George Soros: Assume that markets are always wrong…

The prevailing wisdom is that markets are always right. I take the opposition position. I assume that markets are always wrong. Even if my assumption is occasionally wrong, I use it as a working hypothesis. It does not follow that one should always go against the prevailing trend. On the contrary, most of the time the trend prevails; only occasionally are the errors corrected. It is only on those occasions that one should go against the trend. This line of reasoning leads me to look for the flaw in every investment thesis…. I watch out for telltale signs that a trend may be exhausted. Then I disengage from the herd and look for a different investment thesis. Or, if I think the trend has been carried to excess, I may probe going against it. Most of the time we are punished if we go against the trend. Only at an inflection point are we rewarded.

~ George Soros

Westpac bulletin: Consumer sentiment falls

Westpac Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment fell by 8.3% in December…….

Risk aversion increased markedly in this survey. When asked about “the wisest place for savings” 26.6% of respondents nominated “pay down debt”. That was an increase from 18.7% in September. Since we started measuring that component in 1997 there has only been one higher measure, in March 2010. Only 6.6% of respondents nominated equities – the lowest percentage since 1993; while the 14% nominating real estate was, apart from 2008, the lowest since the survey began in 1974.

Comment: ~ Equities at their lowest level since 1993 is a great contrarian indicator. There is still risk of further downside, so too early to invest at present, but this will be a good number to watch in 2012.