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COMMENTARY for Wednesday
TODAY'S ACTION for Wednesday
Rick's Picks for Wednesday
My expectation of a big stock-market rally in the wake of a Coakley loss appears to have been a step behind Wall Street. Index futures are down slightly at 10:35 p.m., even though Scott Brown has been declared the winner. It’s a clear case of ”buy the rumor, sell the news,” although I can’t imagine the selling accelerating overnight, since the news itself, with its implication that a do-nothing balance has been restored to Congress, could not possibly be construed by investors as any worse for America than a filibuster-proof Democratic majority. In any event, the path of least resistance is bound to be higher, which would put in play an 1164.50 rally target. It’s midpoint sibling, a Hidden Pivot resistance at 1145.50, is putting up a fight at the moment, but I doubt that it will be able to resist the bullish tide come morning.
The bullish pattern shown in the chart projects to 11048, and although the target isn’t so compelling that I’d suggest shorting up there with the usual ultratight stop-loss, it will do just fine as a minimum upside objective. Its sibling midpoint lies at 10639, implying that an 86-point selloff from here should be viewed as a buying opportunity. More immediately, however, we should watch for signs of a top at 10739, just a hair above yesterday’s high. That’s the target of a smaller bullish pattern, and it could prove to be more than just a minor impediment. If the futures close above it for two consecutive days, though, I’d infer that 11048 had become an odds-on bet.
Against the round lot of stock we hold for 11.01, we shorted a February 29 call yesterday for 0.60 and bought a Feb 24 put for 0.35. The price we received for the call was less than I’d anticipated, but because it’s a covered write, and because have such a large profit built into the position already, the extra dime we did not receive won’t make much difference. Now, I’d suggest working the P&L numbers with the stock at various prices on February 19, when the options expire. As you will see, our gain on the position will increase under a wide variety of circumstances, and if Akamai falls apart we’ll be well protected.
The 1106.90 downside target broached here yesterday is looking increasingly magnetic, along with another at 1111.30 that can be used as a minimum downside target through Thursday. Alternatively, the futures would still need to hit 1154.00 today or tomorrow to suggest that the tide is about to turn again in bulls’ favor.
Silver is still acting more bullish than Gold, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it can go its separate way higher. Regardless, we’re stuck with an 18.715 rally target until such time as the target’s point ‘C’ at 18.475 has been exceeded to the downside. For Silver to get in bearish gear with gold, the March contract would need to fall below 18.400 today.
Having waited out our fanciful January 230 calls, Apple now appears hell-bound for the lofty target we’d originally bet on. I’m now looking for a pop to at least 228.69, subject to possible midpoint interference at 216.39. Camouflage will be tough to come by in the wake of yesterday’s 8.47-point short-squeeze, but I’d suggest shorting the target only if you’ve caught a piece of the rally to it.
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Health Bill Looks Dead No Matter What
by Rick Ackerman on January 20, 2010 5:22 am GMT · 12 comments
[Bulletin: As we went to press, Brown has been declared the winner by ABC News, and Coakley has conceded. Today’s commentary can nonetheless stand as is.] There were no voting results to speak of early Tuesday evening, but that didn’t stop pundits from shifting into high gear with speculation about the implications of a Republican win in Massachusetts. The pundits ran with the hypothetical story simply because it was far more interesting than the dog-bites-man drivel that will result if Democrat Martha Coakley bests Scott Brown in the special election to fill Teddy Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat. As of late » Read the full article