ETF/No Load Fund Tracker Newsletter For November 21, 2014

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

ETF/No Load Fund Tracker StatSheet

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THE LINK TO OUR CURRENT ETF/MUTUAL FUND STATSHEET IS:

https://theetfbully.com/2014/11/weekly-statsheet-for-the-etfno-load-fund-tracker-newsletter-updated-through-11202014/

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Market Commentary

Friday, November 21, 2014

STOCKS FINISH SOLID AND MARK FIFTH STRAIGHT WEEK OF GAINS

Fri pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

1. Moving the Markets

Stocks moved higher on the week, which marks the fifth consecutive weekly advance. Markets were boosted by improving economic indicators, solid corporate profits and aggressive monetary policy stimulus from Europe to Asia.

All major indexes finished higher today. The S&P 500 gained 0.52%, the Dow 0.51% and the Nasdaq 0.24%. Once again, the S&P 500 and Dow closed at record highs.

Global markets advanced as well, as central bankers from China and Europe reiterated their support for markets and struggling economies abroad. The global rally was sparked after China announced a surprise interest rate cut and the European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said the ECB is ready to take additional steps to stimulate the weak Eurozone economy.

The Holiday-shortened week ahead is packed with economic data on Tuesday and Wednesday. Housing activity will be in focus with the release of new home sales, pending home sales, and several price indexes. Also getting attention will be Q3 GDP, which is seen being downwardly revised to a 3.3% annualized increase.

We will also hear additional insight into the strength of the consumer via the release of personal income and spending in October. Markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving Holiday, and will have a shortened session on Friday.

All of our 10 ETFs in the Spotlight managed to close up today with 5 of them making new highs as the YTD table below shows.

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Weekly StatSheet For The ETF/No Load Fund Tracker Newsletter – Updated Through 11/20/2014

Ulli ETF StatSheet Contact

ETF/Mutual Fund Data updated through Wednesday, November 20, 2014

TOC

If you are not familiar with some of the terminology used, please see the Glossary of Terms.

 

1. DOMESTIC EQUITY MUTUAL FUNDS/ETFs: BUY — since 10/22/2014

TTI

Our main directional indicator, the Domestic Trend Tracking Index (TTI), broke through its long-term trend line generating a “Sell” for this arena effective 10/14/2014, which was followed by a violent break back above the line on 10/22/14 generating a new “Buy.” It was a classic whipsaw signal, and you can read more on my blog as to the events as they were unfolding.

As of today, our TTI (green line in above chart) is positioned above its long term trend line (red) by +3.28% keeping us in the market with newly established positions.

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Record Highs For The Dow And S&P

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Thur pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

1. Moving the Markets

Stocks climbed back into record territory Thursday as investors were bullish on encouraging U.S. economic data. Today, we heard positive reports on lower inflation numbers, stronger home sales and decreasing jobless claims. The S&P 500 gained 0.21%, the Dow rose 0.19% (both finishing at new closing highs) while the Nasdaq climbed 0.56%.

On the flip side of domestic bullish economic news today was the survey of factory activity that came in from China. A preliminary survey of factory activity showed manufacturing in the world’s second-largest economy slid to a 6-month low. The Hang-Seng index dipped 0.1% on the day.

In tech, shares of Apple gained $1.90 or 1.7% today, to close at an all-time high of $116.57. Much of the buzz around Wall Street today centered around whether or not the stock will hit the $118.54 18-month price target, which is the current Wall Street estimate.

As we all know, analysts’ targets have historically proven to be too conservative on the stock. Of course, billionaire Carl Icahn had to chime in today, saying that the stock is worth more than $200 a share — essentially saying the Wall Street analysts that follow the stock are wrong. The question remains…will Apple become the first trillion dollar company?

7 of our 10 ETFs in the Spotlight gained on the day while 4 of them made new highs, as you can see in the YTD table below.

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Stocks Slip Into The Red On Latest Fed Minutes

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Wed pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

1. Moving the Markets

Stocks slipped into negative territory today, driven lower by the latest release of the Fed Minutes. The minutes showed that some Fed policymakers favored eliminating a pledge to keep interest rates near zero “for a considerable time” but others worried that such a move could prompt financial markets to push up rates prematurely. The major indexes pulled back slightly, as the chart above shows.

There was a notable amount of buzz today regarding speculation as to whether or not the S&P 500 can reach the 2,100 mark by the end of the year. At present, the index is just 52 points away, and many analysts believe there is still room to run over the next month.

In the world of earnings reports, retailers were in focus today. Target (TGT) and Lowe’s (LOW) both reported earnings that topped Wall Street estimates. Shares of both companies gained more than 5%. Staples (SPLS) also reported higher earnings today, and the stock surged 9%.

In Asian markets, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 0.3% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.7%. European stocks were mixed as Britain’s FTSE index fell 0.2% and Germany’s DAX index gained 0.2%.

2 of our 10 ETFs in the Spotlight gained on the day while making new highs at the same time as the YTD table below shows.

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Major Markets All Close Higher On Positive News From Japan And Germany

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Tue pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

1. Moving the Markets

All major U.S. indexes closed higher today, driven mostly by the health care sector and positive news from abroad. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, the Dow gained 0.2% and the Nasdaq jumped 0.7%.

The news from abroad was mostly centered on Japan and Germany. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe informed government leaders that he would postpone a sales tax increase to 2017, which was initially planned for 2015. This announcement received notable praise because the proposed 2015 sales tax hike would have offset much of the stimulus the government is currently pumping into the weakened domestic economy.

On the German front, the good news today centered around an economic rebound. Today we heard reports that a measure of German economic confidence improved for the first time in nearly a year. Over the past 12 months, Germany’s export-oriented economy has been hit by mounting tensions with Russia over the Ukraine crisis and also, to a lesser degree, by the conflicts in the Middle East. Many analysts were quick to remind that the economic climate in Germany (and the EU as a whole) remained fragile due to ongoing political tensions.

And, on the tech front, there was a lot of buzz today about how Apple (AAPL) could be the first $1 trillion company. At present, Apple has a market cap close to $670 billion. That’s more valuable than any other company in the S&P 500, and is more than the GDP of Indonesia. Microsoft is Number 2 at $409 billion. Can the cultish company reach the $1 trillion mark? Only the future will tell.

All of our 10 ETFs in the Spotlight gained on the day with 6 of them making new highs as the YTD table below shows.

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Stocks Slightly Gain; China’s Equity Market Opens To The World

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Mon pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

1. Moving the Markets

U.S. stocks changed little today. The S&P 500 and Dow both gained a tad, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.37% into negative territory.

M&A news stole a number of headlines today, focusing on two major mergers that entail a combined $100 billion value. The first was Activis PLC’s $66 billion bid for botox maker Allergan. The second was Halliburton’s $35 billion offer for rival oil services company Baker Hughes. Shares of Baker Hughes (BHI) gained 8.92% to close at $65.23 today on the news. However, the news couldn’t lift battered energy stocks, which on average fell 1.1% today.

A separate large portion of headlines today focused on the opening of the China’s A-share markets to foreign investment. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect is expected to allow the equivalent of USD $3.8 billion per day in transactions and open up the mainland equity market to the world. In short, the link enables international investors to trade selected stocks on Shanghai’s tightly restricted exchange and let mainland investors buy shares in Hong Kong.

The key questions investors should be asking are not which stocks to buy but how does this new market facilitate greater access to and circulation of the Chinese Renminbi currency?

9 of our 10 ETFs in the Spotlight managed to close up while 3 of them made new highs as the YTD table below shows.

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