Entries by Bob Loukas

A Cycle Test for Equity Markets

January 15, 2015 in /by

In my opinion, it’s only going to be a matter of time before the current world-wide deflationary pull and economic weakness begins to directly impact the US economy. Considering the FED has tapered all QE programs, in an interconnected and dependent world, the US economy has not healed enough to withstand this weakness, let alone continue to “carry the world” on its back.

Keep It Simple

December 23, 2014 in /by

What a crazy equity market this has become. The swings are just insane. I know in this business what’s “normal” is often tough to define, with the markets fully capable of a variety of wild but still-acceptable swings. Still, I have no qualms in calling the current market “irrational”. It’s a condition often found near major market lows and highs.

It was just two weeks ago that we witnessed the largest weekly selloff in over two years. That 5% decline occurred in a single week and sent the S&P tumbling below 2,000. What followed was a pair of 2% daily gains, packaged in a 3 day rally that added an amazing 100 points. This level of volatility and price fluctuation is indicative of a market controlled by speculative forces. Equities have been divorced from fundamentals for at least 3 years, leaving the market at the mercy of speculative actors: under-performing funds, speculative traders, hedge funds, and programmed bots designed to perpetuate the trend for as long as possible.