As December gets underway, here’s a quick bullet point update on our “base case.”
- The market’s primary trend remains up with 77% of S&P 500 issues above the 200-day moving average and seasonality a strong tailwind through January…
- …But, leadership is still evolving – Tech’s complete grip on the market has eased considerably since summer and the sector has split (e.g., Software vs. Semis).
- Cyclicals continue to carry the flag of leadership, particularly Financials and Industrials. Consumer Discretionary has also improved internally and remains dominant vs. Staples.
- The biggest risk we see over coming months is sentiment… flows are white hot, and the investor surveys and sell-side forecasts are starting to reflect one-way thinking – we’ll watch this, but likely a bigger threat as the calendar fades in February/March.
- The consensus is anxious about rates and deficits post-election, but the market less so… still no life from defensives or any agitation from credit conditions.
- There are too many bond bears out there… we lean more bullish than the consensus here. U.S. 10-year yields turned away at 4.50%, while European yields break to fresh lows.
- Our gut says Yen weakness also on its last leg… USDJPY turned away at a lower-high, while EURJPY, MXNJPY, etc. trade back to the lows. Rate differentials also support stronger Yen.
- The Oil chart remains in a weak technical position, but Nat Gas has turned in our work… we’re considerably more bullish on the latter.
- Gold is correcting but has the benefit of a strong longer-term uptrend with support at the 200-day, while Bitcoin’s strength continues to suggest liquidity conditions remain abundant.
Source: Strategas
Chart reflects price changes, not total return. Because it does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments. Data provided by Refinitiv.
Sincerely,
Fortem Financial
(760) 206-8500
team@fortemfin.com
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