It has been two-years since the S&P 500 bottomed in October 2022 and stocks began a new bull market. 

During this time, many sectors and industry groups have enjoyed tremendous uptrends while materials stocks have gone sideways.

But materials stocks are starting to look interesting...

The SPDR Materials Sector ETF $XLB is making new all-time highs:

Whether markets are full of chop or trending higher, bonds offer a versatile haven for our portfolios.

Take a look at inflation-protected securities, commonly known as TIPS. 

In inflationary environments, these outperform the government bond market.

We think it’s happening now and our intermarket analysis is telling us to buy TIPS.

If you take a look at the chart of the TIP ETF against the 10-year bond ETF, you’ll see consolidation above long-term support. One thing we know about these kinds of consolidations is that they tend to follow through in the direction of the primary trend. 

From the desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Our International Hall of Famers list is composed of the 100 largest US-listed international stocks, or ADRs.

We've also sprinkled in some of the largest ADRs from countries that did not make the market cap cut. 

These stocks range from some well-known mega-cap multinationals such as Toyota Motor and Royal Dutch Shell to some large-cap global disruptors such as Sea Ltd and Shopify.

It's got all the big names and more–but only those that are based outside the US. You can find all the largest US stocks on our original Hall of Famers list.

The beauty of these scans is really in their simplicity.

We take the largest names each week and then apply technical filters in a way that the strongest stocks with the most momentum rise to the top.

Based on the market environment, we can also flip the scan on its head and filter for weakness.

This trade gets classified as a "Hard Trade."

The stock has had a strong runup in recent weeks. Some traders have a hard time buying stocks making highs.

I don't.

But with implied volatility relatively cheap right now in this stock, an earnings event on the horizon, and a potential "two-hundred-dollar-roll" looming ahead, this feels like the right time to take a defined risk shot.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. No new positions today.
2. Adjustment to XLI position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

I have been writing about patience for the longest time.

But now I'm finally seeing early signs that altcoins are setting up for an upside move.

As such, I'm increasing my exposure.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. New position in XRT (Retailers).
2. No adjustments are needed today.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Welcome to The 2 to 100 Club.

In this scan, we look to identify the strongest growth stocks as they climb the market-cap ladder from small- to mid- to large- and, ultimately, to mega cap status (over $200B).

Once they graduate from small-cap to mid-cap status (over $2B), they come on our radar. Likewise, when they surpass the roughly $30B mark, they roll off our list.

But the scan doesn't just end there.

We only want to look at the strongest growth industries in the market, as that is typically where these potential 50-baggers come from.

As I've discussed recently, earnings season is quickly approaching. And with it comes risks and opportunities.

For today's trade, I'm going to leverage elevated options premiums in a nearby expiration to get a better net cost on the real call options I'd like to own.

And I'm taking advantage of a recent pullback to get in at attractive prices and a nearby exit if I'm wrong.

Below is the 5th ASC Mastermind Lab Course. These are special videos that will be made available throughout the duration of the 12-week course featuring conversations with professionals from across Wall Street discussing topics in their expertise. 

In our last Mastermind Lab, I spoke with Steve Strazza about momentum thrusts. This time, I wanted to talk with a portfolio manager who uses momentum as part of his strategy. Enter Dan Russo, Portfolio Manager at Potomac Fund. 

Dan broke down for us a simple way of implementing momentum into your portfolio management, how he protects against drawdowns while using momentum, and what he sees as the biggest challenges of using momentum. 

Enjoy my conversation with Dan Russo.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. New position in SMH (Semiconductors).
2. No adjustments are needed today.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

Bitcoin Dominance just hit new multi-year highs this week.

In other words, the market-cap of bitcoin as a percentage of total crypto market-cap is the highest it's been in years.

What this means is that the value of Bitcoin today (~ $1.2 Trillion) represents 58% of the value of all the Cryptocurrencies in the world (~ $2.1 Trillion).

And the trend here of Bitcoin continuing to eat into market share continues to move up and to the right: