Have the bulls seized control of the tape?

Mid-week market update: After weeks of documenting how oversold and washed out the stock market is, the S&P 500 staged a marginal upside breakout through a falling channel while exhibiting a series of positive 5-day RSI divergences. Equally constructive is the behavior of net new highs, which turned positive today.     Have the bulls...

Washed out enough?

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 the bounce over?

Mid-week market update: One of the concerns I had after last Friday's market turnaround was that a bounce had become the consensus view. Virtually every technical analyst was calling for a bear market rally, followed by further weakness. It sounded too easy. Either the bounce was going to fail, or the market was going to...

The crypto contagion risk to the stock 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...

A market bottom checklist update

Mid-week market update: For several weeks, sentiment surveys such as AAII and Investors Intelligence have signaled extreme levels of bearishness seen at past market bottoms. However, some observers have played down the sentiment surveys because indications of positioning are inconsistent with extreme fear. As an example, funds are still pouring into the Cathie Wood's Ark...

Making sense of the H&S breakdown

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...

Profit opportunities in the coming global recession

Welcome to the coming global recession. We can debate all day about the global growth outlook, but consider this: Global Manufacturing PMI has fallen to 48.5, indicating contraction. It's the first negative reading since the COVID Crash of 2020.     The signs of deceleration have been confirmed by the G10 Economic Surprise Index, which...

FOMC reaction: I told you so

Mid-week market update: Happy Price Stability Day to you!   Ahead of the FOMC meeting, I had been pounding the table that market expectations were unrealistically hawkish. The market was discounting strong rate hikes well beyond the Fed's stated median neutral rate of 2.4%, according to the March Summary of Economic Projections.     Combine...

Will the Fed rally or tank markets next week?

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...

Pairs Monitor: Correlations converging to 1?

I recently suggested a number of long/short pair trades as a way of achieving performance in an uncertain and choppy market. Inflation hedge vehicles have begun to underperform, and the subsequent performance of the pairs is revealing of the factors driving the current market environment.   The four regional pairs were based on a theme...

Sentiment: This time is different

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...

Cyclicals catch a bid, but…

Mid-week market update: Cyclical industries have caught a bid in the last week. That's not a big surprise as they have been badly clobbered relative to the market. Transportation stocks exhibited impressive strength as they regained relative support turned resistance level. However, the relative performance of all of the other industries was either below relative...

The canaries in a bifurcated coalmine

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...

Another Omen warning

Mid-week market update: In case you missed it, the market recently flashed a Hindenburg Omen last week. The criteria for the Omen was succinctly explained by David Keller as: The market is in an established uptrend; A sharp expansion in both new highs and new lows, indicating indecision; and A momentum break.     To...

Secrets of stable returns in a chaotic bear 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...

Momentum, Schmomentum!

Mid-week market update: There had been some recent buzz around the positive effects of price momentum on stock prices (see The breadth thrust controversy). In particular, Ed Clissold at NDR highlighted several breadth thrust buy signals, which are based on the positive effects of price momentum. Since then, the equity rally has fizzled and the...

How the commodity tail wags the stock market dog

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...

What matters more, the war or the Fed?

An unusual divergence has appeared between the VIX Index and MOVE, which measures the implied volatility of the bond market. While MOVE has spiked, VIX has fallen.      The difference in the two indicators can be explained by two forces that affect markets today, namely geopolitical risk and macro risk as defined by the...