From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

When investing in the stock market, we always want to approach it as "a market of stocks."

Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks showing leadership and trending higher.

We may have to look harder to identify them depending on current market conditions. But there are always stocks that are going up.

The same can be said for weak stocks. Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks that are going down, too. 

We already have multiple scans focusing on stocks making all-time highs, such as Hall of Famers, Minor Leaguers, and the 2 to 100 Club.

We filter these universes for stocks that are exhibiting the best momentum and relative strength characteristics. 

Clearly, we spend a lot of time identifying and writing about leading stocks every week, via multiple reports.

But we also highlight lagging stocks on a recurring basis.

Welcome to the Short Report.

From the desk of Steve Strazza @sstrazza

I’m pinch-hitting on the crypto note today.

It’s not so much because JC and Louis needed me to step in. It’s because I wanted to share something with you. 

I want to discuss a potential mean-reversion trade opportunity in Coinbase $COIN.

I think it’s one of the best ways to express a bullish tactical thesis on cryptocurrency markets right now.

I know that’s really not saying a lot these days. The asset class is a mess. “Disaster” might be a better descriptor, particularly as it relates to the FTX meltdown.

In the aftermath of its collapse, how can we trust any of the crypto exchanges right now? Why the hell would we want to buy Coinbase? Isn’t it just the next domino to fall?

Hear me out…

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

What a day.

The indices rallied off of Powell’s speech, and the $SPX crossed the 200-day moving average. The SPX almost closed its gap at 4,083 back on Sept. 12.

We can trend higher into the 4,120 mark in time.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

The S&P 500 and various measures of investor sentiment all remain below their August highs. We are getting neither the broad increase in optimism nor the improving price action needed to argue that the bounce off of the October lows is the beginning of a new bull market.   

These are the registration details for our Live Monthly Candlestick Strategy Session for Premium Members of All Star Charts.

This month’s Video Conference Call will be held on Monday December 5th @ 6PM ET. As always, if you cannot make the call live, the video and slides will be archived and published here along with every other live call since 2015.

Here are the details for Monday evening:

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

It's the weekly currency edition of What the FICC?

Today we're turning our attention to key commodity currencies for insight into the US dollar's next directional move.

Check it out!

The largest insider transaction on today’s list is a Form 4 filing by General Atlantic LP.

The hedge fund reported an additional purchase worth roughly $7 million in HireRight Holdings Corp $HRT.

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

I think it could be a decision day for the indices, and we're either setting up for a ripper or a decent drop.

The $SPX needs to get above 3,972. If it does, we can see 4,000-plus.

Otherwise, we can see 3,922, then 3,860.

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza 

While there have been some real winners during the recent rally, the run off the lows from this fall has also left many stocks behind.

Value stocks, cyclicals, and blue-chip names have prospered for the past two months, as groups like financials and industrials have been the latest beneficiaries of sector rotation. 

At the same time, mega-cap technology and the most-speculative growth areas of the market have continued to show relative weakness.

To be clear, it’s not like these stocks have been crashing lower while the rest of the market rallies. Of course, many have participated in the upside action.

But, on balance, the performance from growth stocks has been lackluster.

The disparity between the growth-heavy Nasdaq 100 and the value-heavy Dow Jones Industrial Average perfectly illustrates what’s taken place:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The 2020 V-shaped recovery has warped investors’ brains. 

But this is nothing more than recency bias. In reality, bottoms are a process, not an event. 

Don’t fall victim to what’s easy or comfortable. Instead, let’s focus on the facts.

Markets continue to send mixed signals, testing the resolve of even the most disciplined investor. Rather than fight the trend or trendless nature of the markets, I prefer to identify evidence that supports the next directional move.

And there’s one insightful chart atop my deck regarding the direction of the US dollar.

From the Desk of Kimmy Sokoloff

Overall, the market acted weak today.

The $SPX remained below its eight-day moving average, which is at 3,972. This index came close to touching support at 3,933.