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"What To Watch Out for-Your Health"
 
By Robin Dayne

Great traders look to have a balance with their trading career and health and family and all are important. Over the past few weeks I have heard of friends knowing someone young (mid life) who has had a stroke or heart attack.  While I like to keep things positive I do feel as part of the "Baby Boom" generation that being aware can also extend our lives.

So I came across the story "7 ways to Raise Your Risk of Stroke" that I would like to pass on to you so you could take an assessment of your situation. LiveScience Contributor Stephanie Pappas wrote the article and while I thank her I would have titled it "Your Life is Precious - Know What to Avoid and Lower the Risk of a Stroke"

These are good lessons for all of us. As traders we have lots to contribute so we need to stay healthy to do it. Take heed.

7 Ways to Raise Your Risk of Stroke, By Stephanie Pappas
www.livescience.com March 16, 9:35 am ET

Stroke is the number three killer in the United States, affecting almost 800,000 people each year, according to the National Stroke Association. These "brain attacks" occur when blood flow to the brain is interrupted (an ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or bursts (a hemorrhagic stroke). For 144,000 people each year, the result is death. Hundreds of thousands of others are left with long-term disabilities.

Genetics, age and race play a role in stroke, as do many other factors, both controllable and uncontrollable. Recent research has teased out more and more of these risk factors, from how you eat to where you live.

Here's what scientists are finding are top risks for a stroke:

7. High-fat diet

The same foods associated with heart attacks - red meat, anything fried - can also raise your risk of a brain attack. At the American Stroke Association's (ASA) International Stroke Conference in February, researchers from the University of North Carolina presented findings that post-menopausal women who consumed high-fat diets had 40 percent more incidences of ischemic stroke than low-fat eaters. Trans fats, found in processed foods like pastries and crackers, seem particularly nasty: The group of women who consumed seven grams of trans fat each day had 30 percent more stroke incidents than those who ate one gram.

So what to eat instead? Multiple studies suggest that a Mediterranean-inspired diet can lower stroke risk. That means lots of vegetables, whole grains, fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and very little red meat and sweets.

6. Being Single

If you're a man who'd like to cut his chances of a fatal stroke, get hitched. A Tel Aviv University study of more than 10,000 Israeli men found that those who were married at midlife were 64 percent less likely to die of a stroke during the next 34 years than single men. The data was adjusted for other stroke risk factors like socioeconomic status, blood pressure and smoking.

But there's a catch: The marriage has to be a happy one. Men who reported dissatisfying marriages were just as likely as single men to die of a stroke, the researchers reported at the ASA's International Stroke Conference.

5. Being Unhappy

Happiness is music to your cardiovascular system. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston reported in 2001 that among older individuals, positive moods and attitudes protected against strokes. Even incremental increases in happiness helped: For every step up on the researchers' happiness scale, male participants' stroke risk dropped 41 percent. Women's risk dropped 18 percent per happiness unit.

Even if you're not happy, it might pay to act like you are. The researchers speculate that happy people are more likely to get medical care, exercise and stay healthy, all protective factors against stroke.

4. Being obese

More weight means a higher risk of stroke, according to researchers from the University of Minnesota. In a study presented at the International Stroke Conference last month, researchers followed more than 13,000 Americans for 19 years and found that the risk of stroke in people with the highest body mass index (BMI) was 1.43 to 2.12 times higher than in those with the lowest body mass index. (BMI is calculated with a person's height and weight and is considered an indicator of body fatness.) The reason for the correlation is that some stroke risk factors are worsened by obesity, study co-author Hiroshi Yatsuya said in a statement. The biggest culprits, according to the data are high blood pressure and diabetes.

3. Smoking

Lighting up nearly doubles your risk of stroke, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Fortunately, quitting can drop that risk back down, even for heavy smokers. One 1988 study found that former smokers had the same rate of stroke as nonsmokers five years after snuffing their last cigarette.

2. Being born in the wrong demographic (for a stroke)

Unfortunately, not all risk factors are under your control. Blacks have twice the incidence of strokes as whites, according to the AHA. Not only that, but the death rate from stroke is significantly higher for blacks than the overall stroke death rate. Part of the disparity may be explained by higher-than-average rates of diabetes and high blood pressure among blacks.

Being female can also put you at a disadvantage when it comes to stroke. In a study presented at ASA's International Stroke Conference, University of Southern California researchers reported that women aged 35 to 64 are almost three times as likely to have a stroke as men of the same age. The reason may be that women in midlife carry more abdominal fat than men, a risk factor for stroke, said the researchers.

1. Being a born-and-bred Southerner

The swath of stroke-prone states across the Southeastern United States - generally including North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama - have long been known as the "Stroke Belt." But recent research suggests that just being born and spending your childhood in one of these states raises your risk for stroke, even if you move away later.

In a study published in the journal Neurology in 2009, Harvard public health professor Maria Glymour and her colleagues reported that among blacks, being born in the Stroke Belt increased the risk of stroke by 22 percent. For whites, the number was 30 percent. Part of the reason may be due to risk factors like poor diet, smoking and obesity, which may start earlier in southern states, Glymour told LiveScience.

"By the time that they're middle-aged and we're enrolling them in our studies, it looks like lots of people have those risk factors," she said. "But maybe people in the South have been carrying them for longer."

Disclaimer/Nondisclosure 

ALL the information in the Robin Dayne Newsletter is for educational purposes only and is the sole property of Robin Dayne Inc. (RDI) and may not be duplicated, recorded or reproduced in any way and includes: verbal, print, e-mail, or any media vehicle without the written permission of RDI.

Earlier this week I noticed a pattern in the market throughout an entire trading session that has inspired me to write a short piece on sector rotation.

On Tuesday March 16^th, my quote screen was flashing green as sectors reached new intraday highs or 52 week highs. The interesting part was that every sector that was flashing green happened to be in sectors that strengthen at the end of a bull market cycle or strong rally. This would include basic materials, staples, services, utilities and financials.

Today I investigated the different sectors and came across some interesting numbers between the January market peak and this week's price action as I show in the charts below.

JANUARY - ETF Sector Rotation Trading – 28 Day Cycle

I may not explain this well but try to follow me here

Just before the market rolled over and lost over 9% last January, all the proper bull market sectors were very strong during the previous 28 days. This is normal and a strong sign that market participants were bullish on the overall market.

But the market was overbought; trading volume was light indicating that not many people are willing to buy at these lofty prices. And the VIX (volatility index) had reached an extreme low (a level that has triggered large sell offs in the past). All this means one thing to me. And that is, trade with caution and tighten your protective stops.

General rule, if everyone is buying all the hot stocks at these over bought levels then you can't help but think its time for the market to roll over and shake them all out.

MARCH - ETF Sector Rotation Trading –28 Day Cycle

The chart of March shows where the sectors have finished over the past 28 days. Notice how similar the sectors have appreciated in price…

I have overlaid John Murphy's sector rotation image to show which sectors are strongest in a bull market.

Now the interesting part is that it appears to be the setup as in January. My quote system is flashing new highs for the bear market cycle sectors which are the one which have not performed well (Stapes, Services & Utilities) and I have to think the market is about to take a breather or do a swan dive.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we are on the verge of a bear market. I actually think the market is strong and will trade sideways in a large range for most of this year or just continue to trend up.

What I am saying is that these sectors go in and out of favor during smaller market cycles and that can be very useful information.

Sector Rotation Explained

You can learn more about sector rotation from this detailed course How to Profit From Sector Rotation Using ETFs .  This course explains how different sectors are stronger during different points within the economic cycle. The chart above shows the relationships and which of the various sectors should strengthen from the economy. The financial Market Cycle leads the Economic Cycle because traders try to anticipate the economy.

Market Update & Trading Conclusion:

Stock Indexes: The market in my opinion is way over bought on the daily chart and needs a breather. Volume is light, VIX is at the same level we saw in January just before the top and the bullish sectors are firing on all pistons. You won't catch me buying up here. Any type of pullback will most likely be sharp and there is no need to put money to work right now.

Precious Metals: Gold and silver had a nice pop this week off of a support level. I did not have a low risk setup as momentum was not on my side at the time of the pop. Also the large gap up on GLD makes me nervous as gaps tend to get filled. I am just waiting for something to unfold which looks to be a few days away still.

Oil: It has popped higher also and is trading at resistance. As I mentioned in Sundays report, if the USD dollar completes this breakdown then we will see commodities and stocks surge to higher prices and most likely post a nice multi month rally.

Natural Gas: We are seeing natural gas prices dip below support, shaking out traders who had their protective stops set just beneath the previous low. Natural gas is a silent killer as it will shake even the best traders out of the market. I feel natural gas is over sold and ready for a bounce but until I get a low risk setup I remain on the side lines. Read More

My BTIM Recommendation is on Fire
March 16th, 2010

I've been preaching BioTime, BTIM, for weeks now - in my newsletter, in my Alert Emails and in the NET Chat Room. 

Well, this week my BTIM recommendation caught fire! Up nicely from Fridays $5.44 close. Today, BTIM hit a high of $8.42 on 5M shares. See its daily chart breakout . NET traders love it!  

See my student's BTIM feedback below.  I bet he's planning a new vacation or car! 

We've been selling some at the top hoping to buy lower.  (Remember the saying, buy low, sell high.) 

If you do not wish to trade you are at the start of a long profitable journey regardless where markets go tomorrow. Sit tight and stay on the ride.  

Here are some related article, news, earnings, a new CNBC video and a possible future main-stream video:

Agora Financial article, in part, says:

"The big deal is that this is the first time this evidence hit a peer-reviewed journal. There is now proof -- for those who can't extrapolate core truths -- that any cell in your body can be taken back to its immortal, un-aging state. This sort of evidence will be very hard to ignore, though some will succeed. Moreover, the implications of this discovery may finally dawn on a hidebound and unimaginative press. And those implications, as I've said before, are staggering. I am not prone, by the way, to exaggeration. This is simple fact." 
- Patrick Cox, March 12, 2010.

Good trading.. Read More