The Real Reason the Market Skidded Yesterday

Mid-week market update: I noted on the weekend that the S&P 500 was at the end of a upper Bollinger Band ride, and such instances usually resolve in consolidation or pullbacks. In the past, the pullback usually ended at the 20 dma, which is roughly where the market is today. In other cases, market weakness continued...

Prepare for the Year-End Rally!

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...

One Down, Two to Go

Mid-week market update: My former Merrill Lynch colleague Fred Meissner of The Fred Report wrote on the weekend that “the yearend rally has started, and a trend following indicator…we primarily use for risk management to show that trends have turned positive on key indexes”. From a purely technical perspective, I agree. The S&P 500 has begun...

Time to Sound the All-Clear?

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...

Drawing Lines in the Sand

Mid-week market update: As the bulls and bears battle it out during this phase of consolidation, it’s time to set out some lines in the sand to see which side has the upper hand. The accompanying chart shows the S&P 500, the equal-weighted S&P 500, and the Russell 2000, along with their respective rising trend lines...

A Fragile Bull

While I am intermediate-term bullish on stocks, I am also increasingly concerned about the narrowness of market leadership. Market leadership continues to be concentrated in the Magnificent Seven, as the equal-weighted S&P 500, which represents the average stock, lags the index.     Here is what this means from top-down macro and a chartist’s viewpoints....

Are the Bulls Back in Town?

Mid-week market update: The stock market has seen a remarkable recovery. After a -2.7% wipeout on Friday, the S&P 500, the equal-weighted S&P 500, and the Russell 2000 all recovered back above their rising trend lines.     Are the bulls back in town?     The Bull Case Here is the bull case for a...

The Return of Tariff Man

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...

It’s a little too quiet out there

Mid-week market update: As the stock market grinds upward, I am seeing different variations of “it’s a little too quiet out there” warnings from market analysts. One example is the growing gap between the implied volatility (IV) of the S&P 500 and the historical realized volatility (HV).     Eventually, something has to give. It usually...

The Valuation Challenge to Stock Prices

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...

Waiting for the Next Market Shoe to Drop

Mid-week market update: Even as the equal-weighted S&P 500 touched another all-time high today, it was a marginal upside breakout.     Here are the bull and bear cases for the near-term outlook.     Bull Case Risk appetite indicators are confirming the stock market advance. Credit market risk appetite, as measured by the relative performance...

Get Ready to Buy the Dip, But Not Yet

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 Market Divided Against Itself

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 golden question: Buy or sell the rate cut?

Mid-week market update: Scheduling notice - I will be traveling for the next 10 days. Barring wild market volatility next week, there will be no mid-week market update next Wednesday, but regular commentaries will be published each weekend.     It's always tricky to write a market commentary on the day of the FOMC meeting, as...

Twilight of the AI Bull?

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...

Seasonal Weakness Ahead?

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...

Waiting for the Jobs Report

Mid-week market update: I rhetorically asked last weekend if a bond market tantrum could derail stock prices. I highlighted the weakness in the long Treasury bond ETF (TLT), which has failed to rally despite a recycle of the stochastic from oversold to neutral. TLT weakened on Monday as global bonds sold off, but it rebounded...

Could A Bond Market Tantrum Derail Stock Prices?

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 Breakout is Holding, Waiting for NVIDIA

Mid-week market update: I was a little hesitant about jumping to instant conclusions about the upside breakout of several market indices in reaction to Chair Powell's speech on Friday, and I wanted to wait for signs of confirmation. We have it now. The Dow and the equal-weighted S&P 500 staged upside breakouts, and they are holding...