Fear grips traders and the VIX pops 46%

I like buying the dip as much as anybody, and it has proven to be a really good strategy over the last eight years. But yesterday was not a day to buy the dip. The internals did not show an anemic sell-off that was going to quickly subside and then rise back up into the close. 

There was no 3:30pm Ramp job to save the day. 

The VIX was never crushed. 

There was even a 24% move in the T2108 indicator which measures the percentage of stocks that trade above their 40-day moving average. Now only 36% of stocks are above their 40-day moving average. While the rest simply struggle. 

The less positions you have the better. Now is not the time to get long and heavy, now is not the time to predict the end of the world. 

Now is the time to manage risk, take fewer chances and let price action settle in on one direction or another and then trade accordingly. 

S&P 500 Chart

Current Stock Trading Portfolio Balance: 

• 1 Short Position

Recent Stock Trade Notables:

• JP Morgan Chase (JPM): Long at 87.84, closed at 85.98 for a 2.1% loss.
• Micron Technology (MU): Long at $29.00, closed at 28.04 for a 3.3% loss.
• Alibaba Group (BABA): Long at $116.25, closed at $124.09 for a 6.7% profit. 
• Southwest Airlines (LUV): Long at $58.35, closed at 57.23 for a 1.9% loss.  
• Broadcom (AVGO): Long at $223.63, closed at $228.65 for a 2.2% profit. 
• Workday (WDAY): Long at 86.00, closed at 90.32 for a 5% profit. 
• Univar (UNVR): Long at $30.96, closed at $32.20 for a 4% profit.
• Alibaba Group (BABA): Long at $111.91, closed at $115.48 for a 3.2% profit. 
• Redhat (RHT): Long at $85.21, closed at $87.21 foor a 2.4% profit. 
• Darling Ingredients (DAR): Long at $15.19, closed at $14.90 for a 1.9% loss. 
• Apple (AAPL): Long at $143.82, closed at $147.11 for a 2.3% profit.
• Teradyne (TER): Long at $31.16, closed at $33.03 for a 6.0% profit.
• UPRO: Long at $92.75, closed at $94.78 for a 2.2% profit. 
• Murphy Oil (MUR): Long at $28.69, closed at $27.89 for a 2.7% loss.
• Las Vegas Sands (LVS): Long at $57.24, closed at $56.53 for a 1.2% loss.  
• UPRO: Long at $91.94, closed at $96.54 for a 5.0% profit.
• Alibaba Group (BABA): Long at $105.736, closed at $108.22 for a 2.4% profit. 
• Facebook (FB): Long at $134.27, Closed at $139.23 for a 3.7% profit. 
• CDW Corp (CDW): Long at $58.65, closed at $58.91 for a 2.7% loss. 
• Redhat (RHT): Long at $82.41, Closed at $83.53 for a 1.4% profit. 
• Ambarella (AMBA): Long at $57.15, Closed at $55.52 for a 2.8% loss. 
• Alibaba Group (BABA): Long at $104.73, closed at $106.05 for a 1.3% profit. 
• Broadcom (AVGO): Long at $218.63, Closed at $222.71 for a 1.9% profit. 
• American Airlines (AAL): Short at $44.76, Closed at $44.03 for a 1.6% profit.
• UPRO  (Day-Tade): Long at $95.35, closed at $96.50 for a 1.2% profit.
• OZRK: Long at $56.12, closed at $54.69 for a 2.5% loss. 
• FNSR: Long at $34.25, closed at $34.70 for a 1.3% profit. 
• UPRO  (Day-Tade): Long at $96.92, closed at $98.03 for a 1.2% profit. 
• JP Morgan Chase (JPM): Long at $87.21, closed at $89.67 for a 2.8% profit. 
• Chevron (CVX): Short at $110.03, covered at $111.85 for a 1.6% loss. 
• Flex Technologies (FLEX): Long at $15.62, closed at $16.57 for a 6.1% profit. 
• Baidu (BIDU): Long at $174.70, closed at $187.00 for a 7.0% profit. 
• Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Long at 33.20, closed at $32.50 for a 2.1% loss. 
• Corning (GLW): Long at $26.98, closed at $27.45 for a 1.7% profit. 
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): Long at $127.74, closed at $129.86 for a 1.7% profit. 
• Marriott Int’l (MAR): Long at $86.16, closed at $87.51 for a 1.6% profit.