Stocks enjoyed another positive day on Wednesday as all four indices moved higher. All four opened higher and only the Dow and S&P slipped in to negative territory at any point, and they were only in negative territory for brief periods.
The Russell jumped 1.88% to lead the way and the Nasdaq gained 0.59% to finish second. The S&P moved up 0.19% and the Dow eked out a gain of 0.03%.
Eight of the 10 sectors moved higher with only the healthcare sector and consumer staples sector moving lower. Healthcare fell 0.56% and staples dropped 0.21%.
On the plus side, the consumer discretionary sector rallied for a gain of 1.01% and that was the top performance. The energy sector gained 0.93% as the second best performer.
My scans turned in another negatively skewed result on Wednesday, but the difference in the size of the lists was pretty small. There were 30 bearish signals and 26 bullish signals.
The barometer changed very little for a second straight night. Wednesday’s reading came in at -1.8, down from -1.2 on Tuesday.
There were three stocks on each list that stood out for various reasons and in the end I felt a bullish trade on Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) would give us the greatest odds of success. The company was on the bullish list and its fundamental ratings are mixed. The EPS rating is average at 50, but its SMR rating is above average with a B.
The daily chart shows how the stock has been trending higher with a trend channel forming over the last few months. The stock just dipped down to the lower rail of the channel and the stochastic indicators are in oversold territory. The indicators made a bullish crossover last night and the last two times they have done that were contacts with the lower rail of the channel.
Buy to open the July 17-strike calls on CLF at $2.96 or better. These options expire on July 16, 2021. I suggest a target gain of 100% and that means the stock will need to reach $22.92. That target is just above the high a few weeks ago, but the upper rail of the channel will be well above that level in the next few days. I suggest a stop at $17.50.
— Rick Pendergraft
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