Best Daytrading Stocks

Stocks Trade Modestly Higher in Sluggish Trade

U.S. Stocks closed with modest gains in light trade on Monday as trading shifts to earnings reports. With little economic news over the weekend and during trading today, stocks traded within a narrow trading range, and it appears the market may have tired out a bit after last week's big gains.

Among the big industry performers today were semiconductors, music and video stores, lumber and auto makers.

Low priced stocks were again among the big percentage movers of the day. The exception was Hewitt (HEW) which was up 32% on reports that Aon put in a bid to buy the company. Playboy stock was a big winner today as well. Otherwise, most stocks we look at for daytrading did not move much today. Given that the market has traded up for five consecutive sessions and that the overall trend is still down, we should see some decent daytrades involving short selling over the next couple days.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks Explode to the Upside

U.S. Stocks posted very strong gains today, with no particular reason for the move. Volume was slightly ahead of yesterday, and therefore I give this move some credibility. Stocks rose about 3% across the board today in the major market averages.

Stock index futures were initially suggesting a lower open, but as the market progressed, leading up to the open, they picked up some steam, and the train seemed to gain significant momentum throughout the day. This is the kind of trading day that suggests the possibility of a change in character for the market.

A check of the leading industry groups today indicates that real estate was the big winner on the day. Five of the top twenty groups were real estate related. Other strong performers included banks, technology and casinos.

Going forward, the market still has a big hill to climb to negate the recent downside breakout completely. If the market can push to a close above 1131 on the S&P, then you have a head and shoulders continuation pattern, which is bullish. Ultimately though, I still see a trading range market, but the range just got a bit wider.

Retail sales will be reported tomorrow for June, and that could put a damper on the market. An upside surprise will add to today's momentum.

For daytraders, the pickins could not have been easier. Opening range breakout systems worked beautifully during this move to the upside, since there was not a major upside gap in the major averages. The single best stock from the standpoint of its move for the day, and its volume was Omnivision Technologies. It rose over 11% on the day, and is a nice liquid stock. Check out the chart below.




Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Daytrading Stocks in a Bear Market

Since the stock market has traded significantly downward over the last month, it appears that another bear market may be underway. While the prevailing Wall Street definition of a bear market is a 20% drop below recent highs, the average bear market tends to drop quite a bit more than that. As of this writing, the S&P 500 has dropped over 14% below its April 23 closing high of 1217.

Daytrading stocks during market declines can prove to be quite the challenge for day traders no matter how much experience they have. This is due to the fact that market volatility has a tendency to increase during most market declines, whether they are short term corrections or the typical bear market. This increase in volatility can wipe out the trading capital of even the experienced trader if they do not adjust their trading.

Generally speaking, after large run-ups in stock prices, or in any market, there will be violent pull-backs. While this increase in volatility can produce some big directional moves, there may be sizable intraday swings that can catch a trader off guard.

So, how does a daytrader prepare for these conditions? Well, most daytraders are not in the business of forecasting market direction, but it can be very helpful to pay attention to some technical and psychological indicators that may provide a clue regarding market direction. Those indicators include price and volume, the TRIN, New 52 week highs and lows, the advance/decline line, the number of bullish vs. bearish investors, etc. A more detailed discussion regarding these indicators is more suitable for another article.

When a daytrader becomes aware that the market character has changed to a bearish tone, then it is time to adjust their thinking when it comes to managing trades. First of all, due to the usual increase in market volatility, the trader should scale back position size. While it may have been reasonable to trade 1,000 shares in a stock during a bull move, 500 shares might be more reasonable in a bear move. The novice trader will think that they are giving up a significant profit opportunity by trading smaller during these sharp down moves. The experienced trader realizes that it is more important to preserve capital for time periods when the market is more predictable and less volatile.

One other issue facing daytraders during these bear markets is that the market has a tendency to have sharp intraday reversals, and there tends to be more sizable opening gaps. As some daytraders actually do carry positions over night, it is a good idea to carry smaller positions over night due to the greater risk of a market reversal.

The daytrader should also be aware that the overall long term market tendency is for stocks to trade higher each day. Therefore, even when the market is in a downtrend, a great many trading days will actually have a tendency to close to the upside. During the current down move, nearly 40% of the trading days have closed to the upside. If a daytrader can recognize that even bear markets will pause for a breather, they will recognize significant opportunities to profit after these brief pauses when the market resumes its downtrend.

Daytraders should also consider trading other vehicles besides individual stocks during bear markets. This is due to the fact that it costs the trader extra to short a stock, since they must first borrow the shares from their broker, and pay interest on those shares, in order to sell the stock short. Therefore, daytraders should consider trading stock index futures, or ETFs that rise when the market falls. It is important that traders consider the cost of their trades, not just whether they make a profit or loss.

While it is definitely possible to trade profitably during bear markets, there are significant pitfalls. For many novice daytraders, it may just be a good idea to sit on the sidelines and observe the market action so that they are prepared for the next bear market downturn when it comes along.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks Get Hammered as Economic Worries Mount

U.S. Stocks fell sharply today as traders worried about the prospects of a double dip recession. The major averages closed anywhere from down 2.65% for the Dow Industrials to over 4% for the Dow Transports. Tech stocks really took it on the chin. The charts for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq averages look quite ominous, with large breakaway gaps appearing, and the lows of the day penetrating the June and February lows on the S&P 500. In fact, the S&P closed at its lowest level since last November.

This says to me that we have broken out to the downside. In all the other cases where the S&P tested the 1040 area this year, it actually closed above 1060 each time. Today, it closed at 1041 after trading as low as 1035. As such, the neckline is broken in my view, and the next major support area is 950. The only thing that can turn this around is a major upside surprise in the jobs data this week. If it comes in weak, look out below.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks To Open Sharply Lower Tuesday

U.S. Stocks are set to open significantly lower Tuesday morning after China reported slower economic growth than previously estimated. Dow Jones Industrial futures are lower by over 110 points as of 8:45 ET, while S&P 500 futures are lower by 14. This equates to 1% losses across the board.

China has been one of the bright spots in the global economy in the last year, but its stock market has plunged sharply, suggesting that the Chinese economy is set for a more significant slowdown. This would put a big dent in the global economic recovery prospects.

For daytraders, this lower open will signify a breakout from the trading range of the last two trading days. This could imply a significant move to the downside, so the easier money should be made on short positions.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Bad Day for Stocks

U.S. Stocks closed sharply lower today after a modest open to the upside. The culprit? Likely the existing home sales data that came out this morning, showing a 2.2% drop in sales in May. This was a bad number because there should have been a surge in sales from the contracts signed in March and April as the tax credit was set to expire. So, an actual drop in sales suggests that the real estate market is still soft. What a surprise! With no jobs being created, how would we expect a significant bounce in the market? The fact is, more declines are likely until this economy really starts to turn around.

Anyhow, the major averages lost anywhere from 0.8% in the case of the Nasdaq 100 to nearly 4% for the Dow Transports. Another culprit again was the Euro, which declined again, but not nearly as much as yesterday.

One big concern among technical analysts is that there is a big head and shoulders top forming on all of the major averages. Some technicians will try to forecast the move if the neck line is broken to the downside as the distance between the neck line and the top of the head. For the S&P 500, this would take the market down under 900. For the Dow Industrials, down to about 8,000.

You can bet that a decline of that magnitude will be forecasting higher unemployment and a double dip recession ahead. However, I am not convinced that we will see that kind of a drop in the market. While I remain cautious, if not bearish, I think the Democrats will do everything in their power to try and fend off a double dip recession to save their asses in November.

On another note, I mentioned yesterday that I did not generally like the overall action in Apple yesterday. Today, however, it bucked the overall market trend and closed higher, although it has formed an inside day on its chart. Keep an eye on Apple...if it fails up here, you can bet the overall market is in trouble.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

So Goes the Euro, So Goes The Stock Market

Stocks opened strongly this morning on the back of news over the weekend that China was going to finally start letting the Yuan float a bit in the currency markets. This suggested that the Chinese government was confident about the global economy going forward. The Dow Industrials traded as high as up 150 points in early trading, but after noon, the Euro began its descent, and stocks followed. Financials lead the way down.

The chart pattern resulting from today's action is an outside day, and I would consider calling it a key reversal if the volume was higher. But, volume was actually very light compared to Friday. This suggests that the selling pressure was not all that significant.

Now, what I really did not like about the market today was how Apple traded. It made a new all time high over $279, but ended up making a three day low before closing at about $270. Again, the volume was a little bit light, but it looks like Apple may need to consolidate after a $30+ move in the last week or so. Since Apple is a leader of this market, it is worth paying attention to.

The bottom line is that stocks are still being held hostage by the movement in the Euro.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Weekly Stock Market Review

U.S. stocks closed modestly higher on Friday, but up nicely for the week overall. The major averages posted gains on the week ranging from about 2.3% to over 3% for the Nasdaq Composite. This was in spite of some weak economic data, particulary in housing. It is clear though that stocks are trading in line with the performance of the Euro, which was higher on the week. The Euro futures ended the week just under 1.24, after trading last week under 1.20. For now, the correlation is very strong, so be aware of any major weakness in the Euro.

Due to the strong performance of stocks over the last two weeks, many stocks have broken out to new highs. In fact, my list of high momentum stocks, based upon my current filters, has expanded quite a bit. This is an indication of a market that has some strength.

In the week ahead, we'll see some more important economic data, but the bottom line is that stocks will be most impacted by issues in Europe and the performance of the Euro.

As the market has generally been to the upside for a few days, the best daytrading opportunities are likely to the short side over the next couple of days.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks end Monday Mixed

U.S. stocks closed mixed on Monday after trading higher early in the morning. The S&P 500 ran into resistance at about 1105, and subsequently pulled back to close modestly lower. Financial stocks apparently started heading lower midway through the trading day, and they ultimately lead the market off of its highs. While Dow Industrials and S&P 500 closed modestly lower, the Russell 2000 and Dow Transports managed decent gains on the session. The Nasdaq brothers were essentially flat on the session.

One issue affecting financials may have been another downgrade for Greek debt, which is now viewed as junk status.

Today's top industry groups included consumer services, textiles, sporting goods stores, music and video stores and recreational vehicles. I would say those are primarily economically sensitive groups, so more money is being bet on a recovery.

Important economic data such as new home sales, PPI and CPI are due out this week, and this is options and futures expiration this week, so watch for volatility.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Weekly Market Review

U.S. Stocks managed to close with modest gains on Friday, which allowed the market to have a positive close for the week. Among the major averages, the Dow Transports lead the way with a weekly gain of almost 4%. This compares to a gain of only 1.1% for the Nasdaq Composite. The Dow Industrials and S&P 500 were both up over 2% for the week.

Among the best performing industry groups for the week were the REITs as well as copper and silver mining stocks. All of these groups are a pure bet on economic recovery. With that in mind, it is a good idea to pay attention to these groups going forward.

This week we have a few important economic reports such as new home sales and the inflation data. This is also options and futures expiration week, so be aware of the potential for volatility.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stock Market Commentary

U.S. Stocks closed lower on Tuesday after a volatile session that involved a 200 point range in the Dow. In actuality, the Dow Jones was the best performer of the major averages, which is not usually a good sign. While the Dow Jones sold off by a mere 1.1%, the Russell 2000 was down over 3%. Tech stocks helped the bigger averages, as Apple closed higher by $3.95 per share.

Energy stocks were the big losers of the day, especially the oil and gas drillers. Anything to do with energy that is pulled from the earth took it on the chin today, due to the news that BP's top kill strategy failed to slow the oil leak in the Gulf over the weekend. As a result, the oil and gas drillers as well as mining stocks were taken out to the woodshed. Many of these stocks have lost nearly 50% of their value since the oil rig explosion over a month ago. For day traders that look for short selling opportunities, these stocks and related ETFs have provided big gains in recent days.

Based upon today's action, it looks like the market will likely test the May 25 lows. This may take another week, but a less than stellar employment report on Friday could be the catalyst.

I noted on CNBC today that Art Cashin indicated that mutual fund cash levels are extremely low. As such, any mutual fund redemptions by investors will result in more stock selling.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

U.S. Stocks Set to Plunge at Open

U.S. stock markets are indicated over 2% lower this morning on concerns that North Korea is flexing its muscles in the east and fears that Europe is not getting its financial house in order. While North Korea is likely just playing games again, the 3-month LIBOR has been spiking higher in the last couple weeks, and is presently trading at 13 month highs. The S&P 500 looks to be breaking through more important levels on the downside this morning, which suggests there is more downside to come.

So, is this a correction in a new bull market dating to last year, or the resumption of a secular Bear Market that began in 2000? I believe it is the latter, which does not bode well for the economy.

Scott Cole
bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks to Open Sharply Lower

Stocks are set to open sharply lower this morning...more confusion out of Europe initiated the selling and now a weekly jobless claims number that rose 25,000 to 471,000 claims.

Scott Cole
Best Daytrading Stocks

Shorts Still in Charge

Short sellers are still in charge of this stock market, but we may be due for a modest bounce here, before we test that freak low from two weeks ago. If you have to trade, be very careful with your long trades at this point. When the market is in a downtrend, it is best to take profits at the close in long positions.

Scott Cole
www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Dollar Falls, Stocks Up, Again

Our favorite trade showed up again today as a weak Dollar led to solid gains in the U.S. Stock market. As usual, Gold was up sharply as well. All of the major averages posted nice gains today. However, most of the gains occurred in the first 30 minutes of trading, and the market was essentially range bound there after. Nonetheless, there were plenty of opportunities for day traders today. There were plenty of gap openings, plus, with Gold up, there were obvious opportunities in the gold stocks.

One interesting divergence in the marke though... Apple was down today. After opening up with the market, it closed much lower, and formed an outside trading day, a somewhat bearish configuration. It appears now that AMZN has clearly taken over the leadership of the Nasdaq.

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Weekly Stock Market Review

Well, last week proved to be quite an interesting week for stocks. Normally, since it is a holiday week, there is seasonal favorability. The market got off to a good start on Monday, but failed to build on its gains over the next two sessions. Then, while we were enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, turmoil erupted in the Middle East, as news out of Dubai suggested there may still be some hangover from the global real estate problems. Global stock markets were down sharply on Thursday, and opened lower on Friday. In the U.S., our markets needed to play a little catch up, and we opened down significantly, trading over 200 points to the down side on the Dow. But, it was a holiday shortened session with light volume, and the markets closed a bit off the lows.

We have a big week ahead. Early in the week we will see if there is any further fallout to the Dubai situation. Retailers will report how the official start to the holiday shopping season went. Then on Friday, there will be a new unemployment report, ahead of which President Obama is convening a jobs summit in an act of desperation to help out Democrats heading into the 2010 election cycle.

As usual, pay close attention to the Dollar. The strong correlation between Dollar weakness and stock market strength is still in place.

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Dollar Plunges, Stocks Barely Move

U.S. stocks ended the day barely to the upside, even as the Dollar was routed in Forex trading. The Dollar closed at 14 year lows against the Yen. The so called Yen carry trade has been fueling the rise in stocks since March, but they barely moved today. Commodities, on the other hand, enjoyed big gains...particularly in energies and precious metals. Gold was up $25 on the day at last check, trading at $1,191 in the cash market.

Sooner or later, stocks will start to not like such a weak dollar. It is also noted that there is tremendous correlation among most markets. As the dollar falls, stocks, bonds and gold have risen. Just imagine what will happen if there is any sort of spike in the Dollar caused by a potential geopolitical crisis, or if the Fed suddenly sees that it is time to start raising rates.

In my view, this is just another asset bubble. Even when stocks rise off of bear market lows, they never move as high, and as quickly as this market has.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Dollar Falls, Stocks Rally, As Usual

U.S. Stocks opened strongly to the upside this morning, and held up all day, as the Dollar declined in Forex trading. Someone keeps on forgetting to turn off this broken record!

Another "as usual" though; volume was light. In fact, considering the size of the price move, volume was downright abysmal. Less money is going into these up days, and that can't be good. Volume will continue to lighten up the rest of this holiday week, and that can lead to increased volatility. As usual, pay attention to the Dollar.

The day proved to not be easy for daytraders, except very short term scalpers. Most of the big moves in individual stocks occurred in the first 30 minutes. After that, many stocks that traded nicely to the upside in the first half hour simply flattened out the rest of the day.

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Weekly Stock Market Review

As mentioned in my previous post this weekend, the U.S. stock market ended a quiet week on a quiet note on Friday. However, as we head into the holidays, we enter a pretty strong time frame for the stock market on a seasonal basis. Since we have had such as strong rally from the March lows, the market is actually significantly higher on the year. As a result, many fund managers have been left on the sidelines, missing much of this rally. You can bet that these fund managers will try to pile into stocks that have been leading the rally.

I suspect that many of the trends that have been in place during the bulk of this rally, such as a declining Dollar and rising commodity prices, will continue into the rest of the year. The leading industry groups continue to be Silver, Gold, metals/mining, and catalog businesses.

Heading into the Thanksgiving week, the market looks poised to make a move higher after a modest pullback over the last several trading days. I like the patterns I see on the major averages and many stocks in terms of setting up for a decent two or three day rally in the coming week. When you add to this that this is a seasonally favorable week, daytraders and short term swing traders should consider that the odds are likely in favor of the long side over the next several trading days.

There is one caveat to this little forecast, if you could call it that. If there is any significant weakness on Monday that carries the S&P 500 down below 1080, then I would anticipate further weakness.

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks End Week With Modest Losses

U.S. Stocks closed very modestly lower on Friday in very dull trading, to end a very dull week of trading. As a result, the week ended mixed, with the Dow Industrials posting a modest gain, and most other averages posting modest losses on the week.

However, the daily trading pattern looks promising for a decent move to the upside next week, which is also a seasonally favorable week for the market.

More to come over the weekend!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks End Day Lower, Dollar Up Modestly

U.S. Stocks finished they lower, but well off session lows on Thursday, but remain up solidly on the week. Stocks opened lower on the back of Dollar strength, but that strength evaporated late in the day, and allowed the market to bounce a bit off its lows. Overall though, it was a pretty weak market. One thing I definitely did not like about the price action was the weakness in Apple. Apple was down over $5 on the day, on rising volume. The overall market volume was also higher today.

In other markets, Gold eked out a small gain, while Crude Oil was lower by over $2. Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet day.

Keep an eye on the Dollar on Friday!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

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Like a broken record, U.S. stocks enjoyed a nice Monday rally, as did many commodities, as the Dollar traded at its lowest level since August 2008. The Yen was the largest benefactor of the Dollar decline today, as the carry trade continues. The Dollar also fell against the Euro and British Pound.

Also benefiting from the Dollar decline was Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, and Copper, among other markets. Interestingly, in spite of a big rise in commodity prices and stocks, the 10 Year Treasury Note also rallied sharply, lower yields to their lowest levels since early October.

The question is, how long can we have a declining Dollar, low interest rates, a fast rising stock market, and higher commodity prices before something gives? I suspect we continue to see these trends through the end of the year. However, when the trend following commodity traders and hedge fund managers decide to head for the exits, they all tend to do so at the same time. You can definitely expect very sharp corrections to occur when that happens.

I suggest that the trends continue through the end of the year since fund managers will want to show strong yearly performance results to show their investors. Once that occurs, they will have no problem liquidating positions at the first sign of any kind of trouble for the markets. or when it becomes obvious that central banks have started to hit the liquidity breaks.

Stay tuned!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Weekly Stock Market Review

U.S. Stocks ended the week with a positive note, and finished with a two week winning streak. A weak Dollar again provided the prescription for the rally, as the market shrugged off a weak consumer sentiment survey. The Russell 2000 actually lead with a gain over 1% on the session, followed closely by the Nasdaq and Nasdaq 100.

This coming week could prove to be an important juncture in the markets. The Dow Industrials have already broken out to new highs for this bull move. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes are sitting just below their highs, while the Russell 2000 and Dow Transports are well below their highs. If the Nasdaq and S&P 500 can move decisively above their highs, that will confirm that this bull move has more legs.

As always, I believe there are significant headwinds out there for the market. However, you can bet that if the averages continue higher, fund managers will have to plunge in and buy. They need to do their best to beat the averages for the year, and since the long side has been the place to be for the last eight months, they must be long, and they must be in the hot stocks.

Most of the headwinds facing the market are longer term issues. As such, since this is also a seasonally favorable time of year for the market, it is best to just stay on the long side, but I do not recommend the use of leverage.

Heading into Monday, we have a two week winning streak for Mondays as well. Don't be surprised by any strength in the market on Monday.

As always, since Friday was a positive day for the stock market, there were some nice daytrades. Check out the chart of CSIQ below. This stock was set up nicely by one of the patterns I like to see for a stock ready to make a big move to the upside. After opening slightly higher on the session, the stock did not disappoint, showing a 10% gain on the day.

Have a good week!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Dollar Weak, Stocks Rise, As Usual

U.S. Stocks were up again Friday, resulting in a two week winning streak. Earnings and a weak Dollar were the primary drivers, as stocks shrugged off a weak Consumer Sentiment report that suggests holiday spending may not be very strong.

The Dollar weakness resulted in more strength in Gold and commodities although crude oil broke down through some recent support before closing just over $76.

Again, volume was light on an up day. Volume was markedly lower than on yesterday's sell off.

More to come over the weekend.

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

Stocks Decline on Dollar Strength

U.S. Stocks declined on Thursday as the Dollar managed a decent rally, after making new lows for the current downtrend this week. Same old story here. As the Dollar falls, stocks rise, as it is seen as a boost to companies that compete in overseas markets. The falling Dollar also has provided a boost to Oil prices, and therefore Oil related stocks. Today, these stocks took a bit hit.

At some point this particular relationship will change, a falling Dollar will result in inflationary pressures. Inflation perceptions will ultimate result in higher interest rates, irregardless of what the Fed does. Higher interest rates are never a good thing for stocks.

Nonetheless, this is the market we are in. It is notable that the stock market appears to be struggling at these levels, and volume on down days continues to be higher than on up days. It is also clear that the stock market leadership has narrowed significantly. The Dow Industrials are the only average to make new highs for the move in the past week. None of the other major averages has made a new high. In fact, the Russell 2000 remains about 6% below its October highs.

In a recent post, due to the Dow breaking out to new highs, I mentioned that intermediate term traders needed to get back into the market with high momentum stocks breaking to new highs. However, I added, that this should be done with caution, and today's action bears that out. All traders and investors should be very cautious at this point due mainly to the policies that the powers that be in Washington are trying to push through, and the extremely high government debt.

Going forward, I expect that the daytrading opportunities will be just as plentiful on the short side as they will be on the upside.

Stay Tuned!

Scott Cole www.bestdaytradingstocks.com

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