Worried about US equities? Here’s an alternative!

I have a suggestion for value oriented investors who are uncomfortable with my market blow-off thesis for US equities (see How to get in on the ground floor of a market bubble and Get ready for the melt-up). What about buying Europe? Valuation metrics for European stocks are certainly cheaper. The SP 500 trades at a price...

Get ready for the melt-up

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 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 Chinese growth stalling?

I have long had much respect for the folks at Lombard Street Research (LSR) for their unusual non-consensus calls. Back in the days of the Tech Bubble when everyone was focused on the likes of Cisco Systems, Lucent, Nokia and other technology darlings, they had said "watch China" as the next engine of growth. That...

FOMC preview: How hawkish the tone?

As we approach another FOMC this week, much of the short-term tone of the market will depend on the Fed. In order to analyze what the Fed is likely to do, let`s begin with their mandate, which is price stability (fighting inflation) and full employment. In addition, the Fed has taken on a third objective...

Demographic Apocalypse Now?

When I was a boy, I can remember the Zero Population Growth (ZPG) movement, which was a response to the Club of Rome's Limits to Growth Mathusian thesis of "the world has limited resources, but human population is rising exponentially and therefore ecological disaster looms". Somewhere along the way, birth rates fell in response to global...

All systems flashing green for the bulls, but…

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 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 dangerously extended market, or a FOMO rally?

Mid-week market update: The SPX has staged an upside breakout to new all-time highs and indicators are looking overbought. Now the key question for traders is whether current conditions represent an extended market that`s ripe for a pullback, or does do these conditions represent a “good” overbought condition that accompanies a momentum surge, which leads to...

If machines are human, would you let one marry your daughter?*

Several months ago, the internet was all abuzz over the victory of Google's AlphaGo program beating Go grandmaster Lee Sedol (see story here). As the game of Go is a computationally and mathematically complicated game and the number of variations in the game is an order of magnitude higher than chess, it was a great...

How to get in on the ground floor of a market bubble

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 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...

Brexit panic: A gift from the market gods?

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 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...

Hitting the Brexit trifecta

As I pointed out yesterday (see Brexit: LTCM or Lehman?), my Trifecta Bottom Spotting Model, which has shown an uncanny record of spotting short-term market bottoms. This model flashed an "exacta" buy signal as of Friday's close and it has now flashed a "trifecta" signal based on Monday's close. The model is based on the...