The next new position in our Paid-to-Play portfolio is:

We had a resting GTC order filled at our profit target in the Paid-to-Play portfolio today:

The largest insider transaction on today’s Hot List is a Form 4 filing by Enviva Inc $EVA director John Bumgarner Jr.

Bumgarner reported a purchase worth roughly $1.8 million in EVA.

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

CPI data for April will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET.

I'll hold off on ideas until I see how the market reacts.

I make quick decisions.

Is that because I’m a trader? Or am I a trader because I make quick decisions?

Over time, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that being a trader has instilled in me a knack and preference for quick decision-making. I wasn’t always like this. 25 years of trading has taught me to work with only 75% of the information I might want, and that is good enough to take action.

The phrase “invest, then investigate,” as Stanley Druckenmiller said, comes to mind.

Outside of trading, this can also affect my day-to-day decision-making. I think it frustrates my wife when I make decisions so quickly. In her mind, she probably thinks I’m being irrational, emotional, or acting on impulse. She, in contrast, is very deliberate. Cautious. Analyzes every detail…

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

The market was in a standstill today, awaiting the CPI print on Wednesday.

The indices held on.

Tomorrow might give a clearer picture near term.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Dollar bulls hold the line.

The US Dollar Index $DXY is clinging to the 100 level, refusing to let go despite new 52-week highs for the British pound and a steady rise in the euro.

I’ve laid out numerous ways to play the dollar in recent months and what will confirm a DXY breakdown. None of that has changed.

But one chart caught my eye.

I was struck over the weekend by the resemblance between the commercial position in gold and DXY.

Check it out…

DXY sits up top with the commercial or smart money position in gold in the lower pane:

The weakness in Small-caps has been well documented by now.

Look at the performance since the beginning of 2022.

While the Dow, S&P500 and other major indexes are pushing up near 52-week highs, the Russell2000 is down near 52-week lows.

The next new position in our Paid-to-Play portfolio is:

The largest insider transaction on today’s list comes in a Form 4 filing by Ares Management.

The firm revealed a $7.5 million purchase in Frontier Communications Parent $FYBR.

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

$QQQ hit a fresh high yesterday, and this morning we're pulling back.

We could be in a standstill until tomorrow's CPI data. 

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

There’s a mountain of bullish evidence supporting an upside resolution in gold. 

But gold hasn’t broken out. Not yet!

Gold has been running this race for months... at least, that’s how it feels.

Perhaps it’s simply making its way to the starting line…  

I believe that’s the best way to view gold and precious metals at this stage of the game. Before I get ahead of myself – marking a series of upside objectives – I want to highlight a key level that defines my intermediate- and near-term risks…