It’s actually getting a little amazing to watch what’s going on in the popular media. I got the latest issue of Time magazine in the mail, and check out the back cover………
Ummmmmmmm……..don’t miss the bounce? Like buying DTG at $20.60 per share?
Folks, even if there’s more upside from here, the "bounce" already happened! Gobbling up anything with a ticker symbol in mid-March has turned out to be brilliant for anyone who managed to do so (and who hung on until now). Stocks moving up multiple hundreds of percent – or even quadruple-digits of percent – are commonplace. I mean, hell, Ford – – makers of the Taurus! – – is up 800%!
But the notion that the common man can take advantage of some impending bounce is just pathetic. But, more important for us, as we look back on this a year from now, we’ll see how it was yet another case of (…..dramatic pause.…..) the curse of the cover. <—echo-y voice.
New York Times reporters Gretchen Morgenson and Don Van Natta have dumped a gigantic bucket of kerosene on the Goldman Sachs (GS) conspiracy fire with a new report detailing the extent to which then Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson was in touch with his old bank during the pit of the crisis.
Bottom line: he was in touch with Goldman a lot.
While Mr. Paulson spoke to many Wall Street executives during that period, he was in very frequent contact with Lloyd C. Blankfein, Goldman’s chief executive, according to a copy of Mr. Paulson’s calendars acquired by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.
During the week of the A.I.G. bailout alone, Mr. Paulson and Mr. Blankfein spoke two dozen times, the calendars show, far more frequently than Mr. Paulson did with other Wall Street executives.
On Sept. 17, the day Mr. Paulson secured his waivers, he and Mr. Blankfein spoke five times. Two of the calls occurred before Mr. Paulson’s waivers were granted.
By waviers, they’re referring to ethics waivers which had barred Paulson from having any significant relationship in dealing with Goldmn Sachs issues, as Secretary of the Treasury. Clearly, this was no time to be bound by old formalities and ethics limitations that they thought would never become an issue.
It also belies the claim — which Goldman still maintains to this day — that the firm was never in danger, even with the teetering AIG and the financial crisis as a whole. What these records suggest is that Paulson was, indeed, concerned about Goldman’s condition specifically — if he’d just been talking to Blankfein about general market conditions, the waivers wouldn’t have been required.
Still though, you have to give Goldman Sachs credit for message discipline:
A spokesman for Goldman, Lucas van Praag, said: “Lloyd Blankfein, like the C.E.O.’s of other major financial institutions, received calls from, and made calls to, Treasury to provide a market perspective on conditions and events as they were unfolding. Given what was happening in the world, it would have been shocking if such conversations hadn’t taken place.”
Let’s bring current the view of the market from the perspectives of Renko and 3-Line Break Point charts, using long-term Weekly charts, intermediate-term Daily charts and short-term Hourly trading charts
Renko – Weekly
Last signal a Buy on July 13 at 881.49
Point Break – Weekly
Last signal a Buy @ 761.75 on April 27th – Sell stop @ 899.52
Renko – Daily
Sell signal August 6th @ 1000.87
Point Break – Daily
Sell stop @ 986.56
Renko – Hourly
Last Sell August 7th @ 1014.05
Point Break – Hourly
Sell August 7th @ 1012.37
Commentary
Are these signals tradable? Those are some very impressive trades across the board, from Weekly to Daily to Hourly. Labeling these trades in retrospect on a Sunday afternoon with a ballgame on in the background is one thing, trading the actual signals in real time with CNBC blasting and multiple models singing, well, that’s quite a different situation.
To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.
Well said. So my ongoing research is in part based in turning these two charting methodologies into a real time real money algorithm. Coming soon to a blog close to your hearts.
Oh yeah, something else from John Stuart Mill:
Mill’s On Liberty addresses the nature and limits of the power that can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual. One argument that Mill develops further than any previous philosopher is the harm principle. The harm principle holds that each individual has the right to act as he wants, so long as these actions do not harm others.
With the ban of Flash orders in equity markets now practically a done deal, politicians, and hopefully regulators, will start focusing their attention on Flash derivative products which facilitate not only a two tiered market but potential market abuse by the privileged few who have access to advance looks in assorted securities classes.
While dark pools will ultimately be the critical focal point of tiered market differentiation, it seems the next immediate area of focus will be flash orders in option trades. As before, a major opponent of Flash, NYSE Euronext, provides a few on why flashed options afford club” members the opportunity to sniff out larger market moves. From Traders Magazine:
[Ed Boyle, who runs NYSE Euronext's U.S. option business] argues notes that flashed orders can enable participants receiving the flashes to trade ahead of customers whose orders are flashed, either in the stock market or in options. “When an order is flashed, there’s often not a lot of contracts available at the best price,” he said. “It’s when the market is moving fast that a customer is likely to be disadvantaged [by flash orders].” He added that flash orders proliferated in 2007 when the penny pilot began. Arca has price-time priority and maker-taker pricing for penny-quoted options.
The International Securities Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange argue that flash orders benefit customers. “Customers like this functionality,” said Boris Ilyevsky, managing director of the ISE Options Exchange. “They see a direct economic benefit.”
He notes that flash order types in options are technically similar to those in equities, although the benefits are different. “Our market makers and members can match the away price through a flash auction,” Ilyevsky said. “That gives the customer the away price without paying a take fee that could, on some markets, be 45 cents per contract. The customer fee on the ISE is zero.” If there’s no response, the ISE’s primary market maker in that symbol seeks the best price through a linkage order.
Other defenders appear in the form of the CBOE, whose flash order type…
Adapted from a post by Timothy Sykes on Tue 21st of July, with a timely update. – Ilene
That’s what I do for a living, check out a recent guest blog post at INO.com.
"We ALL get the emails, “UOMO is going up big, buy today” , “If you’re looking for 3000% gains go long XYZ”…the dreded penny stock pump and dump! The pump and dump often plagues new traders looking for huge returns and veterans trying to play them along with the “pumper”. But it’s often very risky and millions are lost everytime the “pump” is on. But there’s one person I personally know (I was able to have a nice sushi lunch in NY with him) who trades the “pump and dump’s” and makes a KILLING doing it! You’ve all heard about him and his name is Tim Sykes. Love him or hate him, he’s one of, if not the best person out there for penny stock info and trading." Brad of INO, MarketClub.
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Timothy: People often ask me what I do for a living and I love to see the look on their face when I say, “I short sell and write about hyped up and manipulated Penny Stocks”
When I first started blogging in 2007, Investopedia said it was not possible to short sell Penny Stocks. They have since changed their minds now that my big mouth has been shouting at the top of my lungs, you can short stocks under $5, it’s not as risky as you might assume, but only if you know what you’re doing.
The key to my survival and success in a decade-long career in this greatly misunderstood niche has been to be wary of everyone and every company. Most people buy Penny Stocks thinking that they have a shot at turning a few hundred or thousand dollars into millions. Certain financial websites that title articles “The Next Million Dollar Penny Stock” look to take advantage of that.
I take it one step further, looking to take advantage of those gullible suckers as they fail to realize the odds of a $1 stock becoming a $100 stock, let alone a $5 or $10 stock, are horrific. Mainly due to the fact that ALL stocks trading under $5 are flawed in some way (that’s why their stock…
Many commentators are talking about a new upleg in share prices. But one look at the chart below and it’s not hard to see where the real bull market is.
The one thing that’s different about this one, of course, is that those in charge must vote to keep it going. Hence, the following report from Reuters, "Geithner Asks Congress for Higher U.S. Debt Limit":
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner formally requested that Congress raise the $12.1 trillion statutory debt limit on Friday, saying that it could be breached as early as mid-October.
"It is critically important that Congress act before the limit is reached so that citizens and investors here and around the world can remain confident that the United States will always meet its obligations," Geithner said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that was obtained by Reuters.
A Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on the letter.
Treasury officials earlier this week said that the debt limit, last raised in February when the $787 billion economic stimulus legislation was passed, would be hit sometime in the October-December quarter. Geithner’s letter said the breach could be two weeks into that period, just as the 2010 fiscal year is getting underway.
The latest request comes as the Treasury is ramping up borrowing to unprecedented levels to fund stimulus and financial bailout programs and cope with a deep recession that has devastated tax revenues.
It is expected to issue net new debt of as much as $2 trillion in the 2009 fiscal year ended September 30 and up to $1.6 trillion in the 2010 fiscal year, according to bond dealer forecasts.
The request to increase the debt limit will likely raise the ire of Republicans who have accused President Barack Obama of runaway spending. They may try to hold up the legislation in effort to win concessions on Obama’s health care reform plan.
Geithner urged Reid to not let politics hamper U.S. credit-worthiness and said he looked forward to working with the Nevada Democrat to secure enactment of legislation on the debt limit as early as possible.
"Congress has never failed to raise the debt limit when necessary. Because members of both parties have long recognized the need to keep politics away from
Some are greeting Friday’s employment report as an all-clear signal. But my advice is, keep your helmet on-- they’re still shooting real bullets out there.
Let’s start with the good news. I first called attention to the favorable turn in new claims for unemployment insurance on April 9, noting that in each of the previous 6 recessions, an economic recovery began within 8 weeks of the peak in new claims. On May 7, I concluded we had enough statistical evidence to predict with 85% confidence that new claims for unemployment insurance had indeed peaked at the beginning of April. Although there was some concern as to whether seasonal adjustment could be confounding the July readings, it’s pretty clear now that the substantial decline in new claims is the real deal.
Black line: 4-week average of seasonally adjusted weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance, from Department of Labor via Webstract. Vertical lines mark the first month of an economic expansion as ultimately determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
And many cheered Friday’s BLS release showing that nonfarm payroll employment fell by 247,000 workers in July, the smallest drop since August, 2008. But the problem is, if a traditional economic recovery had actually begun in June (8 weeks after the April peak in claims), the number of people with jobs should have increased in July rather than fallen by another quarter million.
Period
Change in employment
Oct 70 to Jan 71
+0.61%
Feb 75 to May 75
-0.34%
Jun 80 to Sep 80
+0.28%
Oct 82 to Jan 83
-0.00%
Apr 91 to Jul 91
+0.07%
Nov 01 to Feb 02
-0.12%
Apr 09 to Jul 09
-0.75%
To put this in perspective, I took a look at where nonfarm payroll employment stood relative to where it had been at the time of the peak in unemployment claims for the current and each of the previous 6 episodes. I calculated
Here’s an excellent documentary video called "The Great American Bankruptcy." H/t Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge, who h/tipped Ian. William K. Black, a white collar criminologist, discusses the financial crisis and our pseudo-capitalistic fraud-ridden system. - Ilene
William Kurt Black is an American lawyer, academic, author, and a former bank regulator. Black’s expertise is in white-collar crime, public finance, regulation, and other topics in law and economics. He developed the concept of "control fraud", in which a business or national executive uses the entity he or she controls as a "weapon" to commit fraud.
On April 3, 2009 Black appeared on "Bill Moyers Journal" on PBS and provided critical commentary on the U.S. banking crisis. In the interview with Bill Moyers, Black asserted that the banking crisis in the United States that started in late 2008 is essentially a big Ponzi scheme; that the "liar loans" and other financial tricks were essentially illegal frauds; and that the triple-A ratings given to these loans was part of a criminal cover-up.
Discover consumer spending monitor drops for second month, “Anticipated Spending Falls for First Time Since February; Majority of Consumers Planning Cutbacks on All Discretionary Purchases” (Discover Financial, h/t Philip)
As we are in a similar situation this weekend, when stocks may have run up a bit too far to buy – it’s a good time to look at other long plays we can make "just in case" the rally continues. Our Long Shots are meant to pay off big when the market rises big while not risking too much capital but they are RISKY plays as they are not very adjustable if there is a pullback. Nonetheless, our last group has performed spectacularly so let’s review those and then make some new plays as the market swings for the fences.
C – Buying 2011 $2.50 calls for $1.14 (now $1.98) and selling the 2011 $5 calls for .56 (now $1.03). That’s a net gain of .37 on the .58 spread or 63%, which is pretty darned good for 6 weeks but our goal on this trade is a 346% profit and we’re not going to get there without some very greedy holding through some very big returns. One trick with these sort of plays is to buy a bit more than you plan to hold long-term, like 20 @ .58 ($1,160) rather than 10 ($580) since the downside curve is not very steep (unless C suddenly went BK, which was doubtful). Then you could snatch 10 off the table at .95 ($950) and you could let the remaining $210 ride and it would still pay your target $2,500 if it hits goal at expiration.
Always remember with these plays they are like betting on long shots at horse races EXCEPT, you get to change your mind and withdraw most of your bet after the race starts and you get a look at your horse’s performance. That’s a very good deal but you MUST use that power and take the bad bets off the table otherwise you blow your entire advantage!
UYG was another one that just seemed too darned cheap at $3.87 (now $5.55) and we went for the 2011 $4s at $1.38 (now 2.30), selling the $5s for $1.12 (now $1.90) so we’ve gone from net .24 to net .40, up 66% but, like C, we’re not going to get to our 300% goal without holding on through some ridiculous profits are we? Of course with this play, as well as C and others like them – just because we…
While we have wondered on numerous occasions previously if the collapse in lumber prices is the far more accurate indicator of end demand for housing (as confirmed by the recent collapse in multi-family housing starts), perhaps an even better indicator of trends in housing (and by implication the broader economy) is private sector intermediate end demand, such as Caterpillar North America sales, which unlike government data, are far less subject to political intervention, in...
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
The below chart is depicted on a daily basis from 2008 through May 17, with the thin blue line depicting the 50dma of the Gold price, Silver price, HUI Index, HUI:Gold ratio and S&P 500. As one can see, the closing price of Gold on May 17 is $1359.10/oz. I find several items on the chart to be noteworthy.
As one can see, the Gold price, seen in the upper plot, had been (relatively) range bound since its highs in the summer of 2011, but has recently dropped below that range. Gold has experienced, from a technical analysis perspective, what can be categorized as a "breakdown," and seems vulnerable, from a technical perspective, to further significant de...
Again, not much to add to this market in terms of analysis – nothing matters other than central banks. Last Wednesday/Thursday there were some 9 economic reports, 7 of which were disappointing or could be considered as such and all it got was one rare day down, and then new highs Friday. Markets are up 10 of the past 12 sessions and 17 of 21. Friday's move to 1666 was an exact 1000 point rally from March 2009's 666 bottom. Since this most recent leg of the move has been medium fast rather than a huge spike ala 1999, things are not necessarily overbought on the daily chart but we are seeing extremely rare action on the ...
Insiders may sell shares for any number of reasons, but conventional wisdom is that insiders really only buy shares of a company for one reason -- they believe the stock price will move higher and they want to profit from it.
Pullbacks and sell-offs provide a perfect opportunity for investors who have faith in a company to snap up shares. Here are some stocks that have seen insider buying recently.
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
One director, Felix Baker, bought more than 1.9 million shares last week. That was worth more than $24.9 million. This San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company has been discussed as a possible takeover target and it last week announced a secondary offering...
Reminder: OpTrader is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.
This post is for all our live virtual trade ideas and daily comments. Please click on "comments" below to follow our live discussion. All of our current trades are listed in the spreadsheet below, with entry price (1/2 in and All in), and exit prices (1/3 out, 2/3 out, and All out).
We also indicate our stop, which is most of the time the "5 day moving average". All trades, unless indicated, are front-month ATM options.
Please feel free to participate in the discussion and ask any questions you might have about this virtual portfolio, by clicking on the "comments" link right below.
To learn more about the swing trading virtual portfolio (strategy, performance, FAQ, etc.), please click here
To learn more, sign up for David's free newsletter and receive the free report from All About Trends - "How To Outperform 90% Of Wall Street With Just $500 A Week." Tell David PSW sent you. - Ilene...
It seems that every Tuesday in 2013 since January 8 has been positive on the Dow. And this past Tuesday was no exception. Now that sounds like a trend to put money on -- buy the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) at the close each Monday and close out the position late on Tuesday.
The Dow and S&P 500 both hit new all-time highs once again on Wednesday, while the Nasdaq hit its highest level since November 2000. The “risk on” allocation of new investment capital into cyclicals continues, although Wednesday saw leadership from defensive sectors Consumer Staples, Utilities, and Telecom, along with Financials. Nevertheless, ConvergEx reports that the average correlation of the ten S&P business sectors to the overall index averaged 82% last month. While that is below the 86% averag...
BMY - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. – Shares in drug maker, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., are ripping higher today, up 6.5% at $44.94, the highest level in more than a decade, ahead of the release of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2013 Annual Meeting abstracts tonight. The ASCO Annual Meeting begins on May 31st in Chicago. Options on BMY are far more active than usual today, with overall volume topping 64,000 contracts by 12:25 p.m. ET, versus average daily volume of around 11,400 c...
Stock market posts another record setting week, but the big news came after Friday’s close.
Courtesy of NASA
The stock market put on another record setting show with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEARCA:DIA) closing at a record high 15,118 and the S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) closing at 1633.70, another all time closing high.
For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEARCA:DIA) gained 1%, the S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) climbed 1.2%, the Nasdaq Composite (NYSEARCA:...
Reminder: Pharmboy is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.
Well, well, well....it is good to know that there are others in the scientific arena who believed that YMI Bioscience's data (cough - Gilead) is a better drug than Incyte's Jakafi. Now, the definitive data are still unknown, but there was enough evidence from a Phase 2 trial to take a small risk for a huge reward. So, let's forget about Apple (AAPL), and do nothing but biotechs from now until Congress passes universal health care coverage for prescriptions....and drive the prices down so that research and development is no longer feasible to conduct in the US. Even Seattle Genetics (SGEN) has been on a tear as of late...
Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
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Always remember with these plays they are like betting on long shots at horse races EXCEPT, you get to change your mind and withdraw most of your bet after the race starts and you get a look at your horse’s performance. That’s a very good deal but you MUST use that power and take the bad bets off the table otherwise you blow your entire advantage! 
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW. She manages the Favorites backup site
(
