask is whether we’re on the verge of outright forth. I’m going to guess no. The AAII Sentiment Survey indicates that individual investors are pretty skittish. Typically, at tops, you see the masses wanting to get in. On a related note, a recent Gallup poll showed that just 54% of US adults have participated in the 2009-2017 bull market. From 2001 – 2008, 62% of adults owned stocks. On a second related note, have you noticed the sudden BitCoin craze? Crypocurrencies are going up 5% or 10% a day, which looks like the 1999 dot-com boom all over again. If there’s froth, it’s in BitCoin, not stocks! (not that BitCoin can’t double or triple from here…) Looking forward, I’m wondering if the bears are destined to capitulate on a sudden wave of F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out), driving up SPX to 2500+ in a blowout move.
Continue Reading -->Weekly Sentiment Update: Some Fear Is Here. But Maybe Not Enough.
Just when everyday seemed to greet me with a smile Sunspots have faded and now I’m doing time Now I’m doing time ‘Cause I fell on black days -Chris Cornell (R.I.P.) Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. But let’s look at the actual numbers to see how the crowd actually feels. Last week, traders swung to a moderately bullish stance. But yesterday, as the Trump/Comey controversy heated up, the SPX dove -1.8% — the biggest one-day decline since September 9, 2016. That’s a span of 172 trading days! So let’s take a fresh look at sentiment and figure out whether the bears are still growling. (click here for a primer on these 5 sentiment indicators) 1) VIX Spread – Bearish This morning, the VIX is at 15.89, putting up 66% from the 9.56 generational low on May 9. The curve is nearly inverted and the 3-month spread is at just +0.1, which means that traders are very fearful. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Neutral The Fear & Greed Index is at 45, down from 63 last week. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and a reading of 45 is neutral. 3) AAII Sentiment – Bearish The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that just 23.9% of individual investors are bearish, down from 32.7% last week. This 23.9% reading is well below the 38.5% long-term average, and is the lowest level since November 3, 2016 — the week before the Presidental election. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Neutral The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio was at 0.73 yesterday with a 3-day moving average of 0.62. That 0.73 number above historical norms, but this number was also very, very low from Friday to Tuesday, so we’ll call it Neutral. 5) ISE Sentiment – Neutral The ISE Sentiment Index closed at 88 yesterday (88 calls bought for every 100 puts). The 10 day moving average is 94.2. These numbers show higher put demand, but they’re actually in-line with recent averages, so I’ll also lump it in as neutral. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have: 0 bullish (down from 2 last week) 3 neutral (up from 2 last week 2 bearish (up from 1 last week The question everyone’s asking is obvious: is there enough fear in the market? Now, sentiment is undoubtedly more bearish this week, perhaps best illustrated by the spiking VIX and its nearly inverted curve. However, I’m not sure sentiment is bearish enough to immediately form a bottom. The CBOE equity put-call ratio did spike to 0.73. That’s a mark of fear — but it’s not an extreme level. It actually hit 0.96 in mid-April. I’d love to see a spike above 0.90, and a dip in the ISE Sentiment Index as well. That would mean traders are aggressively buying put options for downside protection/speculation purposes, which is what you see at the point of maximum fear. In hindsight, that 9.56 extreme low in the VIX may have been a sign of true froth. At the time, other sentiment indicators were pointing bearish, but at that point, traders were pricing in almost no volatility, and thus no fear. Now we’re about to see if the volatility train is ready to leave the station after 6 months of nothing.
Continue Reading -->What Wild Boar Hunting, Triathlons, and Racquetball Can Teach You About Trading
Trading is like anything else worth doing. If you want to be good, you’ve got to develop discipline, patience, and mental toughness. Now, you can learn plenty about trading by watching screens and reading books… but sometimes, the very best lessons come on mile 25 of a marathon… or when a 200-pound boar is charging you at full speed. So we sat down with several of our trading experts to talk about the lessons they’ve learned far way from their charts and spreadsheets. Here are their stories. Brandon Perry on Hunting Wild Boars Here in Texas, we love the taste of wild boars. But wild boars love the taste of crops, grazing fields, wildlife, and private property. Smithsonian magazine said they’re “among the most destructive invasive species in the United States today,” doing $400 million worth of damage in Texas annually. I have a rancher friend who invites me to help take care of his problem with wild boars. We start with weather patterns. If it’s rainy, the boars spread out and won’t be concentrated around a water source. In the winter, food gets scarce and they move away from acorn-rich oak trees to lowland valleys with rich sources of grass and grubs. In the summer, they stay out of the brutal Texas heat during the day. That’s my macro analysis. Next, I have to drill down to analyze my specific target. Boars are probably the most dangerous wild land animal in Texas. They have razor sharp tusks and they’re not afraid to take on humans. One time on a hunt, we came across a 200+ pound boar. We’re talking a big ugly beast right out of a horror movie. We saw it and it saw us. Usually they run away. This boar didn’t. He turned toward us and started sauntering toward us. We had a choice. We could run or shoot. My friend took a shot with his AK-47. Now you may think having an AK-47 made this an unfair fight. But boars are very, very tough, with with inch-thick skin and a cranial bone that can deflect bullets. The first shot only made it turn. The second took it down. In hunting, there are a few very important rules to follow. Only take a sure shot Don’t be afraid to pass on a shot Don’t rush your shot. These rules also apply to trading. For example, I love trading washout lows, but it’s not easy. I have to make sure the technicals are right. And when I have my target picked out, I can’t rush in. I need to wait until the odds are in my favor. If things go wrong, I need enough room to exit the situation to minimize risk… whether I’m looking at a charging stock or a charging boar. When trading lows, you have a brief moment for action, and then the opportunity is gone. But in trading, like hunting, opportunities always come around again. So don’t rush to pick a shot. You’ll get another. Brandon is a contributor to the Virtual Trading Floor®. Click here for a 14-Day FREE Trial. Scott Redler on Triathlons If you want a better brain, build a better body. One of the biggest factors in my trading success has been competing in 100+ triathlons and marathons, including 2 Ironman events. When I started doing triathlons, my trading profits went through the roof for 2 reasons. First, I suddenly had fewer hours in the day. That may seem a little counter intuitive, but hear me out. To balance my trading career and family time with triathlon training, I was forced to become more focused. I started getting up earlier, partying less, and most importantly, I learned the power of a routine. Instead of flying by the seat of my pants, I started every trading day with a comprehensive plan. That’s why I’m so adamant about daily game planning. If you don’t have a plan, you end up wasting all your time and energy trying to figure out what to do! When you start your day with a plan, you can keep your eyes on the prize and not waste your time with distractions. And the second reason endurance training is valuable is that it builds mental toughness. You learn that you’re capable of a lot more than you think. When you start out running, running a mile or two may seem impossible. And then you read about Fauja Singh, a man who ran his first marathon at 89! So find an outlet that pushes you physically. It could be an Ironman. Or it could be a walk around the neighborhood, a martial art, or pushups in the office at lunch. Just do something. Click here to learn about Redler Ultimate Access, Scott’s new trader training program. Mark Harila on Racquetball I’ m a trader and a racquetball player. After a day sitting in the office staring at charts, I love the physicality of racquetball. Getting your heart rate up and losing yourself in the game is a great way to let the tensions of our profession go by the wayside. The comradery I have with other players and random little moments of levity really bring me back down to Earth. There are many parallels between racquetball and trading. There’s often a furious pace of play that requires instant analysis. On the court, you must assess: Where the ball is now Where it is likely to go Where the other players are Where to set yourself up in order to best take advantage of the situation In trading, you must assess: Where the price action is now Where it is likely to go Where support and resistance (other players) are Where to find your entries to take advantage of the price action Novice racquetball players are desperate to hit the ball to score points. So they’ll chase after the ball once it has passed them, rather than running to a spot that will give them an opportunity. They take wild shots, swinging and missing repeatedly, because they don’t plan, and don’t know
Continue Reading -->Weekly Sentiment Update: The Bulls Come Out to Play
Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. But let’s look at the actual numbers to see how the crowd actually feels. Last week, sentiment was very bearish, and I said “I think SPX makes new all-time highs above 2401 by Monday at 9:45 a.m. ET.” And indeed, in the aftermath of Emmanual Macron’s victory in France, the SPX did indeed squeeze to a new record high at 2401.36 at 9:35 a.m. ET. That was followed by another all-time high on Tuesday at 2403.87 before the market fell back into the range. So let’s take a fresh look at sentiment and figure out whether the bears are still growling. (click here for a primer on these 5 sentiment indicators) 1) VIX Spread – Bullish The VIX is at 10.70 this morning after hitting new 10-year lows earlier in the week. The 3-month spread is at 3.7, which means that traders are moderately bullish. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Bullish The Fear & Greed Index is at 63. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and a reading of 63 means traders are moderatly bullish. 3) AAII Sentiment – Bearish The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 32.7% of individual investors are bullish, down from 38.1% last week. This is below the long-term average of 38.5%. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Neutral The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio was at 0.65 yesterday with a 3-day moving average of 0.63. This indicates that traders are neutral. 5) ISE Sentiment – Neutral The ISE Sentiment Index is at 97 as of late morning (97 calls bought for every 100 puts). The 10 day moving average is 87.6. So the recent trend shows higher put option demand. However, I’ll consider this number neutral because it’s actually risen a bit in the past couple of weeks. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have: 2 Bullish (up from 1 last week) 2 Neutral (unchanged from last week 1 Bearish (down from 2 last week Traders looked pretty negative last week ahead of the April jobs numbers and the French election results, but they’ve swung to moderately bullish this week. Looking forward, we’ll probably need a meaningful surge above the new 2403.87 record high to push the market into full-on froth category. But to be fair, for 2 reasons, it could be argued that froth already set in: 1) The VIX hit 9.56 earlier this week the lowest level since February 2007 2) There’s just no volatility because the shallowest of dips keep getting bought But let’s play it by ear. Low-volatility stretches can go on for a long time before anything changes.
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