Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP Stock Analysis

Ultrapar Participacoes SA stock trades under the ticker UGP & has shown recent bullishness, despite broader market volatility, making it worth taking a closer look at.

UGP stock closed at $2.50/share on 1/20/2022.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

UGP Stock Price: $2.50

10 Day Moving Average: $2.39

50 Day Moving Average: $2.51

200 Day Moving Average: $3.10

RSI: 51.8

MACD: -0.036

UGP stock completed a bullish MACD crossover yesterday, on a 2% gap up to close just under their 50 Day Moving Average.

Yesterday’s price jump came as a result of above average trading volume.

Their RSI is neutral, signaling that once they make the bullish MA cross there will be additional momentum to push their price higher.

UGP’s next resistance test is at the $2.60-level.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP Stock As A Long-Term Investment

Long-term oriented investors may find UGP’s valuation metrics appealing, with a P/E(ttm) of 18.58 & a P/B (mrq) of 1.69.

UGP has a 1.09 Beta, showing that it tends to move about in line with major market indexes.

They experienced 53.7% Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y.

UGP’s balance sheet is worth taking a finer comb through, as they have $5.74B in Total Cash (mrq) & $18.23B in Total Debt (mrq), which investors should want to know more about before buying.

UGP stock’s dividend yield is 4.76%, with a 77% Payout Ratio, which is something else for investors to be alert of, as their ratio is high.

Only 2% of all outstanding shares of UGP stock are held by institutional investors.

Ultrapar Participacoes SA UGP Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

Short-term oriented traders can take advantage of UGP stock’s current momentum while hedging against volatility by using options.

I am looking at the contracts with the 2/18 expiration date.

The $2.50 & $5 call options look interesting, with low open interest on the former, but a decent amount of liquidity for the latter.

There is no open interest for their puts at the moment, which will likely change on Monday as today is an expiration date & investors will want them to hold as hedges against their investment during this volatile period.

Tying It All Together

All-in-all, UGP stock looks to have many appealing characteristics.

Their valuation metrics look appealing, as well as their ~5% dividend yield, although their balance sheet may be worth taking a closer peek into.

UGP’s current momentum looks set to continue in the near-term, creating profit opportunities for traders.

UGP stock is worth taking a closer look at for traders & investors alike!

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF UGP STOCK ***

Harmony Gold Mining Co. HMY Stock Analysis

Harmony Gold Mining Co. stock trades under the ticker HMY & has recently shown bullish signals that traders & investors should take a closer look at.

HMY stock closed at $4.20/share on 1/19/2022, on a higher than average trading volume day.

Harmony Gold Mining Co. HYM Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

Harmony Gold Mining Co. HMY Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

HMY Stock Price: $4.20

10 Day Moving Average: $3.73

50 Day Moving Average: $3.90

200 Day Moving Average: $4.03

RSI: 60.9

MACD: -0.013

HMY stock completed a bullish MACD crossover yesterday, while breaking out above all of its moving averages on above average trading volume.

With 4% between their 10 & 50 Day Moving Averages, there looks to be solid momentum in the near-term for HMY.

Their next test of resistance is the $4.27-4.33-price level.

Harmony Gold Mining Co. HMY Stock As A Long-Term Investment

Investors will like HMY stock’s valuation metrics, with a P/E (ttm) of 6.97 & a P/B (mrq) of 1.13.

HMY stock’s beta is 0.6, implying that it moves less aggressively than the broader market indexes.

They experienced 46.3% Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y.

HMY’s balance sheet will need some further looking into though, with $2.82B in Total Cash (mrq) & $3.62B in Total Debt (mrq).

HMY stock offers a 2.62% dividend yield, which looks to be safe with a 13.4% Payout Ratio.

32% of all HMY stock’s share float is held by institutional investors.

Harmony Gold Mining Co. HMY Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

HMY stock has options that traders can use to hedge against market volatility, while still capturing their upward price momentum in the near-term.

I am looking at the contracts with the 2/18 expiration date.

The $4 & $5 calls both look appealing & very liquid, with solid levels of open interest & daily volume.

Although far less liquid, the $6 & $5 puts also look appealing.

With the limited open interest on puts vs. calls, the market is implying that HMY stock will continue to climb in the coming month.

Tying It All Together

Overall, there are many advantages to HMY stock over its competitors.

Investors will like their valuation metrics, although will want to take a closer look at their balance sheet.

Traders will like their liquid options market, as well as their current momentum.

HMY stock is worth taking a closer look at, regardless of your trading style.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF HMY STOCK ***

Arcosa, Inc. ACA Stock Analysis

Arcosa, Inc. stock trades under the ticker ACA & has recently shown signs of bullish momentum that traders & investors should take a closer look at.

ACA stock closed at $52.64/share on 1/18/2022.

Arcosa, Inc. ACA Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

Arcosa, Inc. ACA Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

ACA Stock Price: $52.64

10 Day Moving Average: $52.05

50 Day Moving Average: $53.75

200 Day Moving Average: $55.28

RSI: 50.7

MACD: -0.423

Yesterday, ACA stock completed a bullish MACD crossover, with a neutral RSI & breaking above the 10 Day Moving Average.

Their 50 Day MA is ~2% above the current price level, which upon crossing would provide additional bullish momentum in the near-term.

ACA stock’s next resistance test will be at the $53.25-53.62-range.

Arcosa, Inc. ACA Stock As A Long-Term Investment

Investors will find ACA stock’s valuation metrics modest, with a P/E (ttm) of 38.2 & a P/B (mrq) of 1.37.

Their Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y is 14.1%.

ACA stock’s balance sheet does need a closer examination though, with Total Cash (mrq) of $66.1M & Total Debt (mrq) of $782.6M.

ACA stock offers a dividend that is 0.38%, that appears very safe with a Payout Ratio of 13.89%.

93.7% of ACA stock’s total share float is held by institutional investors.

Arcosa, Inc. ACA Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

Arcosa, Inc. stock has options that traders can use in the short-term to profit off of their moves in either direction.

I am looking at the contracts with the 2/18 expiration date.

The $50 & $55 calls look interesting, although both are very illiquid with low levels of open interest.

The $55 puts look interesting as well, with there being no open interest on $60 put contracts yet.

As we just had an expiration day on Friday, I expect to see more contracts written for this date in the near-future.

Tying It All Together

All-in-all, there look to be many interesting advantages for ACA stock in the eyes of both traders & investors.

Investors will like their valuation & their small, but safe dividend yield.

Traders will like their near-term momentum, as ACA looks primed to continue climbing in the near-term, despite broader market volatility.

Overall, ACA stock is worth taking a closer look at, regardless of your trading style.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF ACA STOCK ***

Weekly Stock & ETF Market Review 1/16/2022

This week looks set to explain itself just by looking at the charts for the S&P 500 & the NASDAQ.

TQQQ’s punch bowl looks to have been emptied & the lights turned off, UPRO is doing a bit better, but still showing a lot of weakness.

TQQQ ETF - ProShares UltraPro QQQ ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
TQQQ ETF – ProShares UltraPro QQQ ETF

TQQQ closed beneath its 200 Day Moving Average today (1/18/22), meanwhile they’re finishing the last of the drinks in the fridge at UPRO’s place, as MACD’s & RSI’s are showing the party is over (at least temporarily).

UPRO ETF - ProShares UltraPro S&P500 ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
UPRO ETF – ProShares UltraPro S&P500 ETF

Adding Earnings Calls on top of all of the other recent news highlights is going to ensure an interesting couple of weeks, as we creep closer to rate hikes in the US.

Commodities (GSG), Energy (JHME), Mexico (MEXX) & India (INDL) Are All Leading The Pack

It’s no surprise to anyone that commodities are in demand.

GSG ETF tracks futures contracts on a wide range of commodities & has performed strongly over the last year.

GSG ETF - iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
GSG ETF – iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust ETF

As their RSI approaches 50 it will be interesting to check in with their MACD trend, as volumes haven’t been high in their recent decline.

JHME, the John Hancock Multifactor Energy ETF has also performed strongly this past year.

JHME ETF - John Hancock Multifactor Energy ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
JHME ETF – John Hancock Multifactor Energy ETF

I expect some near-term pullback, as their RSI settles down from being so overbought.

MEXX, the Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares ETF has also been having a great performance this year.

MEXX ETF - Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
MEXX ETF – Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares ETF

However, judging by their recent bearish MACD crossover & 50:200 Day Moving Averages there looks to be a nearing decline in prices, which could prove a buying opportunity for those looking to establish a position.

INDL, the Direxion Daily MSCI India Bull 2X Shares ETF has also had a strong year.

INDL ETF - Direxion Daily MSCI India Bull 2X Shares ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
INDL ETF – Direxion Daily MSCI India Bull 2X Shares ETF

This is another one to watch, as their MACD & Price:10 Day MA are showing that there may be more near-term pain to come.

Small Cap Utilities (PSCU), Global Water Index (CGW), Aerospace & Defense (XAR) & Homebuilders (XHB) All Lagging The Pack

PSCU, the Invesco S&P Small Cap Utilities ETF has been underperforming over the last year.

There looks to be more pain to come, but depending on its holdings there may be an entry-opportunity on the horizon, as there is a ~3% annual cushion in the dividend yield.

PSCU ETF - Invesco S&P Small Cap Utilities ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
PSCU ETF – Invesco S&P Small Cap Utilities ETF

I would be keeping an eye on their MACD & volume levels before beginning to make any type of move though, based on their moving averages:price & RSI.

CGW, the Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF is another that has had a difficult time recently.

CGW ETF - Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
CGW ETF – Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF

Another one in free-fall that may be worth looking at an entry to eventually if it fits your portfolio strategy.

There is less cushion though, as their dividend yield is only 1.74%.

XAR, the SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF has also been having a difficult year.

XAR ETF - SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
XAR ETF – SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

This looks to have more pain in the near-future, with the MACD about to bearishly cross, bringing the 10 Day MA below the 50.

XHB, the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF has had a tough 2022.

XHB ETF - SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
XHB ETF – SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF

They’re looking at dipping into oversold RSI territory if they can’t establish a range above the 200 Day Moving Average.

Tying It All Together

Market participants are all still trying to figure out how to make sense of the current headlines.

Add in the adjustment in interest rates & how that will adversely impact “year ahead earnings” investment styles that many folks did during the tougher COVID months & it muddles the question even more.

While there do look to be discounts for starting new positions on the horizons, it’s tough to tell when the best moment is, but using these ETFs as barometers certainly helps.

Of course, look at each ETF’s holdings before making any full on judgements about them & their related sectors.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OR OPTIONS CONTRACTS FOR OF ANY OF THE NAMES LISTED ABOVE ***

Avis Budget Group, Inc CAR Stock Analysis

Avis Budget Group, Inc. stock trades under the ticker CAR & has shown recent bullishness that traders & investors should take a closer look at.

CAR closed at $195.31/share on 1/14/2022.

Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

CAR Stock Price: $195.31

10 Day Moving Average: $197.44

50 Day Moving Average: $243.08

200 Day Moving Average: $134.75

RSI: 37.9

MACD: -11.645

On Friday, CAR stock completed a bullish MACD crossover, on below average volume compared to the last year.

Their price is ~2% from their 10 Day Moving Average & ~25% below their 50 Day MA.

CAR stock’s RSI is still in oversold territory, which should help them establish a new price range & begin climbing again.

The $208-level will be an interesting test of resistance, as the broader market indexes are volatile.

Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR Stock As A Long-Term Investment

CAR stock’s valuation metrics are interesting, with a modest P/E (ttm) of 20.59, however their P/B(mrq) is a bit rich, at 7.14.

They saw 95.6% Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y after suffering losses from COVID-19 measures the year prior.

CAR stock’s balance sheet is going to require a close look before deciding if it is an appropriate investment for you, as their Total Cash (mrq) is $886M, while they have $17.16B in Total Debt (mrq).

Avis Budget Group, Inc. does not pay a dividend & has a beta of 2.07, meaning that it tends to trade in more aggressive swings than the broader market.

Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

Traders can use options to harness CAR stock’s momentum, while fighting off broader market volatility.

I am looking at the contracts with the 2/18 expiration date.

The $195 & $200 calls look interesting, although very illiquid with low open interest.

Given that there are multiple weeks of expirations in between though, I expect this to shift as other expiration dates pass.

The $210 & $220 puts also look interesting, with the same open interest issue I mentioned as the calls in the near-term.

Tying It All Together

All-in-all, traders & investors may find CAR stock an interesting addition to their portfolios.

I would be very mindful of their debt structures, especially going into a rising rates environment, but there looks to possibly still be some opportunity here.

It is worth taking a closer look at CAR stock.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF CAR STOCK ***

Miller Industries Inc. MLR Stock Analysis

Miller Industries Inc. stock is a Tennessee-based company that creates vehicle towing & recovery vehicles & products.

Their ticker is MLR & they have many characteristics that make them worth considering adding to your mid-to-long term portfolio.

While the current market landscape is quite volatile, I am beginning to look into a potential entry-point in the near-term, as there may be some bargain opportunities for their shares.

Miller Industries Inc. MLR Stock’s Fundamentals Look Appealing In 2022

There has been a lot of recent speculation about the tightening of interest rates in 2022.

While no one has the answer, it is certain that there will be less access to credit in the coming year.

This makes value companies particularly appealing, as they tend to not rely as heavily on it.

MLR stock has a low valuation, with a P/E(ttm) of 15.04 & a P/B(mrq) of 1.33.

Their Beta is 1.0, which implies that they do tend to move about in line with broader market indexes.

MLR stock’s Revenue Per Share(ttm) is $60.84, which looks great when compared to their share price of $34.01, despite -2.2% Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y.

Miller Industries Inc.’s balance sheet looks very appealing, with Total Cash (mrq) of $50.41M, Total Debt (mrq) of $1.25M & Total Debt/Equity of 0.43.

MLR stock’s dividend is also appealing, with a 2.11% annual yield, that looks very safe as their Payout Ratio is 32%.

86.9% of their share float is held by institutional investors, and only 0.47% of their share float is currently short.

Miller Industries Inc. MLR Stock’s Technical Breakdown

Miller Industries Inc. MLR Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
Miller Industries Inc. MLR Stock’s Technical Performance Over The Last Year

MLR stock’s MACD looks about ready for a bearish crossover, which may prove to be the time to begin starting a new position.

With their beta implying that they will move about in-line with the broader market indexes, warranting a closer look.

It is worth noting that MLR is a small cap stock, making it most appropriate to compare with the Russell 2000, which is the pink line below.

The S&P 500 is the yellow line & the NASDAQ is the purple line for the comparison.

Miller Industries MLR Stock Vs. S&P 500, NASDAQ & Russell 2000 Over The Last Year
Miller Industries MLR Stock Vs. S&P 500, NASDAQ & Russell 2000 Over The Last Year

Given the nature of their financial strength outlined above, as well as the safe 2% dividend that will continue to climb as a percentage if their price goes down, this value play should be set to outperform under volatile conditions.

I will be eyeing their RSI in addition to their MACD & to begin finding an entry point, particularly when they appear to be deviating from the falling IWM (pink line above).

Tying It All Together

MLR stock looks like an interesting value play, which should outperform growth stocks as we go into financial tightening & investors become less speculative.

With a 2.11% cushion provided by their dividend yield, some potential losses can be absorbed as the market goes down.

However, with the rotation back into value-oriented names their fall shouldn’t be as extreme as other names, as investors will still seek reliable yields.

One thing of note, is that they have very illiquid put options, with nearly no open interest in the next two expiration dates.

This is something to think about, as it means it will not be as easy to hedge against a decline in share price by owning puts against them as well.

All-in-all though, it looks like Miller Industries stock is worth taking a closer look at.

*** I DO NOT OWN MLR SHARES OR OPTIONS BUT I AM AS MENTIONED ABOVE LOOKING AT AN ENTRY IN THE NEAR-FUTURE ***

Liberty Global Inc. LBTYA Stock Notes

Liberty Global Inc. stock trades under the ticker LBTYA & has shown recent bullishness that traders & investors should take a closer look at.

LBTYA stock closed at $28.03/share on 1/13/22, with bullish momentum behind it.

Liberty Global Inc. LBTYA Stock’s Technical Performance Broken Down

Libtery Global Inc. LBTYA Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

LBTYA Stock Price: $28.03

10 Day Moving Average: $27.67

50 Day Moving Average: $27.90

200 Day Moving Average: $27.72

RSI: 53

MACD: -0.007

Yesterday, LBTYA stock completed a bullish MACD crossover, while also breaking out above its 10, 50 & 200 Day Moving Averages.

While their volume has recently been a bit below average compared to the rest of the year, with a neutral RSI there looks to be additional momentum to push higher.

Their next level of resistance to test will be the $28.56-$28.63/share range.

Liberty Global Inc. LBTYA Stock As A Long-Term Investment

Long-term oriented investors will like LBTYA stock’s valuation metrics, with a P/E(ttm) of 1.36 & a P/B (mrq) of 0.58.

Their Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y is rather disappointing, at -33%.

Investors will want to take a closer look at LBTYA’s balance sheet, with Total Cash (mrq) of $3.39B & $17.07B in Total Debt (mrq).

Despite not offering a dividend, 94% of LBTYA stock’s total share float is held by institutional investors.

Liberty Global Inc. LBTYA Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

LBTYA stock has options contracts that can be used to make profits in both directions in the near-term.

I am looking at the contracts with the 1/21 expiration date.

The $27.50 & $30 calls both look appealing & very liquid with solid open interest levels.

The $30 & $32.50 puts also look appealing, but have far less open interest, signaling that the market’s sentiment is still bullish in the near-term for LBTYA stock.

Tying It All Together

Overall, LBTYA stock has many interesting attributes that investors & traders should take a closer look at.

Their valuation levels are quite low, which investors focused on the long-run will find appealing.

Traders will like their current momentum & technical set up, as well as the liquidity in their call options.

LBTYA stock is worth taking a closer look at to see if it is right for your portfolio.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF LBTYA STOCK ***

Telecom Argentina TEO Stock Analysis

Telecom Argentina stock trades under the ticker TEO & has recently shown bullishness that traders & investors should take a closer look at.

TEO stock closed at $5.16/share on 1/11/22.

Telecom Argentina TEO Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

Telecom Argentina TEO Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

TEO Stock Price: $5.16

10 Day Moving Average: $5.07

50 Day Moving Average: $5.12

200 Day Moving Average: $5.18

RSI: 53.8

MACD: -0.012

Yesterday, TEO stock completed a bullish MACD crossover, while breaking out above its 10 & 50 Day Moving Averages.

With a neutral RSI & 0.4% between the price & the 200 Day MA, there looks to be added momentum in the coming days for traders to profit from.

Telecom Argentina TEO Stock As A Long-Term Investment

TEO stock’s valuation metrics may be appealing to investors, with a P/E (ttm) of 21.3 & a P/B (mrq) of 0.46.

Their Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y was -5.8%.

TEO’s balance sheet is concerning & warrants a closer look before investment.

They have Total Cash (mrq) of $25.3B & Total Debt (mrq) of $266.1B.

They also offer a 4.43% dividend yield, with 7.9% of their total share float held by institutional investors.

Telecom Argentina TEO Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

Telecom Argentina stock has options for traders to use to capture profits in the near-term.

I am looking at the contracts with the 1/21 expiration date.

The $2.10 & $4.60 calls look appealing, although illiquid with limited open interest.

The $7.10 puts look appealing, but also lack open interest which may dissuade some traders from buying them.

Traders prefer more open interest, as it means that there are more active buyers & sellers in the market for a particular name, so that they can more easily profit from trades gone well & exit trades gone bad.

Tying It All Together

Telecom Argentina stock has many interesting characteristics that may appeal to both long & short term traders.

Investors will like its valuation & dividend yield, but may want to look more closely at their balance sheet.

Traders will like their current momentum path, but should watch out for the open interest on their options contracts.

Overall, it is worth taking a closer look at TEO stock.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF TEO STOCK ***

KB Financial Group, Inc. KB Stock

KB Financial Group Inc. stock trades under the ticker KB & has shown bullishness that traders & investors should take a closer look into.

KB stock closed at $48.36/share on 1/11/22, after a 2.4% gap up, on above average trading volume.

KB Financial Group, Inc. KB Stock’s Technicals Broken Down

KB Financial Group, Inc. KB Stock's Technical Performance Over The Last Year

KB Stock Price: $48.36

10 Day Moving Average: $47.08

50 Day Moving Average: $47.51

200 Day Moving Average: $47.54

RSI: 56.3

MACD: 0.34

Yesterday, KB stock completed a bullish MACD crossover, while also gapping up 2.4% & breaking out above all of their major moving averages.

Their trading volume has been stronger than average for the past year so far going into 2022.

Their next test of resistance will be at the $49.03-level, followed by the $50.45-level.

KB Financial Group, Inc. KB Stock As A Long-Term Investment

Investors may find KB Financial Group, Inc. stock’s valuation metrics appealing, with a P/E (ttm) of 5.34 & a P.B (mrq) of 0.48.

KB stock had 14.4% Quarterly Revenue Growth Y-o-Y.

Their Balance Sheet will require a deeper dive to sort through thought, with Total Cash (mrq) of $77.41T & Total Debt (mrq) of $133.3T.

KB pays a 4.6% dividend yield, which should be safe, although their payout ratio is a bit rich at 57%, which could indicate a need to cut the yield in the future possibly.

KB stock only has 5.9% of its share float held by institutional investors.

KB Financial Group, Inc. KB Stock As A Short-Term Trade Using Options

KB Financial Group, Inc. has options that traders can use to take advantage of price movement in either direction.

I am looking at the contracts with the 1/21 expiration date.

The $50 calls look appealing, although very illiquid with 22 contracts of open interest.

The $50 puts also look appealing, but illiquid as well.

There is more liquidity in the $45 puts, indicating that the sentiment for KB stock has changed recently regarding its near-term sentiment from more bearish to being more bullish.

Tying It All Together

KB Financial Group, Inc. has many interesting attributes that traders & investors may be interested in.

Investors will like their international banking exposure & valuation metrics, although be slightly weary about their balance sheet.

Traders will like their current momentum, but be troubled by the lack of open interest in their options contracts.

However, their put volume shows either people were hedging at the $45/share mark, or the sentiment has changed for them in the near-term to a more bullish tune.

Overall, it is worth taking a closer look at KB stock.

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF KB STOCK ***

Weekly Stock & ETF Market Review 1/9/2022

One week into 2022 & its already been a hell of a time.

Broader indexes are already having difficulties in the new year, as investors try to make sense of what the Fed’s policies for the year & how that will impact inflation & investing strategies, all while trying to understand what Omicron’s impact on life will be.

QQQ, an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ is down 5.4% in the first days of trading, while SPY, an ETF that tracks the S&P 500 is down 2.6% for the same period.

QQQ ETF - Invesco QQQ Trust ETF's Performance Over The Last Year
QQQ ETF – Invesco QQQ Trust ETF’s Performance Over The Last Year
SPY ETF - SPDR S&P500 ETF's Performance Over The Last Year
SPY ETF – SPDR S&P500 ETF’s Performance Over The Last Year

It’s still awfully early on in the year to be making major assumptions & expectations, but the technicals on the charts signal that there will be more volatility & moves downward this year, with the last week only being a taste of what’s to come.

Regional Banks (DPST), Natural Gas (FCG), Peruvian Equities (EPU) & Consumer Staples (XLP) All Are Performing Well On Strength

Regional Banks have had quite the turnaround since July of 2021.

DPST, the Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares ETF has nearly doubled in price since then.

DPST ETF - Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
DPST ETF – Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares ETF

While their moving averages look appealing, I may keep an eye on DPST’s RSI, which is in overbought territory, as well as the angle of their MACD.

This may be an opportunity for beginning or adding to an existing position coming in the near-term as it begins to establish a new price range.

FCG ETF, which is the First Trust Natural Gas ETF has also rebounded from the troubles that it saw in July.

FCG ETF - First Trust Natural Gas ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
FCG ETF – First Trust Natural Gas ETF

With their RSI back around 60 & a bullish MACD, there may be more momentum to power through the $19.38-level, which was their high from November 2021.

FCG’s technical growth over the last year has looked very consistent though.

EPU, an ETF that tracks Peruvian Equities has also been performing very well recently, reversing a months-long slide in August to recover most of its lost gains.

EPU EFT - iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
EPU EFT – iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF

Their RSI is a bit rich at 76.5, which may lead to entry-points for new position or adding to existing positions as it begins to establish a new range after a period of high price growth.

How consistent their volume remains will be key in determining this, with positive, above average volumes being better than weaker volume & limited price movement.

XLP ETF tracks consumer staples stocks, and has also had a very strong performance this year.

XLP ETF - Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
XLP ETF – Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF

XLP’s recent volume has been stronger than the year’s average & with a bearish MACD crossover taking place there may be some weakness to buy into in the near future as their RSI cools off from overbought levels.

Cannabis (TOKE), Moonshot Innovators (MOON), Gig Economy (GIGE) & China (PGJ) ETFs Are All Bearish Laggards

TOKE, the Cambria Cannabis ETF has had a tough 2021, losing over half of its price since February of last year.

TOKE ETF - Cambria Cannabis ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
TOKE ETF – Cambria Cannabis ETF

While TOKE’s MACD trend looks like it could cross bearish soon, their RSI implies that there should be more strength to come.

Looking at their near & mid term moving averages, this could be ripe to reverse course in 2022.

MOON, an ETF that tracks moonshot innovators & related companies has also had a poor year.

Unfortunately, that looks to get worse in 2022 when we consider the rate hike path that so far has speculated 2-4+ hikes in interest rates this year.

MOON ETF - Direxion Moonshot Innovators ETF's Performance Over The Last Year
MOON ETF – Direxion Moonshot Innovators ETF

RSI is oversold, but MACD implies more falling to come & their moving averages don’t seem to offer much help.

On less than average volume, this one may not be worth looking too deeply at just yet for a turnaround.

GIGE, an ETF that is tracking the Gig Economy has seen a steady falling since mid-February of 2021.

This is another one that you may want to sit tight on trying to find the bottom, as there isn’t much signaling that the losses are done just yet.

GIGE ETF - SoFi Gig Economy ETF's Technical Performance Over The Last Year
GIGE ETF – SoFi Gig Economy ETF

They’ve already gone into oversold RSI territory & continued to fall, so this one looks best to wait on trying to build a position.

Lastly, we look at PGJ, an ETF that tracks companies that receive large portions of their revenues from business with China.

PGJ ETF - Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF's Past Year's Technical Performance
PGJ ETF – Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF

PGJ looks to be trying to establish a bottom as we enter a new year, based on the 2021 lows.

With their 10 Day Moving Average & price even when I took the above screenshot, it is a step in the right direction.

A word of caution though, is their RSI is back up to almost 43 & trading volumes have been well above average recently.

People seem to be finding consensus that the past month’s range seems like fair pricing, but with so many variables at play it is tough to guess what’ll happen next week.

Tying It All Together

All-in-all there looks to be an exciting week ahead in the markets as we rumble into the 2022 trading year.

It’ll be interesting to see how data reported this week compares to previous periods, as there still seem to be a variety of responses by governments & businesses to omicron.

Inflation & supply chain issues are also another area of interest, as again these seem to vary greatly based on locations, both in the US & abroad.

Of course the question that is on all of our minds is, looking at the current technical status of the major indexes, when is the rug finally going to get pulled out from under this market?

*** I DO NOT OWN SHARES OF ANY TICKER MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SMALL POSITION IN TOKE***