Friday Meltdown Leaves Stocks Near Lowest Levels of Year; All Major Indices In Correction

After the first week of December ended in tears, there were glimmers of hope for a rebound in stocks as the clock ticked closer to Christmas and the end of the consumer shopping/spending season.

While retail sales - as especially so, online sales - continued strong, stocks suffered through another week of volatility, though it didn't actually present itself until the very end.

The Dow was up a bit over 200 points as of Thursday's close, but at the opening bell on Friday it was apparent those gains would not hold. In the end, the Dow lost nearly 500 points on the day, sent that index into correction, along with the S&P, joining the NASDAQ, NYSE Composite, and the Dow Jones Transportation Average.

The tailwinds of the recent selloff have its roots in October, when the Dow most a cumulative 1,345 points. November's gains were only 426, but the Dow is down another 1438 points in December, challenging the closing low of the year, 23,533.20 on March 23.

Besides the usual concern over profits and/or losses, financial markets have plenty of issues to keep investors up at night. There's the continuing Brexit issues, which nearly cost Prime Minister Teresa May her government, and coming up this week is the Fed's FOMC meeting in which the federal funds rate is supposed to be hiked another 25 basis points, along with the real possibility of a particle government shutdown over budget issues, primarily concerning President Trump's promised border wall, and the funding of such.

So, instead of being perplexed over dollars and cents, Wall Street seems more focused on politics and nonsense, as the relentless - mostly baseless - attacks on Mr. Trump continue to overhang every discussion policy and threaten to throw the entire country into chaos.

Form a technical point of view, stocks are in very dangerous territory. The dreaded "death cross," in which the 50-day moving average falls below the 200-day moving average, occurred last week on the S&P, had already happened in mid-November on the NYSE Composite Index, made its appearance the last day of November on the NASDAQ and is maybe two more days away from happening on the Dow.

It's a fairly obvious phenomenon, which points up near-term weakness. When both the 50 and 200-day moving averages point lower in such a condition, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a hungry bear is roaming free in the forest.

Despite trading having been buoyant during most recent holiday seasons, this one appears to be rather different. There's a distinct possibility of a global slowdown, especially since retail sales and industrial production in China both slowed in November. While politically-oriented pundits will point to Trump's trade war with the Chinese as the culprit, the issue seems to be more complex and deep-seated than such a superficial analysis suggests. China's economy, built on massive credit expansion, ghost cities, and often spurious economic data, has been booming for 20 years and has been due for a slowdown, correction, or even recession. As is the case with the longest bull market in US history, nothing lasts forever.

Any gains in the coming weeks are likely to be eaten away rather quickly as profit-taking is followed by loss prevention. Even as the Fed raises rates, bond yields should continue trending lower as investors seek safety and shun profligate speculation.

Dow Jones Industrial Average December Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
12/3/18	25,826.43	+287.97	+287.97
12/4/18	25,027.07	-799.36	-511.39
12/6/18	24,947.67	-79.40	-590.79
12/7/18	24,388.95	-558.72	-1149.51
12/10/18	24,423.26	+34.31	-1115.20
12/11/18	24,370.24	-53.02	-1168.22
12/12/18	24,527.27	+157.03	-1011.19
12/13/18	24,597.38	+70.11	-941.08
12/14/18	24,100.51	-496.87	-1437.95

At the Close, Friday, December 14, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,100.51, -496.87 (-2.02%)
NASDAQ: 6,910.67, -159.67 (-2.26%)
S&P 500: 2,599.95, -50.59 (-1.91%)
NYSE Composite: 11,755.38, -180.82 (-1.51%)

For the Week:
Dow: -288.44 (-1.18%)
NASDAQ: -58.59 (-0.84%)
S&P 500: -33.13 (-1.26%
NYSE Composite: -186.55 (-1.56%)

Sluggish Trading, Late-Day Rally Lifts Dow

A late-session rally moved the Dow into positive territory into the close, and pared losses on the other major averages. The entire trading day was spent with the Dow criss-crossing the unchanged line. Trading was spotty, sporadic and inconsistent.

This was a bit of a change from the volatility seen recently, though there are still enough jittery global events and data points to make traders nervous heading down the home stretch of the holiday season.

Using Fibonacci numbers to exploit the current rally - using intra-day numbers on the Dow - maths out like this:

December 3 high: 25,980.21
December 10 low: 23,881.37

Difference: -2,098.84

First resistance (23.6%): 495.33 points = 24,376.70 (Dow closed at 24,370.24 on Tuesday, December 11; Close enough!)
Second resistance (38.2%): 801.76 points = 24,683.13 (the Dow exceeded this level on Wednesday, but pulled back below it at the close. On Thursday, the Dow approached this level but could not exceed it, signaling a possible breakdown to end the week.)
Third resistance (50%): 1,049.42 = 24,930.79
Fourth resistance (61.8%): 1,297.08 = 25,178.45 (this is usually the key, where resistance is very high and a pullback can be expected. If the Dow powers through this level, expect it to go all the way back to where it started, i.e., 25,980.21 (100% retracement).

Dow Jones Industrial Average December Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
12/3/18	25,826.43	+287.97	+287.97
12/4/18	25,027.07	-799.36	-511.39
12/6/18	24,947.67	-79.40	-590.79
12/7/18	24,388.95	-558.72	-1149.51
12/10/18	24,423.26	+34.31	-1115.20
12/11/18	24,370.24	-53.02	-1168.22
12/12/18	24,527.27	+157.03	-1011.19
12/13/18	24,597.38	+70.11	-941.08

At the Close, Thursday, December 13, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,597.38, +70.11 (+0.29%)
NASDAQ: 7,070.33, -27.98 (-0.39%)
S&P 500: 2,650.54, -0.53 (-0.02%)
NYSE Composite: 11,936.16, -7.13 (-0.06%)

Federal Reserve Loses $66 Billion; Volatility Meets Fibonacci Sequence As Sucker Rally Extends

Here's a fun headline:

Fed piles up $66 billion in debt.

Now, since the Federal Reserve System has been known to conjure up money out of thin air, how can they incur losses, and, if they somehow manage that feat of economic alchemy, do they even matter. The author of the article says no, but the reality is that our fiat money system - and, with it hose of the rest of the world - are fantasies. The money created is all debt. Nothing but debt. Most of it is incurred when the US treasury - or the treasury of some other nation - issues a bond. It's debt, and it's bought by the Fed or one of their agents, and, viola! instant money is created.

Most of government-issued debt is never paid off, which is why the United States has a $21 trillion - and growing - debt. Some of it is owed to other countries, some to private investors (like the Fed), and some of it is owed elsewhere.

Getting back to the Fed and their debt, how they managed to get into debt themselves is pretty simple. They bought a ton of near-worthless paper called Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) back in the halcyon days of sub-prime lending (2006-2011), and that paper is worth today, as some of it is maturing, worth less than what they paid. They did so to bail out their friends, the big banks, and now the piper is being paid. This will continue for some time, as theses MBS mature at different times. Like most mortgages, some won't mature for 30 years, so think 2036-2041 before they're all exhausted, though some will mature well before those dates.

The Fed wants to shrink its balance sheet, so this is how they're doing it, retiring debt. Do they care? Not particularly. To them, gains and losses are ledger entires and nothing more. They exist in a parallel universe from the rest of us who can't just roll over our debts indefinitely. The Fed will outlast all of us, and they know it.

As far as the impact this will have on the economy and markets and currencies, it's likely not good, but it isn't something to lose sleep over either. The Fed's money machine is massive and they'll just print more if they run into problems. However, for the rest of us, that may be inflationary, though that wasn't a huge issue all the time they were engaged in QE, printing to their heart's content to save the world from economic ruin.

As long as everyone keeps using their money, it's fine. If other countries shy away from the glorious dollar - something that some countries already are doing - it could get a bit rough in the international trade venues. Until very many people, businesses, and nations lose faith in the almighty greenback, we're all good, however. But the Fed will still be losing money for the foreseeable future. Nothing to worry about. They can - and will - make more.

As far as the stock markets are concerned, today was day two of the Mother of all Sucker Rallies which was presented yesterday. Stocks were once again bid higher, with the Dow up more than 450 points. Once again, the afternoon was telling, as sellers took control, leaving the Dow and other indices with reasonable gains.

With the rally ongoing, it might be instructive to concern ourselves with Fibonacci levels, as detailed below.

Fibonacci numbers are often used in technical analysis to determine support and resistance levels for stock price movement. Analysts find the two most extreme points (peak and trough) on a stock chart and divide by the Fibonacci ratios of 23.6 percent, 38.2 percent, 50 percent, 61.8 percent and 100 percent.

Using Fibonacci numbers to exploit the current rally - using intra-day numbers on the Dow - maths out like this:

December 3 high: 25,980.21
December 10 low: 23,881.37

Difference: -2,098.84

First resistance (23.6%): 495.33 points = 24,376.70 (Dow closed at 24,370.24 on Tuesday, December 11; Close enough!)
Second resistance (38.2%): 801.76 points = 24,683.13 (the Dow exceeded this level today, but pulled back below it at the close. Watch for direction on Thursday.
Third resistance (50%): 1,049.42 = 24,930.79
Fourth resistance (61.8%): 1,297.08 = 25,178.45 (this is usually the key, where resistance is very high and a pullback can be expected. If the Dow powers through this level, expect it to go all the way back to where it started, i.e., 25,980.21 (100% retracement).

This should give a signal of when the current sucker rally is about to expire. After that, the resistance points will become support, and if the Dow plummets through them, get ready for another round of massive losing days.

Happy Holidays.

Dow Jones Industrial Average December Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
12/3/18	25,826.43	+287.97	+287.97
12/4/18	25,027.07	-799.36	-511.39
12/6/18	24,947.67	-79.40	-590.79
12/7/18	24,388.95	-558.72	-1149.51
12/10/18	24,423.26	+34.31	-1115.20
12/11/18	24,370.24	-53.02	-1168.22
12/12/18	24,527.27	+157.03	-1011.19

At the Close, Wednesday, December 12, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,527.27, +157.03 (+0.64%)
NASDAQ: 7,098.31, +66.48 (+0.95%)
S&P 500: 2,651.07, +14.29 (+0.54%)
NYSE Composite: 11,943.29, +82.64 (+0.70%)

The Mother Of All Sucker Rallies

The Miracle Monday Rally has been encored by a follow-up, Terrific Tuesday, which pushed stocks further into a positive realm, though despite Herculean efforts, it didn't end that way.

Making the high of the day just minutes into the session, the Dow was up more than 350 points. Apparently thinking their work was done for the day, whoever was hitting the BUY button went out for coffee, a stroll, and lunch, because the Dow spent the next four-and-a-half hours leaking lower, to a point at which it was 200 points down by 2:00 pm ET.

Back at the controls, the clandestine clerk for the Federal Reserve got back to bidding up stocks, sending the Dow - and with it the rest of the indices - back into the green zone over the next hour.

The entire convulsion involved some seriously heavy lifting and an equally resolute effort by the sellers. From the low point on Monday to the early Tuesday high, the Dow rocketed 910 points, but then came back down another 570 before rocketing higher by 300 points. In the end it was all for naught, with the Dow losing 53 points by the closing bell.

Boo-hoo-hoo. It may be Christmas, but January's 401k statements are likely to be carrying a load of coal.

Whatever unnatural force is preventing a complete crash, it has friends in far-away places. All other indices around the world were sucked into the mother of all sucker rallies on Tuesday, saving the world from a long-overdue asset re-pricing that will, as sure as the sun rises in the East, continue to wreak havoc on the investing universe for the foreseeable - and equally, the unforeseen - future.

Bah, humbug.

Dow Jones Industrial Average December Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
12/3/18	25,826.43	+287.97	+287.97
12/4/18	25,027.07	-799.36	-511.39
12/6/18	24,947.67	-79.40	-590.79
12/7/18	24,388.95	-558.72	-1149.51
12/10/18	24,423.26	+34.31	-1115.20
12/11/18	24,370.24	-53.02	-1168.22

At the Close, Tuesday, December 11, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,370.24, -53.02 (-0.22%)
NASDAQ: 7,031.83, +11.31 (+0.16%)
S&P 500: 2,636.78, -0.94 (-0.04%)
NYSE Composite: 11,860.65, -28.64 (-0.24%)

Seas of Red Ink; Global Collapse In Asset Pricing Underway; US Markets In Denial

Was Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), or Microsoft (MSFT) ever worth a trillion dollars?

All were, for a while, supposedly worth that high until the market considered the madness of such lofty valuations. Then, they were probably not.

A little quickie math is appropriate. For a company to be worth a trillion dollars, in rough terms, it would have to make a profit of $143 off every person on the planet (we're using 7 billion as an estimate) in a calendar year. Figuring a 15-year capitalization period, it's possible.

However, with the global median individual annual income at about $3000, it's unlikely. And for three companies to be worth that would mean every person on the planet, including babies and the elderly in nursing homes or hospices, would have to spend enough so that combined, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft would net a profit of $429. So, for three companies to have that kind of valuation simultaneously is something right out of science fiction, because these people would have to spend about $2000 (figuring a rough profit margin of 20%) on products from just those three companies. Were this to happen, a third of the planet would die off because they spent most of their money on smartphones, software and trinkets from Amazon (with much lower profit margins, BYW), instead of food.

And what about all the other companies on the planet? From the corner store to multi-national corporations like General Motors, Nestle, Samsung, etc.? How much money do they extract from every person in the world with these three biggies crowding out everybody else? It simply doesn't add up.

That's why asset prices are collapsing. Companies, or rather, the stock prices representing shares of these companies are not worth what they're selling for, the big money knows it, and they're selling their shares to people less informed or desperate to make their investments pay off in the global rat race.

Let's face facts. US Stocks have more than tripled in value over the past 10 years. That doesn't make any sense. Were Americans suddenly three times as wealthy as they were 10 years ago? No. No. And Hell No.

Today, as stock prices tumbled around the world, US markets barely suffered a scraped knee and a paper cut. The NIKKEI was down 459 points, or, 2.12%. Japan's economy shrank by 2.5% in the third quarter.

Stock markets in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Canada were all down between one and two-and-a-half percent, again, after weeks of declines. Many of these indices are in correction. Germany, South Korea, China, Japan, and others are in bear markets, down more than 20%. That's just a sampling. But the US carries on, though the Dow is less than 325 points away from correction territory. All the other US indices are in correction, down more than 10%.

Dow Industrials were down more than 500 points in the morning, but finished, magically (same as last Thursday) well off the lows, in fact, with a small gain. Magic! Denial! HFT Algorithms! Programmed Trading! Central Bank Intervention! It's only temporary.

US stocks have performed better than the rest of the world, so far, but they are trending in the same direction - lower. Brokers and dealers on Wall Street are living in a La-la Land that would put Hollywood to shame. Many in the financial sphere are in deep denial. They don't believe the US economy can contract, that stocks can be re-priced lower, down 20, 30 or 40 percent or more. It has happened in the past, many times, and it will happen again. It is happening right now.

But, but, but, we can't have a stock market crash during the Christmas season, can we? Maybe stocks will not exactly crash this month, but the performance has been - on a day-to-day basis - underwhelming. Winter is coming (Dec. 20).

According to Dow Theory, the Dow Jones Transportation Index confirmed the primary trend change - from bullish to bearish - that the Dow Jones Industrial Average signaled on November 23. That's the second time this year Dow Theory confirmed a primary trend change. The last was through March (Industrials signaled) and April (Transports confirmed), but stocks bounced back quickly through the spring and summer. By autumn, the bloom was off the rose, however, and the false rally began to unwind, and it continues to unwind.

And, with that, today's musical selection, "Turn, Turn, Turn," released October 1, 1965, written by Pete Seeger, performed by the Byrds.



Dow Jones Industrial Average December Scorecard:

Date	Close	Gain/Loss	Cum. G/L
12/3/18	25,826.43	+287.97	+287.97
12/4/18	25,027.07	-799.36	-511.39
12/6/18	24,947.67	-79.40	-590.79
12/7/18	24,388.95	-558.72	-1149.51
12/10/18	24,423.26	+34.31	-1115.20

At the Close, Monday, December 10, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,423.26, +34.31 (+0.14%)
NASDAQ: 7,020.52, +51.27 (+0.74%)
S&P 500: 2,637.72, +4.64 (+0.18%)
NYSE Composite: 11,889.29, -52.64 (-0.44%)