Sponsored by the Dr. Stoxx Options Letter

As chief market analyst for four stock and ETF letters on DrStoxx.com, and in my capacity as chief investment strategist for Street Authority, I read a lot of finance articles each morning prior to opening my trading platform.  I try to keep daily tabs on what is moving the markets, which sectors are hot, what the stocks I own and am recommending to subscribers are doing, etc.  Like most analysts, I have my "go-to" authors, sites and services that feed my brain each day with more info than I can handle.  But there are always those seminal articles that resonate with my own thinking and give support to the various theses I'm working on regarding the market's future direction.

Here are several I found especially helpful this morning:

1. "How to Plan Your Next Conviction Trade" by Midnight Trader.  This article underlines the point that your convictions about a trade can help you hold through the inevitable drawdowns all trades experience.

LINK

2. "Markets Unsettled by Speed of Global Bond Selloff" by Michael Santoli.  Stocks have been in a slump for days now, influenced by concerns of a bottom falling out of the bond market and rising yields making interest bearing instruments more attractive.  This article explains that connection.

LINK

3. "China's Soaring Stock Market Won't Erase Bad Debt" by Alex Frangos.  I'm an investor in Chinese stocks so found this article helpful in understanding the macro environment there.  Apparently the weakest companies in the market are the ones borrowing the most money...not a good thing.

LINK

4. "Drought Shaming in California" by Veronica Rocha.  The headline says it all.

LINK

5. "Buy Gold Now Ahead of Inflation" by Ed D'Agostino.  I'm a reformed gold bull and have been out of the shiny metal for weeks now.  But this got me rethinking that.

LINK