Blog Profile / Think B.I.G.
| URL : | http://www.bespokeinvest.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Business & Finance / Investing | |
| Posts on Regator: | 2132 | |
| Posts / Week: | 18.1 | |
| Archived Since: | February 18, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
Bespoke Wealth Management Services
While most of our readers are aware of our reseach services, many are unaware that we have a money management division as well. Over at our new Bespoke Premium website, we have a Wealth Management section that provides a detailed description of the investment tools and methods that we put to work for our clients. Show More Summary
S&P 500 Sector Trading Range Charts
Below is a look at our trading range charts for the S&P 500 and its ten sectors. In each chart, the blue shading represents the sector's "normal" trading range, which is between one standard deviation above and below its 50-day moving average (white line). Show More Summary
2013 and Q2 Country Returns
Below is a list of 2013 and quarter-to-date stock market returns for 77 countries around the world. Of the 77 countries shown, 60 are in the green for the year, while 17 are in the red. As shown, Japan is now up the most of any country with a YTD gain of 45.22%. Show More Summary
Gasoline Inventories Rise More Than Expected.
Today's release of weekly energy inventories from the Department of Energy (DoE) showed an unexpected decrease in crude oil inventories and an unexpected build in gasoline stockpiles. In the crude oil space, traders were expecting inventories to rise by 450K barrels, but actual inventories declined by 624K barrels. Show More Summary
Weaker Than Expected Empire Manufacturing
Bulls looking for some confirmation of recent better than expected economic data did not get it this morning from the Empire Manufacturing report. While economists were forecasting the headline reading to increase from +3 to +4, theShow More Summary
S&P 500 Stocks Farthest Above 50-DMAs
The market is on quite a run right now, and it has pushed 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 above their 50-day moving averages. Below is a list of the 40 stocks in the index that are the farthest above their 50-days at the moment. Keep...Show More Summary
S&P 1500 Most Heavily Shorted Stocks
Short interest figures for the end of April were released late last week, and below we provide a table of the stocks in the S&P 1500 with the highest short interest as a percentage of float. Topping this month's list are shares of Blyth (BTH), which has more than two-thirds of its free-floating shares sold short. Show More Summary
High Yield Yields Less Than Treasuries Five Years Ago
The chart below is from last week's Bespoke Report newsletter, and it shows the average yield to maturity on the Merrill Lynch High Yield (Junk) Master Index. At a current level of 5.24%, investors have never been paid less to own high yield debt. Show More Summary
S&P 500 Sector Breadth Levels
As of this morning, 88% of S&P 500 companies are trading above their 50-day moving averages. This is a very high reading, but it's not quite as high as the reading we saw back in January. Looking at the ten major sectors, the Consumer Discretionary has the highest percentage of stocks above their 50-days at 99%. Show More Summary
Still Bullish
There were more bulls than bears in our weekly market poll for the second straight week. As shown below, 53% of respondents said the S&P 500 would be higher one month from now, while 47% said the index would be lower. This is the first time since mid-January that we've had two weeks in a row of more bulls than bears. Pretty remarkable given the gains we've seen so far this year.
Recent Asset Class Performance
The "Sell in May" theory has been turned on its head so far this year. As shown in the left-hand side of our key ETF matrix below, US equities have jumped out of the gate strong over the first 8 trading days of May. The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)...Show More Summary
S&P 500 Higher or Lower From Here?
Nothing has been able to stop this market lately, but who knows what's in store for investors as we enter the summer months. What do you think? Please take part in our weekly Bespoke Market Poll below by answering whether you think the S&P 500 will be higher or lower one month from now. Show More Summary
Updated Q1 Earnings Season EPS and Revenue Beat Rates
About 500 companies reported earnings this week, pushing the total number of companies that have reported this season up to more than 2,100. And while the market is up on the week, earnings haven't been great. At the start of the week, the percentage of companies that had beaten earnings estimates this season stood above 59%. Show More Summary
Guidance Spread Negative But Inching Higher
More than 2,000 companies have reported earnings so far this season, which ends next Thursday when Wal-Mart (WMT) reports. So far this season, the spread between the percentage of companies raising guidance minus those lowering guidance has been -2.9 percentage points. Show More Summary
Dow Trading Range Screen
Below is an updated look at our trading range screen run on the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. A description of how to read the chart is shown at the bottom of the screen. Last week at this time, 13 stocks in the DowShow More Summary
Short Stocks Soar
Today has been a painful day if you are a short seller. Shares of Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR) and Tesla (TSLA) both had more than 25% of their free-floating shares sold short as of 4/15, and both are trading up more than 20% today. These are not just two isolated instances either. Show More Summary
High Yield, Preferreds Soar
As stocks continue to rally, two other asset classes that have been doing very well lately are junk bonds and preferreds. Below are six-month price charts of the high yield (junk) bond ETF (HYG) and the preferred stock ETF (PFF). AsShow More Summary
Jobless Claims Fall to Lowest Level Since January 2008
Jobless claims came in lower than expected this week (323K vs. 335K) and fell to another post-recession low in the process. This represents the lowest level since 1/18/08. For the last several weeks, we have been highlighting the fact...Show More Summary
Bullish Sentiment Rises For Fourth Straight Week
It seems that higher stock prices are finally starting to make their impact on the sentiment of investors, and we stress the word starting. After bottoming out at its second lowest reading of the entire bull market in early April, bullish...Show More Summary
Sector Relative Strength By Market Cap
Whenever you talk about which sectors of the market are working, market cap is one aspect that is often overlooked. In the charts below, we highlight the relative strength of each sector compared to its corresponding index across all three market cap levels (S&P 500 large cap, S&P 400 mid cap and S&P 600 small cap). Show More Summary