In this post, I’ll focus on setups that I’m monitoring for both long and short positions. With a chart and short write-up, this is a quick way to scan and plan potential trades.
These ideas are the end result of my process to identify stocks offering the right combination of growth fundamentals along with a proper chart setup. Live alerts are sent to Traders Hub members only.
Stock Market Update
The S&P 500 is hovering just below record highs as massive catalysts get underway. This week features the final Federal Reserve rate-setting meeting that will be chaired by Jerome Powell, who looks set to be replaced by Kevin Warsh following a key procedural vote in the Senate. While the Fed held rates steady as widely expected, the meeting statement saw the most dissenters since 1992 with most against language indicating an easing bias. The central bank is becoming more divided on the appropriate path of monetary policy, and Warsh will take control in the face of rising inflation pressures from commodities. Core measures of inflation that exclude food and energy prices haven’t been below the Fed’s 2% target in over five years. Market implied odds don’t show any movement on the fed funds rate until the end of 2027 (chart below).
If anything, the inflation picture could get worse as gas prices top a national average of $4.00 per gallon while President Trump looks set to extend the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in order to extract concessions from Iran on a potential peace deal. The blockade means that tanker traffic through the Strait will remain limited, cutting off 20% of the world’s daily oil product consumption. But the impact extends beyond energy markets, with the Middle East accounting for around 45% of urea production used in nitrogen-based farm fertilizers. Tanker traffic carrying fertilizer has ground to a halt as well (chart below), which could place upward pressure on food prices from higher fertilizer costs as well as the impact on crop yields from fertilizer shortages.
Investors will also have to contend with earnings reports from several AI hyperscalers, where optimism over AI infrastructure spending is playing a key role in positive earnings revisions. There are plenty of catalysts to drive volatility in either direction over the near-term, which is why it’s key to remain disciplined to identify proper chart setups among fundamentally strong companies.
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