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D.R. Barton

About the Author: A passion for the systematic approach to the markets and lifelong love of teaching and learning have propelled D.R. Barton, Jr. to the top of the investment and trading arena. He is a regularly featured analyst on Fox Business Networks’ Varney & Co. TV show (catch him Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. EST), on Bloomberg Radio Taking Stock and MarketWatch’s Money Life Show. He is also a regular guest analyst on CNBC World, CNBC’s Closing Bell, Fox Business Network’s Cavuto Coast to Coast and Making Money with Charles Payne and the China Global Television Network. His articles have appeared on SmartMoney.com, MarketWatch.com and Financial Advisor magazine. You may contact D.R. at “drbarton” at “vantharp.com.”

It’s Only Five (or Seven or Eight) Stocks… By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 3 minutes of reading

There have always been certain times when a group of stocks were pulling the rest of the market along. A quick search shows that the term FANG was first used by none other than Mad Money host Jim Cramer in 2013 as an acronym for Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. Two of them have changed names since then and Apple stock was added soon thereafter to make them the FAANG stocks. After a re-ascent to the top echelon, Microsoft was rightfully added in to give us the FANGMA group. To […]

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Two Charts for Today’s Market Plus the Passing of a Legend By, D. R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

Almost exactly 15 years ago to the day, I wrote my worst article for the Van Tharp Institute. In an attempt to minimize any additional stressors to my writing psyche, I’ll not go into the details of why the article was (ahem) less than my best. Or about the emails I received that called into question my worth as a human being with quotes such as, “…Or perhaps you could leave Van to cover position sizing and you can target what really seems to be bothering you…”. To make a

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An Overheated Market. Bears Turning Bullish. What Next? By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 3 minutes of reading

Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double So you gotta let me know Should I stay or should I go? –Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, et al Do you ever get such a feeling of indecision in the markets? You know the one I’m talking about (and feeling right now)—the one that is so amazingly summed up by British punk rock band The Clash in their classic song quoted above. (Please read below the signature

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The Volatility Index Hit a Three-Year Low — Important or Not? By, D. R. Barton, Jr.

/ 3 minutes of reading

A quick note to the VTI faithful: Yesterday, just before I joined RJ Hixson and a truly international group for the first session of the “How to Develop Winning Trading Systems” course, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) hit a new post-pandemic low and closed below 14 since the first quarter of 2020. Three years is a really long run for high VIX. And for an index widely known as the “Fear Index”, it’s pretty easy to see why a drop to new lows has raised some eyebrows, and driven some

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Investing and Asset Re-Deployment — Do I Need to Upgrade My System? By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

I have found myself in the middle of one of the most interesting gatherings I’ve been to in years. I’m in Tennessee, among about 90 self-selected money managers, risk managers and market analysts talking about, well, financial markets and risk. But the discussions are from a much higher level than asset allocations and strategies. The changes that have taken place in financial markets since 2009 have been the main topic of discussion. With the pandemic, its aftermath and the first war on European soil in well over half a century,

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Using Key Indicators and Tools to Understand Market Decision Points By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

Today’s article was going to be a cool introduction to a series on psychological biases that investors and traders need to keep “front of mind”, especially in today’s evolving markets. However, with the U.S. debt ceiling rhetoric ringing in our ears and both sides of the political spectrum milking the drama for all it’s worth, I was carried in my memory to Cherry Grove — the northernmost beach in South Carolina. Why did my mind leap there? Because in early August of 2011, I was looking out of the screen

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A Small but Meaningful System Design Tip By, D. R. Barton, Jr.

/ 3 minutes of reading

“If you don’t have time to do the job right, how will you find time to do it again?” —My Dad, teaching me how to properly mow a lawn I had just finished tightening a Phillips head screw that had wiggled out a bit on my desk. I was feeling quite handy (though my lovely and talented wife would surely chuckle at the thought…). When I was done, I noticed a small finishing nail sticking out at just the spot where it could scratch my leg or rip or pair

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My Love of System Design and the Indicator That Keeps Helping Today By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

Early in my work life, I was utterly smitten with a new beverage of choice—I discovered the wonders of wine. Before that, I was a die-hard beer aficionado and even brewed my own concoctions at home. That’s not much of a surprise, given my background in chemical engineering. The transformation was anything but subtle. While employed at DuPont, I was presented with an opportunity to lead the start-up of a new carbon fiber composites manufacturing plant. The catch? I’d have to spend a considerable amount of time abroad, as a

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A Long Term Indicator With a Surprising Following By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

Those who have read my thoughts in this space for the past couple of decades know that I’m not the most patient guy. So, when I see people who I respect, looking at extremely long-term indications, I take notice. I usually file those long-term signals away for a look in a month or two. But this time, a signal has an interesting backstory and I’d like to show you this indicator now, especially since it just gave a bullish signal for the S&P 500, after already triggering for the Dow

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Multiple Banks Collapse and U.S. Equities Markets Go…Up?!? By, D.R. Barton, Jr.

/ 4 minutes of reading

In the wake of the sudden Silicon Valley Bank collapse (followed by other banks in the U.S. and abroad), a surprising resilience has emerged within the U.S. stock market. Defying the naysayers, the market has not only weathered the banking storm so far but has also produced positive returns just a little more than two weeks into this financial reckoning. There are two short-term money trends that help us understand this rebound and two associated indications that will point to whether the market can keep up the revival, or if

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