TommyIV's TSP Talk Blog

Seasonality further propelled stocks to higher highs this week but offbeat action on the short Friday strengthened the bear argument of coming weakness. Both the bulls and the bears may be hoping for some pull-back next week. Stocks are becoming overbought so a pull-back would set up entry points for optimistic bulls while confirming the bear's inclination that markets have reached their peaks. But markets can be unreasonable and chaotic. Those you have held stocks this year or even just the last ...

Signs of trouble in trade negotiations put an end to stock's weekly streak of gains. Reports that China was not as willing as initially thought to proceed with the terms of the phase one deal sent fear throughout investors that trade progress was about to be derailed again. What was suppose to be a deal that would be complete within two months of its inception, 'phase one' is now potentially forecasted to be completed next year. You can clearly see in the weekly chart below when that made the news. ...

A mostly lackluster week ends with a rally on the final trading day to push the three major large cap indices into record highs. Earnings were winding down this week and a shortage of market driving news kept the action this week in a flat tight range jumping between gains and losses. It seemed the quiet action was a sign buyers were running out of gas (cash worth putting to work), but President Trump's economic advisor Lawrence Kudlow commented on progress toward a trade deal and the Federal Reserve ...

A blanket of optimisms about trade progress drove money out the safer havens like bonds and into stocks this week. Remarks of progress from the U.S. Commerce Secretary over the weekend pushed stock prices to new highs to start the week. China's Commerce Ministry's spokesmen sent large caps to higher highs Thursday by saying the phase one trade deal included both U.S. and China canceling an equal amount of tariffs. Prices faded when the Trump Administration did not confirm these claims although damage ...

Market prices ebbed and flowed this week where the final flow was a surge to all time highs for large cap stocks. Friday's record closing price was the third (Monday and Wednesday) record close of the week for the S&P 500. This was the fourth straight week of gains for the index. Investors deciphered through an array of news and data to justify trading stocks at record prices. The lineup in review included more earnings reports, the Federal Reserve's third consecutive rate cut, consumer and manufacturing ...