In just two days the S&P 500 has jumped 4.4%, leaving behind another ‘V' bottom. After all, the average up move in the index is only 5.1%:
Historically, the index has not averaged much of a gain over the next several weeks:
Institutional traders have probably already taken their positions in major stocks going into the end of the year, and with not only quarterly earnings, but yearly earnings announcements coming up in several weeks, a cautious mood may take hold.
So at this point, do you chase stocks or wait for a pullback that may never happen?
Both approaches have drawbacks. An alternative is to look for quality stocks that you don't normally see mentioned in the news a lot. They may not have made big moves, yet.
While the above S&P 500 seasonal table doesn't show much near term potential, notice that the track record over the next 4 to 6 months shows a decent net gain.
This is a good time to pick up quality stocks to hold for the longer term. But with quarterly and yearly earnings coming up, a conservative approach would be to pick up modest initial positions and add to them after positive earnings announcements.
In today's Seasonal Forecaster newsletter I cover a quiet stock that you don't hear mentioned very often. But it has just broken above resistance on very positive news, has very good fundamentals, and has averaged a 28% gain over the next 20 weeks with gains in 10 out of the past 10 years.
Of course, there's much more you need to know and many more stocks you can capitalize upon each and every day. To find out more, please click on the following link: www.markettamer.com/seasonal
By Gregg Harris, MarketTamer Chief Technical Strategist
Copyright (C) 2014 Stock & Options Training LLC
Unless indicated otherwise, at the time of this writing, the author has no positions in any of the above-mentioned securities.
Gregg Harris is the Chief Technical Strategist at MarketTamer.com with extensive experience in the financial sector.
Gregg started out as an Engineer and brings a rigorous thinking to his financial research. Gregg's passion for finance resulted in the creation of a real-time quote system and his work has been featured nationally in publications, such as the Investment Guide magazine.
As an avid researcher, Gregg concentrates on leveraging what institutional and big money players are doing to move the market and create seasonal trend patterns. Using custom research tools, Gregg identifies stocks that are optimal for stock and options traders to exploit these trends and find the tailwinds that can propel stocks to levels that are hidden to the average trader.
The content on any of Market Tamer websites, products, or communication is for educational purposes only. Nothing in its products, services, or communications shall be construed as a solicitation and/or recommendation to buy or sell a security. Trading stocks, options, and other securities involve risk. The risk of loss in trading securities can be substantial. The risk involved with trading stocks, options and other securities are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, an investor must evaluate his/her own personal financial situation and consider all relevant risk factors. See: Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (http://www.optionsclearing.com/publications/risks/riskstoc.pdf). The www.MarketTamer.com educational training program and software services are provided to improve financial understanding.
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