Category: Stock Markets

Analysis of major stock markets around the world.

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S&P 500 and Europe: Likely to blow over

Question: Is the outcry in Europe going to tip the S&P 500 into a correction?

Answer: The outcome is uncertain. While there is a strong case for giving depositors and bondholders a haircut, the timing — so soon after an inconclusive Italian election — could not be worse. But let’s see what the market are saying….

Longish tail on the S&P 500 shows buying support at the close. Mild bearish divergence (mild because TMF has leveled out rather than falling sharply) on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term selling pressure. We are likely to see retracement to the first line of support — at the previous high of 1525/1530 — but only breach of this level and the rising trendline would warn of a correction. Target for the current advance is 1600*.

S&P 500 Index

* Target calculation: 1525 + ( 1525 – 1475 ) = 1575

VIX Volatility Index remains low — near its 2005 lows at 0.10. Breakout above 0.20 would be a warn of rising uncertainty.
VIX Index
The FTSE 100 exhibits an even longer tail, but bearish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow also indicates medium-term selling pressure. Reversal below the latest rising trendline (6400) would warn of a correction, while breakout above 6550 would continue the advance to 6800*.
FTSE 100 Index

* Target calculation: 6400 + ( 6400 – 6000 ) = 6800

The DAX showed even greater resilience, closing back above 8000. Follow-through above 8100 would signal a fresh primary advance. Rising 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term buying pressure.
DAX Index

Conclusion

There is bound to be some turbulence but markets are showing resilience and the storm is likely to blow over.

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ASX and Asia fall

The ASX 200 retreated more than 2.0% Monday after the Cyprus deposit grab unsettled financial markets. Expect another test of support at 4980. Breakout would warn of a correction, while recovery above 5150 would signal an advance to 5500*. Declining 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term selling pressure.
ASX 200 Index

* Target calculation: 5000 + ( 5000 – 4500 ) = 5500

Dow Jones Japan Index dropped about 1.5%. Follow through below short-term support would indicate no more than retracement to the rising trendline.
Dow Jones Japan Index
Dow Jones Hong Kong Index has fallen about 2.0% so far. Breach of support at 472 signals a correction.
Dow Jones Hong Kong Index
Dow Jones Singapore Index has fallen 1.0% in the morning and we can expect further weakness in the p.m.
Dow Jones Singapore Index

European markets are likely to open lower. If the US follows and finishes the day with a weak close, negative sentiment could start to feed on itself, tipping global markets into a correction. Overall, the primary trend in the US and Australia remains positive.

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ASX 200: Retracing in a strong up-trend

The ASX 200 is retracing for another test of support at 4980/5000. Breakout would warn of a correction, while recovery above 5100 would signal an advance to 5500*. Declining 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term selling pressure.
ASX 200 Index

* Target calculation: 5000 + ( 5000 – 4500 ) = 5500

A monthly chart of the ASX 50 [$XFL] puts the retracement into perspective. Rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates buying pressure. Respect of support at 5000 is likely, but even a stronger correction would not disrupt the primary up-trend: respect of 4500 would present a buying opportunity.

ASX 200 Index

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ASX 200 advancing

The ASX 200 broke resistance at 5000 on the strength of strong buying pressure, signaled by rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow. Retracement that respects the new support level would confirm an advance to 5500*.
ASX 200 Index

* Target calculation: 5000 + ( 5000 – 4500 ) = 5500

On the daily chart, mild bearish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow warns of retracement to test the new support level at 5000. Reversal below 4980 is unlikely but would warn of a correction.
ASX 200 Index

ASX small-caps ($XSO – ASX Small Ords) continue to under-perform the ASX 50 [$XFL]. The opposite of what one would expect in a bull market: treat it as a caution. The current $XSO down-swing should test the lower channel at 2300, presenting a buy opportunity for swing traders.

ASX 200 Index

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Asia finds support

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index broke through its medium-term target of 12000. Selling pressure failed to materialize and the index is headed for its long-term target of 14000*.

Nikkei 225 Index

* Target calculation: 11000 + ( 11000 – 8000 ) = 14000

India’s Sensex found support at 18800. Penetration of the declining trendline indicates a rally to 20200. Breakout would signal a primary advance to 21000*, but bearish divergence continues to warn of selling pressure. Reversal below 19000 would warn of a correction to the primary trendline at 18000.

Sensex Index

* Target calculation: 20 + ( 20 – 19 ) = 21

Singapore’s Straits Times Index continues to consolidate below resistance at 3300. Buying support at 3250 is evident from higher volume at the 3250 level. Breakout above 3300 would signal a fresh primary advance, with a long-term target of the 2007 high at 3900*.

Straits Times Index

* Target calculation: 3300 + ( 3300 – 2700 ) = 3900

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index correction found support at 22500. Declining 13-week Twiggs Momentum indicates selling pressure. Expect another test of 22500; failure would signal a test of the primary trendline at 21000.
Hang Seng Index

* Target calculation: 22 + ( 22 – 18 ) = 26

China’s Shanghai Composite also found support, at 2250. Respect would indicate another test of resistance at 2450, while failure would indicate a down-swing to primary support at 1950/2000. Rising 13-week Twiggs Momentum suggests a primary up-trend; a trough above zero would strengthen the signal. Breakout above 2450 would confirm.
Shanghai Composite Index

* Target calculation: 2450 + ( 2450 – 2250 ) = 2650

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Canada: TSX good to go

Shallow retracement of the TSX Composite below resistance is a bullish sign. Rising troughs on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicate strong buying pressure. Breakout above 12900 would confirm a primary advance. Immediate target would be 13500*, with a long-term target of the 2011 high at 14300.

TSX Composite Index

* Target calculation: 13000 + ( 13000 – 12500 ) = 13500

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Europe: FTSE and European markets rising

The FTSE 100 broke out from its rising flag on the weekly chart and is headed for a test of resistance between 6800* (the high from 2007) and 7000 (from 1999). Rising 13-week Twiggs Momentum indicates strong buying pressure.

FTSE 100 Index

* Target calculation: 6400 + ( 6400 – 6000 ) = 6800

Italy’s MIB Index found support at 15500. Respect of zero by 13-week  Twiggs Money Flow would suggest another primary advance. Recovery above 17000 would confirm. Reversal below 15000, however, would warn of a primary down-trend.
FTSE MIB Index
Spain’s Madrid General Index displays buying pressure with rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow. Breakout above 900 would signal a primary advance to 1000*.
Madrid General Index

* Target calculation: 900 + ( 900 – 800 ) = 1000

Germany’s DAX rallied to test resistance at the 2007 high of 8000. Bearish divergence on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow still warns of selling pressure but breakout above 8000 would overcome this. Reversal below 7500 would indicate a correction to test the rising trendline — rather than a primary trend reversal.

DAX Index
The quarterly chart shows strong resistance between 8000 and 8200. Breakout would offer a long-term target of 10000*.
DAX Index

* Target calculation: 7500 + ( 7500 – 5000 ) = 10000

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S&P 500 tests 2007 high

Dow Jones Industrial Average has broken through its previous high at 14,000. Long-term (13-week) Twiggs Money Flow oscillating above zero indicates strong buying pressure.
S&P 500 Index
Bellwether transport stock Fedex breakout above $100 signals rising economic activity.
Fedex

The S&P 500 is testing its 2007 high at 1550. Rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates strong buying pressure. Reversal below the latest trendline is unlikely at present but would warn of a correction. Target for the current advance is 1600*.

S&P 500 Index

* Target calculation: 1475 + ( 1475 – 1350 ) = 1600

VIX Volatility Index is headed for its 2005 lows at 0.10. While this coincided with the start of a ($SPX) bull market in 1995, it also occurred just before the peak in 2007; so does not offer much reassurance. Breakout above the quarterly high at 0.20 would be a warning sign.
VIX Index
The Nasdaq 100 broke resistance at 2800 despite bearish divergences on both 13-week Twiggs Momentum and 13-week Twiggs Money Flow. Reversal below the latest rising trendline would warn of a correction, while follow-through above 2900 would signal an advance to 3300*. Only breach of primary support at 2500 would signal a reversal.
Nasdaq 100 Index

* Target calculation: 2900 + ( 2900 – 2500 ) = 3300

Rising debt indicates consumers are once again spending. While there are still structural flaws in the US economy, the market is gaining momentum and the current advance shows no signs of ending.

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Investing: Growth and the markets | The Economist

Buttonwood of The Economist quotes Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh and Mike Staunton of the London Business School:

….take the records of 83 countries from 1972 to 2009 (the most comprehensive set available) and rank them by GDP growth over the previous five years. Investing each year in the countries with the highest economic growth over the preceding five years earned an annual return of 18.4%, but investing in the lowest-growth countries returned 25.1%.

Read more at Investing: Growth and the markets | The Economist.

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