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It’s been over five years since COVID.

It feels like yesterday—locked at home, glued to the news, airports shutting down, vaccine headlines everywhere.

That was 2020 and healthcare stocks were some of the biggest winners during that chaos. Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca—they were ripping higher.

But that didn’t last.

Since peaking in March 2020, healthcare stocks have been quietly underperforming. 

The ratio of Equal Weight Health Care vs Equal Weight S&P 500 ($RSPH / $RSP) has been trending lower ever since.

Now we’re back to where it all started. 

The ratio is sitting right at a major support level. This...

I’m loading up on Silver for a catch-up move to Gold.

And I already know what you’re thinking. Investors have been betting on this idea since last year… and it hasn’t worked one bit.

This isn’t some sort of original investment thought I’m having. These two move together. Everyone knows that. 

But I will tell you what all those investors who showed up too soon were missing…

Animal spirits. 

They just weren’t there. But that’s changing.

In other words, silver is a lot more about speculation, and a lot less of a safe haven. It’s the risk-on version of gold.

It has been stuck in a sideways range for the trailing 12-months while gold has been ripping higher in a near-vertical line. Here’s a performance chart:

What is constructive about this is that it’s been consolidating at...

It's been a month since we last posted on the US Dollar.  Nothing has changed that much, which doesn't bode well for the USD bulls as this certainly looks like a 'dead cat bounce' off the .382 from the all time low on the USD.  That being said, we have a near 'perfect' BUY pattern a little lower.  Folks, this is the make or break level for the USD. Not only do we have a ton of confluence at this level, but we also have the RSI 'cliff of support' staring at us.  The RSI will respect bullish and bearish zones and, as you can see, it's been pretty accurate for the past 16-17 years.   In my humbled opinion, this is THE KEY level for the USD moving forward.

Gold has completed a long term projection with 5 waves from the early 1900's.  Most recently, it completed the first BUY pattern and the level held. Today, it went up and tagged a level that represents the first sell pattern since the ATH.  For the bears, this pattern should hold and ultimately take out the most recent low. If you are a gold bug (and why not) then you want this level to be taken out to the upside.  This will add probability that this bull run in Gold will continue, for now.  Key level for Gold right here, right now.

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza and Ricardo Sarraf @nullcharts

When investing in the stock market, we always want to approach it as "a market of stocks."

Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks showing leadership and trending higher.

We may have to look harder to identify them depending on current market conditions. But there are always stocks that are going up.

The same can be said for weak stocks. Regardless of the environment, there are always stocks that are going down, too. 

We already have multiple scans focusing on stocks making all-time highs, such as Hall of Famers, Minor Leaguers, and the 2 to 100 Club.

We filter these universes for stocks that are exhibiting the best momentum and relative strength characteristics. 

Clearly, we spend a lot of time identifying and writing about leading stocks every week, via...

What are the biggest mistakes new options traders make? 

Who better to answer that question than the guy who wrote the book. Joe Duarte is the author of Options Trading For Dummies, and he's seen it all. 

I'll be talking with Joe, along with ASC Gold Rush Analyst Jason Perz, to answer that very question. 

Tune in LIVE Thursday, May 22 at 2:30 pm ET.

I can't wait to ask him about: 

• All the classic ways newer or undisciplined options traders blow themselves up.
• Strategies that newbie options traders should use
• What to watch out for when selling premium

This post was originally for paid members only. It has since been unlocked for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

If you're not a member, sign up here.

Silver is coiled up perfectly and looks ready to rip. 

I think this trade is literally leaving the station right now. 

I’m going to use the ~25 delta calls, but bring the timeframe down on one of the trades to make sure we hit big if we nail this entry.

First up, let’s play the metal itself via the iShares fund $SLV. 

I’m buying the $SLV 6/20 $32 calls for roughly $0.30.

I’m also buying the $AG 7/18 $7 calls for roughly $0.18.

The First Majestic calls will give us more time and plenty of juice. This is one of the most direct leveraged vehicles for betting on silver.

In today’s Daily Digest, we’ll review the following:

1. No new positions today.
2. Rolling XLV position to July options
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.
5. Volatility Snapshot.

Let’s dig in!

Every day, we sift through the filings to spot where the real conviction lies — cutting through the noise to highlight the most meaningful insider moves.

Here's what stood out today:

📌 Globalstar Inc.  $GSAT – Executive Chairman James Monroe III came in once more to buy his stock as it sits smack in the middle of a multi-year range. This is his eighth purchase year to date. 

📌 Plug Power $PLUG – CFO Paul Middleton came in with a Form 4 purchase, scooping up $250,000 of his stock as it trades at its lowest level in more than 20 years. 

We pay extra close attention to C-suite purchases. Only time will tell if this is an insider buying at a bargain or a forced vote of confidence.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from May 19, 2025:

Click the table to enlarge it.

📌...

There weren’t any S&P 500 earnings reactions yesterday…

But over in small-cap land, one stock just made a statement.

Let’s talk about Porch Group $PRCH.

A $1 billion vertical software platform that serves the home services and real estate industries. They help streamline everything from home inspections to insurance, moving, and repairs—all from a centralized platform.

For years, Porch was stuck in the penalty box. But that seems to be changing right now.

In its latest earnings report, the company posted a surprise profit, beat revenue expectations, and raised full-year guidance. 

The market was expecting the company to report a loss of $0.11 per share. Instead, they reported a gain of $0.08 per share.

That's a beat of 170%! 

This was a significant development for a company that has been fighting to prove its model scales. 

The market has taken note of their actions, and shareholders are being handsomely rewarded.

After the report, PRCH exploded higher, leaving behind a monster earnings gap 👇

Now, just a few days later, Porch Group is consolidating in a tight bullish continuation pattern...

Target didn't have to be "Great" today. They didn't even have to be good. 

Since briefly becoming America's retail comfort food during COVID Target has been on an epic run of failure. The misses have only been interrupted only by short periods of optimism which quickly proved to be misplaced. The trend has been irreversibly lower and the stock shows it. Shares are off 65% from the all-time highs of late 2021 and 25% YTD. 

With all that widely known, all Target had to do "beat expectations" this morning was show any type of pulse. 

Instead, Target turned in the worst earnings report of the quarter among the majors. This had something for everyone. Target missed on every metric. Comp-store sales fell 5.7% which is just... holy crap levels of terrible, compared to Walmart or TJX (which also disappointed with comps only up 3%).

The only gains were in Legal Settlements and same-day delivery, which are One Time and Unprofitable, respectively.

Make no mistake, this is a disaster:

Target is going in the wrong direction at an increasing rate. The company looks old, sloppy and out of ideas. Shares might bounce but there's no reason...

Today's number is... 35%

Over 35% of S&P 500 stocks are above their December 2024 highest high.

Here’s the chart:

 Let's break down what the chart shows:

•  The blue line in the top panel shows the price of the S&P 500 index.
• The black line in the bottom panel is the percentage of S&P 500 stocks that are above their December 2024 highest high.

The Takeaway: Right now, over 35% of S&P 500 stocks are trading above their December 2024 highest high.

That’s the most we’ve seen since February 19, 2025.

This matters because December is when I first saw signs of weakness.

Momentum was slowing. Trends were rolling over. Fewer stocks were hitting new highs. 

At the same time, more stocks were declining than advancing.

Sentiment was bearish—even while the index was still pushing new highs.

That told me the surface strength didn’t match what was happening underneath. So I anchored to the December highest highs as a key level. If stocks were below...

Nice comeback run for IBM.  That being said, an upper target has appeared and it's one we should take seriously.  IF long THEN think of taking some profit or tightening the stop as this level approaches.  Don't short until we have a 'monthly' Signal Reversal Candle (SRC).  We have some time for that ... However, this level should provide some stiff resistance for higher on IBM, if not stop it in its tracks.  OBTW, next target is in the low 400's.  We'll take a peak at that but first this pattern needs to fail before we discuss.  Below is the BUY pattern present at the lows of this swing. What a run.

Here's the long term 'log scale' projection ...

Utilities - what a run! 

Take a look at the chart ... we have a near perfect projection (percentage) and a 3 drives to a top pattern ...all on a Monthly chart!

Folks, this is a VERY important PATTERN and one which could signal a very big top in the Utilities.  About 8% to go ...

Put this on the radar.

I’m liking energy more and more with each passing day.

And the bull thesis couldn’t be simpler.

It’s a raging bull market for stocks around the world. It’s being led by offense. 

Internals continue to improve. 

And like any bull cycle, as time passes and the market grinds higher, it drags a growing list of non-performers higher with it.

Some call it rotation, but it’s really just a broadening of participation over longer timeframes. 

What I mean is that more groups join the party as the bull market progresses. The ones that had previously not been working, start working. We see it every time.

In bull markets, the laggards catch up to the leaders. And not vice versa.

And it’s happening now, isn’t it?

Look at international markets. Even the worst-performing regions, like Southeast Asia and South America, are now working. They’re actually outperforming in the short-term.

And in the US, look at old laggards like small-caps, speculative growth, and transports. They are working too,...

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We just flipped the script—and it happened fast. In a matter of weeks, we’ve gone from full-blown washout to a full-speed rebound. 

We’re in the middle of a textbook V-shaped recovery. And we’re seeing rotation back into risk assets, which supports the bullish action in the broader market. 

The bulls are back in control.

Just look at Industrials $XLI. It is now the first sector ETF to reclaim its all-time highs and complete the V.

This...