Week In Review: Leaders Get Hit As Market Churns
Initially, the market rallied on the jobs report but sellers quickly emerged which put pressure on the market. It was disconcerting to see a several high profile leaders such as Apple Inc. (AAPL -1.61%) and Netflix (NFLX -3.04%) get smacked on Friday. Apple, one the strongest stocks since the March lows, triggered a technical sell signal when it violated its well defined 8-month upward trendline and its 50 DMA line on Friday. This was the first time since the March low that Apple closed below support (its upward trendline and 50 DMA line). Volume surged as the stocks fell which indicated that large institutional investors were unloading their positions, not Aunt Mary or Uncle Bob. The dollar rallied sharply after the jobs report was released which put pressure on a slew of commodities, mainly gold. Gold plunged sharply today which dragged a slew of gold related stocks. Remember that gold has been one of the strongest performing groups in recent weeks and now that it has fallen, a new group will need to emerge to carry this market higher. That coupled with the recent questionable action in the major averages and the dearth of leadership suggests this rally is “under pressure” which means caution is advised.