Autos were some of the worst performers in 2018, and new lows on a relative basis to start 2019 suggest the first quarter may bring more of the same for this sector. This post will outline why we want to continue to sell strength in this sector, as well as the best ways to express this theme.

Below is a chart of the Nifty Auto Index hitting new 52-week lows relative to the Nifty 500. This trend of under-performance has been intact since early 2017 and appears to be heading back toward the lows it set in 2012-2013.

Click on chart to enlarge view.

This is going to be a quick post, but I noticed a chart during my analysis that was too nice not to share. It just so happens that it's a great example of how a stock should act when transitioning from a downtrend to an uptrend.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

The media has been making quite the ruckus about 2018 and the "historic" volatility that the US Stock Market experienced, particularly in the fourth quarter. In this post I want to look at a few simple stats that help to put this past year's performance into its proper historical context, so that we can see whether or not it truly was a crazy year for stocks.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

This is going to be a quick post, but I wanted to share what I thought were some short-term positives from my review of our coverage universe.

As we wrap up 2018, it's time to forget everything that happened this quarter and this year and start from scratch. It’s irrelevant. We’re moving forward with fresh eyes. This is our Q1 2019 Playbook.

Part 1 of our Q1 2019 Playbook discusses big-picture themes, while this part focuses on the individual stock setups with the best reward/risk scenarios heading into the new year.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

From a public markets perspective the Marijuana Industry is small, so small that it could go to zero tomorrow and nobody would notice. In late August we started covering the space after receiving a lot of reader requests, so as we close out 2018 I wanted to share one chart that perfectly summarizes the boom and bust it's witnessed over the last two quarters.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Yesterday after the bell we sent out our Year End '18 ETF Risk Update to our Institutional Clients, covering 100+ of the most actionable and informative charts. To put this report together we examined over 500 inter-market and cross-asset relationships across weekly & daily time-frames to identify trend direction, momentum, risk-management levels, and prices targets.

In this premium post I want to highlight a few charts from each of our five sections: Factors, International, Domestic, Fixed-Income, and Thematic/Niche. If you like what you see and want the full report, you can fill out our Institutional Client Application or contact our Head of Institutional Sales, Jonathan Bloom, for access.

Without further adieu, let's look at some charts.

Bonds funds did a good job of getting everyone on the boat leaning one way, only to reverse and slam them in the other direction. The whole world seems to think interest rates have no where to go but up. However, those of us who follow the price of bonds know that reality has been sending us a different message.

The recent failed breakdown in $TLT (the 20-year bonds ETF) is a perfect example

Two weeks ago we wrote that the weight of the evidence was suggesting the major indexes in India were getting ready to resume lower. While we were a few days early, most have resolved their consolidations lower. So the question now is, will they continue lower or will they be able to base and head higher? That's the question we're looking to answer in this post.

First let's start with the weakest area of the market, small-caps. Prices were consolidating for about a month in a super tight range, but are now resolving to the downside to continue their long-term downtrend.

Click on chart to enlarge view.

Mid-caps look equally as bad. Nothing in this chart suggests higher prices are ahead, quite the opposite actually.

There have been many whipsaws in the Commodities' market as of late, with few intermediate-term trends allowing us to trade them with well-defined risk. Every now and again the market provides us with a clear opportunity, this time it's in the form of a breakdown in Tumeric.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

There's a saying among market participants that "all gaps need to be filled" or "all gaps are eventually filled", but as with most market generalizations, this saying shouldn't be taken at face value.

This post is going to discuss the four types of gaps and explain why this phrase is not something any market participant should take seriously.