ETFs and market commentary:
Stocks shrugged off early losses to close near session highs on heavier trade. All five major indices closed higher with high beta issues leading the advance. The small-cap Russell 2000 came storming back yesterday to erase virtually all of this week’s losses. By the closing bell the Russell had added 1.5%. The S&P MidCap 400 climbed 0.9%, while the Nasdaq posted a 0.8% gain. Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher by 0.4%. The telecommunications and construction sectors were the day’s big winners, while airlines and food retailers/wholesalers saw the biggest declines.
Market internals were bullish across the board yesterday. Volume climbed on the Nasdaq by 2.7% and on the NYSE by 5.2%. Advancing volume overpowered declining volume by a ratio of 2.2 to 1 on the NYSE and 2.6 t 1 on the Nasdaq. Yesterday was a big day for market bulls as it was a clear accumulation day. The higher volume suggests institutional investors were active in the market yesterday.
Yesterday, the Market Vectors Pharmaceuticals ETF (PPH) reversed sharply off of its 20-day EMA and is now poised to break out of its recent trading range. A volume propelled move above the February 21st high of $37.20 could provide a buy entry trigger for this ETF. We are placing PPH back on the watchlist. Trade details are provided to our members in the watchlist segment of the newsletter.
The iShares Dow Jones US Basic Materials Sector ETF (IYM) formed a bullish reversal candle yesterday, as it undercut its 10-day and 20-day moving averages but rallied to close near session highs. It is important to note that this price action occurred on higher volume. Reversal candles serve to shake weak hands out of a trade and sweep poorly placed stops. A move above the two day high of $72.82 could provide a buy entry trigger for IYM. We are placing IYM on the watchlist. For our subscribing members, trade details can be found in the watchlist section of the newsletter.
IAU held up well yesterday but did begin to show signs of stalling. A modest pullback would not be unexpected given the speed of the recent advance in this ETF. For the moment, we intend on holding through any pullback. Yesterday’s accumulation day bodes well for market bulls. In one session we wiped out almost the entire week’s losses and are now poised for another breakout move higher.
Today’s ETF Watchlist:
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 DailySubscriber Guide for important, automatic rules on trigger and stop prices
Having trouble seeing the position summary graphic above? Click here to view it directly on your Internet browser instead.
Notes:
- No trades were made yesterday.
- 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.
We were quite busy yesterday, establishing three new long positions via intraday alert. Although the majority of our trades will trigger off the watchlist, intraday alerts allow us to move in sync with the market when conditions change. We have three new setups on the watchlist today. The GBX setup is detailed on the chart below.
Today’sStock Watchlist:
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 model account size. Changes to open positions since the previous report are listed in red text below.
Having trouble seeing the position summary graphic above? Click here to view it directly on your Internet browser instead.
Notes:
- Per intraday alert, bought LKQX, N, and CELG.
Relative Strength Watchlist:
The Relative Strength (or RS) Watchlist makes it easy for subscribers to import data into their own scanning software, such as Tradestation, Interactive Brokers, and TC2000. The list is comprised of the strongest 100 (or so) stocks in the market over the past six to 12 months. The scan is based on the following criteria and is updated every Monday:
- Stock is in a well defined uptrend, trading above both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, with the 50-day moving average above the 200-day moving average (both moving averages should be in an uptrend as well).
- Today’s close is less than 20% off the 52-week high
- Close is greater than $5.
- Volume is greater than 200,000 shares per day (using a 50-day volume moving average).
Click here to view this week’s Relative Strength Watchlist in excel
Click here to view this week’s Relative Strength Watchlist as a text file