How High Is Up?

For a second week, insider-transaction data from Vickers Stock Research is generating bullish signals. Last week, insider-transaction volume was low as trading restrictions are in place during earnings season. But trades that did occur resulted in bullish insider-sentiment measures, especially open-market transactions (the most meaningful when considering sentiment).

Stocks were mixed on Wednesday morning as investors weighed earnings from Target and new housing market data. Target shares rose more than 3% after the retailer reported strong second-quarter earnings; however, sales fell and management lowered its full-year earnings guidance, citing the impact of inflation on consumer spending. Housing market data was positive. The Commerce Department said that overall housing starts rose 3.9% in July to an annualized 1.452 million units, above the Reuters consensus forecast of 1.448 million. Starts for single-family homes rose at an even stronger 6.7% rate. The Dow rose 0.3%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $81 per barrel, while gold fell slightly to $1934 per ounce.

Stocks rallied late Thursday amid optimism about a potential debt ceiling deal and strong earnings from Walmart. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ended May 13, below the Reuters consensus forecast of 254,000. Housing data was weak. The National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes fell by 3.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.28 million units in April, below the consensus forecast. The Dow rose 0.34%, the S&P 0.94%, and the Nasdaq 1.51%. Crude oil traded near $72 per barrel, while gold fell $25 to $1960 per ounce.

For a third consecutive week, insider-sentiment data from Vickers Stock Research shows that corporate executives, directors, and beneficial owners are in a selling mood. A growing selling mood.

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The stock market opens Monday looking for a fresh start after last week's bruising. There are plenty of big earnings and economic reports coming to digest this week. On the docket are the big tech behemoths including Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta Platforms (META). Plenty of other giants report this week including Coca-Cola (KO), Chipotle (CMG), General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), Boeing (BA), Exxon Mobil (XOM, Chevron (CVX), and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) among many others. The range of companies will give more data points on how different sectors are weathering the many external factors out there including - inflation, rising interest rates, and the continued war in Ukraine including economic sanctions on Russia. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial average was down 640 points or 1.9%, the S&P 500 fell 2.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite was hit the hardest, losing 3.8%. Year-to-date, the Dow is down 7%, the S&P 500 is now in correction territory, off 10.4%, and the Nasdaq digs deeper into correction territory, down 17.9%. On Friday, the Dow suffered its worst one-day point loss since October 2020, shedding 981 points or 2.8%, the S&P 500 lost 2.8%, and the Nasdaq fell 2.6%. It was a rough week.

The overall Insider Index from Vickers Stock Research continues to benefit from a long-term trend of benign sentiment among corporate executives, directors, and beneficial owners. The index this week (at -11.96) continues to move deeper into the neutral zone that runs from +5.00 to -14.00. As such, while the ratios of selling and buying across exchanges have turned less bullish, the change in insider sentiment has not been enough to reverse the improving long-term trend of the Insider Index.

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Stocks fell on Friday morning as investors digested economic data. U.S. retail sales fell 1.9% in December, following a revised 0.2% gain in November. Retail sales, excluding food, autos, building materials and gas fell 3.1% sequentially. The University of Michigan said that consumer sentiment in the first half of January fell to 68.8 from a final reading of 70.6 in December, driven by inflation concerns. The Dow fell 0.9%, the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq was down 0.3%. Crude oil traded near $83per barrel, while gold traded above $1820 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks fell on Tuesday morning amid continued Delta variant concerns as investors awaited earnings from a range of major tech companies. The Commerce Department said that U.S. core capital goods orders excluding aircraft rose 0.5% in June, in line with the prior month but below the Reuters consensus forecast of 0.7%. Meanwhile, the Conference Board reported that its July consumer confidence index rose slightly to 129.1 and topped the consensus of 123.9. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P 0.7%, and the Nasdaq 1.7%. Crude oil traded near $71.50 per barrel, while gold rose to $1802 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Vickers Stock Research, a subsidiary of Argus Research Group, tracks and analyzes insider trading and institutional ownership trends. Form 13Fs are due 45 days after the end of calendar quarters, and are just now coming in from 1Q21. We like to review the 13Fs of the major activist investors, including Carl Icahn, Trian Fund Management, Jana Partners, and ValueAct Holdings, among others. Activist investing has evolved in recent years and is now less about generating a short-term return on an underpriced stock and more about achieving long-term returns through an active management/investor partnership. Here are some recent new purchases and key holdings of activist investors, according to Vickers.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks edged lower on Tuesday morning following mixed earnings reports and new consumer confidence data. Tesla shares fell sharply as better-than-expected 1Q earnings were driven more by gains from bitcoin investments and environmental credit sales than by the core auto business. The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index rose to 121.7 in April, up from 109.0 in March and the highest level since February 2020, before the start of the pandemic. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $62.50 per barrel, while gold fell slightly to $1780 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks rose on Friday morning on positive economic data. The U.S. Labor Department reported that for the 12 months ended February 2021, the annual core inflation rate is 1.3%. The University of Michigan's March consumer sentiment index came in at 84.9, up from February's 76.8 and above the 83.6 consensus estimate. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P 0.6%, and the Nasdaq 0.4%. Crude oil prices traded at $61 per barrel, while gold rose $7 to $1732 per ounce.

Vickers Stock Research, a subsidiary of Argus Research Group, tracks and analyzes insider trading and institutional ownership trends. Form 13-Fs are due 45 days after the end of calendar quarters, and are now coming in from 4Q20. We review the 13Fs of the major activist investors, including Carl Icahn, Trian Fund Management, Jana Partners, and ValueAct Holdings, among others. Activist investing has evolved and is now less about generating a short-term return on an underpriced stock and more about achieving long-term returns through an active management/investor partnership. Here are some recent new purchases and key holdings of activist investors, according to Vickers.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks seem to be climbing the current wall of worry quite nicely. The election process appears to be headed towards resolution, D.C. gridlock (supposedly favored by Wall Street) is likely, and optimism about a vaccine for COVID-19 is on the rise (along with new case counts we must add). That all left the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 29,479 as of the close of trading on November 13 (of all dates) as compared to 26,501 at the close of the trading week on 11/2/20 (a mere 11 days earlier). That all sounds pretty good. So what is the status of the proprietary insider-sentiment barometers from Vickers Stock Research?

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks fluctuated on Thursday morning amid mixed earnings reports, new weekly employment data, and diminishing prospects for a pre-election stimulus deal. Tesla shares rose after the company posted stronger-than-expected 3Q earnings and reiterated its full-year forecast of 500,000 vehicle deliveries. Coca-Cola shares also rose following above-consensus results, reflecting strength in at-home sales. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 787,000 for the week ended October 17, down from 842,000 a week earlier and below the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 870,000. The Dow rose 0.1%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $41 per barrel, while gold fell $29 to $1900 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

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Stocks edged higher on Wednesday morning despite increased U.S.-China tensions, as the U.S. accused China of stealing scientific research and ordered it to close its consulate in Houston. Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced that it would pay Pfizer and partner BioNTech $1.95 billion for 600 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine if it proves to be safe and effective. The two companies also said that they could manufacture the first 100 million doses by December. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 0.4%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $41 per barrel, while gold rose $12 to $1856 per ounce.