Weekly Update: Three Stealth Shorts for a Further Drawdown

As anyone keeping track of the movements of Wall Street can tell you, we saw a bit of a market correction this week. 

This correction was accelerated with all the major indexes deep in the red. 

As of Friday morning, the Russell 200 was down 6.7% on the week, the S&P 500 was down 4.1% and the Nasdaq was off by 5.4%.

And again, that’s just this week!

Now, it can take a few weeks for stocks to reposition themselves and come back into tight, low-risk ranges where we can buy.

And even after the market calms down, we’ll need to be patient for it to begin showing some strength again.

Switching to Short

Each index is now trading below its long-term 200-day moving average, which is certainly a bearish sign for stocks.

We are rapidly approaching the bear market threshold, and I am finding no stocks in buyable positions.

Therefore, I honestly see no reason to put money at risk on the long side under these current conditions.

So instead, I’m going to do something a little bit different…

Today, I’m bringing you three short trade ideas for anyone who may be interested in playing the other side of the market.

Charter Communications, Inc. (Short)

Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) is a $100 billion media conglomerate that has been trending lower since September.

Here’s how the chart is setting up:

Daily Chart of Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 25/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 1%
  • Sales growth: +9.2%
  • Triple momentum: yes (short)

A series of successive lower lows and lower highs show a textbook downtrend that will likely only accelerate under the current conditions.

The goal with stocks like this is to sell short into the bounces higher.

CHTR tends to dump off further any time it touches the 50-day moving average, so traders looking to bet against the company could consider shorting the stock on the next bounce up to the $625 area.

Be sure to use a stop, and don’t risk more than 10% on the trade.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (Short)

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) is the ETF that tracks the Russell 2000 Index of US listed small-cap companies and their stocks.

Here’s how the chart is setting up (Note that this is a weekly chart):

Weekly Chart of iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 34/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 1%
  • Sales growth: N/A
  • Triple momentum: yes (short)

The Russell has been lagging for over a year as small-cap stocks have gone nowhere.

I’ve been watching the $208 level for several months, which was breached last week to make a new 52-week low.

Traders can consider getting short IWM here or on a small bounce up to the $205-$210 range.

Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (Short)

Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (HLF) is a $5 billion provider of nutritional supplements for weight management and fitness as well as cosmetic products.

Here’s how the chart is setting up (Note that this is a weekly chart):

Weekly Chart of Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (HLF) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 43/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 23%
  • Sales growth: -6.0%
  • Triple momentum: yes (short)

Herbalife has long been a highly volatile stock, and this is the kind of name that can break down in a big way during bear markets.

The weekly chart above shows an 18-month consolidation period that broke down at the end of 2021.

HLF has bounced back over the last several weeks but continued selling across the board could send the stock on another leg lower.

Traders may consider selling Herbalife short here with a tight stop above the October highs.

Live Coaching Session

Monday, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, we’ll be hosting our regular weekly coaching session for Stealth Trades. 

We’ll send you a login reminder that morning, just so you don’t forget.

We’ll cover all of our new stocks on the Watchlist as well as the rest of the stocks inside Stealth Trades.

You need to attend this session to get the most from your subscription!

In the meantime, you can watch the replay of our latest Stealth Trades session right here.

Best wishes for your trading,

Ross Givens

Editor, Stealth Trades

Weekly Update: Trade With Caution & Wait for the Right Setups

This week’s market bloodbath wiped out a lot of good setups…

To be honest, it’s been so bad, I had a hard time even finding my usual three trade ideas this week.

After a period of heavy selling like we’ve experienced so far in the early days of 2022, it can take a few weeks for stocks to reposition themselves and come back into tight, low-risk ranges where we can buy.

And even after the market calms down, we’ll need to be patient for the market to begin showing some strength again. 

Trade with Caution

Taking all this into account, my advice is not to sit on the sidelines…

I did end up finding three solid setups for this week’s Watchlist, including one short trade.

But I think it would be smart to decrease your exposure to the market right now.

Trade smaller sizes than usual until this market has a chance to calm down.

And with a little luck and a lot of know-how, our strategy mixed with the right stocks should help keep us afloat during these volatile times.

Mueller Industries

Mueller Industries (MLI) is an industrial manufacturer whose principal business segments include piping systems, climate products and industrial metals.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Mueller has grown into a global presence and has built a well-earned reputation for providing high-quality products through various operations and brands.

Here’s how the chart is setting up:

Daily Chart of Mueller Industries (MLI) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 96/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 75%
  • Sales growth: +58%
  • Triple momentum: yes

In the past week, Mueller Industries remained one of the few to not sell off with the rest of the market and whose setup, in fact, actually managed to strengthen!

Recently, price action has tightened into a narrow range that looks ripe for a fresh breakout higher.

This stock appears to be offering investors big sales growth, big earnings growth, high relative strength and has absolutely nothing to do with technology.

Therefore, if the market can firm up, MLI looks to have a good chance of moving higher in the near future.

Ultra Clean Holdings Inc.

Next up on today’s list is Ultra Clean Holdings Inc. (UCTT), which designs, engineers and manufactures production tools, modules and subsystems for the semiconductor and display capital equipment markets in the United States and internationally.

Here’s how the chart is setting up:

Daily Chart of Ultra Clean Holdings Inc (UCTT) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 93/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 62%
  • Sales growth: +52%
  • Triple momentum: no

UCTT looked great going into last week… So much so that I even added it to the Buy Alert list for my premium Alpha Stocks service.

However, like most stocks, it pulled back over the last several days and broke the low of the pivot area, never hitting our buy trigger.

Stepping back to take a look, the set up still looks to be strong but would require a 9% stop loss, which for me is too much in this uncertain environment.

Therefore, I suggest keeping this one on your radar to see if it tightens up again over the next couple weeks.

The breakout could still turn out to be a strong one since shares will be even more consolidated into strong hands after this shakeout. If that happens, we’re going to want to be there.

iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF

Finally, I want to take a look at the iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO).

IWO is a growth-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF) that represents the two areas seeing the most underperformance right now… Small-cap stocks and growth stocks.

Here’s how the chart is setting up:

Daily Chart of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) — Source: TC2000

And here’s how the stock is setting up with my Stealth System:

  • Surge score: 33/100
  • % Above 52-wk low: 0%
  • Sales growth: N/A
  • Triple momentum: yes (short)

As regular readers know, growth stocks have come under some pretty heavy selling pressure over the last couple weeks.

That’s leading many hedge funds to start selling the tech sector heavier than they have in more than 10 years.

Add to that the persistent underperformance of small cap stocks found in the Russell 2000, and you have a strong candidate for a short investment.

Therefore, I’m suggesting you consider selling IWO short if it breaks the big support level near $275.

Live Coaching Session

Monday, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, we’ll be hosting our regular weekly coaching session for Stealth Trades. 

We’ll send you a login reminder that morning, just so you don’t forget.

We’ll cover all of our new stocks on the Watchlist as well as the rest of the stocks inside Stealth Trades.

You need to attend this session to get the most from your subscription!

In the meantime, you can watch the replay of our latest Stealth Trades session right here.

Best wishes for your trading,

Ross Givens

Editor, Stealth Trades