March 20, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 finished the week on it’s year-to-date highs. An impressive +13% run up from the February 11 lows. A pretty fast transition from panic selling to now almost panic buying. With that said, the VIX closed barely above 14, as we head into a shortened week of trading.

The markets will be closed on Friday, giving many reason to believe that we might continue to see this low volume rally continue.

Even more impressive, has been the run up in crude oil prices. It was another strong week of gains as we eclipsed $40 per barrel. We’re also sitting close to the 2016 highs in crude oil.

Another commodity that is near yearly highs is gold, with cash gold closing the week at 1255.04.

The market is anticipating low volatility, but here are some events to look out for:

Key Economic Data:
21 March 2016- Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
23 March 2016- New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Report 10:30 AM ET
24 March 2016- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
25 March 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
21 March 2016- MFRM
22 March 2016- FIVE, NKE, RHT, SCS, XONE
23 March 2016- FRAN, GIS, KBH, PVH, RH
24 March 2016- TFM, GME, ACN, FINL, SIG

Key Conferences:
21 March 2016- Apple Product Event Launch, Howard Weil Energy Conference (runs till 3/23)
22 March 2016- Telsey Advisory Conference (runs till 3/23)

February 21, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 finished the week nearly 3% higher, now more than 100 points higher from our year-to-date low.

Despite steady gains in the equity markets, crude oil prices continue to see large up and down swings. A lot of this occurring because of recent OPEC rumors, on whether they’ll work together on constricting supply or not. With that said, crude oil prices did close the week slightly higher.

The VIX closed the week significantly lower, as it dropped from the 25 range to 20.53.

There are still a ton of earnings this week along with a decent amount of economic events (domestic and international).

Here’s what else is on tap:

Key Economic Data:
23 February 2016- Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
24 February 2016- New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
25 February 2016- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
26 February 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET, International Trade 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income and Outlays 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
22 February 2016- AGN, DF, BHP, FIT, ONDK, MSI
23 February 2016- HD, LAMR, LXK, M, ODP, TOL, SJM, CAR, DWA, ETSY, HAWK, JAZZ, PRA, TROX, TX
24 February 2016- CC, CHK, LOW, MBLY, TGT, RLGY, AVG, CRM, ETE, HPQ, IMAX, NFX, NTES, RIG, SUN, TUMI, WLL
25 February 2016- APA, BBY, CHS, CPB, DPZ, GOGO, KSS, SAFM, SEAS, SFM, SN, VAC, VALE, WNR, ADSK, BIDU, BLOX, BMRN, HLF, INTU, KHC, PANW, STRZA, SPLK, UHS, WTW
26 February 2016- HLT

Key Conferences:
22 February 2016- Credit Suisse Energy Summit (runs till 2/25)
23 February 2016- Jeffries Media and Communications Conference (runs till 2/24), RBC Healthcare Conference (runs till 2/24)
24 February 2016- Wells Fargo Real Estate Conference (runs till 2/25), Wells Fargo Bank Investor Forum

February 7, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 had a rough week, selling off about 3%. As the market continues to remain weak this year. The NASDAQ has hit five month lows, as some earnings come in disappointing. For example, Apple, Amazon, LinkedIn, and Microsoft have all reacted poorly to earnings.

Not to mention, we’ve seen weakness in the Asian markets, jobs data, and crude oil prices. Let’s see if we catch a break in volatility, as China prepares to celebrate their new year and closing their markets.

The VIX closed the week higher, right above 23.38.

Crude oil prices sold off this week, down nearly 8% and not too far off our most recent lows. We’re barely trading above $30 per barrel.

On the economic front, there isn’t that much on the schedule. However, there are a ton of earnings on the schedule.

Here’s what else is on tap:

Key Economic Data:
11 February 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
12 February 2016- Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
8 February 2016- L, HAS, FOX, PAA, YELP
9 February 2016- CVS, KO, MAS, VIAB, WYN, AKAM, DIS, NCR, NUAN, PNRA, WU
10 February 2016- ARMH, TWX, EXPE, IRBT, TWTR, WFM, ZNGA, MYL, LOCK, FNF
11 February 2016- AVP, BTU, BWA, CAG, GNC, K, MOS, NOK, PEP, RIO, SHPG, TAP, TIME, WWAV, AIG, ATVI, CBS, CYBR, FEYE, GRPN, INFN, P, QLIK, RSG

Key Conferences:
8 February 2016- Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum (runs till 2/10)
9 February 2016- Bank America Merrill Insurance Conference (runs till 2/11), Goldman Sachs Tech Conf (runs till 2/11), Goldman Sachs Insurance Conf (runs till 2/11)
10 February 2016- Leerink Healthcare Conference (runs till 2/11)
11 February 2016- KBW Financial Conference (runs till 2/12)

February 2, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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Just when you thought that the volatility was going to cool off, things started heating up again. The S&P 500 lost nearly 2% as most stocks sold off fairly hard. We’re just 5% off our most recent lows.

Adding fuel to the fire, we saw massive sell-off in crude oil prices. In the last two days, crude oil prices are down more than 11%, and trading below $30 per barrel. We’re just a little more than 5% off from the most recent lows.

Given the volatility, it wasn’t a real shock to see the VIX above 20, closing at 21.89 to be exact.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Yahoo (YHOO). In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Activision Blizzard (ATVI).

In the after hours we got earnings results out of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG). The stock was down nearly 7% in the after hours.

There are a lot more earnings this week, check out the events below:

Key Economic Data:
4 February 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
5 February 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET, International Trade in Goods 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
3 February 2016- ADP, APO, BEN, CBG, CBOE, CMCSA, ENR, ETN, GM, IP, KLIC, MRK, NOV, BWLD, CCK, CDNS, GPRO, MET, NXPI, SFLY, YUM
4 February 2016- AZN, ABC, COP, COTY, DLPH, GRUB, ICE, OXY, PENN, RL, WFT, BMI, DATA, DECK, LNKD, LGF
5 February 2016- ATHN,CME, TSN, WY

January 31, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 had its second straight positive week. It was a rough month for indices, with some of them seeing their worst monthly declines in over five years. Volatility may come in as the Chinese market will be on break to celebrate their new year, which happens in less than two weeks.

If you recall, weakness in the Asian markets was causing the heavy selling in January. Not to mention weakness in oil prices.

The VIX waited till Friday to sell-off hard. Overall, it closed lower, right above 20.

Crude oil prices are more than 10% higher than their monthly lows. Gaining more than 5% on the week and closing above $33 per barrel. Is it a dead-cat bounce or have prices finally started to stabilize?

Reporting this week: Exxon Mobil (XOM), Alphabet (GOOGL), Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), Yahoo (YHOO), Merck (MRK), and much much more.

Here’s what else is on tap:

Key Economic Data:
1 February 2016- Personal Income and Outlays 8:30 AM ET, ISM Mfg Index 10:00 AM ET
4 February 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
5 February 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET, International Trade in Goods 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
1 February 2016- AET, CAH, HAIN, SOHU, SYY, APC, GOOGL, TSO, MAT, GGP, AGNC
2 February 2016- ADM, ADT, ALLY, BAX, BEAV, CIT, DOW, EMR, KORS, LAZ, LYB, MNK, PFE, RCL, UBS, UPS, XOM, CMG, ILMN, YHOO, TDW, CHRW
3 February 2016- ADP, APO, BEN, CBG, CBOE, CMCSA, ENR, ETN, GM, IP, KLIC, MRK, NOV, BWLD, CCK, CDNS, GPRO, MET, NXPI, SFLY, YUM
4 February 2016- AZN, ABC, COP, COTY, DLPH, GRUB, ICE, OXY, PENN, RL, WFT, BMI, DATA, DECK, LNKD, LGF
5 February 2016- ATHN,CME, TSN, WY

January 24, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 had its first positive week on the year. However, despite being up 3 out of 4 trading sessions, there still seems to be a lot of fear in the markets. We had about a 100 point range from the highs to lows (1812-1906).

A lot of eyes are on the Asian Markets, as well as the world energy market. Crude Oil prices have had a nice bounce after trading below $30 per barrel. They finished the week up, about 7% or so. However, it’s too early to tell if the bottom is in or we’re just seeing a dead-cat bounce.

The VIX waited till Friday to sell-off hard. Overall, it closed the week more than 15% lower. With that said, it’s still trading above 22.

This is an incredibly busy week, which includes an army of earnings releases and economic data. Some of those highlights include the FOMC Meeting and GDP numbers on Friday. Earnings will cover several sectors including pharmaceuticals, energy, defense, technology, and transportation.

Reporting this week: Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Caterpillar (CAT), Halliburton (HAL), Eli Lilly (LLY), and a whole lot more.

Here’s what else is on tap:

Key Economic Data:
27 January 2016- New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET, FOMC Meeting Announcement 2:00 PM ET
28 January 2016- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
29 January 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET, International Trade in Goods 8:30n AM ET

Key Earnings:
25 January 2016- DHI, HAL, KMB, MCD, ASH, PKG, SWFT, ZION, STLD
26 January 2016- DD, COH, FCX, GLW, JNJ, JNS, LMT, MMM, PG, PH, WAT, AAPL, CB, COF, NAVI, SYK, T, X
27 January 2016- BA, CLF, EMC, NVS, STJ, STM, TUP, CAVM, CRUS, CTXS, FB, INVN, HOLX, JNPR, LRCX, MLNX, MCK, QCOM, PYPL, SNDK, TER, TSCO, TXN, URI, VRTX
28 January 2016- ABT, BMY, DGX, F, CAT, CELG, CY, DB, HOG, JBLU, LLY, NDAQ, UA, V, VLO, POT, NUE, HSY, AMZN, EA, FLEX, SYNA, SWKS, MSFT, NOC
29 January 2016- AAL, ABBV, PCAR, APD, CL, CVX, HON, MA, PCAR, PSX, XRX

January 18, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 continues to see heavy selling pressure this year, as we’re already down 8% thus far. Many attribute it to the slowdown in China; The Shanghai Composite Index is down more than 17% year-to-date.

In addition, crude oil prices continue to drop. They’re down over 20%, early in the new year. Cash crude oil prices are currently trading below $30 per barrel.

The VIX actually didn’t change much from last week, closing above 27.

For a four-day trading week, it’s pretty busy. On Tuesday, we’ll get China retail sales and GDP numbers. On Thursday, we’ve got the ECB interest rate decision. On top of that, we’ve got a ton of earnings being reported.

Reporting this week: Netflix (NFLX), Bank of America (BAC), Morgan Stanley (MS), IBM, Goldman Sachs (GS), Starbucks (SBUX), and a whole lot more.

Here’s what else is on tap:

Key Economic Data:
20 January 2016- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET
21 January 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET
22 January 2016- Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
19 January 2016- BAC, MS, SCHW, UN, UNH CREE, IBKR, IBM, LLTC, NFLX
20 January 2016- EAT, GS, FFIV, XLNX
21 January 2016- ALK, CP, LUV, VZ, ISRG, JBHT, MXIM, SBUX
22 January 2016- COL, GE, KSU, LM, SAP, SYF

Conferences:
20 January 2016- World Economic Forum in Davos (runs til 1/23)

January 14, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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In 2016, volatility is the name of the game. With that said, it was out in full force today. The S&P 500 traded in a range of 1878 to about 1934. Ultimately closing the day about 1.67% higher. Believe it or not, we’re nearly flat on the week now.

The VIX continues to stay elevated above 20, however; today it was down 5%, closing at 23.95.

Crude oil futures prices continue to hover around $30 per barrel. Lately, the equity markets have been selling off when energy does. Let’s see if that theme continues.

Stocks in play included: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) +6.2%, Solarcity (SCTY) -13.5%, and Abbvie (ABBV) +6.7%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Abbvie (ABBV). We also saw aggressive put buying in Workday (WDAY) .

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow:

Key Economic Data:
15 January 2016- PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
15 January 2016- BLK, C, FAST, RF, USB, WFC

Conferences:
15 January 2016- JPMorgan Healthcare Conference (runs till 1/15), UBS Greater China Conference (runs till 1/15)

January 12, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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It was another tremendous day of volatility in the markets. The S&P 500 traded between 1914 and 1947, ultimately closing the day .8% higher. Believe it or not, this marks the second straight up day on the week. But as mentioned earlier, the markets have been all over the place, swinging from positive to negative territory at rapid speeds.

The VIX sold off nearly 8%, closing above 22, at 22.47.

Crude oil futures prices went below $30 per barrel during the trading session. However, they were able to close above that level. It seems like for the last two years, traders have been trying to pick a bottom in crude oil with not a whole lot of success.

With that said, several oil and commodity related names were in play today: Freeport-Mcmoran (FCX) -5.4%, Sunedison (SUNE) -9.6%, Williams Companies (WMB) -12%

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ). We also saw aggressive put buying in Tandem Diabetes Care Inc (TNDM).

Here’s what’s up for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
14 January 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
15 January 2016- PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
13 January 2016- SVU
14 January 2016- JPM, INTC
15 January 2016- BLK, C, FAST, RF, USB, WFC

Conferences:
11 January 2016- JPMorgan Healthcare Conference (runs till 1/15), UBS Greater China Conference (runs till 1/15)
12 January 2016- Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conf (runs till 1/13), Needham Growth Conference (runs till 1/14)

January 10, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 is off to a rocky start, down nearly 6% in the year. Fears of a China slow-down, along with rising interest rates are possible reasons for the sell off. With that said, traders will be watching closely what happens in the Asian sessions.

In addition, crude oil prices continue to drop. They’re down over 10%, early in the new year. Crude oil futures prices are currently below $35 per barrel.

The VIX exploded, gaining over 9 points on the week, closing above 27.

If things weren’t volatile enough, earnings kick off this coming week. We are looking forward to results out of intel (INTC), as well as many of the big banks like Wells Fargo (WFC), JPMorgan (JPM), and Citigroup (C).

Here’s what else is going on:

Key Economic Data:
14 January 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
15 January 2016- PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
11 January 2016- AA
12 January 2016- CSX
13 January 2016- SVU
14 January 2016- JPM, INTC
15 January 2016- BLK, C, FAST, RF, USB WFC

Conferences:
11 January 2016- JPMorgan Healthcare Conference (runs till 1/15), UBS Greater China Conference (runs till 1/15)
12 January 2016- Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conf (runs till 1/13), Needham Growth Conference (runs till 1/14)