This is the video recording of the April 2024 Mid-month Conference Call.

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're also highlighting lagging stocks on a recurring basis.

Welcome to the Short Report.

We...

Berkshire Hathaway stock $BRK/B has traded down for eleven of the past thirteen trading days. That's not something you see often.

Call me sentimental, but watching implied volatility in Berkshire options creep up to its highest levels of the year feels like a gift to naked put sellers. So I'm going to take advantage.

In today's Daily Digest, we'll review:

1. No new positions today.
2. Adjustment to IBB position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.

Let's dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza and Alfonso Depablos

The only insider transaction on today’s list comes in a 13D filing by the Wellington Management fund Bay Pond Partners.

The hedge fund revealed an initial active stake of 5.01% in Redwood Trust $RWT.

This market is just NOT like it was in 2023.

It's much different.

I've said it right here hundreds of time already.

But today's chart of the day really shows this well, reiterating why it's so important to adapt to changing markets.

Here is the S&P500 with a line plotted below it. This line represents the percentage of stocks in the index that are in longer-term uptrends, but are NOT in short- to intermediate-term uptrends.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Have you noticed these trends driving the markets?

Commodities are ripping. The energy sector is outperforming. Interest rates are climbing while US treasury bonds fall apart…  

Of course, we can’t forget about the US dollar’s rally.

I continue to err in the direction of these underlying trends. But the dollar rally will likely run out of gas soon…

Check out the US Dollar Index $DXY printing its highest level since November. 

My near-term DXY bias flipped bullish late last month. Aside from improving momentum and multiple tests of overhead supply, our bullish USD trades shifted my outlook.

The tactical shorts in the British pound and New Zealand dollar were in play and have...

Whether it’s a pullback in a position or a pullback in my portfolio, drawdowns are the hardest thing to endure as a trader.

However, let’s not forget that I first had to have a winning trade on to suffer a pullback. That’s good!

If I want to have a big winner, it must first start as a small winner. Then the hard work begins…

To grow from a small winner into a big winner, it’s very rare for the path to be a straight line. There will be pauses. There will be the occasional shakeout of weak hands. There will be people on social media or TV talking about how extended the move has become and how there’s a high risk of a correction.

There will seem to be a million reasons to take profits before they escape my grasp.

Amidst this messy tape, characterized by widespread volatility and a notable decline in market breadth, patient trading seems prudent.

Cryptocurrencies and equities are facing pressure amidst a strengthening US dollar, which increases the possibility of a prolonged sideways trend.

In today's Daily Digest, we'll review:

1. No new positions today.
2. Adjustment to ARKK position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.

Let's dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza and Alfonso Depablos

The largest insider transaction on today’s list comes in multiple Form 4 filings by the CEO, the general counsel, and the executive vice president of operations of Science Applications International Corporation $SAIC.

Among them the three directors revealed combined purchases of $490,670 in SAIC shares.