Weekend Update – July 17, 2016

 

Stock market investing is all about risk and reward and sometimes you do have to stick your neck out.

There is no reward without risk.

It’s sort of like those who say that you will never understand happiness without having experienced sadness.

My preference, however, it to simply experience varying levels of happiness and to ignore anything that might detract anything from the lowest level of happiness.

I ignore lots of things, much to the consternation of those around me.

But I ignore that consternation.

The same thing isn’t really possible with investing as not only is happiness so often of a very temporary nature and fleeting, the only way to avoid risk right now is to look at bonds or your mattress and those carry lots of opportunity risk.

Also, there’s a big difference between the qualitative feel of personal happiness and the quantitative nature of investing.

In other words, instead of being a giraffe, you would have to be an ostrich, although the ostrich is actually doing something of value when their head is below ground.

So you do have to stick your neck out if your happiness is defined in the form of stock gains.

I wasn’t very happy in 2015, but am very happy with 2016, to date.

Much of that has to do with the fact that the very stocks that disappointed me in 2015 are the ones delighting in 2016, even as they still have lots to do to erase the stink of 2015.

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Weekend Update – July 5, 2015

I used to work with someone who used the expression “It’s as clear as mud,” for just about every occasion, even the ones that had obvious causes, answers or paths forward.

Initially, most of us thought that was just some kind of an attempt at humor until eventually coming to the realization that the person truly understood nothing.

Right now, I feel like that person, although the fact that it took a group of relatively smart people quite a while to realize that person had no clue, may be more of a problem.

It should have been obvious. That’s why we were getting the big bucks, but the very possibility that someone who was expected to be capable, was in reality not capable, wasn’t even remotely considered, until it, too, became painfully obvious.

I see parallels in many of life’s events and the behavior of stock markets. As an individual investor the “clear as mud” character of the market seems apparent to me, but it’s not clear that the same level of diminished clarity is permeating the thought processes of those who are much smarter than me and responsible for directing the use of much more money than I could ever dream.

What often brings clarity is a storm that washes away the clouds and that perfect storm may now be brewing.

Whatever the outcome of the Greek referendum and whatever interpretation of the referendum question is used, the integrity of the EU is threatened if contagion is a by-product of the vote and any subsequent steps to resolve their debt crisis.

Most everyone agrees that the Greek economy and the size of the debt is small potatoes compared to what other dominoes in the EU may threaten to topple, or extract concessions on their debt.

Unless the stock market has been expressing fear of that contagion, accounting for some of the past week’s losses, there should be some real cause for concern. If those market declines were only focused on Greece and not any more forward looking than that, an already tentative market has no reason to do anything other than express its uncertainty, especially as critical support levels are approached.

Moving somewhat to the right on the world map, or the left, depending on how much you’re willing to travel, there is news that The People’s Republic of China is establishing a market-stabilization fund aimed at fighting off the biggest stock selloff in years and fears that it could spread to other parts of the economy. Despite the investment of $120 billion Yuan (about $19.3 billion USD) by 21 of the largest Chinese brokerages, the lesson of history is that attempts to manipulate markets tends not to work very well for more than a day or so.

That lesson seems to rarely be learned, as market forces can be tamed about as well as can forces of nature.

The speculative fervor in China and the health of its stock markets can create another kind of contagion that may begin with US Treasury Notes. Whether that means an increased escape to their safety or cashing in massive holdings is anyone’s guess. Understanding that is far beyond my ken, but somehow I don’t think that those much smarter than me have any clue, either.

Back on our own shores, this week is the start of another earnings season, although that season never really seems to end.

While I’ve been of the belief that this upcoming series of reports will benefit from a better than expected currency exchange situation, as previous forward guidance had been factoring in USD/Euro parity, the issue at hand may be the next round of forward guidance, as the Euro may be coming under renewed pressure.

Disappointing earnings at a time that the market is only 3% below its all time highs together with international pressures seems to paint a clear picture for me, but what do I know, as you can’t escape the fact that the market is only 3% below those highs.

The upcoming week may be another in a succession of recent weeks that I’ve had a difficult time finding a compelling reason to part with any money, even if that was merely a recycling of money from assigned positions.

As usual, the week’s potential stock selections are classified as being in the Traditional, Double-Dip Dividend, Momentum or “PEE” categories.

Much of my interests this week are driven purely by performance relative to the S&P 500 over the previous 5 trading days and the belief that the extent of those price moves were largely unwarranted given the storm factors.

One exception, in that it marginally out-performed the S&P 500 last week, is International Paper (NYSE:IP). However, that hasn’t been the case over the past month, as the shares have badly trailed the market, possibly because its tender offer to retire high interest notes wasn’t as widely accepted as analysts had expected and interest payment savings won’t be realized to the anticipated degree.

Subsequently, shares have traded at the low end of a recent price cut target range. As it’s done so, it has finally returned to a price that I last owned shares, nearly a year ago and this appears to be an opportune time to consider a new position.

With that possibility, however, comes an awareness that earnings will be reported at the end of the month, as analysts have reduced their paper sales and expectations and profit margins have been squeezed as demand has fallen and input costs have risen.

DuPont’s (NYSE:DD) share decline wasn’t as large as it seemed as hitting a new 52 week low. That decline was exaggerated by about $3.20 after the completion of their spin-off of Chemours (NYSE:CC).

As shares have declined following the defeat of Nelson Peltz’s move to gain a seat on the Board of Directors, the option premium has remained unusually high, reflecting continued perception of volatility ahead. At a time when revenues are expected to grow in 2016 and shares may find some solace is better than expected currency exchange rates.

Cypress Semiconductor (NASDAQ:CY) has been on my wish list for the past few weeks and continues to be a possible addition during a week that I’m not expecting to be overly active in adding new positions.

What caused Cypress Semiconductor shares to soar is also what was the likely culprit in its decline. That was the proposed purchase of Integrated Silicon Solution (NASDAQ:ISSI) that subsequently accepted a bid from a consortium of private Chinese investors.

What especially caught my attention this past week was an unusually large option transaction at the $12 strike and September 18, 2015 expiration. That expiration comes a couple of days before the next anticipated ex-dividend date, so I might consider going all the way out to the December 18, 2015 expiration, to have a chance at the dividend and also to put some distance between the expiration and earnings announcements in July and October.

Potash (NYSE:POT) is ex-dividend this week and was put back on my radar by a reader who commented on a recent article about the company. While I generally lie to trade Mosaic (NYSE:MOS), the reader’s comments made me take another look after almost 3 years since the last time I owned shares.

The real difference, for me at least, between the 2 companies was the size of the dividend. While Potash has a dividend yield that is about twice the size of that of Mosaic, it’s payout ratio is about 2.7 times the rate of that of Mosaic.

While that may be of concern over the longer term, it’s not ever-present on my mind for a shorter term trade. When I last traded Potash it only offered monthly options. Now it has weekly and expanded weekly offerings, which could give opportunity to manage the position aiming for an assignment prior to its earnings report on July 30th.

During a week that caution should prevail, there are a couple of “Momentum” stocks that I would consider for purchase, also purely on their recent price activity.

It’s hard to find anything positive to say about Abercrombie and Fitch (NYSE:ANF). However, if you do sell call options, the fact that it has been trading at a reasonably well defined range of late while offering an attractive dividend, may be the best nice thing that can be said about the stock.

I recently had shares assigned and still sit with a much more expensive lot of shares that are uncovered. I’ve had 2 new lots opened in 2015 and subsequently assigned, both at prices higher than the closing price for the past week. There’s little reason to expect any real catalyst to move shares much higher, at least until earnings at the end of next month. However, perhaps more importantly, there’s little reason to expect shares to be disproportionately influenced by Greek or Chinese woes.

Trading in a narrow range and having a nice premium makes Abercrombie and Fitch a continuing attractive position, that can either be done as a covered call or through the sale of puts.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) is another whose shares were recently assigned and has given back some of its recent price gains while banks have been moving back and forth along with interest rates.

With the uncertainty of those interest rate movements over the next week and with earnings scheduled to be released the following week, I would consider a covered call trade that utilizes the monthly July 17, 2015 option, or even considering the August 21, 2015 expiration, to get the gift of time.

Finally, Alcoa (NYSE:AA) reports earnings this week after having sustained a 21.5% fall in shares in the past 2 months. That’s still not quite as bad as the 31% one month tumble it took 5 years ago, but shares have now fallen 36% in the past 7 months.

The option market is implying a 5% price movement next week, which on the downside would bring shares to an 18 month low.

Normally, I look for the opportunity to sell a put option in advance of earnings if I can get a 1% ROI for a weekly contract at a strike price that’s below the lower level determined by the option market’s implied movement. I usually would prefer not to take possession of shares and would attempt to delay any assignment by rolling over the short put position in an effort to wait out the price decline.

In this case the ROI is a little bit less than 1% if the price moves less than 6%, however, at this level, I wouldn’t mind taking ownership of shares, especially if Alcoa is going to move back to a prolonged period of share price stagnation as during 2012 and 2013.

That was an excellent time to be selling covered calls on the shares as premiums were elevated as so many were expecting price recovery and were willing to bet on it through options.

You can’t really go back in time, but sometimes history does repeat itself.

At least that much is clear.

Traditional Stocks: Cypress Semiconductor, DuPont, International Paper

Momentum Stocks: Abercrombie and Fitch, Bank of America

Double-Dip Dividend: Potash (7/8)

Premiums Enhanced by Earnings: Alcoa (7/8 PM)

Remember, these are just guidelines for the coming week. The above selections may become actionable, most often coupling a share purchase with call option sales or the sale of covered put contracts, in adjustment to and consideration of market movements. The overriding objective is to create a healthy income stream for the week with reduction of trading risk.

Weekend Update – October 13, 2013

This week I’m choosing “risk on.”

For about 6 months I’ve been overly cautious, having evolved from a fully invested trader to one starting most weeks at about 40% cash reserves and maintaining about 25-30% by week’s end after initiating new positions.

Despite the belief that something untoward was right around the corner, the desire for current income through the purchase of stocks and the sale of options has been strong enough to temper the heightened caution on an ongoing basis for much of the past half year.

With uncertainty permeating the market’s mood, eased by late last week’s glimmer of hope that perhaps a short term debt ceiling increase may be at hand, “risk on” isn’t the most likely of places to find me playing with my retirement funds, but that’s often where it’s the most interesting, especially if the risk is one of perception more than one of probability.

While we may all have different operational definitions of what constitutes “risk” I consider beta, upcoming known market or stock moving events, the unknown, past price history and relative performance. Tomorrow the formula may be entirely different, as may tolerance for risk or willingness to burn down the cash reserves.

However, trying to dispassionately look at the current market and all of the talk about a correction, one metric that I’ve been using for the past few months reminds me that we’re doing just fine and that risk is still tolerable, even in the context of uncertainty.

Although I continue to believe that we can’t just keep moving higher, I’m not quite as dour when seeing that we are essentially at the same levels the S&P 500 stood on May 21, 2013 and June 18, 2013.

Those dates reflect relative high points, each of which gave way to the FOMC minutes or a press conference by Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke.

In fact, we’re actually at a higher level than either of those two previous peaks, now trailing only the all time high of September 18, 2013 by less than 1.5%. So all in all, not too bad, especially since that 50 Day Moving Average that was breached by the S&P 500 earlier in the week was quickly remedied and the 200 Day Moving Average remains relatively distant.

From May 21 to June 5, then from June 18 to June 24, August 2 to 27 and finally September 19 to October 6, we have gone down a combined 16.7% in a cumulative trading period of 13 weeks or the equivalent of a quarter.

What more do you want? Armageddon?

For the past few months I’ve been focusing increasingly on new positions that have been trading below the May and June highs and preferably under-performing the S&P 500 at the same time. However, within that framework I’ve focused increasingly on near term dividend paying stocks and those more likely to fall into the “Traditional” category, typically low beta and attempting to avoid any known short term risk factors.

That has meant fewer “Momentum” positions and fewer earnings related trades. But up until Friday’s continuation of the hope induced rally, I had a number of “Momentum” stocks on my radar, all of which I had already owned and anticipated being assigned, but ripe for re-purchase in the pursuit of risk heightened premiums, but with less risk than readily apparent.

As it turned out Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) got caught up in The Gaps’ same stores problem and whip-sawed in trading and I ultimately rolled over the position. Meanwhile, Mosaic (MOS) fell as investors were somehow surprised that Potash (POT) adjusted its guidance downward to reflect lower prices stemming from a collapse of the cartel.

As it would turn out Phillips 66 (PSX) was assigned, but soared, making it too expensive for repurchase, but that can change very quickly.

This week there are two deadlines. One is the end of the October 2013 option cycle, but the other is October 17, 2013, which Treasury Secretary Jack Lew proclaimed to be the day after which none of his “tricks” would be able to sustain the Treasury’s count and be able to pay our bills.

In a word? That’s when we would see the United States go into default on its obligations.

Under Senate questioning last week Lew acquitted himself quite well and demonstrated that he wasn’t very patient with regard to suffering fools. Uncharacteristically there appeared to be less self-aggrandizing statements in the form of questions coming from the committee members.

It may not be entirely coincidental that minutes after Lew’s appearance, House Speaker Boehner’s office announced that the Speaker would be making a statement reflecting upcoming meetings with the Administration, reflecting the possibility of some agreement.

For those that remember past such budgetary crises, you’ll recall that the market typically reacted to the hopes and then crashed along with the dashed hopes, in an eerily rhythmic manner.

On Saturday morning, word came from Eric Cantor (R-VA) that President Obama rejected the House offer. Unusually, GOP leadership skipped the opportunity to step up to the microphone to push their version of righteousness.

This week, in anticipation of the possibility of dashed hopes as may come from an appearing setback, my definition of “risk
on” includes positions already trading at depressed levels.

As usual, the week’s potential stock selections are classified as being in Traditional, Double Dip Dividend, Momentum and “PEE” categories this week (see details).

For dividend lovers this week offers Footlocker (FL), Colgate (CL) and Caterpillar (CAT). All under-performing the S&P 500 YTD.

Colgate, however, is higher than its June 2013 high and has a surprisingly high beta, despite the perceived sedate nature of being a consumer defensive stock. Perhaps that combination makes it a “risk on” position for me. Coupled with a dividend that is lower than the overall S&P 500 average it may not readily appear to be worth the time, but then again, how much additional downside should accrue from a US default?

I already own two lots of Footlocker and three is generally my limit, as it precluded including Mosaic in this week’s recommendations. Footlocker doesn’t report earnings until the December 2013 option cycle, so a little bit of risk is removed, although in the world of retail you are always at risk for any of your competitors that may still report monthly comparison data, just look at the pall created by The Gap (GPS) and L Brands (LTD) this past week.

While a pall was created by L Brands and it is higher than those referenced high points it is now down a tantalizing 10% in a week’s time. I’ve already owned shares on five separate occasions this year and have been waiting for an opportunity to do so again. It is a generally reliably trading stock that had simply climbed too far and for a month’s time traveled only in a single direction. That’s rarely sustainable. The combination of premium and dividend makes L Brands worthy of consideration in a sector that has been challenged of late. The lack of weekly options makes ownership less stressed by day to day events for those otherwise inclined to like weekly options.

Not to be outdone, Joy Global (JOY) is a stock that’s been worth owning on 7 distinct occasions this year. It has consistently traded in tight range and has been able to find its way home if temporarily wandering. High beta, well underperforming the S&P 500 and lower than both of the two earlier market high points continues to make it an appealing short term selection, especially with earnings still so far off in the future.

I’ve been waiting to add shares of Caterpillar for a while, having owned it only four times in 2013, as compared to nine occasions in 2012. However, the upcoming dividend makes another purchase more likely. Despite the thesis advanced by short seller Jim Chanos against Caterpillar, it has, thus far continued to maintain its existence in a tight trading range, making it an excellent covered option candidate.

JP Morgan Chase (JPM) reported its earnings this past Friday and reported a loss for the first time under Jamie Dimon’s watch. Regardless of your position on the merits of the myriad of legal and regulatory cases which have resulted in spectacular legal fees and fines, JP Morgan has acquitted itself nicely on the bottom line. While there is still unknown, but tangible punishment ahead, for which shareholders are doubly brutalized, I think a sixth round of share ownership is warranted at this price level.

Williams Sonoma (WSM) was one of the first stocks that I purchased specifically to attempt to capture its dividend and have it partially underwritten by an option premium. It fell a bit by the wayside as weekly options appeared on the scene. However, as uncertainty creeps into the market there is a certain comfort that comes from a monthly or even longer term option contract. WHile it has come down nearly 15% in the past two months and is now priced lower than during the May and June market highs, Williams Sonoma’s dirty little secret is that it has still outperformed the S&P 500 YTD by a whisker.

SanDisk (SNDK) had its eulogy written many years ago when flash memory was written off as being simply a commodity. Always volatile, especially in response to earnings, which have seen plunges on each of those last two occasions, now may not be the time to believe that “the third time is a charm,” although I do. Despite that, my participation, if any, would be in the sale of out of the money puts, as the options market is implying a move of approximately 7% and that may not be aggressive enough, given past history.

FInally, Align Technology (ALGN) reports earnings this week. In the business of making orthodontic therapy so easy that even a monkey could do it, the company’s prospects have significantly improved as its treatment solutions are increasingly geared toward children. That’s important because their traditional customer base, adults, views orthodontic treatment as discretionary and, therefore, represents an economically sensitive purchase. But most anyone with kids knows that orthodontic treatment isn’t discretionary at all. It can be as close to life and death as you would like to experience. This kind of orthodontic care represents a new profit center for many dental offices and a boon to Align Technology. While I expect good earnings numbers, shares have already had a 13% price decline in the past two weeks. I would most likely consider entering a position by means of selling out of the money puts. In this case for a single week’s position, if unassigned, as much as a 12% price drop could still yield a 1.3% ROI, as the options market is implying a 9% e
arnings related move.

Traditional Stocks: JP Morgan, L Brands, Williams Sonoma

Momentum Stocks: Joy Global

Double Dip Dividend: Caterpillar (ex-div 10/17), Colgate (ex-div 10/18), Footlocker (ex-div 10/16)

Premiums Enhanced by Earnings: Align Technology (10/17 PM), SanDisk (10/16 PM)

Remember, these are just guidelines for the coming week. The above selections may become actionable, most often coupling a share purchase with call option sales or the sale of covered put contracts, in adjustment to and consideration of market movements. The overriding objective is to create a healthy income stream for the week with reduction of trading risk.