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The Bartometer

educational newsletters, indexes, market timing, stock market

November 14, 2020

Hello Everyone,

Well, the election is over and and if Trump doesn’t win the contested vote then Biden is President. My biggest concern going forward is the race in Georgia that could switch the control of the senate to the Democrats enabling them unchecked control in the government. If this happens, and Democrats get rid of the filibuster rule there could be volatily in the stock and bond markets because: It could increase taxes on corporations, raise capital gains taxes and estate taxes by reducing the couple estate tax exclusion from $11 million to $3.5 milllion.

If the Democrats don’t win then there will be gridlock, and gridlock meaning that many of the tax increases may not pass. We will see what happens on January 5th 2021. Currently my Technical Analysis computer is still on a Buy-Hold as of about a week to 2 weeks ago, but it changes daily.

The increases in the Covid 19 virus is again causing Governors in many states to restrict access to non-essential business. This will reduce earnings of many corporations but increase the earnings of technology companies that are benefitting by people using their goods and services from home. Once a safe and effective vaccine is created by either Pfizer or Moderna, and when people feel safe to travel/use the goods and services of non essential companies will they prevail. then the Value stocks, eg., the cruise lines, airlines, resorts, restaurants, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications and more should rise. Until that time, the market will be volatile.

We are now in a seasonally strong time for the stock markets, but with the overhang of the senate election in Georgia, and the increase in Covid 19 coupled with the upcoming Flu season, caution is still somewhat appropriate. For people who are more Cautious in general, but over the next 1-2 years I still think the market could go higher even though the market is about 6% overvalued mostly because of the technology stocks. When the pandemic is even close to nearing its conclusion, the Value sector should continue its rise. So, small, mid and large value stocks could be the bigger winner, and if we get a selloff because of Covid 19, I will be buying those sectors.

Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until Novemeber 14, 2020. These are passive indexes.

Dow Jones +5.1%
S&P 500 +12.2%
EQUAL WEIGHTED S&P 500 +3.1%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +29%
Large Cap Value -3.0%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap +5.2%
Midcap stock funds -4.66
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA +2%
Financial stocks -10%
Energy stocks -36%
Healthcare Stocks +11%

Moderate Mutual Fund Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) Long duration +6.5%
igh Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +1.9%

Floating Rate Bond Funds -.60%
Short Term Bond +1.6%
Mutli sector bond funds +2.3%

I do expect potential major volatility over the next few months if the Republicans lose the Senate.

Classicalprinicples.com and Robert Genetskis Excerpts

Market Outlook

Stocks were mixed this past week. The previously out-of-favor small caps rose 3%-4%, when the Nasdaq and QQQs fell 2%-3%. The Dow and S&P500 gained 1%-2%. I expect stocks to continue to consolidate within the range of the past five months. Biden’s choice of advisors is interesting. His Chief of Staff was the one in charge of fighting Ebola. He admitted they had made every mistake imaginable in that fight. Another medical advisor says the country should lock down for 4-6 weeks and can simply pay workers and businesses for lost income. Just what Biden needs… another advisor with no concept of economics feeding him mush. It’s important to pay attention to Biden’s advisors. Their ideas can provide a clue to just how crazy things can get. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevent the chaos that would result from such complete nonsense.

A Look Back

The latest weekly data show the labor market continues to improve in spite of Covid. Initial unemployment claims fell to 709,000 in the first week of this month. This is down about 140,000 from the previous month. For the final week in October, the insured unemployment rate fell to 4.6%, down from 7.5% from the previous month. The number of people receiving insured unemployment payments fell to 6.8 million. There were close to 11 million a month ago.

What to expect this coming week

Look for the economic numbers to continue to show the economy performing well. Tuesday’s report for manufacturing in October should be a strong one. Business surveys show manufacturing production increasing dramatically in October. Hence, the Fed’s manufacturing number should be up substantially.

Source: Classical Principles.com

S&P 500 Chart Source: AIQsystems.com

The S&P 500 is above. As you can see my computer models gave a BUY signal on 10/30/20 and another one a couple days later. Another Bullish sign is when it broke above the middle of the W pattern. This is BULLISH unless it breaks down below that breakout. Now it has to breakout from the old high of 3648. If it does with conviction volume watch the 3750 area for some resistance. But it has to breakout from 3648 with a lot of volume first.

We are now in a bullish seasonal pattern for the market. One year from now I think the economy will do much better than it is now and the markets should be higher as well.

MACD or Momentum is still Bullish as the pink line has broken out of the blue line showing positive momentum.

Support levels on the S&P 500 area are 3546, 3392-3405, 3306 and 3244. 3143 is 200 Day Moving average
NASDAQ Support, 11621, 11300-11360, 11062. Resistance is 12075
These may be safer areas to get into the equity markets on support levels slowly on the accumulation areas.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The market has rebounded nicely over the last month mainly because of earnings of companies beating expectations. The NASDAQ has done the best this year and should continue to do well IF the market continues higher. Now that the vaccine is a reality the value stocks should start to rise. You may want to call me to review everything including your 401(k) to determine the best allocation going forward. I like the USA market better than the international market.

Best to all of you,

Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
Investment Advisor Representative

92 High Street
Thomaston, CT 06787
860-940-7020

Securities and advisory services offered through SagePoint Financial, Inc. (SPF), member FINRA/SIPC. SPF is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of SPF. 800-552-3319 20 East Thomas Road Ste 2000 Phoenix AZ 85012

Charts provided by AIQ Systems:

Technical Analysis is based on a study of historical price movements and past trend patterns. There is no assurance that these market changes or trends can or will be duplicated shortly. It logically follows that historical precedent does not guarantee future results. Conclusions expressed in the Technical Analysis section are personal opinions: and may not be construed as recommendations to buy or sell anything.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are not necessarily the view of Sage Point Financial, Inc. and should not be interpreted directly or indirectly as an offer to buy or sell any securities mentioned herein. Securities and Advisory services offered through Sage Point Financial Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.

Past performance cannot guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Please note that individual situations can vary. Therefore, the information presented in this letter should only be relied upon when coordinated with individual professional advice. *There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will outperform a non-diversified portfolio in any given market environment. No investment strategy, such as asset allocation, can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.
It is our goal to help investors by identifying changing market conditions. However, investors should be aware that no investment advisor can accurately predict all of the changes that may occur in the market.

The price of commodities is subject to substantial price fluctuations of short periods and may be affected by unpredictable international monetary and political policies. The market for commodities is widely unregulated, and concentrated investing may lead to Sector investing may involve a greater degree of risk than investments with broader diversification.

Indexes cannot be invested indirectly, are unmanaged, and do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses.

Dow Jones Industrial Average: A weighted price average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.

S&P 500: The S&P 500 is an unmanaged indexed comprised of 500 widely held securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

NASDAQ: the NASDAQ Composite Index is an unmanaged, market-weighted index of all over the counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System

(IWM) I Shares Russell 2000 ETF: Which tracks the Russell 2000 index: which measures the performance of the small capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.

A Moderate Mutual Fund risk mutual has approximately 50-70% of its portfolio in different equities, from growth, income stocks, international and emerging markets stocks to 30-50% of its portfolio in different categories of bonds and cash. It seeks capital appreciation with a low to moderate level of current income.

The Merrill Lynch High Yield Master Index: A broad-based measure of the performance of non-investment grade US Bonds

MSCI EAFE: the MSCI EAFE Index (Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, and Far East Index) is a widely recognized benchmark of non-US markets. It is an unmanaged index composed of a sample of companies’ representative of the market structure of 20 European and Pacific Basin countries and includes reinvestment of all dividends.

Investment grade bond index: The S&P 500 Investment-grade corporate bond index, a sub-index of the S&P 500 Bond Index, seeks to measure the performance of the US corporate debt issued by constituents in the S&P 500 with an investment-grade rating. The S&P 500 Bond index is designed to be a corporate-bond counterpart to the S&P 500, which is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap US equities.

Floating Rate Bond Index is a rule-based, market-value weighted index engineered to measure the performance and characteristics of floating-rate coupon U.S. Treasuries, which have a maturity greater than 12 months.



Good for Japan, Bad for US (Bonds)?

chart patterns, educational newsletters, ETFS, jay kaeppel

In the late 1980’s, Japan seemed destined to “rule the financial world”.  But when it comes to the financial markets – things don’t always pan out as they appear destined to.  The Nikkei Index topped out in late 1989, didn’t bottom out until February 2009 and has yet to return to its 1989 peak.

But it sure is trying.  This past week the Nikkei reached its highest level 1991.  So, hooray for the Japanese.  Back here in the US of A there may be a slightly different take.  For as we will discuss in a moment, what is good for Japanese stocks is (apparently) bad for US bonds.

Ticker EWJ

As our proxy for Japanese stocks we will use ticker EWJ (iShares Japan).  In Figure 1 you can the monthly action since the ETF started trading in 1996. 

Figure 1- Ticker EWJ monthly (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

Since 1996 EWJ has broken in the $60 a share range on 5 previous occasions, only to be rebuffed.  You can see the latest upward thrust at the far right.  Will this be the time it breaks through?  It beats me and in fact that is not really the focus of this article.  The real question posed here is “what about U.S. treasury bonds?”  Huh?  Consider Figure 2. 

The top clip of Figure 2 displays a weekly chart of EWJ with a 5-week and 30-week moving average drawn.  The bottom clip displays a weekly chart of ticker TLT – the iShares ETF that tracks the long-term U.S. treasury bond. 

Note that – using highly technical terms – when one “zigs”, the other “zags.”

Figure 2 – EWJ vs. TLT (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

The thing to note is the inverse correlation between the two – i.e., when Japanese stocks advance, US treasuries tend to decline and vice versa.  For the record (and for you fellow numbers geeks out there) the correlation coefficient in the last 2 years is -0.45 (1 means they trade exactly the same, -1 means they trade exactly inversely).

For my purposes:

*EWJ 5-week MA < EWJ 3-week MA = BULLISH for US treasuries

*EWJ 5-week MA > EWJ 3-week MA = BEARISH for US treasuries

Any real merit to this? 

*The blue line in Figure 3 displays the cumulative $ +(-) achieved by holding a long position in t-bond futures ($1,000 a point) when the EWJ indicator is BULLISH (for U.S. bonds)

*The orange line in Figure 3 displays the cumulative $ +(-) achieved by holding a long position in t-bond futures ($1,000 a point) when the EWJ indicator is BEARISH (for U.S. bonds)

Figure 3 – $ + (-) for Treasury Bond Futures when EWJ indicator is BULLISH for bonds (blue) or BEARISH for bonds (orange)

Summary

Bond investors might keep a close eye on Japanese stocks for a while.  If the latest thrust higher follows through and becomes the move that finally breaks out to the upside, the implication would appear to be negative for U.S. long-term treasury bonds.  On the flip side, if Japanese stocks fail once again to break through and reverse to the downside, then things might look a whole lot better for the 30-year US treasury.

Jay Kaeppel

Disclaimer: The information, opinions and ideas expressed herein are for informational and educational purposes only and are based on research conducted and presented solely by the author.  The information presented represents the views of the author only and does not constitute a complete description of any investment service.  In addition, nothing presented herein should be construed as investment advice, as an advertisement or offering of investment advisory services, or as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.  The data presented herein were obtained from various third-party sources.  While the data is believed to be reliable, no representation is made as to, and no responsibility, warranty or liability is accepted for the accuracy or completeness of such information.  International investments are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, political instability and the potential for illiquid markets.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  There is risk of loss in all trading.  Back tested performance does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of such performance.  Also, back tested performance results have certain inherent limitations and differs from actual performance because it is achieved with the benefit of hindsight.

Market Timing update 10-28-20

expert rating, expert system, market timing, trading strategy

It’s been a couple of months since we last looked at the Market Timing AI Expert System. Since that time the 400 rules that make up this AI system have generated a cluster of 3 down signals, followed by a buy signal and then most recently another down signal.

In this 7 minute video Steve Hill, CEO of AIQ Systems explores the signals and the confirmation techniques used to verfiy the ratings, together with the primary rules that fired.

Looking for Ideas “Off the Beaten Path”

educational newsletters, indexes, jay kaeppel

For the record, I am an avowed “trend-follower.”  But I also know that no trend lasts forever.  So, while I have gotten pretty good at “riding along”, I do – like most people – like to “look ahead” since I do know that the landscape will forever be changing.

So, with the caveat that none of what follows should be considered a “call to action”, only as a “call to pay attention”, let’s venture out “into the weeds.”

AIROIL

Here is an ugly pairing – airline stocks and traditional energy stocks – yikes!  In Figure 1 you see an index that I created and followed call AIROIL comprised of three airline stocks and five “Big Oil” stocks.  During the pandemic meltdown this index fell to a level not seen since 2007 before “bouncing”. 

Editors Note: 

Jay's AIROIL Index is built using the AIQ Data Manager by creating a list andcreating a group ticker (in this case AIROIL).  Stocks are inserted under the ticker and the index is then computed using  Compute Group/Sector indices.

Figure 1 – Jay’s AIROIL Index (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

In the bottom clip you see an indicator I call VFAA.  Note that when VFAA tops out and rolls over, meaningful advances in the index tend to follow.  In addition, VFAA is at a high level seen only once before in 2009. Following that reversal, the index rose almost 500% over the next 9 years.

So, is now a great time to pile into airlines and big oil?  One would have to be a pretty hard-core contrarian to pound the table on this one.  The airlines are in terrible shape due to the pandemic and vast uncertainty remains regarding when things might improve.  And “Big Oil” is about as unloved as any sector has ever been. 

So, am I suggesting anyone “load up” on airlines and oil?  Nope.  What I am saying is that I am watching this closely and that if and when VFAA “rolls over” I may look to commit some money to these sectors on a longer-term contrarian basis.

International/Commodities/Value

Also known of late as “the barking dogs”.  If you have had money committed to any or all of these asset classes in recent years you are shaking your head right about now.  These areas have VASTLY underperformed a simple “buy-and-hold the S&P 500 Index” approach for a number of years.

Is this state of affairs going to change anytime soon?  Regarding “anytime soon” – it beats me.  However, I am on the record as arguing that at some point this WILL change.  History makes one thing very clear – no asset class has a permanent edge.  So, given that the S&P 500 Index has beaten these above mentioned by such a wide margin for such a long time (roughly a decade or more) I am confident that one day in the next x years, the “worm will turn.”

Figure 2 displays an index that I created and follow that tracks an international ETF, a commodity ETF and a value ETF.  The VFAA indicator appears in the bottom clip. 

Figure 2 – Jay’s INTCOMVAL Index (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

Now if history is a guide, then the recent “rollover” by VFAA suggests that this particular grouping of asset classes should perform well in the coming years.  Two things to note:

1. There is no guarantee

2. There is absolutely no sign yet that “the turn” – relative to the S&P 500 – is occurring

Figure 3, 4 and 5 are “relative strength” charts from www.StockCharts.com.  They DO NOT display the price of any security; they display the performance of the first ETF list compared to the second ETF listed.  So, Figure 3 displays the performance of ticker EFA (iShares MSCI EAFE ETF which tracks a broad index of stocks from around the globe, excluding the U.S.) relative to the S&P 500 Index.

When the bars are trending lower it means EFA is underperforming SPY and vice versa.  The trend in Figure 3 is fairly obvious – international stocks continue to lose ground to U.S. large-cap stocks. 

Figure 3 – Ticker EFA relative to ticker SPY (Courtesy: www.StockCharts.com)

If your goal is to pick a bottom, have at it.  As for me, I am waiting for some “signs of life” in international stocks relative to U.S. stocks before doing anything.

Figure 4 displays ticker DBC (a commodity-based ETF) versus SPY and Figure 5 displays ticker VTV (Vanguard Value ETF) versus ticker VUG (Vanguard Growth ETF). Both tell the same tale as Figure 3 – unless you are an avowed bottom-picker there is no actionable intelligence.  Still, both these trends are now extremely overdone, so a significant opportunity may be forming. 

Figure 4 – Ticker DBC relative to ticker SPY (Courtesy: www.StockCharts.com)

Figure 5 – Ticker VTV relative to ticker VUG (Courtesy: www.StockCharts.com)

Summary

Two key points as succinctly as possible:

*Nothing is happening at the moment with everything displayed above…

*…But something will (at least in my market-addled opinion) – so pay close attention.

Jay Kaeppel

Disclaimer: The information, opinions and ideas expressed herein are for informational and educational purposes only and are based on research conducted and presented solely by the author.  The information presented represents the views of the author only and does not constitute a complete description of any investment service.  In addition, nothing presented herein should be construed as investment advice, as an advertisement or offering of investment advisory services, or as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.  The data presented herein were obtained from various third-party sources.  While the data is believed to be reliable, no representation is made as to, and no responsibility, warranty or liability is accepted for the accuracy or completeness of such information.  International investments are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, political instability and the potential for illiquid markets.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  There is risk of loss in all trading.  Back tested performance does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of such performance.  Also, back tested performance results have certain inherent limitations and differs from actual performance because it is achieved with the benefit of hindsight.

The Bartometer

Uncategorized

October 16, 2020

Hello Everyone,

Over the last month, the stock markets continue to climb 2-5%, but they are not at the highs seen in the beginning of September when my computer models gave us a Sell signal. Two weeks ago My AIQ models went on 2 Buy signals and are currently on a Buy-Hold signal. The markets are now again fairly valued and somewhat overvalued mainly due to the 30 largest technology stocks that have gone up 100-500% this year. These stocks are skewing the market averages to the upside and making you believe the markets are doing better than they actually are as a whole. The bond markets are up slightly over the last month.

Many people have asked me what a Biden election would do for the the stock market. THE MARKET knows what to expect from President Donald Trump: business-friendly policies, less regulation, tariffs on imports – generally, the forces that have helped define the Trump stock market. But a few weeks out from the election, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is up in the polls. So, what will happen to the stock market if Biden wins the general election this year?

First, it’s not about whether Biden wins or Trump wins. It’s also about who takes the Congress; if the Senate or House or both go Republican, then that could frustrate Biden’s agenda quite a bit. And Trump, if the Biden wins. Trumps policies are lower taxes for corporations and high net individuals and Bidens are to repeal those tax benefits. This could lead to lower corporate profits and lower earnings and lower stock prices. A Biden win could have positive benefits for Solar, wind and infrastructure companies. Overall, The increased tax rates will result in lower profits and likely lower share prices. This effect may be more than offset by a larger fiscal stimulus package passed by Congress and better trade relations with countries in Europe as well as with China. We will see what happens. If you are concerned about the direction of the markets after the election please call me over the next week to discuss your portfolio and how it may affect you. Remember, Biden is ahead on the polls and the market continues to rise. Why? Because earnings are continuing to rise and next year the economy should perfrom much better than it is doing currently. We are also going into seasonal strength from November to January. But I do expect potential major volatility over the next few months.

Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until October 16, 2020. These are passive indexes. Most of you are in mutual funds and this is not a representation of your investments. Yours can be higher or lower depending on your risk tolerance and financial goal objectives.

Dow Jones +2.0%
S&P 500 +9.0%
EQUAL WEIGHTED S&P 500 -3.0%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +28%
Large Cap Value -7.0%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap -1.0%
Midcap stock funds -9 to -2%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA -5%
Financial stocks -17%
Energy stocks -34%
Healthcare Stocks +7% Moderate Mutual Fund Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) Long duration +3%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +4% Floating Rate Bond Funds -1.6%
Short Term Bond +1.%
Fixed Bond Yields (10 year) .6% Yield

As you can see above, the only stock sectors that are benefitting are the companies benefitting by people being at home, from Zoom, to Amazon, to Facebook, gaming and more. Retail, manufacturing, airlines, value stocks, dividend stacks and many more are all down for the year.

Classicalprinicples.com and Robert Genetskis Excerpts:

Stocks were higher this past week with the Nasdaq and QQQs up 3%. Other major indexes were up 1⁄4% to 3⁄4%. There was little in the way of economic news to move markets. Earnings reports are just getting under way. My estimate is for S&P500 operating earnings of $30, up 23% from the second quarter but down 17% from a year ago. On balance, third quarter earnings reports should be a positive for stocks. Moreover, with the economy continuing to show signs of a strong recovery, investors should continue to anticipate a further recovery in earnings. In spite of the polls showing voters are likely to place Biden and Harris in charge of the nation’s policies, I continue to expect another four years of classical economic principles. In a democracy, the people get to choose which set of policies they’ll live under. I’m convinced voters will opt to continue the current set of policies.

A Look Back

Today’s report shows retail sales soared 2% in September. This brought quarterly sales 131⁄2% higher than the second quarter and up more than 5% from a year ago. The economy is close to having made a full recovery from its government- imposed shutdown. There is no need for another massive “stimulus” program, which would do more harm than good.

Weekly employment numbers continue to provide mixed signals. While weekly initial unemployment claims moved higher, insured unemployment payments and the insured unemployment ratescontinue to decline. Weekly initial unemployment claims increased close to 900,000 in the week of October 10th, up slightly from September’s average of 866,000. In contrast, the number of insured unemployment data show 10 million people received payments in the first week in October. This was down 21⁄2 million than at the beginning of September.

Despite concerns over a weak recovery, the S&P500 reached my estimate of fair value. In contrast, the Nasdaq has far exceeded all prior measures of reasonable valuation. How can stocks rise with the economy so weak? There are two reasons. First, the economy is not weak. It continues to recover rapidly. Second, monetary policy is more expansive than at any time in history.

Although stocks are either fully-valued or over-valued, they can still go higher. At this point, I’m comfortable continuing to ride the wave higher while holding 10% cash for use when the market corrects. Stay cautiously bullish.

Friday’s employment report shows a gain of 1.5 million private-sector workers in early July. The number of unemployed remains high at 16 million. The good news is that weekly unemployment insurance claims continued to improve through the end of July.

The ISM surveys of manufacturers and service companies also show employment contracting. However, these surveys show a strong surge in new orders, which will lead to an increase in jobs in August.

There are reasons why unemployment remains high. Given the uncertainty over the outlook, it’s natural to await new orders before hiring. Also, employers need to trim unessential costs to pay for the increased costs associated with the virus.

Finally, government payments not to work have appealed to many.

Source: Classical Principles.com

S&P 500 Chart Source: AIQsystems.com

The S&P 500 is above. As you can see the S&P 500 is about 2.5% above the old high hit in February 2020. The major reason is because the tech stocks like Apple, Tesla, Microsoft and the tech stocks continue to hit new highs while the value stocks and the dividend stocks continue to falter.

Remember, most stocks are down for the year. There is Buying Support at the OLD High of 3393 about 3% lower than where we are now and support at the Trend line of 3300. On the upside 3546 would be considered a breakout and positive. So, if there is a breakdown of the stock market over the next few weeks, 3393 will be a test. If my computer models go to a SELL signal and the S&P closes below 3393 I would raise cash and if the S&P 500 closes below the the Trendline currently 3300, I would raise more cash even though I think the economy will do better next year.

The first indicator under the price chart is the MACD or Moving Average Converge Divergence. It’s a measure of momentum When the Pink line crosses the blue line on the upside, then momentum and the markets look good and when they break on the downside we have to be more cautious. Currently things are ok.

The third graph is the level of markets being overbought and oversold. Currently the market is getting near a point where it is getting a little overbought. A few more positive days in the market and we will be very overbought.

The last graph is Stochastics. If the line rises above the 80 line as it currently is the market is getting somewhat overbought but it can stay like that for a while.

So we are getting over bought somewhat, the market can go higher from here but if it closes below the two support levels above I would get more Cautious.

The NASDAQ (WEEKLY CHART) is above. It represents the best in the COVID sector, Apple, ZOOM, Amzon, Activison, Microsoft, Shopify, Google, Facebook and more. These stocks are benefitting substantially by people staying at home. This sector will cool down when the vaccine becomes available, safe and effective. Up until that time the NASDAQ could do relatively better than the value sector or the manufacturing, financials, retail, airlines etc. There is a caveat that could happen and that is the technical break of the support levels. To the left is the TRENDLINE, notice it is again going straight up. It is approaching the old high of 12032. It’s cuurently at 11,671 about 2.5% below its old high. We will watch it daily, but if the NASDAQ closes below 11.593, currently, then it will have broken and close below a weekly and daily Trendline, at this point I would start to raise a little cash, because the NASDAQ is very overbought and could easily fall 5 – 10 % over the next month or two. We need to do our technical analysis daily. Currently, things look good, but we need to keep our eye on all situations going into the election. One year from now and longer term I think the global economy will do much better than it is now. But short term I am still concerned about the election and the future technical situation.

MACD or Moving Average Convergence Divergance or Momentum broke out to the upside and still looks ok. But if it breaks on the downside I will be more concerned. Currently, my computer models are not on a Sell, but it needs to be watched closely, especially now.

On Balance Voume is confirming the upside of the NASDAQ, this is a positive indicator that the NASDAQ should conitune on the upside, but things change quickly.

Chart Source:AIQsystems.com

  • Support levels on the S&P 500 area are 3458, 3392, 3306. 3544 is resistance.
  • NASDAQ Support, 11593, 11292, 11062, 10793, 10524 and 9,841
  • These may be safer areas to get into the equity markets on support levels slowly on the accumulation areas.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The market has rebounded nicely over the last month mainly because of earnings of companies beating expectations. The NASDAQ has done the best and should continue to do well IF the market continues higher. Once the vaccine become closer to a reality the value stocks should start to rise. But up until that time the large, mid and small growth stocks could continue to dominate. You may want to call me to review everything including your 401(k) to determine the best allocation going forward. There is a major trend-line right below the markets, see above. If those are broken on a Close I will get Cautious to Very Cautious. It is important for the trendlines and the 50 day moving average to hold or it could start a correction. I like the USA market better than the international market.

Best to all of you,

Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
Investment Advisor Representative
92 High Street
Thomaston, CT 06787
860-940-7020

Technical Analysis is based on a study of historical price movements and past trend patterns. There is no assurance that these market changes or trends can or will be duplicated shortly. It logically follows that historical precedent does not guarantee future results. Conclusions expressed in the Technical Analysis section are personal opinions: and may not be construed as recommendations to buy or sell anything.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are not necessarily the view of Sage Point Financial, Inc. and should not be interpreted directly or indirectly as an offer to buy or sell any securities mentioned herein. Securities and Advisory services offered through Sage Point Financial Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.
Past performance cannot guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Please note that individual situations can vary. Therefore, the information presented in this letter should only be relied upon when coordinated with individual professional advice. *There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will outperform a non-diversified portfolio in any given market environment. No investment strategy, such as asset allocation, can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.
It is our goal to help investors by identifying changing market conditions. However, investors should be aware that no investment advisor can accurately predict all of the changes that may occur in the market.
The price of commodities is subject to substantial price fluctuations of short periods and may be affected by unpredictable international monetary and political policies. The market for commodities is widely unregulated, and concentrated investing may lead to Sector investing may involve a greater degree of risk than investments with broader diversification.
Indexes cannot be invested indirectly, are unmanaged, and do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: A weighted price average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.
S&P 500: The S&P 500 is an unmanaged indexed comprised of 500 widely held securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.
NASDAQ: the NASDAQ Composite Index is an unmanaged, market-weighted index of all over the counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System
(IWM) I Shares Russell 2000 ETF: Which tracks the Russell 2000 index: which measures the performance of the small capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.
A Moderate Mutual Fund risk mutual has approximately 50-70% of its portfolio in different equities, from growth, income stocks, international and emerging markets stocks to 30-50% of its portfolio in different categories of bonds and cash. It seeks capital appreciation with a low to moderate level of current income.
The Merrill Lynch High Yield Master Index: A broad-based measure of the performance of non-investment grade US Bonds
MSCI EAFE: the MSCI EAFE Index (Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, and Far East Index) is a widely recognized benchmark of non-US markets. It is an unmanaged index composed of a sample of companies’ representative of the market structure of 20 European and Pacific Basin countries and includes reinvestment of all dividends.
Investment grade bond index: The S&P 500 Investment-grade corporate bond index, a sub-index of the S&P 500 Bond Index, seeks to measure the performance of the US corporate debt issued by constituents in the S&P 500 with an investment-grade rating. The S&P 500 Bond index is designed to be a corporate-bond counterpart to the S&P 500, which is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap US equities.
Floating Rate Bond Index is a rule-based, market-value weighted index engineered to measure the performance and characteristics of floating-rate coupon U.S. Treasuries, which have a maturity greater than 12 months.