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The Wall Street Greek blog is the sexy & syndicated financial securities markets publication of former Senior Equity Analyst Markos N. Kaminis. Our stock market blog reaches reputable publishers & private networks and is an unbiased, independent Wall Street research resource on the economy, stocks, gold & currency, energy & oil, real estate and more. Wall Street & Greece should be as honest, dependable and passionate as The Greek.



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Thursday, December 31, 2015

How We Will Kick the Bad Habit of Stocks Chasing Oil

oil prices
The American Petroleum Institute’s (API) estimate for a crude oil inventory build sent oil lower after U.S. equity markets had closed Tuesday. By the open Wednesday morning, equity investors were already well-groomed for bad news and we got it when the EIA reported an actual build versus expectations for a draw. Last week the same reports produced positive signals, with draws from inventory serving to send stocks higher. What’s funny is that weather has likely been influencing the week-to-week swings, but the market is acting like the data carries implications about the long-term supply/demand dynamics for energy. It does not right now! So, how are we going to kick this bad habit of stocks chasing oil back and forth then? See more on how stocks can stop chasing oil.

Security Sector
12-30-15
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil TR ETN (NYSE: OIL)
-3.6%
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
-0.7%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)
-0.7%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)
-0.9%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)
-1.0%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)
-0.8%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)
-1.4%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)
-2.9%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)
-1.8%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)
-0.8%
Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF)
-0.7%

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long XLE. Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Article interests energy investors including Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), BP (NYSE: BP), PetroChina (NYSE: PTR), Petrobras (NYSE: PZE), Royal Dutch Shell (OTC: RYDAF.PK), Total (NYSE: TOT), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Repsol (OTC: REPYY.PK), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Eni SpA (NYSE: E), Sasol (NYSE: SSL), Encana (NYSE: ECA), Suncor (NYSE: SU), Imperial Oil (AMEX: IMO), Statoil (NYSE: STO), Cenovus (NYSE: CVE), Transocean (NYSE: RIG), Penn West Petroleum (NYSE: PWE), Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR), Noble (NYSE: NE), Concho (NYSE: CXO), Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO), Ensco (NYSE: ESV), Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL), Nabors (NYSE: NBR), Pride International (NYSE: PDE), Helmerich & Payne (NYSE: HP), QEP Resources (NYSE: QEP), Enerplus (NYSE: ERF), Rowan (NYSE: RDC), Cobalt (NYSE: CIE), Patterson UTI (Nasdaq: PTEN), SandRidge (NYSE: SD), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV), Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI), Weatherford International (NYSE: WFT), Cameron (NYSE: CAM), FMC Tech (NYSE: FTI), Oil States International (NYSE: OIS), Superior Energy (NYSE: SPN), Carbo Ceramics (NYSE: CRR), Helix Energy (NYSE: HLX), Pioneer (NYSE: PXD), CNOOC (NYSE: CEO), China Petroleum and Chemical (NYSE: SNP), Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC), Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ), Apache (NYSE: APA), Anadarko (NYSE: APC), Devon (NYSE: DVN), EOG (NYSE: EOG), Chesapeake (NYSE: CHK).

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

What Does U.S. Investor Confidence Drop Mean for 2016?

investor confidence
State Street (NYSE: SST) reports monthly on global investor confidence and this month’s report showed confidence waned in the United States in December. Confidence rose in Europe and Asia, taking the global measure up with it, but what does the drop in the U.S. mean for American investors as we head into 2016? Learn more about investor confidence and what it means here.

Regionally Speaking
December Change
December Level
Global Confidence
+1.0
108.3
North American
-5.9
106.6
Europe
+7.5
103.7
Asia
+4.6
105.1

Sector Security
Nov 27 – Dec 28
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)
-1.9%
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
-1.5%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)
-1.3%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)
-10%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)
-19%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)
-11%
Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLB)
-3.3%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)
-2.6%

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long XLE. Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Article should interest investors in SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA), SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY), PowerShares QQQ Trust (Nasdaq: QQQ), ProShares Short Dow 30 (NYSE: DOG), ProShares Ultra Short S&P 500 (NYSE: SDS), ProShares Ultra QQQ (NYSE: QLD), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), The NASDAQ OMX Group (Nasdaq: NDAQ), Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), E*Trade Financial (Nasdaq: ETFC), Charles Schwab (Nasdaq: SCHW), Asset Acceptance Capital (Nasdaq: AACC), Affiliated Managers (NYSE: AMG), Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP), TD Ameritrade (Nasdaq: AMTD), BGC Partners (Nasdaq: BGCP), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), CIT Group (NYSE: CIT), Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS), CME Group (NYSE: CME), Cohn & Steers (NYSE: CNS), Cowen Group (Nasdaq: COWN), Diamond Hill Investment (Nasdaq: DHIL), Dollar Financial (Nasdaq: DLLR), Duff & Phelps (Nasdaq: DUF), Encore Capital (Nasdaq: ECPG), Edelman Financial (Nasdaq: EF), Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Epoch (Nasdaq: EPHC), Evercore Partners (NYSE: EVR), EXCorp. (Nasdaq: EZPW), FBR Capital Markets (Nasdaq: FBCM), First Cash Financial (Nasdaq: FCFS), Federated Investors (NYSE: FII), First Marblehead (NYSE: FMD), Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF), Financial Engines (Nasdaq: FNGN), FXCM (Nasdaq: FXCM), Gamco Investors (NYSE: GBL), GAIN Capital (Nasdaq: GCAP), Green Dot (Nasdaq: GDOT), GFI Group (Nasdaq: GFIG), Greenhill (NYSE: GHL), Gleacher (Nasdaq: GLCH), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), INTL FCStone (Nasdaq: INTL), Intersections (Nasdaq: INTX), Investment Technology (NYSE: ITG), Invesco (NYSE: IVZ), Jefferies (NYSE: JEF), JMP Group (NYSE: JMP), Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS), KBW (NYSE: KBW), Knight Capital (NYSE: KCG), Lazard (NYSE: LAZ), Legg Mason (NYSE: LM), LPL Investment (Nasdaq: LPLA), Ladenburg Thalmann (AMEX: LTS), Mastercard (NYSE: MA), Moody’s (NYSE: MCO), MF Global (NYSE: MF), Moneygram (NYSE: MGI), MarketAxess (Nasdaq: MKTX), Marlin Business Services (Nasdaq: MRLN), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), MSCI (Nasdaq: MSCI), MGIC Investment (NYSE: MTG), NewStar Financial (Nasdaq: NEWS), National Financial Partners (NYSE: NFP), Nelnet (NYSE: NNI), Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS), NetSpend (Nasdaq: NTSP), Ocwen Financial (NYSE: OCN), Oppenheimer (NYSE: OPY), optionsXpress (Nasdaq: OXPS), PICO (Nasdaq: PICO), Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC), PMI Group (NYSE: PMI), Penson Worldwide (Nasdaq: PNSN), Portfolio Recovery (Nasdaq: PRAA), Raymond James (NYSE: RJF), SEI Investments (Nasdaq: SEIC), Stifel Financial (NYSE: SF), Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE), State Street (NYSE: STT), SWS (NYSE: SWS), T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW), Visa (NYSE: V) and Virtus Investment Partners (Nasdaq: VRTS)..

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Santa Claus Rally is Good to Go but Wear Your Seatbelt

green light
Despite Monday’s setback, I believe the Santa Claus rally is underway and I suggest investors look to participate in the general appreciation of securities this week and through the first half of January. The rush to buy up last year’s losers and formerly held securities where tax losses were taken in November and December should fuel greater gains for equities generally over the next few weeks. While participating in the rally, I advise followers to protect portfolio performance over the very near-term using volatility hedges and by keeping a healthy level of cash at the ready for any discounted buying opportunity that may avail. See more on the Santa Claus Rally and caution here.

Market Sector Securities
Last Week
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
+2.8%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)
+2.5%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)
+0.9% *
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)
+2.7%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)
+2.8% *

Security
Last Week
52-Week Change
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
+2.8%
+1.0%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)
+4.7%
-21%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)
+3.3%
-4.8%
Facebook (NYSE: FB)
+0.9%
+30%
Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN)
-0.2%
+114%
Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX)
-0.6%
+142%
Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG)
+1.2%
+41%

Volatility Securities
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX)
VelocityShares VIX ST ETN (NYSE: VIIX)
ProShares VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VIXY)
iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXZ)
Extra Leverage, Higher Risk
ProShares Ultra VIX ST Futures (NYSE: UVXY)
VelocityShares Daily 2X VIX (NYSE: TVIX)

Precious Metals Proxy Securities
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)
iShares Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU)
iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bullish 3X (NYSE: NUGT)
Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSE: GDX)
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners (NYSE: GDXJ)

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long GDX, VXX, XLE. Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Real Estate - Why Existing Home Sales Slip Doesn't Faze Me

yawn
The Existing Home Sales Report for the month of November offered a result that was far short of economists’ expectations. Sales activity appeared to show a severe setback for housing. However, there were good reasons for investors to be unfazed by the misleading news. One of those reasons was anomalous and was noted in the report. The others have to do with the still strong fundamentals for the housing recovery in America. For more on why we're unfazed by the existing home sales slip.

Housing Relative Securities
Day of the Report  12-22-15
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) for comparison
+0.9%
iShares U.S. Real Estate (NYSE: IYR)
+0.4%
Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLRE)
+0.9%
SPDR Homebuilders (NYSE: XHB)
+0.8%
MGIC Investment Corp. (NYSE: MTG)
+1.8%
PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM)
+0.2%
Investors Title (Nasdaq: ITIC)
+1.1%
J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM)
+0.2%

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Editor's Note: Article should interest investors in Investors Title (Nasdaq: ITIC), Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC.OB), Fannie Mae (OTC: FNMA.OB), UltraShort Real Estate ProShares (NYSE: SRS), Ultra Real Estate ProShares (NYSE: URE), ING Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund (NYSE: IGR), Xinyuan Real Estate Co. (NYSE: XIN), Rydex Real Estate Fund H (Nasdaq: RYHRX), T. Rowe Price Real Estate Fund (Nasdaq: TRREX), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL), Hovnanian (NYSE: HOV), D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI), Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH), Lennar (NYSE: LEN), K.B. Homes (NYSE: KBH), Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM), NVR Inc. (NYSE: NVR), Gafisa SA (NYSE: GFA), MDC Holdings (NYSE: MDC), Ryland Group (NYSE: RYL), Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH), Brookfield Homes (NYSE: BHS), Standard Pacific (NYSE: SPF), M/I Homes (NYSE: MHO), Orleans Homebuilders (AMEX: OHB), Vanguard REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), PNC Bank (NYSE: PNC), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Hooker Furniture (Nasdaq: HOFT), Ethan Allen (NYSE: ETH), Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR), Williams Sonoma (NYSE: WSM), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Lowes (NYSE: LOW), Nasdaq: XNFZX, Nasdaq: FSAZX, Avatar Holdings (Nasdaq: AVTR), Apartment Investment & Management (NYSE: AIV), Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR), Avalonbay Communities (NYSE: AVB), UDR Inc. (NYSE: UDR), Essex Property Trust (NYSE: ESS), Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT), Senior Housing Properties (NYSE: SNH), BRE Properties (NYSE: BRE), Home Properties (NYSE: HME), Mid-America Apartment (NYSE: MAA), Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE: ELS), American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC), Colonial Properties (NYSE: CLP), American Capital Agency (Nasdaq: AGNC), Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI), Associated Estates (NYSE: AEC), PennyMac Mortgage (NYSE: PMT), Two Harbors (AMEX: TWO), Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG).

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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Raise Cash Now as a Precaution to Significant Terrorism

Nazarene
ISIS marks Christians with the Arabic symbol for Nazarene
In a recent article, I suggested investors should look to leverage volatility over the next three months due to a historical trend around first Fed rate hikes. In early August I suggested investors raise cash levels, stop buying dips in stocks, and take volatility instrument interests ahead of what I foresaw would be an imminent market correction. Today, as a precautionary measure for what I see as a high probability of terrorism and risk of severe disruption to securities, I am again suggesting investors have cash stores at the ready. Such stores of cash will allow investors to buy stocks at discount on any event driven weakness, and in doing so, preserve and protect portfolio performance. This is not an all out sell suggestion, as the Santa Claus rally is underway just as we predicted it would be. Stocks should continue to surge higher through the first half of January barring any significant terrorism or other disruption. However, entering the next week or so without volatility hedges and cash stores in place is simply negligent and irresponsible investment behavior.

fearless
Our founder earned clients a 23% average annual return over five years as a stock analyst on Wall Street. "The Greek" has written for institutional newsletters, Businessweek, Real Money, Seeking Alpha and others, while also appearing across TV and radio. While writing for Wall Street Greek, Mr. Kaminis presciently warned of the financial crisis.

I apologize for this report reaching my followers this late, as it was authored and submitted for publishing elsewhere on Thursday. Unfortunately it was not published despite my insistence due to the hot button topic that is terrorism and the normalcy bias. However, I believe many of us understand that this is a real risk to securities, and so I must ensure it reaches you.

SPY Chart 5-Day
5-Day Chart of SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)


The charts are similar across the sectors of the market this week.

Market Sector Securities
Last Week Thru Wednesday
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
+3.0%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)
+2.8%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)
+2.5%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)
+3.0%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)
+3.0% *
 *Adjusted for dividend

The Santa Claus rally is underway (as we expected), and I am participating in it. My long stake in the energy sector shows confidence in the rally, but at the same time I have serious concern about a potential disruption to it. During this period where investors are buying the worst beaten securities and their favorites for 2016, there could be a near-term setback. Though, the worst beaten should take a lesser hit in such a scenario.

The risk of terrorism is not just a geopolitical or social concern. It poses a threat to our investments in securities markets, and so it is worthy of discussion in this forum. I will not get into the details of the various possible threats against us, but I must note some important aspects of terrorism and the spectrum of its potential impact. We have seen in the past that certain geopolitical events can actually serve U.S. securities. For instance, when the attack occurred in Paris, demand for U.S. treasuries increased due to a flight to quality to American risk assets; gold appreciated immediately thereafter but only momentarily due to strength in the dollar. So that means if terror attacks are concentrated to overseas locations, U.S. securities face less risk relatively speaking.

However, if attacks occur in the U.S., there is a greater danger to U.S. investments given the threat to America, the economy, dollar and companies that operate here. It’s also important to note that the scale and location of attacks play a role on financial securities as well. For instance, far reaching attacks or a series of attacks, for instance to a mall or malls (everyone shops) or to Wall Street or banks (most Americans save and/or invest) is far more threatening than an isolated attack. However, isolated attacks on high profile locations like New York City or Washington D.C. carry far more terror-factor than attacks to suburban locales. The reason for that should be clear; an attack on America’s largest city puts fear in the hearts of all city dwellers. Also, major media reacts in a greater way to issues at their doorstep. Also an attack on our nation’s capitol feels like an attack on all of us. Finally, catastrophic attacks of any sort are catastrophic for our investments. The enemies of America are well aware of these things given their focus of attention.

Risk is heightened now because the potential perpetrators of terror are religious fanatics. Christmas represents to them one of the most important of heretical celebrations of their enemies. New Year’s Eve is likewise high profile because it is celebrated worldwide. As a result, the next week or so, given that it includes Christmas and New Year’s, is perhaps the highest risk period for investors globally. Given the predominance of our Times Square celebration, and the specific threats of ISIS to New York and Washington, it is simply negligent to not be prepared for the possibility.

That means it makes sense to take temporary stakes in volatility hedges like the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX) and/ or other similar instruments, similarly to what we did in early August. These can serve to protect portfolios for very short periods of time. It is important to note that these are short-term instruments to be sold on their significant appreciation or the passage of the risk period. I would go so far as to say they are only appropriate for sophisticated investors who understand their risk and can bear it.

Volatility Securities
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX)
VelocityShares VIX ST ETN (NYSE: VIIX)
ProShares VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VIXY)
ProShares Ultra VIX ST Futures (NYSE: UVXY)
VelocityShares Daily 2X VIX (NYSE: TVIX)
iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXZ)
Inverse or Short VIX Instruments
ProShares Short VIX ST Futures ETN (NYSE: SVXY)
VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX ST ETN (NYSE: XIV)
VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX MT ETN (NYSE: ZIV)

Otherwise, for the rest of us, it is wise now to have cash stores at the ready to buy securities on any decline following an event. I would not sell gold interests to raise cash, as gold and its proxy securities like the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) should in my opinion appreciate in the event of terrorism, and perhaps even if the U.S. is not targeted. If you do have tax losses available to take and to mark against gains or income for the current tax year or even beyond that, you might do so now. Keep in mind that the best time to do that was probably a month ago, and that these securities are likely to rise now in many instances. As a result you might take a little from each holding to maintain interests while also raising cash. Or you might simply send more cash into your brokerage account so that it is ready for use to buy stocks at discount.

Precious Metals Proxy Securities
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)
iShares Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU)
iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bullish 3X (NYSE: NUGT)
Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSE: GDX)
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners (NYSE: GDXJ)

In a worst case scenario, we can expect a correction to securities markets, Santa Claus rally period or not. So while many of us are participating in the rally and are looking forward to January, we should not be ignoring this very serious risk. Thus, I suggest taking some time now to ensure you have cash in your brokerage accounts at the ready to buy securities at discount if God forbid something bad happens. Buying securities at severe lows on disruptive macro drivers serves outperformance and covers up many mistakes for those of us seeking alpha and perhaps not finding the best of it. I cover the markets regularly and invite relative interests to follow my Wall Street Greek blog and my column at Seeking Alpha. Follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WallStreetGreek and at Facebook via www.Facebook.com/WallStreetGreek. Join my email list by emailing me at WallStreetGreek @gmail.com.

DISCLOSURES: Kaminis is long VXX and long GDX mentioned in the article. Article may interest Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Raytheon (NYSE: RTN), Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Boeing (NYSE: BA), NYSE: IWM, NYSE: TWM, NYSE: IWD, Honeywell (NYSE: HON), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL), Goodrich (NYSE: GR), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), SAIC (NYSE: SAI), FLIR Systems (Nasdaq: FLIR), EMBRAER (NYSE: ERJ), Spirit Aerosystems (NYSE: SPR), BE Aerospace (Nasdaq: BEAV), TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG), CAE (NYSE: CAE), Hexcel (NYSE: HXL), Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL), Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY), Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW), HEICO (NYSE: HEI), Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI), Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB), AAR Corp. (NYSE: AIR), Kaman Corp. (Nasdaq: KAMN), AeroVironment (Nasdaq: AVAV), Smith & Wesson (Nasdaq: SWHC), DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI), GenCorp (NYSE: GY), Hawk (AMEX: HWK), LMI Aerospace (Nasdaq: LMIA). Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Play Volatility Now - History Shows the Next 3 Months Could be Choppy

volatility
When ordering your market pie now, expect to get some extra volatility on that. In periods around a first Fed rate hike the market tends to exhibit higher volatility than normal. During the particular period in play today, I think you can expect even more than that for various reasons discussed herein. As a result, sophisticated investors might make more use of volatility instruments now like the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX). Please note that the VXX is for sophisticated investors who understand its inherent risk. The VXX may be useful as a short-term hedging instrument, but its historical performance shows its inherent tendency to shed value over the long-term. See more of this report on how to play volatility now.

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is currently short VXX, but may go long over the next 72 hours. Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Editor's Note: Article should interest investors in Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC.OB), Fannie Mae (OTC: FNMA.OB), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), Toronto Dominion (NYSE: TD), BB&T (NYSE: BBT), CIT (NYSE: CIT), Bank United (NYSE: BKU), First Citizens (OTC: FCNCA.PK), Synovus (NYSE: SNV), United Bankshares (Nasdaq: UBSI), Hampton Roads Bankshares (Nasdaq: HMPR), WesBanco (Nasdaq: WSBC), City Holding (Nasdaq: CHCO), Sandy Spring (Nasdaq: SASR), First Citizens (OTC: FCBN.OB), SCBT Financial (Nasdaq: SCBT), Wilmington Trust (NYSE: WL), WSFS Financial (Nasdaq: WSFS), Southside Bancshares (Nasdaq: SBSI), Stellar One (Nasdaq: STEL), Union First Market (Nasdaq: UBSH), Eagle Bancorp (Nasdaq: EGBN), First Bancorp (Nasdaq: FBNC), Ameris (Nasdaq: ABCB), The Bancorp (Nasdaq: TBBK), First Community (Nasdaq: FCBC), Capital City (Nasdaq: CCBG), Financial Institutions (Nasdaq: FISI), National Bankshares (Nasdaq: NKSH), Citizens & Northern (Nasdaq: CZNC), Charter Financial (Nasdaq: CHFN), Seacoast Banking (Nasdaq: SBCF), TIB Financial (Nasdaq: TIBB), American National (Nasdaq: AMNB), United Community (Nasdaq: UCBI), Middleburg Financial (Nasdaq: MBRG), Heritage Financial (Nasdaq: HBOS), Zions Bancorp (Nasdaq: ZION), East West Bancorp (Nasdaq: EWBC), City National (NYSE: CYN), Bank of Hawaii (NYSE: BOH), SVB Financial (Nasdaq: SIVB), Westamerica (Nasdaq: WABC), Cathay General (Nasdaq: CATY), Umpqua (Nasdaq: UMPQ), Glacier Bancorp (Nasdaq: GBCI), Pacific Capital (Nasdaq: PCBC), PacWest (Nasdaq: PACW), Western Alliance (NYSE: WAL), First National Alaska (OTC: FBAK.OB), First Interstate Bancsystem (Nasdaq: FIBK), Nara (Nasdaq: NARA), West Coast (Nasdaq: WCBO), TriCo (Nasdaq: TCBK), Territorial (Nasdaq: TBNK), Washington Banking (Nasdaq: WCBO), Bank of Marin (Nasdaq: BMRC), Hanmi (Nasdaq: HAFC), PNC Bank (NYSE: PNC), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), United Bankshares (Nasdaq: UBSI), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), MB Financial (Nasdaq: MBFI), Astoria Financial (NYSE: AF), New York Community (NYSE: NYB), Hudson City (Nasdaq: HCBK), People’s United (Nasdaq: PBCT), First Niagra (Nasdaq: FNFG), Capitol Federal (Nasdaq: CFFN), Washington Federal (Nasdaq: WFSL), Investor’s Bancorp (Nasdaq: ISBC), Northwest Bankshares (Nasdaq: NWBI), Sterling Financial (Nasdaq: STSA), Ocwen (NYSE: OCN), Flagstar (NYSE: FBC), Provident (NYSE: PFS), Colombia Banking (Nasdaq: COLB), Kearny (Nasdaq: KRNY), Brookline (Nasdaq: BRKL), Dime Community (Nasdaq: DCOM), Flushing Financial (Nasdaq: FFIC), Danvers (Nasdaq: DNBK).

who predicted the stock market crash

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Fear Factors are Firing

fear factor
Fear factors will be firing in the week ahead. Right from the start, Spain’s election results threaten everything, though it appears with a slow fuse now. After that, we have a pivotal GDP revision and a slew of other critical data that will serve to either confirm or confuse us about the appropriateness of the Federal Reserve’s tightening action. And just when we might get comfortable, the press will surely focus our attention to the risk of terrorism through the holiday period from Christmas to New Year’s Day – that is the traditional Santa Claus rally period, so uncertainty is abound. It all makes for a hard path to higher ground, so look for volatility to reign, with downs and ups and downs throughout. See more of the report on fear factors here.

Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Article interests Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Raytheon (NYSE: RTN), Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Boeing (NYSE: BA), NYSE: IWM, NYSE: TWM, NYSE: IWD, Honeywell (NYSE: HON), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL), Goodrich (NYSE: GR), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), SAIC (NYSE: SAI), FLIR Systems (Nasdaq: FLIR), EMBRAER (NYSE: ERJ), Spirit Aerosystems (NYSE: SPR), BE Aerospace (Nasdaq: BEAV), TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG), CAE (NYSE: CAE), Hexcel (NYSE: HXL), Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL), Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY), Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW), HEICO (NYSE: HEI), Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI), Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB), AAR Corp. (NYSE: AIR), Kaman Corp. (Nasdaq: KAMN), AeroVironment (Nasdaq: AVAV), Smith & Wesson (Nasdaq: SWHC), DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI), GenCorp (NYSE: GY), Hawk (AMEX: HWK), LMI Aerospace (Nasdaq: LMIA).

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

WARNING: Stocks, Oil & the Dollar are Reflecting Risk to Spain’s Election

easy does it
Many months ago when local elections in Spain resulted in a shift in control of major cities to new young political parties and leaders, I warned that the general elections in Spain, which are imminent, would pose the same risk we saw when Syriza was elected into power in Greece. The prospect of a disruptive change in Spanish leadership seems to threaten a similar push against the EU establishment, austerity and the euro-system. As a result, the euro is under pressure today and the dollar is appreciating sharply. The end result of that is further oil price decline, and finally U.S. stock market volatility. See the full warning on stocks here.

Stock Market Sector
Through 1 PM Thursday December 17
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)
-1.2%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)
-1.0%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)
-1.0%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)
-0.9%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)
-1.2%
iShares Europe (NYSE: IEV)
-1.3%
iShares MSCI Spain ETF (NYSE: EWP)
-0.9%

Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only. Article should interest investors in SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA), SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY), PowerShares QQQ Trust (Nasdaq: QQQ), ProShares Short Dow 30 (NYSE: DOG), ProShares Ultra Short S&P 500 (NYSE: SDS), ProShares Ultra QQQ (NYSE: QLD), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), The NASDAQ OMX Group (Nasdaq: NDAQ), Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), E*Trade Financial (Nasdaq: ETFC), Charles Schwab (Nasdaq: SCHW), Asset Acceptance Capital (Nasdaq: AACC), Affiliated Managers (NYSE: AMG), Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP), TD Ameritrade (Nasdaq: AMTD), BGC Partners (Nasdaq: BGCP), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), CIT Group (NYSE: CIT), Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS), CME Group (NYSE: CME), Cohn & Steers (NYSE: CNS), Cowen Group (Nasdaq: COWN), Diamond Hill Investment (Nasdaq: DHIL), Dollar Financial (Nasdaq: DLLR), Duff & Phelps (Nasdaq: DUF), Encore Capital (Nasdaq: ECPG), Edelman Financial (Nasdaq: EF), Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Epoch (Nasdaq: EPHC), Evercore Partners (NYSE: EVR), EXCorp. (Nasdaq: EZPW), FBR Capital Markets (Nasdaq: FBCM), First Cash Financial (Nasdaq: FCFS), Federated Investors (NYSE: FII), First Marblehead (NYSE: FMD), Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF), Financial Engines (Nasdaq: FNGN), FXCM (Nasdaq: FXCM), Gamco Investors (NYSE: GBL), GAIN Capital (Nasdaq: GCAP), Green Dot (Nasdaq: GDOT), GFI Group (Nasdaq: GFIG), Greenhill (NYSE: GHL), Gleacher (Nasdaq: GLCH), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), INTL FCStone (Nasdaq: INTL), Intersections (Nasdaq: INTX), Investment Technology (NYSE: ITG), Invesco (NYSE: IVZ), Jefferies (NYSE: JEF), JMP Group (NYSE: JMP), Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS), KBW (NYSE: KBW), Knight Capital (NYSE: KCG), Lazard (NYSE: LAZ), Legg Mason (NYSE: LM), LPL Investment (Nasdaq: LPLA), Ladenburg Thalmann (AMEX: LTS), Mastercard (NYSE: MA), Moody’s (NYSE: MCO), MF Global (NYSE: MF), Moneygram (NYSE: MGI), MarketAxess (Nasdaq: MKTX), Marlin Business Services (Nasdaq: MRLN), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), MSCI (Nasdaq: MSCI), MGIC Investment (NYSE: MTG), NewStar Financial (Nasdaq: NEWS), National Financial Partners (NYSE: NFP), Nelnet (NYSE: NNI), Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS), NetSpend (Nasdaq: NTSP), Ocwen Financial (NYSE: OCN), Oppenheimer (NYSE: OPY), optionsXpress (Nasdaq: OXPS), PICO (Nasdaq: PICO), Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC), PMI Group (NYSE: PMI), Penson Worldwide (Nasdaq: PNSN), Portfolio Recovery (Nasdaq: PRAA), Raymond James (NYSE: RJF), SEI Investments (Nasdaq: SEIC), Stifel Financial (NYSE: SF), Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE), State Street (NYSE: STT), SWS (NYSE: SWS), T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW), Visa (NYSE: V) and Virtus Investment Partners (Nasdaq: VRTS).

etf

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