Could “animal spirits” spark a market blow-off?

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...

Main Street bulls vs. Washington bears

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...

A test for the markets

Mid-week market comment: Arthur Hill at stockcharts recently observed that the Russell 2000 was in a tight consolidation range, which is characterized by a narrowing Bollinger Band. Such conditions tend to resolve themselves with volatility expansions which represent breakouts from the trading range.   His remarks about the Russell 2000 could also be applicable to the...

Good news, bad news from the December Jobs Report

I had been meaning to write about the December Jobs Report, which was released last Friday, but I hadn't gotten around to it. The report had elements of both good news and bad news. The good news is the December report showed a solid market. True, the headline Non-Farm Payroll figure missed market expectations, but...

How Trump/Navarro could spark a market crash

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...

Top-down meets bottom-up: How expensive are stocks?

Recently, I have seen several variations of market analysis concluding that stocks are expensive based on forward P/E ratios. Here is a tweet from Jeroen Blokland. David Rosenberg characterized the current equity environment as picking up pennies in front of a steamroller.     Blokland followed up the above tweet with an additional comment indicating...

The cloudy side of Trump

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...

A correction on the horizon?

Mid-week market update: It's always nice to take a few days off during the holidays, except all that I got for Christmas was a cold. The stock market doesn't seem to be doing too much better as it tests the bottom of a narrow trading range during what should be a period of positive seasonality.  ...

The bear case: How Trumponomics keeps me awake at night

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 Model is...

Santa Claus rally, or round number-itis?

Mid-week market update: As the Dow approaches the magic 20,000 mark, the question for traders is: Will Santa Claus be coming to town this year, or will the market advance stall as it catches "round number-itis"?     Here is what I am watching. Risk appetite Risk appetite metrics are mixed. Fixed income risk appetite, as...

How Trumponomics could push the S&P 500 to 2500+

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...

FOMC preview, part II

Further to my last post (see Watch the reaction, not just the Fed), I got a number of questions that asked if there are any factors or nuances from the FOMC statement or subsequent press conference to watch for. Firstly, I reiterate my point that the reaction to the Fed is far more important to...

Watch the reaction, not just the Fed

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...

Do you have what it takes to succeed in finance? (Dani Rodrik trilemma edition)

Dani Rodrik of the Harvard Kennedy School has outlined a trilemma of the global economy.     The Economist explained the trilemma this way: Dani Rodrik of Harvard University is the author of the best-known such critique. In the late 1990s he pointed out that deeper economic integration required harmonisation of laws and regulations across...