This morning’s activity in the S&P 500 futures underscores what the market cares about. The market is not focused on employment (better than expected this morning), earnings (good), or valuations (respectable). The market cares about one thing "“ money printing; specifically, having the ECB print money to buy Italian and Spanish bonds.
During a press conference this morning, the head of the ECB disappointed markets by clarifying previous remarks relative to the "sequencing" in Europe. The market thought the ECB was ready to step up their bond buying activity if leaders moved closer to a European fiscal union. According to the Wall Street Journal's Market Beat:
In response to a question during his press conference, Draghi just denied signaling that the ECB would embark on extra sovereign-debt purchases last week, which has taken stock futures by surprise. This is disappointing those who were hoping for some promise that the ECB would back up the money truck and buy all the sovereign debt lying around, if only the EU would agree on a tighter union and jump through some other invisible hoops. That's not happening.
Draghi also said the ECB didn't consider a bigger rate cut than the rather thin 25-basis-point cut it delivered this morning and that even that decision was not unanimous "” signaling there are plenty of hawks on the ECB who aren't in a hurry to back up that money truck.
Piling on the disappointing comments, Draghi also poured cold water on the idea of the ECB lending to the IMF to lend to European governments, or whatever the goofy shell game idea du jour was.
S&P futures dropped roughly 20 points after the ECB President's remarks. It's all about money printing - all the time in this debt-saddled world we live in. You may not like it (we don't), but it is what it is. This morning's developments change the short-term outlook considerably. Unless the market gets something positive from the ECB in the coming days, the S&P 500 may continue to struggle near its 200-day moving average.
The problems in Europe remain very serious. Stocks and commodities, especially over the next three months, remain vulnerable to significant downside. The NASDAQ (QQQ) has continued to lag the S&P 500 (SPY), which sends a concerning signal for both markets. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 stalled again just below the downward-sloping 200-day moving average.
While we remain open to another push higher, numerous longer-term bearish signals remain, including a Dow Theory sell signal. In the video below, originally released on November 30, we explore the question “How Long Do Bear Markets Last?” using 112 years of market data. We remain on a Dow Theory sell signal, a signal that has an excellent track record of forecasting ongoing problems for stocks.
After you click play, use the button in the lower-right corner of the video player to view in full-screen mode. Hit Esc to exit full-screen mode.
The bulls still control the intermediate-term trend. The bears still control the long-term trend. Therefore, investors should remain cautious and skeptical of any money-printing induced rallies in the days and weeks ahead.
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Copyright © 2010 Ciovacco Capital Management, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chris Ciovacco is the Chief Investment Officer for Ciovacco Capital Management, LLC (CCM). .Terms of Use. This article contains the current opinions of the author but not necessarily those of CCM. The opinions are subject to change without notice. This article is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. The charts and comments are not recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations are not predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the opinion of the author as to a range of possibilities going forward. All material presented herein is believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to its accuracy. The information contained herein (including historical prices or values) has been obtained from sources that Ciovacco Capital Management (CCM) considers to be reliable; however, CCM makes no representation as to, or accepts any responsibility or liability for, the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein or any decision made or action taken by you or any third party in reliance upon the data. Some results are derived using historical estimations from available data. Investment recommendations may change and readers are urged to check with tax and investment advisors before making any investment decisions. Opinions expressed in these reports may change without prior notice. This memorandum is based on information available to the public. No representation is made that it is accurate or complete. This memorandum is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned. The investments discussed in this report may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial position. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The price or value of the investments to which this report relates, either directly or indirectly, may fall or rise against the interest of investors. All prices and yields contained in this report are subject to change without notice. This information is based on hypothetical assumptions and is intended for illustrative purposes only. PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS. CCM would like to thank StockCharts.com for helping Short Takes create great looking charts Short Takes is proudly powered by WordPress . Entries (RSS)
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Copyright © 2010 Ciovacco Capital Management, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chris Ciovacco is the Chief Investment Officer for Ciovacco Capital Management, LLC (CCM). .Terms of Use. This article contains the current opinions of the author but not necessarily those of CCM. The opinions are subject to change without notice. This article is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. The charts and comments are not recommendations to buy or sell any security. Market sectors and related ETFs are selected based on his opinion as to their importance in providing the viewer a comprehensive summary of market conditions for the featured period. Chart annotations are not predictive of any future market action rather they only demonstrate the opinion of the author as to a range of possibilities going forward. All material presented herein is believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to its accuracy. The information contained herein (including historical prices or values) has been obtained from sources that Ciovacco Capital Management (CCM) considers to be reliable; however, CCM makes no representation as to, or accepts any responsibility or liability for, the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein or any decision made or action taken by you or any third party in reliance upon the data. Some results are derived using historical estimations from available data. Investment recommendations may change and readers are urged to check with tax and investment advisors before making any investment decisions. Opinions expressed in these reports may change without prior notice. This memorandum is based on information available to the public. No representation is made that it is accurate or complete. This memorandum is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned. The investments discussed in this report may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial position. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The price or value of the investments to which this report relates, either directly or indirectly, may fall or rise against the interest of investors. All prices and yields contained in this report are subject to change without notice. This information is based on hypothetical assumptions and is intended for illustrative purposes only. PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS. CCM would like to thank StockCharts.com for helping Short Takes create great looking charts Short Takes is proudly powered by WordPress . Entries (RSS)
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