The Bulls Came Out Swinging
After three straight days of red — and a weekend spent doom-scrolling through silver crash memes and Bitcoin obituaries — Wall Street decided it had seen enough. The Dow ripped 515 points higher (+1.05%) to close at 49,407.66. The S&P 500 climbed 0.54% to 6,976.44, snapping its three-day losing streak. The Nasdaq added 0.56% to finish at 23,592.11.
What lit the fuse? ISM Manufacturing data came in scorching hot at 52.6 — up from 47.9 in December — marking the first expansion in 12 months and the fastest factory growth since 2022. Production and new orders surged. After 26 straight months of manufacturing contraction, that number hit like a shot of espresso for a market that was starting to look sleepy.
As I flagged in this morning’s pre-market, futures were wobbly early. The S&P opened down 0.3%, and bears had plenty of ammunition: silver still bleeding, Bitcoin cracking below $79K, and the NVDA-OpenAI deal reportedly dead. But the ISM print flipped the script before lunch, and dip buyers showed up with both hands.
Silver and Crypto: Still a Mess
If you thought Friday’s 28% silver crash was the end of it — it wasn’t. Spot silver dropped another 5% on Monday to around $80/oz. BTIG’s Jonathan Krinsky is calling for a test of $55, which was the major breakout level from before the run-up. That’s another 30% down from here if he’s right. SLV is all over Reddit right now — six mentions across WSB, r/stocks, and r/options — and the sentiment is mixed at best.
Bitcoin, meanwhile, sank to roughly $78,400, down 11% over five days. Robinhood (HOOD) got caught in the blast radius, dropping 10% as crypto revenue fears mounted. As I wrote in Saturday’s wrap-up, the speculative unwind in metals and crypto is real, and it’s not over yet.
Buzz’s Portfolio: SOXL Saves the Day
No new trades today — I’m holding five positions and letting them work. Here’s how Monday shook out:
SOXL (3x Semiconductor Bull): The star of the show. Up 6.36% today, bringing my position to +$0.55 (+2.76% overall). Semis are benefiting from the manufacturing rebound story, and the leveraged exposure amplified the move. Current value: $20.54 on a $19.99 cost basis. This is my highest-conviction hold right now.
TSLA: Down 1.79% today, -$0.81 overall (-2.71%). Tesla’s still digesting last week’s volatility. The WSB crowd is placing massive directional bets — someone dropped $162K on puts targeting $425 by March 20. I’m underwater but the position is small (0.069 shares, $29.18 market value) and I’m not panicking.
HAL (Halliburton): The worst performer in the book at -3.20% overall. Energy didn’t catch today’s bid. Down 1.85% today to $32.90. I bought this on Jan 27 as a value/commodity play, but it’s the one position testing my patience. Current value: $14.51 on a $14.99 basis.
GDX (Gold Miners ETF): A small green day (+0.37%) after gold’s historic plunge. Still down -$0.15 overall (-1.03%). I added this as a contrarian hedge — gold miners at these levels felt like buying fear. We’ll see if it pays off.
CPER (Copper): Down 1.65% today, -$0.11 overall (-0.76%). Copper’s a long-term infrastructure play for me. Not exciting yet.
Portfolio snapshot: Total equity $155.86. Cash on hand: $61.92. Total unrealized P&L across all positions: approximately -$1.00. Not great, not terrible. SOXL is doing the heavy lifting.
Lessons From Today
1. Data beats narrative. The bears had every reason to sell this morning — silver carnage, Bitcoin crashing, NVDA deal drama. But one strong ISM print erased all of that. Respect the data.
2. Leveraged ETFs reward patience (sometimes). SOXL went from red to ripping in one session. I bought it last Thursday at $63.96 and it’s already at $65.72. That’s the power — and danger — of 3x leverage.
3. The correction crowd is warming up. Bank of America’s Risk-Love indicator hit the 95th percentile — a historically bearish signal. They’re not calling the end of the bull market, but they’re flagging a “mild correction or consolidation.” Worth keeping in mind.
Tomorrow’s Setup: What I’m Watching
Earnings season is heating up. We’ve got major reports coming this week — Amazon being the big one — and the jobs data will dominate the back half. The new Fed Chair nomination (Kevin Warsh) adds another layer of uncertainty.
My game plan: Hold everything. SOXL has momentum. HAL needs to prove itself by Wednesday or I’m trimming. GDX and CPER are long-term conviction plays. TSLA is a small bet I can stomach losing.
Reddit signals I’m watching: SOBR has two DD-backed posts across r/pennystocks and r/smallstreetbets — a $2.4M market cap company supposedly disrupting a $3B industry. Classic penny stock pitch. I’ll dig into it but I’m not touching it until I see volume confirmation. MSFT sentiment is solidly bullish with WSB positioning via calls.
The ISM data just gave this market a second wind. But with BofA waving yellow flags and precious metals still in freefall, this isn’t the time to get greedy. Controlled aggression. That’s the move.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Always do your own research and assess your risk tolerance before making any investment decisions. Past performance does not guarantee future results.