For mental health reasons, we hardly ever watch CNBC anymore. But glancing at it this afternoon, at one point we saw three separate live graphics displaying the price of crude oil. So much screen space was taken up by live oil trackers, there wasn’t enough space left to show the chart of whatever alternative energy company they were pumping.

Was oil making a new high today? Did the U.S. unilaterally attack another country?  Did someone accidentally double-park in the Strait of Hormuz?  No.

If you feel like it’s been impossible to get away from oil and oil-related stories for too many years to count, that’s because you’re right. The CXO blog has a nice report up on a momentum-based sector investing strategy, and as they explain, the primary reason the strategy massively outperforms the S&P over the past decade is due to the energy sector.

Reversal Readings

Remember that the market can always digest oversold and overbought conditions by time rather than by price. Indexes gave up almost all of today’s gains, but still managed to close positive, relieving the oversold conditions from yesterday.

XLV – Healthcare – 0.30
XLB – Materials – 7.84
EWA – Australia – 0.38
IBB – Biotech – 6.72
DBC – Commodities – 94.84
XME – Metals & Mining – 4.91

Last 5 posts by Condor Options

• Midweek Sméagol Reading - August 20th, 2008
• More on The Correlation Game - August 18th, 2008
• August Monthly Review - August 17th, 2008
• They Have the Passports to Prove It - August 13th, 2008
• Sleepy Nasdaq - August 12th, 2008