Wednesday, May 27, 2015

QUITE CONTRARY

Contrary to what I posted earlier this month (Contrarian that I am!), after visiting with family and friends over the past two weeks in Redding and So. Lake Tahoe, I find that some extended family members ( possibly back east) would like to hear what I have to offer in the way of Investment Finance info I dig up each week and report on my blog - Mktsentiment.blogspot.com , after over ten years of doing so.

I don't pretend to know or forecast what the market will do short term - no one can do that, just as with the weather or Economy. Contrary to these last two predictions which are impossible to envision long term, short term markets are harder (less profitable) to trade, unless you are a highly trained trader or HFT (high frequency trader- computer).

For young people just starting out, as well as retirees who do not need their 401Ks/IRAs for emergencies ( passing them on to heirs) IMO the stock market is the place to be. Lately the go to investment is Index funds - either mutual funds, or ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) which are usually mutual funds traded on an exchange, such as the New York SE. They have outperformed "managed" funds due to very low management fees.
I recently read that over 50 years, with a high fee (over 2% annually) the managed fund fees will suck up 66% of the money you invest - outrageous!

Having worked for Schwab, I can recommend their Index funds as well as Vanguard's.
Over time, stocks have outperformed all other asset classes such as Real Estate, Gold, Bonds, etc. , although as we've seen this century, all have Boom/Bust cycles.
I've mentioned in previous columns that DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging) is definitely the way to go - adding a set amount at fixed periods over time. For example, if ine had just started to invest for retirement in the Nasdaq (Over The Counter, mostly tech stocks) in 2000, they would be at the same level now - unless they had contributed (DCA) during the bottoms of 2002 and 2009. Of course, even though the Composite Index (COMPQ) has risen from 1555 to its old high of 5048, it does not have near the 100 P/E ratio back then (now @19). With $CA one can actually be Happy to see the market sell off - one can buy more shares with a fixed amount!

Enough for now - nest week I hope to explain the purpose of my blog (above) for persons who want to "time" the markets using Technical Analysis (rather than Fundamental) - using Charts that show Price Volume over Time (as well as my favorite Indicator: Sentiment, or Contrary Behavior.

Below are my favorite Sentiment Indicators which I have followed over two decades, having gotten my Market Technician designation on that topic:  

Date>

5/15/2015
5/22/2015
Indices:
DJIA
18272
18232

NAZ
5048
5089

SPX
2122
2126
WklyVolume (Bshs).
naz/ny….
8.4/3.7
8.3/3.4
Specul.Ratio hi=bullish
2.27
2.44
Sentiment:
put/call-CBOE
59
64
VIX>50-alltmlow=8.8
12.4
12.1
Advance/Dec-NYSE..
1883/1323
1496/1731
Weekly Net:

560
-235
     Cumulative:

168326
168091
Weekly
NYSE hi/low…
198/118
265/110
New Hi's/Low's
Nasdaq h/l
238/150
300/152
McClellan
Oscillator
n/a
-8
McClellanSum
.+750/-1000
n/a
274
Newsletter
Inv.Intel -Bull
47.5
50.6
Surveys-Tues
Bear:-5yrs
15.8
15.8
Wed.
AAII  -Bull
26.7
25.2

Bear
26.4
25.0
COT:SPX w/w
large/small (net)k

COT:gold  comm.hedg
long-short.000
n/a
(133k)
COT:OIL comm.hedg
long-short.
n/a
(350k)
US$-WSJ

n/a
86.3
CEOinsider
selling
n/a
36:1
off.&bd b/s.vs.
10% holder b/s

.160/50
3-box rev
Bullish%-
64
64
US equity -ICI
Fund Flows
(5.0B)
WeekDelay
MMF flows
Change in $B
(1B)
20.6B
MargDebt- top (300M)
monthly


ETF:mthlyEqty/
Int'l/Bond-$B


2-yr Tsy Yield: Inflation
n/a
0.62%
TIP (ETF)
Inflation
n/a
112.93



For those FB readers who get too much "spam" already (I had to stop FB on my cell as it ran me over on my data feed amount), they can block my weekly utterances by going to home page - click on the fourth icon to the right of Find Friends on the upper toolbar (the padlock).

With record numbers of dollars coming out of Money Market Funds, mostly into the crowded trade of short term bonds, anyone who has a minimal knowledge of covered call options and/or an interest in hedging stock market exposure might want to check out: brentleonard.com for an alternative strategy that is low-risk as well as highly rewarding. For those of you wanting more details and actual trading results, a new book is available for $14.95 at Amazon.com: Zero (IN)Tolerance


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