($VIX) Archives

March 20 Biweekly Strategy Webinar Q&A

Below please find subscribers’ Q&A for the Mad Hedge Fund Trader March 20 Global Strategy Webinar with my guest and co-host Bill Davis of the Mad Day Trader. Keep those questions coming!

Q: What do you make of the Fed’s move today in interest rates?

A: By cutting short their balance sheet unwind early and ending quantitative tightening (QT) early, it amounts to two surprise interest rate cuts and is hugely “RISK ON”. In effect, they are injecting $2.7 trillion in new cash into the financial system. New highs in stocks beckon, and technology stocks will lead. This is a game changer. In a heartbeat, the world has moved from QT to QE, and we already know what that means for socks. They go up.

Q: Why buy Boeing shares (BA) ahead of a global recession?

A: It’s an 18-day bet that I’ve made in the options market. The US economic data is already indicating recession. The data will continue to worsen and that will continue until we go into a recession. But that’s not happening in 18 trading days. Also, we’re getting into Boeing down 20% from the top so our risk is minimal.

Q: Why are we in an open Russell 2000 (IWM) short position?

A: We now have three long positions— 40% on the long side with the Freeport McMoRan (FCX) double position. It’s always nice to have something on the other side to hedge sudden 145-point declines like we have today. Ideally, you want to be hedged at all times. But it’s hard to fund good companies to sell short in a bull market.

Q: Do you need some euphoria to get the Volatility Index (VIX) to the $30-$60 level?

A: No, you don’t need euphoria. You need fear and panic. The (VIX) is a good “fear index” in that it rises when markets are crashing and falling when markets are slowly rising. And for that reason, I’m not buying (VIX) right now. With a sideways to slowly rising market, we could see the $9 handle again before this move is over.

Q: What should be the exit on the Russell 2000 (IWM)?

A: One choice is taking 80% of the maximum profit when you hit it—that’s where the risk-reward tips against you if you keep the position. The other option is to be greedy and run it all the way into expiration, taking the full profit. It depends on your risk tolerance. Remember, we hit the 80% profit three times in March only to stop out of positions for a loss. The market just doesn’t seem to want to let you take the whole 100%.

Q: Why are all your expirations on April 18?

A: That’s when the monthly options expire; therefore, they have the most liquidity of any other option expiration. If you go with the weeklies before or after the monthlies, the liquidity declines dramatically, which can be very frustrating. Since I used to cover only the largest clients, we could only trade in monthlies because we needed the size.

Q: Will Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) survive all those talcum powder lawsuits?

A: They’ve been going on for 10 years—you’d think they’d know by now if they have asbestos in their talcum powder or not. I highly doubt this will get anywhere; they’ll probably win everything on appeal.

Q: What do you anticipate on Brexit?

A: I think eventually Brexit will fail; we’ll have a referendum which will get voted down, Britain will rejoin Europe, and the British pound (FXB) will go to $1.65 to the dollar where it was when Brexit hit three years ago, up from $1.29 today. It would be economic suicide for Britain to leave Europe, as they would have to compete against Europe, the US, and China alone, and they are slowly figuring that out. Demographic change alone over three years would guarantee that another referendum fails.

Q: My partner owns JP Morgan (JPM). Do you still say banks are not a good place to be?

A: Yes. Fintech is eating their lunch. If they couldn't go up with interest rates moving up in the right direction, they certainly won’t be doing better now that interest rates are going down. Legacy banks are the new buggy whip industry.

Q: Why are commodities (FCX) increasing with a coming recession?

A: They are a hard asset and do better in inflation. Also, they’re stimulating their economy in China and we aren't—commodities do better in that situation as China is the world’s largest buyer of commodities, as do all Chinese investments.

Q: Would you buy Biogen (BIIB) on the dip? Its down 30% today.

A: Canceling their advanced phase three trials for the Alzheimer drug Aducanumab is the worst-case scenario for a biotech company. Some $12 billion in prospective income is down the toilet and many years of R&D costs are a complete write-off. Avoid (BIIB) until the dust settles.

February 25, 2019

Diary, Newsletter, Summary

Global Market Comments
February 25, 2019
Fiat Lux

Featured Trade:

(THE MARKET FOR THE WEEK AHEAD, or THE BEST OF TIMES AND THE WORST OF TIMES),
(SPY), (TLT), (TLT), (VIX), (KHC), (MAT), (MMT), (GLD)

The Market Outlook for the Week Ahead, or The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Diary, Newsletter

It is truly the best of times and the worst of times. And it's not a stretch to apply Charles Dickens’ line from the Tale of Two Cities to the stock market these days.

On the one hand, stocks have just delivered one of the sharpest rallies in market history, up a staggering 20% in nine weeks. Everyone is swimming in money once again. It is the kind of move that one sees once a generation, and usually presages the beginning of long term bull markets.

On the other hand, the bull market in stocks is nearly ten years old. Some 13 months ago, the market traded at a lofty multiple of 20X, but earnings were growing at an incredible 26% a year. Today, multiples are at a very high 18X, but earnings growth is zero! This only ends in tears.

Furthermore, the low level of interest rates with the ten year US Treasury bond (TLT) at a subterranean 2.65% suggests that we are on the verge of entering a recession. Warning: bonds are always right.

Of course, it is speculation of a ‘beautiful” trade deal with China that has been driving share prices higher on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, 90% of the deal has already been discounted in the market. We could be setting up the biggest “Sell on the news of all time.”

If instead, we get a delay of 45-90 days while details are hashed out, markets could move sideways for months. That would be death for Volatility Index (VIX) players which have already seen prices collapse this year from $36 to $13. A return visit to the $9 handle is possible. Yes, the short volatility trade is back in size.

Far and away the most important news of the week was that the Fed Pause Lives! Or so the minutes from the January FOMC meeting imply. Lower interest rates for longer offer more benefits than risks. Less heat from the president too.

Perhaps this is response to economic data that has universally turned bad. Durable Goods dove 1.2%, in January in a big surprise. Recession, here we come!

Europe is falling into recession, and they will likely take us with them. February Eurozone Manufacturing PMI fell to 49.2, a three-year low. You obviously haven’t been buying enough Burberry coats, Mercedes, or French wine.

It was a very rough week for some individual stocks.

The Feds subpoenaed Kraft Heinz (KHC), and stock dove 27% over accounting problems. Warren Buffet took a one-day $4 billion hit. What is really in that ketchup anyway besides sugar and red dye number two? Avoid (KHC).

No toys for Mattel (MAT) which saw the worst stock drop in 20 years on the back of poor earnings and worse guidance. Another leading indicator of a weak economy. Barbie isn’t putting out.

It wasn’t all bleak.

Walmart (WMT) delivered online sales up 46% in Q4. Are they the next FANG? Same-store sales jump at the fastest pace in ten years on soaring grocery sales. The Wall family certainly hopes so. Buy (WMT) on dips.

Gold hit a ten-month high, and we are long. The new supercycle for commodities has already started. Get on board before the train leaves the station. Buy (GLD).

February has so far come in at a hot +4.07% for the Mad Hedge Fund Trader. My 2019 year to date return ratcheted up to +13.55%, boosting my trailing one-year return back up to +27.54%.

My nine-year return clawed its way up to +313.69%, another new high. The average annualized return appreciated to +33.89%.

I am now 80% in cash, 10% long gold (GLD), and 10% short bonds (TLT). We have managed to catch every major market trend this year loading the boat with technology stocks at the beginning of January, selling short bonds, and buying gold (GLD). I am trying to avoid stocks until the China situation resolves itself one way or the other.

It’s real estate week on the data front. An additional data delayed by the government shutdown is trickling out.

On Monday, February 25, at 8:30 AM EST, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index is out.

On Tuesday, February 26, 8:30 AM EST, January Housing Starts are published. At 9:00 the latest Case Shiller Corelogic National Home Price Index is published.

On Wednesday, February 27 at 10:00 AM EST, January Pending Home Sales are updated.

Thursday, February 28 at 8:30 AM EST, we get Weekly Jobless Claims. We also get an updated estimate on Q4 GDP. At 10:00 AM Fed governor Jerome Powell speaks.

On Friday, March 1 at 8:30 AM, we get data on January Personal Spending delayed by the government shutdown. The Baker-Hughes Rig Count follows at 1:00 PM.

As for me, I’ll be watching the Academy Awards on Sunday night. As I grew up near Hollywood, have dated movie stars my whole life, and even appeared as an extra in a couple of movies, I have always felt close to this industry.

My first pick for Best Picture is Green Book since I recall traveling through the deep south during this period. It was actually much worse than portrayed by the film. Roma is the favorite, but I thought it was boring. I guess I’m not the politically correct art film type.

Good luck and good trading.

John Thomas
CEO & Publisher
The Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader

February 21, 2019

Diary, Newsletter, Summary

Global Market Comments
February 21, 2019
Fiat Lux

Featured Trade:

(SHORT SELLING SCHOOL 101),
(SH), (SDS), (PSQ), (DOG), (RWM), (SPXU), (AAPL),
(VIX), (VXX), (IPO), (MTUM), (SPHB), (HDGE),

February 11, 2019

Diary, Newsletter, Summary

Global Market Comments
February 11, 2019
Fiat Lux

Featured Trade:
(THE MARKET FOR THE WEEK AHEAD, or DON’T STAND NEXT TO THE DUMMY),
(AAPL), (MSFT), (TSLA), (VIX), (TLT), (TBT), (FXI)

The Market Outlook for the Week Ahead, or Don't Stand Next to the Dummy

Diary, Newsletter

When I was a war correspondent (Cambodia, Laos, Iraq, Kuwait, Indonesia), my seniors gave me a sage piece of advice that saved my life many times.

“Don’t stand next to the dummy.”

Don’t go near the guy wearing the Hawaiian shirt, NY Yankees baseball cap, and aviator sunglasses. You want to be dressed in the same color as the troops and blend in as much as possible. Otherwise, the enemy will aim at the dummy and hit you.

As much as I tried, at 6’4” I was never going to blend in anywhere in Asia. So, I went into the stock market instead.

Now 50 years later, I am facing another dummy problem. Except that the next hit I may take will be of the financial kind rather than the metallic one.

The reaction to the Trump tax cuts is going to be far worse than any benefits the privileged class was able to reap from the cuts in the first place. Listening to the proposals aired, I shudder: A maximum 70% tax rate, the end of special estate tax treatment, a millionaire’s surtax, and the banning of corporate share buybacks.

It’s that last one that that will be particularly damaging for the US economy. Often, a company’s best possible investment is in its own shares where returns are frequently higher than possible through investing in their own business. Just think of all those shares Apple (AAPL) bought at $25, now at $170, and Microsoft (MSFT) picked up at $10.

This is one of the only occasions were management and shareholder interests are one and the same. The event is tax-free as long as you don’t sell your shares. And companies don’t have to pay dividends on stock they have retired, boosting profits even further.

The media loves pandering to the most extreme views out there. I know because I used to do it myself. Cooler heads will almost certainly prevail when the tax code is completely rewritten again in two years. Still, one has to worry.

The week had plenty for we analysts and strategists to chew on.

Is the Fed pausing because of political pressure or an economy that is falling apart? Neither answer is good for equity holders. Start cutting back risk while you can. There are lots of bids on the way up, but none on the way down as December showed.

There has lately been a rising tide of weak data to confirm the negative view.

Factory orders nosedived 0.6% in November, the worst in a year. Funny how nobody wants to make stuff ahead of a recession. ISM Non-Manufacturing Index Cratered to 56.7. Should we be worried? Hell, yes! Why are we getting so many negative data points and stocks keep rising?

Farm sector bankruptcies are soaring, hitting a decade high. Apparently, the trade wars and global warming aren’t working for them. Ironically, ag prices are about to take off to the upside when a Chinese trade deal gets done. Buy the ags for a trade.

Tesla (TSLA) cut prices again in a blatant bid for market share and global domination. The low-end Tesla 3 price drops to $42,900. Next stop $35,000. Too bad they laid off my customer support personnel to cut costs. I can’t find my AM radio.

China trade talks (FXI) hit the skids, taking the stock market down with it as an administration official concedes they are “nowhere close to a deal” with the deadline 3 weeks off. Trump desperately needs a deal while the Chinese don’t, who think they can do better under the next president. If you disagree with this view in China, your organs get harvested and sold on the open market.

The European economy is also going down the drain with the EC’s forecast of economic growth cut from 1.9% to 1.3%. The US-China trade war is cited as a major factor. The global synchronizes slowdown accelerates. Looks like they’ll have more time to drink cheap wine and smoke Gauloises.

The Volatility Index (VIX) hit $15 and that seems to be the bottom for the time being. The market was more overbought than at any time since July. Is the “fear gauge” signaling that happy days are here again? I doubt it. Don’t whistle past the graveyard.

The Mad Hedge Market Timing Index is entering danger territory with a reading of 67 for the first time in five months. Better start taking profits on those aggressive leveraged longs you bought in early January. Your best performers are about to take a big hit. The market has since sold off 500 points, proving its value.

There wasn’t much to do in the market this week, given that I am trying to wind my portfolio down to 100% cash as the market peaks.

I stopped out of my short portion in Apple when my stop loss was triggered by pennies. The second I was out, it began a $6 selloff. Welcome to show business.

I used a major 3 ½ point rally in the bond market to put on a new double short position there. The yield on the ten-year US Treasury bond has to plunge to 2.40% in a month, a three-year low, for me to lose money on this position. It’s a bet that I am happy to make.

My 2019 year to date return leveled out at +10.03%, boosting my trailing one-year return back up to +35.75%.

My nine-year return maintained +310.17%, a new high. The average annualized return stabilized at +33.83%.

I am now 70% in cash and triple short the bond market.

Government data is finally starting to trickle out now that the government shutdown is over.

On Monday, February 11 there is nothing of note to report. Everything important is delayed.

On Tuesday, February 12, 10:00 AM EST, we get the January NFIB Small Business Index. Earnings for Activision Blizzard (ATVI) are out and should be a complete disaster, along with Twilio (TWLO).

On Wednesday, February 13 at 8:30 AM EST, the all-important January Consumer Price Index is published. Barrick Gold (GOLD) reports.

Thursday, February 14 at 8:30 AM EST, we get Weekly Jobless Claims. We also get December Retail Sales which should be good.

On Friday, February 15, at 8:30 AM EST, the February Empire State Index is out. The Baker-Hughes Rig Count follows at 1:00 PM.

As for me, I will be battling my way through the raging snowstorms of the High Sierras trying to get over Donner Pass to my Lake Tahoe estate. Unless I clear the six feet of snow off the roof soon, or the house will get crushed from the weight as it did three years ago.

Where are all those illegal immigrants hanging out in front of 7-Eleven now that I need them?

Good luck and good trading.

John Thomas
CEO & Publisher
The Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader

February 8, 2019

Diary, Newsletter, Summary

Global Market Comments
February 8, 2019
Fiat Lux

Featured Trade:

(FEBRUARY 6 BIWEEKLY STRATEGY WEBINAR Q&A),
(TLT), (FXA), (NVDA), (SPY), (IEUR),
(VIX), (UUP), (FXE), (AMD), (MU), (SOYB)

February 6 Biweekly Strategy Webinar Q&A

Diary, Newsletter

Below please find subscribers’ Q&A for the Mad Hedge Fund Trader February 6 Global Strategy Webinar with my guest and co-host Bill Davis of the Mad Day Trader. Keep those questions coming!

Q: Why are you so convinced bonds (TLT) are going to drop in 2019?

A: I think the Fed will regain the confidence to start raising rates again in the second half. Wage inflation is starting to appear, especially at the minimum wage level in several states. That will crater the bond market as well as the stock market, just as we saw in the second half of 2018. We’re in unknown territory in the bond market; we’re issuing astronomical WWII levels of debt and it’s only a matter of time before the Federal government crowds out private sector borrowers. Even if the bond market sidelines during this time, we will still make the maximum profit in the kind of option bear put spreads I have been putting on.

Q: Why did the Aussie (FXA) go down when they suddenly flipped from rising to cutting interest rates?

A: Interest rate differentials are the principal driver of all foreign exchange rates. They always have been and always will be. Rising rates almost always lead to a stronger currency. And with the US Fed on pause for the foreseeable future, we think the Aussie will be stronger going into 2019.

Q: Do you see the 10-year US Treasury yield going back up to 3.25% this year?

A: Yes, it’ll probably happen in the second half of the year—once the Fed gets its mojo back and decides that high employment and inflation are the bigger threats to the economy.

Q: Has NVIDIA (NVDA) bottomed here?

A: Probably, but you don’t want to touch the semiconductor chip companies until the summer. That’s when all the industry insiders expect the industry to turn and start discounting rocketing earnings after the next recession.

Q: Are stocks expensive here (SPY)?

A: On a trailing basis no, on a forward basis definitely yes. The current price/earnings multiple for the market is 17 now against a 14-20 range in 2018. So, we are dead in the middle of that range now. That’s OK when earnings are rapidly rising as they did last year. But they are falling now and at an increasingly increasing pace.

Q: Do you think the administration used the shutdown to bring forth a recession? To kickstart the pro-economic platform for reelection in 2020?

A: The administration’s view is that the economy is the strongest it’s ever been with no chance of future recession and that they will win the election as a slam dunk. If you believe that, buy stocks; if you don’t, sell them.

Q: How bad do you think Europe (IEUR) will get and does that mean the dollar (UUP) could see parity with the Euro (FXE) soon?

A: Europe is bad but they’re not going to raise interest rates anymore. However, they’re not going to cut them either because they’re already at zero. You need rising rates to see a stronger currency and the fact that the U.S. stopped raising rates is an argument for the Euro to go higher.

Q: Are we about to settle into a fading Volatility Index (VIX) environment for the rest of the year?

A: No, we are not; the (VIX) has been fading for 6 weeks. We’re approaching a bottom with the (VIX) here at $15, and the next big move in will probably be to the upside. The market has gotten WAY too complacent.

Q: Which are the most worrisome signals you see in the U.S. economy right now?

A: Weak earnings and sales guidance from all U.S. companies going forward and the immense jump in jobless claims last week as well as the ever-exploding amounts of government debt. Did I mention the trade war with China and the next government shutdown? Traders have a lot on their plate right now.

Q: How far will Lam Research (LRCX) go?

A: We’ve just had a massive 46% move up, so I wouldn’t chase it up here. However, long term there is still an easy double in this stock. They’re tied in with the semiconductor companies; NVIDIA, Advanced Micron Devices (AMD) and Micron Technology (MU) all trade in a group and may take one more run at the lows. Short term it’s overbought, long term it’s a screaming buy.

Q: Will the ag crisis feed into the main economy?

A: It could. All ag storage in the country is full, so farmers are putting the new harvest under tarps where it is rotting away and then claiming on their insurance. If you add another harvest on top of that it will be a disaster of epic proportions. China is America’s largest ag customer. It took decades of investment to develop them a client, and they are never coming back in their previous size. The trust is gone. Bankruptcies are at a ten-year high and that could eventually take down some regional banks which in turn hurt the big banks. However, ag is only 2% of the US economy, so it won’t cause the next recession. It’s really more of a story of local suffering.

Q: If you give out stop and not filled at stop price, when and how do you adjust to exit?

A: I would quickly enter it and if you’re not done quickly move it down five cents. If you don’t get done, do it again. There is no way to know where the real market is in until you put in a real order. There are 11 different option exchanges online and they are changing prices every millisecond. Furthermore, spread trades can get one leg done on one exchange and the second leg done on another, so prices can be all over the place.

Q: What data goes into the Mad Hedge Market Timing Index and how do you use it to time the markets?

A: It uses a basket of 30 different indicators which constantly changes according to what generates the highest return in a 30 year backtest. It includes a lot of conventional data points, like moving averages and RSIs, along with some of our own internal proprietary ones. When we are getting a reading below 20, we are looking to buy. Any reading over 65 and we are looking to sell, and over 80 we will only go short. It works like a charm. It paid for my new Tesla! I hope this helps.