Stocks Stumble Again, Dow Loses All November Gains; Germany's DAX Tumbling

After a while, one gets the impression that the bottom is going to fall out at some point, the only matter being one of when, and, maybe, by how much.

Stocks trended lower for a fourth straight day, with the Dow plunging by more than 350 points midway through the session, giving up all of its gains for November (some 1075 points). The NASDAQ led in percentage terms, down nine-tenths of a percent, with the S&P giving up early gains as well.

As usual, it could have been worse. The Dow slumped below 25,000 for the first time in two weeks, and while big, round numbers are flashy, the 25,000 level has no particular importance other than acting as a psychological figure.

Consumer prices rose by the most in nine months, as the October CPI came in with a "hot" 0.3% increase, fueling more concern that the Fed will continue raising interest rates at its December meeting, as planned. By now, the December federal funds increase should have been priced in, so, accusing inflation as the culprit de jour is probably a bit off the mark. What's really causing the continuation of the selling is more than likely a move by smart money out of stocks and into bonds or cash equivalents. With a 10-year treasury note offering well beyond three percent interest with no risk, some of the money leaving the market is surely headed that way, though corporate bonds are similarly attractive, albeit with a little more risk premia.

The major indices are still less than 10 percent off their all-time highs, making valuation a true issue. Post midterm elections, it appears that the federal government will be largely dysfunctional for the next two years, blunting any of President Trump's economic initiatives, and Maxine Waters proclamation that banking regulations will be tightened isn't winning any popularity contests on Wall Street. Waters is the chair-in-waiting of the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees banks and other financial institutions.

There's considerable concern over the smooth continuation of government, more even than there has been since the Gore-Bush election selection fiasco of 2000. Taken by any measure, Trump's policies in the first two years of his administration have been business-friendly, and the newly-elected Democrat majority in the House not only threatens to stop any progress that's been made, but actually reverse it by plunging Washington into chaos with investigations and special committees designed to strip the president of his power and possibly lead to impeachment.

Such an unstable environment gives pause to business expansion decisions while also worrying large investors. Thus, stocks are acting as a proxy for politics, which is not their best function, and the results could be devastating if the Democrats don't back down from their overly strident positions.

Given such a climate, is there any wonder stocks cannot gain traction, even with unemployment at historic lows?

Another concern is the state of foreign markets, which remain moribund at best, the DAX, Germany's main stock index has been falling in conjunction with US stocks, and it recently broke a key "neckline" in an obvious head-and-shoulders pattern according to analysts at FXEmpire.com. The German market could enter bear market territory in a matter of weeks, if not days, an important element in gauging world stock performance and a general indicator of economic health in the Eurozone.

These are just a few of the elements pushing hard against investors.

While the Dow is still 1000 points from an official correction, the NASDAQ re-entered the correction zone on Monday and the tech sector - which had been the driver of rallies - threatens to pull the entire stock complex down with it.

Amazon may be celebrating a coup in gaining sweet deals for its new HQ2 in Virginia and New York, but the rest of the tech world is not such a happy place.

Dow Jones Industrial Average November Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
11/1/18	25,380.74	+264.98	+264.98
11/2/18	25,270.83	-109.91	+155.07
11/5/18	25,461.70	+190.87	+345.94
11/6/18	25,635.01	+173.31	+519.25
11/7/18	26,180.30	+545.29	+1064.54
11/8/18	26,191.22	+10.92	+1075.46
11/9/18	25,989.30	-201.92	+873.54
11/12/18	25,387.18	-602.12	+271.42
11/13/18	25,286.49	-100.69	+170.27
11/14/18	25,080.50	-205.99	-35.72

At the Close, Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 25,080.50, -205.99 (-0.81%)
NASDAQ: 7,136.39, -64.48 (-0.90%)
S&P 500: 2,701.58, -20.60 (-0.76%)
NYSE Composite: 12,280.73, -47.57 (-0.39%)

Dow Down 100, NASDAQ Up 0.01; Crude Oil the Culprit

From the You Can't Make This Stuff Up Department:

The Dow was down 100 points (and 69 cents, but who's counting), while the NASDAQ finished a hectic day of trading with a gain of 0.01. All told, this was a losing session, as both the S&P 500 and NYSE Composite ended the day underwater.

One might have assumed that Tuesday's losses were an extension from Monday, with Apple leading stocks lower, but, even though the Cupertino computer colossus did finish lower by an even one percent, the biggest losers on the Dow were energy companies ExxonMobil and Chevron, which bracketed Boeing (BA), a 2.11% loser. XOM lost 2.29%. CVX was down 1.74%.

Volatility in stocks is making everybody crazy. The Dow was up 1075 points over the first six sessions in November, but has given back 905 in the past three sessions, leaving it up a mere 170 points for the month, one which traditionally is among the best for long players.

Thus, the answer to the question of what moved markets today is simple: the price of oil, as WTI crude lost ground for the 12th straight day. At $55.19, it's at the lowest level since November last year. Tuesday's decline was also the largest during the recent rout, down nearly eight percent.

Saudi Arabia reduced its estimate for global demand from two million barrels per day to 1.29 million, sending the price sharply lower. Oil peaked on October 3rd, above $76/barrel, and has been on a diagonal course lower since, now officially in a bear market.

While the Saudi's may be fretting over demand and promising production cuts in the near future, the real villain in the oil patch is supply. There's been a glut of oil forever, and the only movement in price was due to artificial crises, forced production cuts, and pure speculation. In June of 2017, WTI crude oil was going for $46/barrel, but was bumped up continuously over the next 16 months before the recent setback. From all indications, reduced demand and oversupply could push prices down below $50/barrel before Thanksgiving and further declines might be a welcome Christmas present for drivers and those who heat their homes with oil.

A lower price for oil, and, consequently, for gasoline and other derivatives, should act to boost the general economy, allowing consumers more disposable income to spend on necessities and/or holiday splurges, all of which should be positive for markets. However, the math isn't quite so simple, as Americans, beset with record credit card and other debt, might tighten their collective belts and pay down some of those nasty, recurring, monthly bills on credit cards with interest rates well beyond what used to be considered usury.

For the pair traders out there, that would mean shorting oil stocks and financials while buying consumer staples and cyclicals.

Fun for everyone.

Dow Jones Industrial Average November Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
11/1/18	25,380.74	+264.98	+264.98
11/2/18	25,270.83	-109.91	+155.07
11/5/18	25,461.70	+190.87	+345.94
11/6/18	25,635.01	+173.31	+519.25
11/7/18	26,180.30	+545.29	+1064.54
11/8/18	26,191.22	+10.92	+1075.46
11/9/18	25,989.30	-201.92	+873.54
11/12/18	25,387.18	-602.12	+271.42
11/13/18	25,286.49	-100.69	+170.27

At the Close, Tuesday, November 13, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 25,286.49, -100.69 (-0.40%)
NASDAQ: 7,200.88, +0.01 (0.00%)
S&P 500: 2,722.18, -4.04 (-0.15%)
NYSE Composite: 12,328.23, -15.28 (-0.12%)

Algos Plus Momentum, Herd Behavior Equals Wipeout In Stocks

Monday came as quite a surprise for many investors, as stocks sent a strong message of dislike about something, though nobody is certain just what sparked such a massive selling spree.

For the NASDAQ, it was complete wipeout of last week's gains, minus another 160 points. The other indices were down nearly as much as they were up all of last week.

As noted in Money Daily's Weekend Wrap, technical analysis, showing divergent positions amongst the major indices, was suggesting an imminent breakout in one direction or another. It seems that the market decided to make down the dominant direction... for now.

One might expect these divergences to be resolved in short order, though markets today are guided so much by programmatic trading and headline-chasing algorithms, it's difficult to pinpoint where the breaks are actually occurring and in just what direction they are going to move.

Volatility, as persisted throughout October, appears not to have abated, more than likely the result of many diverse factors, rather than just one. The increased employment of computer algorithms, combined with the market's distinctive her behavior, manifested as "momentum," produced another of 2018's banner sessions to the downside.

The Dow's 602-point drop was the 15th biggest in market history, but also the seventh largest of 2018, a distinction that will not be lost on market observers. 2018 figures to already be the most volatile year in market history.

All that can be said going into the holiday season is to be guardedly guarded. This time does appear to be different. America is beset by warring political parties in Washington and Wall Street is unhappy, at a time in which stocks are already overvalued and due for a mean reversion.

While this one-day event was a scary sight, it almost certainly will not be the last.

Dow Jones Industrial Average November Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
11/1/18	25,380.74	+264.98	+264.98
11/2/18	25,270.83	-109.91	+155.07
11/5/18	25,461.70	+190.87	+345.94
11/6/18	25,635.01	+173.31	+519.25
11/7/18	26,180.30	+545.29	+1064.54
11/8/18	26,191.22	+10.92	+1075.46
11/9/18	25,989.30	-201.92	+873.54
11/12/18	25,387.18	-602.12	+271.42

At the Close, Monday, November 12, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 25,387.18, -602.12 (-2.32%)
NASDAQ: 7,200.87, -206.03 (-2.78%)
S&P 500: 2,726.22, -54.79 (-1.97%)
NYSE Composite: 12,343.51, -194.02 (-1.55%)

WEEKEND WRAP: TA (Technical Analysis) Shows Split Indices, Preferences

By most accounts, the week past was very solid. Midterm elections went to a split decision, the Fed Held firm on interest rates and stocks generally responded with gains. Apparently, Wall Street is perfectly satisfied with Donald J. Trump in the White House, Republicans in control of the Senate, and Democrats holding sway in the House of Representatives. The Dow, in particular, was the big winner, posting its second straight week on the upside, leading the majors with a gain of 2.84%, suggesting that big business is still the motif of the Republican party.

On the slightly more moribund side of the ledger, the NASDAQ, thanks largely to a selloff in tech equities, fared the worst, though still registering a gain of two-thirds of a percent.

What is striking to those steeped in charting discipline is the variegated construction of the major indices. In the interest of brevity and clarity, a table serves best to understand where stock indices are currently residing.

The table below shows where each of the major indices stand in relation to their various moving averages.

Index	50-day MA	200-Day MA	40-Week MA
Dow	Above	Above	Above
NASDAQ	Below	Below	Below
S&P 500	Below	Above	Above
NYSE COMP.	Below	Below	Below
Dow Trans.	Below	Below	Below

Obviously, the Dow is presently the favored index, having cleared all the hurdles which allow it to be pointed for more success. On the other hand, the NASDAQ, NYSE Composite and Dow Transportation Index are all trending negatively, offering signals in broad swathes that all is not as well as the Dow would have us believe.

The S&P hovers in no-man's land, below the 50-day, but above the 200-day. The 500 major stocks represented cumulatively are offering value, though direction is far from assured.

The Dow Transports have been included because of its unique relationship to the Industrials. Transportation issues are largely overlooked by the financial media, though their importance in general markets should not be undersold. If the companies that move goods, services and people are struggling - even in the face of dramatic declines in fuel prices - something is not right.

What should this suggest to the investor?

Perhaps it is nothing more than big money preferring to buy well-known names with solid track records (the 30 Dow stocks) while shunning the lesser-known companies represented in the broader indices. The S&P probably offered the best indication: that, according to current sentiment, stocks are somewhat fairly valued. Continued divergences such as are showing in the table cannot last for long. Either the positive vibe from the Dow will serve to lift other areas and sectors, or the broadly-defined mid and small-cap stocks in the composite indices (and the transports) will pull all boats crashing into the shoals.

One might expect these divergences to be resolved in short order, though markets today are guided so much by programmatic trading and headline-chasing algorithms, it's difficult to pinpoint where the breaks are actually occurring and in just what direction they are going to move.

A related article by Bernie Schaeffer of Schaeffers Research offers some insight into how well the Dow Industrials and Transports perform under various conditions. The article references November, 2016, and readers should know well what happened in the weeks and months following the general presidential election. Stocks soared, with numerous record highs met and broken.

Should this period - after a midterm election - respond similarly? Technical analysis would say yes, though, as the wizards of Wall Street are always keen to remind: past performance in no indication of future results.

Caveat Emptor indeed.

Dow Jones Industrial Average November Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
11/1/18	25,380.74	+264.98	+264.98
11/2/18	25,270.83	-109.91	+155.07
11/5/18	25,461.70	+190.87	+345.94
11/6/18	25,635.01	+173.31	+519.25
11/7/18	26,180.30	+545.29	+1064.54
11/8/18	26,191.22	+10.92	+1075.46
11/9/18	25,989.30	-201.92	+873.54

At the Close, Friday, November 9, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 25,989.30, -201.92 (-0.77%)
NASDAQ: 7,406.90, -123.98 (-1.65%)
S&P 500: 2,781.01, -25.82 (-0.92%)
NYSE Composite: 12,537.53, -84.51 (-0.67%)

For the Week:
Dow: +718.47 (+2.84%)
NASDAQ: +49.91 (+0.68%)
S&P 500: +57.95 (+2.13%)
NYSE Composite: +215.73 (+1.75%)

Fed Signals More Rate Increases; Market Dynamics Favor Investment Diversity

In what can be characterized as more of a sigh than a panicked scream, stocks sold off Thursday afternoon when the Fed wrapped up its November FOMC meeting, announcing that they had no intention of changing plans for a fourth federal funds rate increase this year and at least three more in 2019.

Of the four major insides, only the Dow managed to post a gain, though it was minuscule, at a mere 10 points.

Fears that the Fed might put some kind of kibosh on the Trump expansion have been stocked by the president himself, who would prefer lower interest rates in order to keep the punch bowl of cheap money full. It's unlikely President Trump will get his wish, because the Fed plan has been in place for years, is currently being executed and seems - despite pullbacks in stocks in February and again in October - to be working as well as can be expected.

The US economy has roared back to life over the past year, thanks in part to Trump's individual and corporate tax cuts, repatriation of foreign funds by companies, and still fairly easy policy by the Fed.

While the stock market does not provide complete portfolio of the US economy, it does act as a kind of proxy. Stocks generally gain when the economy is doing well, and falls when recessions hit or external events cause disruptions to the usual flow of funds into equities.

Buybacks have been providing an inordinate amount of upside for the general markets. 2018 is on pace to set a record for corporate stock buybacks, which has an immediate effect on valuations by reducing the number of shares outstanding. To the general public, stock buybacks look like regular buying, as they operate in the background and the actual buyers are not disclosed. It's assumed that as companies buy their own stock rather than reinvest in equipment, facilities, workers, or expansion of their businesses, the sellers are funds and/or large stakeholders, reaping profits and moving on to the next apple ripe for picking.

Generally seen as good practice, stock buybacks don't actually add value, though in terms of shareholder value, they do return more profits in higher share price and, often, increased dividends. It's a great panacea for stockholders, who merely have to hold shares and profit. This scenario has been unprecedented, but has lasted since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-09 and continues to provide a backstop to stocks. When the buybacks stop, so will the easy money for shareholders, but, the practice still appears to have more to run, though the pace has slowed over the past three to six months.

All of this has created a very dynamic and fluid market, in which all manner of investment strategies can produce solid results. With wild swings on nearly a daily basis, individual stocks or sectors (via ETFs) can be either held, sold short or bought. The current environment is likely a major boon to brokers such as Merrill Lynch, Schwab, eTrade and others in the game, who undoubtably will be seeing increased trading in an active, unbridled market.

Thus, the answer to the age-old question, "Buy, sell, or hold?" might today be answered correctly by responding, "all of the above."

Dow Jones Industrial Average November Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
11/1/18	25,380.74	+264.98	+264.98
11/2/18	25,270.83	-109.91	+155.07
11/5/18	25,461.70	+190.87	+345.94
11/6/18	25,635.01	+173.31	+519.25
11/7/18	26,180.30	+545.29	+1064.54
11/8/18	26,191.22	+10.92	+1075.46

At the Close, Thursday, November 8, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 26,191.22, +10.92 (+0.04%)
NASDAQ: 7,530.88, -39.87 (-0.53%)
S&P 500: 2,806.83, -7.06 (-0.25%)
NYSE Composite: 12,622.04, -57.06 (-0.45%)