From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza and Alfonso Depablos @AlfCharts

Welcome to the Hot Corner Insider Weekly Report!

As you know, we spend a lot of time tracking insider activity to come up with this universe.

But that’s only half the battle!

Once we identify the names insiders are targeting, we overlay our expert technical analysis to see if the market agrees with their actions.

While we track some of the most powerful and well-informed market participants… we aren’t just going to follow them blindly into their trades.

We want to see that the insider activity is confirmed by the trend before we get involved. 

When we can check both boxes, we identify asymmetric risk/reward setups and then jump in and ride these trends higher alongside the smart money.

You can...

The most significant insider buy on today’s list comes via a Form 4 filing by Control Empresarial de Capitales S.A. de C.V.

The Mexico-based investment company reported purchases totaling $2.8 million in Talos Energy Inc $TALO.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from August 1, 2024:

Director John T Baldwin revealed the acquisition of 8,000 shares of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc $CLF.

Last but not least, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi bought 10,000 shares of NVIDIA Corporation $NVDA.

NVDA has been stair-stepping higher and consolidating constructively along the way since a huge base-breakout in May 2023. 

For the last month and a half, the AI leader has been undergoing a corrective wave.

NVDA has fallen more than 20% off its highs, reaching a key extension level from above. We’re looking at this as a potential support zone.

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by Hanwha Impact Global Corp.

The company reported a purchase of $87 million in NextDecade Corporation $NEXT.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 31, 2024:

Director Jonathan C. Locker of Loews Corporation $L revealed a purchase of 6,200 shares, equivalent to $499,896.

In another Form 4, director Richard Anderson bought 2,000 shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation $NSC.

After completing a multi-decade basing pattern in 2021, Loews Corporation has screamed higher to the 161.8% extension level and shows no signs of slowing down.

If L is above 75.40, then the path of least resistance is higher.

Stay tuned. We'll be back on Friday with more insider activity.

...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by Liberty 77 Fund L.P.

The private equity firm revealed an additional purchase of $3,278,206 in Lions Gate Entertainment Corp $LGF.

The CEO of MaxLinear Inc $MXL, Kishore Seendripu, bought 108,303 shares, equivalent to $1.4 million of his own company’s stock.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 30, 2024:

The president and CEO of Allegion plc $ALLE, as well as one of its directors, filed Form 4s disclosing a total purchase of $811,454.

ALLE has been building a massive base for the last four years.

The stock has been on fire, rallying 18% in a near-vertical line since the beginning of the month to the upper bounds of its range.

We think it’s only a matter of time before buyers absorb the remaining overhead supply and break Allegion out of this base.

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by the executive vice president and CFO of General Motors Company $GM, Paul Jacobson.

Jacobson reported the acquisition of 25,000 GM shares, equivalent to $1.1 million.

Two directors of Lamb Weston Holdings Inc $LW, William Jurgensen and Robert Niblock, filed Form 4s revealing purchases for a total amount of $831,766.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 29, 2024:

Durable Capital Partners LP filed a 13G for RH $RHrevealing an initial stake of 5.20%.

In another Form 4, the president and CEO of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation $KALU revealed a purchase of $199,871.

In March, the stock broke out, completing a bearish-to-bullish reversal.

Fast-forward to today, and GM is pulling back to the breakout level:

As long as...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by Abdiel Capital LP. The investment firm continues to build a position in Appian Corporation $APPN.

This time, Abdiel revealed a purchase of roughly $4.3 million, increasing its ownership stake to approximately 18.50%.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 26, 2024:

Neuberger Berman Group LLC filed a 13D for E2open Parent Holdings Inc $ETWO revealing an increase in ownership from 9.95% to 12.80%.

Last month, APPN experienced a nasty whipsaw, making multi-year lows.

However, it quickly recovered, resulting in a major failure at a shelf of former lows:

As long as price stays above 30, bulls are in control.

Stay tuned. We'll be back on Tuesday...

Sector rotation is the lifeblood of any bull market, and we don’t expect things to be any different this time around.

After a prolonged period without progress, small caps are back in the driver's seat. The Russell 2000 just capped off a bearish-to-bullish trend reversal with a decisive resolution.

At the same time, the profit-taking in mega-cap growth stocks has been non-stop these past two weeks.

The chart below shows the Russell 2000 printing its best 5-day streak of outperformance relative to the Technology Sector… in history:

We call these kinds of moves "initiation thrusts" because it is common for them to occur at inflection points, or the beginning of new trends.

In the case of the above, this extreme reading is telling us that small caps are ready to make a turn versus big tech.

Also notice where all of this is taking place. The extreme momentum in favor of small-caps is...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by the chairman and CEO of Truist Financial Corporation $TFC, William H. Rogers Jr.

Rogers reported a purchase of 57,300 TFC shares, equivalent to $2.5 million.

Liberty 77 Capital L.P bought 149,682 shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp $LGF.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 25, 2024:

In another Form 4, William R. Johnson, chairman of the board of directors of United Parcel Service $UPS, revealed a purchase worth $643,035.

Director Robert W. Stallings reported a purchase of 5,500 shares in Texas Capital Bancshares $TCBI.

TCBI has been carving out a base for roughly three years.

Price is pressing against the range's upper bounds as buyers absorb all the overhead supply at this resistance zone:

The level to...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a 13D filing by Abdiel Capital LP.

This time, the investment firm revealed an additional purchase of 82,500 shares in Appian Corporation $APPN, increasing its ownership stake to 18.60%.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 24, 2024:

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas filed a Periodic Transaction Report declaring a purchases in the following stocks:

• Apple Inc $AAPL ($500,000 - $200,000);
• Meta Platforms Inc $META ($50,000 - $100,000);
• Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST ($50,000 - $100,000);
• Workday Inc $WDAY ($50,000 - $100,000);
• Alcoa Corporation $AA ($50,000 - $100,000);
• Vishay Intertechnology Inc $VSH ($50,000 - $100,000);
• Advanced Micro Devices Inc $AMD ($15,000 - $50,000); and
• ...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a Form 4 filing by Abdiel Capital LP.

The investment firm revealed a purchase of $6.7 million in Appian Corporation $APPN.

Director Roger D. Carlile bought 25,000 shares of Resources Connection $RGP, equivalent to $281,250.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 23, 2024:

In another Form 4, Terrence W. Cavanaugh, director of Selective Insurance Group $SIGI, reported a purchase of $171,700.

SIGI broke out of a multi-year base in 2021 and ripped higher towards the 161.8% extension. But price has since retraced all gains and is retesting the breakout level.

We're wondering if this former resistance will turn into support this time around:

The line in the sand lies at 81.15. If we're above this level, the risk is to the upside. 

...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via a 13G filing by Citadel Advisors LLC.

The investment firm reported an initial stake of 5.30% in Sphere Entertainment Co $SPHR.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 22, 2024:

The president and CEO of Selective Insurance Group $SIGI revealed the acquisition of 2,400 shares, equivalent to $200,532.

SPHR has been in the base-building process for roughly three years as buyers try to take control and force an upside resolution from this rounding bottom formation:

The line in the sand lies at the 45 level.

A breakout above that zone could send SPHR on a fresh reaction rally toward the old all-time highs.

Stay tuned. We'll be back on Wednesday with more insider activity.

And...

The most significant insider buy on today's list comes via two separate Form 4 filings by the president and the CEO of The Charles Schwab Corporation $SCHW.

They reported purchases for a combined amount of $2.2 million.

Here’s The Hot Corner, with data from July 19, 2024:

Director John W. Childs reported the acquisition of 28,400 shares in Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd $BHVN.

BHVN came public in September 2022 and ripped higher with authority. However, price has retraced some gains since it peaked in March, successfully retesting a critical polarity level.

The line in the sand lies at 27.

If we're above this level, the risk is still to the upside.

Stay tuned. We'll be back on Tuesday with more insider activity.

And...