Do Equities Just Correct or Collapse in 2015?

The question on everybody’s mind for 2015 is when will the stock market start to correct in value and will it turn into a 50+% collapse?

Over the last 15 years investors has been through a lot in terms of market volatility. From the 2000 tech bubble bear market and the 2008 financial crisis bear market investors are far from having their investment psyche scars healing and is for good reason. Many sustained 50+% loss in their portfolio value more than once and are not willing to do it for a third time.

A large group of investors exited the stock market and has never returned. Unfortunately those who exited have missed the seven-year bull market rally to all-time highs. Those who remain in the market are in constant fear that a new bear market will emerge.

The stock market has a tendency to move in a 6 to 8 years cycle. With the current bull market now lasting seven years and was several indicators signaling weakness within the equities market it makes logic sense that a bear market is about to emerge.

The stock market cycle and technical indicators are not the only causes the trigger a bear market. A rising Fed funds rate can cause weakness in the equities market and if you know what to look for you can escape the next bear market and profit from falling prices.

Question: if you could put your money in a guaranteed investment not to lose any principle and receive a 1% per annum return on investment or receive potentially 7% per year but with no guarantee on your principle, which would you choose?

Most people would choose the 7% return option because they understand financial rewards almost always require some risk. Over the last 90 years the stock market has on average returned 7% annualized gains.

Obviously not all years will have a positive gain, but when averaged over many years, it is reasonable to expect an annual return of 7% from the stock market.

What if I told you there is a way to improve on this? For example, if you simply moved your equity investments to a large cash position at the start of each bear market?

The chart below showing the gain from your would have has from 1995 to 2015 by selling all stock holdings when the US stock market topped during 2000 and 2007 avoiding the last two bear markets.

100% cash position during bear markets would have generated 635% ROI, which is a 31% average annual return. The numbers are staggering to say the least. But obviously you cannot pick the exact top and bottom, but even if your timing was way off and you only pocketed half of those gains you would still be way ahead of game.
 

You may be asking yourself: How do I avoid a bear market?

I believe for investors this is not that difficult because a major trend change takes time and because the moves are so large you don't need to be perfect with your timing.

Take a look at my analysis charts below. The first one shows the 10 year treasury price which is broken its short term resistance levels and is rocketing higher. We have seen this happen 6-12 months before the last two bear markets started.

Let’s take a look at the Fed rates. 

Not every rate rise turned into a recession, but nearly everyone has. Rising rates will lead to a market downturn.

Could the next bear market/recession occur when rates start to climb? After analyzing economic data provided by Brad Matheny I have a max rate at 2% over the next couple years. 

That combination of technical indicators, analysis above couple with the rising fed rate hikes had created the perfect storm for a bear market to emerge which I expect to last 1-2 years.

Bottom line, we are still in a bull market but only months away from a bear market. Do not ignore these warning signals.

Keep your eye on the 2 year treasury rates instead because they usually lead Fed funds, and will provide an earlier warning signal as to the markets down turn.

When rates start to rise, we may only be weeks, instead of months, before the stock market starts to collapse.

Article contributed by Chris Vermeulen from Market Trend Forecast

Gold vs. S&P 500

Gold vs. S&P 500 – Where is the Value?

This past week we received the final 4th Quarter GDP number which came in at 0.39%. The total 4th Quarter growth was terrible, plain and simple. Based on the performance in the equity markets that we have seen thus far in the 1st Quarter of 2013 investors would expect strong GDP growth. However, the only thing spurring stock market growth is the constant humming of Ben Bernanke’s printing press.

The real economy and the stock market are no longer strongly correlated. Essentially, they are meaningless. How do you evaluate risk when Treasury linked interest rates are artificially being held down by the Federal Reserve? How do you evaluate earnings growth estimates when most government based statistics are manipulated or “smoothed” to perfection?

My final argument to anyone who is a true believer that the stock market is representative of the economy is a very simple premise. If the stock market is the economy, how does the stock market evaluate small business earnings growth when most small businesses are not publicly traded? It is a simple question, but I have yet to find a sell side analyst that can work around it with facts.

To back up this information, here is a chart courtesy of www.zerohedge.com that demonstrates the S&P 500’s price action compared to economic data and overall macro risk.

The chart above clearly depicts the divergence between the macroeconomic data and the performance of the S&P 500 Index. Yet the sell side continues to scream that stocks are cheap, earnings are going to ramp up later this year on insane S&P 500 earnings growth expectations, and the consumer is going to remain strong even though payroll taxes have increased and the “wealthy” are paying more in taxes.

Even amid those concerns, no one knows for sure what the impact that Obamacare and the various new taxes associated with it will have on the business community. Again, the only thing driving growth is directly linked to the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet expansion. The chart below is courtesy of the Federal Reserve’s website.

On August 8, 2007 the Federal Reserve’s total assets were $869 billion dollars. As can clearly be seen today, according to the Federal Reserve the central bank’s total balance sheet has grown to over $3.2 trillion dollars. The increase is on the verge of rising exponentially. With QE, QE2, QE3, Operation Twist, Extended Operation Twist, and now with QE 4 in Perpetuity this trend is certainly unlikely to shift.

At this point in time the Federal Reserve is printing roughly $85 billion dollars each month to purchase Treasury securities with a focus on the long end of the maturity curve. As primary dealers of Treasury securities process these flows the money eventually finds its way into riskier assets that offer higher rates of returns through balance sheet machinations at large money center banks.
It has proven that the flow of the Federal Reserve’s printed monies are more important than the total money stock for a variety of reasons and inflation according to the government’s data is under control ex food and energy.

However, how are people supposed to survive without food and energy in today’s world? The last time I went to fill up my gas tank or to purchase food prices have gone up significantly. According to the 1990 version of consumer price reporting, real consumer inflation is running around 6% currently and shadowstats.com has the following comparison.

Unfortunately the 1980 based inflation numbers are even uglier, which based on Shadowstats’ data chart would place consumer inflation at nearly 10%. The calculations being used by Shadowstats.com are based on the government’s OLD ways of calculating inflation. The calculations were adjusted over time and today the data is completely manipulated by not including items that typically experience the largest levels of inflation.

Normally I talk about price action, probability based option trading, and technical information. However, before investors consider buying stocks near the all-time NOMINAL (non-inflation adjusted) highs, why not simply consider the backdrop of the total economic situation.
Central banks around the world are printing money at an alarming rate and their balance sheets are growing to levels not seen in human history. Interest rates are being manipulated to levels that are historically at record lows or near record lows based on real inflation data.

Macroeconomic indicators are issuing a cautionary tone with significant divergences showing up in many areas. Earnings expectations for the S&P 500 in the 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2013 are extreme and borderline ridiculous.

So before jumping headlong into equities based on some sell side analysts recommendation or even worse, a financial advisor who is more interested in his/her commission than they are about producing gains consider the following comparisons.

S&P 500 Index (SPX) Price Chart – 1 Year Price History

Gold Futures Spot Price Chart – 1 Year Price History

Clearly paper gold represented by gold futures is no substitute for physical ownership, but when one considers the fundamental backdrop for gold versus the S&P 500 Index, it should be clear which asset is offering the most value at current price levels. It does not require any inserted trendlines or oscillators, it should be clear which asset is expensive and which asset is cheap based on the real long-term economic fundamentals.

Article contributed by JW Jones from Technical Traders

Gold, Oil & the SPX Trends and Setups

Over the past year my long term trends and outlooks have not changed for gold, oil or the SP500. Though there has been a lot of sideways price action to keep everyone one their toes and focused on the short term charts.

We all know that if the market does not shake you out, it will wait you out, and sometimes it will even do both at the same time. So stepping back to review the bigger picture each week is crucial in keeping a level trading/investing strategy in motion.

The key to investing success is to always trade with the long term trend and stick with it until price and volume clearly signals change of trend. Doing this means you truly never catch the market top nor do you catch market bottoms. But the important thing is that you do catch the low risk trending stage of an investment (stage 2 – Bull Market, Stage 4 Bear Market).

Let’s take a look at the charts and see where prices stand in the grand scheme of things for gold, oil, energy and stocks…

Gold Weekly Futures Trading Chart:

Last week I talked about how precious metals were nearing a major tipping point and to be aware of those levels because the next move is likely to be huge and you do not want to miss it or even worse be on the wrong side of it.

Overall gold and silver remain in a secular bull market and hav gone through many similar pauses to what we are watching unfold with them over the past year. As mentioned above the gold market looks to be trying to not only shake investors out but to wait them out also with this 18 month volatile sideways trend.

A lot of gold bugs, and gold investors of mining stocks are starting to give up which can been seen on the charts when reviewing the price and selling volume for these investments. I am a contrarian in nature so when I see the masses running for the door I start to become interested in what everyone is unloading at bargain prices.

Gold is now entering an oversold panic selling phase which happens to be at major long term support. This bodes well for a strong bounce or start of a new bull market leg higher for this shiny metal. If gold breaks below $1500 – 1530 levels it could trigger a bear market for precious metals but until then I am bullish at the current price.  I do think we could see another spike lower in gold to test the $1500- $1530 level this week but after that it could be off to the races to new highs.

Crude Oil Weekly Trading Chart:

Oil had a huge bull market from 2009 until 2011 but since then has been trading sideways in a narrowing bullish range. I expect some big moves this year for oil and technical analysis puts the odds in favor for a higher price.  If we do get a breakout and rally then $130 will likely be reached. But if price breaks down then a sharp drop to $50 per barrel looks like the next stop.

Utility & Energy Stocks – XLU - XLE – Weekly Investing Chart

The utility sector has done well and continues to look very bullish for 2013. This high dividend paying sector is liked by many and the price action speaks for its self… If the overall financial market starts to peak then these sectors should hold up well because they are services, dividend and a commodity play wrapped in one.

 

SP500 Trend Daily Chart:

The SP500 continues to be in an uptrend which I am trading with until price and volume tell me otherwise. But there are some early warning signs that another correction or a full blown bear market may be just around the corner (Selloff in May??).
Again, sticking with the uptrend is key, but knowing what could happen in the coming months gives you some time to start looking for some great shorting opportunities for when the trend changes. Your transition from long positions to short positions should be a simple measured move in your portfolios and not a panic reaction.

Weekend Trend Conclusion:

In short, I remain bullish on stocks and commodity until I see a trend change in the SP500.
The energy sector is doing well and looks bullish for the next month or so.

Gold and gold miners, I feel they are entering a low risk entry point to start building a new long position. Risk is low compared to potential reward so depending on how things unfold this week I may start to get active in this sector.

Keep in mind that when the price of a commodity or index trades near the apex of a narrowing range or long term support/resistance level volatility typically increases as fear and greed become heightened. This creates larger daily price swings so be prepared for some turbulence in the coming weeks while the market shakes things up.

If you like my work then be sure to get on my free mailing list to get these each week on various investments for investment ideas at www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Article contributed by Chris Vermeulen

Wrangling of debt limit continues

Republicans and Democrats continue to wrangle regarding raising the long-term debt limit. President Barack Obama called the Republicans in congress to increase the country’s debt limit without preconditions, and emphasized that another conflict regarding fiscal issues, may lead to an extreme response of the financial markets. In addition to that, Obama said that the Republicans shouldn’t expect a "ransom" in the form of spending cuts for their agreement to raise the debt limit. The White House stated that it has no backup plan to pay the government's bills so the meaning of the congress not raising the debt limit is leading the nation into default.  During the weekend, Republicans announced that on Wednesday they would vote for a temporary increase of the debt limit, and emphasized that raising the long-term debt limit would be possible only if the government performs an equivalent amount of spending cuts.
Rating agency Fitch has mentioned this week the importance it attributes to the way they handle the crisis. More they mentioned is that it seems like Washington elites haven’t yet learned the lesson of the last fight over the debt limit in August 2011, when the Republicans and Democrats hesitancy eventually damaged the business confidence.
Most of the data published this week was quite encouraging. The recovery trend in the real estate market continues, jobless claims fell sharply, and private consumption increased at a sharper rate than expected in December. Nevertheless, we negatively note the rising pessimism reflected by the expectation surveys regarding the future of the American industry and the drop recorded in the Consumer Confidence Index.
Regarding U.S. monetary policy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke at the University of Michigan and did not say that the Fed intends to terminate or slow down bond purchases. Bernanke emphasized that the double role given to the Fed (stabilizing inflationary pressures while supporting the labor market) justifies using aggressive monetary measures.

Economic data from Europe and China

Europe: Eurozone economic data point to the contraction of the European GDP in the fourth quarter. A third consecutive monthly decline was recorded in the volume of industrial production in the Eurozone, the German economy contracted by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, and the volume of bad debts in Spain keeps breaking the record. Positively, we’ll note the increase in the Eurozone's exports in November (+0.8%). The relatively sharp appreciation of the Euro could harm the recovery of the European exports, as marked by the Eurogroup chairman, Jean-Claude Juncker, that the Euro currency is dangerously high. On the other hand, one of the ECB members said he believes the current level of the Euro is not expected to threaten the European economy.
China: the batch of data published over that past week indicates an increase in the rate of growth of the Chinese economy. GDP in the fourth quarter rose by 7.9% year over year, compared to expectations for +7.8%, and a growth of +7.4% in the third quarter. The recovery in the growth rate in the fourth quarter was driven by a jump in infrastructure spending by the government, which began to grow in mid-2012, when concerns regarding the depth of the economic slowdown started to grow. Exports stabilized towards the end of the year, and china's large trade surpluses contributed to the positive momentum.
Additional data released on Friday pointed to an increase of 20.6% in the investment in fixed assets in 2012, compared with an increase of 20.7% (annual rate) on the first 11 months of the year. The industrial production rose by 10.3% in December and retail sales rose by 15.2% in December, vs. 14.9% in November.

Economic releases and events of the week

Monday: Eurozone finance ministers Meet in Brussels.
Tuesday: EU-27 Finance ministers meet in Brussels, ZEW Germany Assessment of Current Situation for January, U.S. Existing Homes Sales December (both expected to slightly increase). Draghi speaks at in Frankfurt.
Wednesday: IMF to release world economic outlook update, Eurozone Consumer Confidence Indicator for January, expected to increase slightly.
Thursday: Preliminary manufacturing PMI for January in China, Eurozone PMI (expected to increase from 46.1 to 46.6), Eurozone Preliminary services PMI for January (expected to increase from 47.8 to 48.0).
Friday: Germany – IFO Business Climate for December, which examines the economic assessments of the business sector; current expectations are for a slight rise in business confidence.

Content provided by:  AnyOption

How to Trade Options Around Company Earnings

The hallmark of a professional option trader is the ability to use a wide variety of trade structures in order to exploit opportunities to profit from specific situations the market presents. One of the opportunities routinely presented multiple times yearly is the impending release of earnings.

Underlying the logic of earnings trades is the stereotypic pattern of increasing implied volatility of options as earnings approach. This pattern is so reliably present that experienced options traders can recognize the approximate date of an impending earnings release by simply perusing the implied volatility of the various series of upcoming options.

As a real time example of this phenomenon, consider the current option chain of AAPL which will report earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, January 23. (Click on each image to enlarge)

As can clearly be seen, the front weekly options, the first series in time following the impending earnings release, has dramatically elevated implied volatility as compared to the series expiring later.

It is because the release of earnings routinely causes reversion of the elevated implied volatility toward its historic mean value that a number of high probability trades can often be constructed surrounding earnings.

I thought it would be instructive to review a recent earnings trade I made in order to see how this consistently observed collapse of implied volatility works in practical terms.

EBAY was scheduled to report earnings after the market closed on Wednesday, January 16. As the price chart below reflects, EBAY had recently rallied and was trading in the price range circled in red.

At the time of the upcoming earnings release, there were only a few days of life left in the
January options which would expire the following Friday afternoon. The then current implied volatility situation can be seen in the option chain displayed below.

Note the elevated implied volatility in the January options as compared to the February options. The value is around twice that of the February options and clearly demonstrates this routinely observed spike as we also have seen above in the case of AAPL options.

My operating assumption was that EBAY would trade down slightly following earnings. This was wrong. As we will see however, proper trade construction resulted in a nicely profitable trade despite incorrect price prediction.

After considering a number of potential trades, I decided to use a short strangle in an attempt to capture the collapse of implied volatility. As a brief review, remember that a short strangle is a two legged position and consists of both a short out-of-the-money call and short out-of-the-money put.

Because my price hypothesis was that EBAY would sell off a bit, I weighted the strangle to the downside slightly by selling different quantities of puts and calls. The P&L graph of the position I took late Wednesday afternoon is displayed below.

The earnings were a bit better than anticipated and resulted in a modest price increase. I was able to exit the position shortly following the market open on Thursday morning for a profit of 6.45% based on the margin encumbrance required to maintain the position under Regulation T rules.

The results of this trade illustrate two critically important points for the new options trader to
understand clearly. First, my price assumption was wrong but the trade was still profitable. For those used to trading stock this may be almost an unbelievable result since in the world of stock trading there is no margin of error for an incorrect price assumption.

The second point is closely linked to the first. The second assumption in this trade was that
implied volatility would decrease substantially. This did in fact happen, the implied volatility of the 55 strike calls decreased from the 69.9% shown above to a post earnings release of 23%.

It was this volatility collapse in both the puts and calls that resulted in the profitability of the trade. Had I used my same price assumptions and constructed the trade using stock, the trade would have been a loser. We invite you to try our service to see how proper trade construction and position sizing can result in a high probability of success.

Article contributed by JW Jones of Options Trading Symbols

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