The stealth breakout you may have missed

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

A reply to Grantham’s AI warning

Well-known value investor Jeremy Grantham recently penned an essay titled, “The Great Paradox of the U.S. Market”, in which he warned, “Prices reflect near perfection yet today’s world is particularly imperfect and dangerous”.   In particular, he sounded the alarm over the bubble in AI stocks and cited the Gartner Hype Cycle as the main...

Waiting for the recycle amidst an elevated tail-risk backdrop

Mid-week market update: Marketwatch recently highlighted analysis from NDR which concluded that sentiment was extended and while it may make sense to be cautious about adding risk, it's too early to turn tactically bearish until readings recycle from an overbought condition.     I agree. I've been saying the same thing for several weeks. A...

A Hindenburg Moment for growth stocks?

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

Doesn’t Fed policy matter to stocks anymore?

During Fed Chair Powell’s testimony to the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, he said that it will likely be appropriate to begin cutting rates “at some point this year”. At the same time, he reiterated the message that other Fed officials sent to the markets that the Fed is not ready...

Mind the gaps

Mid-week market update: In the short run, how the market reacts after price gaps can be important clues to market psychology and direction. How quickly the market fills a gap is a measure of either strength or weakness.   As accompanying hourly chart of the S&P 500 shows, we have price gaps everywhere (upside gaps...

How gold miners could be a refuge from the YOLO and FOMO frenzy

I wrote yesterday that the stock market has been gripped by a YOLO (You Only Live Once) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) madness. I can suggest a possible refuge: gold and gold miners.   Gold prices recently made a fresh high last week, but the breakout was not decisive to be judged as unabashedly...

How to trade the YOLO and FOMO market

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

How extended is this market?

Mid-week market update: I have said before that the stock market is extended in its advance and it could pull back at any time. How extended? Here is another metric.   Bollinger Bands (BB) are overbought/oversold indicators. If a stock or index rises above its 2 standard deviation BB. it is said to be overbought....

Did the NVIDIA-fueled rally exhaust the bulls?

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

The path to Magnificent Exuberance

Signs of technical deteriorations had been appearing last week, but NVIDIA’s earnings report saved the day. The earnings report can best be described as a blowout. The results beat Street expectations on all metrics and the company guided upwards. There wasn’t anything not to dislike about the report. As a consequence, the Semiconductor Index, which...

NVIDIA at the bat

Mid-week market update: The poem "Casey at the Bat" may represent an apt analogy for today's stock market (see Wikipedia entry if you're unfamiliar with it). Technical warnings signs had been appearing. The S&P 500, the NASDAQ 100, and the Semiconductors Index, which is a bellwether for AI-related plays, had all weakened and violated their...

Are negative divergences necessarily bearish?

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

Is transitory disinflation here to stay?

I’ve discussed the risk of transitory disinflation before, and it manifested itself in the form of hotter-than-expected January CPI and PPI reports. The reports rattled the bond market and expectations of the first quarter-point rate cut has been pushed out from May to June and a slower rate cut trajectory for the remainder of year....

Why this AI bull is nothing like the NASDAQ in 2000

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

How investable is China? (Revisited)

About a year ago, when China emerged out of its zero-COVID lockdowns, I rhetorically asked, “How investable is China?”. I concluded, “Long-term investors in China are likely to face subpar returns coupled with high volatility”.   Now that China’s troubles have returned, it’s time to revisit the China investability question. The accompanying chart shows that...

Correction imminent?

Mid-week market update: I am sure everyone has seen the breadth divergences. Even as the S&P 500 rises to all-time highs, different versions of the Advance-Decline Line are struggling. Breadth deterioration is evident the further down you go in market capitalization.     The breadth divergence can also be observed in falling correlations between stocks...