Basic materials have bounced back from concerns of a global slowdown led by China that never materialized. Steel has been a relative outperformer in this recovery, as evidenced by the chart below comparing United States Steel (NYSE: X) and metallurgical coal producer Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR). X is up… Read More

The proximity of resource-rich Australia to China makes it an important barometer for the strength of the Chinese economy. Australian dollars were even held as a bullish play on China until the renminbi was liberalized. The Aussie dollar just hit a fresh two-month low on Monday following Federal Reserve taper… Read More

The proximity of resource-rich Australia to China makes it an important barometer for the strength of the Chinese economy. Australian dollars were even held as a bullish play on China until the renminbi was liberalized. The Aussie dollar just hit a fresh two-month low on Monday following Federal Reserve taper… Read More

The major indices have been knocking down psychological round numbers on this record run to new all-time highs. The Dow surpassed 16,000, while the S&P 500 took out 1,800. And while not a new all-time high, the Nasdaq topped 4,000 on Monday for the first time since September 2000. Tech… Read More

The major indices have been knocking down psychological round numbers on this record run to new all-time highs. The Dow surpassed 16,000, while the S&P 500 took out 1,800. And while not a new all-time high, the Nasdaq topped 4,000 on Monday for the first time since September 2000. Tech… Read More

If your dining table looks anything like mine, and kitchen for that matter, the markings of one retailer are all over it. The catalogue clutter and products from Pottery Barn, West Elm and others highlight how specialty retailers have mastered the direct-to-customer business for home products. Parent company William-Sonoma (NYSE:… Read More

Shares of J. C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) hit an extreme low of $6.24 on Oct. 22, and then bounced to above $9 in less than a month. That capitulation session seems to have put in a bottom in this battered retailer. Prices have not been this low since 2000, and… Read More

In the past five years, SPDR S&P Homebuilders (NYSE: XHB) has surged more than 250% from its bear market lows. While the pace of the recovery rally may have slowed, the sector ETF is up 22% in the past year. Homebuilder DR Horton (NYSE: DHI) is up… Read More

One of the most beaten-down sectors this year, metals and mining, seems to be on the rebound. SPDR S&P Metals & Mining (NYSE; XME) has rallied 27% from its June lows and currently sits near $40, just above the midpoint of its 52-week price action between roughly $32 and $47. Read More

Crude oil is trading at its lowest level since June, dropping below the psychologically important $100-a-barrel mark. The macro energy picture is more positive, however, with only a minimal technical retracement in the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE) from its recent highs. The fund is currently trading at the… Read More

A once-promising recovery in the share price of BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) from the $6 level in 2012 to highs above $18 in early 2013 has come full circle, with shares again making new lows near $6. Stocks often come back to major technical breakout points, which then act as support… Read More

Higher highs are no surprise to those who have embraced the market trend since the 2009 extreme lows. The scoreboard shows a 140% gain in the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and a 165% return for the broad-market S&P 500 index since the bear market lows. But the leading index,… Read More