Thursday was one of the strangest market days that we can remember. The S&P 500 fell 0.9%, the Nasdaq gave back almost 2%, the Nasdaq 100 declined 2.2%, and the S&P 100 dropped 1.6%. Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 (IWM) surged 3.6%, the S&P MidCap 400 popped 2.5%, and the Invesco S&P 500 equal weight (RSP) gained 1.2%. NYSE breadth was quite strong at +2,200, NYSE advancing issues/total issues hit 78%, and NYSE advancing volume/total volume popped to 84%. Yes, you read that correctly. Talk about a day of rotation! Real Estate (XLRE) was up 2.7% and Utilities surged 1.8%, both helped by falling interest rates. Materials rose 1.4%, Industrials rose 1.3%, Energy gained 1%, Financials rose another 0.8%, and Healthcare was up 0.7%. Information Technology dropped 2.5%, with semiconductors down 3%-4%. As mentioned, momentum was scorching on Wednesday, with the S&P 500's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) hitting 82 on Wednesday, the most overbought reading since December 19, 2023. That was followed by a nasty one-day wonder to the downside and some chop for a couple of weeks before the index took off again. The 14-week RSI reached 77 this week, the highest since 79 was hit in late March -- just before a slide of several hundred points in the index that, of course, was followed by all-time highs. The 14-day RSI for the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) hit 80 Wednesday after reaching 82 in mid-June. The 14-week RSI is in the mid-70s. Generally, we see some indigestion when we cycle this far into overbought territory. Then there is often another run higher. (Mark Arbeter, CMT)

The consistent strength of the S&P 500 (SPX) over the past two months has been impressive, especially after the strong advance from October 2023 until late-March 2024. The simple and trusty 5/13 exponential moving average (EMA) crossover has caught most of these moves and missed some of the downside in April. Daily momentum (14-day relative strength index) has cycled into an extreme overbought condition, but that same condition didn't stop the rally back in December. It is a warning to pay attention for divergences and/or price breakdowns, but not a reason to sell. On the weekly chart, the SPX has run up to a longer-term trendline off the peaks since late 2022. Most trendlines are not perfect and don't hit every price point, so we certainly could draw the line a bit differently, trying to construct a regression line that best fits the peaks or troughs. We have a developing and bearish weekly moving-average convergence/divergence (MACD), this as the latest weekly closing high price has not been confirmed by a new momentum high and offers yet another warning. The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) has broken above the upper trendline drawn off the peaks since July 2023 and has demonstrated very strong momentum. We have seen periods of outperformance versus the "500" -- and even when the QQQ has taken a break, it has not really underperformed the SPX. However, the QQQ is quite extended versus the 50-day and 200-day EMAs. Buts these overbought conditions can last for many months and, again, are more a warning about an overheated market than a reason to sell. (Mark Arbeter, CMT)

In this edition, online commerce set for acceleration, consolidation; the market may be missing changes afoot at Veolia; an overview of the moat ratings for big biotech firms; and Kraft Heinz, Tyson Foods, and Nutrien.

ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing continues to grow. BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced in January 2020 that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. Performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights. At Argus Research, we track ESG developments at specific companies as part of our Management analysis - one of the six points in our proprietary Six-Point Fundamental Approach. In addition to reviewing and measuring the ESG proclamations from the companies under coverage, we partner with an ESG research firm, the JUST Capital Foundation, and leverage its analysis and insights on the topic as well. JUST Capital's mission is to drive measurable corporate change to create a stakeholder-centric, inclusive form of capitalism that reflects the priorities of the American public. JUST utilizes a combination of data-driven research and strategic engagement in an attempt to shift norms and practices in corporate America and the financial markets. JUST ESG Custom Ratings rank stocks in the Russell 1000 on these criteria using a scale of 1-100. Drawing on the JUST Capital rankings, we have compiled focused lists of companies followed by Argus Research that are in position to have this type of "sustainable impact" on the environment, workplace, community, and marketplace. These firms have exemplary records not only in delivering on the bottom line, but also in improving the environment, contributing to community relations, and showing respect for their employees. We also have a Theme Model Portfolio based in part on the ESG criteria. To build the Argus U.S. ESG Model Portfolio, we applied financial concepts such as industry diversification, income generation, risk reduction, and growth at a reasonable price to our various lists. In addition, all stocks must be on the Argus BUY list. Here are the new stocks that have been added to the Argus U.S. ESG Model Portfolio.