Stocks Jump, But They May Be Running Out Of Juice

 | Nov 17, 2020 12:11AM ET

Miracle Monday lived up to its name, with stock jumping following news early in the morning that Moderna’s vaccine for COVID was just as effective as Pfizer’s. Even better, the vaccine can be stored at temperatures found in normal freezers.

Still, we didn’t get the massive boost we saw last week. The law of diminishing returns, I guess. I’m sure by the time the next round of vaccine data comes around; the movement will be even less.

So one has to wonder what “catalysts” are left to send stocks up from here. There is no vaccine news left; it appears Biden has won the Presidency –pending lawsuits. The Fed seems to be maintaining the status quo. I guess there is always hope for more stimulus, but when and how much are still unknown. Is the market going to be forced to return to valuation and actual fundamentals to determine direction? Could be.

It seems to be already happening to some degree, with the rotation trade still working. This is the longest I can remember seeing small caps performing this well in some time. Even financials and energy are rising, and they have been the worst-performing groups all year.

h2 S&P 500 /h2

The S&P 500 managed to finish where it could not last week, at 3,626, which for now is resistance. It seems possible that we could get ready for that next big leg up, but I question if we have the juice for it left.