The Conundrum that is Gold (To Bubble or Not to Bubble?)
Let’s continue to beat a dead horse. Is gold a bubble? If so, did the bubble run end in September 2011 when gold peaked around ~$1,900? We know that thus far, if gold was a bubble and the run ended…...
Equity Analog Update
Figured I would simply dump and update all the various equity analog sets we’ve been using for the past 6-9 months in one post so that collectively, they could paint a broad picture of the macro landscape. 4th & 5th…...
Dow Going to 17K Before 2013 is Up?
Look at the analog below. The black line is the Dow, 2012-2013YTD. We refrain from revealing what the red line is and why it makes sense to compare it to the black one. However, do they get more compelling than…
Historical Cycle Analysis Update
This post looks at bull market cycle lengths through history. We define length as follows: 1) Cycle begins when Dow YoY goes to positive territory (at least +5%) from negative on a monthly basis 2) Cycle ends when Dow YoY goes…...
A Perennially Poor Market Timing Tool, Why is the Shiller P/E Ratio Critical all of a Sudden?
Take a look at the rolling 10 year average P/E ratio on the SPX below. It current stands at ~22.5x. What do you notice? Why has this level been so important in the context of history? Why is it that…...
Nasdaq is at a 12 Year High, What’s it Mean in the Context of History?
Last week the Nasdaq closed at 3,194. This marked a 12 year high. The index hadn’t notched a 12 year high in 674 weeks, or nearly 13 years. What’s that mean in the context of history? Well, because the Nasdaq…...
Up 18% in Less than Two Months, the Nikkei’s Ascent to 14K This Year Continues Unabated
On December 13th when the index was ~1,700 points lower, we noted in this post that the Nikkei was working on a rather important technical break-out. In that post we suggested the following: “…a break above line (1) would be…
Historical Cycle Analysis – What Type is This & Where Are We?
The chart below plots the Dow since the late 1800s and includes its four-year rate-of-change (RoC). Why do I plot the four-year RoC? Through history, bull cycles have lasted 48 months on average, or four years. As such, I thought…...
Central Banks Have Done an Excellent Job of Back-Stopping Global Risk Appetite
The chart below plots the average path that U.S. secular bear markets (1901-1921; 1929-1942; 1966-1982) have taken through history and compares it to the path the current (presumed) secular bear of 2000-2012. The path of the current had plotted nearly…
The SSEC Likely Continues Lower Though Its Irrelevancy Continues to Grow
We’ve been of the opinion that if the SSEC were to continue lower, it would not necessarily be indicative of an imminent global slow-down/recession/equity collapse. That thesis is largely derived from the chart below, which plots the path the SSEC…