How to trade the momentum reversal

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

  

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Bullish (Last changed from “neutral” on 28-Feb-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

A Risk-off Reversal

The most recent BoA Global Fund Manager Survey revealed a sudden reversal in risk appetite. Global institutional investors stampeded out of risky assets and rotated from U.S. equities into Europe and China. Most of the selling was concentrated in the U.S. Magnificent Seven, which had been the market leaders. It was a stunning display of a reversal in price momentum.

The full post can be found here.

Making sense of market uncertainty

The latest FOMC statement and subsequent press conference were full of references to “uncertainty”. Most notably, the FOMC statement changed the language related to the Fed’s goals being “roughly in balance” to “uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased”. 

 

 
Not only is uncertainty elevated, but also the risks to inflation, GDP growth and employment have risen in 2025, which increases the odds of stagflation ahead. 

How should investors react to the increase in policy uncertainty?
 

The full post can be found here.

Who's left to sell?

Mid-week market update: Four weeks ago, I rhetorically asked in a post, "Who's Left to Buy?" The BoA monthly Global Fund Manager Survey had shown cash levels at a 15-year low. In addition, a Schwab survey of customer accounts showed cash at similarly historical lows. It was the case of an accident waiting to happen.

 

So the accident did happen as the S&P 500 fell -10% in about three weeks. This month, the Fund Manager Survey showed the sharpest sentiment reversal in five years.

 

Is it time to ask, "Who's left to sell?"

 

The full post can be found here.

Why the market won't crash from here

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

 

 

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Bullish (Last changed from “neutral” on 28-Feb-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

A Confirmed 5% Canary Warning

The S&P 500 flashed an Andrew Thrasher 5% Confirmed Canary warning last week, which is defined as “the underlying index declines 5% within 15 days from its 52-week high, and closes under 200 dma for two consecutive days”. The signal is based on a research paper that won the 2023 Charles Dow Award.

 
If history is any guide, subsequent drawdowns have been higher than average (green bars).

 
Does this mean it’s time to assume a position of maximum defensive portfolio positioning?

The full post can be found here.

What are the odds of a Trump recession in 2025?

It’s an old political trick. Engineer a recession in your first year and blame it on the previous occupant of the White House. Then take credit for the subsequent recovery.

President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently rattled the markets with the same message of short-term pain for long-term gain. Bessent began with a CNBC interview outlining the Trump Administration’s intent to shift the source of economic growth from the public to the private sector. He added, “The market and the economy have just become hooked. We’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”

In a separate interview, Trump said “a little time” may be needed for his tariff plan to start returning wealth to Americans. He acknowledged that the U.S. economy will undergo some short-term pain and declined to rule out a recession this year: “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big.” Even more alarming to equity investors, he revealed that he wasn’t as concerned about the stock market as he had been during his first term in office: “Look, what I have to do is build a strong country. You can’t really watch the stock market. If you look at China, they have a 100-year perspective.”
 

So long to the Trump Put.

 
Could this “detox period” result in a recession in 2025? This matters because, as Callum Thomas observed, non-recessionary pullbacks tend to be short and shallow, while recessionary bear markets tend to see drawdowns last longer and deeper.

 
Here is what I am watching.

The full post can be found here.

The anatomy of a pullback, a trader's perspective

Mid-week market update: Everyone calm down. It's not the end of the world. A clear-headed approach is to analyze the roots of the pullback from the perspective of the positioning of different market participants. How each reacted, and what might come next.

 

First, U.S. equities were overvalued. It just needed a bearish catalyst.

 

Here's what happened next. 

The full post can be found here.

High drama at the 200 dma

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

 

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Bullish (Last changed from “neutral” on 28-Feb-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

A test of the 200 dma

The S&P 500 fell last week to test support at the 200 dma. Many elements of a tactical bottom are there, but not all. The 5-day RSI exhibited a bullish divergence and so did the 52-week highs-lows spread. The VIX Index is trading above the upper end of its Bollinger Band, indicating a deeply oversold condition. The only question mark is the lack of an oversold reading on the percentage of S&P 500 above their 20 dma (bottom panel).

 

 The full post can be found here.

Tops are processes

I sounded a warning in late January about a possible long-term market top, based on a negative divergence of the 14-month RSI. It wasn’t a “sell everything” signal, but a cautionary sign of a topping pattern.

 
It is said that “bottoms are events, but tops are processes”. That’s because market bottoms tend to be formed during panic events, while topping patterns tend to be longer-term drawn out. Here is a review of technical and macro backdrop supportive of my topping thesis.

 

The full post can be found here.

A guide to market bottoms, and what kind

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 fell yesterday and briefly kissed its 200 dma while flashing a positive divergence on the 5-day RSI. Was that the bottom?

 

 

 

Here is a lesson on how to spot market bottoms, and a review of bottom spotting indicators.

 

The full post can be found here.

A golden opportunity

Gold has caught a bid against a backdrop of trade war fears. On the other hand, gold ETF AUM are skyrocketing, which is contrarian bearish.

 

 Should you jump on the gold momentum train, or fade its rally?

 

 The full post can be found here.

What should you buy as the Magnificent Seven falters?

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

 
 

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 17-Jan-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

The end of American Exceptionalism?

U.S. equities have been on a tear relative to non-U.S. markets since the GFC. Now that the S&P 500 has stumbled while Europe and China have taken the lead, I am seeing some calls for the end of American exceptionalism, especially in light of the deteriorating relationship between America and its traditional allies.

 
The reversal was underscored by widespread concerns over the overvaluation of U.S. equities.

Is it time for investors to pivot into non-U.S. equities?

The full post can be found here.

Bessent gets his wish, but not in a good way

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently declared that the Trump Administration was mainly focused on lower the 10-year Treasury yield. He seems to be accomplishing his goals. Yields are moderating, and the MOVE Index, which measures bond market volatility, is relatively tame. He is achieving his objective, but at a price – by tanking the economy.

 The full post can be found here.

Trading is hard, my head hurts

Mid-week market update: Is the correction over? The S&P 500 was down -3% on a peak-to-trough basis. The 5-day RSI is severely oversold, which has signaled relief rallies in the past (blue circles). On the other hand, the percentage of stocks above their 20 dma is not oversold, which have been more definitive signals of durable bottoms (pink vertical lines). As well the NYSE net highs-lows is showing both a series of higher lows and lower highs.

 

 

Trading is hard. My head hurts.

 

The full post can be found here.

White smoke from the market's conclave?

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

 

 

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 17-Jan-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

The market’s conclave

The recently released film entitled “Conclave” tells the story of how Vatican cardinals sought to elect a new pope after the death of the old one. The film is focused on the conclave, or the meeting of cardinals, as they are locked up in the Vatican and the political maneuvers of the different factions in electing their candidate. The situation is fluid and emerging leadership is highly uncertain.

That’s where the stock market is today. The large-cap growth old leadership is faltering, and different candidates are vying for the top spot. I use RRG charts to tell the story. Relative Rotation Graphs, or RRG charts, are a way of depicting the changes in leadership in different groups, such as sectors, countries or regions, or market factors. The charts are organized into four quadrants. The typical group rotation pattern occurs in a clockwise fashion. Leading groups (top right) deteriorate to weakening groups (bottom right), which then rotates to lagging groups (bottom left), which changes to improving groups (top left), and finally completes the cycle by improving to leading groups (top right) again.

 

An analysis of RRG rotation shows that growth sectors, technology, communication services and consumer discretionary, which is dominated by Magnificent Seven giants Amazon and Tesla, are weakening. While technology and communication services remain in the top right leading quadrant, they are likely to fall into the bottom right weakening quadrant in the near future if they follow the normal clockwise rotation pattern.

The contenders for the new leadership are value stocks, consisting of financials, industrials, energy and materials, and defensive stocks, consisting of healthcare, consumer staples, utilities and real estate. A growth to value rotation would mean a bullish and benign internal rotation for stock prices, while the emergence of defensive sectors as market leaders is a signal of a market pullback.

In the meantime, the market is waiting for the white smoke from the market’s conclave that signals which faction won in the end.

The full post can be found here.

Could a cyclical rebound give the bulls a second wind?

Callum Thomas of Topdown Charts recently argued for the emergence of a global cyclical rebound based on a synchronized central bank easing. Such a scenario of rising inflationary pressures is a signal of a renewal of cyclical rebound in demand.

 
I have some sympathy to that view. I have been bullish on gold for some time, and gold is the classic hedge against unexpected inflation. On the other hand, it runs contrary to my observation that the S&P 500 is undergoing a topping formation (see A Long-Term Sell Signal?).
 

What’s the real story?

The full post can be found here.

Who's left to buy?

Mid-week market update: The results of the latest sentiment surveys argue that this is a time for caution. The BoA Global Fund Manager Survey shows cash at a 15-year low.

 

The institutions are all-in on risk. Who's left to buy?

 

The full post can be found here.

 

Will the real stock market please stand up

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

 

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 17-Jan-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

Which index should you believe?

It is said that there is nothing is more bullish than higher prices, but this time may be different. Even as the S&P 500 staged an upside breakout from a wedge formation and it’s on the verge of testing overhead resistance, the equal-weighed S&P 500, which gives higher weight to the smaller stocks in the index, is barely holding at the 50 dma. The mid-cap S&P 400 and the small-cap Russell 2000 are trading below their respective 50 dma. 

Which index should you believe? These manifestations of weak breadth makes me nervous that the latest rally may represent a last hurrah for the bulls.
 

MarketWatch reported that Goldman Sachs strategies Scott Rubner attributed the price strength to a retail buying stampede, but added, “This is the last bullish email that I will send for Q1 2025 as the flow demand dynamics are quickly changing, and we are approaching negative seasonals.”

 
In addition to the negative breadth divergence, I am seeing negative divergences everywhere.
 

The full post can be found here.

What the surge in gold tells us about the stock market

Even though it’s still early in the year, my bullish call on gold has worked out well (see 2025 High Conviction Idea: Gold). Gold has reached an all-time high in all currencies. In particular, it broke out to a new high in the Swiss Franc (CHF), which is regarded as a hard currency, and the Chinese Yuan (CNY), which is reflective of Chinese demand.

 
Beyond the bullish outlook on the yellow metal, here are the asset return implications.

 

The full post can be found here.

Ignore rising tail-risk at your own peril

Mid-week market update:  The latest update of Bloomberg Intelligence Market Pulse Index shows that it's at manic levels.

 

 

The market seems to be ignoring tail-risk, which is an increasingly worrisome development.

 

The full post can be found here.

Still no change: Just a sell signal set-up

Preface: Explaining our market timing models 

We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The "Ultimate Market Timing Model" is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.

The Trend Asset Allocation Model is an asset allocation model that applies trend-following principles based on the inputs of global stock and commodity prices. This model has a shorter time horizon and tends to turn over about 4-6 times a year. The performance and full details of a model portfolio based on the out-of-sample signals of the Trend Model can be found here.

 

My inner trader uses a trading model, which is a blend of price momentum (is the Trend Model becoming more bullish, or bearish?) and overbought/oversold extremes (don't buy if the trend is overbought, and vice versa). Subscribers receive real-time alerts of model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of the email alerts is updated weekly here. The hypothetical trading record of the trading model of the real-time alerts that began in March 2016 is shown below.

The latest signals of each model are as follows:

• Ultimate market timing model: Buy equities (Last changed from “sell” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trend Model signal: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 15-Nov-2024)*
• Trading model: Neutral (Last changed from “bullish” on 17-Jan-2025)*

* The performance chart and model readings have been delayed by a week out of respect to our paying subscribers.

Update schedule: I generally update model readings on my site on weekends. I am also on X/Twitter at @humblestudent and on BlueSky at @humblestudent.bsky.social. Subscribers receive real-time alerts of trading model changes, and a hypothetical trading record of those email alerts is shown here.

Subscribers can access the latest signal in real time here.

Good news, bad news

I have some good news and bad news for you. 

The bad news is the long-term sell signal from one of my timing models, which is calling for a major top in the S&P 500. This model buys when the MACD of the NYSE Composite (bottom panel) turns positive and sells when the 14-month RSI (top panel) shows a negative divergence, which just happened at the end of January. The good news is the actual market top may take several months after the signal to achieve, and I don’t have actionable tactical sell signals just yet.

 
The tactical news is the short-term technical picture hasn’t changed very much in in the last few weeks. The market is still choppy and range-bound.
 

The full post can be found here.