S&P500 daily at 1:15 EDT

AM Update

MARKET BEHAVIOR
The market's run continues for another day.

MARKET SENTIMENT
We are well beyond what anyone thought possible, yet the market keeps going.  It is tempting to say this is “too far”, but people have said that for months.  What makes this time different?

A large chunk of the buying is bears getting blown out and forced to buy back their shorts.  Big money hates buying breakouts and new highs, so they are likely sitting on their hands, waiting for the inevitable pullback.  Everyone knows the rate of gains cannot continue at this pace, so either we dip or consolidate.  But dip is relative, pulling back to 1600 is still supportive of this rally.

The world is getting better, not worse, so those predicting a market crash are on the wrong side.  Everyone says this market is overly bullish, but overly bullish markets top and come down, not rally sustainably like this one.  Truth is bearishness and worry was institutionalized following the 2008 meltdown and ever since traders have been afraid of their shadow.  Traders are not overly bullish, just less bearish.  While this market is due for a five or ten percent pullback, we are in a secular bull market and there is plenty of upside left in coming years.

TRADING OPPORTUNITIES
Expected Outcome:
Dangerous to fight this market, but it is increasingly dangerous to own it too.  I prefer selling into strength and tend to get out early, but that is just my style and strategy   Another viable approach is following this market  with a trailing stop.  Remember the risks are greater at higher prices, so don't let recent gains lull us into inaction.  Too often people treat profits differently, but profits are real money and we need to protect those with the same vigor as our initial investment.  We are in this to make money and can only do that when we guard our profits.

Alternate Outcome:
This market keeps going and widespread doubt is fueling each move higher.  No one believes in this rally and is underweight.  Even bulls are taking profits this recent run.  And aggressive bears are actively shorting.  With all that selling already behind us, there is clear sailing in front.  This market will correct, but only after everyone stops fearing it.

Trading Plan
Protect recent gains.  Either sell into this strength or use a trailing stop to guard profits.  A pullback to 1600 is normal, healthy, and should not be feared.  In fact we should be more concerned if the market does not pullback because the inevitable correction will be longer and deeper.  Until we break 1600, assume every dip is buyable, but always use hard stops to protect us in case we are wrong.

INDIVIDUAL STOCKS
Rabid AAPL bulls are having a bad day as the obvious recovery is not so obvious anymore.  We knew the rate of gains were unsustainable and a test of the 50dma was inevitable.  Today we tested and broke through this widely followed moving average as buyers keep their distance.  The lack of dip-buyers is a big concern for the viability of this bounce.  For this stock to make a real recovery we need big money to support the stock and so far they are MIA.  Any disciplined trader needs a hard stop-loss to prevent riding this stock even lower.  The trend remains lower and expect new lows if big buyers don't show up and save the stock soon.

GLD daily at 1:16 EDT

GLD is having the same problems as AAPL and for many of the same reasons.  The obvious bounce is not so obvious and many dip-buyers are on the verge of slipping into the red.  Expect selling to accelerate as uncommitted dip-buyers flee when the market turns up the heat.

GOOG is the new tech darling and is where former AAPL investors are moving their money.  Smart money has been selling AAPL and buying GOOG.  Do they know something we don't?  GOOG is also taking the innovation crown from AAPL and look for the gap to widen through the year as AAPL milks their existing products and GOOG explores new opportunities.

NFLX is squeezing bears yet again at is pushes toward $250.  Fundamentals don't matter in momentum stocks and cynical bears are giving a lot of money to NFLX bulls.  What cannot go any higher keeps going higher.  I'm not a fan of buying NFLX after the recent surge, but I sure wouldn't short it.

Plan your trade; trade your plan

S&P500 daily at 1:19 EDT

AM Update

MARKET BEHAVIOR
Stocks surged to new highs as the breakout continues without the widely anticipated pullback.

MARKET SENTIMENT
There is no obvious news justifying today's 15-point jump, but here we are.  As we know, fundamentals and technicals don't drive markets, people do, and right now they are chasing this market with reckless abandon.  It isn't because they love this market, but because they are afraid of being left behind.  The huge pool of cynics and pessimists is fueling us higher as the market's resilience forces them to change their minds.

The only thing that moves markets is buying and selling.  Most of the cautious and bearish sold weeks, even months ago.  There is little selling pressure left, but more than that, these pessimists are the next round of buyers.  Everyone is dumbfounded by this market because it isn't behaving the way they expect, but once you understand what everyone thinks, how they are positioned, and what moves are available to them, this rally makes perfect sense.

Source: Yahoo Finance 5/14/2013

According to another poll on Yahoo Finance, pessimism is waning as traders start embracing this rally.  Over the last couple of weeks I posted surveys showing only 15% believed in the economic recovery and over 60% expected a pullback.  Today's traders are more evenly split between those afraid of this market and those expecting higher prices.  This dramatic shift in sentiment is where all the new buying is coming from, but when everyone embraces this market is when we need to be the most nervous.  I'm not saying we are at extremes yet, but we need to be increasingly cautious and not get caught up in the euphoria.

We continue rallying because the pessimists have been wrong about the US economy, Europe, China, and everything else they were afraid of.  Embrace fearful markets and fear complacent ones.  Many will claim this is a complacent market, but they are mistaking price gains with sentiment.  This market is still extremely cautious and reluctant to embrace recent highs.  We will see pullbacks, corrections, and bears  along the way, but secular bear is dead and we are already well into the next secular bull market.

TRADING OPPORTUNITIES
Expected Outcome:
There is a good amount of chasing going on today between short covering and former pessimists buying the rally.  The easiest and best money is made early in a move when doubt and cynicism are highest.  After running over 100-points in just a couple of weeks, this is a better place to sell than initiating new positions.  Traders buying here are a bit late to the party.  That doesn't mean we will pullback, but the risks are higher after such a strong move.

Alternate Outcome:
Sentiment is shifting as fear of this market is replaced by fear of being left behind.  This rally will top and pullback because every market does, the only questions are when and how much.  Clearly we don't want to get in the way of this freight train, but we need to continue watching for sings of slowing buying.

Trading Plan:
The optimistic, but disciplined trader should move their stop up to recent support at 1620.  The cautious trader could sell into strength and lock-in profits.  Obviously the rate of gains cannot continue indefinitely and we are in this to make money.  The only way we can do this is selling our winners.  Sell when we don't want to sell and buy when we don't want to buy.

GLD daily at 1:19 EDT

INDIVIDUAL STOCKS
AAPL and GLD are not sharing in the market's success today.  Both are struggling to find follow-on buying after impressive bounces.  While it is hard to compare a tech company to a commodity because they are so different, the people trading them think the same.  Both suffered from extremely harsh selloffs and represented irresistible values to dip-buyers.  While the rebounds made for quick profits, both struggle to attract a wider audience needed to continue the price gains.  AAPL will likely retest the 50dma at $440.  If big money believes in this company again, this is where they will step in and buy.  Failing to find support means everyone who wants AAPL already owns it and there is nowhere to go but lower.  GLD is destined to retest $130 for all the same reasons.

Plan your trade; trade your plan