Don't Fight Papa Dow. That's how I learned it.

And it's not just about the Dow Jones Industrial Average itself. It's the 30 stocks that make up the index that we're even more interested in.

If you get the direction of these 30 stocks right, you'll get the market right.

Don't believe me? Go overlay a chart of the S&P500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. They're the same.

I just got back from a week in Disney with a 4yr old and twin 2yr olds. Wow what a workout! 

The experience further reiterated why I'm long $DIS and why I'm going to buy more.

They got some racket going down there in Florida. $12 hot dogs? $15 popcorn? And lines around the corner with people waiting to buy them?

That's some hustle they got. Good for them.

The way I see it, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em right? You can get frustrated by the money suck if you want, or you can be a shareholder and profit right along with them. I chose the latter when I got back from this Disney trip a year ago.

But let me tell you this, the $12 hot dogs and $300 princess dresses are NOT why I'm long the stock. 

It's that the republicans hate it. They don't like how "woke" the company has gotten. 

And since we know that humans have a hard time separating a company and a stock, there is money to be made here by exploiting those who let their politics and "morals" influence their decision making in public markets.

This year's Santa Claus Rally Period starts on Tuesday.

To clear up any confusion, the official period for the annual Santa Claus Rally includes the last 5 trading days of the year and the first 2 of the following year, for a total of 7 days.

Since 1950, the S&P500 has averaged a 1.3% gain during this period. And if you want to take it back further, since 1928 we've seen an average gain of 1.6%. This compares to just a 0.2% gain for any other random 7 day period throughout the rest of the year. 

Every year is slightly different, depending on which days Christmas and New Years fall on the Calendar. 

The last 5 days of 2024 begin this Tuesday December 24th. And the first 2 days of next year include January 2nd and 3rd. So the official 7 day period this year goes from December 24th - January 3rd. 

And while traditionally, this is a much more bullish time of the year, compared to other periods, the bigger concern is if Santa doesn't show up.

Did you see how many stocks made new lows this week?

It wasn't many.

When you look at how dramatic people have been about a few stocks selling off a little bit, you would think that an actual correction might be taking place in the market.

But if you thought that humans act logically, then you clearly don't know humans.

Irrational behavior is actually the only thing that the market guarantees. And you saw it again this week.

I mean, you didn't even get an expansion of stocks making new lows!

This was nothing.

All you have to do is go and count. You'll quickly see how the new 52-week lows list is almost non-existent. In fact, you saw fewer new 52-week lows on the NYSE this week than you did in early August.

But if you look even shorter-term, say new 3-month lows, you didn't seen any sort of expansion there either.

Look at the total new 3-month lows among Large-caps, Mid-caps and Small-caps. 

I'm back from a few days away and boy do we have a lot to discuss.

I hope you enjoyed the guest posts over the past week from some of the key members of our team.

It's good that you get to know some of the other guys so you don't think I'm just some crazy guy who looks at a million charts. There's a lot more to it than that, and hopefully that came across this week.

But first thing's first. This is a bull market for stocks and people seem to be running scared. They're freaking out.

Good.

I’ll be back from my holiday soon. But in the meantime, our Chief Options Strategist, Sean has an important message. 

Attend his live event on Thursday and I’ll see you back here on Friday. 

JC

JC here.

I'm out of town this week. So in lieu of the usual daily note, we've arranged for guest posts written by each of the members of the All Star Charts research team. 

Today's post is from Steve Strazza.

Hey guys, it’s Steve today.

Whenever JC is out, the Morning Show becomes the Strazza Show. 

JC here.

I'm out of town this week. So in lieu of the usual daily note, we've arranged for guest posts written by each of the members of the All Star Charts research team. 

Today's post is from Alfonso De Pablos.

The Secret Sauce of Insider Trading

Hi everyone, Alfonso here.

It’s day three of the ASC Research Team covering for me while I’m away. 

You've already heard from Sam and Louis. Today, you’re meeting one of our newest team members with a great trade idea for you… 

Show him some love.

JC

Can't Miss This Trade

Hi, I’m Jason, one of the newest traders to join the All Star Charts team, and I’m pumped to be here.

Who in their right mind hires a guy who used to get paid to do backflips for a living?

Oh, right… JC would. Because, let’s face it, everyone needs a gunslinging CTA (Futures Trader) in their life.

My story? Not exactly what you’d call “traditional.” I started as a professional athlete and my great great uncle taught me more about trading and economics than he probably realized.

But life doesn’t always play fair. I took some hits, like rupturing my spleen, battling a bone infection, and going through not one, not two, but FIVE knee surgeries.

Yeah, fun times.

Editor's Note: The ninth installment in the ASC Mastermind Course, Finding the Best Small-Cap Stocks, is available for your review.

The Mastermind Course is a complimentary part of your ASC Premium Membership.

Our series of guest posts written by members of the All Star Charts research team continues... 

Today's note is from our Senior Crypto Analyst. If you're not following what's been going on in crypto, you're missing out...

-JC