What Does Silver’s Volatility Mean For the Markets?

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...

Mag 7, or Lag 7?

I have been an advocate of holding a barbell position of U.S. large-cap growth and EAFE value stocks in equity allocations. More recently, the EAFE value portion has outperformed while the U.S. large-cap growth component has lagged. As a consequence, I am increasingly seeing questions of whether it’s time to rethink the allocation to U.S....

Did Trump Jinx S&P 7000?

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 achieved a fresh all-time high yesterday (Tuesday) and it touched 7000 today before retreating. President Trump posted about the event, did he jinx the market?     Probably not. The Fed presented the market with a number of potential surprises. In the end, the Fed decision and the subsequent...

A Welcome Sentiment Reset

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...

Greenland Follows the Powell Playbook

Mid-week market update: Investors have seen this movie before in the recent past. A market moving event breaks over the weekend. The market freaks out at the open. The market calms soon after and life goes on.   The last time this happened, the news was an investigation of Fed Chair Powell. This time, it’s...

Embrace the Market’s Animal Spirits

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...

Remarkable Bullish Resilience

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 is pulling back to test its rising trend line and the VVIX, or the volatility of the VIX Index, spikes above the key 100 level, which indicates rising market anxiety. However, an analysis of market internals reveal a remarkable level of bullish resilience in the face of recent unsettling headlines...

A Momentum-Driven Start to 2026

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...

Did the Santa Rally Actually Fail?

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 ended the seasonally positive Santa Claus rally window down -0.1% this year. According to Wall Street lore, this foreshadows a weak year for stock prices.     But did investors really miss Santa Claus this year? The Dow, the equal-weighted S&P 500, the NYSE Composite were all positive during the...

What Santa 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...

Opportunities and Challenges of 2026

The accompanying chart from Jeffrey Hirsch of Almanac Trader shows the expected seasonal price pattern for the S&P 500. As with any seasonality analysis, direction is more important than the magnitude of the move. If history is any guide, expect a volatile year until October, followed by a rally into year-end.   I agree with...

How the Investing Game is Changing

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 Market Cycle Puzzle

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...

Celebrate the Season of Saturnalia

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...

High Conviction Idea: My Most Reliable Timing Models

It’s that time of year again to offer my readers the highest conviction idea for the coming year. Last year, my bullish call on gold worked out extremely well (see 2025 High Conviction Idea: Gold). Gold prices soared in all currencies and was one of the best-performing asset classes for the year.     This...

A Less Hawkish Than Expected Rate Cut

Mid-week market update: Coming into the December FOMC decision, I was worried that the market might react negatively on the prospect of a hawkish rate cut. Ahead of the meeting, the Committee was highly divided and the potential for a divided decision was extremely high.     As it turns out, the level of hawkishness had...

A Healing 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...

A Probable Failed Zweig Breadth Thrust

Mid-week market update: I noticed on the weekend that there was a lot of excitement over the possibility of a Zweig Breadth Thrust buy signal, probably because of the strong advance last week. The stock market consolidated this week, and while the ZBT window closes Friday, the degree of breadth strength to achieve a ZBT...

At A Crossroad

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 to Trade the AI Panic

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...