First Hand Ante

Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart
--Lady GaGa

The first trading day of the year saw some upside resolution to the reverse head and shoulders pattern forming over the holidays--although a late day pullback drained a bit of glory from the gains.

Would think technicians are eyeing the late October highs of 1285ish as a more definitive indicator that a new leg higher is underway.

By early afternoon, pundits predictably started trotting out the old saws about how the first few trading days of the year often 'forecast' the tape's annual performance. One tidbit I've picked up over the years: Don't succumb to early year urban legends designed to whip the masses into a bullish frenzy.

position in SPX