I read today that a lot of the future of higher gold prices rests on whether China can seduce other nations to store gold in China’s bonded warehouses.  Furthermore, China wants nations to trade gold on the Shanghai Exchange.  China has been accumulating gold for a decade.  Today, Brazil began buying gold for the first time since 2021.  Moreover, there has been a lot of buzz about debasement, where gold gains favor over the dollar

The year 2018 marked a seismic shift when Wall Street kicked social media giants like Meta and Google out of the technology sector into a brand-new category called "Communication Services." This wasn't just accounting semantics—it created an entirely new investment opportunity that active traders have been capitalizing on ever since. The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLC) emerged from this reshuffling, giving traders direct access to streaming platforms, social networks, telecom companies, and digital

Confusion Rewards Bulls, Not Bears As we head into the 4th quarter of what has been a year marked by historical uncertainty. The chart below shows one measure of it based on a survey of small businesses. There isn’t any sign that the pace of potentially confusing news flow will slow down. Hopefully, the trend of declining uncertainty that occurred in the chart above during the beginning of the last Trump administration will repeat. This

  GRANNY RETAIL STUMBLES BELOW SUPPORT  Granny Retail (XRT) just lost her grip on the 50-day moving average, a key short-term support level that often marks the line between healthy pullbacks and trend reversals.  This isn’t just a technical trip — it’s a sentiment signal that the American consumer, long the backbone of this market, may be running low on gas.  XRT closed decisively below its 50-DMA after multiple failed attempts to hold above it

Most people think you need six figures and property management headaches for real estate wealth. What if you could own Manhattan office towers and California shopping centers for the price of a nice dinner? Welcome to real estate ETFs. The Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) puts institutional-quality real estate investing in your trading account, offering a way to capitalize on real estate trends without direct ownership hassles. XLRE ETF Structure and Real Estate

If you’re following the play-by-play news headlines as they relate to the stock market you’ve had a lot to digest in the last week and a half. With only two days left in the 3rd quarter it appears that the bulls will deliver another strong quarterly report card despite some ominous headlines like more 100% tariff announcements and a government shutdown all but scheduled for October first. Why isn’t this market selling off? Or did

The trifecta of inflation” usually refers to the three core drivers that push inflation higher at the same time, creating a stronger and often stickier inflationary environment  According to Economists, the trifecta they refer to are  Demand-Pull Inflation – Prices rise because demand outpaces supply (booming economy, stimulus, strong consumer spending).  Cost-Push Inflation – Prices rise as production costs increase (energy, commodities, wages, tariffs, supply shocks).  Built-In / Wage-Price Inflation – A self-reinforcing cycle where

When the global economy sneezes, the materials sector catches a cold first. Materials companies sit at the foundation of everything we build and consume, making the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLB) one of the most economically sensitive ETFs—a powerful tool for traders who read economic tea leaves. XLB offers clear cyclical patterns, strong technical signals, and volatility that creates real profit opportunities when timed correctly. XLB ETF Overview: Understanding the Materials Sector Dynamics The

Investing is filled with paradoxes that can confuse or harm investors’ understanding of markets and hold back their ability to generate great returns with stocks. As the market hits new highs, this paradox keeps “cautious” investors sitting on the sidelines… “The market hates uncertainty; however, strong bull markets climb a wall of worry.” When markets sell off, investors find a false sense of comfort in this paradox… “It’s time in the market that matters most,

Last week I wrote a Daily speculating on whether Granddad Russell 2000 IWM had put in a technical pattern called triple tops, or if IWM will clear the highs of 2021, 2024 and now 2025 and keep screaming higher.  And, if we look at the lows of the last 3 weeks, in sequence the prices are  235.42, 236.75, and this week 237.55. So far.  I will get more concerned if we close this week under

Warren Buffett buys companies so simple that even an idiot could run them. The same logic applies to consumer staples—essential products that survive recessions and crashes. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) packages this defensive power into a tradeable instrument. For active traders, XLP is a strategic tool for portfolio hedging, sector rotation, and risk management that can enhance returns while reducing overall volatility. Understanding XLP ETF: Consumer Staples Sector Fundamentals The Consumer

The fanfare that has preceded this week’s upcoming FOMC meeting has been uniquely extraordinary. Don’t let the bullish market magicians’ patter distract you from the real outcome. The bulls have a secret. They don’t really want the bears to know what’s happening! The bears are right… …Inflation is stubbornly elevated, …The job market is weakening, …Tariffs are a drag on economic growth, …The deficit is at record highs and growing, …Geopolitical tensions with the world's

Last week I wrote a Daily speculating on whether Granddad Russell 2000 IWM had put in a technical pattern called triple tops, or if IWM will clear the highs of 2021, 2024 and now 2025 and keep screaming higher.  A triple top pattern is a bearish technical analysis chart pattern that signals a potential reversal from an uptrend to a downtrend.   It forms when an asset's price reaches a similar resistance level three times, failing to break

When the economy thrives, people splurge on cars, clothes, and vacations. When times get tough, they cut back on everything except basics. This behavior pattern creates predictable trading opportunities through the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY). XLY offers traders a direct way to capitalize on consumer spending fluctuations across retail, entertainment, and luxury sectors, providing systematic entry and exit points for those who understand economic indicators and sentiment shifts. XLY ETF Trading Characteristics

Are you tired of hearing that the average monthly return data for September is bearish? You may even be tired of saying it by now. I am. The phrase “September is a bearish month” also frustrates the hell out of me when it’s not followed by some context or perspective that is helpful. The typical data used to support the claim “September is a bearish month” typically looks like the chart below. Everything about that