General Options Blog

The Heisenberg November Projections Are Out

While the media was busy trumpeting the Hindenburg Omen this past spring and telling everyone to sell, the Heisenberg Indicator was telling those willing to listen that the market was going to head higher. And as it turns out, the market has indeed risen. Those investors that sold on the hype surrounding the Hindenburg Omen missed out on a massive move to the upside. We're now on pace for the largest percentage rise in over 33 years! The Heisenberg Indicator triggered a buy signal in 2008 and has never looked back.

Let's get to Heisenberg's projections for November. Recently, we burst into all-time levels for the HI and now we're seeing a small roll over. This could indicate that a consolidation or pullback is on the horizon. The DJIA closed at all time levels today and the S&P 500 closed just off all-time levels. The HI is not in sell mode, in other words, but we could be entering an area of concern for the bulls over the short term.

hi1

spy5

I'll post future projections as they become available. Stocks remain the place to be in 2013, but we have had bouts of selling during that time. The reduction in the Heisenberg Indicator is signaling some profit-taking short-term, but a long-term trend is still intact.

Here are my previous HI posts:

https://www.optionmillionaires.com/2013/heisenberg-indicator-projections-for-2013/

https://www.optionmillionaires.com/2013/the-heisenberg-indicator/

https://www.optionmillionaires.com/2013/the-heisenberg-indicator-hi-preliminary-readings-are-in-stocks-to-rise-into-the-fall/

https://www.optionmillionaires.com/2013/beware-of-exploding-dirigibles/

$TWTR Contest: Guess Where Twitter Will Close Next Friday – Win A Nice Prize!

$TWTR fell 7 percent today. It was one of the few stocks that wasn't trading higher. The much-hyped IPO of 2013 did well on its first day of trading and was up 74 percent, but is now looking vulnerable.

Or perhaps you think it's poised to rally? So you think you're smart, don't ya? Why not take a swing at $TWTR's closing price a week from today, then?

Respond to this post via the comments section below with the price you think $TWTR will close at on Friday, November 15th. If you're the closest guess, you'll win a free Diamond membership at optionmillionaires.com. Already a member? Well, you'll get your month free as well.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!

twtr

November 8th, 2013 Watch List

What a crazy day yesterday, as the pre-morning all-time high gap was filled and the “Buy the Dip” never happened. Additionally, the markets erased over 10 days of gains to finish right at session lows. It was a broad based sell-off, and it'll be interesting to see if it continues today. The GDP numbers out yesterday gave some folks hope on a possible taper in December, which is the same load of bull that's been talked about since last May.

The U.S. dollar also spiked and gold sold off right away, two indicators of a taper. October jobs numbers came out and they bested expectations (I think that's an understatement), as economists were expecting 120,000 to 130,000 jobs while the report showed that over 200,000 were jobs added, though the unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent. Futures immediately sold off in addition to the action seen on gold and that rise in the U.S. dollar.

Is it finally time for the market to shake off the taper and start to trade correctly on economic data? This would surely be a good day to find out.

PCLN reported earnings after hours that bested estimates, but issued some cautious guidance for the next quarter. The stock sold off all the way to $945 only to rally back, with shares poised to open in the green. Every analyst came out and either reiterated a  buy/outperform and/or raised its price target. PCLN looks set to be the first stock over $1100 at some point in the coming days/weeks.

It'll be a tough day to play, so I may just sit on my hands at least for this day. Here are the analyst changes for today:

M Macy's shares recommended ahead of Q3 report at Buckingham
Buckingham recommends buying Macy's ahead of the Q3 report based on favorable risk/reward and improved October trends benefiting from better weather and consumer sentiment. Shares are Buy rated with a $52 price target
PCLN priceline.com upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Monness Crespi :theflyonth
PCLN priceline.com price target raised to $1,300 from $1,250 at FBR Capital
FBR raised its price target for priceline.com shares citing the company's solid Q3 results and maintains an Outperform rating on the stock
SSYS Stratasys pullbacks viewed as buying opportunities, says Brean Capital
Brean Capital would view pullbacks in Stratasys as buying opportunities. The firm noted its solid Q3 results and better than expected MakerBot revenues which has added conviction to their buy thesis. Shares are Buy rated with a $135 price target
PCLN priceline.com price target raised to $1,200 from $1,050 at Cantor
Cantor increased its price target on priceline.com after the company reported stronger than expected Q3 results. The firm believes that the 500 basis point domestic growth reported by the company indicates that it has started to realize potential synergies with Kayak. Cantor keeps a Buy rating on priceline.com
CMG Chipotle initiated with an Outperform at RBC Capital
Target $620
SSYS Stratasys price target raised to $131 from $115 at Piper Jaffray
Piper Jaffray raised its price target for Stratasys to $131 following the company's better than expected September quarter results and reiterates an Overweight rating on the stock

ISRG showed some strength in a weak market, and I may try for $385 calls if the strength continues. I might also try for some lotto weeklies on PCLN:

Stock Ticker Call/Put Strike Expiration Closing Price Entry Price
ISRG CALL $385.00 weekly 0.80 0.25
PCLN CALL $1,080.00 Weekly 11 0.35

Let's have a great day!

- JB

S&P Cuts French Credit Rating

From Standard & Poor's: We believe the French government's reforms to taxation, as well as to product, services, and labor markets will not substantially raise France's medium-term growth prospects, and that ongoing high unemployment is weakening support for further significant fiscal and structural policy measures.

Furthermore, we believe lower economic growth is constraining the government's ability to consolidate public finances.

We are therefore lowering our long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on France to 'AA'. The outlook is stable, reflecting our view that the probability that we will raise or lower the rating on France over the next two years is less than one-in-three.

RATING ACTION

On Nov. 8, 2013, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its unsolicited long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of France to 'AA' from 'AA+'. At the same time, we affirmed our 'A-1+' short-term ratings. The outlook is stable.

RATIONALE

The downgrade reflects our view that the French government's current approach to budgetary and structural reforms to taxation, as well as to product, services and labor markets is unlikely to substantially raise France's medium-term growth prospects. Moreover, we see France's fiscal flexibility as constrained by successive governments' moves to increase already-high tax levels, and what we see as the government's inability to significantly reduce total government spending.

The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the government is committed to containing net general government debt, which we anticipate will peak at 86% of GDP in 2015. The stable outlook also indicates that we currently believe that the probability of a further rating action on France over the next two years is less than one-in-three.

In our opinion, the economic policies the government has implemented since we affirmed the ratings on France on November 23, 2012, have not significantly reduced the risk that unemployment will remain above 10% until 2016, compared with an average of 8%-9% prior to 2012. In our view, the current unemployment levels are weakening support for further fiscal and microeconomic reforms, and are depressing longer term growth prospects. France's real economic output rebounded to the levels reached in the fourth quarter of 2007 only in 2013. We are projecting close-to-zero real GDP growth this year, followed by a cyclical recovery to an average of just over 1% for 2014-2015.

The steps the government has taken so far--such as introducing corporate tax credits on firms' payrolls, and reaching agreement on labor market reforms and microeconomic reforms to specific sectors-are positive, in our view, but probably insufficient to significantly unlock France's economic growth potential. In particular, we think private-sector growth is unlikely to improve substantially without further structural reforms. While the government has taken steps toward microeconomic reforms, the overall effect appears to us to leave France with less economic flexibility than other highly-rated eurozone members. As a consequence, French exporters appear to continue to be losing market share to those European competitors whose governments have more effectively loosened the structural rigidities in their economies.

Since it took office in May 2012, the current French government has started to strengthen its fiscal framework by implementing a multiannual public finance planning act and establishing a high council for public finances. However, it has also relaxed its headline budgetary targets due to the deteriorating economic background.

Successive governments' stated commitment to budgetary consolidation has relied on increasing an already-high tax burden. We estimate France's general government revenue will remain at over 53% of GDP through to 2015 (compared to below 50% prior to 2011), the highest ratio of an OECD member outside the Nordic region. We project general government spending will stay above 56% of GDP over the same period, the highest in the eurozone and only surpassed by Denmark within the OECD. We understand that the government aims to reduce government spending, in line with the 2012-2017 public finance programming law. However, we believe that the effect of the government's measures to this end--both announced and already taken--will be relatively modest.

At the same time, political room for additional revenue measures has lessened, in our opinion. Rising popular disapproval of incremental taxation has led to recent policy reversals. Combined with our view that the government has limited room to meaningfully lower spending over the 2013-2016 forecast horizon, we believe that France's revenue and expenditure flexibility has diminished. We had previously considered France's fiscal flexibility to be high compared to its peers. We now forecast a general government deficit of 4.1% of GDP in 2013, in line with the government's current target but above our previous expectation of 3.5% of GDP when we affirmed our ratings on France in November, 2012. At that time, the government's 2013 target was 3% of GDP (see "Ratings On France Affirmed At 'AA+/A-1+' On Commitment To Budgetary And Structural Reforms; Outlook Negative," published on Nov. 23, 2012 on RatingsDirect).

We estimate net government debt will peak at over 86% of GDP in 2015. We also forecast gross debt at above 93% of GDP by end-2015, excluding the guarantees related to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) (see "S&P Clarifies Its Approach To Accounting For EFSF Liabilities When Rating The Sovereign Garantors," published Nov. 2, 2011).

The 'AA' ratings on France reflect our view of the French economy's underlying strengths, including its high absolute levels of wealth and productivity, its high diversification and resilience, supportive demographic dynamics, and financial sector stability. It also has what we consider to be high private-sector savings rates and incomes, reflecting a skilled and well-educated workforce, political stability and the euro's reserve currency status. France also benefits from significant monetary flexibility as a core member of the eurozone. This has been evident in favorable external financing conditions for the sovereign and what we view as an effective transmission of appropriately low real interest rates on loans to the nonfinancial sector. At the same time, we consider that the currently historically low long-term government bond yields have temporarily reduced pressure on France's general government deficit.

The rating is constrained by the French government's elevated spending and tax levels, its high and still rising general government debt burden and constraints on economic competitiveness. All these factors weaken France's growth prospects, in our opinion.

OUTLOOK

The stable outlook indicates our view that risks to France's creditworthiness are balanced and that there is less than a one-in-three probability that we will raise or lower the ratings over the next two years.

We could lower the ratings if, contrary to our current expectations, France's general government deficit widened significantly compared to our current forecast; if we were to conclude that the government's commitment to contain public debt is weakening; or if contingent fiscal risks materialized, leading to net general government debt of more than 100% of GDP. We could also lower our ratings on France if we see a significant and unexpected increase in risks to financial stability from a further fracturing of financing conditions either within the eurozone or outside it.

We could raise the ratings if net general government debt fell below 80% of GDP or there were evidence of improved economic competitiveness and resultant growth substantially in excess of our current forecast.

KEY STATISTICS

RELATED CRITERIA AND RESEARCH
-- Sovereign Government Rating Methodology And Assumptions, June 24, 2013
-- Methodology For Linking Short-Term And Long-Term Ratings For
Corporate, Insurance, And Sovereign Issuers, May 7, 2013
-- Criteria For Determining Transfer And Convertibility Assessments, May
18, 2009
-- Rating Sovereign-Guaranteed Debt, April 6, 2009
-- The French Economy Exits Recession But Remains Fragile, Oct. 22, 2013
-- The Eurozone Crisis Isn't Over Yet, Oct. 1, 2013
-- Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment: France , July 29, 2013
-- Is Austerity Being Relaxed In The Eurozone - And Does It Matter For
Ratings?, June 4, 2013
-- Sovereign Defaults And Rating Transition Data, 2012 Update, March 29,
2013
-- Ratings On France Affirmed At 'AA+/A-1+' On Commitment To Budgetary
And Structural Reforms; Outlook Negative, Nov. 23, 2012
-- S&P Clarifies Its Approach To Accounting For EFSF Liabilities When
Rating The Sovereign Guarantors, Nov. 2, 2011

In accordance with our relevant policies and procedures, the Rating Committee was composed of analysts that are qualified to vote in the committee, with sufficient experience to convey the appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of the methodology applicable (see 'Related Criteria And Research'). At the onset of the committee, the chair confirmed that the information provided to the Rating Committee by the primary analyst had been distributed in a timely manner and was sufficient for Committee members to make an informed decision.

After the primary analyst gave opening remarks and explained the recommendation, the Committee discussed key rating factors and critical issues in accordance with the relevant criteria. Qualitative and quantitative risk factors were considered and discussed, looking at track-record and forecasts. The chair ensured every voting member was given the opportunity to articulate

UPB Market Outlook Video

Stocks fell today. Stocks fell today. Stocks fell today. Yes, I know something's wrong with this world when I have to repeat a phrase three times before anyone will believe it.

Stocks fell. They went lower. Yeah, its crazy. I have my helmet and bulletproof armor on. The market fell. We saw $TSLA go lower. We saw $Z go lower. We saw $YELP go lower. It was a bear party, in fact. In reality, though, bears haven't had many occasions to cheer since the market lows of March, 2009. Well, good for them. Good for the few bears that have any money left in their accounts.

At any rate, here's my take on the market and a handful of stocks going forward: