Slow Means Go After Fed Alters Its Outlook

Until yesterday, traders worried that the Fed might increase rates sooner than expected. Until yesterday, traders were concerned that the recent good economic news might wind up being bad news for the stock market. And until yesterday, traders fretted that the Fed might make a mistake.

However, all of the nervousness about what the Fed could, would, or should do next were put to rest after the release of the minutes from the latest FOMC meeting. In short, the minutes showed that Janet Yellen's merry band of central bank governors are now concerned that weakness overseas coupled with a rising U.S. dollar could hurt the economy here at home and keep inflation below the 2 percent target.

The bottom line is the FOMC minutes were music to the ears of traders. And while the trading machines liked the statement initially, it was the human interpretation, which takes a few minutes to actually be developed, that caused stocks to rocket higher Wednesday afternoon.

Don't Fight the Fed

As far as the stock market is concerned, the key is the minutes showed that the FOMC members actually cut their outlook for both economic growth AND inflation. The instant interpretation was simple: rates are NOT going to be rising any time soon and the Ms. Yellen has "cover" to keep from raising rates for as long as she'd like.

Bam! Within seconds, stocks were off to the races. High speed trend-following algos jumped on the long side. Shorts scrambled for cover. And the dip-buyers once again did their thing.

The result was an impressive daily move that recovered all of Monday and Tuesday's losses. Suddenly the game wasn't about the weak German economic data, China's punk numbers, or the IMF's latest prognostication about global growth. Nope. Suddenly the game was back to being ...

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Are Things Really and Truly Different This Time?

Yesterday's trash-job in the stock market has bearish analysts telling anyone and everyone who will listen that this time it's different. This time, the bounce and the expected "V" bottom failed, we're told. This time, the technical damage is just ...

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It's a Good News/Bad News Situation

The big news this morning is the continued weak economic data out of Germany. As if yesterday's surprising dive in manufacturing orders (orders fell -5.7% in August) wasn't enough, today's report on Industrial Production was also much weaker than expectations ...

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7 Dips, 7 New Highs. Is This Number 8?

What a difference a day (or two) makes in this business. Last Wednesday, the sky was falling and the bears were adamant that this time things were going to be different. Those seeing the market's glass as at least half ...

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Yet Another Dip-Buying Opportunity, Right?

The volatility continued on Thursday as investors were treated to a yet another in what has been a string of wild rides. For example, the futures had pointed to a modest rebound at the open of trade on Wall Street ...

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What Do The Cycles Say Comes Next?

The markets turned ugly on Wednesday as traders ushered in the new quarter with a steady stream of selling. The S&P 500 fell -1.32 percent while the embattled Russell 200 once again led the way lower by dropping -1.42 percent. ...

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Repeat After Me: I Will Not Make...

I was recently taken to task on Seeking Alpha for providing a "daily dump" of information (this was likely a play on the title of my morning missive, "Daily State of the Markets") and for failing to provide specific guidance ...

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Traders Have Seen This Movie Before

Twice in the last two days, it looked like the bears were finally going to break through. Twice in the last two days, the S&P 500 teetered on the edge. Twice in the last two days, the market came roaring ...

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Is This Dip-Buying Opportunity Different?

With the exception of Japan and Shanghai, the major stock markets around the globe find themselves on the defensive again this morning. And other than the usual speculation about additional stimulus in China and Japan, it is the growing pro-democracy ...

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Is This THE Correction?

Wait, what? On Wednesday, stocks blasted higher on the back of Super Mario singing a dovish song, word that China was about to sack the head of its central bank in favor of someone more modern, and not one, not ...

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Have Doves, Will Travel

Yesterday's stock market action once again reinforced the idea that the key driver of this market remains the outlook for monetary policy. With the S&P 500 looking it was down for the count and ready to break the all-important support ...

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Are Traders Ready to BTFD Again?

After a third consecutive losing session for the stock market, it appears that the mood may be improved today - at least in the early going, anyway. We will note that buying after 3 down days has been a profitable ...

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