Commentary:
Buoyed by solid volume stocks posted an impressive eighth consecutive day of gains on Thursday. Except for the DJIA, all of the major indices closed more than one percent higher. The rally was led by the small-cap Russell 2000 as it posted an impressive 1.6% gain. The Nasdaq improved by 1.4% while both the S&P MidCap 400 and the S&P 500 added 1.0% for the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the day’s laggard but still managed to advance by 0.7%.
Market internals were strong on Thursday but much of the rally was attributable to lagging sectors. This is often a signal that it is time to take profits on any long positions and wait for the next pullback to enter new positions. Trade was higher across the board. Volume increased by 15.2% on the Nasdaq and 5.2% on the NYSE. For a second consecutive day advancing volume overpowered declining volume. By the closing bell the spread ratio was at 4.6 to 1 on the NYSE and 5.4 to 1 on the Nasdaq. The uptick in volume accompanied by higher advancing volume clearly suggests that institutions were actively involved in yesterday’s advance. Therefore we would consider Thursday an accumulation day for the market.
Our nightly research failed to produce much in the way of actionable buy setups, so today’s report will focus on potential low-risk pullback entries. The iShares MSCI Malaysia Index Fund (EWM) broke out to new 52-week highs last week, allowing us to sell our long position into strength on July 1st for a quick gain. Ideally we would like to see the price action undercut the low of July 5th and form a bullish reversal bar above support of the breakout pivot and the rising 20-day EMA, around the 15.20 area. If EWM holds above 15.30 next week, then we could see more of a shallow, bull flag type continuation pattern develop.
After breaking above the downtrend line and reclaiming its 50-day moving average in late June, the SPDRs Select Sector Health Care (XLV) appears to be stalling out at resistance from the May 31st high around 36.00. XLV is extended in the short-term, but could potentially be in play on a pullback to support of the rising 20-day and 50-day moving averages near 35.50. We’d like to see XLV consolidate for a week in order to build out the right side of the pattern, which could end up looking like the pattern we have drawn in on the chart below.
The market continues to show resiliency but the risk/reward for taking on long positions at the current levels is for the most part not favorable. For the moment we are inclined to be patient and search for new long setups on a pullback. We are also tracking several of the weaker sectors for possible short entries. Banks and semiconductors might offer short plays when the market takes its next breather.
Today’s Watchlist:
There are no new official setups for today. 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
- No trades were made.
- 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