Recording of FREE 90-minute AIQ Zoom meet on September 7, 2023.
In this 90-minute session, Steve Hill, CEO of AIQ Systems looked at Market Timing based on Sector Rotation + David Wozniak of TFR will cover a Mid-Year Market Forecast
Please note due to recording issues the first 5 minutes of the session has some external noise.
April 10, 2021
Hello Everyone,
The stock markets continue to rise over the last month with the Value sector leading the way. The energy, financial, airlines, cruise ship sector and more have followed right along the last few months as well. Over the short term the Value sector still looks good going forward with the recovery of the economy and the realization that the Covid 19 virus will soon subside. I still like the growth sector involving technology over the longer term, but the sector that should outperform shorter term as the economy is recovering is the value sector. On the Bartometer at the end of last year I thought the S&P 500 would hit 4200-4400. As of Friday the S&P was 4094. My AIQ Trading Expert and my other technical computer algorithms are still at a BUY-HOLD signal. Remember that this market is very overvalued and is selling at 24 times earnings, and is currently 21% overvalued based on earnings and interest rates.. Earnings growth has to be great for this market to continue higher.
Interest rates have climbed to the 1.7% level on the 10-year government bond. Bonds, in general, have fallen this year from 0-to 13%, with Floating rate bonds actually rising 2% in 2021. Floating rate bonds and variable interest rate bonds both pay a higher rate as interest rates rise. The interest rate rise over the short term should be more subdued based on Federal Chairman Reserve Powell’s testimony that he is dovish on interest rate rises. I believe over the longer term with the deficit continuing to rise that the market will push interest rates higher. I also believe that inflationary pressures will also push the need for interest rates to rise over the next year or two. Allocations for bonds in your portfolio should be more concentrated in shorter duration, and in the floating rate bond sector/ Treasury inflation-protected Strips or TIPS. Please call me to strategize your portfolio holistically.
Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until April 09, 2021.
Dow Jones +10.97%
S&P 500 +10.0%
EQUAL WEIGHTED S&P 500 +14%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +7.58%
Large Cap Value +9.68%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap +13.34%
Midcap stock funds +14.0%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA +9%
International Emerging Markets +3.6%
Financial stocks +13%
Energy stocks +28%
Healthcare Stocks +.9% Moderate Mutual Fund Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) Long duration +5.1%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +1.4% Floating Rate Bond Funds +1.7%
Short Term Bond +.0%
Multi sector bond funds +.3% Gold -8.43% Long Term 20 year Bond fund -12% 10 year Bond Yield 1.62%
Classicalprinciples.com and Robert Genetskis Excerpts
Market Outlook
Stocks turned in a mixed performance this past week. The Nasdaq and QQQs had the biggest gains while the S&P500 and Dow rose to new all-time highs. In contrast, small-cap stocks fell ½%. Weekly moves show stocks rotating into and out of different areas, while the overall market trend continues to be positive.
The main force behind the upward move is a highly expansive Fed policy. Monetary stimulus creates a surplus of liquidity for stocks and ignited gains in business activity. This week’s sharp reversal in longer-term interest rates provided another spark for sending prices higher
The Biden Administration tried to discourage investors by proposing more destructive policies. Investors were not discouraged. Cautious statements by some Democrats are viewed as a possible barrier to the more these destructive policy proposals. The Fed continues to add kindling to the inflationary fire and promises it will continue to do so. Although longer-term interest rates moved lower this past week, implied inflation expectations remain high. The implied inflation expectation is currently 2.3%. It is measured by subtracting the inflation-adjusted 10-year T-bond yield from the actual 10-year T-bond yield.
Although core inflation rates remain very low, the bond market expects higher inflation. The market is more reliable. As for stocks, the gains in the S&P500 move the index to 21% above fundamental value.
Stocks are overextended and the risks of a reversal, or at least a leveling off, are rising. In spite of the heightened risks and the likelihood for some temporary setback, ongoing monetary stimulus has the potential to continue to drive stock prices higher.
Stock Valuation: S&P 500 21% Overvalued
Economic Fundamentals: Positive
Monetary Policy; Highly Expansive
.
Source: Classical Principles.com
S & P 500
The market weighted S&P 500 which weights the largest companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google and more. This index is up 10% in 2021. 500 of the largest stocks in the USA are in this index. If you look to thchart above you will see an ASCENDING CHANNEL. An ascending channel is Bullish and if it breaks out above the top of the channel it can signal a Continuation of the move higher. Many times the market will top out at the top of the channel, right where it is now. If it breaks down below the channel then it can signal a possible trend change. There is a definite channel trend here HIGHER. But could have a short term setback here.
The indicator below the price chart is the MACD, or momentum indicator has turned to the upside, See the pink line breaking out of the blue line, another Bullish signal
The bottom indicator is SD-SK Stochastics is now above the 88 line and clearing shows an overbought situation in the stock market. Even though the market indicators are BULLISH, and 21% overvalued, we have to be wondering when all of this upside will stop. I thought 4200 to 4400 on the S&P 500. That is a 2-7% move from here. It can go higher than that, we will see. Earnings are coming out and if they show a clear cut blowout in earnings then the market should continue higher, but we have to keep aware of the overvalued nature of the market.
Chart Source: AIQsystems.com
Support levels
S&P 500 4040, 3919, 3870, 3655.
NASDAQ 13,611, 13,472, 13012.
Dow Jones 33280, 29280
These may be safer areas to get into the equity markets on support levels slowly on the accumulation areas.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The market continues to look ok albeit very overvalued based on earnings and interest rates. I still think the market could reach my 4200-4400 or higher before the end of the year or higher and the economy should be higher than where we are today. I am worried that interest rates over the next year or so will be higher than 2% on the ten-year bond. Markets usually have a more serious correction if the 10-year bond goes above 2.75% to 3%. We are far from that point. I still like Value stocks for the short term and growth for the mid to long term as growth stocks is where the real growth in the economy should be. The NASDAQ stocks have underperformed for the year but, if you are longer-term investors then have a mix of growth and Value stocks or funds. I have been suggesting a higher percentage of small and midcap value and growth funds over the last 5 months and now the smaller stocks are overvalued and a reduction of smaller stocks may be in order. In addition, the Price to Earnings in the market is over 24 times earnings, this indicates a much-overvalued market. If you are within a year of retirement you may want to take some profits if you made money and wait for a better entry. It all depends on your goals and risk tolerance.
Best to all of you,
Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
Investment Advisor Representative
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
If you have any questions, please call me at 860-940-7020.
Joe Bartosiewicz, CFP®
92 High Street
Thomaston, CT 06787 and
7501 East MCDowell RD #2172 Scottsdale, AZ 85257
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.
In many ways the markets imitate life. For example, the trend is your friend. You may enjoy your friendship with the trend for an indefinite length of time. But the moment you ignore it – or just simply take it for granted that this friendship is permanent, with no additional effort required on your part – that’s when the trouble starts.
For the stock market right now, the bullish trend is our friend. Figure 1 displays the 4 major indexes all above their respective – and rising – long-term moving averages. This is essentially the definition of a “bull market.”
Figure 1 – 4 Major Indexes in Bullish Trends (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
In addition, a number of indicators that I follow have given bullish signals in the last 1 to 8 months. These often remain bullish for up to a year. So, for the record, with my trusted trend-following, oversold/thrust and seasonal indicators mostly all bullish I really have no choice but to be in the bullish camp.
Not that I am complaining mind you. But like everyone else, I try to keep my eyes open for potential signs of trouble. And of course, there are always some. One of the keys to long-term success in the stock market is determining when is the proper time to actually pay attention to the “scary stuff.” Because scary stuff can be way early or in other cases can turn out to be not that scary at all when you look a little closer.
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the scary stuff.
Valuations
Figure 2 displays an aggregate model of four separate measures of valuation. The intent is to gain some perspective as to whether stocks are overvalued, undervalued or somewhere in between.
Figure 2 – Stock Market valuation at 2nd highest level ever (Courtesy: www.advisorperspectives.com)
Clearly the stock market is “overvalued” if looked at from a historical perspective. The only two higher readings preceded the tops in 1929 (the Dow subsequently lost -89% of its value during the Great Depression) and 2000 (the Nasdaq 100 subsequently lost -83% of its value).
Does this one matter? Absolutely. But here is what you need to know:
*Valuation IS NOT a timing indicator. Since breaking out to a new high in 1995 the stock market has spent most of the past 25 years in “overvalued” territory. During this time the Dow Industrials have increased 700%. So, the proper response at the first sign of overvaluation should NOT be “SELL.”
*However, ultimately valuation DOES matter.
Which leads directly to:
Jay’s Trading Maxim #44: If you are walking down the street and you trip and fall that’s one thing. If you are climbing a mountain and you trip and fall that is something else. And if you are gazing at the stars and don’t even realize that you are climbing a mountain and trip and fall – the only applicable phrase is “Look Out Below”.
So, the proper response is this: instead of walking along and staring at the stars, keep a close eye on the terrain directly in front of you. And watch out for cliffs.
Top 5 companies as a % of S&P 500 Index
At times through history certain stocks or groups of stocks catch “lightning in a bottle.” And when they do the advances are spectacular, enriching anyone who gets on board – unless they happen to get on board too late. Figure 3 displays the percentage of the S&P 500 Index market capitalization made up by JUST the 5 largest cap companies in the index at any given point in time.
Figure 3 – Top 5 stocks as a % of S&P 500 Index market cap (Courtesy: www.Bloomberg.com)
The anecdotal suggestion is pretty obvious. Following the market peak in 2000, the five stocks listed each took a pretty significant whack as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 – Top Stocks after the 2000 Peak
Then when we look at how far the line in Figure 3 has soared in 2020 the obvious inference is that the 5 stocks listed for 2020 are due to take a similar hit. And here is where it gets interesting. Are MSFT, AAPL, AMZN, GOOGL and FB due to lose a significant portion of their value in the years directly ahead?
Two thoughts:
*There is no way to know for sure until it happens
*That being said, my own personal option is “yes, of course they are”
But here is where the rubber meets the road: Am I presently playing the bearish side of these stocks? Nope. The trend is still bullish. Conversely, am I keeping a close eye and am I willing to play the bearish side of these stocks? Yup. But not until they – and the overall market – actually starts showing some actual cracks.
One Perspective on AAPL
Apple has been a dominant company for many years, since its inception really. Will it continue to be? I certainly would not bet against the ability of the company to innovate and grow its earnings and sales in the years ahead. Still timing – as they say – is everything. For what it is worth, Figure 5 displays the price-to-book value ratio for AAPL since January 1990.
Figure 5 – AAPL price-to-book value ratio (Data courtesy of Sentimentrader.com)
Anything jump out at you?
Now one can argue pretty compellingly that price-to-book value is not the way to value a leading technology company. And I probably agree – to a point. But I can’t help but look at Figure 5 and wonder if that point has possibly been exceeded.
Summary
Nothing in this piece is meant to make you “bearish” or feel compelled to sell stocks. For the record, I am still in the bullish camp. But while this information DOES NOT constitute a “call to action”, IT DOES constitute a “call to pay close attention.”
Bottom line: enjoy the bull market but DO NOT fall in love with it.
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.
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.
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.
The Expert System in TradingExpert Pro gave a 1 – 99 down signal on the Dow Jones on 8-27-20. The market internals based on the advancing vs declining issue in the New York market continue to diverge from the market price action.
The phase indicator used to confirm Expert Ratings turned down on 8-31-20. We usually look for a phase confirmation of an Expert Rating to occur within 3 days of the rating.
The changes made in the constituents of the Dow 30 effective 8-31-20
You may have seen some of the articles out there analyzing the skewed nature of the current market rally. As Joe Bartosiewicz in his August 8 Bartometer pointed out:
“The Top 15 Stocks in the S&P 500 account in Market Value 35% of the entire S&P 500 stock market. The Bottom 420 Stocks in the S&P 500 account in Market Value 33.8% of the entire S&P 500 stock market. This means that 15 stocks are controlling the entire S&P 500..”
The Dow Jones 30 index uses a price weighted criteria as part of it’s calculation, and also includes Apple; AAPL has more than doubled in price in under 5 months.
Given that there appears to be only a small basket of stocks leading this rally, we had a look back at the last time tech related stocks were driving the market higher; the dotcom bubble that ran through the 90s into the early 00s.
The first chart is a monthly of the Dow 30 with MACD indicator comparing the market 03/29//2002 as the dotcom bubble rolled over vs 7 months later. Students of divergence analysis, will tell you that MACD in late March 2002 clearly showed prices should be much lower still despite the @33 % rally from the September 2001 low. By late October 2002 the market had fallen again by @33%. At that time the market was close to @40% lower than the high at the start of 2000.
The second chart is a monthly of the Dow 30 on the right through 8/10/20 vs the rally peak of 03/29/2002. The current market has had a @50% rally from the low at the end of March 2020. The original correction was @37% from high to low, slightly bigger than the dotcom correction. The MACD, similar to 2002, is strongly diverging.
The decline in 2002, after the rally, took prices lower than the the prior bottom. If a similar pattern happens this time and the decline is @40% from the high of 29568, the Dow would at the 17700 level.
Market volatility has stabilized some. In this update we’ll take a look at the current AI signals on the Dow Jones. For folks less familiar with our AI engine here’s a recap of what we do.
TradingExpert Pro uses two AI knowledge bases, one specifically designed to issue market timing signals and the other designed to issue stock timing signals.
Each contains approximately 400 rules, but only a few “fire” on any given day. In the language of expert systems, those rules that are found to be valid on a particular day are described as having “fired”.
Rules can fire in opposite directions. When this happens, the bullish and bearish rules fight it out. It’s only when bullish rules dominate that the Expert Rating signal is bullish, or when bearish rules dominate that the Expert Rating signal is bearish.
The Expert Rating consists of two values.
The upside rating is the value on the left and the downside rating is on the right. Expert Ratings are based on a scale of 0 to 100. An Expert Rating of 95 to 100 is considered a strong signal that the Stock or market may change direction.
An Expert Rating below 90 is considered meaningless. A low rating means that there is not enough consistency in the rules that fired to translate to a signal. The expert system has not found enough evidence to warrant a change from the last strong signal.
In this article I wrote about a signal called “Bull Market Thrust”. The upshot is that since 1991 it has identified 8 “bullish periods”. The start and end dates of those periods – and the price performance of several indexes during each period – appear in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – “Bull Market Thrust” bullish periods
One key thing to note is that – focusing solely on the Nasdaq 100 Index – 100% of the “bullish periods” witnessed a gain, i.e., “perfection.” The average gain was +40%.
So that looks pretty good and pretty darned encouraging going forward since there was a new buy signal on June 8th of this year. And indeed, if history is a guide the outlook for the Nasdaq (and the stock market as a whole) is favorable in the next year. But there is one thing to keep in mind….
Jay’s Trading Maxim #33: When you have actual money on the line, the chasm between theory and reality can be a mile wide.
The bottom line is that even during “bullish periods” the market fluctuates. And if one is focused on “news” there is plenty of opportunity to feel angst no matter how strong the market “should be.” So, in an effort to “mange expectations”, the charts below display the price action of the Nasdaq 100 during each “bullish period” displayed in Figure 1.
Nasdaq 100 during “Bullish Periods” based on Bull Market Thrust signals
*All charts below are (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
*Each chart displays one of the “Bullish Periods” from Figure 1.
*Each chart contains one or more red boxes highlighting a period of “market trouble”
THE POINT: the key thing to ponder is how easily it would be to allow yourself to get “shaken out” if you were focused on what the “news of the day” is telling you, rather than what the market itself is telling you.
Figure 2 – NDX: 1/29/91 – 2/28/93
Figure 3 – NDX: 6/5/2003-6/4/2004
Figure 4 – NDX: 3/23/2009-3/1/2011
Figure 5 – NDX: 7/7/2011-7/6/2012
Figure 6 – NDX: 7/9/13-7/15/2014
Figure 7 – NDX: 2/26/2016-11/17/2017
Figure 8 – NDX: 1/8/2019-1/17/2020
Figure 9 – 6/8/2020-?
The bottom line is that:
*Sometimes the market “took off” after the signal
*Sometime the market sold off shortly after the signal (see 2011 signal)
*In every case there was a drawdown of some significant somewhere along the way
The purpose of paying attention to things like “Bull Market Thrust” buy signals is not to “pick bottoms with uncanny accuracy.”
In the real word, the purpose is to help strengthen our resolve in riding the exceptional opportunities.
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.
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
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:
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
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
Well that got ugly quick. For the record, if you have been in the markets for any length of time you have seen this kind of action plenty of times. An index, or stock, or commodity or whatever, trends and trends and trend steadily and relentlessly higher over a period of time. And just when it seems like its going to last forever – BAM. It gives back all or much of its recent rally gains very quickly. Welcome to the exciting world of investing.
I make no claims of “calling the top” – because I never have actually (correctly) called one and I don’t expect that I ever will. But having written Part I and Part II of articles titled “Please Take a Moment to Locate the Nearest Exit” in the last week, I was probably one of the least surprised people at what transpired in the stock market in the last few sessions.
Of course the question on everyone’s lips – as always in this type of panic or near panic situation – is, “where to from here?” And folks if I knew the answer, I swear I would tell you. But like everyone else, I can only assess the situation, formulate a plan of action – or inaction, as the case may be – and act accordingly. But some random thoughts:
*Long periods of relative calm followed by extreme drops are more often than not followed by periods of volatility. So, look for a sharp rebound for at least a few days followed by another downdraft and so on and so forth, until either:
a) The market bottoms out and resumes an uptrend
b) The major indexes (think Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000) drop below their 200-day moving averages. As of the close on 2/25 both the Dow and the Russell 2000 were below their 200-day moving average. That would set up another a) or b) scenario.
If the major indexes break below their long-term moving averages it will either:
a) End up being a whipsaw – i.e., the market reverses quickly to the upside
b) Or will be a sign of more serious trouble
The main point is that you should be paying close attention in the days and weeks ahead to the indexes in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – Major indexes with 200-day moving averages (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
One Possible Bullish Hope
One reason for potential optimism is that the two-month period of March and April has historically been one of the more favorable two-month periods on an annual basis. Figure 2 displays the cumulative price gain achieved by the S&P 500 Index ONLY during March and April every year since 1945. The long-term trend is unmistakable, but year-to-year results can of course, vary greatly.
Figure 2 – S&P 500 cumulative price gain March-April ONLY (1945-2019)
For the record:
| S&P 500 March-April | Result |
| Number of times UP | 55 (73%) |
| Number of times DOWN | 20 (27%) |
| Average UP% | +5.0% |
| Average DOWN% | (-3.4%) |
Figure 3 – Facts and Figures
Will March and April bail us out? Here’s hoping.
As an aside, this strategy is having a great week so far.
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 does not represent 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.
To put this piece in context please refer to Part I here.
Part I detailed the Good News (the stock market is still very much in a bullish trend and may very well continue to be for some time) and touched on one piece of Bad News (the market is overvalued on a long-term valuation basis).
The Next Piece of Bad News: The “Early Lull”
In my book, Seasonal Stock Market Trends, I wrote about something called the Decennial Pattern, that highlights the action of the stock market in a “typical” decade.
The Four Parts of the “Typical Decade” are:
The Early Lull: Market often struggles in first 2.5 years of a decade
The Mid-Decade Rally: Market typically rallies in the middle of a decade – particularly between Oct 1 Year “4” and Mar 31 Year “6”
The 7-8 Decline: Market often experiences a sharp decline somewhere in the Year “7” to Year “8” period
The Late Rally: Market often rallies strongly into the end of the decade.
Figure 1 – 1980-1989 (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
Figure 2 – 1990-1999 (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
Figure 3 – 2000-2009 (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
Figure 4 – 2010-2019 (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
We are now in the “Early Lull” period. This in no way “guarantees” trouble in the stock market in the next two years. But it does offer a strong “suggestion”, particularly when we focus only on decades since 1900 that started with an Election Year (which is where we are now) – 1900, 1920, 1940, 1960, 1980, 2000.
(See this article for a more detailed discussion)
As you can see in Figures 5 and 6, each of these 6 2.5-year decade opening periods witnessed a market decline – -14% on average and -63% cumulative. Once again, no guarantee that 2020 into mid 2022 will show weakness, but….. the warning sign is there
Figure 5 – Dow price performance first 2.5 years of decades that open with a Presidential Election Year (1900-present)
Figure 6 – Cumulative Dow price performance first 2.5 years of decades that open with a Presidential Election Year (1900-present)
Summary
Repeating now: the trend of the stock market is presently “Up”.
Therefore:
*The most prudent thing to do today is to avoid all of the “news generated” worry and angst and enjoy the trend.
*The second most prudent thing to do is to acknowledge that this up trend will NOT last forever, and to prepare – at least mentally – for what you will do when that eventuality transpires, i.e., take a moment to locate the nearest exit.
Stay tuned for Part III
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 does not represent 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.
Well that sounds like a pretty alarming headline, doesn’t it? But before you actually take a moment to locate the nearest exit please note the important difference between the words “Please locate the nearest exit” and “Oh My God, it’s the top, sell everything!!!”
You see the difference, right? Good. Let’s continue. First, a true confession – I am not all that great at “market timing”, i.e., consistently buying at the bottom and/or selling at the top (I console myself with the knowledge that neither is anyone else). On the other hand, I am reasonably good at identifying trends and at recognizing risk. Fortunately, as it turns out, this can be a pretty useful skill.
So, while I may not be good at market timing, I can still make certain reasonable predictions. Like for example, “at some point this bull market will run out of steam and now is as good a time as any to start making plans about how one will deal with this inevitable eventuality – whenever it may come”. (Again, please notice the crucial difference between that sentence and “Oh My God, it’s the top, sell everything!!”)
First the Good News
The trend in the stock market is bullish. Duh. Is anyone surprised by that statement? Again, we are talking subtleties here. We are not talking about predictions, forecasts, projected scenarios, implications of current action for the future, etc. We are just talking about pure trend-following and looking at the market as it is today. Figure 1 displays the S&P 500 Index monthly since 1971 and Figure 2 displays four major indexes (Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000) versus their respective 200-day moving averages.
Figure 1 – S&P 500 Monthly (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
Figure 2 – Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000 w respective 200-day moving average (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
It is impossible to look at the current status of “things” displayed in Figures 1 and 2 and state “we are in a bear market”. The trend – at the moment – is “Up”. The truth is that in the long run many investors would benefit from ignoring all of the day to day “predictions, forecasts, projected scenarios, implications of current action for the future, etc.” that emanates from financial news and just sticking to the rudimentary analysis just applied to Figures 1 and 2.
In short, stop worrying and learn to love the trend. Still, no trend lasts forever, which is kind of the point of this article.
So now let’s talk about the “Bad News”. But before we do, I want to point out the following: the time to actually worry and/or do something regarding the Bad News will be when the price action in Figure 2 changes for the worse. Let me spell it out as clearly and as realistically as possible.
If (or should I say when?) the major U.S. stock indexes break below their respective 200-day moving averages (and especially if those moving average start to roll over and trend down):
*It could be a whipsaw that will be followed by another rally (sorry folks, but for the record I did mention that I am not that good at market timing and that I was going to speak as realistically as possible – and a whipsaw is always a realistic possibility when it comes to trend-following)
*It could be the beginning of a significant decline in the stock market (think -30% or possibly even much more)
So, the proper response to reading the impending discussion of the Bad News is not “I should do something”. The proper response is “I need to resolve myself to doing something when the time comes that something truly needs to be done.”
You see the difference, right? Good. Let’s continue.
The Bad News
The first piece of Bad News is that stocks are overvalued. Now that fact hardly scares anybody anymore – which actually is understandable since the stock market has technically been overvalued for some time now AND has not been officially “undervalued” since the early 1980’s. Also, valuation is NOT a timing tool, only a perspective tool. So high valuation levels a re pretty easy to ignore at this point.
Still, here is some “perspective” to consider:
*Recession => Economic equivalent of jumping out the window
*P/E Ratio => What floor you are on at the time you jump
Therefore:
*A high P/E ratio DOES NOT tell you WHEN a bear market will occur
*A high P/E ratio DOES WARN you that when the next bear market does occur it will be one of the painful kind (i.e., don’t say you were not warned)
Figure 3 displays the Shiller P/E Ratio plus (in red numbers) the magnitude of the bear market that followed important peaks in the Shiller P/E Ratio.
Figure 3 – Shiller P/E Ratio Peaks (with subsequent bear market declines in red); (Courtesy: https://www.multpl.com/shiller-pe)
Repeating now: Figure 3 does not tell us that a bear market is imminent. It does however, strongly suggest that whenever the next bear market does unfold, it will be, ahem, significant in nature. To drive this point home, a brief history:
1929: P/E peak followed by -89% Dow decline in 3 years
1937: P/E peak followed by -49% Dow decline in 7 months(!?)
1965: P/E peak followed by 17 years of sideways price action with a -40% Dow decline along the way
2000: P/E peak followed by -83% Nasdaq 100 decline in 2 years
2007: P/E peak followed by -54% Dow decline in 17 months
Following next peak: ??
As you can see, history suggests that the next bear market – whenever it may come – will quite likely be severe. There is actually another associated problem to consider. Drawdowns are one thing – some investors are resolved to never try to time anything and are thus resigned to the fact that they will have to “ride ‘em out” once in awhile. OK fine – strap yourself in and, um, enjoy the ride. But another problem associated with high valuation levels is the potential (likelihood?) for going an exceedingly long period of time without making any money at all. Most investors have pretty much forgotten – or have never experienced – what this is like.
Figure 4 displays three such historical periods – the first associated with the 1929 peak, the second with the 1965 peak and the third with the 2000 peak.
Figure 4 – Long sideways periods often follow high P/E ratios
*From 1927 to 1949: the stock market went sideways for 22 years. Some random guy in 1947 – “Hey Honey, remember that money we put to work in the stock market back in 1927? Great News! We’re back to breakeven! (I can’t speak for anyone else, but personally I would prefer to avoid having THAT conversation.)
*From 1965 to 1982: the stock market went sideways. While this is technically a 0% return over 17 years (with drawdows of -20%, -30% and -40% interspersed along the way – just to make it less boring), it was actually worse than that. Because of high inflation during this period, purchasing power declined a fairly shocking -75%. So that money you “put to work” in that S&P 500 Index fund in 1965, 17 years later had only 25% as much purchasing power (but hey, this couldn’t possibly happen again, right!?).
*From 2000 to 2012: the stock market went sideways. With the market presently at much higher all-time highs most investors have forgotten all about this. Still, it is interesting to note that from 8/31/2000 through 1/31/2020 (19 years and 5 months), the average annual compounded total return for the Vanguard S&P 500 Index fund (ticker VFINX) was just +5.75%. Not exactly a stellar rate of return for almost 20 years of a “ride ’em out” in an S&P 500 Index fund approach).
The Point: When valuations are high, future long-term returns tend to be subpar – and YES, valuations are currently high.
You have been warned.
Stay tuned for Part II…
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 does not represent 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.
January 14, 2020
Hello Everyone,
Market Recap:
Last year was an excellent year for the markets in general, with the markets appreciating 19-38%, depending on the indexes. One of the best sectors was the large growth sector with stocks like Apple Computer going up 88% and Microsoft up 56% over the last year. That is why the NASDAQ went up 38% This year; the market is doing the same thing with Apple +5%, Microsoft +3%, Alphabet +6%, Facebook +6%, and Amazon +3%.
When stocks are so large, and they go up a significant amount, they skew the market averages and make people think the markets are doing very well when in fact, the small and midcap stock indexes are down .5% -1.6%.
The participation of this current rally is VERY NARROW, meaning just a small number of large stocks are pushing this market higher and when the markets are climbing on only a few stocks then either the small and midcap stocks have to catch up or the large growth and technology stocks have to fade.
On my December Bartometer, I thought the market would rally towards the rest of the year and I thought the FIRST level of resistance would be 3280 on the S&P 500. Friday, the S&P 500 hit 3281 intraday high and closed at 3265. Even though I am still Bullish longer term, I think the markets require some healthy pullback… Going up without a correction is not suitable for the markets especially when people are now throwing money at the market. It’s called FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out. This sort of panic to throw money at the index funds shows me that psychologically people think the markets will continue to rise. That scares me a little.
The rise might continue and I am still relatively bullish as I think the S&P could hit 3400 later in the year, but I am worried that one of the only sectors that are moving is the large-cap technology sector. At this point, if you are in or nearing retirement and have more than 65% of your money in equities, you may want to scale back your equity exposure to below that amount. Remember the old saying; you don’t make it until you take it.
An excerpt from Fundamental Economist Dr. Robert Genetski: from Classical Principles.com:
Another week of good news and another week of record-high prices for the major stock indexes. Technology remains the most robust sector with both the Nasdaq and Nasdaq 100 gaining more than a percent. The S&P500 and Dow were up ½%. Small caps continue to languish.
Trump’s strategy in dealing with Iran increases the odds of his reelection. Iran looks even less competent for failing to protect Soleimani, having more than 50 people trampled to death at his funeral, and then possibly shooting down their civilian airplane.
With central banks around the world, creating liquidity, any correction in the bull market should be limited. Stay bullish on stocks.
Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below.
The source is Morningstar.com up until January 10th, 2020.
Dow Jones +1.1%
S&P 500 +1.2%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +2.7%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap – .47 of 1%
Midcap stock funds -.48 of 1%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA 1.0% Moderate Mutual Fund Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) Long duration +.56 of 1%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +.46 of 1%
Short Term Bond +.22 of 1%
Fixed Bond Yields (10 year) +1.8.% Yield
The average Moderate Fund is up .62 of 1% this year fully invested as a 65% in stocks and 35% in bonds and nothing in the money market.
Interest rates look stable going forward over the next 6 months
The Dow Jones Average is above. This index for the 5 largest stocks are Boeing, Apple, United healthcare, Goldman Sachs and Home Depot. They are the mix of American industry, but only contain 30 stocks. Even though the Dow is rising,
Look to the 3 graphs below the chart. You will see the horizontal blue line. When that is over 88 as it is, it shows that the market is OVERBOUGHT. Then when the green line falls below the green line you see the market selling off. It is there again, so be careful. The second graph shows Money flow/ Volume Accumulation. When this goes negative like it is below zero or the horizontal line, it shows that there is some distribution or selling pressure.
The last graph shows the Advance decline line. This is the number of stocks going up compared to the number of stocks going down on a running total. As you can see the Dow Jones is going up, but the Advance/decline is going DOWN. This means only a few stocks are going up. If this doesn’t change, the market could be ready for a little decline There is trend-line support at 28400 if it drops there. But unless the indicators change for the better, the market may fall and correct somewhat.
The NASDAQ is above. As you can see the NASDAQ is going up and is at the upper part of channel with-overbought and oversold indicators like the SK-SD stochastic indicators (the first graph) are very overbought. When the horizontal blue line is above 88 where the indicators are currently the market is overbought. Many times, when this indicator is above 88 you will see some sort of a correction or a give back.
See the last three times this indicator hit this level and crossed below it, the market fell. The NASDAQ can fall to the 8900 level where the bold trend line is above and still be bullish. It’s when we break that dark blue trend-line, then I will get very Cautious. Right now, the NASDAQ is overbought, and there are only a few stocks pushing this market higher. The third graph is the Advance decline Line. Notice, as the NASDAQ is going higher, it is going higher on a few stocks, that is why the Advance Decline Line is falling.
What is the Advance-Decline Line?
The advance/decline line (A/D) is a technical indicator that plots the difference between the number of advancing and declining stocks daily. The indicator is cumulative, with a positive number being added to the prior number, or if the number is negative, it is subtracted from the prior number.
The A/D line is used to show market sentiment, as it tells traders whether more stocks are rising or falling. It is used to confirm price trends in major indexes, and can also warn of reversals when divergence occurs.
The on-balance volume (OBV) is a technical analysis indicator intended to relate price and volume in the stock market. OBV is based on a cumulative total volume.[1] Money flow is calculated by averaging the high, low and closing prices, and multiplying by the daily volume. Comparing that result with the number for the previous day tells traders whether money flow was positive or negative for the current day. Positive money flow indicates that prices are likely to move higher, while negative money flow suggests prices are about to fall.
Source: Investopedia
A Support or support level is the level at which buyers tend to purchase or into a stock or index. It refers to the stock share price that a company or index should hold and start to rise. When the price of the stock falls towards its support level, the support level holds and is confirmed, or the stock continues to decline, and the support level must change.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The market is somewhat overbought and at FAIR VALUE. There are now some cracks in the dam showing as explained above, but my computer systems are still at a Hold for the market direction. I expected the S&P to hit 3280, it did last week and sold off very quickly to the 2165 area. The markets are rallying on large-cap growth and technology stocks and watching the other smaller to midcap companies decline. Either we start to see the small and midcap stocks begin to rally, or the market could begin to decline. The S&P could hit 3280 to 3400 later in the year. Earnings could potentially grow 6 to 7% or more this year and that is why there is the possibility that the S&P 500 could reach 3280 to 3400+ in 2020, a much smaller rise in the stock market than in 2019 but hopefully, a decent return, with obviously no guarantees expressed or implied.
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, 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
OK, so this particular piece clearly does NOT qualify as “timely”. Hey, they can’t all be “time critical, table-pounding, you must act now” missives. In any event, as part of a larger project regarding trends and seasonality in the market, I figured something out – we “quantitative analyst types” refer to this as “progress.”
So here goes.
The Month of October in the Stock Market
The month of October in the stock market is something of a paradox. Many investors refer to it as “Crash Month” – which is understandable given the action in 1929, 1978, 1979, 1987, 1997, 2008 and 2018. Yet others refer to it as the “Bear Killer” month since a number of bear market declines have bottomed out and/r reversed during October. Further complicating matters is that October has showed:
*A gain 61% of the time
*An average monthly gain of +0.95%
*A median monthly gain of +1.18%
Figure 1 displays the monthly price return for the S&P 500 Index during every October starting in 1945.
Figure 1 – S&P 500 Index October Monthly % +(-)
Figure 2 displays the cumulative % price gain achieved by holding the S&P 500 Index ONLY during the month of October every year starting in 1945.
Figure 2 – S&P 500 Index Cumulative October % +(-)
So, you see the paradox. To simply sit out the market every October means giving up a fair amount of return over time (not to mention the logistical and tax implications of “selling everything” on Sep 30 and buying back in on Oct 31). At the same time, October can be a helluva scary place to be from time to time.
One Possible Solution – The Decennial Pattern
In my book “Seasonal Stock Market Trends” I have a section that talks about the action of the stock market across the average decade. The first year (ex., 2010) is Year “0”, the second year (ex., 2011) is Year “1”, etc.
In a nutshell, there tends to be:
The Early Lull: Often there is weakness starting in Year “0” into mid Year “2”
The Mid-Decade Rally: Particularly strong during late Year “4” into early Year “6”
The 7-8-9 Decline: Often there is a significant pullback somewhere in the during Years “7” or “8” or “9”
The Late Rally: Decades often end with great strength
Figures 3 and 4 display this pattern over the past two decades.
Figure 3 – Decennial Pattern: 2010-2019
Figure 4 – Decennial Pattern: 2000-2009
Focusing on October
So now let’s look at October performance based on the Year of the Decade. The results appear in Figure 5. To be clear, Year 0 cumulates the October % +(-) for the S&P 500 Index during 1950, 1960, 1970, etc. Year 9 cumulates the October % +(-) for the S&P 500 index during 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, etc.
Figure 5 – October S&P 500 Index cumulative % +(-) by Year of Decade
What we see is that – apparently – much of the “7-8-9 Decline” takes place in October, as Years “7” and “8” of the decade are the only ones that show a net loss for October.
Let’s highlight this another way. Figure 6 displays the cumulative % return for the S&P 500 Index during October during all years EXCEPT those ending “7” or “8” versus the cumulative % return for the S&P 500 Index during October during ONLY years ending in “7” or “8”.
Figure 6 – S&P 500 cumulative October % +(-); Years 7 and 8 of decade versus All Other Years of Decade
For the record:
*October during Years “7” and “8” lost -39%
*October during all other Years gained +196%
Summary
So, does this mean that October is now “green-lighted” as bullish until 2027? Not necessarily. As always, that pesky “past performance is no guarantee of future results” phrase looms large.
But for an investor looking to maximize long-term profits while also attempting to avoid potential pain along the way, the October 7-8 pattern is something to file away for future reference.
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 does not represent 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.
Hello Everyone,
Market Recap:
On my last Bartometer I stated that we were #1 On Buy signal, #2 the Dow Jones and the stock market had Bullish Ascending triangles patterns, #3. Money flow and On Balance Volume were breaking out to NEW HIGHS when the stock market wasn’t. This shows demand for stocks over and above the price. These 3 indicators were telling me and I was telling you that I thought the market would breakout to new highs, AND IT DID. The stock market broke out of the bullish ascending triangle, (see index on the next page about ascending triangles)*. On the S&P I said that it had to breakout of 3030 and it did. It is now 3093. I said the Dow Jones had to breakout of the 27400, and it did. It is now 27681.
Where does is go from here and could we get a little pull back?
See chart below for an explanation.
An excerpt from Fundamental Economist Dr. Robert Genetski: from Classical Principles.com:
Stocks benefited from encouraging news of a potential trade agreement between the US and China as well as some good news on the economy. Markets seldom move in only one direction. The S&P500 is now within 3% of its fundamental value. A pause or even a slight correction is overdue, particularly if there is any negative news. Even so, with stronger fundamentals and the Fed purchasing securities, any correction should be fairly mild. Stay bullish on stocks.
Adding to Bob’s his Comment:
Signs of strength in the economy combined with gains in stock prices led to a sharp jump in intermediate and longer-term interest rates. This week the interest rate on 10-year T-Notes moved 25 basis points higher. The latest moves turned the yield curve to a more normal shape. As with stocks, interest rates have spiked higher and are overdue for some correction. However, after more than a decade of interest rates declining and being well below their fundamental levels, rates remain 200 basis points below fundamental levels. While the Fed’s low target places a limit on how high interest rates will go, there is still a lot of upward potential for longer-term rates. Fixed-income portfolios should remain defensive.
On the Technical Side:
Over the last almost 22 months, the Dow Jones FINALLY broke out to new highs from the old highs set on Jan 31, 2018 at 26,714. That is a POSITIVE. Money Flow and On Balance Volume are still at a new high, but the markets are again becoming overbought. So, could the market comes down a little now? YES, the markets are now overbought and there could easily be a slight decline to 27191 to 27298, a decline of around 2%, and the S&P to decline to 3029 area, a decline of 2% or so, BUT no more than that, because if the markets GO BACK BELOW THE BREAKOUT it can cause traders to start selling in mass. So look for a possible test of the breakout, but IF the markets close below the breakout of 27300 to 27384 on the Dow Jones or 3030 on the S&P convincingly, then I will be getting Very Cautious. If that doesn’t happen then I am still moderately bullish. But I realize the market are now OVERBOUGHT and in my opinion, it is not a time to go out and invest a lot of money in the markets. Dollar cost averaging is fine. I stated in my January Bartometer that I thought the S&P could reach 3130 to 3180+ this year. At 3093 currently, that is about 1-3% from here.
Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until November 9th, 2019. These are passive indexes.
*Dow Jones +20%
S&P 500 +24%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +31%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap +19%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA) +16%
Moderate Mutual Fund +14%
Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) +13%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +11%
Floating Rate Bond Index +4.0%
Short Term Bond +4.0%
Fixed Bond Yields (10 year) +1.75.% Yield
The average Moderate Fund is up 14% this year fully invested as a 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds and nothing in the money market.
S&P 500
Ascending Triangle is above, and is Bullish as long as it stays above the breakout of 3027-3030
The S&P 500 is above. The S&P 500 contains 500 of the largest companies in the US. The 2 top companies by market value are Microsoft and Apple. But there are 498 other stocks in it. If you can see above the ASCENDING TRIANGLE that is BOLDED. Notice the clear breakout to new highs. This is clearly BULLISH like I thought would happen last month. And it did. Now that it has risen 2% ABOVE the breakout, a BREAKDOWN below the 3030 convincingly would get me VERY Cautious. It is normal to come back down to test the breakout, but not to break down below it. So if you see the S&P close below 3030 convincingly on heavy volume, I will be getting Cautious to Very Cautious depending on the reason. But the market is now at fair value to me and there may be another 1-4% more for the year in my opinion, but not much more unless there is incredible news from the Political or Tariff front. It is not a great time to go out and buy a lot in the stock market in my opinion as well.
The Middle graph is called the SK-SD Stochastics model. It shows the markets as being overbought when the indicator is above 88 where it is above the 88 horizontal line. Notice every time the indicator was above 88 it seemed to peak out and sell off. This is not guaranteed but it is good indicator.
The 3rd indicator is MACD or Momentum this indicator is still bullish until the pink line breaks down below the blue line. As of right now, momentum is still higher, but the markets are over bought, so be careful.
An ascending triangle is a chart pattern used in technical analysis. It is created by price moves that allow for a horizontal line to be drawn along the swing highs, and a rising trend line to be drawn along the swing lows. The two lines form a triangle. Traders often watch for breakouts from triangle patterns.
See the pattern above? It’s an Ascending triangle. Ascending triangles are BULLISH as long as they don’t go back below the breakout. If this is a successful Ascending triangle the S&P can rise to 3130-3180 first and possibly higher IF the breakout isn’t broken convincingly on the downside or breaking and closing below 3030.
On-balance volume (OBV) is a technical analysis indicator intended to relate price and volume in the stock market. OBV is based on a cumulative total volume.
Money flow is calculated by averaging the high, low and closing prices, and multiplying by the daily volume. Comparing that result with the number for the previous day tells traders whether money flow was positive or negative for the current day. Positive money flow indicates that prices are likely to move higher, while negative money flow suggests prices are about to fall.
A Support or support level is the level at which buyers tend to purchase or into a stock or index. It refers to the stock share price that a company or index should hold and start to rise. When the price of the stock falls towards its support level, the support level holds and is confirmed, or the stock continues to decline, and the support level must change.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The Dow, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ are at new highs after rallying over the last 3 weeks. Normally the markets after reaching new highs become overbought and may come back down towards the breakout areas to see if the breakouts area holds. lf breakout of 3030 are holds then the markets tend to drift back towards the old high to see if it can break out again. If it does then 3130 to 3180 could be the next target. If 3030 doesn’t hold on the S&P and starts to break down below 3030 then I will be getting cautious or very cautious.. I WILL CONTINUE TO ANALYZE THE TECHNICALS OF THE MARKET. The seasonal patterns of the markets are bullish towards the end of the year. Last year the markets fell in December. It looks like the market still wants to go up, but with tweets coming out hourly, market timing will be more difficult.
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, 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.
As usual, you can pretty much see whatever you want to see in today’s stock market. Consider the major indexes in Figure 1, displayed along with their respective 200-day moving averages.
Figure 1 – Major Indexes (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
If you “want to” be bullish, you can focus on the fact that all 4 of these major indexes are presently above their respective 200-day moving averages. This essentially defines an “uptrend”; hence you can make a bullish argument.
If you want to be “bearish”, you can focus on the “choppy” nature of the market’s performance and the fact that very little headway has been made since the highs in early 2018. This “looks like” a classic “topping pattern” (i.e., a lot of “churning”), hence you can make a bearish argument.
To add more intrigue, consider the 4 “market bellwethers” displayed in Figure 2.
Figure 2 – Jay’s Market Bellwethers (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
(NOTE: Previously I had Sotheby’s Holdings – ticker BID – as one my bellwethers. As they are being bought out, I have replaced it with the Value Line Arithmetic Index, which has a history of topping and bottoming prior to the major indexes)
The action here is much more mixed and muddled.
*SMH – for any “early warning” sign keep a close eye on the semiconductors. If they breakout to a new high they could lead the overall market higher. If they breakdown from a double top the market will likely be spooked.
*TRAN – The Dow Transports topped out over a year ago and have been flopping around aimlessly in a narrowing range. Not exactly a bullish sign, but deemed OK as long as price holds above the 200-day moving average.
*ZIV – Inverse VIX is presently below it’s 200-day moving average, so this one qualifies as “bearish” at the moment.
*VAL-I – The Value Line Index is comprised of 1,675 stocks and gives each stock equal weight, so is a good measure of the “overall” market. It presently sits right at its 200-day moving average, however – as you can see in Figure 3 – it is presently telling a different story than the S&P 500 Index.
Figure 3 – S&P 500 trending slightly higher, Value Line unweighted index trending lower (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
The Bottom Line
OK, now here is where a skilled market analyst would launch into an argument regarding which side will actually “win”, accompanied by roughly 5 to 50 “compelling charts” that “clearly show” why the analysts’ said opinion was sure to work out correctly. Alas, there is no one here like that.
If the question is, “will the stock market break out to the upside and run to sharply higher new highs or will it break down without breaking out to new highs?”, I sadly must default to my standard answer of, “It beats me.”
Here is what I can tell you though. Instead of relying on “somebody’s opinion or prediction” a much better bet is to formulate and follow an investment plan that spells out:
*What you will (and will not) invest in?
*How much capital you will allocate to each position?
*How much risk you are willing to take with each position?
*What will cause you to exit with a profit?
*What will cause you to exit with a loss?
*Will you have some overarching “trigger” to cause you to reduce overall exposure?
*And so on and so forth
If you have specific answers for the questions above (you DO have specific answers, don’t you?) then the correct thing to do is to go ahead and follow your plan and ignore the myriad prognostications that attempt to sway you one way or the other.
Jay Kaeppel
Disclaimer: The data presented herein were obtained from various third-party sources. While I believe the data 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. The information, opinions and ideas expressed herein are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute and should not be construed as investment advice, an advertisement or offering of investment advisory services, or an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.
Hello Everyone,
Over the last month the S&P 500 has risen 3% and is about 2/3rds of 1% below its high it reached in July. Last month on the Bartometer I stated that my computer models were on a Short term Buy signal and the S&P needed to break out of 2944- 2954 for me to be more bullish. I also said that if the S&P stayed above 2954 for 2 days it should head back to the old high of 3025 or there about and it did. Now that the markets are near their old high, where do I think the markets will go? Well, the answer isn’t so easy to answer. Technically the markets are overbought again but two of the technical indicators that show continuation on are On Balance Volume and Money Flow. Both of these indicators are currently at a New High, when the markets are not. These indicators while not always indicative of further advancement are still positive for a continuation to the upside. See the charts below.
My fundamental economist Dr. Robert Genetski, from ClassicalPrinciples.com said last week’s move by the European Central Bank (ECB) to ease policy is good news for the period immediately ahead. The ECB cut its target interest rate and will indefinitely purchase $20 billion of securities each month beginning in November. The move pressures the Fed and other central banks to also ease policy. Negotiations with China also appear to be moving in a positive direction. China is suffering much more than the US from Trump’s tariffs. China is anxious to reach a deal to avoid further problems. On Wednesday the Fed will follow the ECB and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) by cutting interest rates. Unlike the ECB and BOJ, the Fed will not resume purchases of securities. Hence, the Fed will not be easing policy. However, the perception of a period of global easing is likely to provide a short-term tailwind for boosting stocks and interest rates. Over the past 2 weeks there has been a 30 basis point increase in the yield on 10-year T-Notes. This has narrowed the inversion with 3-month Treasury bills from 50 basis points to 20. The spike in rates means financial markets reflect the view that monetary policy is less restrictive. This view is reinforced by the actions of the EC.
On the Technical Side
My computer models went on a very short term BUY signal 5 weeks ago when the S&P was 2844 and has not gone to a Sell signal, but there needs to now be a push through the 3027 level on the S&P and stay there or there could be a sell off here. Two of my favorite indicators Money Flow and On Balance Volume are at a new high while the index is not. This is a positive indication for continuation on the upside. But remember, we still need to watch all of the information that is coming out of the mouth of all political figures and the global markets, but currently I am still moderately bullish. I never put my guard down. See chart below
Interest Outlook
I see the Federal Reserve reducing interest rates ¼% in December.
Some of the INDEXES of the markets both equities and interest rates are below. The source is Morningstar.com up until September 13th, 2019.
These are passive indexes.
*Dow Jones +18%
S&P 500 +21%
NASDAQ Aggressive growth +25%
I Shares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Small cap +18%
International Index (MSCI – EAFE ex USA) +13%
Moderate Mutual Fund +12%
Investment Grade Bonds (AAA) +11% +2.64%
High Yield Merrill Lynch High Yield Index +9% +4.26%
Floating Rate Bond Index +5% +2.60%
Short Term Bond +3%
Fixed Bond Yields (10 year) +1.82.% +2.63%
The average Moderate Fund is up 12% this year fully invested as a 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds. And nothing in the money market
*Explanation of each below
The Dow Jones Index is above. As it contains 30 of the largest industrial and American stocks. You will notice that the Dow above and to the right is approaching its old high achieved in July. It has rallied 5% since the Buy signal my computer models gave last month. But now it has to break out to new highs or it puts in a double top. There are 3 indicators above that are important. The first one is SK-SD Stochastics and it is back to the 88 level and that shows the market is overbought. The 2nd and third are Money Flow and On Balance Volume. Both of those indicators are very important for me to determine confirmation and continuation of the rally. Notice that both of them are at a new high while the Dow Jones is not. This is a positive divergence and hopefully the markets will continue its upward movement. I like the USA markets more than the International markets. The Dow Jones looks better than the S&P and the NASDAQ technically at this time. Remember, volatility will still be present so I would still be somewhat cautious.
Source: AIQ Systems on graphs
*On-balance volume (OBV) is a technical analysis indicator intended to relate price and volume in the stock market.
OBV is based on a cumulative total volume.[1]
*Money flow is calculated by averaging the high, low and closing prices, and multiplying by the daily volume. Comparing that result with the number for the previous day tells traders whether money flow was positive or negative for the current day. Positive money flow indicates that prices are likely to move higher, while negative money flow suggests prices are about to fall.
Source: Investopedia
*A Support or support level is the level at which buyers tend to purchase or into a stock or index. It refers to the stock share price that a company or index should hold and start to rise. When a price of the stock falls towards its support level, the support level holds and is confirmed, or the stock continues to decline, and the support level must change.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The Dow, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ are all near new highs. 5 weeks ago on the Bartometer my computer models went to a Buy signal. Since then, the markets have rallied near their old highs. There are technical patterns that show the markets could breakout to new highs but IF THE MARKETS DON’T BREAKOUT OUT SOON, THE MARKETS COULD TOP OUT. I WILL CONTINUE TO ANALYZE THE TECHNICALs OF THE MARKET. There are seasonal patterns that are usually week. September and October ARE NOT SEASONALLY GOOD MONTHS. It looks like the market wants to goes up but with tweets coming out hourly, market timing will be more difficult. If things come in as Trump expects, watch for a solid rally possibly to the old highs. But there are headwinds currently short term.
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 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 indifferent 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.
Let’s face it, many investors have a problem with riding a trend. When things are going well they fret and worry about every blip in interest rates, housing starts, earnings estimates and the price of tea in China, which often keeps them from maximizing their profitability. Alternatively, when things really do fall apart they suddenly become “long-term investors” (in this case “long-term” is defined roughly as the time between the current time and the time they “puke” their portfolio – just before the bottom).
Which reminds me to invoke:
Jay’s Trading Maxim #6: Human nature is a detriment to investment success and should be avoided as much as, well, humanly possible.
So, it can help to have a few “go to” indicators, to help one objectively tilt to the bullish or bearish side. And we are NOT talking about “pinpoint precision timing” types of things here. Just simple, objective clues. Like this one.
Monthly MACD
Figure 1 displays the S&P 500 index monthly chart with the monthly MACD Indicator at the bottom.Figure 1 – Monthly S&P 500 Index with MACD (Courtesy AIQ TradingExpert)
The “trading rules” we will use are pretty simple:
*If the Monthly MACD closes a month above 0, then hold the S&P 500 Index the next month
*If the Monthly MACD closes a month below 0, then hold the Barclays Treasury Intermediate Index the next month
*We start our test on 11/30/1970.
*For the record, data for the Barclays Treasury Intermediate Index begins in January 1973 so prior to that we simply used an annual interest rate of 1% as a proxy.
Figure 2 displays the equity curves for:
*The strategy just explained (blue line)
*Buying and holding the S&P 500 Index (orange) line
Figure 2 – Growth of $1,000 using MACD System versus Buy-and-Hold
Figure 3 displays some “Facts and Figure” regarding relative performance.
Figures 3 – Comparative Results
For the record:
*$1,000 invested using the “System” grew to $143,739 by 6/30/2019
*$1,000 invested using buy-and-hold grew to $102,569 by 6/30/2019
*The “System” experienced a maximum drawdown (month-end) of -23.3% and the Worst 5-year % return was +7.3% (versus a maximum drawdown of -50.9% and a Worst 5-year % return of -29.1% for Buy-and-Hold)
So, from the chart in Figure 2 and the data in Figure 3 it is “obvious” that using MACD to decide when to be in or out of the market is clearly “better” than buy-and-hold. Right? Here is where it “gets interesting” for a couple of reasons.
First off, the MACD Method outperforms in the long run by virtue of missing a large part of severe bear markets every now and then. It also gets “whipsawed” more often than it “saves your sorry assets” during a big bear market. So, in reality it requires ALOT of discipline (and self-awareness) to actually follow over time.
Consider this: if you were actually using just this one method to decide when to be in or out of the market (which is NOT what I am recommending by the way) you would have gotten out at the end of October 2018 with the S&P 500 Index at 2,711.74. Now nine months later you would be sitting here with the S&P 500 Index flirting with 3,000 going “what the heck was I thinking about!?!?!?” In other words, while you would have missed the December 2018 meltdown, you also would have been sitting in treasuries throughout the entire 2019 rally to date.
Like I said, human nature, it’s a pain.
To fully appreciate what makes this strategy “tick”, consider Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 displays the growth of equity when MACD is > 0 (during these times the S&P 500 Index is held).
Figure 4 – Growth of $1,000 invested in S&P 500 Index when MACD > 0.
Sort of the “When things are swell, things are great” scenario.
Figure 5 displays the growth of $1,000 for both intermediate-term treasuries AND the S&P 500 Index during those times when MACD > 0.
Figure 5 – Growth of $1,000 invested in Intermediate-term treasuries (blue) and the S&P 500 (orange) when MACD < 0.
Essentially a “Tortoise and the Hare” type of scenario.
Summary
Simple trend-following methods – whether they involve moving average using price, trend lines drawn on charts or the MACD type of approach detailed herein – can be very useful over time.
*They can help an investor to reduce that “Is this the top?” angst and sort of force them to just go with the flowing while the flowing is good.
*They can also help an investor avoid riding a major bear market all the way to the bottom – which is a good thing both financially and emotionally.
But everything comes with a cost. Trend-following methods will never get you in at the bottom nor out at the top, and you WILL experience whipsaws – i.e., times when you sell at one price and then are later forced to buy back at a higher price.
Consider it a “cost of doing business.”
Jay Kaeppel
Disclaimer: The data presented herein were obtained from various third-party sources. While I believe the data 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. The information, opinions and ideas expressed herein are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute and should not be construed as investment advice, an advertisement or offering of investment advisory services, or an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.