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4/26/2009 8:41:48 PM
General Commentary:
The system remains on a Neutral signal. (Note, For this service
the word "neutral" seems to work better than the word "preliminary").
On the one hand the market did well to finish near its high for the week as
it shows strength, but on the other hand dark clouds are building as the underlying
indicators are showing that weakness is coming.
Last week I said that I expected the market to be lower by this time. It is
lower, but only by 3 points! The markets don't make it easy to second guess
them and love to do what isn't expected. When we got the big downer on Monday,
it looked like the party was going to be over, but no, it continues, and now
it's feeling like a round of musical chairs where the music gets louder to
distract you from the fact that the chairs are being taken away.
Yes, the short-term trend is still pointing up, however we're looking for
that to break in the not too distant future.
On to the markets...
Bigger Picture

The 6 straight up weeks are over (even if it's just by the smallest of margins),
the market went down intra-week and finished roughly where it opened. In candlestick
charting, the candle this week is called a "hanging man". The hanging man is
a bearish reversal pattern that can mark a top or resistance level. The key
to this signal is confirmation in the form of follow through downward movement
in the week ahead.
Judging by the RSI, there's a good chance that we will see some follow through.
Smaller Picture

The shorter picture is quite interesting, Monday gave us the break down from
the bearish wedge pattern but Tuesday found support at the 825 level and proceeded
to rise from there, with Friday putting in a decent rise that takes us back
towards resistance.
Last week I said to watch for the black line on the MACD to cross the red
line for the likely start of the down leg, we've got that now, but it can still
vacillate around this level. At this point the negative divergence on the MACD
histogram is screaming a warning sign, any weakness this week is likely to
give us a clear sell signal. Watch for a break of 825 to put an end to current
rally.
I'm still looking for a retracement to around 750 over the next few weeks.
For this week, support on the SPX is 830 - 850 and resistance is 870 - 900.
The VIX Picture

The VIX chart shows the downtrend that started from early March, which inversely
coincides with the rise in the markets, as you'd expect. The interesting thing
is that even though the market finished strongly at the end of the week, the
VIX has given an indecisive signal.
This suggests that that the participants are beginning to get suspicious about
the strength in the market and are poised to get fearful quickly if necessary.
The MACD is showing how the jury is still out on whether the reversal is imminent.
The week ahead may resolve the indecision.
The VIX measures the premiums investors are willing to pay for option contracts
and is essentially a measure of fear i.e. the higher the VIX, the higher
the fear in the market place.
Current Position:
The current position from April 21 is a half position in an SPX May 695/685
Put Option Spread for a net credit of $0.40 and on Apr 22, a full position
in an SPX May 960/970 Call Option Spread for a net credit of $0.40.
The premium received if you entered these trades is $60 per $1,000 of margin
required per spread (before commissions).
In relation to the current open positions, with 3 weeks to expiry we remain
comfortable.
Current Performance for 2009:
January - 6.0%
February - 8.0%
March - 4.0%
April - 2.5%
(Please note, this performance is raw, i.e. without brokerage/commissions
taken into account)
Quote of the Week:
The quote this week is from Alexandre Dumas, "Do not value money for any
more nor any less than its worth; it is a good servant but a bad master."
Feel free to email me at angelo@stockbarometer.com with
any questions or comments.
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