Week Ahead Stock Market Catalysts

The week ahead is a curious one, including a few critical data catalysts that could influence markets from a macro perspective. Consumer spending data at the start of the week could take stocks to new 52-week highs. But the longevity of those gains will likely depend on the result of China’s manufacturing PMI data on Wednesday. Crude oil inventory data will continue to play importantly, and of course, the monthly jobs data due on Friday will be influential. Through it all, I expect we are likely to mark a new high for stocks, but beware as the dollar’s shadow is starting to cast darkness over the land of commodities and multinationals. See the whole story at Market Moving Catalysts for the Week Ahead.

Security Sector	Week Ended 05-27-16
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+2.3%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	+2.1%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	+3.4%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	+3.4%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	+2.4%
Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF)	+2.6%
Technology Select Sector SPDR (Nasdaq: XLK)	+3.2%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+1.5%
Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLV)	+2.1%
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:  XLY)	+2.0%
Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP)	+1.6%
Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU)	+1.1%
Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLB)	+1.9%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)	+1.6%
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VXX)	-10%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	-3.4%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+2.0%
PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish (NYSE: UUP)	+0.4%

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long UUP. 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).

Oil Prices in a Tug-of-War

Oil prices are locked in a tug-of-war, with two powerful opposing forces pulling on it. This should bring about swings in the price of oil as one factor overpowers the other and vice versa. However, it should also allow for an ironic stability for as long as neither convincingly overpowers the other. On one side, we have an appreciating dollar pulling oil downward, and on the other we have a change in energy sector dynamics pulling oil higher. Traders might use the sort of controlled volatility to their advantage, while long-term investors may be frustrated near-term. See the whole story at The Tug-of-War for Oil Prices.

Energy Relative Shares	Year-to-Date
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+3.7%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+8.9%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	+4.7%
United States Natural Gas (NYSE: UNG)	-25%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+12.1%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)	+16.7%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)	+6.4%
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)	+17.5%
Chevron (NYSE: CVX)	+16.1%
B.P. (NYSE: BP)	+7.4%
TOTAL S.A. (NYSE: TOT)	+10.6%
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP)	-3.8%
Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX)	+0.1%
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY)	+13.8%
Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB)	+12.2%
Halliburton (NYSE: HAL)	+26%

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).

Sell GDX - Gold Miners will Fall Harder than Gold

In the middle of May, via the report For Gold, It’s the Beginning of the End of the Run, I indicated the downturn I had been looking for in precious metals had begun. The catalyst was a pivot in the economic trend and in expectations around the Fed, each of which serves refreshed dollar strength. Since then, gold has come under severe pressure, and investors are now seriously questioning whether it will recover or sink significantly further. Gold miners’ shares have fallen farther than gold since the day before the Fed minutes release because they had exaggerated the run higher. However, from this point, gold miners’ shares and the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners Trust (NYSE: GDX) could appear to lag gold until investors are convinced gold will anchor itself at lower levels. Though, once that fact is established, and it should not take long, gold miners should fall harder and further than gold. It is because the miners’ shares are a derivative to the gold price, with their revenues and earnings levered to the price of the commodity. See the whole story at Gold Miners will Fall Harder than Gold - Sell GDX.

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is short GDX. 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).

Post Rally, Risk Off Ahead of Holiday Makes Sense

We got the rally I called for at the start of the week. Taking risk off ahead of a Fed Chair appearance and a long holiday weekend is probably wise for some investors now. In this new age of Fed hawkishness and terrorism, carrying vulnerable shorter term risk here near all-time highs just does not make sense. However, long-term investors take risk off through asset diversification and good stock-picking. Those with shorter term interests may want to employ option protection, volatility instruments, counter positions using ETFs or even by taking a portion of profits, even if it’s just temporarily. See the whole story here: We Called this Week's Rally - Taking Risk Off is Prudent 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 SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY), SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA), PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ), iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM), Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI), iPath S&P VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VXX), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Ford (NYSE: F), Citigroup (NYSE: C), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO).

Jim Cramer is Confused About Nascent Market/Dollar Congruence - Here's the Answer

Jim Cramer, my former colleague at another financial publisher and who I respect, said on his TV show Tuesday night that “he had no answer” for why the stock market was now rising alongside U.S. dollar appreciation. Well, I have that answer. It’s all about an important change in the economy. For the whole story see Jim Cramer has a Question - I have the Answer.

Security Sector	05-23-16 to 05-25-16 Close to Close
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	+2.0%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	+2.0%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	+2.7%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	+2.7%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	+2.1%
Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF)	+2.6%
Technology Select Sector SPDR (Nasdaq: XLK)	+2.6%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	+2.1%
Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLV)	+2.1%
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:  XLY)	+1.8%
Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP)	+1.0%
Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU)	+0.7%
Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLB)	+1.9%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)	+1.7%
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VXX)	-6.1%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	-2.0%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	+3.2%
PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish (NYSE: UUP)	Unchanged

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).

Bank of America – 3 Catalysts for Immediate Upside

This morning, as I contemplated my expectations for improving U.S. economic data, rising oil prices, rising interest rates and a stock market rally, I thought, how can I best leverage this? Well, as a result, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for an established favorite stock of mine, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). There are a slew of reasons for the stock to climb higher over the course of the year, many of which I have shared over recent months, but 3 factors are now providing immediate catalyst for gain toward last year’s high ground. See the whole story here: Bank of America - 3 Catalysts for Upside.

DISCLOSURE: Kaminis is long 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 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).

PREDICTION: Mini Rally Starts for Stocks Today

After having survived the FOMC surprise, investors should welcome the arrival of supportive economic data this week. It starts today, with what I expect should be a good new home sales data point, and it likely continues with the support of oil inventory data Wednesday. Durable goods orders Thursday should not be bad enough to derail the run, especially after excluding high-ticket transportation goods. Friday, however, brings a reminder of the misery of Q1 with the revision of first quarter GDP (they’re expecting an uptick though). Janet Yellen’s feared public appearance Friday might not be so bad, as she will be in a good mood while receiving an award at Harvard. More importantly, the University of Michigan should report the American consumer’s mood is up as investors drift into the long holiday weekend marking the start to summer. See the whole story at A Mini Rally Starts for Stocks Today on Improving US Data.

Security Sector	05-23-16
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-0.1%
SPDR Dow Jones (NYSE: DIA)	+0.0%
PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQ)	-0.1%
iShares Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM)	-0.1%
Vanguard Total Stock Market (NYSE: VTI)	-0.1%
Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF)	-0.1%
Technology Select Sector SPDR (Nasdaq: XLK)	-0.2%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	-0.3%
Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLV)	-0.4%
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:  XLY)	-0.4%
Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP)	+0.1%
Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU)	-0.9%
Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLB)	+1.2%
Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)	-0.2%
iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures (NYSE: VXX)	-0.5%
SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)	-0.3%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	-0.8%
PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish (NYSE: UUP)	-0.0%

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).

Oil Prices – Was that Bad News Actually Good?

When the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report was published last week, I wondered if good news was mistaken for bad. Just a week after a large crude oil draw had been posted, the latest data showed a build in crude oil storage even despite the ongoing issues in Alberta. Oil prices immediately declined after the release, but did investors miss an important point? See the whole story at Oil Prices - Was Good News Mistaken for Bad?

Energy Relative Shares	05-23-16 Close
SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY)	-0.1%
United States Oil (NYSE: USO)	-0.8%
iPath S&P GSCI Crude Oil (NYSE: OIL)	-0.5%
United States Natural Gas (NYSE: UNG)	-0.2%
Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE)	-0.2%
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas E&P (NYSE: XOP)	-0.2%
Market Vectors Oil Services (NYSE: OIH)	-0.4%
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)	-0.2%
Chevron (NYSE: CVX)	-0.4%
B.P. (NYSE: BP)	-1.5%
TOTAL S.A. (NYSE: TOT)	-1.1%
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP)	+0.0%
Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX)	-0.1%
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY)	-0.1%
Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB)	+0.1%
Weatherford Int’l (NYSE: WFT)	+2.0%
Halliburton (NYSE: HAL)	+1.3%

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).