Yo Pit Crazies!

Traders are sitting on the sidelines like frozen townspeople in a Spaghetti Western standoff.

You remember those 1960s Sergio Leone films? Clint Eastwood on one end of the street, Lee Van Cleef on the other, whole town holding its breath waiting for the gunfight. Nobody’s buying drinks at the saloon, general store’s empty – everyone’s just waiting to see who draws first.

That’s Congress right now. Second week of shutdown, and we’ve got Donald Trump directing this standoff instead of Sergio Leone. The whole market’s frozen, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Today proved it perfectly – marginal activity across the board, VIX jumping almost a full point from yesterday’s close near 16. Classic sideline paralysis. Even PayPal making a little run couldn’t shake the broader market out of its stupor.

I don’t see this changing anytime soon. But here’s the thing – while everyone’s standing around waiting for the gunfight, some short-term equities are setting up for real moves. I’ll be breaking those down later this week.

If you don’t want to be another frozen townsperson waiting for Congress to sort out their drama, hit the Game Plan Special tonight at 7pm. 

While the market plays Spaghetti Western, we’re finding the trades that move.

Take care,

AG