Market Bottom? Is It In, Or More Downside Coming?

Feb 2, 2022

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Market backside? Is it in? That was the principle query I acquired final week, and I even mentioned it with Charles Payne of Fox Enterprise. It’s the one reply everyone is looking for. Is it time to “load up the truck” for the subsequent leg of the bull market or go to money?

It actually is an issue now, on condition that January had a tough begin for the . However, after all, such brings up the age-old Wall Avenue axiom “so goes January, so goes the 12 months.”

SP-500-January Returns
Chart courtesy of Zerohedge

As of this previous Friday, the injury is kind of obvious. As famous by Zerohedge:

is down 5 straight weeks (16% from its highs) – the longest shedding streak since 2012 – whereas are down 22% from their highs (in a bear market)

Major Market Perforance

After a 12 months, buyers believed they “may do no incorrect,” now it appears as if “nothing goes proper.”

As I famous beforehand in ,” such is how bull markets work. To wit:

“When the “bull is working,” we consider we’re smarter and higher than we’re. Consequently, we tackle considerably extra threat than we notice as we proceed to chase market returns and permit “greed” to displace our rational logic. Like playing, success breeds overconfidence because the rising tide disguises our funding errors.

“Sadly, throughout the subsequent completion of the full-market cycle, our errors return to hang-out us. At all times too painfully and tragically because the lack of capital exceeds {our capability} to “maintain on for the long-term.”

Such is the place many buyers discover themselves in the present day, hoping for a return of the bull market to bail them out of unhealthy funding methods.

So, is a backside in? First, let’s have a look at the technical backdrop.

Technically Talking – A Backside Is In

On this previous weekend’s publication, I made the case the market has probably made a short-term backside.

“The markets do look to be stabilizing, as proven under, and are holding the October lows. That 100% Fibonacci retracement, and a number of rally makes an attempt, triggered a short-term purchase sign. All of that is short-term bullish.

SPY Chart Daily Bounce

Moreover, our Simplevisor Cash Circulate evaluation can also be at excessive oversold ranges. Such normally supplies a sustainable rally, notably when the indicator is at excessive lows and triggering a “purchase” sign as it’s at present.

SPY-Money Flow Indicator

Nevertheless, whereas the technicals recommend a short-term backside is getting established, we’re involved that will restrict any bounce to a 50% to 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the latest decline. From Friday’s shut, such would entail an additional rally of roughly 3-4% earlier than the market runs into the damaged 50-day transferring common.

SPY-Market Rally

At that juncture, many of the oversold indicators shall be again to overbought, and we may probably see a reversal to retest the latest lows. There are a few causes we suspect such would be the case:

  1. There are a variety of “trapped longs” that may look to “promote” into the rally.
  2. A reversal of the earlier tailwinds from earnings and financial progress, to tighter financial coverage, liquidity and inflation.

As JP Morgan famous this previous week:

Given the dearth of robust capitulation, it isn’t but clear whether or not this rebound needs to be any greater than short-term and tactical in nature. As well as, how discretionary buyers carry out if there’s a bounce might be crucial. Given many captured a considerable amount of the decline, in the event that they don’t seize many of the rebound, it may proceed to create dangers.”by way of Zerohedge

As is at all times the case, nothing is a assure. However there’s a essential threat creating.

The Greenback Is Key

With surging short-term because of the impression of large floods of liquidity towards a supply-constrained financial system, such means that the is simply starting to play catchup. Moreover, with tensions rising between Russia and Ukraine, it is not going to be stunning to see world fund flows into U.S. Treasuries, which can push the greenback greater as a “security commerce” for world reserves.

USD-Index vs CPI

Traditionally, a surging U.S. greenback undermines each the inventory and commodity markets (per our dialogue yesterday), as a robust greenback negatively impacts exports which comprise about 40% of company revenues.

With the markets extraordinarily overbought, as proven under, such means that we may properly be within the midst of a extra important correctional course of. If such is the case, then we might be seeing a shift in market dynamics from “shopping for dips” to “promoting rallies.”

Stocks Vs USD Index

As we’ve famous beforehand, there are greater than only a few headwinds dealing with us in 2022.

  • The Fed is reversing liquidity and tightening financial coverage.
  • Fiscal coverage helps not exist.
  • Present inflation is impacting consumption
  • Financial progress is slowing dramatically (Atlanta Fed GDP Now at 0.1% for Q1)
  • Earnings progress will sluggish.
  • Revenue margins stay underneath stress from greater enter prices and wages.
  • Valuations stay elevated

These challenges may result in a more difficult funding dynamic this 12 months.

However the Fed is probably going the catalyst to the subsequent correction.

The Fed Is Strolling Into A Entice

There are various explanation why we consider that “disinflation” is a extra important menace in 2022 than inflation. With inventories surging and liquidity reversing, costs will fall as a provide glut happens. As BofA famous just lately:

“Inflation is annualizing 9%, and actual earnings are falling to a recessionary 2.4%. Stimulus funds to US households are evaporating from $2.8tn in 21 to $660bn, and there’s no buffer from extra financial savings with the speed at 6.9%, which is decrease than 7.7% in 2019). There’s a enormous stock construct in retail merchandise (ex-auto), whereas the upcoming weak US consumption almost definitely catalyst for consensus cuts in GDP/EPS.”

Risk Is Lower Than Forecast

Threat Is Decrease Than Forecast

In a easy phrase, that is very “deflationary.”

Nevertheless, the Fed intends to hike charges to fight an inflationary surge that has almost definitely peaked. If such is the case, the Fed is strolling into the identical entice as earlier than. Notably, the Fed most likely gained’t be capable of hike greater than 1% earlier than creating the subsequent disaster.

Fed Funds Rate Trend Analysis

Fed Funds Price Pattern Evaluation

For all of those causes, we agree {that a} short-term backside could also be in as it’s “exhausting to kill a bull market.”

Nevertheless, buyers ought to use rallies to rebalance threat and tackle a extra cautionary posture as we head into 2022.

Will there be a time to “begin loading up the truck” once more? Sure.

“However after much more ache, the time to purchase will come, and that’s normally marked by the transition from panicking inventory markets to panicking Fed officers.”BofA

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