Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, co-founder of MarketClub with your mid-day market update for Monday, the 17th of December.
This will be my last broadcast for 2012, as I'm taking time off from trading during Silly Season. Jeremy Lutz, who you know from MarketClub TV, will be doing the updates until I return back to the markets in early January.
IS THE CULT OF APPLE OVER?
Apple just sold 2 million iPhone 5s in 3 days in China, yet its stock falls below $500 in pre-market trading. What is going on in the smart phone world?
This past weekend, my daughter and son-in-law came over for an early Christmas celebration. My son-in-law, who is a very smart guy and a computer engineer, showed me his new phone which to my surprise was not an iPhone5, but a Samsung Galaxy III. Much to my chagrin I picked it up and started playing with it and I have to admit some of technology, especially the Google voice technology, appeared superior to Siri, which is what Apple uses in its iPhone5 and IOS6 operating system.
The biggest difference I noticed is the build quality. The Apple iPhone is absolutely beautifully engineered and aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. The Samsung Galaxy III on the other hand is too plastic-y in my mind, and it didn't really feel like a quality phone, just built cheaply. However the brains of a smartphone is really what makes these phones so interesting.
So looking at Apple and its dramatic fall of over $200 in the last few months, you have to conclude that the competition is becoming even more fierce in the smartphone race. With Steve Jobs early passing, did the CULT of Apple somehow die with him, to a certain extent?
As I have said before, the market is the arbitrator of all trends. The fact that Apple went down was proof to me that the world is changing and competition, especially in smartphones and tablets, is growing exponentially.
That is not to say that Apple is going fall off the cliff, but it does mean that the smartphone race is really getting competitive and that's good for everyone, especially consumers. It will also force Apple to up its game and be even better and challenge other competitors to be even more interesting. In January, we have BlackBerry trying to jump start its business with the with the debut of their new smartphone, the BlackBerry 10.
So, all in all it's going to be an interesting 2013.
LAST WEEK WE ASKED, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING DURING SILLY SEASON?"
As I mentioned, I am going to be taking some time away from the markets during Silly Season, as I don't believe the markets really reflect what's going on in the world. They are also going to be very thinly traded, as most traders really step back and reevaluate what they want to do in the new year.
Our recent "Silly Season Poll" shows just that, many traders are taking the time reevaluating their trading plans for 2013.
We are going to rely on our Trade Triangles in 2013, as we enjoyed a great 2012 using MarketClub's Trade Triangle Technology. We invite you to check out our sample portfolios that we offer MarketClub members, as they give you several examples of how you can use the Trade Triangles.
OUR "SILLY SEASON" POLL RESULTS
By far the biggest response was most traders are reevaluating their training plans and getting ready for Q1 of 2013. We think that's an excellent idea as it is always good to reevaluate what you're doing and see how you can improve it.
Re-evaluating my trading plan and getting ready for Q1 (54%)
Trading like any other day (26%)
Taking a break or vacation (20%)
S&P 500 (Cash) : Higher for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 1,413.58
CRUDE OIL (Jan) : Higher for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 86.81
GOLD (Spot) : Higher for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 1,695.8
COPPER (Mar) : Lower for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 3.6785
EURO (Spot) : Unchanged for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 1.3161
SILVER (Spot) : Higher for the week
CLOSED LAST FRIDAY AT 32.16
Have a great trading day and a successful holiday season! All the best to you in the 2013. See you in January!
Adam Hewison
Founder & President INO.com and co-founder of MarketClub.com.
