March 1, 2015 The Week Ahead

The S&P 500 closed the month at 2104; making it the best performing month since October 2011 (+5%). Entering the month, doubts about the Eurozone and Greece, and plummeting oil prices weighed heavily on traders’ minds. Not to mention, when the Fed would start hinting at hiking interest rates.

As of now, those concerns have been brushed under the rug. One only needs to see the monthly performance of the VIX to be convinced of that. The VIX opened the month at 20.89 and closed at 13.34 on Friday. Talk about a volatility collapse… a + 35% decline.

With tax refunds coming in, will investors step in and buy this market at near all-time highs? Well, for the most part, active traders don’t spend too much time on such trivial debates. After all, we will find out soon enough; instead they focus on what is in front of them and how to take advantage of those opportunities.

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February 26, 2015 Market Recap

The S&P 500 closed at 2110, slightly off record highs, down 3 points on the day. The fears out of Europe seem to have disappeared, and money managers seem to be chasing performance. The Nasdaq has been up 11 out of the last 12 sessions.

On tap, tomorrow we have GDP numbers being released. Any miss or blowout number could move the market big in either direction.

Naturally, the market reacted positively to both sets of news pieces.

The VIX barely moved today, closing below 14, at 13.91. The S&P 500 has gained more than 5% this month, the VIX could be headed lower if the markets continue to trade this way.

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