The
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI)
spiraled to its lowest point since Aug. 2, suffering one of its
biggest percentage drops this year. "The big election is in the
books, but the dreaded 'fiscal cliff' is getting closer every day,
and
we still have to deal with Europe," said Schaeffer's Senior Equity
Analyst Joe Bell. "Participants started selling early and often, as
basic materials and financial stocks took the brunt of the damage.
There is now a lot of uncertainty about whether Congress and
President Obama can come to an agreement on revenue and spending
cuts, and this caused a lot of investors to unload their
positions."
Chart of the Day
: Schaeffer's Senior Options Strategist Tony Venosa, CMT, suggests
that put open interest could translate into technical support for
the
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY)
.
Daily Game Plan
: Schaeffer's Senior Trading Analyst Bryan Sapp is watching the
VIX's 25 level as
a warning sign for stocks
through the remainder of the year.
And now, a look at the numbers...
The end to the campaign season's uncertainty was met with a
furious round of selling, sending the Dow as much as 369 points
lower at one point. The index pared some of its losses --
ever-so-slightly -- but still wrapped with a loss of roughly 2.4%
after a surge of selling into the closing bell. It was the
blue-chip index's first close below 13,000 since Aug. 2. The stock
also finished south of its 200-day moving average for the first
time since June 6. It's interesting to note that on the Wednesday
after the 2008 presidential election, however, the Dow surrendered
5.1%.
The bleeding was heavy for the S&P 500 Index (SPX) as well,
which danced around potential support at the 1,400 level before
ultimately closing slightly below it to finish about 2.4% lower on
the day. Elsewhere, tech stocks were not spared, as the Nasdaq
Composite (COMP) gave back about 2.5%.
The CBOE Market Volatility Index (VIX) reached as much as 10.3%
higher on the day and closed up more than 8%, peeking just above
the $19 mark in the final minutes of trading. While the index is
now back above its 200-day moving average, it hasn't closed north
of the $20 level since July 24.
More of today's big stories
:
And, in case you missed it
... Schaeffer's Senior Technical Strategist Ryan Detrick studied
Wall Street's bearish reaction to the election
, and suggested what stocks might see in the days ahead.
For today's activity in commodities, options, and more, head
to page 2.
Commodities markets
:
Oil futures took a considerable slide today, thanks to a
bigger-than-expected rise in domestic stockpiles and lagging
demand. By the close, crude for December delivery was knocked lower
by $4.27, or 4.8%, to land at $84.44 a barrel. This marked the
lowest price for the commodity since July 10.
Despite Tuesday's near 2% rise, gold futures were little moved
today. Speculators appeared optimistic following last night's
election results, but anxiety crept in throughout the day, as
concerns about the global economy and the U.S. "fiscal cliff" took
center stage. Although the dollar strengthened against the euro,
December-dated gold slipped $1, or less than 0.1%, to settle at
$1,714 an ounce.
Levels to watch in trading...
-
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 12,932.73)
- support at 11,500; resistance at 14,000
-
S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,394.53)
- support at 1,100; resistance at 1,500
-
Nasdaq Composite (COMP - 2,937.29)
- support at 2,400; resistance at 3,400
At the end of every market day, the staff at Schaeffer's
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