XLE: Energy Stocks Remain A Strong Buy Long Term (Technical Analysis)

Michael James McDonald8.35K FollowersFollow5ShareSavePlay(3min)CommentsSummaryWe maintain our long-term bullish outlook for crude oil and the energy stocks following December's record high short positions by money managers.XLE has rallied over 20% since our strong buy call in December, but intermediate-term sentiment indicators are rapidly approaching 'Red Zone' levels.Investor sentiment in XLE, CVX, and XOM now suggests caution over the intermediate term; we do not recommend buying more XLE until further notice.Our long-term bullish thesis for both crude oil and energy stocks remains intact, but prudent investors should await more favorable sentiment readings before increasing exposure. Vladimir Zakharov/iStock via Getty Images On December 16th we gave a strong buy signal for both crude oil and the energy sector, specifically the largest energy sector ETF - XLE. (Both crude oil and energy stocks are headed muchThis article was written byMichael James McDonald8.35K FollowersFollowMichael James McDonald is a stock market forecaster, author and former Senior Vice President of Investments at what is now Morgan Stanley. He is a long-term advocate of the theory of contrary opinion and the measurement of investor sentiment when forecasting price direction.His first book, " A Strategic Guide to the Coming Roller Coaster Market" was published in July of 2000, three months before the top of the dot comm market. On its cover was written, "How a new model of the stock market predicts the end of the 18-year bull market (1982-2000) and the beginning of a new era." The "new era" was to be a long-term (roller coaster) trading range market, which did materialize between 2000 and 2009.A second book titled, "Predict Market Swings With Technical Analysis" was published by Wiley and Sons in 2002.Then, on August 31st, 2010, in a Seeking Alpha article titled: "The 10 Year Trading Range Is Over - The 'Final Stampede' Has Begun", he called an end to the ten year trading range market and the start of another long-term bull market, which also came about.He says, "It’s long been observed that 50% or more of a stock’s price can be driven by the emotions of fear and greed alone. A universal warning sign is when 'too many' investors expect the same thing. When 'too many' investors expect a stock to go up, it generally goes down - and vice versa. The key is having metrics that measure when 'too many' investors are expecting something. This is what the Sentiment king has developed over the years."Through his company the Sentiment King, he continues to study and measure investor psychology in an effort to successfully forecast major stock trends - and help others see them too.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of XLE either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

While We Remain Bullish On Our December Long Term Buy Of XLE, We Would Not Add To Positions Until Further Notice.Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.