BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Options Traders Add Bearish Bets on Hartford Financial Services]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/05/20/bearish-bets-on-hartford-financial/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/05/20/bearish-bets-on-hartford-financial/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2010/05/20/bearish-bets-on-hartford-financial/#commentsFiled under: ,

Hartford HIG logoHartford Financial Services (HIG) attracted unusually heavy put volume on Wednesday, with 1.7 times the expected number of puts crossing the tape. About 10,000 put options were traded on the insurance issue during the course of yesterday's session, compared to fewer than 8,000 calls that changed hands.

Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE) points to a strongly bearish bias. On Wednesday, options traders on the ISE bought to open 2,554 puts on HIG, while only 339 calls were purchased. The equity's single-day ISE put/call volume ratio of 7.53 underscores a distinct preference for pessimistically oriented options.

Continue reading Options Traders Add Bearish Bets on Hartford Financial Services

Options Traders Add Bearish Bets on Hartford Financial Services originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analyst ratingsbearsHartford Financial ServicesHIGinthenewsinvestor sentimentoptionsputsshort interesttechnical analysisThu, 20 May 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Cramer on BloggingStocks: Bearish analysts wrong on Texas Instruments]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/10/21/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-better-to-be-right-than-to-be-a-bear/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/10/21/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-better-to-be-right-than-to-be-a-bear/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/10/21/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-better-to-be-right-than-to-be-a-bear/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Street.com's Jim Cramer says that they should recognize that what's more important than being a bear is being right.

Ah, the lot of the bear is a beautiful lot -- never wrong, always having fun at the bullish optimists, never going down for defeat. For them, every day is a day when the St. Louis Cardinals will face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, even after they have been eliminated.

Cases in point: two reports yesterday on Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) (Cramer's Take) from the Joy Luck Bear Club, Christopher Danely from JPMorgan and Alex Gauna from JMP Securities. Both of these gentlemen have fought the good but totally wrong fight against Texas Instruments. After what was a monumentally good quarter for the company, Gauna, who has Texas Instruments as an "underperform," raised his price target dramatically from $16 to $18. That would be totally in keeping with the direction of the earnings (way up), except that the stock's at $23.50.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Bearish analysts wrong on Texas Instruments

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Bearish analysts wrong on Texas Instruments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alex GaunabearsbullsChristopher DanelyfeaturedJim CramerTexas InstrumentsTXNWed, 21 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Closing Bell: The down day that didn't feel too down (USU, WFMI, BID, ERTS, TIVO)]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/05/closing-bell-the-down-day-that-didnt-feel-too-down-usu-wfmi/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/05/closing-bell-the-down-day-that-didnt-feel-too-down-usu-wfmi/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/05/closing-bell-the-down-day-that-didnt-feel-too-down-usu-wfmi/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The markets closed down in negative territory, but today will feel like a win to many traders. Each day the news keeps getting a set up for a sell-off and nothing materializes. Bears are even getting frustrated because of no substantial pullbacks. The weaker employment data had little dent, but then the weaker services market kept the rally from emerging today.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 9,280.97 -39.22 (-0.42%)
S&P 500 1,002.68 -2.97 (-0.30%)
Nasdaq 1,993.05 -18.26 (-0.91%)

Top Analyst Upgrades
Top Analyst Downgrades

Continue reading Closing Bell: The down day that didn't feel too down (USU, WFMI, BID, ERTS, TIVO)

Closing Bell: The down day that didn't feel too down (USU, WFMI, BID, ERTS, TIVO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bearsdepartment of energyDepartmentOfEnergyEAservices dataServicesDatasothebystivousecwhole foodsWholeFoodsWed, 05 Aug 2009 16:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Traders preparing for another 'hang on to your hat' Friday ]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/05/traders-preparing-for-another-hang-on-to-your-hat-friday/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/05/traders-preparing-for-another-hang-on-to-your-hat-friday/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/02/05/traders-preparing-for-another-hang-on-to-your-hat-friday/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It looks like tomorrow could very well become yet another "hang on to your hat Friday" or another edition of "As The U.S. Economy Turns."

Still, hopefully it won't become another 'down goes the Dow' day with an extended visit from our old friend, you guessed it, Dow 8,000. But analysts and economists haven't ruled the latter out.

The reason? The January 2009 jobs report, to be released by the U.S. Labor Department at 8:30 a.m. EST.

Following nearly a week in which a Fortune 500 company announced a major downsizing daily, and on the heels of December 2008's loss of 524,000 jobs, most professionals in economics and public policy circles are preparing for another sobering jobs report.

Continue reading Traders preparing for another 'hang on to your hat' Friday

Traders preparing for another 'hang on to your hat' Friday originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bailout billbanking sectorbearsbullsfiscal stimulus packageinthenewsjobsrescue billU.S. Labor Departmentunemploymentunemployment rateThu, 05 Feb 2009 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 to continue into new year ]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/24/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-to-continue-into-new-year/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/24/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-to-continue-into-new-year/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/24/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-to-continue-into-new-year/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Earlier this month, the Dow made two runs at 9,000 before moving back toward the 8,500 range, which brings Dow 8,000 back in to focus.

For those investors who may not follow indices closely, the 8,000 level has psychological but not technical support, the latter of which measures such things as the number of investors who are buying and selling, whether investors are committing new money to the market, and so on.

The issue: U.S. economy's health

Even so, right now a battle is taking place between the bulls and the bears: the bears argue the worst economic news stemming from the financial crisis is yet to come; the bulls, that the worst news is behind us and that government stimulus, fiscal and monetary, will get the economy moving again.

The Dow Wednesday closed below 8,419. If the bears can keep the Dow below 8,000 then push it through 7,800, then 7,600, it will not be a pleasant time for investors.

Further, with most trading desks half-staffed during the last two weeks of the year, nothing definitive regarding the market's direction is likely to occur before the new year. Also, institutions may continue to sit on their hands in early January 2009, preferring to await the Obama Administration's inauguration and the announcement of the fiscal stimulus package's exact size, now believed to be approaching $800 billion over two years.

Even so, let's do a condensed, cross-methodology analysis to see if we can arrive at an informed investment analysis regarding where the Dow is headed, near-term.

Technical Indicators: Bearish.
Fundamental Indicators: Bearish.

Continue reading Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 to continue into new year

Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 to continue into new year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bearsbullsDJIADowWed, 24 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 continues]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/20/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-continues/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/20/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-continues/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/20/bulls-vs-bears-battle-for-dow-8-000-continues/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Once again, Dow 8,000 has come back into focus.

For those investors who may not follow indices closely, the 8,000 level has a psychological but not technical support, the latter of which measures such things as the number of investors who are buying / selling, whether investors are committing more money to the market etc.

Even so, right now, a battle is taking place between the bulls and the bears: the bears argue the worst economic news stemming from the financial crisis is yet to come; the bulls argue that the worst news is behind us, and that government stimulus, fiscal and monetary, will get the U.S. economy moving again.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Wednesday closed below 8,000 at 7,997. If the bears can keep the Dow below 8,000 and then push it through 7,800, then 7,600, it will not be a pleasant time for investors.

Let's do a condensed, cross-methodology analysis to see if we can arrive at an informed investment decision / conclusion regarding where the Dow is headed, near-term.

Continue reading Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 continues

Bulls vs. Bears battle for Dow 8,000 continues originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banking sectorbanksbearsbond marketbullsCCitigroupcredit default swapscredit marketsDJIADowearningsfeaturedFedgdpresistancesupportU.S. economyU.S. Federal ReserveunemploymentThu, 20 Nov 2008 10:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Is now a good time to sell 20% of your stock portfolio?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/10/is-now-a-good-time-to-sell-20-of-your-stock-portfolio/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/10/is-now-a-good-time-to-sell-20-of-your-stock-portfolio/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/11/10/is-now-a-good-time-to-sell-20-of-your-stock-portfolio/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Talk to the stock market's bulls and they argue the Dow is forming a bottom at / near 8,000.

Talk to the bears and they say you're dreaming, if you think the Dow has bottomed at 8,000.

What's the typical investor to do?

Let's do a condensed, cross-methodology analysis to see if we can arrive at an informed investment decision / conclusion.

Technical Indicators: Bearish.
Fundamental Indicators: Bearish.
Monetary Policy: Officials are doing everything they can to stimulate growth. Bullish.
Fiscal Policy: More fiscal stimulus should be on the way, in both the U.S. and aboard. Bullish.

Credit Markets: Recovering, but still strained, with still too much interbank distrust / fear. Bearish.

Geopolitical Risk: On average, it's about the same as it has been during the past 3-5 years. Neutral.

Conclusion: The view from here argues that the outlook for U.S. stocks / stock market is bearish at least for the next six months, and most likely for much of 2009. Further, if Dow 8,000 doesn't hold, the market could fall much more, particularly after 2009 earnings estimates are revised downward, as they are expected to be.

Continue reading Is now a good time to sell 20% of your stock portfolio?

Is now a good time to sell 20% of your stock portfolio? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bear marketbear market rallybearsbull marketbullsdead cat bounceDJIADowinthenewsMon, 10 Nov 2008 10:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Cramer on BloggingStocks: Snow puts further freeze on bulls]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/22/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-snow-puts-further-freeze-on-bulls/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/22/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-snow-puts-further-freeze-on-bulls/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/02/22/cramer-on-bloggingstocks-snow-puts-further-freeze-on-bulls/#commentsFiled under: , ,

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer snow's not good for stocks, particularly coupled with other disturbing news.

When I was long and it snowed, I would always be worried: Would the bulls stay home? Would they defend their turf?

And when the snow happened on Friday I just figured my portfolio would be a free fire zone: What bull comes to work on a snowday? They take off. The rigor, the toughness, the never miss guys, they are all bears!

I actually thought like that. So, when I woke up and saw the snow I figured, oh yeah, this will be such an easy market to push down, there is so little going for it.

And that's the real issue, isn't it? Other than rate cut possibilities and some good numbers from companies that do a lot of business overseas, this market has nothing going for it.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Snow puts further freeze on bulls

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Snow puts further freeze on bulls originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bearsbullsfeaturedjim cramerJimCramersnowweatherFri, 22 Feb 2008 09:09:00 EST<![CDATA[Federal Reserve waves a green flag, bulls charge]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/federal-reserve-waves-a-green-flag-bulls-charge/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/federal-reserve-waves-a-green-flag-bulls-charge/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/31/federal-reserve-waves-a-green-flag-bulls-charge/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Only with something as arcane and mysterious as Federal Reserve interest rate policy does it make perfect sense that a governmental body could decide to make no changes and the stock market would mysteriously surge.

That's just what happened today when the Fed decided to leave interest rates at 5.25% -- for the fifth straight month - and investors rejoiced. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 100 points following the Fed's announcement, reaching a new intraday high.

What explains the excitement? As my BloggingStocks colleague Jon Ogg explained, many investors were concerned the Fed might warn today that it saw that inflation was a risk and signal that it could raise rates in the future. Or, as Ogg put it it in an instant message, "some were worried they would be inflation hawks and indicate their fear of rising prices because of decent economic data."

Continue reading Federal Reserve waves a green flag, bulls charge

Federal Reserve waves a green flag, bulls charge originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bearsBernankebullsDow JonesDowJonesFedinterest ratesInterestRatesWed, 31 Jan 2007 16:38:00 EST<![CDATA[Super Bowl indicator points to an 18% Dow rise this year?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/22/super-bowl-indicator-strikes-again/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/22/super-bowl-indicator-strikes-again/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/01/22/super-bowl-indicator-strikes-again/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Bob Stovall, currently of Wood Asset Management, popularized the Super Bowl stock market indicator, which says that if an old NFL team -- one that was part of the original NFL prior to the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL -- wins the Super Bowl, the market will rise that year. Stovall claims that this indicator has correctly predicted the direction of the Dow Jones Industrial Average almost 80% of the time.

This year, the indicator pits two old NFL teams against each other. The Bears facing the Colts marks the seventh time that two old NFL teams have faced off in the big game. The six previous times that's happened, the Dow has gone up every time, posting an average gain of 18%.

I've commented on this indicator in the past and agree with those who find it a curious coincidence. But as a New England Patriots fan, I am not now in the mood to contemplate the certainty that an old NFL team will win the Super Bowl next month. When the Patriots were up 21-3 in the second quarter, I was optimistic. But I will admit to fearing a turning point when I saw how the Colts -- which moved to the AFC when the NFL and AFL merged in 1970 -- were able to score right before the end of the first half.

After correctly predicting the market 90% of the time in the Super Bowl's first 31 years, the indicator has had some trouble in recent years. It failed in 2004 after the Dow gained following the Patriots victory over the Carolina Panthers. And the indicator's had only two clean wins in the last nine games. In fact, two of the market's best years followed wins by the AFL-born Denver Broncos over old NFL teams in 1998 and 1999.

I don't believe the Dow will rise 18% this year. But I will be rooting for the Bears!

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates, a management consulting and venture capital firm, a Professor of Management at Babson College, and editor of The Cohan Letter.

Super Bowl indicator points to an 18% Dow rise this year? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Jan 2007 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aflbearsBob StovallBobStovallbroncoscoltsnflpatriotssuper bowlsuper bowl stock market indicatorSuperBowlSuperBowlStockMarketIndicatorMon, 22 Jan 2007 11:28:00 EST