The Exit Strategy.

Spring has sprung and so has the stock market. The current sentiment looks like we may have a classic "Sell in May and go away" - but with a twist. More about the twist later. The below chart and information on the Business Cycle/Economic Cycle - provided from Stockcharts.com - is a good place to start from when determining which sectors to be in and when.





Legend: Market Cycle(Red) Economic Cycle (Green)


This theoretical model is based on Sam Stovall's S&P's Guide to Sector Rotation and states that different sectors are stronger at different points in the economic cycle. The graph above shows these relationships and the order in which the various sectors should get a boost from the economy. The Market Cycle preceeds the Economic Cycle because investors try to anticipate economic effects.


The current intermediate trendline is still in tact, but at a pivotal moment as the chart shows. If this trendline holds here, we can see a fast move higher. The resistance zone matches up with a May sell signal.





If we look back at the business cycle/economic cycle we can see the models shows that finanicals lead. In this current market, financials are leading in the last month and are helping make a case that a bottom is being put in place. As the market made new lows in February, so did the KBW Bank Index (^BKX), and while many other indexes did not reach new lows - indexes such as the PHLX SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR INDEX(Philadelphia: ^SOXX) and the AMEX GOLD BUGS INDEX(AMEX: ^HUI)
- a relative strength collage started to emerge. Everyone knew without the financials though, everything was off the table - the market could not recover. But now that the financials have bounced - in a big way - and currently lead on a 1 month relative basis off of the bottom, the promise of a new market/economic cycle is showing improvements, and sector rotation is currently being construed: financials/transports, technology/basic material, and then energy/commodities.


1 Month Relative Performance

3 Month Relative Performance

6 Month Relative Performance


Notice the AMEX GOLD BUGS INDEX(AMEX: ^HUI)is lagging on the 1 month basis, which confirms that they should be the last to run. They have clearly been the strongest sector in the 6-9month timeframe.

According to the cycle rotation, we should continue to see sector rotation out of financials - this does not mean that banks can't go up, it just means they will lag now - with transports still showing some room to outperform short term - the outperformace of the transports will give us DOW THEORY, and will confirm that we have a classic sector rotation off the bottom. Look for money to start moving into technology stocks/basic materials also in the short term, and outperformance till May sometime. This coincides with the "sell in May" theory. This is the sell signal and where we can start looking for money to rotate back into energy/commodities for summer. At this time, a good strategy would be 50% cash 25% hard assets and 25% stocks. Over the summer, look for the markets to be flat, and hard assets to outperform.

The Twist:

The twist is if Gold breaks out and over the 1,000 mark - if that occurs, we could see commodities begin a spectacular rise to create some of the best returns in commodities since its secular awakening. But nonetheless in this new risk averse world, don't count your chickens until they hatch, or in modern terms - sell them before the expiration date.

One Should Be Long Technology.

The Nasdaq comeback has begun! The new bull market will be led by Semiconductors. Here's why.

The NASDAQ and the PHLX SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR INDEX (^SOXX) are at 8-10yr lows, which means, according to the current Kondratieff Long Wave Theory, we are smack dab in the middle of a major economic cycle - this one so happens to be the depression(or Winter Cycle) - and that makes sense.

This bears good news and bad news. The good news is we are in the middle of the winter cycle, not the beginning, and the bad news is that we still have around 5-8 more years to go - most cycles last between 14-18yrs, so if we had the beginning of the "Winter Cycle" start in 2000ish, then by 2014 - 2018, you will see the cycle end. This so called "market goes nowhere for awhile" that everyone keeps saying is true, but remember that by 2014-1018, the DJIA, and more notably, the NASDAQ, should be aiming for their old highs - this is based on the fact that the market has been flat for the last 8-10yrs, so in 5-9yrs, the winter cycle will be finishing - gold will be plummeting, oil will become oversupplied, and new technolgies will advance at an ever increasing rate(probably aerospace). After this winter cycle a spring cycle will emerge, which I believe will take the NASDAQ, and Semiconductors on a huge run that I want to ride - and the tickets are sold right here and right now, today.



With that being said, and knowing Commodities have been in a Secular bull during the last 8yrs, we can assume that we are in the middle of the Secular bull for commodities but more importantly at the beginning of a new secular bull for Semiconductors. See chart below.

Commodities make roads and buildings. Chips make everything else.

We can see that the PHLX SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR INDEX (^SOXX) is showing the best relative strength against its peers on a 3m, 6m and 1yr timeframe - except for a 6m timeframe - the AMEX GOLD BUGS INDEX (^HUI) leads at that time interval. But if you look closer, Semiconductors are even leading the Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index (^DJC). Gold stocks and Semiconductor related stocks should outperform, near term and long term, and have been outperforming for the last year. The S&P BANKING INDEX has lagged everything.

3 MONTH

6 MONTH

1 YEAR

BREADTH IMPROVES



The number of new stocks hitting new lows continues to show signs of strength. Breadth indicators continue to favor a case for a bottom, albeit a long and uneven trudging of one. The Nasdaq is showing relative strength still - and if you notice, its New High/New Low chart exemplifies what should be happening when a bottom occurs. If you look at the NYSE stats, the data is less defined and unclear - that's why the Nasdaq will outperform near term and long term.





NASDAQ LEADS MAJOR INDEXES

Looking at performance charts: Nasdaq has started to outperformed on a 3m timeframe. This is important since the major part of the crash, and leading up to the 6500 area support is about 3 months - so far, NASDAQ has held up the best.



The major thesis here is that a new secular growth story is emerging. A growth story that will heal all of the cuts, bruises, and breaks that the Nasdaq left us in 2000. One should now be long technology.

STOCKS: MICRON TECHNOLOGY(NYSE: MU) TAIWAN SEMICOND ADS(NYSE: TSM)
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS(NYSE: TXN) STMICROELECTRONICS(NYSE: STM) LSI CORPORATION(NYSE: LSI)MRVL Marvell Technology Group, Ltd.

MU - Channel Break.

2 charts: one story - many endings.

A long-term channel break occurring in MICRON TECHNOLOGY(NYSE: MU) could bode well for itself in the next bull market. A channel break, as shown in the first chart, is the sign of a reversal of a trend and direction of the channel. The trend has been down for Semis since 2000 as you can see in The Other Commodity post. If you believe we are to emerge from this crisis stronger, then high-tech manufacturing could be our new shop floor.

If we look at the second chart, which shortens our time frame, we can see a potential cup and handle formation forming. Cup and handle formations are traditionally continuation patterns, and not long-term bottoming patterns, but the channel break could be of more importance in determining which way this stock should go from here.

And since we are in the midst of the unfamliar, a stop loss should be placed at around 2.50 which would break the pattern and cause for more consolidation or continuation of the downtrend.

Chart Analysis: Comparing Bottoms

Chart Study: DJIA 02-03 bottom vs. DJIA 08-09 bottoming - when, where, how and why!

Many are calling the bottom here - and there is good reason to do so. The above charts are the differences between the 02-03 bottom and this 08-09 bottom. There are many differences, but many similarities.

• 02-03 bottom went from 10500 down to 7500.
  
• 08-09 bottoming went from 13000 to 7500 - giving us an Oct plunge that started at 10500 and ended at 7500 - that single move was equivalent to the entire 02-03 bottom.

This is a big difference in the "amplitude" of the "phase", or the measurment of the top to bottom of the cycle of the 02-03 bottom and this 08-09 bottom. That's why this one hurt so much because it was faster and had a bigger plunge.

On the charts posted, you will see the calculated targets for the first bounce off the bottom of this new "cycle" or "phase". Here are things assumed in order to reach those targets.

• The bottoming formation of 02-03 bottom- Inverse Head and Shoulders: see chart for measuring technique and targets.
  
• The 08-09 bottom is showing a very similar HNS pattern, as many have been predicting and waiting to confirm: see chart for targets and analysis.

A couple of things I have been waiting for.

1. More Volume
2. Vix hits resistance area
3. New Highs vs. New lows continues in the right direction.

These all have been starting to show signs of dramatic improvement and confirming that the market could now be creating the right shoulder of the HNS bottom, and could now be ready to move higher until this summer - which will give a trader the best performance chances during this period.

Knowing this can also be a very tricky market where patterns emerge and dissapear, move in opposite of its original intention, etc. - risk management must be assumed.

PLAN #2 - Risk Management - possible scenario if we breakdown on the right shoulder here.

If this right shoulder doesn't hold with more volume to come, a possible breakdown to the 7500 retest would be considered the next support and also a place to then call for a bounce, or double bottom attempt. If that happens, then we will have a sideways market for the rest of 09 with a possible restest of the 7500 a third time sometime in Sept. or Oct. - and a day that would be a very scary moment, for sure, but I don't believe the probabilities are in this favor.

Mixed Signals and Weak Technicals - VIX and DJIA

The VIX's thrust to new highs from the 35-40 area to the historic 80 area in Sept. and Oct. brought the market to it's knees - from 11500 to 7500 in a month. Now the VIX is back to 40 and the market can't sustain any sort of rally that has legs - this may be problematic short term - and may be signaling more volatility soon.

VIX and DJIA show more range bound technicals and signals; even the possiblity for a scare of more volatility in the coming week or days. The last blog analysis of the VIX and DJIA relationship put the DJIA target at 9500 when the VIX would correct to the 50 area - it bounced and the market corrected from the 9500 area- that was correct, but what hasn't proven itself is the test of the 40 area on the VIX which, I believed, would have the DJIA higher than 9500 since the VIX at 50 equated to 9500 on the DJIA, so you would think a break into the 40 area would equate with a higher price than 9500. Well, the VIX is now at 40 but the market is well below 9500, it right now sits at dismal 8599, and well short of the 10500 target with a VIX at 40. With the VIX now at the 40 support it now seems like 25-35 area on the VIX would be needed in order for the DJIA target of 10500 to be achieved.

Looking forward, the VIX has still not hit its large support area around 25-35(congestion area), although a bounce on the 200EMA is currently in progress, and knowing the 50EMA is reading 50.40 on overhead resistance, the current bounce should have resistance there and come back down toward the ever so slight drag to the 25-35 area - maybe this can finally get the market back to 10500. What is concerning is that the DJIA hasn't moved far for a 50% correction in the VIX. Can the 25-35 area be the true test the VIX needs to be at before we see any sort of a sustained bull run in the DJIA - or is the VIX going to fade into the distance for the mean time while other patterns/indicators become more prevalent.

Assessing Breadth.

For many technicians, breadth indicators are key in confirming new uptrends or downtrends. If we look at the New Highs(end of day) to New Lows(eod) for the markets - this is nothing more the stocks making new highs(or lows) vs. the reciprocate - we can see favorable developments that confirma the market bottom is in. For instance, in the Nasdaq chart, we saw 1,600 new lows develop in October, but only saw 1100 new lows develop in November even as the market made new lows - stocks making new lows decreased from the October plunge to the November low. The same holds true for the NYSE which saw a positive divergence from the October plunge to the final low in November - 2400 to 1000 respectively.

The question now is what kind of reciprocate numbers can we see on the upside. How many new highs will be made on a market rally? Only time will tell, but there will be clues, you just have to quantify them.

Was the market bottom on friday?

I last updated a chart of the DJIA related to the VIX and the targets were hit - 9500 on the DJIA and the 50 support on the VIX. From there we saw some more volatility to the downside, but things have shifted once again. Look at the stochastic bouncing on the topside of the downward trendline from before. The VIX ROC is falling and the stochastic is crossing its %D negatively. And if we look at the ADX, the attempt at a breakout has not been confirmed with the ADX which made a lower divergence. Also, look at the volume - it is entering a new phase and produced one of the most powerful volume days yet! As for the bottom? - Only time can tell now.