Stocks Detached from Oil but...

Stocks have clearly detached from oil this week, with oil prices rising recently while stocks continue to express weakness. The focus of worry for equity investors is the economy and the Fed’s interest rate plans, thanks to recent comments from the Federal Reserve and others. GDP data due Friday might provide equity investors with desperately needed confidence or send stocks over the edge, depending on the result versus an already low expectation. See more on this report on stocks here.

Equities vs. Energy	01-28-16 at 3:40 PM
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+0.8%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	+0.9%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	+1.5%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	+0.1%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	+0.6%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	+6.8%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+5.1%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+2.8%

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is short USO. 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 Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Citigroup (NYSE: C), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), TD Bank (NYSE: TD), PNC Bank (NYSE: PNC), State Street (NYSE: STT), Janus (NYSE: JNS), T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW), General Electric (NYSE: GE), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Alcoa (NYSE: AA), American Express (NYSE: AXP), Boeing (NYSE: BA), Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), DuPont (NYSE: DD), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Kraft (NYSE: KFT), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), 3M (NYSE: MMM), Merck (NYSE: MRK), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), AT&T (NYSE: T), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), United Technologies (NYSE: UTX), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Paychex (Nasdaq: PAYX), Manpower (NYSE: MAN), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), 51Job Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS), Monster World Wide (NYSE: MWW), Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY), Administaff (NYSE: ASF), Kforce (Nasdaq: KFRC), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Dice Holdings (NYSE: DHX), Kelly Services (Nasdaq: KELYA), SFN Group (NYSE: SFN), CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI), Cross Country Healthcare (Nasdaq: CCRN), On Assignment (Nasdaq: ASGN), AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE: AHS), Barrett Business Services (Nasdaq: BBSI), Hudson Highland Group (Nasdaq: HHGP), StarTek (NYSE: SRT), RCM Technologies (Nasdaq: RCMT), VirtualScopics (Nasdaq: VSCP), General Employment Enterprises (NYSE: JOB) and TeamStaff (Nasdaq: TSTF).

Gold – Factors Conflicting or Aligning?

Two seemingly conflicting factors weigh on gold Friday due to fresh data, but their impacts could align for gold through the year ahead. The factors are the U.S. economy and the relative value of the dollar versus foreign currency. What gold does Friday will depend on how fresh data presents, but over the longer term I anticipate gold will gain on U.S. economic softness and fading dollar strength. See full article on Gold Gaining on Factor Congruence.

Precious Metal Relative Securities	Year-to-Date
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	-8.0%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	+5.0%
Sprott Physical Gold Trust (NYSE: PHYS)	+4.6%
iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)	+2.9%
Sprott Physical Silver Trust (NYSE: PSLV)	+3.8%
Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSE: GDX)	+1.0%
Sprott Gold Miners (NYSE: SGDM)	+0.3%
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X (NYSE: NUGT)	-0.7%
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X (NYSE: DUST)	-11.9%
Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM)	+8.6%
Royal Gold (Nasdaq: RGLD)	-21%

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 precious metals stocks: Goldcorp (NYSE: GG), Agnico-Eagle Mines (NYSE: AEM), Allied Nevada Gold (AMEX: ANV), AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU), AuRico Gold (NYSE: AUQ), Aurizon Mines (AMEX: AZK), Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX), Brigus Gold (AMEX: BRD), Charles & Covard (Nasdaq: CTHR), Claude Resources (AMEX: CGR), Commerce Group (OTC: CGCO.PK), Compania Mina Buenaventura S.A. (NYSE: BVN), DRDGOLD (Nasdaq: DROOY), Eldorado Gold (NYSE: EGO), Entrée Gold (AMEX: EGI), Exeter Resource (AMEX: XRA), Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI), Gold Reserve (AMEX: GRZ), Gold Resource (Nasdaq: GORO), Golden Eagle Int’l (OTC: MYNG.PK), Golden Star Resources (AMEX: GSS), Great Basin Gold (AMEX: GBG), Harmony Gold (NYSE: HMY), IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG), International Tower Hill Mines (AMEX: THM), Jaguar Mining (NYSE: JAG), Keegan Resources (AMEX: KGN), Kimber Resources (AMEX: KBX), Kingold Jewelry (Nasdaq: KGJI), Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC), Midway Gold (AMEX: MDW), Minco Gold (AMEX: MGH), Nevsun Resources (AMEX: NSU), New Jersey Mining (OTC: NJMC.PK), Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM), North Bay Resources (OTC: NBRI.OB), Northgate Minerals (AMEX: NXG), NovaGold Resources (AMEX: NG), Richmont Mines (AMEX: RIC), Royal Gold (Nasdaq: RGLD), Rubicon Minerals (AMEX: RBY), Seabridge Gold (AMEX: SA), Solitario Exploration and Royalty (AMEX: XPL), Tanzanian Royalty Exploration (AMEX: TRE), Thunder Mountain Gold (OTC: THMG.OB), U.S. Gold (NYSE: UXG), Vista Gold (AMEX: VGZ), Wits Basin Precious Metals (OTC: WITM.PK), Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY), Coeur d’Alene Mines (NYSE: CDE), Endeavour Silver (NYSE: EXK), Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL), Mag Silver (AMEX: MVG), Mines Management (AMEX: MGN), Silver Standard Resources (Nasdaq: SSRI), Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW), SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEArca: GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDX), iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV), ProShares Ultra Silver (NYSEArca: AGQ), ProShares Ultra Short Silver (NYSEArca: ZSL), Great Panther Silver (AMEX: GPL), Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM), Paramount Gold and Silver (AMEX: PZG), Pan American Silver (Nasdaq: PAAS) and First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG).

The OPEC Put – Oil Prices have a Floor

Over the last year, Saudi Arabia has stalwartly guided OPEC’s steady oil production. But as the price of crude breached $30 over recent weeks, significant cracks began to develop in the cartel. It appears that as result of recent comments and actions of important OPEC members, investors are gaining confidence that OPEC has a downside limit. As a result, so do oil prices, even when faced with disappointing data. Thus we have the OPEC put, setting a floor for the price of oil. See the full report The OPEC Put - Sets a Floor for Oil Prices.

Oil Relative Security	2 Days Ended 01/27/16
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+0.3%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+7.5%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	+6.2%
ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (NYSE: UCO)	+15.2%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+3.3%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)	+7.0%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)	+3.8%
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)	+1.8%
Chevron (NYSE: CVX)	+3.0%
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY)	+3.8%
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP)	+5.9%

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 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).

Oil Prices – An Epoch Day

Oil prices could express significant volatility again on Wednesday, rising and/or falling significantly intraday. Two critical events could influence the price of the commodity, and have the potential to knock it around like a pinball wizard would the silver ball. The two data points are the weekly oil inventory data and the Fed’s Monetary Policy Statement. See the full story on Oil Prices - The Epoch Day Ahead. 

Energy Securities	01-26-15
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+1.2%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+5.3%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	+3.8%
Select Energy Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+3.6%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)	+6.2%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)	+2.8%
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)	+3.4%
Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD)	+5.5%
Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB)	+3.2%

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).

Gold Prices to Rise No Matter What the Fed Does

No matter what message the Fed conveys via its Monetary Policy Statement this week, it cannot help but to help gold. The Federal Reserve affects the price of gold for American investors via its impact to the U.S. dollar. It also impacts gold if it impacts riskier assets and capital flows to and from those assets and the safe haven asset in gold. The Fed could send either of two opposing messages to investors this week, but each should serve gold in one way or another. See why the Fed Cannot Help but to Help Gold this Week.

Precious Metals Relative Securities	YTD  thru Jan. 25
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-8.0%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	+4.6%
PowerShares DB Gold (NYSE: DGL)	+4.3%
Van Eck Merk Gold ETF (NYSE: OUNZ)	+4.7%
ProShares Ultra Gold ETF (NYSE: UGL)	+8.8%
Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSE: GDX)	-2.5%
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners (NYSE: GDXJ)	-6.5%
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X (NYSE: NUGT)	-11%
Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX)	+26%
Randgold Resources (Nasdaq: GOLD)	+5.9%
iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)	+3.0%
Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSE: SIL)	-13%

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 precious metals stocks: Goldcorp (NYSE: GG), Agnico-Eagle Mines (NYSE: AEM), Allied Nevada Gold (AMEX: ANV), AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU), AuRico Gold (NYSE: AUQ), Aurizon Mines (AMEX: AZK), Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX), Brigus Gold (AMEX: BRD), Charles & Covard (Nasdaq: CTHR), Claude Resources (AMEX: CGR), Commerce Group (OTC: CGCO.PK), Compania Mina Buenaventura S.A. (NYSE: BVN), DRDGOLD (Nasdaq: DROOY), Eldorado Gold (NYSE: EGO), Entrée Gold (AMEX: EGI), Exeter Resource (AMEX: XRA), Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI), Gold Reserve (AMEX: GRZ), Gold Resource (Nasdaq: GORO), Golden Eagle Int’l (OTC: MYNG.PK), Golden Star Resources (AMEX: GSS), Great Basin Gold (AMEX: GBG), Harmony Gold (NYSE: HMY), IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG), International Tower Hill Mines (AMEX: THM), Jaguar Mining (NYSE: JAG), Keegan Resources (AMEX: KGN), Kimber Resources (AMEX: KBX), Kingold Jewelry (Nasdaq: KGJI), Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC), Midway Gold (AMEX: MDW), Minco Gold (AMEX: MGH), Nevsun Resources (AMEX: NSU), New Jersey Mining (OTC: NJMC.PK), Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM), North Bay Resources (OTC: NBRI.OB), Northgate Minerals (AMEX: NXG), NovaGold Resources (AMEX: NG), Richmont Mines (AMEX: RIC), Royal Gold (Nasdaq: RGLD), Rubicon Minerals (AMEX: RBY), Seabridge Gold (AMEX: SA), Solitario Exploration and Royalty (AMEX: XPL), Tanzanian Royalty Exploration (AMEX: TRE), Thunder Mountain Gold (OTC: THMG.OB), U.S. Gold (NYSE: UXG), Vista Gold (AMEX: VGZ), Wits Basin Precious Metals (OTC: WITM.PK), Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY), Coeur d’Alene Mines (NYSE: CDE), Endeavour Silver (NYSE: EXK), Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL), Mag Silver (AMEX: MVG), Mines Management (AMEX: MGN), Silver Standard Resources (Nasdaq: SSRI), Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW), SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEArca: GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDX), iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV), ProShares Ultra Silver (NYSEArca: AGQ), ProShares Ultra Short Silver (NYSEArca: ZSL), Great Panther Silver (AMEX: GPL), Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM), Paramount Gold and Silver (AMEX: PZG), Pan American Silver (Nasdaq: PAAS) and First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG).

Fed Policy is Pivotal for Stocks Now

The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting will be pivotal for stocks this week. The Fed’s “dot-plot” economic projections for four rate hikes in 2016 have been cause for the critical valuation of stocks this year. So any indication the Fed offers in that regard will move stocks in either direction. It is imperative the Fed prominently note credible risks to the economy, including financial market volatility, and its own ongoing data dependence. If such a clear message were delivered, energy and securities markets could stabilize, which is imperative to avoid a negative feedback loop to the economy. We may be projecting our hopes on the Fed, and I fear that if it keeps to its implied pace of tightening (via its dot-plot projection for rates) and produces even a neutral note this week, stocks could plummet. Finally, media and market interpretation of the message matter just as critically. See the full report on Fed Policy is Pivotal for Stocks this Week.

Security Sector	Monday January 25
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-1.5%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	-1.3%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	-1.5%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	-2.2%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	-1.6%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	-6.6%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	+1.0%

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).

Gold is Gaining Fundamental Favor in 2016

60-Day Gold Chart at Kitco

A great weight was levied against gold over the past several years, with only short-lived periods of strength mostly on geopolitical concerns. But gold is finally finding a favorable shift in the fundamental factors underlying its value. Various questions are being posed today about the U.S. economy, securities markets and the dollar that in the recent past had been taboo. As this fundamental shift is increasingly recognized by investors, gold should draw capital investment and its value should increase. See the full report on Gold Gaining Fundamental Favor in 2016.

Gold & Silver Relative Securities	Last Week’s Change
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	+0.9%
iShares Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU)	+0.8%
Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSE: GDX)	-0.5%
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners (NYSE: GDXJ)	-1.4%
Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X (NYSE: NUGT)	-3.1%
iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)	+1.1%
Goldcorp (NYSE: GG)	-1.7%
Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM)	-5.8%
Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW)	-5.1%

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 precious metals stocks: Goldcorp (NYSE: GG), Agnico-Eagle Mines (NYSE: AEM), Allied Nevada Gold (AMEX: ANV), AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU), AuRico Gold (NYSE: AUQ), Aurizon Mines (AMEX: AZK), Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX), Brigus Gold (AMEX: BRD), Charles & Covard (Nasdaq: CTHR), Claude Resources (AMEX: CGR), Commerce Group (OTC: CGCO.PK), Compania Mina Buenaventura S.A. (NYSE: BVN), DRDGOLD (Nasdaq: DROOY), Eldorado Gold (NYSE: EGO), Entrée Gold (AMEX: EGI), Exeter Resource (AMEX: XRA), Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI), Gold Reserve (AMEX: GRZ), Gold Resource (Nasdaq: GORO), Golden Eagle Int’l (OTC: MYNG.PK), Golden Star Resources (AMEX: GSS), Great Basin Gold (AMEX: GBG), Harmony Gold (NYSE: HMY), IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG), International Tower Hill Mines (AMEX: THM), Jaguar Mining (NYSE: JAG), Keegan Resources (AMEX: KGN), Kimber Resources (AMEX: KBX), Kingold Jewelry (Nasdaq: KGJI), Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC), Midway Gold (AMEX: MDW), Minco Gold (AMEX: MGH), Nevsun Resources (AMEX: NSU), New Jersey Mining (OTC: NJMC.PK), Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM), North Bay Resources (OTC: NBRI.OB), Northgate Minerals (AMEX: NXG), NovaGold Resources (AMEX: NG), Richmont Mines (AMEX: RIC), Royal Gold (Nasdaq: RGLD), Rubicon Minerals (AMEX: RBY), Seabridge Gold (AMEX: SA), Solitario Exploration and Royalty (AMEX: XPL), Tanzanian Royalty Exploration (AMEX: TRE), Thunder Mountain Gold (OTC: THMG.OB), U.S. Gold (NYSE: UXG), Vista Gold (AMEX: VGZ), Wits Basin Precious Metals (OTC: WITM.PK), Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY), Coeur d’Alene Mines (NYSE: CDE), Endeavour Silver (NYSE: EXK), Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL), Mag Silver (AMEX: MVG), Mines Management (AMEX: MGN), Silver Standard Resources (Nasdaq: SSRI), Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW), SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEArca: GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDX), iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV), ProShares Ultra Silver (NYSEArca: AGQ), ProShares Ultra Short Silver (NYSEArca: ZSL), Great Panther Silver (AMEX: GPL), Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM), Paramount Gold and Silver (AMEX: PZG), Pan American Silver (Nasdaq: PAAS) and First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG).

Stock Market Crash Report - Critical Condition

I know this market feels chaotic, but I believe it is hinged upon two key related issues, with subplots that feed into them. The issues at play are, in this order, the real economy and the Fed’s view of the economy. Investors are unsure now whether the two are consistent, and so stock valuations are being tested against the shift in Fed monetary policy. Resolution of the issue can come by two means, proof positive of global economic health or Fed reversion to dovish policy. Perhaps a slowing of monetary tightening pace, with no action at the March FOMC meeting and some adjustment to Fed rate projections, might also help to solidify equity values. To the contrary, slippage into economic recession would solidify the bear market for stocks. The most recent service sector measurements indicated slower growth, which is worrisome given the manufacturing recession and still imperfect structure of our economy and labor market. I am concerned at this point, and believe the Fed must signal next week that global conditions are less favorable than they were in December and that it is data dependent, implying it lays off. In March, I believe it is mandatory the Fed’s projections show a slower likely pace, if any at all, for further monetary tightening this year. Finally, I’m sorry to say that if we do not see draws from aggregate petroleum inventories this month with the colder weather, then the near future is bleak for energy and for equities. See more on the Stock Market Outlook here.

Sector Security	Wednesday’s Open
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-1.6%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	-1.8%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	-1.6%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	-1.5%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	-1.1%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	-2.9%

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 Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Citigroup (NYSE: C), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), TD Bank (NYSE: TD), PNC Bank (NYSE: PNC), State Street (NYSE: STT), Janus (NYSE: JNS), T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq: TROW), General Electric (NYSE: GE), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Alcoa (NYSE: AA), American Express (NYSE: AXP), Boeing (NYSE: BA), Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), DuPont (NYSE: DD), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Kraft (NYSE: KFT), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), 3M (NYSE: MMM), Merck (NYSE: MRK), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), AT&T (NYSE: T), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), United Technologies (NYSE: UTX), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Paychex (Nasdaq: PAYX), Manpower (NYSE: MAN), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), 51Job Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS), Monster World Wide (NYSE: MWW), Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY), Administaff (NYSE: ASF), Kforce (Nasdaq: KFRC), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Dice Holdings (NYSE: DHX), Kelly Services (Nasdaq: KELYA), SFN Group (NYSE: SFN), CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI), Cross Country Healthcare (Nasdaq: CCRN), On Assignment (Nasdaq: ASGN), AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE: AHS), Barrett Business Services (Nasdaq: BBSI), Hudson Highland Group (Nasdaq: HHGP), StarTek (NYSE: SRT), RCM Technologies (Nasdaq: RCMT), VirtualScopics (Nasdaq: VSCP), General Employment Enterprises (NYSE: JOB) and TeamStaff (Nasdaq: TSTF).

Witness Capitulation – It Marks the Bottom

Published January 15

Investors awoke to the fruition of their worst fears Friday. Now, these are fears that have weighed on stocks for some time, so logic tells us it should be no surprise that Iran will be clear to sell oil imminently. So the reaction is really due to the sensitivity of investors now, after the slow bleed in stocks since the close of last year. Iranian oil is likely coming to market next week, and oil prices dropped sharply this morning despite the long lead up to the event. Witness capitulation friends, driven by fear, and it so appropriately comes on a Friday before a long weekend. Let the lemmings jump off the cliff. Stocks will likely mark their lows on fear driven capitulation today (possibly intraday) or on Tuesday morning. Energy investors may need to see how Iranian oil impacts its market before taking oil prices higher, but I repeat, the sell-off up until now has well priced in what I believe will not be as bad as was expected. And, upside catalysts exist for oil as well and have a high probability of showing up this year. In any event, given current value, equities would require economic softening or corporate earnings outlook adjustment to justify further decline. Bad news has exhausted its influence. Fear-driven exaggerated selloffs mark market troughs and open the way for unimpeded upticks. See more about the stock market capitulation here.

Market Sector	12:30 PM ET
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-3.2%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	-3.1%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	-4.2%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	-4.1%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	-3.3%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	-6.3%
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VXX)	+13%

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 investors in: S&P Retail ETF (NYSE: XRT), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR), Ethan Allen (NYSE: ETH), Hooker Furniture (Nasdaq: HOFT), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Lowes (NYSE: LOW), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), The Limited (NYSE: LTD), Chicos (NYSE: CHS), Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN), The Gap (NYSE: GPS), Macy’s (NYSE: M), JC Penney (NYSE: JCP), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), TJX Company (NYSE: TJX), Kohls (NYSE: KSS), Costco (Nasdaq: COST), Target (NYSE: TGT), Wet Seal (Nasdaq: WTSLA), Hot Topic (Nasdaq: HOTT), American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO), Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), Saks (NYSE: SAK), Tiffany (NYSE: TIF), Talbots (NYSE: TLB), Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL), Builders Firstsource (Nasdaq: BLDR), Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO), Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG), Tempur-Pedic International (NYSE: TPX), Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI), La-Z-Boy (NYSE: LZB), Select Comfort (Nasdaq: SCSS), Sleepy’s (NYSE: ZZ), Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN), Natuzzi (NYSE: NTZ), Sears (Nasdaq: SHLD), Dillard’s (NYSE: DDS), Bon-Ton (Nasdaq: BONT), Cost Plus (Nasdaq: CPWM), Baker’s Footwear (Nasdaq: BKRS.OB), Bebe Stores (Nasdaq: BEBE), The Buckle (NYSE: BKE), Cache (Nasdaq: CACH), Casual Male (Nasdaq: CMRG), Cato (Nasdaq: CATO), Christopher & Banks (NYSE: CBK), Citi Trends (Nasdaq: CTRN), Collective Brands (NYSE: PSS), Destination Maternity (Nasdaq: DEST), Dress Barn (Nasdaq: DBRN), DSW (NYSE: DSW), Finish Line (Nasdaq: FINL), Footlocker (NYSE: FL), Gymboree (Nasdaq: GYMB), Guess (NYSE: GES), J. Crew (NYSE: JCG), Jones New York (NYSE: JNY), Jos. A Banks (Nasdaq: JOSB), New York & Co. (NYSE: NWY), Men’s Wearhouse (NYSE: MW), Syms (Nasdaq: SYMS), The Children’s Place (Nasdaq: PLCE).