Cyclically speaking....is it time to sell stocks?Introduction
Within the larger Elliott Wave community (of Elliottitions; practitioners of Elliott Wave Theory) there has been an ongoing notion, that is gaining in popular perspective, that the US stock markets are very close to entering a super cycle wave (IV)…myself included.
However, from what we know of Elliott’s original work, which was based on social and economic behaviors concerning market participants, and the use of Fibonacci numbers…is when this normal cycle starts, we will not know with a high degree of certainty this is what is occurring likely until its ending.
Background
Ralph Nelson Elliott was an accountant by trade born the late 19th century who also studied the US Markets. Post the 1929 stock market crash, and as a reader of Charles Dow’s Customer Afternoon Letter, (which later became the basis for today’s Wall Street Journal) Elliott began to formulate the basis of Elliott Wave Theory by noticing patterns that seemingly repeated (mathematical fractals) across monthly chart timeframes, all the way down to the 30-minute increments of price action within the stock markets. He stated that the behavior of market participants was cyclical in their actions, predictable in the outcome, and therefore highly forecastable well into the future.
Although Elliott Wave Theory is criticized for a multitude of reasons that I will not get into here, I can clear up this, or any criticism of the technical analysis by simply stating I use EWT everyday as a trader to make a living. If the principles largely bare out each and every day on the smaller scales, regardless of the security (as long as there is a large number of participants) it’s highly implausible they would NOT fail when applied to the very long-term charts.
My Analytical Perspective
From Elliott’s original work he wrote…
Corrections are typically harder to identify than impulse moves. In wave A of a bear market, the fundamental news is usually still positive. Most analysts see the drop as a correction in a still-active bull market. Some technical indicators that accompany wave A include increased volume, rising implied volatility in the options markets and possibly a turn higher in open interest in related futures markets.
In the above chart you'll notice I have placed a red target box in the area of where a normal a-wave would reconcile to. It is while involved in this initial decline of a super cycle wave (IV) that sort of market reaction will be reported as a deep, but common run-of-the-mill bear market that was overdue. Given the meteoric rise in stock prices, it only stands to reason that we would consolidate those.
This will give credence to my suspicion that we will not know we're only just starting this long-term consolidation. What will follow next should be a very long drawn-out b-wave, that has the protentional to rally back towards the current levels (maybe slightly below). This portion of the pattern will take many years, possibly a decade. The price action will take long enough to where participants may even feel that the a-wave bear market is over, and we're now involved in another bull market cycle to new highs. This will go a long way to justifying the narrative that the previous market decline was a speed bump on the way to much higher levels now.
Again, Elliott states with respect to a b-wave in general and how we could potentially view this portion of the super cycle wave (IV).
Prices reverse higher, which many see as a resumption of the now long-gone bull market. Those familiar with classical technical analysis may see the peak as the right shoulder of a head and shoulders reversal pattern. The volume during wave B should be lower than in wave A. By this point, fundamentals are probably no longer improving, but they most likely have not yet turned negative.
The b-wave, from bottom to top, can provide opportunities for traders for the duration as it will be a trader’s market. This is where the majority of this long term cycle will reside.
The final outcome of a super cycle wave (IV) and why I state in the beginning of this article as to why we may not know this was a multi-decade super cycle wave (IV) is prices may be approaching the previous highs before we get one of two outcomes of neither are good. The first outcome is a stock market crash that could resemble it’s cyclical wave (II) but in alternating form. This would be devastating loss of wealth in a very short term period of time…whereas, the second option is a slightly more controlled decline, and although not classified as a stock market crash, will certainly feel like one as the declines will be steady, consistent and overtime versus all at once.
In conclusion, could the current price action to higher levels continue to persist? Yes. I am not saying this market has topped. No key levels of support have been breached. The trajectory I am expecting is as per the below and as key levels of price action that have supported this rally are breached the pathway forecasted takes on a more standard decline based on Fibonacci retracement levels.
Daily Chart
Only cycle a-wave labeled.
Cyclically speaking....is it time to sell stocks? I cannot answer that because the strategy of investing in the stock market depends on the person, their age, and their investment goals. These are decisions only you can make.
