Market Report Huge First half of the Year
Fear, Greed and Complacency
Market Report Huge First half of the Year
By
Todd Horwitz Chief Strategist BubbaTrading.com
Be Prepared not Surprised.
On Friday markets end the 2nd quarter and first half of the year with a bang. For the second quarter: The S&P 500 rose 8.3% for a third straight quarter of gains and its biggest quarterly advance since the fourth quarter of 2021. The Nasdaq jumped 12.8% for back-to-back positive quarters. The Dow added 3.4% for the third winning quarter.
Year to date the S&P 500 popped 15.9% for its best first half since 2019. The Nasdaq surged 31.7%, for its best first half since 1983. The 30-stock Dow added a modest gain of 3.8%. The numbers have been strong under lousy economic conditions.
Interest rates are still rising along with inflation. Americans are still be taxed through manmade inflation, yet the markets remain strong. Remember, follow the market footprint, and don’t argue with the map of the market, they go higher until they don’t.
Call buyers led the way followed by Put and Put Spread sellers. There were some put buyers and Iron Condor sellers. The overall option world is leaning bullish. The VIX continues to fall confirming complacency and greed.
The bulls were buying AAPL, NVDA, SPY, MSFT, and QQQ, while the bears were selling GLD, SPCE, SOFI, UVXY, and TLT. The Nasdaq exploded higher with tech earnings knocking the cover off the ball.
Remember, we can’t predict what’s next, but the price action will give indications and guide us in the right direction. All signs are starting to point lower however flexibility is the key to trading successfully.
As traders and investors, we have one thing to remember, follow the trend of the market. Be patient disciplined and leave your emotions out. The most important thing to remember is money management and self-control.
Todd “Bubba” Horwitz
BubbaTrading.com