Stocks Close Out The Week On A Down Note

My apologies for no posts yesterday and this morning. It was not for lack of effort, but the Blogger site that I use was down.

Stocks finished the week on a down note, with the S&P 500 declining 0.2% for the week.

The volatility in commodities continued this week as well. Oil prices closed at 99.50 for the week, and gold prices were lower at $1493.

Concerns in Europe finally led to a breakdown in the euro, which plunged this week to close at $140.52. (It figures the euro waited to fall until after I made my final payment for my golf trip with my dad to Ireland)

The 10-year yield continues to hover at low levels, currently 3.18%. And the volatility index jumped 6% today to finish at 17.07.

Trading comment: The SPX remains above its 50-day average, and within that 1335-1340 area where I was looking for the recent breakout to find some support. So on the bullish side, those are good indications.

On the bearish side, the action hasn't been very strong. Rallies have come on lighter volume, and the number of new highs has contracted. Also, many leading stocks remain under pressure. AAPL closed below its 50-day this week. And the emerging markets etf (EEM) sold off sharply today, closing below its respective 50-day for the third straight day.

As such, I want to keep some powder dry and see if we get more of a pullback. It's very likely we could bounce first, just to keep investors on their toes, but it still looks like volatility is heating up a bit as we near the summer doldrums.

Have a good weekend, and rest up.

long AAPL