Mar 12:  The Dow was flat, Nasdaq lost .1%.  Separation between groups was 2.1%.

Retails were strongest today...up .9%.  Stocks with strong volume over the last few days fared well.  Cheap stocks and volatiles outperformed.

On the negative side, stocks with a strong tendency to close near their highs were weakest...down 1.1%.  Banks were hurt.  The business services group also finished with losses. 

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Mar 11:  Both the Dow and Nasdaq gained .4%.  Separation between groups was 2.4%.

Stocks that closed well below their highs in the previous session were strongest today...up 1.5%.  Yearlong losers fared well...something of a shift in recent trading patterns.  Stocks with large increases in volume over the last few days gained nicely.  Banks outperformed.

On the negative side, stocks with short term averages well over long term averages were weakest...down .9%.  Last Monday's big gainers reversed. 

Bearing in mind that Fridays have a stronger tendency to reverse recent trends than other days of the week, the above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Mar 10:  The Dow was flat, Nasdaq gained .8%.  Separation between groups was 2%.

Stocks with large gains (at least 36%) over the last month were strongest today...up 1.9%.  Volatile stocks fared well.  Yesterday's big winners continued upwards...momentum strategies have fared well recently.  Cheap stocks round out the list.

We only identified one group that showed losses...food processing and miscellaneous fabricated products lost .1%.  Non-volatiles, not surprisingly, failed to keep up with the general market.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Mar 9:  The Dow gained .1%, Nasdaq .4%.  Separation between groups was 2.4%.

Stocks that have strongly outperformed their best trading partners over the last month were strongest today...up 1.9%.  Volatile stocks gained nicely.  Stocks with weak performances this time last year reversed.  Transport-related stocks reversed yesterday's weakness.

On the negative side, nothing of great significance developed.  Semiconductors lost around .3%.  Stocks with weakness over the last month continued downwards.  Metals and mining and oil stocks did not impress.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Mar 8:  The Dow lost .1%, Nasdaq gained .2%.  Separation between groups was 2.3%.

Stocks with high book values relative to stock price were strongest today...up 1.7%.  REITs fared well.  Cheap stocks and volatiles outperformed.  Stocks with large losses over the last three months beat the market.

On the negative side, nothing of great significance emerged, with one of our proprietary indicators "predicting" losses as great as .5%.  Transport-related stocks were weak.  Biotechs underperformed.  Large caps and expensive stocks round out the list.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Mar 5:  The Dow gained 1.2%, Nasdaq 1.5%.  We had the market up 1.9%. Separation between groups was 2.9%.

Stocks with a strong recent tendency to close near their highs were strongest today...up 3.7%.  Those with big gains over the last week continued to fare well.  One month and one year gainers also outperformed.  Stocks with weak performances this time last year were strong this time around.

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money.  Biotechs were weakest, gaining a mere .8%.  Non-volatiles lagged, of course.  Stocks with weak yearlong gains (no better than 9%) underperformed.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Mar 4:  Both the Dow and Nasdaq gained .5%.  Separation between groups was 2.3%.

Retails were strongest today...up 1.8%.  Stocks with strong performances on Tuesday repeated.  Stocks with large increases in volume in the previous session outperformed.

On the negative side, oils lost as much as .5%. 

The above trends are slightly positive as indicators for the next session.

Mar 3:  The Dow lost .1%, Nasdaq was flat.  We had the market up .3%.  Separation between groups was 2.4%.

Nothing of great significance emerged on the positive side of the market.  Stocks trading around $5.00 fared well.  Volatile stocks outperformed.  Oils and metals and mining stocks beat the market again.

On the negative side, banks lost .4%.  Non-volatiles tended to lose money.

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Mar 2:  The Dow was flat, Nasdaq gained .3%.  We had the market up .9%.  Separation between groups was a mere 2.1%.

Stocks with a history of losses in this time slot were strongest today...up 2.1%.  Biotechs were strong, with oils and metals/mining not far behind.

On the negative side, stocks with big gains last Wednesday were weakest today...up a mere .1%.  Large caps lagged. 

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Mar 1:  The Dow gained .8%, Nasdaq 1.5%.  Separation between groups was 3.4%.

Stocks with big yearlong gains were strongest today...up a sweet 4%.  At the same time, those with large losses over the last week reversed nicely.  Biotechs fared well. 

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money.  Stocks with large profit margins were weakest...up a mere .6%.  Banks and REITs lagged.  Non-volatiles couldn't keep up with the market.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Feb 27 (Sat):  We have our data for the month of February.  Our own take on the market had it up a sweet 5.2%.

Stocks trading well over their prime resistance levels were strongest over the month...up as much as 11.1%.  Naturally, then, stocks with big yearlong gains continued upwards.  Stocks with large high-close differentials on the last trading day of January fared well.

On the negative side, we only identified one group that actually lost money...stocks that closed the month of January with unusually low volume lost less than .1%.  Yearlong losers were weak.  Banks and biotechs did not impress.  Free agents lagged.  Dividend payers round out our list. 

Feb 26:  The Dow gained .2%, Nasdaq .1%.  We had the market down .2%.  Separation between groups was 2.3%.

Nothing of great significance emerged on the positive side of the market.  Large caps and expensive stocks tended to outperform.  Transportation-related industries fared well.

On the negative side, stocks with big gains on Wednesday tended to reverse...down as much as 1.3%.  Small caps were weak.  Banking and insurance interests failed to impress. 

The above trends are neutral as indicators for the next session.

Feb 23:  The Dow lost 1%, Nasdaq 1.3%.  Separation between groups was 2.8%.

Stocks held by large numbers of institutions (relative to market cap) were strongest today...up .3%.  Small caps finished the day with small gains.  Free agents fared well.  Biotechs avoided big losses.

On the negative side, oils were weakest (down 2.4%), followed closely by metals and mining stocks.  Semiconductors were weak, reversing recent strength.  Stocks with big yearlong gains did not impress. 

The above trends are slightly negative for the next session.

Feb 22:  The Dow lost .2%, Nasdaq .1%.  Separation between groups was 2.4%.

Banks led gainers today...up 1.4%.  Stocks that have strongly underperformed their best trading partners over the last month fared well.  Small caps outperformed.

On the negative side, oils were the clear losers...down 1.1%.  Biotechs continued recent weakness.  Stocks trading well over their prime resistance levels did not impress.

The above trends are neutral for the next session.

Feb 19:  Both the Dow and Nasdaq gained .1%.  Separation between groups was 2.3%.

Stocks with large, if not extreme, losses over the last month were strongest today...up 1.6%.  Yesterday's losers fared well.  Cheap stocks outperformed.

On the negative side, stocks with high or negative p/e ratios led the way...down .7%.  Biotechs were weak. 

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Feb 16:  The Dow gained 1.7%, Nasdaq 1.5%.  Separation between groups was 2.8%.

Metals and mining stocks fared best today...up 3.2%.  Oils followed closely.  Volatiles and stocks with large yearlong gains gained nicely.  Stocks that performed poorly in this time slot last year were strong.

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money today.  The smallest of small caps lagged the market...up a mere .4%.  Free agents did not impress.  Stocks with heavy volume last Friday round out our list.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Feb 12:  The Dow lost .4%, Nasdaq gained .3%.  Separation between groups was 2.6%.

Stocks that closed well above their lows in the previous session were strongest today...up 2%.  Those trading well above their prime resistance levels fared well. 

On the negative side, stocks with large increases in volume in the previous session were weakest...down .6%.  The smallest of small caps did not impress, but large caps also lagged the market.  Yesterday's losers were flat.

The above trends are neutral as indicators for the next session.

Feb 11:  The Dow gained 1.1%, Nasdaq 1.4%.  Separation between groups was 2.7%.

Stocks with high institutional holdings (relative to market cap) were strongest today...up as much as 3.2%. Oils fared well.  Stocks with large losses (at least 23%) over the last month turned around.  Volatile stocks round out the list of winners.

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money.  Banks were weak...up .6%.  Non-volatiles lagged, naturally.  Dividend payers in general did not impress.

Bearing in mind that Fridays often reverse the trends of the week, the above trends are positive for the next session.

Feb 10:  The Dow lost .2%, Nasdaq .1%.  Separation between groups was 2%...stocks moved in lockstep.

Stocks with a three year history of weakness in this time slot were strongest today...up 1.3%.  Semiconductors outperformed.  Stocks with a high combination of volatility and cheapness fared well.

On the negative side, nothing of significance developed.  Last Friday's losers lost again.  Large caps underperformed the general market.

The above trends are slightly positive as indicators of the next session's direction.

Feb 9:  The Dow gained 1.5%, Nasdaq 1.2%.  Separation between groups was 3.6%.

Last Thursday's big losers were strongest today...up 3%.  Metals and mining stocks fared well.  Transport-related issues joined in.  Volatile stocks outperformed.  Stocks with weak performances over the last month round out the list.

On the negative side, REITs lost about .6%.  Naturally, then, big dividend payers tended toward weakness.  Free agents lagged.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Feb 8:  The Dow lost 1%, Nasdaq .7%.  Separation between groups was 2.3%.

We didn't identify any groups that avoided losses today.  Semiconductors were essentially flat.  Last Friday's losers held up well. 

On the negative side, stocks that closed the previous session well above their lows were weak...down 2.3%.  REIT's suffered.  Stocks with big gains on Friday reversed.

The above trends are slightly negative for the next session.

Feb 5:  The Dow gained .1%, Nasdaq .7%.  Separation between groups was 2.7%.

Stocks that had taken a big hit over the last week were strongest today...up 2.1%.  Tuesday's big losers were particularly strong.  Those with heavy recent volume fared well.

On the negative side, nothing of great significance emerged.  Stocks with high book values relative to price were weak...down .6%.  Stocks with large yearlong gains showed minor losses.

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Feb 4:  The Dow lost 2.6%, Nasdaq 3.0%.  Separation between groups was 4.1%.

We didn't identify any groups that gained today.  The strongest stocks had low recent volatility...down 1.6%.  Surprisingly, banks and insurers held up relatively well.

Stocks trading well over their prime resistance levels showed the biggest losses today...down as much as 5.7%.  Monday's big winners were thrashed.  Volatile stocks were hurt in excess of the general market.  Oils took a beating.

Bearing in mind that Fridays have a tendency to reverse the trends of the previous week, the above trends are negative as indicators for the next session.

Feb 3:  The Dow lost .3%, Nasdaq was flat.  Our own take on the market had it down .7%.  Separation between groups was a weak 2.2%.

Stocks in the computer services sector were strongest today...up .3%.  Otherwise, nothing of great interest developed on the positive side of the market.

Yesterday's biggest losers lost again...down 1.8%.  Banks and REITs were weak.  Monday's big winners tended to reverse.

The above trends are neutral as indicators of the direction of the next session.

Feb 2:  The Dow gained 1.1%, Nasdaq .9%.  Separation between groups was 4.1%.

Stocks trading well over their prime resistance levels were strongest today...up 2.7%.  Naturally, then, yearlong gainers weren't far behind.  Retails outperformed.

On the negative side, banks lost 1.4%.  Stocks with big yearlong losses (largely banks) were hurt.  Yesterday's losers were flat. 

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Feb 1:  The Dow gained 1.2%, Nasdaq 1.1%.  Separation between groups was 4.2%.

Stocks that closed well below their highs in the previous session were strongest today...up 3.7%.  Metals, mining, and oils gained nicely.  Last week's losers reversed, and yearlong winners continued upwards.

On the negative side, stocks that closed near their highs in the previous session lost .5%.  Banks were flat.  Non volatiles lagged.  Yearlong losers did not impress.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 30 (Sat):  We've got our data for the month of January.  We had the market down 2.6%.

Stocks that stepped into the month with big losses in the fourth quarter were strongest...up 8.4%.  Not surprisingly then, banks and yearlong losers also fared well.  Volatile stocks and cheap stocks gained nicely.  Fairly stereotypical January behavior.

On the negative side, semiconductors were victimized...down 9.2%.  Stocks with large quarterly and/or yearlong gains were hurt.  Metals and mining stocks did not impress.

Jan 29:  The Dow lost .5%, Nasdaq 1.4%.  Separation between groups was a surprisingly weak 2.3%...stocks moved in unison.

We didn't identify any groups that actually made money today, though stocks with short term averages well below their long term averages nearly broke even (down less than .1%). Stocks that closed near their lows in the previous session held up well.  Non-volatiles beat the market.

Stocks with strong performances last Monday (up at least 3.6%) were weakest today...down 2.3%. Oils and metals and mining stocks were hurt.  Yesterday's big gainers reversed.  Volatiles lost in excess of the market.

The above trends are negative for the next session.

Jan 28:  The Dow lost 1.1%, Nasdaq 1.9%.  Separation between groups was 4%.

The smallest of small caps were by far the strongest stocks today, gaining 1.2%.  Stocks with large losses over the last three months finished with small gains.  Stocks that closed near their lows in the previous session avoid major losses.

On the negative side, volatiles were weakest...down 2.9%.  Stocks with large gains over the last month tended to reverse in a significant way.  Semiconductors and oils were victimized. 

The above trends are negative for the next session, though Friday markets are more likely to reverse than the other four.

Jan 27:  The Dow gained .4%, Nasdaq .8%.  Separation between groups was 3.2%.

A proprietary indicator ("pave") led the way in "predicting" gains...stocks showing a particularly low value gained as much as 2.6%.  Banks and insurers outperformed.  Mid-caps rebounded from weakness in the previous session.

On the negative side, metals and mining and oil interests were weakest...down .6%.  Volatiles were weak...a negative sign for the next session, somewhat balanced out by the positivity in today's general market.

Jan 26:  The Dow was flat, Nasdaq lost .3%.  We had the market down .7%.  Separation between groups was 2.5%.

Stocks that closed well above their lows in the previous session were strongest today...up .8%.  Those with strong volume in the previous session fared well.  Semiconductors finished with minimal losses.

Stocks with a strong tendency to gain in the afterhours were weakest...down 1.7%.  Mid-caps did not impress.

The above trends are neutral as indicators for the next session.

Jan 25:  Both the Dow and Nasdaq gained .2%.  Separation between groups was 2.6%.

One of our proprietary indicators ("vstdev") led the way in "predicting" gains...stocks with a high value gained as much as 1.4%.  Metals, mining, and oils beat the market.  Last Friday's losers tended to reverse in excess of the market.

On the negative side, stocks with a high "perceived risk" value (a combination of volatility and cheapness) were weakest...down 1%.  Stocks with a strong tendency to gain in the afterhours did not impress.

The above trends are slightly negative as predictors of the next session.

Jan 22:  The Dow lost 2.1%, Nasdaq 2.7%.  We had the market down 1.7%.  Separation between groups was 2.7%...a small figure considering the minor turmoil of the last few sessions.

The smallest of small caps held up best today...down a mere .7%.  They could be victimized on Monday, however.  Stocks with large, if not extreme, losses over the last year fared well.  Retails and transportation-related equities beat the market.

On the negative side, stocks that closed well below their highs in the previous session were weakest...down 3.3%.  Semiconductors were hurt.  Stocks with strong performances over the last month to year lost in excess of the market.

The above trends are negative for the next session.

Jan 21:  The Dow lost 2%, Nasdaq 1.1%.  Separation between groups was a relatively large 5.5%.

Banks were the clear winners today...up 1.6%.  Stocks with large yearlong losses (mostly banks) were a distant second. 

On the negative side, metals and mining stocks suffered in a big way...down 3.9%.  Stocks with large losses over the last week continued downward, while stocks with large yearlong gains were also weak.

The above trends are slightly negative for the next session...Fridays have a tendency to reverse the trends of the week.  Also, we appreciate the fact that volatile stocks were not represented amongst today's list of major losers.

Jan 20:  The Dow lost 1.1%, Nasdaq 1.3%.  Separation between groups was 3.4%.

Stocks with big yearlong losses were strongest today...up 1.3%.  At the same time, stocks with strong gains over the last week continued upward.  Cheap stocks fared well.  Banks round out the list of winners.

On the negative side, stocks trading well over their prime resistance levels were weakest...down 2.1%.  Naturally, then, stocks with large yearlong gains weren't far behind.  Metals did not impress. 

The above trends are only slightly negative for the next session...we're pleased to see some evidence of risk-taking behavior despite the general losses.

Jan 19:  The Dow gained 1.1%, Nasdaq 1.4%.  Separation between groups was 3.4%.

Stocks with high or negative p/e ratios were strongest today...up 3%.  Stocks that closed well below their highs in the previous session fared well.  Volatiles outperformed.

On the negative side, we identified only one group that actually lost money...free agents fell .3%.  Stocks with a high "leadership" ranking were weak.  Transportation-related stocks did not impress.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 17 (Sun):  We've got our data for the first half of the month.  We had the market up 3.3%.

The market unfolded in typical early January fashion.  Stocks with a high "perceived risk" value were strongest, gaining 14.9%.  Stocks with big losses over the previous three months fared well.  Volatiles outperformed.

On the negative side, semiconductors were weakest, losing about 1.5%.  Stocks with middling p/e ratios and/or prices tended to underperform.  Retails did not impress.

Jan 15:  The Dow lost .9%, Nasdaq 1.2%.  Separation between groups was 2.8%.

Only a handful of groups finished with gains today.  Stocks with high book value relative to price were strongest...up .5%.  Stocks in the leisure sector (movies, hotels, gambling, etc.) managed to avoid losses.  Oddly, cheap stocks and volatiles held up well.

On the negative side, stocks with weakness over the last week lost as much as 2.3%.  Semiconductors did not impress.  Last Tuesday's losers repeated.  Stocks with large gains over the last year suffered in excess of the market.

The above trends are slightly negative for the next session.

Jan 14:  The Dow gained .3%, Nasdaq .4%.  Separation between groups was 3.4%.

Stocks with large yearlong losses were strongest today...up 2.9%.  Not surprisingly, then, banks followed closely.  Cheap stocks and free agents outperformed.

On the negative side, retails were weak...down .5%.  Mid-caps did not impress.

The above trends are slightly positive for the next session.

Jan 13:  The Dow gained .5%, Nasdaq 1.1%.  Separation between groups was a mere 2%.

Volatile stocks were strongest today...up 2.4%.  REIT's gained nicely.  Cheap stocks fared well.  Stocks with large gains over the last year round out the list of winners.

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money today.  Stocks held by large numbers of institutions (relative to market cap) were relatively weak, gaining a mere .5%.  The smallest of small caps did not impress.  Stocks with strong volume over the last two weeks tended to lag.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 12:  The Dow lost .3%, Nasdaq 1.3%.  Separation between groups was 2.9%.

We didn't identify any groups that actually gained, though retail stocks almost broke even.  Non-volatiles fared well. 

Stocks trading well above their most prominent resistance levels were weakest...down 2.9%.  Stocks with big gains over the last month reversed.  Oils were weak. 

The above trends are negative for the next session.

Jan 11:  The Dow gained .4%, Nasdaq lost .2%.  Separation between groups was 3.5%.

Stocks with a high combination of volatility and cheapness ("perceived risk") were strongest today...up 2.4%.  Stocks with big losses (at least 24%) last quarter fared well.  At the same time, stocks with nice gains last week continued the trend.  Biotechs outperformed.

On the negative side, stocks with big losses last Tuesday lost 1.1%.  Banks and oils followed.  Stocks with big gains over the last quarter or year underperformed. 

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 8:  The Dow gained .1%, Nasdaq .7%.  Separation between groups was 2.7%.

Stocks with short term averages well below their longer averages were strongest today...up 2.1%.  At the same time, yesterday's big winners repeated.  Volatile stocks were strong.  Small caps and cheap stocks round out the list.

On the negative side, stocks with weakness in this time slot last year lost .6%.  Banks were weak.  Dividend payers did not impress.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 7:  The Dow gained .3%, Nasdaq was flat.  We had the market up 1%!  Separation between groups was 4.8%.

Cheap stocks led the way today...up 4.3%.  Stocks with big yearlong losses (at least 40%) fared well.  Banks made a nice move.  Volatile stocks round out the list.

On the negative side, utilities actually lost money...down .5%.  Non-volatiles lagged.

Bearing in mind that Fridays tend to reverse the trends of the week, the above patterns are positive for the next session.

Jan 6:  We had the market up .1%.  Separation between groups was 3.8%.

Stocks trading well above their five day averages were strongest today...up 2.2%.  Metals and mining stocks fared well, with oils following.  Yesterday's winners won again.

On the negative side, yesterday's losers led the way...down 1.6%.  Small caps underperformed.

The above trends are neutral as indicators of the next session's direction.

Jan 5:  The Dow lost .1%, Nasdaq was flat.  Separation between groups was 3.9%.

Stocks that were strong this time last year repeated the performance...up 2.1%.  Those with large gains over the last year continued upwards.  Oils fared well.  Large caps outperformed.

On the negative side, banks were weak...down 1.9%.  Small caps were weak. Yearlong losers did not impress.  Stocks with weak volume yesterday round out the list.

The above trends are neutral as indicators for the next session.

Jan 4:  The Dow gained 1.5%, Nasdaq 1.7%.  We had the market up 2.2%.  Separation between groups was 4.3%.

Stocks trading well below their 100 day averages were strongest today...up a sweet 5.2%.  Last week's big losers reversed.  Oils fared well.  Stocks with strong performances at this time last year repeated the performance.

We didn't identify any groups that actually lost money.  REITs were weakest, gaining a mere .5%.  Utilities lagged, as they tend to do in strongly positive sessions.  Non-volatiles in general were weak.

The above trends are positive for the next session.

Jan 1:  We have our data for December.  Our own take on the market had it up 6.4%.

Semiconductors were strongest for the month, something we haven't seen for quite a while...up 13.5%.  Stocks with a strong tendency to gain in the afterhours fared well.  Stocks that stepped into the month trading well below their 20 day averages reversed.  Volatiles outperformed.

On the negative side, large caps were weakest...up a mere 2%.  Banks closed out a rotten year with a rotten month.  Non-volatiles could not keep up with the market.

***********

We have our data for 2009.  Our own take on the market had it up a big 42% for the year!

Stocks trading well below their 100 day averages entering the year turned around and came out on top as the year's big winners...up as much as 170%.  Volatile stocks finished a close second.  Stocks that took a beating in 2008 and cheap stocks in general beat the market by big margins.  Banks dominated losers...down 24% for the year.  Stocks with strong 2008 performances (up at least 25%) finished the year with small losses.

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