The market didn’t start the new trading week on a particularly bullish foot. The S&P 500 logged a loss of 0.16% on Monday. But, that’s better than the 0.4% dip it was suffering at its lowest point in the day.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) was the problem child for the day, falling 3.8% after posting Q2 numbers that included lowered guidance. Not even announcing that it was selling its off-patent business to Mylan (NASDAQ:MYL) could inspire investors to look past the company’s revised outlook.
Mylan, meanwhile, rallied 12% on the news.
It was Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) that really set the wrong tone for the day though. Although it doesn’t have a big impact on the broad market’s net action, the high-profile name can send a message. Its 5.4% loss before the close followed by a near-13% tumble following its post-close earnings report dished out a major, unpleasant surprise. News of a secondary offering wasn’t well-received.
As for the top trading prospects headed into today’s session though, take a look at the stock charts of Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI), Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) and Tapestry (NYSE:TPR). They’ve all got something brewing, which could be big.
Tapestry (TPR)
Like almost all other stocks, Tapestry shares routed in the last quarter, breaking under a key support level in the process. Unlike most other stocks though, this year, TPR stock has continued to dwindle. Some investors are starting to give up.
That may prove to be a major mistake. Although it has still got some key technical ceiling to clear, it’s repeatedly testing those ceilings though, and this time, the most recent tests are occurring at the same time we’ve seen the first higher lows in months.
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Hanesbrands (HBI)
The bullish argument on Hanesbrands is solid enough. Underwear and socks are perpetually marketable, and the company is reliably profitable. It poses little risk to a portfolio.
Nevertheless, a long-standing downtrend has been well established, and investors have thus far been unwilling to shake HBI stock out of it. Rather, the last chance they had to in April, they chose not to. In the meantime, Hanesbrands stock has given traders another key bearish clue.
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Travelers Companies (TRV)
Finally, Travelers Companies shares suffered a fairly good-sized setback in mid-July, unwinding part of the major rally that has been underway since the beginning of the year. Just as quickly as the pullback took shape, it appeared to start down the road to recovery.
As of yesterday’s action though, that rebound effort is in question. The budding downtrend is now even stronger than it was just a week ago. The backdrop says the sellers are already firmly in control.
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As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can learn more about him at his website jamesbrumley.com, or follow him on Twitter, at @jbrumley.
