TheStrategyLab.com Price Action Trading Support Forum

Price Action Trade Results of M.A. Perry
Trader and Founder of WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis)
TheStrategyLab Price Action Trading (no technical indicators)
wrbtrader (more info about me): http://www.thestrategylab.com/wrbtrader.htm & http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=850
Free Chat Room: http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=164
Archive Real-Time Chat Logs (timestamp, entries/exits, position size): http://www.thestrategylab.com/ftchat/forum/viewforum.php?f=20
Users Reviews, Accolades (Testimonials): http://www.thestrategylab.com/Accolades.htm
Review of TheStrategyLab: http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=3167 & http://www.thestrategylab.com/thestrategylab-reviews.htm
Price Action Trading: http://www.thestrategylab.com/price-action-trading.htm
TheStrategyLab Business Hours: 8am - 5pm est (Mon - Fri)
Telephone: +1 708 572-4885
wrbanalysis@gmail.com (24/7)
Stocktwits @ http://stocktwits.com/wrbtrader (24/7)
Twitter @ http://twitter.com/wrbtrader (24/7)


click on the above image to view today's performance verification

Price Action Trade Performance for Today: Emini RTY ($RTY_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points, Emini ES ($ES_F) futures @ $1,725.00 dollars or +34.50 points, Light Crude Oil CL ($CL_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points, Gold GC ($GC_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.00 points and EuroFX 6E ($6E_F) futures @ $0.00 dollars or +0.0000 ticks. Total Profit @ $1,725.00 dollars

Russell 2000 Emini RTY Futures: 1 tick or 0.10 = $5.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup (formerly as TF @ The ICE)
S&P 500 Emini ES Futures: 1 tick or 0.25 = $12.50 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
Light Crude Oil CL (WTI) Futures: 1 tick or 0.01 = $10.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
Gold GC Futures: 1 tick or 0.10 = $10.00 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup
EuroFX 6E Futures: 1 tick or 0.0001 = $12.50 dollars and there's more contract information @ CMEGroup

Today's Trade Log & Price Action Analysis is archived @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/ftchat/forum/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=2733

All of my trades are posted real-time at the above link for today's archive chat log in the timestamp ##TheStrategyLab free chat room via the user name wrbtrader for anyone to do a real-time review (you must be a member of the chat room for a real-time review). Although the trades and price action analysis are posted by me and other users of WRB Analysis in real-time...review of TheStrategyLab is that this is not a signal calling chat room nor is this a live trading room that has a head trader telling you what to do. I'm the moderator (I keep the peace between members) and my own live trades are posted within 3.2 seconds on average after the trade confirmation in my broker trade execution platform via an auto script to minimize delays in posting of my trades. You can review today's price action trade journal about my trades (e.g. time, price entry, contract size, price exit, market analysis) as the trade traversed to its completion. In addition, sometimes I'll post real-time trading tips in the free ##TheStrategyLab chat room involving WRBs, WRB Hidden GAPs, Key Market Events (KME), WRB Zones, Reaction Highs/Lows, Contracting Volatility or Expanding Volatility...all key concepts from the WRB Analysis free study guide even though the free chat room is not design to be an education chat room because the education is only performed at the forums in the private threads.

##TheStrategyLab Chat Room is free. The free chat room is not a signal calling trading room nor is it a live trading room with a head trader even though members of the chat room are posting their trades & market analysis in real-time. I do not mentor (never have) although I get many requests to do mentoring. There is education but only in members private threads at the forum involving members asking questions (help) about their own trading. Thus, the primary purpose of TheStrategyLab free chat room is for you to use as your trade journal so that you can use as valuable feedback about your own trading and for members to help each other...as in more eyes on the market. In addition, we highly recommend that you use the free chat room with a professional trade journal software like tradebench.com, edgewonk.com, tradervue.com, tradingdiarypro.com, stocktickr.com, journalsqrd.com, tradingdiary.pro, mxprofit.com or trademetria.com because they can provide you with the quantitative statistical analysis of your trading. You can then download your results and post them in your private thread at the forum.

Also, you can use TheStrategyLab free chat room to ask real-time WRB Analysis questions. Yet, please do not post your quantitative statistical analysis, brokerage statements in the free chat room. Instead, its highly recommended that you only post that particular information in your private thread for security reasons. Yet, if you want to post that type of information at another website, blog or chat room...that's your choice.

TheStrategyLab free chat room is on IRC via users request because the IRC servers are located in many different countries, software in many different languages, many different mobile apps, many different types of social media software can be used to log in along with IRC being easier to moderate via script codes when trouble makers, spammers and trolls show up. I'm the moderator of the free chat room via the user name wrbtrader. Thus, I keep the peace between members without hesitation in removing problematic traders so that members can peacefully post their market observations, trades, WRB Analysis commentary about the markets without being trolled or harassed.

TheStrategyLab free chat room is not for traders looking for someone to hold their hands and tell them when to buy or sell nor do we allow the free chat room to be used for mentoring because we do not offer a mentoring service. The purpose of TheStrategyLab is for you to post your real-time analysis or trades so that you can review as feedback for any trading day to provide valuable information about the results in your broker statements. If you join the free chat room and then you decide to not post any WRB Analysis about the price action or you decide to not post your trades or you decide to be silent (lurk without saying a word about today's markets)...you're not using the free chat room properly to help improve your trading.

In fact, we do not want silent (lurkers) traders to join the free chat room unless they are actively posting at the forum about their trading after the markets close. Access instructions for the free chat room @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=164


Also, posted below for you to review are direct links to information about my price action trade methodology and trading plan (there's a difference between the two) that enables me to identify key trading areas in the price action that represent changes in supply/demand and volatility along with being able to exploit these changes via WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis). I'm primarily a day trader because it suits my personal lifestyle but I do occasionally swing trade and position trade. Simply, my trade method is applicable for position trading, swing trading and day trading.

Price Action Analysis via Advance WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/WRBAnalysisTutorials.htm and there's a free study guide of the WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters 1, 2 and 3 @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=718

Analysis -----> Trade Signals

Trade Signal Strategies via Volatility Trading Report (VTR) @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/VolatilityTrading.htm and there's a free trade signal strategy @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewforum.php?f=89 so that you can freely test drive one of our price action trade strategies with support (answering your questions) prior to purchasing the Volatility Trading Report (VTR). All WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters 1 - 12 are included in the purchase of the Volatility Trading Report (VTR).

Daily Trading Plan Routine @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=343&t=3632 contains brief information about trading plan, market context, brokers, trading time frames, position size management and other discussions.

-----------------------------

Market Context Summaries

The below summaries by Bloomberg, Briefing, Reuters and Yahoo! Finance helps me to do a quick review of the fundamentals, FED/ECB/BOE/IMF actions or any important global economic events (e.g. Eurozone, MarketWatch.com) that had an impact on today's price action in many trading instruments I monitor during the trading day. Simply, I'm a strong believer that key market events causes key changes in supply/demand and volatility resulting in trade opportunities (swing points and strong continuation price actions) that reach profit targets. Thus, I pay attention to these key market events, intermarket analysis (e.g. Forex EurUsd, EuroFX 6E futures, Gold GC futures, Light Crude Oil (WTI) CL & Brent Oil futures, Eurex DAX futures, Euronext FTSE100 futures, Emini ES futures, Emini RTY futures, Treasury ZB futures and U.S. Dollar Index futures) while using WRB Analysis from one trade to the next trade to give me the market context for price action trading before the appearance of my technical analysis trade signals. Therefore, I maintain these archives for easy review to allow me to understand what was happening on any given trading day in the past involving key market events to help better understand my trade decisions (day trading, swing trading, position trading)...something I can not get from my broker PnL statements alone. Further, most financial websites remove (delete) their archives after a few years to make room for new content. Therefore, I maintain my own archives of the news content so that I have it available for me when financial websites no longer archives their content.


click on the above image to view today's price action of key markets

The Market at 04:20PM ET
Dow: +104.79… | Nasdaq: +103.51… | S&P: +22.18…
NASDAQ Vol: 1.91 bln… Adv: 1571… Dec: 997…
NYSE Vol: 815.2 mln… Adv: 1853… Dec: 1125…

Moving the Market

Equity market bounces back following Friday's decline

Heavily-weighted technology, health care, and consumer discretionary sectors outperform

Energy shares rally as crude oil hovers near a 31-month high

Sector Watch
Strong: Consumer Discretionary, Energy, Materials, Technology, Health Care
Weak: Financials, Consumer Staples, Utilities, Telecom Services, Real Estate
04:20PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] U.S. equities began 2018 on a positive note, jolted by a sense of optimism for the new year.

The major stock indices mostly reclaimed the losses registered ahead of the extended New Year's weekend, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq (+1.5%) settling above the 7000 mark for the first time ever. The S&P 500 (+0.8%) also finished at a new record high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.4%) underperformed.

Beneath the eye-catching headlines of new all-time highs, Tuesday's session was rather dull as trading volume remained relatively light following the holidays; just 815 million shares changed hands at the New York Stock Exchange. Equities registered most of their gains at the opening bell and, outside an uptick in the final minutes, trended sideways for the rest of the day.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining stocks by 1.6 to 1, and, more importantly, the size of the gains easily outweighed the magnitude of the losses. The consumer discretionary, technology, health care, energy, and materials sectors--which comprise around 60% of the broader market combined--climbed more than 1.0% apiece.

Meanwhile, the consumer staples, utilities, and real estate groups--which make up just 14% of the broader market combined--lost between 0.6% and 0.9%. The heavily-weighted financial sector also finished in the red, but its loss was modest at 0.1%.

Chipmakers had a solid day, bouncing back from some profit taking at the end of 2017; the PHLX Semiconductor Index jumped 2.8%. Names like Advanced Micro (AMD 10.98, +0.70) and Micron Technology (MU 43.67, +2.55) were among the top performers, adding 6.8% and 6.2%, respectively.

Retailers also put together a positive performance, evidenced by the 1.8% increase in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT 46.01, +0.83). Target (TGT 67.63, +2.38) tacked on 3.7% amid speculation that Amazon (AMZN 1189.01, +19.54) could make a bid for the big-box retailer sometime this year.

Elsewhere, the Euro Stoxx 50 (-0.5%) posted its sixth consecutive loss despite an in-line reading for the December Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (60.6). Conversely, equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region finished Tuesday on a mostly higher note, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+2.0%) pacing the advance.

Outside the equity markets, U.S. Treasury yields climbed across the curve, with the benchmark 10-yr yield jumping six basis points to 2.47%, and West Texas Intermediate crude futures held steady at $60.36 per barrel as anti-government protests in Iran continued. The U.S. Dollar Index tumbled 0.5% to 91.55, hitting a three-month low.

Investors did not receive any economic data on Tuesday, but they will receive several economic reports on Wednesday, including the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index at 7:00 ET and both the ISM Manufacturing Index for December (Briefing.com consensus 58.0) and Construction Spending for November (Briefing.com consensus +0.7%) at 10:00 ET.

In addition, the minutes from the December FOMC meeting will cross the wires at 14:00 ET, and December auto and truck sales will be released throughout the day.

Nasdaq Composite: +1.5% YTD
Russell 2000: +0.9% YTD
S&P 500: +0.8% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average: +0.4% YTD

Dow: +104.79… | Nasdaq: +103.51… | S&P: +22.18…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1571/997. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1853/1125.

03:30PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Commodities end the day higher:

Overall, commodities, as measured by the Bloomberg Commodity Index, are currently up 0.28% at 88.4101
Dollar index is currently down 0.29% at 91.85
Feb WTI Crude is down 0.1% on the day.
API data to be released tomorrow at 4:30 ET because of holiday weekend
Futures settle $0.06 lower to $60.36/barrel.
In other energy, Feb Natural Gas settled up $0.1 at $3.05/MMBtu
On the metals:
Feb Gold gained $6.60 to settle at $1315.90/oz, while Mar silver gained $0.06 to $17.21/oz
Mar Copper dropped $0.02 to $3.28/lb
Finally, agriculture:
Mar Corn settled unchanged at $3.53/bu.
Jan Soy settled up $0.005 at $9.655/bu.
Mar wheat settled flat at $4.34/bu.

Dow: +74.03… | Nasdaq: +93.78… | S&P: +18.55…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1713/1017. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1780/1192.

03:00PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The Nasdaq (+1.3%) and the S&P 500 (+0.7%) are flirting with all-time highs moving into the final hour of trading, while the Dow sits about 60 points off its record close.

Looking ahead, investors will receive several economic reports tomorrow, including the ISM Manufacturing Index for December (Briefing.com consensus 58.0) and Construction Spending for November (Briefing.com consensus +0.7%), both of which will cross the wires at 10:00 ET. In addition, December auto and truck sales will be released throughout the day.

As for earnings, Rite Aid (RAD 2.13, +0.17) will report following Wednesday's closing bell.

Dow: +59.61… | Nasdaq: +90.83… | S&P: +17.32…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1706/1050. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1771/1197.

02:35PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Wall Street is optimistic at the start of 2018; equities are trading higher, U.S. Treasuries are trading lower, and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX 9.88, -1.16) is hovering below the historically-low 10.00 mark. The S&P 500 hovers about 0.6% above its flat line, eyeing a new record close.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin has spiked in recent action following a Wall Street Journal report that Peter Thiel's fund owns hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin currently trades at around $15,000 after hovering below $14,000 just two hours ago.

According to the WSJ article, Mr. Theil is well-known for early investments in companies like Facebook (FB 181.06, +4.60).

Dow: +58.48… | Nasdaq: +90.75… | S&P: +17.02…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1718/1041. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1736/1224.

02:00PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices have been drifting sideways for the last few hours, protecting their early gains.

Today's session has been rather uneventful as many traders remain on vacation--or perhaps in a vacation state of mind. The consumer discretionary (+1.4%), energy (+1.5%), materials (+1.1%), technology (+1.1%), and health care (+1.1%) sectors all hold gains of more than 1.0% apiece, while the utilities group (-0.9%) trades at the back of the pack.

Energy's positive performance is somewhat surprising considering the decrease in the price of crude oil; WTI crude futures are down 0.3% at $60.26 per barrel. But, then again, the commodity is still hovering near a 31-month high despite today's downtick.

Dow: +53.90… | Nasdaq: +86.93… | S&P: +16.54…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1807/966. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1774/1164.

01:30PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages are attempting to hold gains as the first day of trading approaches the halfway point. The Nasdaq is the early winner in 2018 as it is up 1.2% compared to 0.6% in the S&P and 0.2% in the Dow.

The Dow is being led by Disney (DIS) which has rallied 3.1% on the first day of 2018 trading. The stock is seeing a favorable opening following strong box office results by Star Wars 'The Last Jedi'. General Electric (GE) is also seeing bids as it benefits from the Dogs of the Dow theory following a 45% decline in 2017. Of note, Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobile (XOM) are also up 1.5% and 1.2%, respectively, as oil rallies on geopolitical concerns in Iran.

Traveler's (TRV) stands out as a key laggard as it is down 2.1% to start the new year. There is no news associated with the move which looks technical in nature after the stock stalled out at the $137 area to end 2017.

Dow: +61.07… | Nasdaq: +85.78… | S&P: +17.30…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 2030/918. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1792/1189.

01:00PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Equities have started 2018 on the front foot in what has been a pretty quiet trading session thus far.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (+1.2%) is outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 Index (+0.6%), while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.2%) shows relative weakness. The small-cap Russell 2000 currently sports a gain of 0.8%.

Positive performances from the consumer discretionary (+1.3%), technology (+1.0%), health care (+1.1%), energy (+1.3%), and materials (+1.1%) sectors have carried the broader market, outweighing losses from the financials (-0.2%), consumer staples (-0.3%), and utilities (-0.9%) groups.

Within the top-weighted technology sector, chipmakers have had a particularly solid showing, evidenced by the 2.1% increase in the PHLX Semiconductor Index. Investors have also been bullish on Netflix (NFLX 200.65, +8.69) after Loop Capital named the streaming media network the 'Best Idea for 2018'; NFLX shares are up 4.5%.

Meanwhile, retailers have also outperformed the broader market. Target (TGT 67.30, +2.05) is among the top performers amid chatter that online giant Amazon (AMZN 1186.78, +17.31) may make a bid for the big-box retailer sometime this year; TGT shares have added 3.2%.

On the downside, the heavily-weighted financial sector (-0.2%) has struggled, with Dow component Travelers (TRV 132.83, -2.81) dropping 2.1% to a three-week low. The property and casualty insurer has weighed on the price-weighted Dow, as have Procter & Gamble (PG 90.91, -0.97) and 3M (MMM 233.48, -1.89).

Elsewhere, the Euro Stoxx 50 (-0.5%) posted its sixth consecutive loss despite an in-line reading for the December Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (60.6). Conversely, equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region finished Tuesday on a mostly higher note, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+2.0%) pacing the advance.

Outside of equities, U.S. Treasuries have sold off today, pushing yields higher across the curve; the benchmark 10-yr yield is up six basis points at 2.47%. The U.S. Dollar Index is down 0.4% at 91.64, hovering at a three-month low, while WTI crude futures are lower by 0.2% at $60.28 per barrel.

Investors did not receive any economic data on Tuesday.

Dow: +37.37… | Nasdaq: +80.71… | S&P: +15.49…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1859/953. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1769/1146.

12:30PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages are still trading in the green, sporting gains between 0.2% and 1.2%.

In Europe, the major bourses ended Tuesday's session mostly lower, with the UK's FTSE (-0.5%) pacing the retreat. The U.S. dollar is currently down 0.4% against the euro (1.2052) and 0.7% against the British pound (1.3596). The greenback has also given up 0.4% against the Japanese yen, falling to 112.25.

Earlier on Tuesday, equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region posted solid gains. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was the top advancer, adding 2.0%, while Japan's Nikkei was closed and will remain closed through Wednesday.

Dow: +48.05… | Nasdaq: +84.23… | S&P: +16.62…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1889/912. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1808/1086.

11:55AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The Dow (+0.1%) is to stay in positive territory, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq sport gains of 0.6% and 1.2%, respectively.

Six sectors are trading in the green--consumer discretionary (+1.3%), health care (+1.1%), technology (+1.1%), materials (+1.0%), energy (+0.9%), and industrials (+0.1%)--while five are trading in the red--telecom services (-0.1%), financials (-0.3%), consumer staples (-0.3%), real estate (-0.3%), and utilities (-0.9%).

In the bond market, U.S. Treasuries have continued to weaken. The yield on the benchmark 10-yr Treasury note is trading six basis points above Friday's closing level and four basis points above where it stood at the opening bell, hovering at 2.47%. Yields move inversely to prices.

Dow: +34.66… | Nasdaq: +83.43… | S&P: +15.61…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1881/915. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1752/1126.

11:30AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Stocks have ticked up since the last update, putting the S&P 500 (+0.7%) on track for a new record close.

The health care sector, which represents around 14.0% of the broader market, has climbed 1.3% in today's session. Biotech names show particular strength, evidenced by the 2.0% increase in the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 108.91, +2.15), as do shares of Abbott Labs (ABT 59.06, +1.99), which were upgraded at both Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan. ABT shares are currently up 3.4%, hovering at a fresh record high.

Meanwhile, the lightly-weighted utilities sector has struggled, dropping 0.9%. 25 of the group's 28 components are trading in the red, with influential names like NextEra Energy (NEE 154.85, -1.34) and Duke Energy (DUK 83.36, -0.75) showing losses of around 0.8% apiece.

Dow: +45.09… | Nasdaq: +84.00… | S&P: +15.92…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 2003/801. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1872/978.

11:05AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices have strengthened over the first hour and a half of today's session...at least for the most part.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 hold respective gains of 1.2% and 0.6%, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up just 0.3%. 3M (MMM 233.18, -2.19), Travelers (TRV 133.57, -2.07), and Procter & Gamble (PG 91.06, -0.82) have weighed on the blue-chip average with losses ranging between 0.9% and 1.5%.

Meanwhile, Dow component Walt Disney (DIS 109.90, +2.39) has had a solid performance, adding 2.2%. Macquarie Group upgraded the media giant to 'Outperform' from 'Neutral' after the newest edition to the Star Wars saga--The Last Jedi--became the top-grossing movie of 2017 over the holiday weekend.

Dow: +67.36… | Nasdaq: +83.68… | S&P: +17.32…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 2057/770. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1987/869.

10:30AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Commodities begin the day flat :

Overall, commodities, as measured by the Bloomberg Commodity Index, are currently unchanged 0% at 88.17
Dollar index is currently down 0.15% at 91.98
Jan WTI crude is down 0.23% on the day.
API inventory data will be released tomorrow because of the holiday week
Futures are $0.14 lower to $60.28/barrel.
In other energy, Jan natural gas is up $0.08 at $3.03/MMBtu
Metals:
Feb gold gained $4.50 and trades at $1313.80/oz, while Mar silver gained $0.02 to $17.17/oz
Mar copper dropped 0.01 to $3.29/lb
Finally, agriculture:
Mar corn is up $0.03 at $3.54/bu.
Jan soy is up $0.06 at $9.6775/bu.
Mar wheat is up $0.09 at $4.36/bu.

Dow: +104.36… | Nasdaq: +78.51… | S&P: +17.9…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 2092/720. …NYSE Adv/Dec 2032/794.

10:00AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The major stock indices are still higher this morning, hovering near their opening levels.

Technology stocks have gotten off to a solid start, putting the tech-heavy Nasdaq (+0.9%) a step ahead of the S&P 500 (+0.5%) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.4%). Netflix (NFLX 198.55, +6.56) is pacing the tech rally with a gain of 3.4% after Loop Capital named the streaming media network the 'Best Idea for 2018'.

In the bond market, U.S. Treasuries have extended their losses in recent action, pushing the benchmark 10-yr yield higher by three basis points to 2.44%.

Dow: +101.27… | Nasdaq: +59.90… | S&P: +13.66…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 2007/767. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1814/975.

09:45AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The major U.S. indices are trading modestly higher in the opening minutes of today's session, with the S&P 500 sporting a gain of 0.5%.

Most of the 11 sectors hold gains in early action. The consumer discretionary and technology groups are the strongest sectors, showing gains of around 0.8% apiece, while the utilities and real estate spaces are the weakest performers, losing 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively.

Withing the consumer discretionary space, retailers exhibit particular strength, with Nordstrom (JWN 49.01, +1.63) leading the charge. JWN shares are up 3.4% after JP Morgan upgraded them to 'Neutral' from 'Underweight.'

Dow: +122.93… | Nasdaq: +45.78… | S&P: +13.44…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1940/809. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1882/853.

09:10AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +10.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +22.00.

The stock market is on track to open the new year in the green as the S&P 500 futures trade 11 points, or 0.4%, above fair value.

News has been pretty light this morning following the extended New Year's weekend, inviting another day of below-average trading volume.

Outside the equity market, U.S. Treasuries are trading lower, pushing yields higher across the curve; the yield on the benchmark 10-yr Treasury note is up two basis points at 2.43%. Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar Index is down 0.4% at 91.59, which marks a three-month low, and WTI crude futures are little changed at $60.45 per barrel.

Investors will not receive any economic data in today's session.

08:53AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +9.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +21.00.

The S&P 500 futures are trading 10 points, or 0.4%, above fair value.

Equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region began the week on a mostly higher note while Japan's Nikkei will remain closed through tomorrow. South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon confirmed that an offer has been made to hold high-ranking talks with North Korea next week. Property names outperformed in Hong Kong after press reports noted that China may delay adopting a property tax until 2020.

In economic data:
China's December Caixin Manufacturing PMI 51.5 (expected 50.6; last 50.8)
Australia's December AIG Manufacturing Index 56.2 (last 57.3)
Singapore's Q4 GDP +2.8% quarter-over-quarter (expected 2.9%; last 9.4%); +3.1% year-over-year (consensus 2.7%; last 5.4%)
India's November Infrastructure Output +6.8% year-over-year (last 4.7%). December Nikkei Markit Manufacturing PMI 54.7 (expected 51.0; last 52.6)

---Equity Markets---

Japan's Nikkei was closed.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 2.0%. AAC Technologies, Country Garden Holdings, and Sunny Optical Tech posted gains between 7.5% and 9.2% while financials and property names like China Overseas, China Resources Land, China Construction Bank, ICBC, and Bank of China rose between 1.8% and 4.8%.
China's Shanghai Composite gained 1.2%. Shengyi Technology, Hengli Petrochemical, Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical, and Anhui Conch Cement rallied between 6.8% and 8.9%.
India's Sensex settled just below its flat line. Bharti Airtel, SBI, Hero MotoCorp, AXIS Bank, Tata Consultancy, Infosys, and ICICI Bank posted losses between 0.4% and 2.2%.

Major European indices trade in negative territory with Italy's MIB (-0.3%) among the laggards once again, as the clock continues ticking toward a recently-scheduled general election in March. The retreat in Italian equities has been accompanied by weakness in Italy's debt, which has lifted the country's 10-yr yield eight basis points to 2.07%, the highest level in over two months. European Central Bank Benoit Coeure noted that there is a "reasonable chance" that the ECB would not extend its asset purchase program. Reports out of the UK are once again calling into question the level of support for British Prime Minister Theresa May within her own party.

In economic data:
Eurozone December Manufacturing PMI 60.6, as expected (last 60.6)
Germany's December Manufacturing PMI 63.3, as expected (last 63.3)
UK's December Manufacturing PMI 56.3 (expected 58.0; last 58.2) and Housing Equity Withdrawal -GBP5.90 billion (expected -GBP6.20 billion; last -GBP5.80 billion)
France's December Manufacturing PMI 58.8 (expected 59.3; last 59.3)
Italy's December Manufacturing PMI 57.4 (expected 58.6; last 58.3)
Spain's December Manufacturing PMI 55.8 (expected 56.4; last 56.1)

---Equity Markets---

UK's FTSE is down 0.6% with drugmakers, miners, and select financials leading the retreat. Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Standard Life, Antofagasta, RSA Insurance, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Standard Chartered, and Prudential show losses between 0.8% and 2.1%.
Germany's DAX has given up 0.8%. Lufthansa, BMW, Volkswagen, Thyssenkrupp, Siemens, Bayer, Daimler, and SAP are down between 1.0% and 2.5%.
France's CAC is lower by 0.7%. Automakers Peugeot and Renault show respective losses of 1.4% and 1.2% while consumer names like Kering, Louis Vuitton, Danone, L'Oreal, and Pernod Ricard have given up between 0.8% and 2.6%.


08:31AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +7.50. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +16.80.

The S&P 500 futures are trading eight points, or 0.3%, above fair value.

Crude oil is currently down 0.2% at $60.33 per barrel, not far off the 31-month high it hit on Friday. The commodity has benefited from unrest in Iran, where anti-government protests have put the pace of oil production into question.

Energy stocks will be looking to make the most of crude oil's recent strength following a disappointing 2017 campaign. The S&P 500 advanced an impressive 19.4% last year, but its energy sector declined 3.8%.

08:01AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +7.50. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +15.00.

The U.S. equity market is looking to start 2018 on a positive note as investors return from the extended New Year's weekend. The S&P 500 futures are up eight points (or 0.3%).

Things have been quiet so far this morning, and it wouldn't be surprising if it stayed that way throughout the session. The new year could invite some selling as the lowered tax rates that President Trump signed into law on December 22 begin to take effect, but the market's current tone suggests otherwise.

In the bond market, U.S. Treasuries are trading lower today, sending yields higher across the curve. The benchmark 10-yr yield is up three basis points at 2.44% while the 2-yr yield is higher by two basis points at 1.90%.

Investors will not receive any economic data today. The week's first notable report--the December ISM Manufacturing Index (Briefing.com consensus 58.0)--will cross the wires on Wednesday, followed by the weekly Initial Claims Report (Briefing.com consensus 239K) on Thursday and the December Employment Situation Report (Briefing.com consensus +188K) on Friday.

Elsewhere, the Euro Stoxx 50 (-0.6%) is on track for its sixth consecutive loss despite an in-line reading for the December Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (60.6). Conversely, equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region finished Tuesday on a mostly higher note, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+2.0%) pacing the advance.

The U.S. Dollar Index is down 0.5% at 91.55, which marks its lowest level in more than three months. The greenback has struggled since Christmas and is currently trading lower by 0.5% against both the euro and the Japanese yen at 1.2067 and 112.16, respectively.

In U.S. corporate news:

Abbott Labs (ABT 58.69, +1.62): +2.8% after JP Morgan upgraded ABT shares to 'Overweight' from 'Neutral.'

Reviewing overnight developments:

Equity indices in the Asia-Pacific region began the week on a mostly higher note. Hong Kong's Hang Seng +2.0%, China's Shanghai Composite +1.2%, India's Sensex unch. Japan's Nikkei will remain closed through tomorrow.
In economic data:
China's December Caixin Manufacturing PMI 51.5 (expected 50.6; last 50.8)
Australia's December AIG Manufacturing Index 56.2 (last 57.3)
Singapore's Q4 GDP +2.8% quarter-over-quarter (expected 2.9%; last 9.4%); +3.1% year-over-year (consensus 2.7%; last 5.4%)
India's November Infrastructure Output +6.8% year-over-year (last 4.7%). December Nikkei Markit Manufacturing PMI 54.7 (expected 51.0; last 52.6)
In news:
South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon confirmed that an offer has been made to hold high-ranking talks with North Korea next week.
Property names outperformed in Hong Kong after press reports noted that China may delay adopting a property tax until 2020.

Major European indices trade in negative territory with Italy's MIB (-0.8%) among the laggards once again, as the clock continues ticking toward a recently-scheduled general election in March. UK's FTSE -0.5%, Germany's DAX -0.8%, France's CAC -0.9%.
In economic data:
Eurozone December Manufacturing PMI 60.6, as expected (last 60.6)
Germany's December Manufacturing PMI 63.3, as expected (last 63.3)
UK's December Manufacturing PMI 56.3 (expected 58.0; last 58.2) and Housing Equity Withdrawal -GBP5.90 billion (expected -GBP6.20 billion; last -GBP5.80 billion)
France's December Manufacturing PMI 58.8 (expected 59.3; last 59.3)
Italy's December Manufacturing PMI 57.4 (expected 58.6; last 58.3)
Spain's December Manufacturing PMI 55.8 (expected 56.4; last 56.1)
In news:
The retreat in Italian equities has been accompanied by weakness in Italy's debt, which has lifted the country's 10-yr yield eight basis points to 2.07%, the highest level in over two months.
European Central Bank Benoit Coeure noted that there is a "reasonable chance" that the ECB would not extend its asset purchase program.
Reports out of the UK are once again calling into question the level of support for British Prime Minister Theresa May within her own party.


06:19AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +3.30. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -3.80.
06:19AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] Nikkei

...Holiday......... Hang Seng

...30515...+596.20

...+2.00%

.
06:19AM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] FTSE

...7651.67...-36.10

...-0.50%

. DAX

...12813.52...-104.10

...-0.80%

.
04:25PM ET

[BRIEFING.COM] The trading day is done and the year is too. The former wasn't too special, but the latter was. The major indices closed today with losses ranging from 0.5% to 0.9%, unable to live up to the bullish bias that prevailed in pre-market trading.

Today's losses, though, won't ruffle too many feathers considering the major indices registered gains this year ranging from 13.1% (Russell 2000) to 28.2% (Nasdaq Composite).

Friday's action was over early for the bulls as opening gains quickly evaporated and the indices settled back into negative territory not too far from where they closed Thursday's session.

Range-bound and featureless action predominated throughout the day as a lack of concerted leadership, a lack of corporate news, and a lack of economic data succeeded in keeping market participants disinterested for most of the session.

There was some excitement in the final hour of trading, though, which has become commonplace for this stock market.

Unlike Thursday, the final hour featured a wave of broad-based selling interest over the last 30 minutes that knocked the indices out of their range-bound stupor and left them at their worst levels of the day when the final bell of 2017 rang.

The losses were led by the health care (-0.7%), financial (-0.7%), consumer discretionary (-0.7%), and information technology (-0.6%) sectors, all of which were among the market's best-performing sectors for 2017.

There wasn't a news catalyst for the selling, which is apt to be construed as a defensive, profit-taking move in front of the three-day weekend. There is apt to be some chatter, too, that it could reflect a little defensive posturing heading into the first week of the new year when it is thought investors might be inclined to secure long-term capital gains after deferring them at the end of 2017 as the tax bill was being worked out.

We'll know soon enough, but a little selling late today won't spoil an excellent year. The S&P 500, which was up 20% for the year around 3:20 p.m. ET today, closed 2017 up 19.4% (before dividends).

Nasdaq Composite: +28.2% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average: +25.2% YTD
S&P 500: +19.4% YTD
S&P Midcap 400 Index: +14.5% YTD
Russell 2000: +13.1% YTD

Week in Review: Not Missing Much

After four days and 26 total hours of trading, the S&P 500 settled the holiday-shortened week down 0.4% -- and only because of a sell-off in the last 30 minutes of trading on Friday.

The remarkable thing is that there was a 19-point variance between the high and low for the week, both of which were logged on Friday. In other words, it was an extremely range-bound market that lacked conviction on the part of buyers and sellers -- until the last 30 minutes on Friday.

That lack of conviction was plain to see in the volume totals at the NYSE, which were among the lightest all year.

It was no surprise as this is a popular vacation week, and with the stock market having done so well already in 2017, many participants undoubtedly felt comfortable following pursuits that didn't include buying or selling stocks.

It is fair to say they didn't miss much.

The corporate news was very limited. The headline item for the week in that respect included Apple (AAPL), which declined 3.3% and closed just below its 50-day simple moving average during a week when many other stocks didn't move much.

Apple's difficulties stemmed from press reports on Tuesday which highlighted some analysts' concerns about iPhone X demand possibly being weaker than expected in the company's fiscal first quarter. Separately, Apple had some PR issues to deal with, which subsequently led to an apology from the company pertaining to the battery performance of its older iPhone models.

It would be remiss not to add that AAPL had a great 2017, increasing 46%, so it isn't unreasonable to think it might have been subjected to some profit taking at year end anyway. The aforementioned headlines, though, helped in that regard.

The livelier trading action took place outside the stock market.

Bitcoin was the picture of volatility; the 10-yr Treasury yield came in eight basis points to 2.41%; oil prices increased 3.1% to $60.27 per barrel, marking their highest close since 2015; gold prices jumped 2.4% to $1309.20/troy oz.; and the U.S. Dollar Index slumped 1.1% to 92.30.

Economic data was limited and on the mixed side, yet the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for December created some fanfare on Thursday with its best print (67.6) since March 2011, led by a three-and-a-half year high for the New Orders Index and a 34-year high for the Production Index.

Within the stock market, the lightly-weighted real estate sector topped the list of winners with a 1.3% gain for the week. Price returns for the remaining ten sectors ranged from -1.0% (information technology) to 0.3% (utilities).

As a reminder, the stock and bond markets will be closed on Monday for the New Year's Day holiday and will re-open on Tuesday.

Happy New Year!

Dow: -118.29… | Nasdaq: -46.77… | S&P: -13.93…

NASDAQ Adv/Dec 1024/1718. …NYSE Adv/Dec 1197/1712.

Special thanks to Bloomberg, Briefing, Reuters and Yahoo! Finance for their market summaries. Also, thank you for the review of TheStrategyLab performance record...hopefully the links and data will be useful for you.

Price Action Trading @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/price-action-trading.htm

Trade Strategies via Volatility Analysis @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/VolatilityTrading.htm

Rebuttal to Review of TheStrategyLab @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=3167

TheStrategyLab Review @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/thestrategylab-reviews.htm

Advance WRB Analysis Tutorial Chapters 5 - 12 @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/WRBAnalysisTutorials.htm

Disclaimer: Today's trading performance is not an indication of my future performance and not an indication of the future performance for any trader that decides to learn/apply WRB Analysis. The risk of loss can be substantial. Therefore, you must carefully consider if trading is suitable for you within the context of your financial condition. TheStrategyLab.com is an education and research site. The resources on this site are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace professional educational and professional research because we are retail traders only. TheStrategyLab.com does not accept liability for your use of the website and its resources.

We make no guarantees of success and your level of success is dependent upon other factors including your skill as a trader, knowledge, financial condition, market conditions and other factors. Trading is stressful and you should always consult a doctor in all matters relating to physical and mental health of you & your family because trading can impact beyond your financial condition regardless if you're a profitable or losing trader. Also, you can read our full disclaimer statement @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/Disclaimer.htm

Best Regards,
M.A. Perry
Online user name wrbtrader (more info about me) @ http://www.thestrategylab.com/tsl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=850 & http://www.thestrategylab.com/wrbtrader.htm
TheStrategyLab Price Action Trading (no indicators)
Trader and Founder of WRB Analysis (wide range body/bar analysis)
@ http://twitter.com/wrbtrader @ http://stocktwits.com/wrbtrader

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