Commentary:
Stocks sold off sharply on Wednesday amidst brisk trade. Stocks were under pressure from the opening bell and were unable to gain traction at any time during the session. Four of the five major indices closed down more than 1% with the Nasdaq being the sole holdout. The small-cap Russell 2000 took a significant beating as it closed down by 2%. The S&P 500 and the S&P MidCap 400 both slid 1.1% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by just over 1%. The Nasdaq lost 0.9% on the session.
In an abrupt reversal of Tuesday’s action, market internals turned decidedly bearish. Volume was up across the board as the market tumbled. Declining volume took firm command as institutions were eager to liquidate. The ratio of declining volume to advancing volume ended the day at 5.9 to 1 on the NYSE and 2.7 to 1 on the Nasdaq. Total volume on the Nasdaq finished higher by 11.6%. Turnover was up by almost 16% on the NYSE. Given the breadth of the selling and the pick-up in volume, Wednesday would be considered a distribution day for the market.
Due to yesterday’s brisk selling, we made a judgment call to sell our position in PWV before it hit our stop. We didn’t like the abrupt nature of the reversal and felt it was prudent to liquidate the position with a small loss.
Since late February the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ) has been setting a sequence of higher lows as it has been testing resistance at $26.15. Notice that each pullback has become smaller as FXZ consolidates. This type of price action is considered bullish. Should this ETF hold support near the current uptrend line its next test of the $26.15 resistance level could very well result in a breakout move to new highs. We will continue to monitor FXZ for a possible long entry.
Since losing support in mid March the iShares MSCI Japan Index ETF (EWJ) has fought its way back above the 20, 50 and 200 day moving averages. Over the past ten trading days EWJ has stalled at this level and has tested support at $10.38 three times. A volume fueled move below this key mark could provide a shorting opportunity in this ETF.
Commodities resumed their downward trek yesterday. Silver, Oil, Agriculture and emerging markets took the brunt of Wednesday’s punishment. The market appears locked in a “discussion” between bears and bulls with the outcome yet to be determined. For the moment we remain in an uptrend but the recent crack in commodities appears to be weighing on the market.
Today’s Watchlist:
There are no new official setups for today. As always, we will send an Intraday Alert if any new trades are made.
Daily Performance Report:
Below is an overview of all open positions, as well as a performance report on all positions that were closed only since the previous day’s newsletter. Net P/L figures are based on the $50,000 Wagner Daily model account size. Changes to open positions since the previous report are listed in red text below. Please review the Wagner Daily Subscriber Guide for important, automatic rules on trigger and stop prices
-
Due to the large pre-market gap down in SLV, our stop will be 15 cents below the 20-minute low OR the actual stop of 32.33, whichever is lower.
Per intraday alert, sold PWV for a small loss.
- Reminder to subscribers – Intraday Trade Alerts to your e-mail and/or mobile phone are normally only sent to indicate a CHANGE to the pre-market plan that is detailed in each morning’s Wagner Daily. We sometimes send a courtesy alert just to confirm action that was already detailed in the pre-market newsletter, but this is not always the case. If no alert is received to the contrary, one should always assume we’re honoring all stops and trigger prices listed in each morning’s Wagner Daily. But whenever CHANGES to the pre-market stops or trigger prices are necessary, alerts are sent on an AS-NEEDED basis. Just a reminder of the purpose of Intraday Trade Alerts.
- For those of you whose ISPs occasionally deliver your e-mail with a delay, make sure you’re signed up to receive our free text message alerts sent to your mobile phone. This provides a great way to have redundancy on all Intraday Trade Alerts. Send your request to [email protected] if not already set up for this value-added feature we provide to subscribers.
Having trouble seeing the position summary graphic above?
Click here to view it directly on your Internet browser instead.
Notes:
Edited by Deron Wagner,
MTG Founder and
Head Trader