Blast from the Past: T3 Live Featured in Documentary by China’s CCTV-2
On September 22, 2010, CCTV-2, the business channel of China’s state broadcaster, aired the first installment of “Wall Street”, a 10-part documentary covering all angles of New York’s famed business landmark. The documentary surveys several angles of the finance world, including major media outlets, big banks, and T3 traders including Chief Strategic Officer Scott Redler, who appeared in the first episode. ‘China’s first finance documentary’ took 800 hours of footage and three years to make, and ranks among the most expensive documentaries CCTV has ever produced. The producers, directors and cameramen were all involved in CCTV’s award-winning documentary series Rise of the Great Powers, Capital Market, and Water Cries. The series speaks not only to the history of Wall Street, but also reveals the transformation of global capital markets over the past 200 years. T3Live.com was strategically chosen for the first installment of the series to represent the new generation of Wall Street: young, vibrant, innovative, technology driven and committed to bringing transparency to the markets. During the two-week intensive filming period, CCTV’s crew got a first-hand look at the inner workings of the company, and came away impressed with T3 Live’s mission and ability to empower the individual investor through its comprehensive trading education website at T3Live.com. In China, interest in trading the US markets has grown considerably, and now Chinese individuals will have access top professionals trading the markets every day, in real time.
Continue Reading -->There Are More Bears Than Bulls Out in the Wild
Permabulls always say everyone’s bearish. And permabears always say everyone’s bullish. Neither side provides evidence for their views. So let’s see how traders are feeling into today’s inauguration: 1) VIX Spread – Bullish The 3-month VIX spread is at +4.51, which indicates traders are pricing in very low near-term volatility. This means traders are bullish. 2) CNN Fear & Greed Index – Neutral The Fear & Greed Index is at 49. F&G operates on a 1-100 scale, and 50 is neutral. So we’re right in the middle. 3) AAII Sentiment – Bearish The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 32.8% of individual investors are bullish, which is below the long-term average of 38.5%. 4) CBOE Equity Put-Call – Bearish The CBOE Equity-Put Call ratio is at 0.71 with a 3-day moving average of 0.74. This indicates higher-than-average bearishness. 5) ISE Sentiment – Bearish The ISE Sentiment Index is at just 79 (79 calls for every 100 puts) this morning – which is a bearish reading. And the 10-day moving average is 81.3. This also indicates bearish sentiment. Conclusion Out of 5 sentiment indicators, we have 1 bullish, 1 neutral, and 3 bearish. I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter about how bullish the crowd is. But if anything, traders are leaning against the market, hoping for a fall.
Continue Reading -->Trump Pumps Up Pipeline Stocks, and I’m Holding On
Way back on December 11, 2015, I tossed the Kayne Anderson MLP Closed-End Fund (KYN) into my retirement account, back when it was around $14. President Trump signed orders to expedite the goverment’s review of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, which is driving up shares of MLP’s, with KYN breaking through $20. KYN’s second biggest holding is Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) (19% of the fund), which is building the Dakota Access pipeline. This is a nice gain, but I’m not selling any. Why? Because KYN’s 4 most recent quarterly dividends have been returns of capital, not actual income. That means KYN has been distributing fund assets back to fund owners. So there are no actual income gains — they’ve all been from price appreciation. Assuming these pipelines go through, and assuming we see more domestic oil production under Trump, KYN could actually start distributing real income back to shareholders. That would be a huge catalyst, possibly breaking KYN out of its 8-month channel. Also, KYN is trading at a mere +0.2% premium to NAV vs. a 3-year average of +3.8%. That premium has actually gone as high as 16.4% over the past 5 years. So I’m going to let it ride. It’s come a long way but I don’t think froth has set in.
Continue Reading -->T3’s Take 3: Yellen Goes Hawk, Spikes the Dollar
1) Yellen Goes Full Hawk Today, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen gave a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Franscisco, and she swung her hawk hammer. Yellen said the Fed is close to meeting its dual mandate of full employment and price stability, and that Fed officials expect a few rate hikes this year. The US dollar immediately ripped on the news, gaining 1.7% against the yen and 0.7% against the euro. The dollar in strength put a hurting on gold, which fell -0.7%. The ever-volatile gold miners ETF(GDX) dropped -1.5%. 2) Stocks Bounce Yellen’s hawkiskhness drove a rebound in stocks, and the S&P 500 managed to squeeze up 0.2% to 2271.89. That’s not exactly exciting, but there were some signs of strength under the hood. The Russell 2000 rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Biotech ETF (IBB) rose 0.8%. Yellen’s hawk talk drove the S&P Financials ETF (XLF) up 0.8%, with Regional Banks (KRE) up 1.1%. Retail, energy, and US Treasuries led the decliners’ column today. After the close today, Netflix (NFLX) reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings and surged over $10. 3) Jeff Cooper on Gold This afternoon, T3 Live’s Jeff Cooper issued the following analysis of gold: Yesterday, GLD gapped up into a shelf of resistance from the spring of 2016 around 115. Today, after treading water in the early going, the bears came out to play. GLD is pulling back into the gap window from yesterday. GLD and the miners have done a lot of work and are entitled to inhale. However, GLD is doing something it hasn’t done for many moon: GLD has delivered a Golden Cross with the 50 week crossing above the 200. Click here to learn more about Jeff Cooper’s Daily Market Report.
Continue Reading -->Morning Call Express: 2017 Starts with Green Arrows. Do They Stick?
In today’s Morning Call Express, Scott Redler welcomes us to the New Year. Scott starts things off by looking at the EWG and the big resistance level it is coming up to test and how it compares to the FXI. He also looks at the SPX and QQQ and where they will be opening the new year. Scott also reviews some high beta tech names as well.
Continue Reading -->Happy New Year!
We have mixed/quiet markets around the world as we close out the year. Europe is flattish and has a very tight pattern. It looks ready to rally. We’ve been long EWG calls in RAA since the Italian Referendum, and EWG/FEZ look like they’ll give more gains. In Asia, the landscape is a little different. The Nikkei had a big run and needs to digest. The Hang Seng has been choppy to the downside, though it was up 1.0%. The Shanghai was up +0.4%, but it needs time to show its hand. SPX futures are up 4-5 handles. Yesterday, most sectors hit new weekly lows but rallied back a bit to close off the lows. We saw a few Red Dog Reversals as some sectors traded below Wednesday’s lows and reclaimed them Thursday by day’s end. I’m not sure what today brings. The action may depend on whether we have any leftover rebalancing to work through. At this point, there are multiple scenarios to consider for the New Year. We’ve seen a little give on the post-Trump Trade, but not much. The USD came in a bit and Treasuries rallied. Some strong sectors tested the 21 day and held. Do new funds come in the first five days and drive the indices to new highs fast? Do traders book gains to push taxes out to 2018? Do some January effect-type trades take place in beaten-down names and sectors? We will have scenario A, B, and C. Whatever you do today, don’t let it ruin your holiday. Just focus on starting 2017 on the wrong foot. There will be more than enough time to figure out new relationships, correlations, etc. as the first few days develop. For today, see if the upside gap holds or gets sold. SPX has 2242 as pivot support for today and to start the year. If this holds, it would bring in new money to lift stocks in January. If they hit stocks fast in January, the important level will be the prior breakout area at 2193-2210. If they buy them fast, the first level to clear and hold above is 2262ish with the high of the range at 2277. A close above this and the door to 2325 opens for the first quarter. SPY put a low in at $223.84 yesterday. That will be your pivot support for today and to start the year. If they hit them fast, this needs to get taken out with a close below the 21 day. Then perhaps it can see $220ish. For today, see if SPY holds yesterday’s high of $224.89. For the bulls to come out quick in January, they need a trade and hold above $226.30 as the first step. Then the high of the range is $228.34. A close above this in the first few days of the year and the door to $232.50 is open. I will have a very extensive note to start the year on Tuesday morning as a lot can change between now and that open. For today, keep it light and get ready for the holiday and get your head ready for 2017. Remember, your time frame matters. Have a long-term plan with a 401k/403b/IRA/529 because over the long run, the bull market wins. But to participate, you must have a process that works for you. Never invest and live above your means. If you swing trade and trade for a living that’s different. It takes a routine, time, and commitment to a process. Combine that with discipline and humility, and you can win. Most importantly, live life and enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. A little fitness doesn’t hurt either. Don’t sweat the small stuff as it ends up being meaningless when you’re faced with the big things. Thanks for being a part of my community. Having friends like you on my team gave me a mission instead of a job. Happy New Year!
Continue Reading -->Morning Call Express: Fear Trumps Greed
In today’s Morning Call Express, Kurt Capra talks about the selloff yesterday and what may have been behind it. He also looks at the financials for clues as well as where GLD may be headed before truly reversing. Kurt also points out some of the retailers that may have additional downside today and points out an interesting pattern in AMZN.
Continue Reading -->Daily Recap: The Last Mile is the Hardest
In today’s Daily Recap, Scott Redler and special guest Lulu take a look at the action today which may have caught some by surprise. He also talks about how he navigated today in light of coming into today mostly long.
Continue Reading -->Chart Attack: SPX, FAS, AMZN and ACIA
Once again, quiet markets as we have 3 days left in 2016. This is a nice upper flag type pattern that usually leads to positive resolution. You can be long vs. 2256 or 2248 and, if you are quick, perhaps add above 2273 for a move to all-time highs at 2277. We’ll see if there is enough juice this week, or does it need new January 2017 flows to ignite it. Either way, a nice tight pattern to trade verse. Banks have been the best sector with multiple set ups along the way. Some are alread in the FAS vs. $41. If you think we get DOW 20,000 this can probably be a grab when it clears $42.25 for a move to clear highs of $42.83. Use Goldman Sachs (GS) as an indicator. AMZN has been consolidating since missing last quarters earnings. This pattern is tight. With the best selling holiday product and a huge online retail season electronically, I think this wedge resolves upwards. I am long and looking to add with a high volume move above $774.70 for a quick move towards $780 then to fill the gap up to $820. ACIA, last years high flyer, was cut in half. Two sell signals helped us get out of the way. Now, it’s tight and could see a January effect type move. It will need a high volume move above $68.30 to help trigger a day 1. I am long small and looking to add if it triggers and holds. The first target is $72 which is the 50 day.
Continue Reading -->Morning Call Express: Dow Keeps Inching Up Towards 20,000
In today’s Morning Call Express, Scott Redler gets us ready for the trading day. He looks at the SPX, drawing the key levels to be focused on and does the same for the financials. He also looks at oil and some high beta tech names.
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