Tuesday’s Trading – 9/1/09

The good news of the Chicago PMI was sold at 9:45am on Monday, which is a potential signal that traders are using good news to unload inventory. The market has been shrugging off good news for a while now.

SPY finished strong with the help of XLF, however XLF still left a sizable gap behind, along with the other major ETF’s. So the close may only turn out to be a short-lived moral victory for the bulls.

SPY bounced as soon as it neared its August 21st gap, however IWM dove deep into its gap from the same day. The gap held, but IWM did twice as badly as DIA on the day, and the relative under-performance of the small caps demonstrates continued risk avoidance. DIA closed below its August 25th gap, so that is also a sign of weakness.

The IWM pierced its 20SMA, but was able to close above it. And the SPX held the 1014 area, so those are bullish factors.

Not only did the EEM close below its August 21st gap, but it opened a new gap overhead that is triple the size. That’s a statement. China may not have crashed our market, but it certainly has sucked the risk-appetite out of it. Two weeks ago, China knocked our market down in similar fashion and the SPX rebounded the next day and immediately ran to a new high. Maybe it will do so again, but China has proven that its problem was more than a hiccup, and maybe we shouldn’t expect the SPX to shrug it off so quickly this time.

The talking heads on CNBC were unanimous in their opinion of the Shanghai Index: it is a phony market populated buy fools and gamblers, and it has no bearing on the rest of the world’s markets. It sounds to me like the talking heads might be lugging a little bit too much inventory…

SPY rallied into the close on increased volume, as compared to Friday, but it was unable to eat into any of its morning gap. That is a sign of weakness.

The Advance/Decline line rolled over, and its pattern looks very similar to the pattern that it made at the peak in June.

A while ago, I mentioned that I didn’t have to wait in line at the barber on Saturday afternoons any more. Well, it isn’t just my neighborhood. It is a nationwide phenomena, and nothing screams recovery like people cutting their own hair, right? The Wall Street Journal thinks it’s funny, but if the USA is a service economy, and everybody starts to do their own services, where does our economy go?

92 Responses to “Tuesday’s Trading – 9/1/09”

  1. K says:

    told you so Phil,
    “European Stocks, U.S. Futures Decline; Copper Gains on China Manufacturing”

  2. K says:

    K Says:
    August 31st, 2009 at 5:26 pm
    my SPY sell warning earlier today was just a warning and it didn’t print. but be aware that tomorrow could be the printed version

    Wow talk about signals.. :) why don’t i follow my system again?

  3. Yerk says:

    K, the day is not over yet…

    Biderman’s question is not answered yet – and we are still in bullish terrain.

  4. Larry says:

    Great summary Matt.
    30 short

  5. K says:

    s&p futures bounced off of 1012 mark

  6. Yerk says:

    K – great chart! Let’s see where the next bus stop will be

    Larry, don’t feel so lonely: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=auGWGWlnohNo

  7. George says:

    Nice analysis Matt. Good links folks.

    I’m having to use three different web browsers to make my trading work. All because I upgraded an XP machine to IE8 which still overlays text and has some fonts so tiny they can’t be read. This will do until the weekend when I can get everything straightened out.

  8. K says:

    what happened to tlt phil. damn it
    btw AVII lots of insider buying

  9. phil says:

    still looking for a break of yesterdays lows for a buy entry point

  10. phil says:

    K…..told you that i want to sell bonds on any strength…guess lots of others do too

  11. phil says:

    K pull up a daily 3 month TLT with volume ….look at that HEAVY volume bar at this level on july 8……..lots of people got their money back just now

  12. K says:

    AVII got in 1.75 with 500 shares closed 250 out at 2.00 and 250 will let my system get me out

  13. phil says:

    George….same thing happened to me…..i downgraded to ie7 and was back to normal

  14. phil says:

    GEORGE….spx overlapped 1023……..we have a corrective wave from the top……..we may be in new UPWAVE……hopefully there will be more correction but time is running out to find a buy entry before LIFTOFF

  15. phil says:

    K… if stocks rocket up now TLT is doomed

  16. K says:

    yes phil am out didn’t get my $97 :(

  17. K says:

    damn it i should never touch anything without my system’s permission

  18. phil says:

    K….just trying to tell you what i see….no guarantee i am correct..but with options you really dont have the luxury of waiting around…i can hold those bonds if i have to

  19. Mitch says:

    phil:

    Carter Worth mentioned PMF on CNBC. The weekly chart presents an interesting triangle. Thoughts when you get a chance?

  20. Mitch says:

    Matt:

    Well done.

  21. George says:

    phil,

    I went from IE6 to IE8. I’ll go back with IE7.

    Tks for your input.

    SKF has 1 humpty-dumbty today, its record is two in one day, today could be record-breaking. :)

  22. K says:

    my system didnt yet sat sell tlt so i sold option too early

  23. George says:

    Great moves so far today.

  24. George says:

    phil,

    If we are in a new upwave, surf’s up and I have my board. A chance to get surfer’s knots with profits.

  25. phil says:

    mitch….pimco mun fund??? look at monthly chart for 10 years…if i had this i couldnt sell it fast enough

  26. Mitch says:

    phil:

    That’s a yet-to-be developed ascending triangle there on the 10 yr. If you picked it up 10 years ago “?odds are?” your ship is finally coming in – just in time. LOL

  27. phil says:

    mitch…almost everyone who bought this dog since 2001 is still in the hole

  28. George says:

    Nothing but good news today: Housing on the rise, MFG gauge shows expansion the first time in 18 months, Ebay selling some SKYPE (Source: MarketWatch News).

    Should make the market tank.

  29. phil says:

    K….please tell me when your system says sell so i can unload bonds

  30. Mitch says:

    phil:

    Suppose you bought your wife this fund for Christmas 08?

  31. phil says:

    MITCH….highly unlikely…i dont trust bankrupt municipalities to pay me so i would never buy it…..uncle sam will print me up some greenbacks for my treasuries so i know i will get paid….what those dollars will be worth is another matter..but as long as i have a boatload of dollars i will be able to buy an ice cream cone at least

  32. K says:

    phil,
    for JNK i got a warning (aka alert) today but not yet printed on the chart.
    TLT might or might not get it until second half of the day.

    Again until these are printed I really won’t trust them much. i use warnings as an initial entry.

    I get in on a stock when i first get alert, then if chart prints a B i double up.
    I don’t like shorting much so only use it for the upside.

  33. George says:

    SPY at 15min 36ma support.

  34. K says:

    just got a Sell on IYR (not yet printed on chart tho)

  35. George says:

    Something’s going on to have this nice volatility today. Haven’t seen this in quite a while. I’m sure it has something to do with Paris Hilton.

  36. phil says:

    GEORGE….looks like a corrective DOWN and corrective UP…ie still in NO MANS LAND

  37. phil says:

    however this could be the scary c wave down that ends the correction that i have been looking for

  38. Mitch says:

    phil:

    Dear Uncle hasn’t printed “greenbacks” since 1971.

  39. K says:

    got $126 out of AIG $35 options which i was risking $220 for.
    don’t feel like staying in with them

  40. phil says:

    phil Says:

    August 31st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
    i want to buy a downward blast to 1002 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_goypolxEFd4/SpvTv3ssKJI/AAAAAAAABzg/YCoaDLI0xKU/s1600-h/SPX60min2.png
    >>>>>>>>>>>maybe THIS is it

  41. phil says:

    GEORGE……does this look like a SCARY c wave ???? woooooo

  42. Kailash says:

    These are the first impulsive waves down we’ve seen in a while.

  43. phil says:

    KAILASH…a c wave LOOKS like an impulse wave….thats why so many are fooled

  44. phil says:

    we are coming to the END of the correction

  45. K says:

    got REW buy too just no available cash

  46. phil says:

    A=C @ spx 1004……..going to buy there if it looks good

  47. K says:

    xlf sell
    crazy day

  48. Kailash says:

    Phil — or maybe the bottom just fell out of the market?

  49. Kailash says:

    BTW I like the volume — we’ve had nothing like this in a long time.

  50. phil says:

    KAILASH…still need wave 4 and 5 of c…..obviously we see wave 3 action as i have called for

  51. phil says:

    bounce off .618 retrace is expected at 1002

  52. George says:

    phil,

    You’re saying another move up, right?

  53. after says:

    sold my SWG sept 97 puts @ 1 even. Small profit but better than August puts where there were only losses. May re-enter lower.
    Still with VXX… Go VXX !!!

  54. Aaron says:

    Are you guys seeing another head and shoulders pattern, similar to early June? We are going to test 980?

  55. Randall says:

    UNG making a new yearly low, maybe sub 10 soon.

    Larry’s patience is starting to pay off!

    Wasn’t it Three Dog Night that proclaimed: One is the loneliest number…?

  56. phil says:

    posts from people who have not posted in a while tell me to buy soon

  57. phil says:

    BOUGHT @ spx 1002………gotta go…..good luck all ! hasta

  58. Kailash says:

    Phil, I’m happy to be a contrary indicator! :-)

    I have no idea about whether we bounce here, but the swoon signals a real fear in the market.

  59. K says:

    phil you might be right.

  60. K says:

    ok spx 5 min candles want us to go to 1040 lol ;) (my system didnt say that so beware)

  61. K says:

    phil and the bulls are out full force

  62. Mitch says:

    K:

    I was looking for you to pop up on here and say you had a CZZ put.

  63. K says:

    on the 60 min spx bounced off its 200ma

  64. K says:

    mitch sorry. :( were i supposed to let you know the czz sell signal? i sold at 8.04 again sorry if you asked me to let you know. busy at work. there is an emergency project and apparently i wasnt even supposed to have lunch.. so i just cussed the person out. i’m out by friday anyways. can always look for my next gig.

  65. Mitch says:

    K:

    No, I’m cool. I mentioned to you I was done with that for now – could not renig – true to myself.

  66. K says:

    :) i got out with $50 profit.

  67. Mitch says:

    Could you get some delicious bread in mama land for that?

  68. K says:

    i get bread for the rest of the year with that. (okok more like 250 days)

  69. George says:

    No more humpty-dumbtys for SKF today? We’ll know in 45min.

  70. Randall says:

    Where’s JG, seems like she should be lurking around on a day like today…

    P2 on to P3? Somehow I think this could be a fake-out move.

  71. junglegirl says:

    Hi everyone! Randall—funny you should post that… I haven’t read the board for a number of days now and just jumped on.

    To all (and sorry if this has been posted already): Financials cracked in 2007 many months before the SPX. Throughout phase 1 of the bear, financials led the ride down. Today, they are currently sitting just below the trendline connecting the March lows to the Juy lows. In other words, they are again leading the way down—as the SPX isn’t at that line yet.

    China, CRB, financials, dollar, percent bulls, divergences, etc. all say down. The roll-over may well not be easy, with some fakes, but I don’t see us ripping up and up and up from here.

    Final thought: fun is a three letter word. So is red.

  72. Kailash says:

    Hi JG, we could get one more spike up, but this was the first snow. We have a long winter ahead of us.

  73. junglegirl says:

    Hey Kailash! Agreed (on all points).

  74. George says:

    Welcome back JG. Red streaks all ’round today. First time SPY has been down three days in a row for a long time.

  75. K says:

    george, remember those support and resistances i told you about.
    http://investingfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/spx-aug27-09-close.jpg
    look at the past few days when candle CLOSED below the green line (support)
    what followed? :D

  76. George says:

    K,

    You got that down good. Is that projection still good or have things changed?

  77. K says:

    we closed below it yesterday.. so yeah. :D

  78. K says:

    well not sure will have to go home and re-evaluate it. all I can say is i made back 75% of AIG loss

  79. George says:

    Super,,, only 25% remaining.

  80. junglegirl says:

    George… thanks.

    Kailash… agreed “could”—but I (naturally) favor the downside for a stack of technical reasons.

  81. Randall says:

    Sure hope Phil gets a chance to exit that SPY trade, last time around it was death by a thousand cuts on the downside…

    K gets a SPY sell signal, JG and Larry and a little bit of Kailish talking the downside, does this market really stand a chance?

  82. K says:

    whoopsie looks like tomorrow will be K’s last day at work (hint scroll up “cussing”) :D
    ah what’s $200 going to do for me anyways

  83. K says:

    why is zerohedge no longer providing stories? or is it me?

  84. Mitch says:

    Hmmm K. I often work through lunch. I had you pegged as one who could too. Here’s a rule: never cuss a person that doesn’t deserve a punch. Work for you?

  85. K says:

    the person deserves more than a punch but it is a female. I don’t want to get into it but i am very patient and relaxed. she promised the project 2 weeks ago and today was crunch time or her but she had not done anything.
    of course higher management is with her so i will see.

    please guys and gals don’t judge me on what I did and i didn’t do profanity I just talked back in a way that person did not like.

    Have a good afternoon Mitch,
    (oh the project is still not done and will take at least until friday so there was no need for the person to deny someone their lunch hour)

  86. Mitch says:

    K: I’m just trying to help you make it rain!

  87. K says:

    :)
    Thanks,
    I hope it pours red candles tomorrow. stay tuned for my updated candle view (as if SPY “PRINTING an S” doesn’t do justice) you heard that? :D