Author: Colin Twiggs

Colin Twiggs is a former investment banker with almost 40 years of experience in financial markets. He co-founded Incredible Charts and writes the popular Trading Diary and Patient Investor newsletters. Using a top-down approach, Colin identifies key macro trends in the global economy before evaluating selected opportunities using a combination of fundamental and technical analysis. Focusing on interest rates and financial market liquidity as primary drivers of the economic cycle, he warned of the 2008/2009 and 2020 bear markets well ahead of actual events. He founded PVT Capital (AFSL No. 546090) in May 2023, which offers investment strategy and advice to wholesale clients.
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GDP up but ETF flows bearish

Real US GDP grew a healthy 3.1% in Q4 2018. Rising hours worked point to further gains in the new year.

Real GDP and Hours Worked

10-Year Treasury yields rallied slightly but only breakout above 2.80% would hint at a reversal in the down-trend, while breach of 2.60% would warn of further weakness. Inflows into Treasuries normally coincide with outflows from stocks, indicating a bearish outlook.

10-Year Treasury Yield

According to etf.com, US equities have seen $21.2 billion of ETF outflows YTD, while fixed income recorded $16.5 billion of inflows. The market remains risk-averse.

The S&P 500 continues to test resistance at 2800. Bearish divergence on 13-week Momentum (below) often precedes a market top. Another lower peak would reinforce the signal.

S&P 500 & Twiggs Momentum

A correction in March is likely, possibly on conclusion of US trade talks with China. Breach of 2600 would signal another test of primary support at 2350/2400.

“President Donald Trump said on Monday that he may soon sign a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to end the countries’ trade war, if the two sides can bridge remaining differences.

But the lead U.S. negotiator said on Wednesday it was too early to predict the outcome. U.S. issues with China are ‘too serious’ to be resolved with promises from Beijing to purchase more U.S. goods and any agreement must include a way to ensure commitments are met, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.” (Reuters)

We are in a bear market that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The strength of the next correction will confirm or refute this.

Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

~ Thucydides (460 – 400 B.C.)

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ASX 200 hanging despite bank rise

ASX 200 Financials broke through resistance at 5900/6000 while bullish divergence on Twiggs Money Flow signals buying pressure. The primary trend remains down but it appears that a base is forming. I remain wary of banks because of declining house prices but you can’t argue with the tape. A higher trough on the next correction would confirm a reversal.

ASX 200 Financials

The ASX 200 shows another hanging man candlestick at 6200 on the weekly chart, signaling hesitancy. The primary trend is down and the index is due for a correction soon. A higher trough would reverse the down-trend but there is a lot of uncertainty in global markets.

ASX 200

The Materials sector is retracing to test its new support level at 12500 after meeting resistance at 13000. The primary trend is upward and breach of 12500 is unlikely.

ASX 200 Materials

I remain cautious on Australian stocks and hold more than 40% in cash and fixed interest in the Australian Growth portfolio.

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Gold retreats

Spot Gold retreated from resistance at $1350/ounce. Penetration of the rising trendline warns of another correction. The immediate target is support at $1250.

Spot Gold in USD

Silver is also retreating. Breach of $15/ounce would strengthen the bear signal.

Spot Silver in USD

Crude oil has rallied since the start of the year but the primary trend is down and lower peaks on the trend index warn of further selling pressure. Breach of medium-term support at $52 would signal another test of primary support at $42 which would be bullish for the Dollar.

Crude Oil

The Dollar is gradually strengthening. Breakout of the Dollar Index above its current range of 95.50 to 97.50 would be bearish for gold.

Dollar Index

The Aussie Dollar held steady, while the All Ordinaries Gold Index retreated from its recent high above 6000. Expect a test of new support at 5400.

All Ordinaries Gold Index

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S&P 500 meets resistance while trade talks continue

Trade talks continue, accompanied by reassuring noises from participants. On Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will update the House Ways and Mean Committee on progress with China while Donald Trump is away in Hanoi, schmoozing with his new best buddy Kim Jong Un. My guess is that one will prove as intractable as the other. Expect a major announcement in the next few weeks on both fronts but little change on the ground.

Both Kim and Xi play the long game. Trump is focused on next year’s elections and may be tempted to trade short-term gain for long-term pain.

“No matter how many tons of soybeans they buy if China gets to keep cheating & stealing trade secrets it won’t be a good deal for America, our workers or our national security,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida tweeted on Friday after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said China offered to buy 10 million tons of soybeans as talks continued.(Bloomberg)

The S&P 500 is testing resistance at 2800. Retreat below 2600 would warn of another decline.

S&P 500

Volatility remains high, however, and a 21-day Volatility trough above 1.0% would signal a bear market.

S&P 500 Volatility

10-Year Treasury yields are testing support at 2.60% and a Trend Index peak below zero warns of buying pressure from investors (yields fall as prices rise). Two factors are driving yields lower: investors seeking safety and the Fed walking back its hawkish stance on interest rates.

10-Year Treasury Yield

It is likely that the bear market will continue for the foreseeable future. The strength of the next correction will confirm or refute this.

Men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them.

~ Thucydides (460 – 400 B.C.)

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Gold-Oil divergence

The crude oil bounce continues but the primary trend is down. WTI Light Crude (shown here on a monthly chart) is likely to test resistance at $60/barrel, followed by another test of primary support at $45.

Crude Oil

Weak crude tends to coincide with a weak gold price. At present the two commodities are diverging, with gold rallying as crude falls. Safe haven demand for gold, due to rising global uncertainty, is the most likely explanation.

Spot Gold and Crude Oil adjusted for inflation (CPI)

Spot Gold is testing resistance at $1350/ounce. Breakout would signal a primary advance but gold is expected to follow oil lower in the long-term.

Spot Gold in USD

The All Ordinaries Gold Index broke resistance at 5400/5500, signaling an advance to 7000. Strength of the advance depends on a weaker Aussie Dollar and/or a stronger gold price in US Dollars.

All Ordinaries Gold Index

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ASX 200 buoyant but banks a worry

The Materials sector (18.5% of the ASX 200 index) continues its advance, buoyed by a temporary iron ore shortage and positive spin on US-China trade talks. The higher trough on Twiggs Money Flow below confirms buying pressure.

ASX 200 Materials

ASX 200 Financials (31.4% of the main index) are testing resistance at 5900/6000 but remain in a primary down-trend. Declining house prices are a significant headwind. Respect of resistance would strengthen the bear signal, while breakout would warn that a base is forming.

ASX 200 Financials

The ASX 200 is likely to test the 2018 high at 6350 but remains in a bear market. Another test of the former primary support level, at 5650, is likely. A higher trough, at that level, would reverse the down-trend.

ASX 200

I am cautious on Australian banks and hold more than 40% in cash and fixed interest investments in the Australian Growth portfolio.

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Gold rallies but so does the Dollar

A long-term (monthly) chart shows Crude Oil (WTI Light Crude) has broken below its trend channel and is testing support at $45/barrel.

Crude Oil

Weak crude tends to coincide with a strong Dollar. Breakout of the Dollar index above 97 is likely. Rising Trend index troughs indicate buying pressure.

Dollar Index

Gold is headed for another test of resistance at $1350/ounce but a strong Dollar is likely to undermine a primary advance.

Spot Gold in USD

The All Ordinaries Gold Index broke resistance at 5400/5500, signaling a primary advance with a target of 7000. That will depend on further weakness in the Aussie Dollar and/or a stronger gold price.

All Ordinaries Gold Index

Conclusion: We are witnessing a rally in Gold due to global uncertainty but the LT outlook, with declining crude and a stronger Dollar, is still bearish.

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Retail sales fall while trade talks stall

Retail sales

Retail sales growth (USA advance retail sales excluding autos and parts) fell sharply in December, indicating that consumer confidence is fading despite strong employment figures.

Advance Retail Sales

The decline in consumer confidence also shows in lower January 2019 light vehicle sales.

Light Vehicle Sales

Trade talks make little progress

Trivium provide a useful update on US-China trade negotiations:

The latest round of trade talks with the US are finishing up as we go to press. There hasn’t been much progress (Bloomberg): “As of Friday afternoon, there had been no visible progress on efforts to narrow the gap around structural reforms to China’s economy that the U.S. has requested, according to three U.S. and Chinese officials who asked not to be identified because the talks were private……Chinese officials are angry about what they see as US efforts to undermine their state-led economy.”

These are issues that will take generations to resolve. The chance of a quick fix is highly unlikely.

Stocks

The stock market continues to rally on the back of a solid earnings season.

Of the 216 issues (505 in the S&P 500 index) with full operating comparative data 154 (71.3%) beat, 51 (23.6%) missed, and 11 met their estimates; 135 of 215 (62.8%) beat on sales. (S&P Dow Jones Indices)

Index volatility remains high, however, and a 21-day Volatility trough above 1.0% would warn of a bear market. S&P 500 retreat below 2600 would reinforce the signal.

S&P 500

Crude prices continue to warn of a fall in global demand.

Light Crude

As do commodity prices.

DJ-UBS Commodities Index

10-Year Treasury yields are testing support at 2.50% and a Trend Index peak below zero warns of buying pressure from investors seeking safety (yields fall as prices rise).

10-Year Treasury Yield

The Nasdaq 100 shows rising Money Flow but I believe this is secondary in nature. The next correction is likely to provide a clearer picture.

Nasdaq 100

My conclusion is the same as last week. This is a bear market. Recovery hinges on an unlikely resolution of the US-China ‘trade dispute’.

Concessions to adversaries only end in self reproach, and the more strictly they are avoided the greater will be the chance of security.

~ Thucydides (460 – 400 B.C.)

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ASX 200 enjoys iron ore spike

The ASX 200 has been buoyed by a temporary spike in iron ore prices. Materials (comprising 18.5% of the main index) broke through resistance at 12500, signaling a primary advance. A higher trough on Twiggs Money Flow indicates buying pressure.

ASX 200 Materials

The ASX 200 encountered resistance at 6100 but the rally could go so far as to test the 2018 high of 6350. We remain in a bear market. Only a correction that successfully forms a higher trough would reverse that. Expect another test of the former primary support level at 5650.

ASX 200

Financials, the largest ASX 200 sector (31.4%), remains in a primary down-trend. Declining house prices are likely to drag the index lower. Respect of resistance at 5900 would strengthen the bear signal, while breach of 5300 would signal another decline.

ASX 200 Financials

I have been cautious on Australian stocks, especially banks, for a while, and hold more than 40% in cash and fixed interest investments in the Australian Growth portfolio.

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Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Apple (AAPL) is a notable omission in my international model portfolio. There are several reasons.

First, sales growth has been declining for several years.

Apple Revenue Growth (AAPL)

Second, Apple is vulnerable if there is a US-China trade war. Greater China represents almost 25% of projected sales and imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers could hurt Apple. But, even without trade barriers, sales in China are already slowing.

“While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China. In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline, occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad…” (Tim Cook, January 2 letter to shareholders)

Third, Apple is losing market share in China as local smartphone technology improves. From The Wall Street Journal:

Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market has been shrinking, crowded out by tech giants such as China’s Huawei Technologies Co. that market increasingly sophisticated phones at a lower price tag.

 

Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market contracted to 7.8% in the first three quarters of 2018 from a peak in 2015 of 12.5%, according to Canalys, a market research firm.

Fourth, Apple is testing primary support at $150 on the long-term chart. Bearish divergence on Twiggs Money Flow warns of selling pressure; a peak at zero would strengthen the signal. Respect of resistance at $180 would also be bearish, while breach of support at $150 would confirm a primary down-trend.

Apple (AAPL)

Last, Apple is trading at a Consensus Forward P/E of 14.8 (Morningstar, February 12, 2019) which equates to an estimated LT growth rate of 10% at 12.5% p.a. rate of return. Given the current sales outlook, that seems optimistic.

 

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