A Trend Asset Allocation Model review

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: Bullish (Last changed from “neutral” on 28-Jul-2023)*
• Trading model: Bullish (Last changed from “neutral” on 10-May-2024)*

* 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. 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 Trend Model review

Over the course of several discussions with readers, it was apparent that some didn’t understand the Trend Asset Allocation Model, otherwise known as the Trend Model. This is a model that applies trend-following principles to a variety of global markets and commodities to form a composite signal.

While a history of out-of-sample weekly signals are available dating back to 2013, there is no actual portfolio return track record. However, a simulated strategy of using the out-of-sample signals to either overweight or underweight the S&P 500 by 20% around a 60% S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and 40% 7-10 year Treasury ETF (IEF) would have yielded significantly better returns with 60/40 like risk.

 
This week I review the model’s internals to reveal why I am bullish on equities.

The full post can be found here.