Key Takeaway: The disconnect between what investors say and what they do continues to be overlooked by sentiment indicator tourists. While consumer sentiment (what they say) is near its lowest levels on record, household equity exposure (what they are doing) remains elevated. Moreover, many are trying to call peak pessimism (with no evidence that it has reversed) as a catalyst for a market bottom (with no evidence that the conditions for a sustainable rally are in place). Sentiment is a condition and that condition right now shows fear and concern continuing to build. Being contrary to a crowd that has not turned can lead to getting trampled.
Sentiment Report Chart of the Week: Learn Volumes By Looking Beneath The Surface
The team at All Star Charts lately has been talking about how a lot of stocks are displaying declining moving averages and share prices continue to trade below these downward-sloping moving averages. There is nothing bullish about that.
What it means is there is likely an avalanche of overhead supply in most areas of the stock market right now and therefore many rallies will be met with more and more people trying to unload their positions. This is a tough environment to be a bull in.
There is always money to be made in bear markets, but it requires a different skillset, steel nerves, and quick decisions. And whereas in bull markets, we love to put on bullish positions that have 6-9 months to play out so that we can let the underlying trends grind their way higher, in bear markets we like to take more shorter-termed positions because we need to take profits quicker. Bear market rallies are notorious for stopping out even the best of short positions.
With all this in mind, today's trade is in one of those names that have been in a persistent downtrend, and is trading below significant moving averages.
The most significant insider transaction on today’s Hot List is a Form 4 filing by Coinbase Global $COIN co-founder and director Fred Ehrsam.
His purchase is worth roughly $50 million.
There was also some insider activity reported in the crypto miner Marathon Digital Holdings $MARA, as a director purchased about $150,000 worth of stock.
From the desk of Steven Strazza @Sstrazza and Ian Culley @IanCulley
Copper is challenging the lower bounds of its range.
The AUD/JPY is attempting to reclaim former support.
And the S&P 500 is digging in at the AVWAP from its COVID lows.
These are some of the most important charts and levels in the market right now.
But there’s one chart that tops them all…
In our view, the US Dollar Index $DXY is the key to this market.
It’s currently struggling to resolve higher from a multi-year base after reaching its highest level since 2002.
The breakout could stick and lead to a sustained uptrend. Or, it might fail. Either way, the outcome will have wide-ranging impacts on risk assets.
If the breakout from this multi-year double bottom is a valid one and the dollar continues to trend higher, we’ll continue to see downside pressure for the majority of risk assets.
Dividend Aristocrats are easily some of the most desirable investments on Wall Street. These are the names that have increased dividends for at least 25 years, providing steadily increasing income to long-term-minded shareholders.
As you can imagine, the companies making up this prestigious list are some of the most recognizable brands in the world. Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Johnson & Johnson are just a few of the household names making the cut.
Here at All Star Charts, we like to stay ahead of the curve. That's why we're turning our attention to the future aristocrats.
In an effort to seek out the next generation of the cream-of-the-crop dividend plays, we're curating a list of stocks that have raised their payouts every year for five to nine years.
We call them the Young Aristocrats, and the idea is that these are "stocks that pay you to make money."
Imagine if years of consistent dividend growth and high momentum and relative strength had a baby, leaving you with the best of the emerging dividend giants that are outperforming the averages.
In last week's Perspectives piece, we opted not to wade into the discussion of capitulation and proactive efforts to call a bottom. The best evidence of a bottom is only available after the fact and by that point, the focus is already on whether the ingredients for a sustainable rally are present.
Our checklist is designed to move the conversation along in a productive direction. We are looking for conviction that rally attempts either are or are not sustainable. Among the indicators we are paying attention to in this regard is our Risk On / Risk Off Indicator. Our focus this week is on this and other Risk On / Risk Off metrics. Our Risk On / Risk Off Indicator is not based on a specific market signal but is the accumulated message across several pairwise comparisons within and across asset classes.
The message right now is clear: The Risk Off environment we have been in since earlier this year remains intact.
Sentiment is at its worst in a long time, traders are taking heavy losses, and supply has essentially transferred from weak hands that capitulated to stronger ones.
It's hard for us to expect significantly lower prices in the wake of the events of last week. As such, in yesterday's letter, we asked, "Was that it?"
But, looking over shorter time frames, the overall picture is still a messy one.
