Posts tagged ‘Dow Jones’
Return to Rationality?
As the worst pandemic in more than a generation is winding down in the U.S., people are readjusting their personal lives and investing worlds as they transition from ridiculousness to rationality. After many months of non-stop lockdowns, social distancing, hand-sanitizers, mask-wearing, and vaccines, Americans feel like caged tigers ready to roam back into the wild. An incredible amount of pent-up demand is just now being unleashed not only by consumers, but also by businesses and the economy overall. This reality was also felt in the stock market as the Dow Jones Industrial Average powered ahead another 654 points last month (+1.9%) to a new record level (34,529) and the S&P 500 also closed at a new monthly high (+0.6% to 4,204). For the year, the bull market remains intact with the Dow gaining almost 4,000 points (+12.8%), while the S&P 500 has also registered a respectable +11.9% return.
The story was different last year. The economy and stock market temporarily fell off a cliff and came to a grinding halt in the first quarter of 2020. However, with broad distribution of the vaccines and antibodies gained by the previously infected, herd immunity has effectively been reached. As a result, the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic has essentially come to an end for now and stock prices have continued their upward surge since last March.
Insanity to Sanity?
With the help of the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at near-0% levels, coupled with trillions of dollars in stimulus and proposed infrastructure spending, corporate profits have been racing ahead. All this free money has pushed speculation into areas such as cryptocurrencies (i.e., Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum), SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies), Reddit meme stocks (GameStop Corp, AMC Entertainment), and highly valued, money-losing companies (e.g., Spotify, Uber, Snowflake, Palantir Technologies, Lyft, Peloton, and others). The good news, at least in the short-term, is that some of these areas of insanity have gone from stratospheric levels to just nosebleed heights. Take for example, Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation Fund (ARKK) that invests in pricey stocks averaging a 91x price-earnings ratio, which exceeds 4x’s the valuation of the average S&P 500 stock. The ARK exchange traded fund that touts investments in buzzword technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cryptocurrencies rocketed +149% last year in the middle of a pandemic, but is down -10.0% this year. The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust fund (GBTC) that skyrocketed +291% in 2020 has fallen -5.6% in 2021 and -48.1% from its peak. What’s more, after climbing by more than +50% in less than four months, the Defiance NextGen SPAC fund (SPAK) has declined by -28.9% from its apex just a few months ago in February. You can see the dramatic 2021 underperformance in these areas in the chart below.
Inflation Rearing its Ugly Head?
The economic resurgence, weaker value of the U.S. dollar, and rising stock prices have pushed up inflation in commodities such as corn, gasoline, lumber, automobiles, housing, and a whole host of other goods (see chart below). Whether this phenomenon is “transitory” in nature, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell likes to describe this trend, or if this is the beginning of a longer phase of continued rising prices, the answer will be determined in the coming months. It’s clear the Federal Reserve has its hands full as it attempts to keep a lid on inflation and interest rates. The Fed’s success, or lack thereof, will have significant ramifications for all financial markets, and also have meaningful consequences for retirees looking to survive on fixed income budgets.
As we have worked our way through this pandemic, all Americans and investors look to change their routines from an environment of irrationality to rationality, and insanity to sanity. Although the bull market remains alive and well in the stock market, inflation, interest rates, and speculative areas like cryptocurrencies, SPACs, meme-stocks, and nosebleed-priced stocks remain areas of caution. Stick to a disciplined and diversified investment approach that incorporates valuation into the process or contact an experienced advisor like Sidoxia Capital Management to assist you through these volatile times.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
This article is an excerpt from a previously released Sidoxia Capital Management complimentary newsletter (June 1, 2021). Subscribe on the right side of the page for the complete text.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients hold positions in certain exchange traded funds (ETFs), but at the time of publishing had no direct position in GME, AMC, SPOT, UBER, SNOW, PLTR, LYFT, PTON, GBTC, SPAK, ARKK or any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC Contact page.
Election End + Vaccine Victory = Dow 30,000
There are many variables that affect the direction of the stock market, but there were two factors that pushed the stock market to a record high of 30,000 on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The mathematical equation solved last month was the following: (Election End + Positive Vaccine Data) = Dow 30,000.
Election Clouds of Uncertainty Lifted
Former Vice President Joe Biden secured 81.1 million popular votes and 302 electoral votes, while incumbent President Donald Trump earned 73.9 million popular votes and 232 electoral votes. President Trump has filed numerous lawsuits in various states challenging the validity of the election results and he has claimed voter fraud in numerous states. However, if the Electoral College certifies the results on December 14th, reversing the election outcome by President Trump will become even more challenging. With President Trump getting 47% of the total versus 51% for President-elect Biden, the country largely remains divided, but investors have gained significant confidence now that the clouds of election uncertainty have lifted.
Vaccine Optimism
Investor optimism was further buoyed by 95%-effective vaccine data released by pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, Inc. (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX), and Moderna Inc. (MRNA), which helped the stock market surge last month to an all-time record high of 30,000 in the Dow Jones Industrial average (see chart below) before slightly dipping at the end of the month to 29,638 . More specifically, the Dow soared +12% (3,137 points) for the month; the S&P 500 index 11%, and the NASDAQ +12%. For the year, the Dow, S&P, and NASDAQ have climbed +4%, +12%, and +36%, respectively.
Rotating Growth for Value and Large for Small
Given a new president variable with President-elect Biden, stock market investors have reassessed which economic factors and new legislative policies will affect future stock market returns. As I have been discussing with Sidoxia Capital Management clients and Investing Caffeine readers for years, the level of outperformance of “Growth” stocks over “Value” stocks, and “Large-cap” stocks over “Small-cap” stocks has been staggering. If you consider the Russell 1000 Growth index (IWF) has outperformed the Russell 1000 Value index (IWD) by 102% (120% vs. 18%, respectively) since 2016, and the S&P 100 index (Large-cap) outpaced the Russell 2000 (Small-cap) by 33% (67% vs. 34%), you can appreciate the benefit investors have enjoyed by investing with the Large-cap Growth formula in the stock market. But as I have previously pointed out, this level of outperformance is not sustainable forever, historically. Last month, we saw this gap narrow as Small-cap stocks advanced +18% (IWM – Russell 2000) and Value stocks +13% (Russell 1000 Value). Embedded within the Value segment, the energy sector (XLE) skyrocketed +28% for the month and financials (XLF) by +17%.
What Now? Politics Focus on Georgia
Another significant contributing factor to the recent rally has been the election gridlock outcome in Congress. Leading up to the elections, political polls incorrectly predicted a “Blue Wave” of Democratic victories in the House of Representatives and Senate. Under that scenario, Democrats would have had a blank check mandate to push a broad liberal agenda across America. That did not happen. Republicans actually gained more seats than Democrats in the House, and Republicans only lost one seat in the Senate.
All eyes are now on the Georgia Senate runoff election in January. As things stand currently, we effectively have a stalemate in Congress, meaning Democrats will have to fight tooth and nail to pass any new legislation and/or institute higher taxes. If both Democrat candidates win in the Georgia runoff, President-elect Biden and the Democrats will have a narrow majority in Congress, which could lead to more progressive measures, including tax hikes on the wealthy.
Economic Rebound Intact
Despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the economic rebound keeps moving forward. In fact, recent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2020 are expected to exceed an average of +6%. As you can see in the chart below, corporate profits have bounced back to record high and remain relatively high to the slower recovery in GDP.
The economic resurgence experienced has not been limited to the United States. The global expansion, especially in China, has shown up in the upturn of World Trade Volume (see chart below).
Between the Dow hitting 30,000, the millions of votes counted in the elections, and the vaccine effectiveness rates, there have been many numbers to contemplate last month. Suffice it to say, however, the mathematics of these figures show that investors are using this formula to earn all-time record results in the stock market.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
This article is an excerpt from a previously released Sidoxia Capital Management complimentary newsletter (December 1, 2020). Subscribe on the right side of the page for the complete text.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients hold positions in certain exchange traded funds (ETFS), but at the time of publishing had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC Contact page.
Markets Fly as Media Noise Goes By
This article is an excerpt from a previously released Sidoxia Capital Management complimentary newsletter (November 1, 2017). Subscribe on the right side of the page for the complete text.
That loud pitched noise is not a frightening scream from Halloween, but rather what you are likely hearing is the deafening noise coming from Washington D.C or cries from concerned Americans watching senseless acts of terrorism. Thanks to the explosion of real-time social media and smart phones, coupled with the divisive politics and depressing headlines blasted across all media outlets, it is almost impossible to ignore the daily avalanche of informational irrelevance.
As I have been writing for some time, the good news for long-term investors is the financial markets continue to plug their ears and ignore poisonous politics and the spread of F.U.D. (Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt). There is a financial benefit to turning off the TV and disregarding political rants over your Facebook feed. Regardless of your political views, President Trump’s approval ratings have objectively been going down, but that really doesn’t matter…the stock market keeps going up (see chart below).
Source: Bespoke
While politicians on both sides scream at each other, investment portfolios have been screaming higher. Stock prices are more focused on the items that really matter, which include corporate profits, interest rates, valuations (price levels), and sentiment (i.e., determining whether investors are too optimistic or too pessimistic). The proof is in the pudding. Stock prices continue to set new records, as witnessed by the 7th consecutive monthly high registered by the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a level of 23,377. For the month, these results translate into an astonishing +4.3% gain. For the year, this outcome equates to an even more impressive +18.3% return. This definitely beats the near-0% rate earned on your checking account and cash stuffed under the mattress.
On the surface, 2017 has been quite remarkable, but over the last decade, stock market returns have proved to be even more extraordinary. Bolstering my contention that politics rarely matter to your long-term pocketbook, one can simply observe history. We are now approaching the 10-year anniversary of the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis – arguably the worst recession experienced in a generation. Over the last decade, despite political power in Washington bouncing around like a hot potato, stock performance has skyrocketed. From early 2009, when the Dow briefly touched a low of 6,470, the index has almost quadrupled above the 23,000 threshold (see chart below).
Source: Barchart.com
To place this spectacular period into better context, one should look at the political control dynamics across Congress and the White House over the same time frame (see the right side of the chart below). Whether you can decipher the chart or not, anyone can recognize that the colors consistently change from red (Republican) to blue (Democrat), and then from blue to red.
More specifically, since the end of 2007, the Democrats have controlled the Senate for approximately 80% of the time; the Republicans have controlled the House of Representatives for 60% of the time; and the Oval Office has switched between three different presidents (two Republicans and one Democrat). And if that is not enough diversity for you, we have also had two Federal Reserve Chairs (Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen) who controlled the world’s most powerful monetary system, and a Congressional mid-term election taking place in twelve short months. There are two morals to this story: 1) No matter how sad or excited you are about your candidate/political party, you can bank on the control eventually changing; and 2) One person alone cannot save the economy, nor can that same person singlehandedly crater the economy.
Source: Wikipedia
Waterfall of Worries
If you simply read the newspapers and watched the news on TV all day, you would be shocked to learn about the magnificent magnitude of this equity bull market. Reaching these new highs has not been a walk in the park for most investors. There certainly has been no shortage of issues to worry about, including the following:
- Special Counsel Indictments: After the abrupt firing of former FBI Director James Comey by President Donald Trump, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein established a special counsel in May and appointed ex-FBI official and attorney Robert Mueller to investigate potential Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential elections. Just this week, Mueller indicted Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, and Manafort’s business partner and Trump campaign volunteer, Rick Gates. The special counsel also announced the guilty plea of George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign who admitted lying to the FBI regarding interactions between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.
- Terrorist Attacks: Senseless murders of eight people in New York by a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan, and 59 people shot dead by a 64-year-old shooter from a Las Vegas casino have created a chilling blanket of concern over American psyches.
- New Money Chief? The term of current Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen, ends this February. President Trump has fueled speculation he will announce the appointment of a new Fed chief as early as this week. Although the president has recently praised Yellen, a registered Democrat, many pundits believe Trump wants to select Jerome Powell, a Republican, who currently sits on the Federal Board of Governors.
- North Korea Rocket Launches: So far in 2017, North Korea has launched 22 missiles and tested a hydrogen bomb, while simultaneously threatening to fire missiles over the US territory of Guam and conduct an atmospheric nuclear test. Saber rattling has diminished somewhat in recent weeks since the last North Korean missile launch took place on September 15th. Nevertheless, tensions could rise at any moment, if missile launches resume.
Although media headlines are often depressing, F.U.D. will never go away – it’s only the list of worries that change over time. As noted earlier, the entrepreneurial DNA of the financial markets is focused on more important economic factors like the economy, rather than politics or terrorism. One barometer of economic health can be gauged by the chart below – Consumer Confidence is at the highest level since 2000.
Source: Bespoke
This trend is important because consumers make up approximately 70% of our nation’s economic output. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Americans are feeling considerably better due to the following factors:
- Strong Job Market: The 4.2% unemployment rate is at the lowest level in 16 years.
- Strong Economy: Despite the dampening effect of the hurricanes, the economy is poised to register its best six-month performance of at least 3% growth in three years.
- Strong Housing Market: Just-released data shows an acceleration in national home price appreciation by +6.1% compared to a year ago.
- Low Interest Rates: Inflation has been low, credit has been cheap, and the Federal Reserve has been cautious in raising interest rates. These low rates have improved the affordability of credit, which has been stimulative for the economy.
Tax Reform Could be the Norm
The icing on the stock market cake has been the optimism surrounding the potential passage of tax reform, likely in the shape of corporate & personal tax cuts, foreign profit repatriation, and tax simplification. The process has been slow, but by passing a budget, the Republican-led Congress was able to pave the way for substantive new tax reform, something not seen since the Ronald Reagan administration, some 30-years ago. Everybody loves paying lower taxes, but victory cannot be claimed yet. Democrats and some fiscally conservative Republicans are not interested in exploding our country’s already-large deficits and debt levels. In order to achieve responsible tax legislation, Congress is looking to remove certain tax loopholes and is negotiating precious tax breaks such as mortgage interest deductibility, state/local tax deductibility, 401(k) tax incentives, and corporate interest expense deductibility, among many other possible iterations. Although corporate tax discussions have been heated, the chart below demonstrates individual income tax legislation is much more important for tax reform legislation because the government collects a much larger share of taxes from individuals vs. corporations.
Source: Calafia Beach Pundit
In spite of all the deafening political noise heard over social media and traditional media, it’s important to block out all the F.U.D. and concentrate on how to achieve your long-term financial goals. If you don’t have the time, energy, or emotional fortitude to follow a disciplined financial plan, I urge you to find an experienced investment advisor who is also a fiduciary. If you need assistance finding one, I am confident Sidoxia Capital Management can help you with this endeavor.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients hold positions in certain exchange traded funds (ETFs) and FB, but at the time of publishing had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC Contact page.
Historical Trampoline Cycles of Fear & Greed
What goes up, eventually comes down, and what goes down, eventually comes up. Like an adolescent jumping on a trampoline, emotions in the financial markets jump sky high before crashing down to earth…and then the process repeats itself. The underlying reasons behind every market gyration are different, but the emotions of fear and greed are similar. Since 1919, there have been 29 recessions, and 29 recoveries (pretty good recovery batting average). Over that 92 year period we have also witnessed the Dow Jones Industrial Average go from around 100 in 1919 to over 12,300 today – not too shabby.
The blood curdling panic experienced in 2008 and early 2009 has turned to ordinary fear among retail investors – although the doubling of the equity markets from two years ago has instilled a good dosage of animal spirits into professional traders and speculators. When trillions of low yielding cash and Treasuries ultimately come barreling into equity markets, thereby extending equity valuations, then I will become extra nervous. Until then, plenty of opportunities still exist – there just is not nearly as much low-hanging fruit as two years ago.
More of the Same
To make the point that “the more things change, the more things stay the same,” you can go all the way back to 1932 and read the words of Dean Witter – I also wrote about the history of panic in the 1970s (see Rhyming History).
Even some 80 years ago, Witter was keenly aware of the doomsday bears:
“People are deterred from buying good stocks and bonds now only because of an unwarranted terror…All sorts of bugaboos are paraded to destroy the last vestige of confidence. Stories of disaster which are incredible and untrue are told to foolish and credulous listeners, who appear willing to believe the worst.”
The bugaboo purveyors I called out in 2009 included Peter Schiff, Nouriel Roubini, Meredith Whitney, and Jimmy Rogers. I’m not sure who the next genius du jour(s) will be, but I am confident they will be prominently paraded over the media airwaves.
Cherry Price for Consensus
As firmer signs of an economic recovery finally take hold, investors slowly regain confidence about investing in risky assets. The only problem is that prices have skyrocketed! Witter captures this dynamic beautifully back in 1932:
“Some people say that they wish to await a clearer view of the future. When the future is again clear the present bargains will no longer be available. Does anyone think that present prices will continue when confidence has been fully restored? Such bargains exist only because of terror and distress.”
Herd Gets Slaughtered
History proves over and over again…the general investing public suffers the consequences of following the herd of fear and greed. Or as Witter states:
“It is easy to run with the crowd. The path of least resistance is to join in the wailings that are now so popular. The constructive policy, however, is to maintain your courage and your optimism, to have faith in the ultimate future of your country and to proclaim your faith and to recommend the purchase of good bonds and good stocks, which are inordinately depreciated.”
In the short-run, markets move up and down in an unpredictable fashion, like an irresponsible teenager jumping on a trampoline. In the long-run, investors can do themselves a favor by ignoring the masses, and sticking to a disciplined, systematic investment approach that includes controlled valuation metrics and contrarian sentiment factors. That way, you won’t fall off the investment trampoline and permanently break your portfolio.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients own certain exchange traded funds, but at the time of publishing SCM had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC “Contact” page.
Dow Déjà Vu – Shining Rainbow or Bad Nightmare?
Excerpt from Free January Sidoxia Monthly Newsletter (Subscribe on right-side of page)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is sitting at 11,577 points. Dick Fuld is still CEO of Lehman Brothers, AIG is still trading toxic CDS derivative contracts, and the $700 billion TARP bailout is a pre-idea about to be invented in the brain of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. Oops, wait a second, this isn’t the Dow 11,577of September 2008, but rather this is the Dow 11,577 of December 2010 (+11% for the year, excluding dividends). Was the -50% drop we experienced in the equity markets during 2008-2009 all just a bad dream? If not, how in the heck has the stock market climbed spectacularly? Most people don’t realize that stocks have about doubled over the last 21 months (and up roughly +20%-25% in the last 6 months) – all in the face of horrendously depressing news swirling around the media (i.e., jobs, debt, deficits, N. Korea, Iran, “New Normal,” etc.). Market volatility often does not make intuitive sense, and as a result, many market observers have been caught flat-footed.
Here are a few basic factors that average investors have not adequately appreciated:
1) Headlines are in Rearview Mirror: News that everyone reads in newspapers and magazines and hears on the television and radio is all backward looking. It’s always best to drive while looking forward through the windshield and try to anticipate what’s around the corner – not obsess with backward looking activity in the rearview mirror. That’s how the stock market works – tomorrow’s news (not yesterday’s or today’s) is what drives prices up or down. As the economy teetered on the verge of a “Great Depression-like” scenario in 2008-2009, investors became overly pessimistic and stocks became dramatically oversold. More recently, news has been perking up. Previous recessions have seen doubters slowly convert to believers and push prices higher – eventually stocks become overbought and euphoria slows the bull market. I believe we are in phase II of this three-part economic recovery.
2) Ignore Emerging Markets at Own Peril: We Americans tend to wear blinders when it comes to focusing on domestic issues. We focus more on healthcare reform and political issues, such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” rather than the billions of foreigners chasing us as they climb the global economic ladder. Citizens in emerging markets are more concerned about out-competing and out-innovating us through educated workforces, so they can steal our jobs and buy more toasters, iPods, and cars – things we Americans have already taken for granted. The insatiable appetite of the expanding global middle class for a better standard of living is also driving ballooning commodity prices – everything from coal to copper and corn to cotton (the 4 Cs). This universal sandbox that we play in offers tremendous opportunities to grasp and tremendous threats to avoid, if investors open their eyes to these emerging market trends.
3) Capital Goes Where it’s Treated Best: Many voters are fed-up with the political climate in Washington and the sad state of economic affairs. The great thing about the global capitalistic marketplace we live in is that it does not discriminate – capital flows to where it is treated best. On a macro basis, money flows to countries that are fiscally responsible, support pro-growth initiatives, harbor educated work forces, control valuable natural resources, and honor the rule of law. On a micro basis, money flows to companies that are attractively priced and/or capable of sustainably growing earnings and cash flow. Voters and politicians will ultimately figure it out, or capital will go where it’s treated best.
Today’s Dow 11,577 is no bad dream, but rather resembles the emergence of a bright shining rainbow after a long, cold, and dark storm. The rainbow won’t stick around forever, but if investors choose to ignore the previously mentioned factors, like so many investors have overlooked, portfolio performance may turn into an ugly nightmare.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients own certain exchange traded funds, AAPL, and an AIG derivative security, but at the time of publishing SCM had no direct position in GS, any security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC “Contact” page.
Why it’s NOT Different This Time
“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”
– Edmund Burke – British Statesman and Philosopher (1729-1797)
I wasn’t a history major in college, but I’ve learned two things by studying history books: 1) The unchanging psyche of human nature leads history consistently to repeats itself; and 2) There is never a shortage of goofballs willing to make zany predictions.
Robert Zuccaro is no exception to lesson number two, as evidenced by his 2001 book, Why it’s Different this Time…Dow 30,000 by 2008! Sticking one’s neck out is never too difficult when you have a multi-decade trend behind your back – I guess Dow “14,000” just didn’t sound sexy enough back then. Unfortunately the herd reacting to these bold, extreme predictions eventually realize (usually post-mortem) that they are quickly approaching a tail-end of a cycle. The cab driver, hair dresser, and mechanic realized the dangers of following the “New Economy” cheerleaders in 1999 when everyone was piling into dot-com stocks (see Bubblicious technology table ).
Dow 1,000 Here We Come!
- Source: Yahoo! Finance
Today, the Zuccaros of the world have been washed to the curb, and new “Armageddon” extremists have sprouted up to the surface, like perma-bear Peter Schiff and his call for Dow 2,000 or his $5,000 per ounce gold estimate. More recently, Robert Prechter has one-upped Schiff by forecasting Dow 1,000 with the assistance of the not-so ironclad Elliott Wave Theory philosophy (see Technical Analysis: Astrology or Lob Wedge). If you’re in the Prechter camp, either crawl back into your bunker or start digging that dream cave you always wanted.
Source: Elliott Wave International
“Hey, Look Here at My Crazy Forecast!”
Publicity doesn’t necessarily rain praise on those parroting the consensus view (although the warmth of job security is appreciated), but rather the extreme outliers love to bask in the glow of media attention. The extremists consistently repeat “why it’s different this time.” What is different is the set of circumstances, but what history shows us over and over again is the emotions of fear and greed feeding the bubbles of excess are exactly the same. Whether you’re talking about the Tulip-Mania of the 1630s, the Nifty Fifty stocks of 1973-1974, the technology Four Horsemen of the mid-1990s, or the Icelandic Banks of 2008, what we learn from the lessons of history is that human nature will never change and fear and greed will continue creating and bursting future bubbles.
People playing the game long enough understand, “It’s NOT different this time.” Not only have we endured repeated wars, recessions, banking crises, currency crises, but we have also survived every exotic animal disease known to man, including Mad Cow, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, West Nile, etc.
Robert Zuccaro and Robert Prechter may get an “A” for their attention grabbing forecasts, but thus far the grade earned on accuracy is closer to an “F.” More specifically, Zuccaro’s prediction never came close to 30,000 by the end of 2008 (only off by about 21,000 points), and guess what, Bob Prechter has a long way to go before reaching his Dow 1,000 target. So here is my proposition: Why don’t we just split the difference between Zuccaro’s 2008 and Prechter’s 2016 forecasts and take the average? If it turns out they are equally bad forecasters, then Dow 15,500 by 2012 should be no problem ([30,000 + 1,000] ÷ 2)!
Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this market (double-dip or sustained recovery), what I do know is there will continue to be wacky outlandish forecasters rationalizing why a trend will go on for infinity and why “this time is different.” In reality these attention mongers will always be around ensuring this time (or next time) will never be different…just the same fear and greed as always.
Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®
Plan. Invest. Prosper.
DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients own certain exchange traded funds, but at the time of publishing SCM had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC “Contact” page.
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