Do Todays Participants & Pundits Understand Todays Stock Market?I’ll get right to the point. NO
Now granted, as the reader, you’re immediately drawing your own conclusions about that opening statement. You're probably thinking... The author of this post is obviously bearish and therefore has an agenda. Ok, that’s fair.
Then indulge me as I explain, in detail , why I believe todays market participants and financial news pundits do not understand Todays Stock Market. My only request of you, the reader, is to continue reading with an open mind till the end and then judge for yourself.
I practice a form of technical analysis called Elliott Wave Theory.
Whether one would consider it theoretical after 90 years since it’s introduction, or not, is a discussion for another time. This post is not some diatribe debating, nor defending the Principles of Elliott Wave. However, I’ll sum up Elliott Wave for the uninitiated in a simple explanation for sole purpose of understanding this post.
Elliott Wave Brief Explanation:
Elliott Wave means to forecast crowd behavior specifically as it pertains to price action within a given market. As a long-time practitioner of this form of analysis I am still amazed to this day, to see price follow through on my forecasts with a high degree of both accuracy, and reliability. I’m never bored. But in truth, this form of analysis has little merit in markets in which there are no LARGE CROWDS. Price action in thinly traded penny stocks, fly by night crypto currencies, and so forth. You simply cannot forecast what the crowd will do, in the absence of a true crowd. However, in LARGE CROWDS, the basic premise of Elliott Wave is prices tend to move in 5 distinct “Waves” within a given trend. During the course of that 5-wave trend, price will correct, consolidate or digest gains or losses in 3 distinct “waves” prior to that trend completing. To examine those waves within a trend, an analyst should be able to drill down into smaller and smaller time frames and see the same principles playing out as these price action patterns are fractal in nature. They are self-similar. Ok, that is an overly simplified explanation of Elliott Wave. Nonetheless, its one in which I think is enough where I can guide you through my broader reasoning. Let me start out with my long-term SPX analysis.
Elliott Wave Analysis on the SP500:
In the above chart you'll find the 4-hour fractal of the below larger monthly fractal. I have posted these charts many times before, so long-term followers of my work will recognize them. But I start this broader explanation with the below monthly chart. Displayed in the chart below you see a series of labels in green ( I ), ( II ), and ( III ). Those green labels are what Elliott Wave deems a super-cycle price action analysis…or count. Its referred to as a “count”, because practitioners of Elliott Wave Theory are simply counting waves.
So if Elliott Wave is based on a series of 5-wave trend patterns, and 3-wave counter trend patterns that are FRACTAL in nature (my earlier over-simplified explanation), then after completing a wave ( III ), we obviously need a wave ( IV ). Now in all fairness to you the reader, has the monthly price action confirmed we’re in a super-cycle wave ( IV ) and wave ( III ) has in fact completed?
NO.
What confirms the price action is in a super-cycle wave ( IV ) event is a breach of the 2020 Covid-19 low of ES Futures 2174. That price (2174) is the litmus test for continuation to higher highs in the SPX or a long slog in equities that could last decades and decimate global wealth.
Now I have long told my members that... although I do not know what the catalysts are that ultimately validate the forecasted price action, those catalysts always tend to show up on time . I think in my trading room, my members would whole heartedly agree with that statement.
So, as I analyze price action from the day to day to the 1-minute chart and justify my primary long-term analysis today I am in no shortage of potential catalysts that are brewing. You know them all (Debt Ceiling, Regional Banking Crisis, The Fed, Inflation, Geo-Political…etc.) I choose not to speculate on the potential event, but on history. Is there a precedent? Yes, History.
There is…. somewhat. Here it is.
The last time we had our wave ( II ), super cycle counter trend price action, was the stock market crash of 1929. That is easy to see on the above chart, but what were the clues, or the potential catalysts leading up to that event almost 100 years ago?
Clue #1: The Panic of 1907
The Panic of 1907 was…wait for it…” A Financial Crisis”. During this time, the irresponsibility of bankers caused Bank Runs, and ultimately that translated into a 50% decline in the NYSE. That’s half…50%. This dried up any liquidity for loans. In other words, a credit crunch. Sound Familiar? Sidenote: You starting to get the sense that bankers always seem to be present at the scene of the crime so to speak? It’s perplexing. Who are these nefarious characters? Banking, in general, is terrible business model. But I digress…back to the point.
Clue #2: The Spanish Flu
The Spanish Flu of 1918 was a global influenza pandemic (H1N1) that decimated a third of the population on planet Earth. The Spanish Flu became a global pandemic because exiting World War 1, the war effort censors were accustomed to censoring bad news. Therefore, most of the population was ill-informed regarding the dangers of (H1N1) and disproportionately this effected the young and old members on the population. This was also a time of climate change and population migration patterns and this exacerbated the spread and effects of the flu.
This starting to sound like you’ve seen this movie before?
Clue #3: Massive economic bounce back
The jobs market was in high deficiency mode as early as 1922 having had so many of potential workers having died in the previous pandemic prematurely. This caused a massive supply-demand dislocation of (1) human nature to get out from under the atmosphere of The Spanish Flu and (2) live and consume…and the work force to meet those needs on a global scale. This resulted in a large economic expansion that lasted almost 10 years. In the United States, we refer to this era as, “The Roaring Twenties”. These three clues culminated in the stock market crash of 1929...hence our super-cycle wave ( II ).
As an analyst, as an intellectual, and as a student of history, I cannot ignore these flashing confluence of events in my time.
The Irish statesman, Edmund Burke has been attributed to having said… ” Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”
The Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
War Time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
In summary, how does this all shake out?
Well, first and foremost I’ll say that this is not your father’s stock market, it’s not even your grandfather’s market. It’s more than likely your Great Grandfathers market. That market was terrible. That market had seismic effect on both society and asset appreciation. Keep in mind, this market has had it’s bull and bear markets. However, for the last almost 100 years, we’ve been in a secular bull market. During the last 100 years, we have experienced 3 impactful cyclical bear markets within a 93 year secular bull market since our super cycle wave ( II ) event in 1929.
During the last 93 years, the stock market has essentially appreciated in a solid, predictable 45-degree angle higher. Buy and hold, buying the dip, has been both the statistical and practical successful trading thesis. If this is a wave ( IV ) super-cycle event, trader sentiment must change. This takes time. Traders must now go through re-conditioning. A mourning, if you will, of the past 93 years of a secular bull market. Unfortunately, this only occurs with the loss of money, and over time. Cavemen continued to touch fire as it is visually magical. However, after a while, I’m sure they drew the conclusion this is NOT ADVISED . I keep CNBC on in the back ground of my small trading office. The incredibly smart contributors, and titans of money they feature quote metrics like typical bear market durations, what typically happens after the Fed has paused rate increases 6 months afterwards…and I’ll be the first to announce to you, the reader, THAT NO LONGER APPLIES.
We are no longer in that 93 year long 45-degree angle up. Those metrics… worthless . Those typical expectations… miss-guided .
THIS IS NOT YOURS, NOR IS IT YOUR FATHERS MARKET.
Now granted, this is somewhat of a thought speculation on my part (as of today). However, I do wonder…if traders, market participants and financial news pundits have objectively considered if they understand TODAYS STOCK MARKET.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
CHRIS
