Having hit 1,150 on Friday, the S&P 500 is now at a crossroad: Will it fall back, or continue marching up to the next technical target around 1,200? No one chart can say for sure, but here are some points to be aware of -- and to watch in coming days.
It's no secret that stock investors have suffered through roller-coaster volatility this year for little or no return, while bond investors have been having a ball. The longest-dated Treasury mutual funds have returned nearly 20%. Stocks, meanwhile, have done zilch.
Equity investors have ample reason to be frustrated these days. The S&P 500 has hovered around 1,080 since mid-May, but it hasn't been a quiet ride. Oliver Pursche, president of Gary Goldberg Financial Services, talks about how you can smooth out the bumps of short-term volatility.
Stocks took an uncomfortably circuitous route to posting broad-based gains Tuesday, as a better-than-expected outlook on global recovery from Australia's central bank was tested by the bond market's bleaker assessment of the U.S. economy.
With no major news on the calendar ahead of next week's start of second-quarter earnings season, longer-term investors should have more sway in a market that's been technically driven for months. That could mean fewer wild swings, at least for a while.
On Friday, after the market closes, the Russell Investment Group will announce how it will rebalance its indexes in the annual event known as the Russell Reconstitution, the ripple effects of which will be felt as a brief, high-energy tremor through the stock markets.
Why do time-outs on stock trading make sense? A simple manual cross-check of prices can help mitigate volatility "if things get out of whack," says Doreen Mogavero of Mogavero Lee & Co. in a video interview from the NYSE.
Stocks plunged early Tuesday, but fought their way back up as the day wore on. While the news is generally dreary, there is growing technical evidence that the market is oversold and setting up for a rebound.
For the average investor, the market's jarring movements this week left many sitting on the sidelines. But for traders, the market's wild swings were welcome news.
Uh oh. The stock market's big swings last week pushed up the S&P VIX -- the "investor fear gauge" -- by 30%. In such times, stocks with low beta (less volatile than the S&P 500 average), above-par performance and compelling valuations can be the ticket. Here are some to consider.
The Dow surged Tuesday on reports the European Union is hatching a plan to end the Greek debt crisis. But just because the blue-chip index sits above 10,000 again doesn't mean the latest threat to equities is over. Investors should brace themselves for more tremors to come.
As stunning as Google's threat to shut down its operations in China may be, its business in the Middle Kingdom means almost nothing to the company's bottom line. And while Baidu may win in the long run, its shares look mighty rich after today's run up.