By Lawrence G. McMillan
The pace of the recent rally was such that the market is now short-term overbought. For all the movement, $SPX is still within the confines of a wide, volatile trading range -- which now extends from 1070 to 1230. A breakout above 1230 would be bullish, although there is more resistance at 1260.
Equity-only put-call ratios aren't as clear as they sometimes are. The weighted ratio has moved back to a buy signal, but the standard ratio really hasn't.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
We have detailed many oversold conditions in the last two months, and in this article we’re going to look at a couple that haven’t been previously discussed. They are 1) the frequency of “90% days” and 2) Composite Implied Volatility (CIV) above 90%. Furthermore, we’ll review other general oversold conditions as well.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
The strong rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index that has taken place in the last week is certainly noteworthy. The index is up from roughly 1070 to 1220 in six trading days. That is a pace that is almost unheard of.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
Sunday's overnight rally turned into a full-blown "melt up" by midday on Monday, as traders were literally in a panic to buy stocks. It was a "90% up day" nearly all day long. Very late in the day, the market started to decline, but then a whole new buying explosion occurred, driving prices to new highs for the day, and closing right on those highs. In the end it was a "90% up day" in terms of NYSE-based data and a "90% up volume day" in terms of "stocks only" data, just barely missing a full-blown 90% up day.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
The general market, as measured by the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, broke down badly this week, smashing through previous support at 1,120 and 1,100, and registering new lows for this bearish leg that started back in July.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
These oversold rallies are unbelievably strong – especially this one, which was preceded by three of four days in the “90% down day” category. Yesterday afternoon’s 45-point $SPX rally in 45 points was perhaps unprecedented, and now another 20 points have been tacked on today, as another afternoon rally is gathering strength. Makes one wonder who was selling previously, and where are they now?
By Lawrence G. McMillan
...The equity-only put-call ratios have rolled over to sell signals, and that is a major technical factor, in my opinion. Technically, the standard ratio was not yet a “confirmed” sell signal, but it likely will be after today’s numbers are posted.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
The CBOE has created “variance strips,” which is a way in which you can trade entire strips of $SPX options that are constructed according to the formula for determining $VIX. The beginning of trading awaits SEC approval.
These are primarily designed for professional traders, and many retail brokerage firms may not allow trading in the strips. Regardless, it never hurts to understand how various products work, for the knowledge may prove useful down the line.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
Economic and technical worries have seemed to keep VIX at generally high levels for the entire last month. VIX has generally remained above 30 since first breeching that level in early August 2011. Each time VIX has retreated to the 30-31 level, it has jumped even higher, as the S&P 500Index (SPX) declined.
By Lawrence G. McMillan
The main feature of the current market is high volatility. Even though $SPX has been contained within essentially an 80- to 100-point trading range (bound by 1100-1120 on the downside to 1200-1220 on the upside) for weeks now, the speed with which it runs from one end of the range to the other has kept volatility measures high.
Equity-only put-call ratios are beginning to look more negative. The weighted equity-only has rolled over to a sell signal. The QQQ ratio has already rolled over to a sell signal, too.
