Category Archives: educational newsletters

How to Know When to Worry About Inflation

commodities, educational newsletters, jay kaeppel

Inflation was a big deal – back in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  Since then it has been the subject of a whole lot of “the boy crying wolf” scenarios.  Take a look at Figure 1.  The red line displays the 12-month rate-of-change in the Consumer Price Index (i.e., the annual rate of inflation) since 1913.

Figure 1 – The Consumer Price Index (1913-2020)

Things to note, focusing on 1930 forward to the present:

*In the 1930’s we had deflation (actually much worse than inflation as the economy essentially spirals lower and slower) with the CPI reaching almost -10%

*There were peaks in the 15% range in the late 1940’s and late 70’s/early 80’s

*As you can see in the black box to the right hand side, inflation has been less than 5% annually for most of the last 35 years

As a result, most investors have been conditioned to not fret too much about inflation.  And any time spent actually worrying about inflation in the past several decades has been a waste of good anxiety.

But nothing lasts forever.  Especially in the financial markets, where things tend to move in a cyclical nature over long periods of time.  To illustrate this point with a random, yet related example, consider Figure 2 which displays the yield on 30-year treasury bonds since 1942.

Figure 2 – 30-year treasury bond yield (1942-2020) (Courtesy: www.StockCharts.com)

Since the early 1980’s, investors have been nicely rewarded for holding bonds – especially long-term bonds.  But from the mid 1950’s into 1980 the experience was much different (rising yields equate to lower bond prices).  Presumably someday rates will rise again and an entire generation of bond investors will have no idea what is happening to their investments (see here, here, here and here).  But for now, we are focusing on inflation.

How to Know When to Worry About Inflation

I’ll give you three things to follow. 

#1. Gold

In a recent paper co-authored by legendary trader Paul Tudor Jones (see here) the authors laid out the case for higher inflation in the years ahead and suggested gold bullion could reach $2,400 an ounce.  Is this a possibility?  Absolutely. 

Figure 3 displays from 2005 through 2012:

*ticker GLD (an ETF that tracks the price of gold bullion)

*my own index called ANTIGLD3 (components highlighted on right) with a Front Weighted Moving Average and a 55-week exponential moving average)

The ANTIGLD3 Index is a contrarian trend-following tool, i.e., when this index is in a downtrend it is bullish for gold and vice versa.

Figure 3 – Ticker GLD versus Jay’s ANTIGLD3 Index (2005-2012) (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

Figure 4 displays the same tickers from 2012 into 2020

Figure 4 – Ticker GLD versus Jay’s ANTIGLD3 Index (2012-2020) (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

The key thing to note in Figure 4 is that after several years of whipsaws the two trend-following indicators applied to ANTIGLD3 are in a clear downtrend (since this is a contrarian index that means it is purportedly bullish for gold). 

So, is it off to the races for gold?  I can’t say for sure. But it appears to be trying. Also note that gold can rally significantly in price for reasons other than inflation (see 2005-2011 rally)

I have positions in gold and gold stocks but not huge ones.  For whatever reason, so far, I am “not feeling it.”  As you will see in a moment, some inflation trend-following “things” that I watch have yet to confirm that inflation is an imminent threat at this exact moment.

But I am holding my positions just in case gold itself is the actual “leading indicator” in this story.

#2. The Aussie Dollar versus its 24-month moving average

I covered this in detail here so will not get too in-depth here.  But you can get the gist of it pretty simply from Figure 5. The top chart is ticker FXA with a 24-month exponential moving average and the bottom chart is ticker GSG which tracks the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index.

Figure 5 – Ticker FXA (top) and ticker GSG (bottom) (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

Long story short, commodities – or “hard assets”, are typically a good place to be during a period of sharply rising and/or high inflation – perform better when FXA is in an uptrend (i.e., above the 24-month EMA) than when below.  As of early July FXA has just moved above its 24-month EMA.  For the record, I usually only consider this at month-end.  So, check back after 7/31. 

If FXA establishes an uptrend, the likelihood of higher prices for commodities – including gold – rises. Thus, an uptrend for FXA would be another potential warning sign of impending inflation.

#3. TIPs versus Long-Term Treasuries

TIPs bonds are Treasury Inflation Protected securities, i.e., the principal can rise as inflation (based on the Consumer Price Index) rises (see here).  In other words, a TIP bond can gain value as inflation rises. Long-term treasuries on the other hand are the securities most likely to get hurt by a rise in inflation (as the rate of return is fixed once you buy the bond and a rise in inflation can reduce the future value and/or purchasing power of that fixed return). 

So, in a low inflationary period we typically see TIPs fall relative to long-term treasuries and during rising inflation we would expect to see TIPS rise relative to long-term bonds. 

Figure 6 displays the chart of ticker TIP relative to ticker TLT on a weekly basis (with a 200-wekk moving average) from www.StockCharts.com.

Figure 6 – Ticker TIP relative to ticker TLT (weekly) still trending lower (Courtesy: www.StockCharts.com)

The bottom line: While gold itself is attempting to breakout to the upside and the Aussie Dollar is trying to establish an uptrend, the TIP:TLT relationship is not presently indicating any meaningful inflationary concerns. 

Summary

Inflation has been low for about 35 years.  But as they say, “don’t go to sleep on it.” 

If you want to be objectively prepared, keep an eye on:

*Gold bullion (in an uptrend, confirmed by a downtrend in my “anti-gold index”)

*The Aussie Dollar (No trend at the moment, but trying to establish an uptrend)

*Ticker TIP versus ticker TLT (Nowhere close to an uptrend right now)

So one up, one down and one sideways.  But pay close attention going forward.

If and when all three establish uptrends, the game we’ve all been playing for several decades will likely change dramatically.

See also Jay Kaeppel Interview in July 2020 issue of Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities magazine

See also Jay’s “A Strategy You Probably Haven’t Considered” Video

See also Video – The Long-Term…Now More Important Than Ever

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 Ridiculous Seasonality of AMD

educational newsletters, jay kaeppel, seasonal

Don’t you hate it when some analyst analyzes historical data and then purports to find some “order” in the historical chaos?  Hi, my name is Jay.  And…it’s just kind of what I do.  Sorry, it’s just my nature.  Take for instance the ridiculous case of AMD.

Advanced Micro Devices – Ticker AMD

According to “Adjusted Close” price data from www.finance.yahoo.com ticker AMD advanced from $3.15 a share in March of 1980 to $56.39 by May 20, 2020.  Given that the stock has risen +1,693% on a buy-and-hold basis, it is not exactly a revelation that – particularly with the huge benefit of perfect hindsight – there was some money to be made by holding the stock.

But that is only part of the story.  For as it turns out, AMD is one of the most consistently “cyclical” stocks you may ever find.  Figure 1 displays the average annual price trend for AMD from 3/17/1980 through 12/31/1999.  In other words, period 1 along the bottom of the chart is January Trading Day #1, and so on, through the last trading day of December.

Figure 1 – Annual Seasonal Price Trend for AMD (1980-1999)

As you can see, the stock tended to rally sharply through the end of May, from mid-July through about late August, and from late October through the end of the year (or more accurately, through the end of the next May).

Declines typically occurred between about June 1st and late July and again during September into late October.

Ah, sweet hindsight.

But what are the odds that any of this was meaningful after 1999?  I’m glad you asked.  Because that’s where the ridiculous part comes in. 

2000-2020

Figure 2 plots the same 1980-1999 annual seasonal price trend for AMD along with the annual seasonal trend for AMD from 2000-2019.  Notice any similarities? 

Figure 2 – Annual Seasonal Price Trend for AMD; 1980-1999 and 2000-2020

So, let’s make the ridiculous (there’s that word again) assumption that some (lucky) investor had started trading in and out of AMD on an annual basis the following seasonal calendar

Figure 3 – Annual Seasonal Bullish and Bearish Periods

Some how did the “walk forward” period of 2000 into late May-2020 compare to the “hindsight” period of 1980-1999?  Well there is good news and bad news.

The bad news is that results for each period was not quite as good during 2000-2020 as they were during 1980-1999.  The good news is that the 2000-2020 results were still pretty darn compelling.

Figure 4 – AMD performance during Bullish and Bearish Periods

The bottom line: The “bullish” periods have to continued to be quite bullish and the “bearish” periods continue to be quite bearish.

For the record, between March 1980 and May 2020:

*$1,000 in AMD on a buy-and-hold basis grew to $17,925

*$1,000 in AMD ONLY during the two “bullish” period discussed grew to $587,558,351

Let’s face it, these are – here I go again – ridiculous numbers.  And it should be pointed out that an investor holding AMD only during the “Bullish” periods would have suffered 4 separate drawdowns in excess of -50%, including a -79%(!) drawdown in 2008-2009.  See Figure 5.  So, don’t anybody get “stars in their eyes.”

Figure 5 – Drawdowns during Bullish Periods

At the same time, it is still better than the drawdown racked up during the “bearish” periods, which checks in at a cool -99.9867%.  See Figure 6.

Figure 6 – Drawdowns during Bearish Periods

Where We Are

AMD has been in a “bullish” period since the 19th trading day of October 2019, and this period will last until the close on 5/29/2020.  Through 5/20/2020 AMD is up +73% during the current bullish period (i.e., pandemic, schmandemic).  See Figure 7.

Figure 7 – AMD during recent “Bullish” period (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

The next “bearish” period will last from the close on 5/29/2020 through the close on 7/23/2020.

Summary

So, in hindsight, the annual seasonal pattern for AMD tracked very closely with the annual seasonal pattern for the previous 20 years.  But what about the next 20 years?  Ah, there’s the rub. Despite the fact that the annual seasonal trend for the past 20 years very closely mirrored the annual seasonal trend for the prior 20 years, it is not possible to state with any certainty what the next 20 years hold. 

Still, if I decide to trade AMD I will probably consult my calendar first.

See also Jay’s “A Strategy You Probably Haven’t Considered” Video

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

educational newsletters, ETFS, indexes, market timing, Mutual funds, portfolio management

May 8, 2020

Hello Everyone,

I hope all of you are keeping healthy in this pandemic. Some of you may have had the COVID-19 virus or have a family member who may have contracted it, but for the most part as a whole, we are working together to get through this and doing okay.

RECAP:

Last month I illustrated the previous time we have a virus that was similar to the Coronavirus, and that was the Spanish Flu back in 1918. It was a horrible time where more than 51 million and some estimates are up to 100 million people died. More than 675,000 people died from the Spanish flu in the U.S. It infected more than 50 million people worldwide and was a disaster. There was very little anyone could do during that time, and there was little medicinal relief. The Spanish Flu is called the most significant
medical holocaust in history. And yet the stock markets in this country fell 34% from the beginning of the flu to the lowest part in the stock market. A year later, it went up 80% approximately from its low to its high. Am I saying this will happen again? No, I’m not planning on it, but if the world recovered from a 50 million person loss and a massive pandemic it had when the world population was much smaller, then we should recover and move beyond this as well.

Over the last month, the stock and bond markets, especially the NASDAQ, have soared with the NASDAQ now up 1.66% for the year. The reason is that with most people confined to their homes, stocks like Amazon, Google, Netflix, Facebook, Microsoft, Zoom, DocuSign, and more are being used, contributing to their earnings and revenues dramatically. Stocks like Airlines, cruise ships, restaurants, manufacturing, and many more are not doing well. That is why you will see below that the sectors in terms of which areas are declining and which are growing are very different.

CURRENT TRENDS:

The growth sector has done relatively well, but only a few large companies have contributed. These few large companies are why the Equal Weighted S&P 500 is -16.2% but the regular S&P is down 9%. I continue to like the large tech and health care companies, the NASDAQ is nearing the end of its game, and it is not much below its high it hit in February. The Midcaps are down 18-23% this year, and particular issues have more of a potential move upward, in my opinion. A year or two out from this point, I think this sector and the markets should be nicely higher. Can it go down from here into the fall and winter if we have a second wave down? Absolutely, but it is an excellent time to add money to your equity side in a diversified portfolio over the next 6 months. Many people are doubling up their contributions on a monthly basis. If you are more than five years before retirement, you may want to think about doing something similar. If stocks are cheap then isn’t it smart to buy when they are reasonably priced if over the long term the market should be higher?

Have we gone down this much over the last 50 years? Yes, many times. Has it recovered each time? Yes. Because capitalism works and good companies over the long term make money, we are all in this together.

Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until May 8, 2020. These are passive indexes.
Dow Jones -14.0%
S&P 500 -9.0%
EQUAL WEIGHTED S&P 500 -16.1%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +1.66%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap -20%
Midcap stock funds -18-23%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA -19.0%
Financial stocks -27%
Energy stocks -34%
Healthcare Stocks -.50%

Moderate Mutual Fund Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) Long duration -8.5%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index -9.4% Floating Rate Bond Funds -7.3%
Short Term Bond -3.52%
Fixed Bond Yields (10 year) .68% Yield
As you see above, the only index doing well is Large tech. You should have this sector, but most everything else is starting to recover.

Classicalprinicples.com and Robert Genetskis Excerpts:

After soaring a week ago, stock prices turned mixed. The Nasdaq and Nasdaq 100 were up 1% and 4%, while the S&P 500 and Dow fell 1%, and small caps were down 2% to 4%.

The economic collapse in April has led forecasters to revise downward estimates of the decline in output, employment, and profits. Last week I expected the economy would begin to recover in May. It will. Unfortunately, ongoing restrictions from Governors and the stimulus bill will limit the initial stage of the recovery. Due to these current restrictions, means the economy will not show signs of a meaningful recovery until June at the earliest.

As a result, the financial damage to the economy in terms of lost output, jobs, wages and salaries, profits and debt will continue for another month

While several technology companies are holding up well, non-tech companies are suffering. And few companies are willing to guide earnings.

The 800-pound gorilla continues to be the outlook for the virus. Containing the spread of the virus remains a crucial problem.

Some countries and states succeed without a lockdown, while others are less successful. Due to the differing results, it raises the near-term uncertainties over how quickly the economy can recover. If setbacks occur, stocks will be vulnerable.

Despite a 15%+ unemployment rate in April and probably higher in May, the stock prices continue to anticipate better times and a recovery in the markets. I am optimistic longer term for the stock markets, although the short term could be more volatile.

Dr. Genetski’s opinion is that every person and circumstance is different. There are no guarantees expressed or implied in any part of this correspondence.
Source: Classical Principles.com

DOW JONES

As you can see the Dow went down to the 18,300 level and has risen to the 50% Fibonacci Level at 23,901. In other words when markets decline, they tend to retrace much of the decline at the 23.8%, the 50% the 61.8% and the 78.6% level and stall and reverse. Notice at the 23901 level the Dow tended to hang around there for a couple of weeks and tried to go up to the next level at the 25236 level. This is the next level where the Dow Jones could stall if it keeps rising. The Dow Jones is made up of a lot of large industrial, and value stocks that have really not participating in the rally as much as the NASDAQ tech stocks seen on the next page. Watch for a trend line break of 23901 to confirm another down leg to the 22565 if it is on big volume. This is short term. Long term I am still positive over the next 2 years or so, when we get a vaccine and a treatment, and more herd immunity.

The SK-SD stochastics model. If it is above the 88 level like it is now the market is a little over bought and this means don’t buy now short term.
Volume over the last month or so the market has been rising on low volume. This means people are afraid to commit and there may not be a lot of conviction on the rally.

NASDAQ QQQ

The true Champ this year again has been the NASDAQ. These stocks include, Facebook, Amazon, Docusign, Paypal, Mcrosoft, Netflix, etc. All of the stocks that benefit by you and your businesses being home. This QQQ are the top 100 NASDAQ stocks and is now up 3% plus for the year while everything else in the normal world is down 16-38%. The QQQ is now getting a little OVERBOUGHT so I would not go out and buy a bunch of tech stocks here. In fact, the QQQ is approaching a pretty substantial resistance level. The first is a gap fill and could bring the QQQ to 230.55 and reverse or it could reach its old high of 237 and reverse. Longer term I think it will break through the old high, but we are now getting to a point I think the QQQ has gone up as far as it should. So watch the 230.55 to fill the gap and reverses or the old high of 237 area.

The SK-SD Stochastics is overbought just like it was in the Dow Jones.
The Momentum indicator gave a Buy signal at the blue arrow as it as the pink crossed the blue line, if it crosses the blue lien going down it is a SELL. This large tech area is still long term bullish, but short term I would take a few chips off the table as an index. The midcap, small cap and large cap value sector has a lot more to recover.

If the QQQ falls or closes below 216.8 or breaks the trend line I am getting Cautious to very Cautious.

SUPPORT LEVELS:

 Support levels on the S&P 500 area are 2882, 2796, 2649, and 2500. These might be accumulation levels, especially 2649, or 2500. 2936 and 3015 is resistance.
 Support levels on the NASDAQ are 9036, 8612, and 7856 Topping areas 9323 to 9573.
 On the Dow Jones support is at 23,901, 22,569, and 20912. Topping areas 25,236 and 27,077.
 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 on the NASDAQ tech stocks that benefit from people staying at home and using all of the tech companies to their benefits. This stay “at home” policy has increased demand for technology, and why the internet stocks have done so well. The other part of the markets from the financial to energy and other value stocks are still down from 18-33%. It is all about the growth sector that is benefiting the most. Over the long term, I am very bullish on the market, but over a short time, I can see a topping or sideways to down on the large growth companies as they are now reasonably priced. If the market continues to do well, I would expect the Midcaps to start to outperform. But there is a caveat. There are trend-line right below the markets, and if they are broken and close below those areas, then the markets could start a correction again. Trend-lines are essential to hold. If they don’t hold, then there could be a setback to support the levels stated above. I still like the USA market better than the international one.

Best to all of you,

Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
Investment Advisor Representative
5 Colby Way
Avon, CT 06001
860-940-7020 or 860-404-0408



SECURITIES AND ADVISORY SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH SAGE POINT FINANCIAL INC., MEMBER FINRA/SIPC, AND SEC-REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR.

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, and 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.

Money Flow; The Money Flow Index (MFI) is a momentum indicator that measures the flow of money into and out of a security over a specified period. It is related to the Relative Strength Index (RSI) but incorporates volume, whereas the RSI only considers SK-SD Stochastics. When an oversold stochastic moves up through its MA, a buy signal is produced. Furthermore, Lane recommends that the stochastic line be smoothed twice with three-period simple moving averages: SK is the three-period simple moving average of K, and SD is the three-period simple moving average of SK

Rising Wedge; A rising wedge is a technical indicator, suggesting a reversal pattern frequently seen in bear markets. This pattern shows up in charts when the price moves upward with pivot highs and lows converging toward a single point known as the apex

Financials – Danger or Opportunity? Or Both?

EDS, educational newsletters, jay kaeppel, Mutual funds

To say that there is has been and remains a great deal of angst in the financial markets is a bit of an understatement. This is especially true when it comes to the financial sector.  The financial sector has a fairly high correlation to treasury yields (ticker FSRBX – Fidelity Select Banking Portfolio has a 0.52 correlation to ticker TNX – which tracks 10-year treasury yields).  As yields have plummeted so has the financial sector.  During the recent decline, FSRBX plunged -51% from its December 2019 peak.  With little expectation of higher rates anytime soon a lot of investors are understandably wary of diving into this sector.

But much like with the energy sector, the old adage that the time to buy is when there is “blood in the streets”, should give one pause before they turn their back completely on the financial sector.  For the time being I am keeping my eye on a little-known indicator called “Vixfixaverageave” (yes, I agree it is a really bad name).  The calculations for this indicator appear at the end of this article.  The reason I am watching it right now is that it recently reached a very oversold level that has helped to highlight some useful buying opportunities for financials in the past.

Ticker FSRBX

Figure 1 displays a monthly chart for FSRBX in the top clip and the Vixfixaverageave indicator in the bottom clip.  Note that the indicator rose above 72 at the end of April 2020.  As you can see there have been four previous occasions when this indicator, a) exceeded 72 and then b) reversed lower for one month.  For arguments sake we will call that a buy signal.

Figure 1 – Ticker FSRBX with indicator Vixfixaverageave (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)

Figure 2 displays the 1 to 5 year % + (-) for FSRBX following the four previous signals.  As you can see, they all proved to be exceptional buying opportunities.

Figure 2 – FSRBX returns 1 to 5 years after signal

Now for the disappointing news: if you are thinking that all we have to do is wait for this indicator to finally top out and that big profits are “guaranteed” to roll in, you are making a mistake.  As they say, “past performance is no guarantee of future results.”  (Sorry, I don’t make the rules).  So, when the Vixfixaverageave monthly reading for FSRBX does finally roll over, the proper course of action would be to:

*Decide if you really want to act based on the signal

*Decide how much capital you are willing to commit

*Decide how much of that capital you are actually willing to risk – i.e. will you stop out if a loss exceeds x%, or do you plan to simply hold it for 1 to 5 years regardless?

Summary

There are a million and one ways to trigger an entry signal.  The one discussed herein is just one more.  What really separates the winners from the losers is the answers to the three questions just posed.

Vixfixaverageave Calculations 

EDITTORS NOTE: The code sections can be copied and pasted into AIQ EDS or you can download the indicator code in an EDS file from here and save it to your /wintes32/EDS Strategies folder.

This indicator is based on another indicator called VixFix which was developed many years ago by Larry Williams.

hivalclose is hival([close],22).  <<<<<The high closing price in that last 22 periods

vixfix is (((hivalclose-[low])/hivalclose)*100)+50. <<<(highest closing price in last 22 periods minus current period low) divided by highest closing price in last 22 periods (then multiplied by 100 and 50 added to arrive at vixfix value)

vixfixaverage is Expavg(vixfix,3). <<< 3-period exponential average of vixfix

vixfixaverageave is Expavg(vixfixaverage,7). <<<7-period exponential average of vixfixaverage

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

educational newsletters, ETFS, indexes, market timing, Mutual funds, portfolio management

April 7, 2020

Hello Everyone,

The 2020 COVID-19 Virus has adversely affected the entire world, and this will go down as one of the most volatile years in the stock and bond market in generations and even more volatile than the 2008 Bear Market.

CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS:

This reason is that the declines came over eight days and not like the 2007-2009 decline which took a year and one half. The great recession of 2008 was a humanmade financial problem and this is a virus where very few are working. In the Recession of 2008, people were at least going to work and going out and spending money to support the economy. Now we are all destined to stay in the house unless we have an essential business. But the U.S. Government is doing everything it can to give grants and forgivable loans so that the economy doesn’t totally crash. That is better than in 2008. It is still serial to be confined to your house or go for a walk.

When we get our statement of our investments from our 401(k) s or from these accounts, you will see pretty large drops in values in the investment account and you will wonder if this is all worth it to stay in it or are we all destined just to make 1-3% in a savings account or a 3% fixed annuity with me. Right now getting 3% with no fees looks pretty good.

If you believe that good stocks and funds from successful growing businesses do well over the long term and this sell-off in the markets are BUYING opportunities over the next few months you may want to dollar cost average into the markets. If you believe that this COVID-19 virus will soon be over within months and that 1 to 3 years from now the markets will be higher than they are now is it worth holding on OR Buying more when markets are lower? The question is if you are buying or investing for the next 1-20 years. Do you like suitable stock and bond investments that are cheap now or more expensive? If your answer is yes, than you may want to average into the markets over the next few months as it is down during this pandemic.

MARKET RECAP:

On my last 3 Bartometers I was getting and got Very Cautious about the stock and bond markets, but did I expect this? Not really. I said if the NASDAQ broke 9200, I will get very Cautious but a 25 to 35% decline I did not expect. The markets had rallied 20%+ from the low hit a couple of weeks ago but still, the markets are down 17-20% into 2020. Are we in a recession now? I’d say yes, but it is forced because of COVID-19, but it will be one just because of the number of people laid off.

In the following pages are discussions of the long term of the markets, what do in a Bear market and my technicals of the markets going forward. But above I would like to say that even though American Capitalism is under fire, and also though the market got hurt as well as our portfolios, we will rise to the COVID-19 challenge like any other war or attack on the United States of America going back to the Revolutionary War to WW1, WW2, and all the other wars we had in our history. This country and its citizens will find a vaccine to this virus and I believe in my heart that 1 to 2 years from now this market should be nicely higher. Dollar-cost averaging currently buying a lower priced shares of good companies should, with no guarantees expressed or implied, be a good deal higher over the next few years. What do you think? Have we gone down this much over the last 50 years? Yes, many times. Has it recovered each time? Yes. Because capitalism works and good companies over the long term make money.

Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until April 7, 2020. These are passive indexes.
*Dow Jones -20%
S&P 500 -17%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth -9%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap -31%
Midcap stock funds -29%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA -22%
Investment Grade Bond -4%
High Yield Bond -13%
Government bond +4%
The average Moderate Fund is down -16% this year fully invested as a 65% in stocks and 35% in bonds and nothing in the money market.

WANT TO SHOW YOU THE YEAR BY YEAR RETURNS OF THE S&P 500 TOTAL RETURNS BY YEAR

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MARKETS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND SPANISH FLU IN 1917-1918:

The stock market today is looking a lot like it did a century ago, and if Great Hill Capital’s Thomas Hayes’s interpretation of the trendlines is on point, the bottom could be approaching.

“Just as the market started discounting the worst-case scenario in 1917,” he wrote, “it was already discounting a recovery months before the worst-case scenario occurred in 1918.”

What was going on in 1917? The Spanish Flu was just starting to bubble up, with the deadliest month of the whole pandemic not hitting until October 1918 — by then, as you can see from this chart, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -1.68% had already begun to heal.


Hayes then posted this chart of the modern-day market plunge, noting that the nasty drawdowns amid the early stages of both pandemics were virtually the same.

More than 51 million people died globally in the Spanish Flu Pandemic, and the market rebounded more than 80% in the following two years from its bottom to top. This is no guarantee the market will rally that much or at all, but the USA is now better equipped to handle a massive Pandemic then in 1918 to 1919. Also, many companies are internet companies that could do well as people shop and do business over the internet; in addition, it is much more diversified and global than it was in 1918. For these reasons and more, I believe that the long term is more promising now for a recovery over the next 1 to 2 years.

There is one caveat; the Commodity index is right near its low of 2009, where it found it at a 29-year support level. If that breaks through that level, then we can go into a deeper recession for a more extended period.
The market rebound depends on how quickly the government fixes this problem and people go back to work. I am optimistic over the next two years; but understand a recession should happen at least for a few quarters. I think the Recession should be relatively short term.

Since this graph was made a week ago, look at the next page and it is up to date. COMPARE the next graph to the Pandemic of 1918 and it is starting to look more like it. There is no guarantee expressed or implied, but look at the Pandemic and then the updated Dow on the next page.

The Dow Jones is above. This is the Daily Chart. As you can see, the decline of the Dow Jones Average was relatively very quick. Current is sitting at 22653 right BELOW THE 50% Fibonacci retracement level. A normal BEAR market usually tops on a countertrend rally right at a 50% or 61.8% Fibonacci level and declines or puts in a short top. So if this is true in this case there could be resistance at 23,901 or 25,236 area. There is also some resistance at the 200 day moving average at 26,660 and sloping downward. My AIQ models gave a BUY on 3/24/2020, but only a short term Buy not a longer term Weekly Buy. So even though the market is somewhat short term Bullish, there could be a short term top at 23,901, 25,236 or the 26,660 areas.

Momentum is good but can change quickly on the downside after earnings come out that will be bad. A buy signal is giving when the lavender line crosses blue line and Sell signal when it does it on the downside

One thing I don’t like is the On Balance Volume Line. Notice as the market is going up it is going up on low relative volume. This is somewhat negative. Over all I think the market should be higher when this is all done and when there is a vaccine and people go on living their normal lives it should be better. This market will be volatile. The market may continue on the upside but over the short term I think the rally is limited to the levels I said above on the Fibonacci levels and the 200 day moving average. In addition, the market may not like the earnings numbers over the next couple of weeks and the market could drop again towards 20000 or below again.

Key investor Points to remember in a Bear Market:

  • Stay calm and keep a long-term perspective.
  • Maintain a balanced and broadly diversified portfolio.
  • Balance equity portfolios with a mix of dividend-paying companies and growth stocks.
  • Choose funds with a strong history of weathering market declines.
  • Use high-quality bonds to help offset equity volatility.
  • Advisors can help investors navigate periods of market volatility

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The market has had its worst decline in 10 years. It has recovered about 35% of the loss over the last week. It is not a time to sell during this decline in my opinion but for some of you it would a great time to start to nibble in your mutual funds on setbacks because the COV19 virus should be controlled over the next year and if you look at all of the virus pandemics we have had, it has been a good time to Buy if your goals are longer term. It is not a time to throw caution to the wind but call me to make selective dollar-cost average buys. In addition, when EARNINGS come out in the next 2 weeks the stock market could go back down again. Remember you buy when there is blood in the streets. Bonds should be more in the investment-grade or short- term investment grade side. If you are a long-term investor and have 20 years+ towards retirement use sell-offs to add through dollar-cost averaging. Diversification is essential but portfolios should be somewhat safer.

Best to all of you,

Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
Investment Advisor Representative
5 Colby Way
Avon, CT 06001
860-940-7020 or 860-404-0408



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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, and 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.
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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.

Money Flow; The Money Flow Index (MFI) is a momentum indicator that measures the flow of money into and out of a security over a specified period. It is related to the Relative Strength Index (RSI) but incorporates volume, whereas the RSI only considers SK-SD Stochastics. When an oversold stochastic moves up through its MA, a buy signal is produced. Furthermore, Lane recommends that the stochastic line be smoothed twice with three-period simple moving averages: SK is the three-period simple moving average of K, and SD is the three-period simple moving average of SK

Rising Wedge; A rising wedge is a technical indicator, suggesting a reversal pattern frequently seen in bear markets. This pattern shows up in charts when the price moves upward with pivot highs and lows converging toward a single point known as the apex