Serious Headwinds May Put A Damper On The Market

By: John Kosar of Street Authority

All major U.S. stock indices posted gains last week except for the Russell 2000, which lost 1.2% and is also the only major index in negative territory for 2014. Despite the weakness in small caps, the broader market, as measured by the SP 500, has managed to rack up a decent 8.9% gain this year, largely on the back of technology issues.

The Nasdaq 100 is up 14.2% year to date. However, as I have been stating in this space for some time, if and when technology stocks stop leading, the broader market may be in for some significant problems over the near term.

Dow Makes New High, but Problems Persist

In last week's Market Outlook, I warned that the early September new closing high in the Dow Jones Transportation Average had not yet been corroborated by a new closing high in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which, according to Dow Theory, was a red flag for the overall market.

That situation was averted last week by a new high in the industrials, clearing the way for more near-term strength in both indices.

But it may be too early to celebrate just yet, as potential problems continue to exist. Continue reading "Serious Headwinds May Put A Damper On The Market"

C is for Cash and Catalysts in a Chaotic Market

The Gold Report: Resource equities have been rejected, beaten up and ignored. Make your case for small- and mid-cap gold stocks.

Jeff Killeen: It's true that investment dollars have been moving out of the resource sector over the last year and gold exploration companies in particular have seen a drastic decline in market value over the last 12 months.

However, the space cannot be ignored. These commodity sectors are cyclical and putting investment dollars to work strategically in the space when equities are at such low valuations makes sense, but patience is required.

"My recommendation is that investors focus on the fundamentals when looking at junior exploration equities."

My recommendation is that investors focus on the fundamentals when looking at junior exploration equities. Does the management team have a proven track record? Does the company's asset or assets have strong grades relative to the proposed extraction method, which can secure healthy margins, even at lower commodity prices? Does the company have balance sheet strength to significantly derisk and advance these projects?

TGR: What gold price are you using in your models? Continue reading "C is for Cash and Catalysts in a Chaotic Market"