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Weekly Update

Two Sector Charts Give Us Overall Market Clues

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Published September 2, 2022

 

Since Fed Chair Powell’s comments a week ago markets have been off-kilter. The notion of a Fed shift to lowering interest rates in the first half of next year has been squashed, replaced by expectations that rates will remain flat at an elevated level for most of 2023. The bearish narrative is that come October corporate earnings reports will deal further evidence of a notable slowdown in the U.S. economy. Slowing economic growth combined with stubborn interest rate policy makes for an unhappy stock market. The bullish case points to very solid employment numbers and generally good consumer financial health with expectations that any recession will be brief and shallow. (more…)

Weekly Update

How Do We Value the Stock Market?

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Published October 15, 2021

There is always plenty of talk about whether the stock market is ‘fairly’ valued, expensive, or cheap. It is a question without an answer; there are only opinions. Because in the marketplace, the price is determined solely by what investors are willing to pay. (more…)

Weekly Update

Correcting Through Time

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Published March 26, 2021

 

Market corrections are typically defined as a decline of at least -10%. But they can also be corrections “through time”. A case in point is the chart of Amazon below. After leading the way higher for stocks from the initial Covid-19 plunge, Amazon has traded sideways for the past nine months, correcting in time. (more…)

Weekly Update

The Stock Market-Economy Connection

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Published March 12, 2021

Below is the most recent analysis from Schwab’s Liz Ann Sonders. While some have struggled with the seeming disconnect between the stock market and economy over the past year, Ms. Sonders outlines how the market and economy have been much more in sync than we might realize. (more…)

Weekly Update

The Nasdaq Rolls Over

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Published March 5, 2021

The market’s preferred narrative has changed over the past month leading to a selloff in the tech & consumer-heavy Nasdaq. When the current market rally started way back in April 2020, the argument was that the stable earnings growth and global presence of the mega-cap tech and consumer stocks like Amazon, Facebook, Nike, et al. would be the best place for stock investors to park their money. These brands are substantially online or ‘digital’ in their business operations, and less likely to be impacted by the new stay-at-home lifestyle. (more…)

Weekly Update

A Roaring Bull Market in the Riskiest of Asset Classes

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Published February 12, 2021

It is no secret that money is chasing stocks, creating what some are calling ‘bubbles’ of valuation here and there (if not in the market overall). We talked last week about how valuation doesn’t really matter, supply and demand does. Right now, investors see no reason to hold back on the demand piece. We find no better example of this behavior than the massive (and sharply quick) run-up in shares of the most risky of companies, broadly speaking. That would be the smallest companies in the market – the microcaps. (more…)

Weekly Update

The Old Guard Flexes Some Muscle

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Published October 23, 2020

 

With the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) index as the focus of our models, we spend a lot of time talking about that index and its major components – e.g. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, et al. Another trend in the market, and one that might be poised to outperform the Nasdaq, is the old line industrials. (more…)

Weekly Update

Stocks are Looking Forward

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Published October 16, 2020

The stock market has a pretty good track record for determining who will win a presidential election.  The indicator looks at the market return over the three months leading up to the election.  A positive return suggests a win for the incumbent.  The data below, going back to 1928, shows an 87% success rate for the stock market in picking the ultimate election victor.
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Uncategorized, Weekly Update

Stock market seeks other drivers

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Published July 17, 2020

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A few miscellaneous notes this week that describe the current market outlook, foggy though it be.  Starting at the highest level with the wide range of earnings projections for the S&P 500.  Currently, the S&P 500 index trades around 3200.  If we look at the chart below, we see a 2021 earnings per share for the S&P 500 range of $135-170.  At $135, the S&P 500 is trading at price-earnings ratio of 23, on the high end of “normal”.

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Uncategorized, Weekly Update

Market Reaches Technical Inflection Point

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Published May 22, 2020

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The stock market has rallied hard off the March 23rd bottom, surprising almost everyone in the strength and lift of the move. This rally has brought the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) back to positive on the year, a stunning development given the dire economic situation. That positive year-to-date print for the Nasdaq reflects the seeming fact that Covid-19 has served to accelerate trends which benefit these top companies of the digital economy – e.g. Amazon, Facebook, Google. That the Russell 2000 small-cap index remains down almost -20% year-to-date, while the equally-weighted version of the S&P 500 is down -16%, is perhaps a better stock market gauge of the overall economy’s troubles. (more…)