S&P 500 in a precarious position

A long-term chart of the S&P 500 highlights the precarious position of the index, having now doubled since its October 2007 high at 1576. Any time that a stock doubles in price, you are likely to get profit-taking, leading to resistance. The same holds true for the index. Probably even more so because individual stocks have the capacity to post higher gains — of even 5 or 10 times — while that isn’t feasible for the index. Even in the Dotcom bubble.

S&P 500

On the one hand we have a massive triple stimulus creating irrational exuberance, while on the other we have concerns over a coronavirus epidemic spreading from China and Donald Trump’s looming impeachment.

CoronaVirus

If you think that Trump is a shoe-in for re-election in November, this analysis of his chances is quite eye-opening.

Trump: Long Shot rather than a Slam Dunk

Expect more erratic behavior in the lead up to November.

Gold: “Trump rally” unlikely to last

Gold reacted with urgency to the news that Donald Trump was closing on Hillary Clinton in the polls. After a lackluster start the rally gained new energy in the last week, with the yellow metal climbing to test resistance at $1300/ounce.

Spot Gold

Experienced pollsters seem to think that Trump’s gains are too little and too late. According to GOP pollster Whit Ayres, in this PBS Newshour interview, Trump has about the same chance of winning as drawing an inside straight in poker. “He has spent his entire campaign preaching to the converted rather than reaching out to undecided voters….”

Unless there is an upset in next week’s election, I expect gold to respect resistance at $1300/ounce, followed by a test of primary support at $1200.