Stocks May Be At The Top End of The Range With No More Room To Rise
Monster Market Commentary

Stocks May Be At The Top End of The Range With No More Room To Rise

MONSTER STOCK MARKET COMMENTARY

February 3, 2021

STOCKS – AMZN, PYPL, V, AAPL

MACRO – SPY, QQQ, VXX

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Stocks finished the day higher, with the S&P 500 rising by around 10 bps. It actually wasn’t a strong day at all because the index reached 3,848 at the high, officially closing the gap from last week, and essentially turned lower as it finished at 3,830.

The gap-fill and the reversal could be a sign of trouble depicting what likely starts a gap fill lower on the SPX back to 3,785.

VIX (VXX)

The VIX fell dramatically today, closing at 22.9, a drop of more than 10%. It is stunning to me how quickly the VIX has fallen, given the lack of a move higher the S&P 500 has seen. For example, on November 3, the VIX was at 35.6, and it took about 10 days for it to fall to 23, versus 6 days this time around. The S&P 500 also rose nearly 8.5% back then, versus 3.3% currently. Very different positioning in the market, I guess.

As I was saying in today’s midday podcast and write-up for paying members, if the VIX is already at the bottom of the range, which, as we have talked about in the past, is around 21 to 23, then the S&P 500 will not have enough energy to push it new highs. (For paying subscribers – Midday Note: This May Be The Top End Of The Range For Stocks- First two-weeks are free to try.)

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)

The Qs actually fell on the day by around 40 bps, to close right on support at $326.25. It looks like the ETF is ready to break support and fill the gap around $323.50.

Amazon (AMZN)

Amazon fell by 2% today and likely has further to fall. It likely fills the gap back at $3,200. AWS was a big disappointment. AWS delivers too much operating income to Amazon, and without AWS delivering big numbers as it has in the past, I think the stock struggles to push higher.  (Should be free to read – Amazon Stock Faces Massive Challenges As AWS Disappoints)

PayPal (PYPL)

PayPal reported better than expected results. I wasn’t really impressed with the full-year guidance, especially given the stock’s valuation. But the market heard crypto-currencies and Venmo on the conference call, and the stock took-off. So is the stock breaking out or breaking down. Hard to tell at this moment in time. If the stock can hold these gains tomorrow, we could argue it is trying to break out. I can tell you the pattern isn’t a bullish one, a rising wedge, so at the moment, it could just as easily be a failed breakout attempt forming, so I’m not rushing to make a judgment.

Visa (V)

Could you imagine what would happen to Visa or Mastercard if they said they would let their customers have access to cryptocurrencies? How much would their stocks go up? Oh, wait, Visa actually said something to that effect today. Apparently, it doesn’t matter when Visa says it, because the stock was down 60 bps and struggled all day at $203.

Apple (AAPL)

So if Hyundai builds a car for Apple, is it an Apple or Hyundai car? It is a good question. Look, I own Apple, but it seems like suddenly everyone wants to make a car. We went from just a handful of car companies I could count on two hands to more car companies than I am even aware of. It was like when everyone was creating a streaming service or adding a dot.com to its name. It seems crazy to me. Personally, I think Apple should focus on other areas for growth, maybe like that TV they were supposed to work on a decade ago.

Anyway,

Mike

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