Saturday Rock Blogging: Run Like Hell

There are breakouts galore right now and many stocks look poised to run like hell. You know how I feel about this broad market breakout, and that it is basically creating many amazing selling opportunities. But some stocks are legitimately continuing long term uptrends, stocks that are really running like hell. I'll be adding what I think are bullish breakout charts to this post over the weekend so check back. To start with lets just take a look at this gorgeous pattern on DRYS:


Nice call btb, Dry Ships is really running now! It broke $90 in the after hours yesterday after a big run through Feb resistance during the day. I maintain my longer term target at $155 based on the symmetric triangle breakout and a conservative measure rule. There's a good chance of a throwback to the $88 level or maybe slightly lower in the next two weeks before it really rockets higher. So if you aren't in yet, I would watch for an entry near $88.

Here's another nice looking weekly chart on Chevron:


After consolidating for 9 months, CVX broke out to new all time highs last week despite the weakness in oil. I could talk about how CVX earnings were great and how they may be coming back into favor as the multinational oil company of choice over Exxon. Instead, I'd rather focus on the long term uptrend in that stock and how the recent breakout has a short term target of around $115. I especially like how the 50 dma crossed over the 200 dma recently (golden cross) and both are increasing. On a cautionary note, if oil weakens further, if the market tanks or if the tax-big-oil rhetoric intensifies, CVX may loose $95 in which case I would exit and try again at the 200 dma near $88. If it can hold $95 though, CVX should really run like hell.

Another beautiful uptrend on a weekly time frame is DECK, the makers of UGG, Teva and Simple shoes:


This one has been running like hell for years now and sadly I remember buying it sub $20 pre-split (but took quick profits). Earnings last week broke this stock out of a symetric triangle with a price target "way up there." Depending on how you want to define the pattern I get a first target around $170 but then that will be a break out to new highs which gives a measure rule target in the mid 200's. Any way you slice it, DECK appears to be continuing its long term uptrend and headed much higher.

Disclosure: I own DRYS calls.

What goes up must come down? (3 yr charts)

RIMM

PCU
FSLR
DRYS
DECK
MOS
LED ZEPPELIN

MON
POT
AAPL
GME

Disclosure: I own DRYS, FSLR & RIMM puts. Also, Led Zeppelin calls.

Gigantic Bull Trap, Bear Market in 3, 2, 1...

Well, the markets broke pretty bad last week. I saw heroes stepping in to buy the dips on Monday, Tuesday and then again on Thursday but they were made suckers of by the market close on Friday. The fact of the matter is that these folks have been trained time and time again that this behavior will be rewarded. Those that have bought the breakouts have also been rewarded handsomely and all of this adds up to a market for the big stock holders to unload their shares onto (a requirement since otherwise they wouldn't sell). I've heard traders say that "from failed moves come fast moves" and that is exactly what we are seeing in the broad market right now. In the dow jones weekly chart below you can see that two recent breakouts to new highs led to swift high volume sell offs. This type of action is indicative of a top because now there are many recent buyers who are underwater and will be happy just to get out break even if the market should try to climb. It also demonstrates that the big money waited for suckers to jump in on the breakout before distributing their shares, in other words smart money trapped the bulls.

I am not ready to declare a full scale bear market yet, but we are getting pretty close. The dow closed below it's 200 day moving average for the first time since mid 2006 on Friday, and while it is not the end of the world it is a huge red flag. The media is trying to spin it like this is just another "10% correction" but two of these in four months? At some point I think this market is going to run away to the downside fast and everyone will be left staring with their jaws open. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be this year, but at some point there will be a wide scale realization that the US is headed into a recession and that we have actually begun a bear market. When that day comes I think the dow will drop 1000 points or more.

The cracks are certainly showing but the stock market hasn't really begun any major hemoraging yet. While the 20 week money flow has turned negative, this wouldn't be a big problem so long as it rebounds quickly. And although the dow closed below its 40 week (200 day) moving average, so long as it regains it quickly the slope should stay positive. Long story short (no pun intended), the market needs to rebound quickly from Monday's ensured big gap down. If it does not rebound, and there is no reason why it fundamentally should... the the last six months will look like a gigantic bull trap. I'm drawing the line in the sand at $126.62 on the DIA or 12,795.93 on the dow jones industrial average. A weekly close below those levels and I am going to declare a secular bear market for US stocks.


For traders looking for some action, I ran into this nice looking DECK chart over the weekend. I think it has opportunity for longs and shorts alike. It could rebound nicely from the trendline test that occurred Friday or it could pullback further to some the fibonacci levels shown above or even test the recent low in the 90's. Which ever direction it moves, there could be some big swings in DECK this week for options expiration. And speaking of which, we could see some major upside in the mortgage insures (ABK, MBI, MTG, RDN, PMI) on put covering.

Ok, that was a bunch of technical stuff, for the more fundamental types check out this video of Jim Rogers I linkjacked from Ugly:





Or theres even more charts here.

Disclosure: I own December DIA 138 puts

Tastey Charts for Carnivores and Honey Lovers

I realized today that bulls are herbivores. You know, their favorite snack is grass and so they generally don't have good taste in food. Bears on the other hand love their meat and aren't afraid of fighting off a few bees for a pound of honey.





Interesting Option Activity.
VIX/SDS Ratio Indicator.

Disclosure: I own CAT puts.

CAT Puts Are a Better Way to Short the Dow Jones

From a purely technical standpoint, the broad market and many individual stocks are headed decisively lower. As you can see in this Dow Jones Industrial Average weekly chart below, the index has broken and closed below previously strong support in the 13,250 area. Using a Fibonacci 61.8% pullback one gets a target of 12,735, the 40 week (200 day) moving average lies at 12,817 and the prior high in February was 12,796. So I'm going to average these targets an round up to suggest the Dow is headed for 12,800.


Now the federal reserve is meeting early next week with their statement at 2:15PM Tuesday but there is no economic data to be released Monday. I'm thinking the momentum we saw Friday will continue Monday and some may be trying to pressure the fed (via a broad market decline) into a rate cute or at least towards a change in bias towards a cut later this year. Of course this is speculation, but with Cramer begging on TV for a rate cut there are clearly those who are desperate to get one. However, if the fed raises rates or talks about sympathizing with the bond speculators who are loosing their ass right now, we may see a powerful short covering rally Tuesday. For this reason I suggest you keep tight stops on all shorts.

There are a few ways to play this decline, but my favorite is to buy puts on CAT. I mentioned CAT a few weeks ago as a short which worked out great. After a dead cat bounce (pardon my pun) the stock was able to briefly regain it's 50 dma before closing below it once again on Friday.


The reason why I like shorting CAT as a way to play an industrial decline is threefold. First, they reported earnings a few weeks ago that disappointed wall street with an unexpected 21% earnings per share decline. CAT is somewhat levered to residential construction in the US, which is part of the reason why earnings were so bad. Second, CAT is one of the 30 DJIA stocks and was until recently the second biggest gainer in the group for 2007. So it trades very closely with the index which I believe to be headed lower. Finally, the options on CAT are highly liquid and have a relatively low implied volatility (they are cheap). Volumes are typically in excess of 1000 on near the money contracts and spreads are frequently less than .05. You can get in and out of those options quickly without having to pay a spread penalty.

From the weekly chart above you can see how CAT has broken it's 10 week (50 day) moving average after a sustained rally a few times in the last two years (I've circled those breaks in blue). In each case this break was followed by a test of its 40 week (200 day) moving average in 2-3 weeks. The indicators and candlesticks looked similar in those situations to how CAT looks right now and based on the CAT chart alone I would say it 's headed to at least $70. However, since CAT trades so closely with the DJIA, I would sell those puts when the DJIA hits 12,800. Although, its worth noting that my target on the dow is it's 200 dma and my target on CAT is it's 200 dma, so why shouldn't these events occur simultaneously? If they both reach their targets CAT will have fallen substantially further on a percentage basis, hence CAT is a better way to play the drop in the dow.


As a side note, the glorious momentum stock DECK has lost it's momentum and fallen completely off the IBD 100 after being number #6 just two weeks ago. This stock is still above 100, a miracle of miracles for the longs who own it, and I think it is about to get slammed big time. Especially with the growing concerns that consumers are going to feel the pinch with all thats going wrong with credit and housing, investors may be seeking to take profits on this low floater. Tough decision: Pay mortgage or buy a new pair of UGG sheepskin booties...

Any thoughts on the new logo? Comments on the poll? If you haven't yet, please take a moment to vote in poll on the right. There are many more people stopping by than have voted. Happy trading next week.

Disclosure: I own DECK and CAT puts.