U-S-A! U-S-A!

Mid-week market update: Having reviewed sector rotation last week (see More evidence of an emerging reflationary rebound), it is time to apply the same analysis to countries and regions.

First, let's start with a primer of our analytic tool. 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.

Here is the RRG chart of the major countries and regions of the world. All ETFs are priced in USD and therefore all currency effects are already part of the returns. The rotation analysis was performed relative to MSCI All-Country World Index (ACWI).

My interpretation of the RRG chart indicates that US stocks are poised to take the leadership position again, after a brief hiatus. Emerging leadership can also be found in the resource producing countries of the world, such as Australia, Canada, Latin America, and Russia. European and Asian stocks, which had been the leaders, are starting to consolidate and they are likely to begin to weaken on a relative basis. These patterns are consistent with my thesis of a developing reflationary blow-off equity market top.

The full post can be found at our new site here.