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Friday, August 31, 2007

The Dow rose 119 points today. Advance/declines were about 6 to 1 positive. The volume was light again. We were up around 175 at one point before profit taking and end of month gyrations appeared. Bernanke spoke and didn't say anything negative plus Bush came out with a plan to rescue homeowners. It was everything the bulls could hope for. The rally has everything but volume and I do not trust light volume rallies. But you cannot deny price and the summation index is solidly moving higher. Next week all the players will return and we will go from there. Gold was up $8 today and the XAU rose another 3 1/2 points. ABX was up over a dollar and the volume was OK for a summer Friday I guess. The dollar was flat so I don't know what caused gold to move. Perhaps it was end of the month movement and squaring. I'm still bullish on ABX calls and will be looking for an entry point although it may be too late. The weekly indicators haven't turned up yet which keeps me out for now. GE was up a half on average volume. Mentally I'm feeling OK. No positions to start next month and I'll check things over the long weekend. I'm still leaning towards getting some OEX puts if we get overbought before the employment report. But that could change. I'm looking forward to this little break before we get back to business.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Dow lost 50 points on light volume. Advance/declines were negative. We opened down around 100 came all the way back to be up around 25 and fell back again. The light volume skews the moves and it is impossible to get a handle on things from my perspective. I dumped the OEX puts for a 20% loss with 10% due to slow execution from the online brokerage website. But what can you do? That doesn't usually happen but it's something that could happen at any time. It wasn't a lot of money so that's a plus. I might try the puts again if a valid signal occurs. Bernanke is speaking tomorrow but it is a Friday before a holiday weekend. Anything could happen. Gold was off over a buck and the XAU lost a half. ABX was down 40 cents. The volume in the gold shares was light too. I'm going to try the ABX calls again eventually. GE lost 30 cents on light volume. I have an idea there for the calls if we get back to the weekly up trend line. I do think it will hold. But who knows? I've been wrong before. Mentally I'm tired. Did not sleep well again. The volatility takes its toll also. I'll be glad when tomorrows market day is done and I can relax for a few days. The summation index is pointing up and implies higher prices. Some other indicators are mixed. At the moment my thought is to get some OEX puts again if we rally into the employment report next Friday. It is not that far away. The small loss I took today was basically a bad entry trade. I was early. I did have chances to get out with a small profit during the duration of the trade but was greedy. Timing is everything in the game usually. Keeping the losses small is one of the keys. On to tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The volatility continues on Wall Street as we rallied back up 247 points. This time advance/declines were 7 to 1 positive. The volume was light again and that is the problem here. You can't trust the moves without the volume. So the market gets whipped around from day to day. Who knows about tomorrow? My OEX puts are back in the red. Greed kills. I think I'll just get out tomorrow and step aside. There is no telling what Bernanke will say on Friday. There is a GDP report tomorrow. Gold was up a couple bucks but the XAU rallied 4 1/2 points. ABX was up a dollar. The volume was light here again. I'm thinking perhaps that I have missed the calls but there may be a chance. It's hard to tell without the volume. You can't argue with price action though. GE was up 60 cents on average volume. Mentally I'm a bit tired without a good nights sleep. I'm also not feeling good about not moving up the stop on the OEX trade when it was showing a small profit. You can always look back and say what you should have done. It doesn't matter after the fact but it is always good to go over the possible scenarios for the next time. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Dow took a hit today, down 280 points. Volume was light again as buyers took a day off. Advance/declines were 7 to 1 negative. Volatility increased and we went through the 200 day moving average line on the OEX. So perhaps we are going to retest the lows of mid-August after all. That was the scenario for the OEX put trade. Those are back in the black as now the question remains when to sell them. What is interesting is that even with todays action the technicals have barely rolled over. That could lead to quite a decline. But I don't think that's going to happen. I could be wrong. Perhaps everyone is just getting out to book the losses in August. That's a guess. I'll ponder these things this evening. Gold was down around 3 bucks and the XAU lost over 3 points. ABX lost over a buck on increased volume. There was a rumor of ABX buying NEM. So NEM was up big at one point on heavy volume. It did end higher but the rumor was squashed. I might get the ABX calls tomorrow if we get some follow through. I'm thinking that we will but the weekly chart is now bearish for ABX. Decisions will have to be made. GE lost almost a dollar on average volume. The calls I'm looking at aren't cheap enough for me yet. Mentally I didn't sleep all that well. Also todays action makes things a bit more puzzling. But I will check things out tonight and come up with some type of game plan for tomorrow. Not sure what that will be but I would expect at least some downside early. But you never know...

Monday, August 27, 2007

The Dow lost 56 points today on summer Monday light volume. Advance/declines were 2 to 1 negative. The overall market was weaker then the Dow. My OEX puts gained a little ground but I still think they need to be dumped this week at a loss. Bernanke is speaking on Friday and I don't think I'll wait that long. But who knows? Gold lost a little over a buck today and the XAU shed 3 points. Can't explain the weakness there except perhaps an overbought condition. ABX lost a buck on light volume. GE lost 40 cents on light volume. And that is part of the problem here. The volume has dried up. There really is no conviction one way or the other. My thinking is that the decline has ended but that could be wrong. Was today the beginning of the retest of the lows? Time will tell. Volatility has come back down and that will depress option premiums. So there are a lot of questions that need to be resolved. Mentally I'm feeling pretty good. It is the last week of summer. All the players will be back after Labor day and we'll get back down to business...

Friday, August 24, 2007

The Dow had a good day up 142 points. Advance/declines were 3 to 1 positive. The only thing missing was the volume which was light. The shorts got squeezed, meaning me. The OEX puts I have are about to be stopped out. I never trust light volume rallies except for the fact that it is the summer and now for some reason things have slowed down. We also broke the daily down trend line today to the upside. However the volume really doesn't confirm it. But you can't argue with price. The summation index is pointing towards higher prices longer term. So the OEX trade becomes a cut the loss affair at this point. It's all you can do. The timing wasn't correct. Gold was up 9 bucks today and the XAU gained over 3 points. ABX was up a half and the volume was light. I would have liked to see better volume there. But like the overall market perhaps the sellers are gone. GE was up around 40 cents on average volume. The indices closed on their highs so we should see some follow through Monday morning. We are overbought and staying there which I did not expect following the recent sharp decline. Perhaps there won't be any retest of the lows. That's what I was counting on. Fortunately the recent volatility combined with the extra week on the options means I haven't lost that much on the OEX puts as yet. I'll have to bail out next week even if they don't get stopped out. Mentally I'm doing OK. My thinking is that we have seen the lows for this decline last week. I could be wrong. I will be looking to buy calls on any down draft. That seems to be the guess for the scenario going forward. For now it's the weekend and time to take a break...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Dow ended basically unchanged today. We opened higher, went lower and then came back. Advance/declines were even and the volume was light. The OEX puts I have lost some value. We are still at the down trend line. At this rate I think that it could be broken to the upside. Now tomorrow becomes important. Although I feel that I have until Tuesday for this to work. I could be wrong. A couple economic reports out tomorrow. Gold was little changed and the XAU lost 1 1/2. ABX was down over a half. If I get a chance I'll buy some ABX calls again. GE ended slightly higher. Volume was lighter then lately. Mentally I'm doing OK. Slept well. I might have been early on getting the puts but I had to stick to the game plan. They don't always work. The OEX trades much more compressed then individual issues. The pace is quicker. Decisions must be made faster. It is a more difficult instrument to trade. But it does offer opportunities and that's why you trade it. We'll see...

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The Dow soared 145 points today. Volume was light again. Advance/declines were 4 to 1 positive. We are right at the recent downtrend line for the OEX. I bought some OEX puts. This looks to be a scalp trade the way the market is acting at the moment. We are short term overbought. There is a possibility that we just continue higher, breaking the trend line and turning all signs positive. That isn't the scenario that I have in mind but it could happen. The summation index is now pointing higher also. Tomorrow will make or break this trade most likely. We'll see. Gold was up around $3 and the XAU climbed almost 5 points. Obviously I sold the ABX calls a day early. ABX was up over a buck on light volume. It seems as though there aren't any more sellers all of a sudden. It's always easy to look back and say you should have done something different. But it doesn't matter now. I'll look to buy those calls again on a pull back. GE was up over 3/4 on good volume. That will help support the market here. So where do we go from here? If we continue higher tomorrow like today, then all signs will point to the decline being over. There is a chance that this will happen. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Mentally I'm doing OK. The plan was to get short at the down trend line and I've stuck to that. Whether or not it works is another story. On to tomorrow...

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The Dow dropped 30 points today on light volume. Advance/declines were positive and the overall market was higher. We are about to be short term overbought if not already there. It hasn't happened for a while. I don't think that a large decline is imminent but who knows. I really think that the next OEX trade is a short from the daily down trend line but we are not there yet. But I'd expect some weakness here soon. Gold was little changed again and the XAU rose about a point. ABX was up around 30 cents on light volume. I sold the calls I had for a 40% profit. They could move higher from here of course but if the overall market gets weak as I expect it will take the gold shares with it. I'll look to buy the calls again on a dip. I still think that trade has potential for the next few weeks. I could be wrong but it still appears to be a buy signal for the gold shares. GE was up a touch on average volume. Perhaps will get long on a pullback to the weekly up trend line. It all depends. The McClellan oscillator should turn positive today for the first time in weeks. The summation index also should be turning as well. Regardless, I expect the decline to continue unless we break through the down trend lines in the indices. That would change things. Hasn't happened yet. Mentally I'm feeling OK. Perhaps was a bit early on my exit from the latest trade but I do believe there will be another entry point. I would really like to see things slow down here for a couple of weeks but the market will do what it does. I'll just have to be prepared for anything and take it from there.

Monday, August 20, 2007

The Dow gained 42 points on light volume. Advance/declines were positive. We were both up and down about 100 points during the session. The overall market was weaker then the Dow. Can't say I have a good feel for what happens next. I'll wait for the indices to get to the recent down trend lines and take it from there. Gold was basically unchanged but the XAU rose around 2 1/2. ABX was up over 1 1/4 on OK volume. NEM barely moved. No reason for ABX to be so strong that I can see. The calls I bought last week are showing a profit. The question is when to sell these things. It's probably best to dump them when we get short term overbought but we're not there yet. Perhaps I can buy them back later. We'll see. GE was down a 1/4. Mentally I'm feeling good with a good nights sleep. I'll need to check the charts again tonight to get some type of feel for what comes next. I don't think the decline is over but we could go sideways here for a while. It is also possible that the decline is over. There should be a retest of last weeks low at some point. What happens there will be the key for the future. If it holds then the bottom is in. If it doesn't then we will head on down lower. That's my best guess at this point.

Friday, August 17, 2007

We had a nice expiration relief rally today with the Dow up 233 points. Advance/declines were about 7 to 1 positive. The only thing missing was the volume, which was light. The Fed cut the discount rate. Has the decline ended? That's the question of the day. It's probably over for a couple of weeks perhaps. But of course there will be surprises along the way. I can't say that it is completely over just yet. September can be a down month a lot of the time due to lack of money flows. Plus the volume on the rally is suspect. We are at the least going to eventually test the lows of yesterday. Gold snapped back $8 but it wasn't that great in my opinion. The dollar lost some ground also due to the rate cut. ABX and NEM were both up around 40 cents on good volume. I would have liked to see more upside. The gold share buy signal is still intact but it doesn't feel like a rally will occur at the moment really. My options didn't move. I'll need to see some better progress to the upside here or I might just bail out. GE had a great day, up 1 1/4 on very heavy volume. Perhaps it was a flight to quality. The weekly up trend line has held for now. Perhaps that will be the place to get long. At this point it looks like it. We should retest that as well and that could be the spot to purchase calls. We'll see. Mentally I feel fine with a good nights sleep. This was quite a week and I suspect we will slow down for the rest of August. That's just a guess because this market is nervous. September options have an extra week on them, plus the recent volatility which will keep the premiums high. There will be opportunities as there were in August. As always you just have to keep going in the game. But for now it's the weekend and time for a short break before we see what next week brings...

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Another wild day on Wall Street. We ended the day down 15 points after being off well over 300 points. Advance/declines were negative and the volume was heavy again. It's possible that today marked a short term bottom. Only time will tell. I don't think it's thee bottom but we could hold up for a few days. There's a short term buy signal in effect. We could also go down 500 points tomorrow, that's what kind of market that we are in. Gold got shellacked today, off $20. I did say yesterday that there was a buy signal for gold according to an indicator I follow. That hasn't changed. I had an overnight order in for some ABX calls based on that and ABX got clobbered today, down 1 1/2. It was a point lower then that early in the day. I had put in an order with the expectation that it wouldn't get filled and I would adjust it. Well it got filled of course with a day like today. Even with ABX down, it's showing a small profit. The volatility keeps the premiums higher then usual. The XAU was down almost 7. So who knows what will happen tomorrow. My thinking is that this trade will work. We'll get some type of snap back in gold between now and when these calls expire I believe. So we'll see. GE is holding the weekly up trend line for now and rose 30 cents on heavy volume. Mentally I'm a bit tired without a good nights sleep. Expiration tomorrow and as usual anything can happen. It certainly has been an interesting summer so far...

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Somewhat of a roller coaster ride today with the Dow off 167 points at the close. We were up 90 at one point. Advance/declines over 5 to 1 negative again with even lighter volume then yesterday. There is actually a buy signal on one of my indicators here. I don't know if I'm going to try it. Only 2 days left until expiration. It certainly isn't a trade I'd be confident of but we'll see. There's also a chance it just keeps going down. The economic releases don't matter right now as something big behind the scenes continues. We haven't had that final blow-off to the downside yet. I'm thinking it won't be until next month. Gold didn't do much today but the XAU fell hard again, down almost 6 points. NEM held up better then ABX. ABX was off over a point. I am actually getting a buy signal for the gold shares here relative to gold. I am thinking of putting in an overnight order for some October calls. We'll see. GE lost over 3/4 and is almost to the weekly up trend line. At this rate it won't hold but that remains to be seen. Like the rest of the market there are many more unknowns out there then usual. How long can the decline last? A 10% correction on the Dow is 250 points away. The fear level is pretty high already. Perhaps that will do it. But that's just a guess and certainly nothing to trade off of. The VIX is at 30 and could go higher. Mentally I'm trying to not do anything stupid. Like trade the OEX with 2 days left. Especially in a market like this. I do think a bounce is coming before the close on Friday. Trading it is another question.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Another interesting day in the markets with the Dow losing 207 points. Advance/declines were over 5 to 1 negative but the volume was lighter then we have seen again recently. We closed near the low of the day and that is never a good sign. We also need to hold 665 on the OEX or near term support is broken. We closed around 664. Unless we rally at the open tomorrow there will be trouble. There is talk now of money market funds that are in trouble and that, if true, would be a real problem. So we'll see what happens. Gold lost around a buck today but again the XAU was down, this time by over 4 1/2 points. ABX and NEM both lower but the volume wasn't all that heavy. The dollar was higher and although gold itself didn't react, the gold shares did. I'll need to check the charts here but there is no hurry to get the gold shares with the stock market in collapse mode. GE lost a half on good volume. No hurry there either but an up trend line on a weekly basis is approaching. Decisions will have to be made then. At this point it doesn't feel as though it will hold but we'll see. Mentally I'm feeling OK, slept OK. Would like to try something here but there really aren't any decent signals at the moment and it is expiration week. It is a different kind of market at the moment. The normal indicators won't react or perform the way they usually would. This has to be taken into consideration. It doesn't hurt to be even a bit more cautious in such an environment. As I said earlier, the way I see it we either rally from the bell tomorrow or there will be trouble. Interesting times...

Monday, August 13, 2007

It was a relatively quiet day as the Dow only lost 3 points. Advance/declines were about even and the volume slowed down compared to lately. We did open higher and close lower and that's not a good sign usually. The overall market was a touch weaker. If we stay up for the next couple of days, I'll probably try a short. But it is expiration week. The risk right now seems to outweigh any potential short term gain. We'll see. Gold didn't do much today either but the XAU lost over a point. Volume was lighter here as well. ABX and NEM were both off around 3/4. The dollar was stronger today. GE didn't do much either, its pattern mirrored the overall market. Mentally I'm a bit tired. But there are no excuses. The game plan will be to get short at some point this week perhaps. Todays action doesn't really fit into that scenario. There are a lot of bears at the moment and that might produce a rally. But I don't know. Whatever has been going on lately is pretty big. We are holding the 200 day moving average on the major indices but a break of that will be trouble. The Russell 2000 has already broken through and is sometimes the leader, both up and down. So it's a waiting game at this point really. Without a good signal there isn't any gain in taking unnecessary chances. That said, there is always a possibility that a good set up will emerge this week. Time will tell...

Friday, August 10, 2007

The week has ended. The Dow lost 31 points on the now usual extremely heavy volume. Advance/declines were negative. We moved all over the place. Sold off early and came back. Are the markets manipulated? I have seen these types of conditions before. They will do whatever they can to stem off a panic. We haven't even gone down 10% from the high set a few weeks ago. But it feels like a crash. My guess is, judging from todays action, that they will hold it in here for now. The indices will have a bullish candlestick chart day today. If we can follow through to the upside Monday then I think the worst is over for now. So we'll see. That doesn't mean it's over, that's just my guess based on today. Gold was up $10 and the XAU rose a point and a half. Volume was heavy. It's hard to try and figure what to do here so I'm staying out for now. ABX continues to impress, up a half on good volume. The weekly chart looks toppy here or I would get the calls. I probably will down the road. GE lost around 3/4 and it was off almost a dollar more then that earlier. The volume was twice the norm. This issue will have a bullish hammer or hamari on it's daily candlestick chart with strong volume. This usually means the bottom is in. So we'll see. Mentally I'm a bit tired, not a good nights sleep. Not to mention the volatility which really takes a lot out of you on a day to day basis. But you just keep going. Expiration week is on tap. Who knows what will happen? I think we will bounce early in the week but that's just a guess as usual. For now it's the weekend and a chance to catch your breath.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

The Dow got clobbered today, down 387 points. The volume looks incredibly heavy as it was a couple of weeks ago. Advance/declines were 3 to 1 negative. We are heading down to test the lows and at this rate, they won't hold. But we'll see. The question is, who is going to want to hold stocks over the weekend? Just how long will this go on? Don't know. The McClellan oscillator almost made it positive yesterday but it didn't. So the summation index remains downward. Tomorrow will be interesting. Gold was down $13 as it was liquidated to cover losses elsewhere. The XAU was off 4 1/4. NEM was off almost a buck but ABX was only down around 30 cents. ABX was off almost a dollar at one point and came all the way back. The relative strength is back with ABX and that is a place to look. GE lost about a buck and a half on heavy volume. It's still far from the target I'm looking at to get long. Mentally I'm feeling OK with a good nights sleep. The volatility is getting extreme. That is just the type of market it is at the moment. I had an idea for the puts yesterday but wasn't filled. I'll be looking for calls at some point if a good signal occurs. There is no rush to do anything and next week is expiration. Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

OK, it's just getting a little too crazy for me. We ended up 153 points on the Dow with extremely heavy volume again. Advance/declines were 2 to 1 positive. In the last 2 hours we were up over 180 points, moved into negative territory and then roared back to finish over 150 points up on the day. I had an order in for OEX puts that didn't get filled. Of course when we started to drop I wished that I had adjusted it. An hour later when we came back, I was glad I didn't. And there lies the problem with this market and attempting to trade it here. It is out of control volatility. It's happening for a reason and I still don't know what that is. The McClellan oscillator might have made it back into positive territory today and the summation index is perhaps starting to turn around. Those are positives if they occur. I still feel that the lows will be tested, I'm just not sure if that's the next trade now. Gold rose $4 today as the dollar was weaker even though interest rates went higher. The XAU was up 4 points. Both ABX and NEM had good days. Could it be time for the calls here? GE had another good day and is back over $40. Could it be that the decline is over and we just go up from here? It's possible I suppose. Perhaps it will be a repeat of last year when September and October were up months. However nothing can be discounted in a market like this. The trading is perilous. It's frustrating and tougher then usual to do. The smart thing to do is tread lightly until things calm down. Which isn't about to happen anytime soon with option expiration next week.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

It was another crazy day in the markets with the Dow ending up 35 points. Advance/declines were positive and the volume was very heavy again. The overall market was stronger then the Dow. We were both up and down over 100 points during the day. The volatility remains one of the key issues right now. It's possible that the decline is now over but I do think a retest of the lows is in order. The Fed left rates unchanged and had its usual blabbering statement. The market sold off and came back. It's been an interesting summer. Gold was off a buck but the XAU rose over a point. ABX and NEM both ended higher with fractional gains. They too moved all over the place during the day. Volume was OK there, nothing great. The dollar is holding up here so far. The XAU seems to just be following whatever the market does at this point. GE was up on good volume. I'm not looking to trade that issue here just yet. However it has turned around and perhaps my scenario there will not come to pass. Mentally I'm a bit tired, did not sleep well. Also the volatility day after day takes its toll. As I've said before the moves become compressed and you really have to pay attention. You need to have a game plan and stick to it. Anything else won't work. This week has started out very positive but where will it end? We'll see...

Monday, August 06, 2007

The Dow soared 286 points today on very heavy volume. We broke through the short term down trend line. That's a good sign for the bulls. However the advance/declines were only slightly positive. That's not really what you want to see to get bullish. Today was good but it was probably a lot of short covering before the Fed. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ rose along with the Dow and that is a positive. The 200 day moving average held for the OEX. There are 2 weeks left in this option cycle. We will get a retest of the lows I believe and that could be the next trade. However the volatility is just so extreme there is nothing wrong with waiting it out until we return to a more orderly market. Preservation of capital. Mitigation of risk. These are things to keep in mind. Gold was down a bit over a buck today. The XAU sold off pretty good but came back to be down only 2 points. ABX and NEM both were down pretty good early and came back too. However with the market in a huge rally, up almost 300 points, you would have liked to see the gold shares participate. I would like to get long gold again at some point. GE had a stellar day, up a buck on heavy volume. Could today be that day that turns things around? Maybe. Mentally, I got a good nights sleep. I haven't got a good signal one way or the other here. Today was huge but is it the beginning of a new bull market? Again, the volatility is so high that nothing can be certain. Of course we were oversold but now are we overbought? When in doubt, stay out. Will there be better circumstances down the road? Of course. Will there be some money to be made here? Yes, but it won't be easy.

Friday, August 03, 2007

The Dow ended the week down 281 points today on extra heavy volume again. Advance/declines were 5 to 1 negative. We took out the recent lows on the close so we'll see where we end up this time. Monday should be interesting. These aren't the normal times in the market but when is it ever normal? There is something happening but what, I don't know. I'm on the sidelines for now. Gold was up over $8 but the XAU dropped 2 3/4. NEM was down but ABX closed higher. That's impressive in a market like this and I will look there eventually for the next gold trade. The gold shares are following the overall market. GE lost almost a buck. Mentally I'm doing OK. So where do we go from here? I'll check the charts again over the weekend. I know some of the indices are at or near their 200 day moving averages. Perhaps some have broken through. It would help things for the bullish case if we could find a way to hold here. I'm hearing a bit more panic in the news which would mean a bottom could be near. But I don't know. It's all just a guessing game in a market like this. I do have an idea of what I'd like to do next but there's no rush one way or the other. No summer doldrums this year but at least it's the weekend...

Thursday, August 02, 2007

The Dow rose 100 points today on extra heavy volume again. Advance/declines were almost 2 to 1 positive. We are working off the extremely oversold condition of late. There will be a retest of the lows and that will let us know where we stand. That could be the next trade. Gold was little changed. Earnings came out and ABX rallied early, NEM didn't do much. I dumped the NEM calls for a 70% loss. No sense in holding those anymore. They were losers from the start, off 50% the day after I bought them. Those trades never work out. The market collapsed and the gold shares went with it. I still believe that the gold shares will be worth owning again but perhaps not at the moment. The dollar has held up lately but if and when it breaks 80, that will be the time to own gold. GE ended up slightly, the volume was nothing special. I'm going to wait there. Mentally I feel fine and am looking for the next trade. It is always good to dump your losers. You don't use up anymore mental capital on something that isn't going to work and you move on. As long as you stick to the money management parameters you can stay in the game. There are no sure things. The question is where we go from here. I have a target in mind for the OEX but that could change. I'll try and be patient for a decent signal. We'll see what the markets have to say.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The Dow came back in the last hour, probably on short covering and was up 150 points. Advance/declines were negative and the volume was extremely heavy again. The overall market wasn't as strong as the Dow. Is the decline over? That's a guessing game. We did make a lower low in the indices with the McClellan oscillator higher. That's a short term positive. But the volatility is so high at the moment and the moves compressed that it's anybodies guess as to what happens next. Gold was down over $3 and the XAU dropped 3 1/3. NEM ended down on the day but it could have been worse. It too came back in the last half hour along with the market. Volume was heavy. ABX dropped also. Earnings for NEM tomorrow and I should really just bail out regardless. We'll see. Taking the loss would be the prudent thing to do. GE ended up a 1/4 on heavy volume and made the same final hour comeback. Mentally I'm feeling OK. We are in an interesting period for the markets at the moment. The trouble is that you really don't know what is going on but you know it's something. The uncertainty and the speed at which movements occur has changed dramatically. It makes the trading harder then it already is. As if you needed that. It also presents opportunities and situations to be taken advantage of. Interesting times...