One of the most common misconceptions about the interpretation of price movements of charts is the expectation that pattern recognition equals precise predictability. While one aspect of using technical analysis is to make sense of price movements, there is no certainty that what has worked in the past will work in exactly the same way … Continue reading It’s What As Well As When
The Big Picture
Why Rotation?
Supply and Demand. The dynamic expressed by this phrase is the cornerstone of Capitalism: In fact, this concept drives most of the things that we experience in life and is not confined just to issues of money. But for our purposes, the supply demand dynamic is played out daily in the public stock markets and … Continue reading Why Rotation?
Cycles And Rotation
Classical models of market activity hold that there are predictable cyclic rotations in the equity markets. We are familiar with the overlapping sine waves of market segments as they progress through their stages of growth and decline. In broad brushstrokes, as leading industries such as financials mature, we would expect to see robust economic activity … Continue reading Cycles And Rotation
The Significance Of Ranges
Experienced market participants know that stocks spend most of their time in seemingly random ranges. It is only for a short time that they will actively trend up or break down. This is logical since companies will go about their business in a somewhat predictable and systematic way. When something unusual or extraordinary happens, or … Continue reading The Significance Of Ranges
Cyclical Strategies
One of the comments I often address is whether only buying stocks that are making new highs is the best methodology. If you are an active trader, this makes sense because you want to go where the momentum is. While stocks do ebb and flow, it makes sense to be invested in the strongest stocks … Continue reading Cyclical Strategies
The Significance Of Trend
It's been almost 4 months since the initial shock to the stock markets ostensibly caused by the panicked entreaties of health officials. A number of factors contributed to the massive selloff which ensued over the following months based on the sudden introduction of unknowns. The lack of substantiated facts was one factor but also the … Continue reading The Significance Of Trend
Market Update May 14
On March 22, almost a month ago, we discussed scenarios for the direction of the market, specifically the Dow Jones in the weeks to follow. At the time, the market was at maximum fear and volatility measures were spiking to all time highs. Because of the climatic nature of the sell off at the time, … Continue reading Market Update May 14
Needs vs Wants
In line with the theme of the previous post, I am going to illustrate a thought process that anyone can employ. One of the hallmarks of a strong economy is the strength of the consumer sector, especially in what is labelled as 'consumer discretionary'. This sector encompasses companies that sell consumables or luxuries, including such … Continue reading Needs vs Wants
May Update
We are well past the initial bomb blast that hit the markets in mid February. The panic selling that ensued was a function of an un-quantifiable outside force which hit the markets without much warning. Over the months, the nature of the threat has been identified and there are measures being taken globally to address … Continue reading May Update
Contrarian Ideas
The majority of articles that I've written are concerned with finding the best investment vehicles when they are most in demand, hence the focus on relative strength and momentum. There is another school of thought that views investments from an entirely different perspective, that is from a contrarian and necessarily longer term horizon. Investing in … Continue reading Contrarian Ideas
