The major stock indexes traded back and forth the unchanged level once again today, with a mixed close run on increasing volume.
Officially, the Dow Industrials rose 0.3% on NYSE volume of 5.9 billion shares, while the NASDAQ fell a scant 0.05% on 2.3 billion. The leadership profile maintains its positive tone, with 584 stocks making new highs versus 68 making new lows.
The short term momentum oscillators remain positive, confirming the bullish stance of the AlphaKing Trading Indicator. We have no new trades at this time.
Tomorrow’s jobs report slated to land before the open should provide a significant breakout or breakdown, depending on whether traders are itching to get in versus ditching and running, with unemployment data the convenient excuse. The NASDAQ closed the gap on the intra-day charts today that we mentioned yesterday, twice hitting the 2285 level before rallying off that key technical level.
Since a gap open tomorrow is very likely, we should see either a gap to new highs for the rally, or a gap down to complete the Island Reversal pattern we highlighted yesterday (visit the January 6, 2010, update in the archives to view the intra-day chart of the NASDAQ.) As goes the first week of January so goes the month and the year will also be completed tomorrow, so the close tomorrow should have massive consequences as far as 2010 being a bull or bear year goes.
401K investors should have ˝ of their portfolio invested in a stock index, or aggressive growth, mutual fund, with the other ˝ remaining in a money market fund.
The Index portfolio is ˝ invested in QQQQ with the other ˝ remaining in cash.
Kevin Wilde, Chief Trading Strategist AlphaKing.com.