Author Archives: Darren Marchal

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Last week Czech antivirus software group Avast came to market and had a rough time, in part because its own site was hacked last week, which rather hurts its credibility. Avast says that the attempt to blackmail those who downloaded the popular free version into paying for its services to get rid of blockages installed to “protect”…

AUD/NZD Strong Uptrend Continues

Due to diverging RBNZ and RBA monetary policies, the AUD/NZD has formed a strong uptrend breakout above the order block / MH3 confluence. Technically, if the price retraces to 1.0750-75 we should see another bounce towards 1.0876. However, another close above 1.0876 should provide a continuation towards 1.0926 and 1.0944. Around 1.0950 we might see…

Home Depot (HD) Earnings Beat, Sales Miss Estimates In Q1

The Home Depot, Inc. (HD – Free Report) , the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer reported first-quarter fiscal 2018 adjusted earnings of $2.08 per share that came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.06. Also, quarterly earnings jumped 24.6% year over year. Earnings Estimate Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2018 has witnessed a downtrend in…

NXP Semiconductors Shares Soar After Chinese Regulators Restart Q

Shares of NXP (NXPI) Semiconductors gained more than 12% Monday after a report by Bloomberg that China will restart reviewing Qualcomm’s acquisition bid for the firm. Bloomberg said that Chinese regulators were looking to speed up their assessment of the deal, including solutions Qualcomm has put forward to protect the country’s companies should the acquisition…

Key Gold Correlation Is Back

Real Interest Rates Are Back in Town One of the biggest developments in the gold market during the first four months of 2018 was the breakdown of the traditional negative correlation between real interest rates and the price of bullion. As one can see in the chart below, the price of gold was uncorrelated or even moved in tandem…

Stumbling Down The Stairs

I can hardly remember the last time I woke up to a red NQ, red ES, and red ZB (bonds). I think it was about thirteen or fourteen years ago. But it’s a delight to hold, and of course, I’m grateful to the obvious impetus behind this move. In particular, the weakness in bonds is key (as…