The Dow Jones has confirmed a short term correction - looking for more

On the 10th Sept 2014 I warned of a sell-off in stocks, only to withdraw that warning on the 18th Sept 2014, when the market went to new highs. As it turns out, it was a false signal, insofar as the market went back into reversal, and we now have a solid short-term downtrend, that seems likely to take us far lower. Markets down always have a 'pretty pattern' as we see in the first chart below. They under and over-shoot on occasion.
The reason for this market correction is simply the high level of asset prices. Asset prices are simply too high because rents are taking too much of people's incomes, or interest payments too much of their incomes, and that is despite record low interest rates. People are forced to live 'expensive lives' in the city in order to 'have a job in the city'. The problem is most wealth is created and vested in the cities. The problem is that these centres of growth become over-capitalised when governments are able to restrict land development. They do this in order to keep local taxes high, and because landlords like the 'wealth effect' of rising property prices.

In this first chart we can see the solid downtrend that has emerged in the last two weeks. We can see that the Dow, which closed at 16,660 overnight, closed off its low for the day. I actually think its going to break that in a big way....perhaps overnight, but it might really. But when it does break 16,660pts in the next day or two, it will be convincingly.
We can see that a short-term support is 16,500pts, however looking at the lowest chart, its possible we will be looking in a fall in the market to 14,000pts. That is a correction of 19%, or 13.67% from the start of 2014 (at 16220pts).

There is no compelling reason why the market should fall that much; not because the market is overpriced, but simply because there is nothing pulling it down. Interest rates are not rising. That augers well for the present. So I don't necessarily see this downside reaching 14,000pts because I'm going to wait for the market to tell me. The trick is to wait for the market's lack of confidence to be shaken out. It is fair to say that the central banks will look favorably upon a fall in asset prices - not just equities, but also housing. Housing markets are also softer in recent times. So let's see how much confidence is undermined. I frankly think these are good times. The problem is people are incredibly myopic. They tend to think markets evolve around their 'Western experience' and fail to see how Western market weakness (i.e. unemployment) is a boon to markets elsewhere. The money is flowing to the farthest corners of the world. It will collapse eventually, but we are a long way off that yet. The question is - how much of a fall is necessary to restore confidence in the short term. Rest assured that this fall is not going to spook consumers in emerging markets who don't own stocks, and who don't have so much wealth invested in their houses. They aren't going to be concerned because you might not be buying a new car, but you still need the underwear you make, and the people in their country are increasingly buying new 'branded' underwear, motor scooters and I-phones to impress their girl friends. Some of them are better off still doing your computer programming.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Should we be worried about global inflation?

There is a gross straw argument being perpetrated by economists and market pundits, and that is the prospects of 'rising' or run-away inflation, or at least the ominous threat of such. It is important to note two things:
1. Inflation is a monetary phenomenon
2. Inflation is a red herring
3. Commentators don't even know what inflation is

Consider the following article from Ben Eisen at MarketWatch.com. The concern is that there is 'low fears of inflation'. The reason this is bad is purportedly because:

"Most economists believe some level of inflation is important to a healthy economy".

The problem with this perspective is that they think general price variance is a 'demand phenomenon' rather than a monetary phenomenon. The reason they think its not a 'monetary phenomenon' is because the Fed has launched a monetary stimulus program, and according to them, it disproved the Austrians who argued it would cause inflation. That might well be the argument of some or all Austrian economists, however I would counter that 'cost-of-living' inflation is not the only form of inflation. In an era of ultra-easy monetary conditions (i.e. low interest rates), money has fuelled a speculative bubble. It is easy to observe this in two respects:
1. The high prices for property in Western markets
2. The indebtedness associated with derivatives contracts has ballooned

The reason why we aren't seeing a lot of 'cost-of-living' inflation like in the 1970s and 1980s is simply because in those times there was no prospect of wage restraint. Unions were unfettered in their capacity to demand higher wages, so any rise in prices was destined to trigger a wages spiral. Today, there is no prospect of a wages spiral, not because unions have been busted, as that was merely the 'effect'. The reason is that unskilled workers in Western countries are in a very weak position to demand higher wages. Few industries are in a position to demand higher wages, and the reason is that:
1. Few industries (like mining, ports and government services) can get away with it without precipitating a shift in services offshore to emerging markets where labour is far cheaper.
2. There is no peer support from other unions for such rises. They are a collective organisation. You are not going to see 80% of union members supporting wage increases for 20% of members.

The flipside was that union membership has fallen instead because unions can no longer deliver on what members wanted - higher pay.

So what do we make of this logic?

"The U.S. central bank is targeting a 2% annual rise in consumer costs. The drop in market forecasts for inflation implies investors think the Fed will abandon that mandate and raise rates".

The reality is that the 'cost-of-living' inflation is destined to tread a path broadly inline with the rate of money supply increase. The reason is not because money supply is increasing, but because governments look to rising inflation to finance government. Governments don't want to be obliged to raise taxes. This was why it was so hard for the Japanese government to raise taxes. It would have been felt by the people. This is not a concern in other Western economies, where economic activity in rising, population is growing. Japan was unable to rely on these forms of stimulus because of its conservative people. The government was confronted with an unpopular choice - allow relaxed immigration, raise taxes or print money. It decided to print money and raise taxes. It scarcely delivered on the reform it promised.

You might wonder whether we need to be worried about rising interest rates. The answer is no. The Fed might well allow interest rates to rise, but they will never be allowed to rise more than enough to squash rampant speculation. The housing market is not overly priced. Current price levels are sustainable because there is simply no reason for raising rates, and current prices are actually reasons not to 'scare asset markets'.

Deflation is not actually bad; its just bad for government. Deflation is a natural inclination for markets because its a signal of rising purchasing power that is associated with wealth creation. It is not however conducive to governments raising revenue, so governments like some 'healthy inflation', or easily-won taxation. Governments don't like to have to qualify their actions because we have so little trust in them.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The prospects for a short term sell off in place - but how severe?

On the 27th August 2014 (2 weeks ago) I gave a warning of a possible correction in equity markets, based on the leading S&P500 Index. The prospect of a correction remains in play. Today, I'm outlining the technical drivers for a correction based on the Dow Jones Industrial Average - which is based on 28 of the leading stocks in the United States. This index is actually a better guide to the international market given the focus on the larger 'multinational' corporations.

Starting at the shortest-term chart, we can see that the index price action is trending down, and making successively low-lows, where previous support on the downside becomes resistance on the upside, conveying a downward market.
In the 2nd chart, the longer 2 month chart shows that we remain in a broader 'channel trend', so the market is ambivalent about direction, or otherwise stated, the market is an ongoing fight between buyers and sellers. You might also argue that large investors are buying or selling in this range, where buyers are actually placing large sell orders on to create resistance levels, so they can accumulate stock slowly below those resistance levels. Likewise, those companies with an adverse outlook, are placing large orders at support levels, and selling in anticipation of the channel structure breaking on the downside. The implication is that when the market finally 'breaks' it will either be a big move on the upside or downside.

The third chart is interesting because it conveys that the market is challenging previous resistance, and that its at previous highs. You might have heard as much in the last few weeks, and yet it remains at those 'highs', but sparingly so. The market has not marched on, but rather languished around those highs. In fact, it was sold off significantly to 16,500 points in late July. The index however preserves its uptrend. The question is whether it is going to break the long term trend. This is arguably just the same type of consolidation as occurred in Jan 2014, before the market marched on further.

Looking at the last chart, we can see that we are in the 5th year of this 'long market rally. Most market cycles are 7-8 years long, so it might be argued that this one has a little time to run. If this is your logic, than you might still want to exit the market because the market is still way off its long term support. It has the capacity to fall from the current 17,040 level to 16,500 points. There are a number of issues to precipitate that:
1. The poor job growth in the USA - real jobs I mean - not govt revision of methods that see 'self-starters' living on benefits classified as 'nascent entrepreneurs'. That's not to say that a "Bill Gates love child" is not among them, but rather that, you probably have not met the children of Bill Gates. But who you have undoubtedly encountered is the children of your typical conservative family, whether they are libertarians, anarcho-capitalists or liberals. They are less interested in making money until they desperately need a benefit.
2. The prospects of sustained war with Russia in the Ukraine - There is some apprehension about a protracted war. I personally don't see how such a war is likely given the capacity of Western nations to undermine the logistical support lives of counterparts. There will not be a war, but there will be a lot of bluffing. In the interim, you have a lot of apprehension, and war only undermines confidence.
3. The prospects of a terrorist threat. Today is Sept 11th. Are we going to expect a re-occurrence of terror? Its a symbolic gesture that undermines market confidence, however this time round the 'potential' is worse than the reality because it immediately becomes apparent that life goes on, and there are just too many targets. Whose going to miss a flight? The 300 passengers on board a plan and 15,000 relatives and 30,000 friends. Its very sad, but the world will go on. Even if you had 10 such events a year, it would be traumatic, but we would endure it. The odds of it happening to people in 'most parts of the world' are low. Most events would be in certain parts of Asia, EU, Africa and the Middle East. i.e. In places where markets are small or already depressed.

We are looking for a retracement to 16,500 points, and thereafter a possible fall to 14,000 points. The foundamentals for the global economy are actually very good. The problem I would argue is not the 'fundamentals' of excess debt, but really the travesty of too high property prices. The reason is that, when property prices get to a point where they are so high, two things happen:
1. Existing property investors see no further opportunity for gains, so they are not financing their activities with more passive property income
2. Aspiring property buyers are deferring their property purchases, which means they are not buying all the accessories that go with property acquisition.
3. Revision of market values are occurring as well. Many youths are responding to the 'new market reality' with more modest consumptive patterns of behaviour. This is great for the environment, for their long term 'savings sustainability', but it hits the current 'consumption driven' paradigm for this economy.

The implication is that once the stimulus from the central banks is seen for what it is, this market is going back down, and it will hurt the speculators and savings of people. This is part of the appeal for the government. Its your savings, so the impact is on your balance sheet, not the 'public budget'. The fact that you don't need to worry because your super will not be claimed for years, is part of the reason why, as investors, you will tolerate their bad custodianship, and not question the legitimacy of their form of governance. So we can expect government to continue going about their dirty business for at least the first start of this cycle, but in the long term there is solid prospects for political reform and fundamentally a very strong economy.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

An imminent correction in global equity markets is coming

In previous blogs I have alluded to the fact that the next 10-15 years will be punctuated by a succession of boom-bust events. The reason is that the fundamentals for the global economy are very good. The problem is that there is a process of adjustment under-way, and the Fed and other central banks are making sure that it comes sooner rather than later. They are doing so because, having caused an economic crisis by attempting to sustain the unsustainable boom, they are now attempting to sustain the 'normalcy' of the current 'persistent recession'. Well, recession if you are unskilled labour in the West. If you are skilled, or living in emerging markets, you're probably not going to feel what is about to happen.
I'm expecting in the next week, maybe even overnight, a correction to start in the S&P500. I expect the S&P500 to start falling from around 2000 at present to a support level of 1600pts. That's a 20% fall. I'm actually expecting the ASX-200 (Australian) market to fall back from 5624 to around 4950-5000 point mark. The reason is that resources are priced low, so the Australian market is relatively subdued anyway.
In either case, after these 'asset price' corrections, these markets will recover quickly, and I fully expect that by the end of 2015, they would have reclaimed those losses. The reason is because the current rally was too strong, too fast, and the evidence or justification for it will probably not emerge to later in the year.

I reiterate the global market outlook is fundamentally good. Its just in the short term assets are overpriced, and there is a need for a correction to allow reasonable value to be sustained. The reason I've expecting a correction is because:

1. Asset prices are very high - the best evidence is probably this Forbes media article, which was published back in July 2014. Since then, the S&P500 has climbed even further to 2000pts. They didn't pick a 'level'. They were purely going off fundamentals. Well, now you have a technical 'indicator'.

2. The uptrend has been broken - see the chart above - care of Google Finance

3. The S&P500 is at an important psychological level - its not breaking the 2000 point level convincingly, but rather wallowing around it. I would argue that it is being sold into. Even in the resources market, for the last 2 weeks, I have sensed that the market was being 'sold into'. People were unloading, expecting a correction.

4. You don't get a rally after a persistent rally like the one we've just had. The market needs a correction. It has been 7 years since the last correction - so we are due for another. Now, also note that this 'bubble' is bigger than the last 'bubble'.

Now, there are people arguing that this will be the end of the world...swarms of locusts will inherit the Earth. I'm not in that crowd. I'm arguing that this is simply an opportunity cost that you can avoid. It would be sad if you retained your shares now, because you can buy them back cheaper soon. But if you don't, do it at a reasonable price, just hold them because you'll probably get a bad re-entry price anyway. In any case, you probably have cash to buy more later - and you should do that. Don't sell during the collapse because you might get really bad prices. Maybe you want to hedge your bets if you are uncertain...if stocks are akin to gambling to you. I suspect however there will be some logic in what I say. I'm not even arguing that there is some imminent rise in interest rates. I think interest rates are staying low. There might be a modest increase in some countries worried about 'bubbly asset prices', but it will be intended to discourage you buying property rather than to 'tighten lending' to slow the economy'...in which no one is spending except on investment property. 

Whilst you are waiting for this correction, which is not long off, I hope you will take the opportunity to acquaint yourself with my latest publication 'Global Mining Investing'. These will be great stocks to own, whether to invest or trade moving forward. We actually want to teach you how to invest; but moreover we want to use investing to teach people how to think analytically. It will have applications in other areas of your life. Critical thinking is an undervalued tool, and we will be exploring stocks using your mind and our experience. We are discovering you from outsourcing responsibility for your money. We want to empower you, so you develop a sense of efficacy in investing. Of course we want you to profit as well - financially as well as intellectually. But we think it will mean more to you if you made the money yourself. Some of you will not have as much time. You'd be surprised how much time you do have when you are supported by other investors, potentially your partner and kids, as well as your passion for learning and profiting from your learning.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The market upside is looking a little 'tentative' in the short run

Asset prices are relatively high. In such times, you have to question when or what can undermine them, and what will not. The reality is that the stimulus of the previous few years has meant that conditions are rip for economic growth. There is however considerable concern about the sustainability of that growth given that a lot of the past growth was fuelled by debt finance in the West. You might wonder however why we cannot expect more of the same. The reason is that there is considerable concern about the prospects of higher interest rates. The reality is that there is no reason for central banks to raise interest rates more than modestly to end the 'ultra-easy' monetary policy. The reason not to do that is simply that the economy is not strong enough. Those fears are however positive in some respects because 'fearful' mortgagees are rapidly paying off their debts, and that is of course preparing the way for another cycle of spending moving forward

For these reasons, you can expect a sustained growth in the global economy, on the basis that:
1. The fundamentals are good, i.e. Asia and other emerging markets keep getting richer, with strong rates of economic growth, income growth, high rates of urbanisation, strong population growth. Its all good.
2. Interest rates are ultra-low, so moving back to neutral policy will not greatly affect spending since that nominal rise in interest rates will only be taken when it won't hurt spending. i.e. The Fed will wait for signs of an overheated market before it raises raises, to establish a sustainable growth outlook
3. There is no sign of inflation simply because there is no wages pressure. Moreover there will not be wages inflation for another 15 years or more, i.e. There will be no wages spiral for over a decade. So we don't need to worry about 'cost-of-living' inflation.
4. There is every reason to expect asset inflation. This process has been well-entrained since 2000. Ultra-easy interest rates have been around for a long time. The Fed and the Western governments were not interested in sustainable economic policy, they were interested in running the economy as 'fast or as hard as they could get away with', without paying the consequences. This might strike people as sensible. i.e. Its actually the same policy as applied on the Titanic. Now, do they understand the global economy so well? Well, you'd have to wonder. They simply can't know what can thwart it. The greatest threat would have been SARS. But they might well get away with it. In any respect, the fundamentals are good. So whilst you can expect bursting equity and property markets, you can expect them to rebuild or recover in the current market. You should however look to trade these positions however to maximise wealth. This means using 6mth or shorter charts to pick entries and exit points.

On that note, looking at the following charts for the Dow Jones, we can see that:
1. The long term trend for the market is at its highs, and that it has downside to 15,000 points. I'd even expect it to go to support at 14,810 points.
2. The short term 6 month trend has seen the market rise back above the Moving Average. We will be interested to see evidence that this trend continues. Certainly the 176 point rise today is a positive lead.
We should not however overlook the fact that the market is getting peakish, and there is a need for a little short term scepticism if we are going to trade this market efficiently.

I'm looking for a market peak around 17,100-17,300 points; from which I think you can expect a substantial correction .The most logical correction would see a fall back to the 14810-15,000 point level. One already gets some sense that one's buying is getting 'sold into'. i.e. One gets the sense that for every order one places, there is a 'bigger player' getting out. This is most apparent in the less liquid stocks. Looking ahead, I'm expecting a very lucrative recovery from any sell-off. I'm expecting the next rally will offer a lot of profits based around a lot of Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) activity. This next rally I think will get consumer spending momentum going again.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Outlook for US & emerging equity markets - the next 6 months and beyond

There is some ominous news around of ebola virus spreading fears. It is improbable that such fears will manifest as any sustainable problem, however there is good reason for people to monitor the issue. There is some good news from China with growth in manufacturing. The job growth in the US was not as positive as expected, however we remain in a low interest rate environment, and the global context is largely stimulatory, even if economic activity is largely flat. The lack of spending is really just a concern that needs to feed its way through the economy. People are not going to start spending until skilled labour see wage gains, and then this will give unskilled wage earners more confidence despite 'wage restraint' at their end.
At the same time, strong employment and wage growth in the emerging markets mean these economies are going gang-busters. Its really just a patience game waiting for the economy to recover. The question is what will equities do in the meantime. I'm inclined to see the current sell-off as just a temporary correction. Using charts, I'm expecting a fall in the US S&P500 back to 1880 points, and a restoration of the rally. I'd not expect to see a collapse in earnings, and since yields are not overly high, then I'd expect more upside. You can however expect a bursting of high asset prices (including equities) at some point. In fact, I'm expecting a succession of 'small bursting bubbles' before a final 'serious burst' when we see higher interest rates.

                                Source: Google Finance

There is another reason to expect higher equities. There is a great deal of Chinese and Japanese money that it destined to pursue foreign markets. i.e. Japan bonds will experience a sell-off in favour of higher-yielding growth assets. The same for China. This will raise interest rates somewhat, but there will be a corresponding rise in economic growth. 

In the chart above, I'm expecting a large drop in equities to 1880 points on the S&P500, however I'd expect it to recover strongly in intra-day trading. 

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The Dow rally set to die - where to place your money - I say gold equities

We have long argued that the reason why there is no inflation evident in the Western world is because its being concealed by 'asset inflation'. We are close to a fall in asset prices judging by the Dow Jones Index. Just looking for the Dow to break that 15800 pt level convincingly. I like that the Dow failed to achieve a new high recently. So we have 2 positives:
(i) Gold is the only cheap asset class, unless you can find a dodgy third world economy to invest with 'good fundamentals,
(ii) Asset prices look like falling, so you can expect to see rising 'cost-of-living' inflation.

The appeal of gold or in fact any precious metal equity is that they represent 'cheap asset' when every other asset class is dodgy; that is overpriced at a time when inflationary pressures are building. The inflationary pressures are arising because of the collapse of over-priced assets themselves. Most people think asset prices are just the 'things we consume', but investments are 'products'. When we preferentially spend on securities, and consequently bid up the price of securities, we create one type of inflation, even if there is no blow-out in cost of living inflation, i.e. the price of fuel, vegetables and computers. If the only spending being done is on investments, that's because we are creating non-productive assets, or trading in secondary assets, and not creating new assets to serve as a foundation for the creation of new money. This is why, if money is divested from securities, either new securities need to be created, or debt needs to be liquidated. This derivative trading is netted off, but it leave a very real scar on the 'physical economy' where most spenders live, and this is where we are destined to see the inflation.

You need not buy gold though. In fact whilst gold is trading at $1260/oz, the price of gold equities is very cheap. I have long suggested a company like Gryphon Minerals (GRY.ASX) because it has $62mil in cash and investments useful for financing a gold mine development, as well as 4-5Mil oz of gold to underpin that investment. So we have an asset of $6-7 billion in-situ, that can be mined for say an Net Present Value of $0.5-1 billion, depending on your outlook for gold prices, and this company is trading at an enterprise value of zero as we speak (14c). It just doesn't seem fair. Where is the downside? None is imminent. That's not to say there are not future risks, say of political risk. I've not seen a nationalisation of assets for years now; the closest being Iran and Venezuela. But you might be scared of a gold project in Africa. I'm rather satisfied instead by the low mining costs and the lack of impact of Western largesse on the traditional values of Africans who could probably care less that Western financial markets are going through upheaval. Catch our stock picks on our mining 'SPEC' page, or you can find us on Facebook.

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Market poised for a correction - Dow Jones and ASX equities

The Australian, US and other global equities have enjoyed a very positive and persistent rally over the last few years. The US Dow Jones reached a new high of 18,865 points, and its otherwise been a monumental rally from 6,626 points set in the first quarter of 2009. The market was of course buoyed by stimulus, but in actual fact there are some underlying positive fundamentals which apply to the global market.

Judging from the following indices, we can expect the US Dow index to fall back to a support level of 13,610 points, and possibly even 13,228 points, however I suspect that would only be a short term intra-day phenomenon. It can also be expected that the 14,000 psychological level will also be important, as it was a difficult level to exceed.

Do I expect this uptrend to break? This is an interesting issue given that the market until now has been held using stimulus. Do I think the US will continue with the stimulus? Undoubtedly the answer is - if necessary. I would however expect the US to be aided by a recovery in property markets, as new home buyers enter the market. There has been some level of job creation in the US, and its probable that this will continue as property prices are actually not so high in 'unemployment' zones. So this is a favourable basis for growth in US jobs and economic activity. For this reason, I would fully expect a recovery from the US market, but its probably doubtful that it would exceed 14,865 points. I would be looking for a double-top, and a lot of short term rallies for the next few years before we see the development of a new trend, or the next phase of the cycle.


You might wonder if matters are any better for the Australian market. Australia is of course strongly tied to Asian markets. The Asian markets have strongly relied on strong US consumption in recent years, and given that these economies remain strongly export-orientated, you can expect that to continue, though to a declining degree. It will take time for Asia to purge its 'US-centric' reliance, even though intra-regional trade is being encouraged. They remain competitors more than compatible exporters.
Australia is of course a major exporter of minerals, energy and food. You might expect strong volumes growth to offset weaker prices in coming years. This will mean a relatively strong Australian economy, and thus one can expect a resilient AUD currency, as well as only subtle weakness in the ASX-200.
It seems unlikely that the ASX-200 will collapse as low as 4,000 points. I would expect a fall back to 4,400 points, with some resilience at 4,600 points.

 Two serious threats posed to markets could be a game-changers in terms of their effects:
1. The prospect of a military intervention in the Middle East (Iran) or North Korea.
2. The prospect of bird flu in China spreading to other countries. Those "preppers" might just be on to something. Expect there to be a huge crisis if consumers stop going out because they are concerned about contracting bird flu.

Clearly the bird flu event is the more serious 'vulnerability'; as war is stimulus because its more spending and because its contained in parts of the world which will not impact industrial output. North Korea and Iran have no industrial activity, and there is every reason to think these countries can be contained without serious threat to other countries in their regions, or to freight movements.
The bird flu crisis threat will ultimately depend on the extent of its virility (i.e. how deadly), its communicability (i.e. how easily it spreads), and how well the threat is managed. There is every reason to think that it will be able to spread internationally. If that is the case, then that means people staying home and not spending money. That has to hurt confidence. It takes 6 months to develop an anti-viral and another 6 months to produce sufficient quantities to contain the threat. The implication is that its a year of 'vulnerability' allowing for:
1. The worst market conditions you have seen for a long time - given the high levels of indebtedness
2. The best rally you will ever see after the virus is contained

If there is a serious viral threat, you might expect the ASX to collapse to its historic low of 3,145 points (set on March 2009, and perhaps 10,000 points for the Dow Jones. There is a lot of 'economic grey' in between, but consider that it might be difficult for the market to anticipate the extent of the threat. That means that the carnage to unfold would be self-fulfilling, and there is no prospect of government stimulus working. i.e. You can't force people to go out for a 'killer latte' - at least not when they think it will kill them within the week. Otherwise 'radium lattes' would be all the rage.

I am a trader in the 'spec mining' end of the market, so given the spectre of 'upside' in the mineral explorers and emerging miners that I follow, you might at least expect 'company-specific' news. This is sadly little protection for two reasons:
1. Emerging miners carry some forward-looking value that is not going to be realised in terms of earnings in the short term, i.e. They are not going to be paying dividends, but repaying debt, or exploring to prove up more resources. This is reason to sell until there is light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Developers will be adding value to resources, and whilst that is 'tangible' in the sense that it exists as 'bankable resources', its not 'realised' in the sense of generating cashflow, with the double-edged problem of 'costing' you in terms of dilution to fund exploration. In these conditions, you are inclined to be conservative. Under these conditions, even positive exploration results get forgotten. Tangibility of say a JV partner committing money to project spending bodes well, but its still a bad market outlook, so that's a mixed signal, but still negative.

Appreciate that the market has not yet priced in war or bird flu. These are still peripheral issues at the moment. It is therefore critical that people follow North Korea, Iran and China (bird flu) for news, whether they are looking for an exit or entry point. Want to learn more about mining investment - read our book. There is no better time to learn that in these types of market conditions. You can trade in these types of markets as well, but that requires more skill; particularly if you are trading against the trend.

Happy trading!

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    Profit from mining with Global Mining Investing eBook

    Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Significance of Dow Jones record high

Overnight the Dow Jones broke the previous 2008 high of 14,140 points (end of day data), rising to a new intra-day record of 14,278.87 points. This is positive news for long investors, however it is not yet a convincing break, so I'd not be surprised to see the index collapse back under 14,000 points. It is noteworthy that the S&P 500 index is still 2.2% below its all-time high. The important distinction is that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is constituted by just 28 stocks, so its hardly a representative sample of the US equity market. These 28 stocks are 'huge' enterprises to be sure, like GE, but it tends to ignore stocks like Facebook, which pertains is a representative for the 'new economy'. The other aspect is that the Dow Jones Industrial Average gives greater consideration to offshore activity. GE for instance is a global enterprise with greater exposure to Asian economic activity. This is 'exposure' which would be less pronounced in the S&P-500 Index. So, if we are looking for a proxy for global economic activity, then the S&P is a better measure.
For this reason, whilst I was confident of a 14,000 point break, after a discussion with a colleague, I am inclined to wonder how sustainable this 'bull' is. I am instead inclined to wait for a more compelling trend indicator, whether short term price action. The reason for the concern is:
1. The chart below
2. The promise of stimulus
3. The relatively small size of the emerging markets in terms of their contribution to economic activity.

Having said that, this could change with:
1. A preparedness by Westerners to resume spending. At the moment they are paying off debts or under-utilised on welfare. Stronger property prices, low interest rates can change that, but it needs spending to build confidence. This is the role of stimulus and low interest rates; but are people so confident? At the first hint of confidence, are Western governments going to be forced to raise interest rates. There is no risk of wage demands. Asian offshoring has scared unionism out of existence (for the next 2 decades).
2. Further stimulus.

The market is making tentative steps at this point...I think so should you.

Asian property markets outperforming Japan Foreclosed Guide Philippines Property Guide
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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Market outlook - Dow not going to break

I've been doing some reflection over the last few days. I had previously thought the Dow Jones was tentatively going to break 14,000 points, and that it would be a precursor to a rally. This view was underpin by some positive fundamentals inherent in the market. The problem is the negatives, which I see as these:
1. Market support - The Fed Reserve has been pumping a lot of liquidity into the market in the last few years to sustain the market - the market is fully valued, and I expect the Fed to ease that support, in an attempt to draw the market into more sideways movement.
2. Emerging markets - The strength in Asian markets rests upon expatriated earnings, passive foreigner investment funds, stronger construction and rapidly growing emerging service economies in their own right, but they are still dominated by 'food'. The Asian economies have their Gucci stores, but most still cannot afford these items. When they go shopping, its mostly to look, and mostly to eat, because that is all they can afford at this time. It will be different in a few years.
3. Dow Jones trend - The Dow Jones has historically been a trending market - see the log-linear chart below. This chart offers 115 years of history. So what can we garner from the current trend. There appears to be further evidence for consolidation for a number of years in the Dow before it is able to grow again. The question is why? Property markets in the US are already starting to recover, but everyone is still highly indebted, they are focused on rebuilding savings, and without really a substantive basis for upside, and perhaps some apprehensions about higher taxes, we are not going to see a rapid return of 'big spend' USA. So what if the US government increases taxes and gave the poor tax relief. The problem with that is that it would result in the sucking in of imports. The moral of this story is that this would be great 'stimulus' when the world is really to sustain it, because they are growing as well. Japan is talking stimulus, but perhaps they might wait before they do so. Perhaps its not going to be a sudden injection, but spread over a number of years. I don't expect Japanese stimulus however to result in a substantive rise in imports, and anyway, it would be offset by a competitive yen, so the net effect would be positive. Japan does not have a high reliance on imports because Japanese people consume products 'particularised' for Japan, i.e. Cute TVs and refrigerators.

4. Techically, the market action is telling me the Dow Jones is going to fall. See how the Dow has encountered strong resistance at 14,050 points. That was to be expected; its a major psychological hurdle to break 14,050 and previous 2007 high of 14,140 points as well. The issue for me was the break of the low of 15th Feb, followed by its failure last night to recover sufficiently to break above that low. It remains on a downtrend, and I am expecting a very convincing break of the 13,850 point level will occur tonight. In fact, I'm expecting a fall back to 13,650 points, with a nominal recovery. That will be a 230 point correction; before stabilisation. 

Source: Google Finance.

Lastly, I am not going to be a hero, so I was inclined to take golden profits - sold Gippsland for 1.4-1.5c, having bought for $0.08c. I believe this company is positioning for a capital raising around 1-1.2c. Its not the best climate to do this. The rest of my stocks are longer term - UCL and GBE. I also have a number of other stocks, and the rest is cash to buy on weakness. GBE has a buy-back provision in place, and has a lot of cash. UCL is just great exposure to great (2) projects.

Asian property markets outperforming Japan Foreclosed Guide Philippines Property Guide
Profit from mining with Global Mining Investing eBook

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Equity market outlook and retirement

The Dow Jones Index is currently trading at 13,896 points. For some of you, this number is not so significant, and fair enough, but its important because you need to consider the implications for your future savings & investments. This point is just 100+ points short of the record Dow index level of 2008, when the market went into recession. There are of course analysts projecting trouble. Most however are not expecting a setback in the market.
I suggest the Dow Jones will struggle to break through the 14,000 level. I think it will be a tentative break, but ultimately the outlook for the US and the global market place is rather good. We have Japan about to embrace stimulus, we have a buoyant Asian market, reasonably buoyant commodity prices. Get ready for the next leg of this 'boom'. Not ready for a boom? Well, you will end up paying high prices if you wait for your apprehensions to be comforted. Anyway, the fundamentals for the global market place are very good. Care though that Western markets are struggling because:
1. Higher costs of living
2. Wage restraint for the low income earner

You therefore need to ensure you invest in the right stocks; thats stocks with resource exposure; Asian exposure, and indeed all emerging markets. Property in emerging markets makes sense, and you might do ok in Western property markets in the cities as well, as long as you buy in sought-after areas. There will be a lot of people who simply cannot afford to buy into the cities because of wage restraint. No problem, there will be plenty of emerging market retirees, whether doctors, professionals or their parents, as Western immigration standards relax for these people. Expect outer-city development as well as large cities get bigger.

I would suggest this is a great time to capitalise your homes for future retirement by investing in things like solar power, growing your own vegetables. There is no hurry; but there are incentives around to do these types of things, and in the next 20 years it will become more popular as emerging market labour rebalances its pricing with Western pricing. In the interim however, expect low-wage earners to struggle. This is why I say, capitalise your costs if you are retiring in the next 20 years because you will otherwise be impacted by higher food prices. You won't be able to absorb these costs with higher income, unless you work beyond the nominal retirement age.

Asian property markets outperforming Japan Foreclosed Guide Philippines Property Guide
Profit from mining with Global Mining Investing eBook

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Summary: Market Outlook 2012-2014

The outlook is for higher food and energy commodity prices, strong NZD, a two-speed economy, with high oil prices, the strong NZD going to undermine economic activity. There is going to be an attack on North Korea and Iran within a year; however they will be short-lived occurrences, but they will hit market confidence, so sell your shares. The high oil prices is what will impact consumer confidence most.

The US and other central banks will then look to offer stimulus, so you can expect a recovery in 2014. Give it a year to turn around, so we are 2 years away still from the resumption of the China 'bull market' story. Clearly the time to get back into equities is a few months after those missile attacks on North Korean and Iranian facilities. In neither case do I expect ground troops.

I think gold prices will certainly do better in this period of 'uncertainty', however not as well as you would expect because there will be broad-based selling pressure. I do however not write-off gold; I think gold will hold up until that stimulus comes through, but expect gold to be sold off thereafter...such that I'd not be surprised to see it under $1000/oz by 2016, so forget about the gold explorers. But in late 2013, we might expect those base metal stocks, including explorers, to look really good, as well as rare earth stocks like Alkane Exploration. Too early now though. Its always best to go for those exotic elements in these times; as they are relatively under-priced. i.e. Vital Metals might have advanced its wolframite (tungsten) project by this time. China produces 80% of the world's tungsten, and this company has the Japanese government as a partner. This is because the Japanese government invests where security of supply constraints are posed. Another appealing exotic company is South Australian based Archer Exploration....not yet though. Wait for the military strikes.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The US market potentially set for recovery

I've been taking time off to focus on writing books lately, and develop new websites, mostly of a political nature. Seeing that the US has managed to create 230,000 jobs in the last money, and get its unemployment rate down to 8.3%, I am wondering if this is pre-election stimulus, or real jobs. Perhaps someone could look at the job numbers and tell me whether these jobs are bureaucrats or factory workers. If indeed these are factory workers, then we are likely to be seeing a global recovery. Back in 2008, I fully expected this recession to last 4-5 years. So we are in the 4th year, and the market tends to look 12-18 months ahead, so we might thus expect this market to bubble ahead; at least for another 15 years until India and China have fully absorbed their labour surpluses. This is of course the reason why inflation is under control.

I based my 4-5year recession outlook on the basis of a log-linear curve of the Dow Jones. I should reproduce it, so we can see where we sit. Really, its an arbitrary measure because there is no reason why governments cannot pre-empt such trends with stimulus...if only temporary.

So recognising this outlook, we are inclined at this point to get excited. Well, this is why I ask if these are real jobs. Please tell me, as I'm too business etching out a philosophical treatise for the time when society wants to discard representative democracy. I want to avoid some cheap form of populism. You will undoubtedly be rich, and you will be looking around for concrete measures to protect your assets, and you will undoubtedly be snubbing intellectuals like me; retorting "What good are ideas in a crisis!". I will of course respond "A great deal of good if you listen a decade earlier".

So back to the 'boom'. Is it real or not? Maybe I should just look to my trusty log-linear chart. I might have to make it a priority. I used to be so much more focused on such data.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Fed decision - what does it mean?

The Fed has said that it will freeze interest rates for 2 years. Whilst this can be considered a measure to give the market confidence; the question has to be asked, is the measure reasonable, or just another scam to suck in long suffering taxpayers and investors. Consider that 3 Fed governors rejected the idea. Three does not make a majority; but it strikes me as ludicrous that these governors would commit to such an arbitrary policy. This is all 'illusionary'. It strikes me as a rather desperate measure to commit to something that one has no necessary intention to keep. i.e. Ben Bernacke is not Santa. He is allowed to keep his promises. More worrisome is the fact that its not clear to me that the majority of other Fed governors have committed to the freeze.

In any respect, they are bankers. I would sooner believe in Santa than the promises of a Fed chair? Will the market buy this? I doubt it. This is why the doubt remains in the market. The market might be volatile if the Fed does not step in and clarify. Ben - Stop playing silly buggers with my money. Oh, its ok, I'm holding gold!

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Market about to recover - Australian market leads

Here is a statistic for you. In the last 5 days some $4.5 trillion was wiped off the value of global equities. That is despite the value of all Italian debt being just $3 trillion. Of course, there is also the debt of the US, which would be another $14 trillion.

Of course a great deal of that debt is actually sensible and sustainable, i.e. Not requiring any bail out. We might then ask whether there is a need for equities to fall further. The answer is a resounding nope. Expect a recovery. The signs are there. The US Dow Jones index closed at its lows. I expect this will be its double-bottom, and the market will gap up tonight.

We might expect gold to fall, so people should shift from gold producers to explorers, as confidence rebuilds. Ready for another rally. Will it require more Fed stimulus? Yes, probably to give it some momentum or sustainability.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Gold stocks will shine!

Gold stocks are all the rage at the moment, and the Australian market makes a lot of sense for several reasons:

1. High levels of household indebtedness mean there are political reasons for the govt to keep the Overnight Cash Rate low

2. The subdued industrial demand for commodities means the currency is going to be weaker than otherwise would be the case; though not so bad to effect confidence.

3. Gold prices are $1750; probably have downside, but are otherwise going to $2400/oz

The question then is - what to buy?

There are of course high-priced gold producers, but can also look at explorers. Why? Gold explorers need confidence, and with confidence restored by the Fed, there is a good chance for another rally. This is all in accordance with our 5-year plan, i.e. A 'sideways' market, where you have to trade in & out, and otherwise simply hold gold or gold stocks otherwise.

When the Dow approaches previous highs, you sell the explorers, unless they are close to production, i.e. They have finance. You can keep doing that until gold approaches $2400/oz.

We recommend a number of explorers at our specs blog, and we offer a 2nd edition ebook to help you buy the right ones.

These are the perfect conditions for gold; low interest rates, subdued or negative growth and monetary debasement. Low confidence adds to its charm.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Dow Jones equities heading down

The S&P500 has broken support in the last 2 days....sadly I was not watching the market. Irrespective, I was well cashed up, since a number of stocks I like had announced issues, so it was of no consequence. Remaining in my holdings are some gold stocks. Rest assured however there will be some good trading rallies on the way down. Gold explorers, which I very much like, will come under threat because they are intangible, even at a time of high gold prices.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Nonsense about a currency war

In the media we are being told that a currency war is brewing in international markets because China is supporting its currency. We might ask - what are the ramifications of this?

In this blog however I want to focus on what is not said.

The yen is too high because over the last decade it has not engaged in the currency debasement that the USA and EU have...this has meant its currency has been resilient despite its weak local economy. It has also been supported by a current account surplus, however that benefit has declined in recent years, so that the surplus is all but gone. I would argue that this posturing against China's strong yuan is nothing more than a justification for the 'quantitative easing' which is about to follow. That has nothing to do with China, but everything to do with the poor economic management of Japan.

You might wonder why these countries keep blaming each other. The intent is to give the appearance that they are out there acting in your interests. They are not. Its all a 'serve-serving' show to make the international political debate look like a battlefield. These countries have never been more alligned in their desire to expropriate more wealth from you. Did the Chinese government object when the Australian government placed a resource rent tax on miners...no...it had done the same to its miners in the year previously.

You are not going to see the debasement of the USD for the most part because Europe and Japan will be debasing their currencies at the same time. The only strong currencies will be the commodity currencies. So expect an economic miracle in these countries. The reality however is that whilst people will look at commodity prices and say these countries are benefiting from high commodity prices. The reality is that commodity prices have not risen in real terms, so much as the USD in which they are denominated in as collapsed in value. We can show this by looking at the impact of commodity prices in Australian dollars - a hard currency. Hard by virtue of its monetary discipline. No one can match the capacity of the USA to debase its currency...since its debt is denominated in USDs. Of course the US will have to change its posture if debtor nations like China and the Middle East give pause to buying US bonds. It will be forced to raise rates, taxes. There is in fact no need for a new currency....just a rationalisation.

This is the era of moral relativism. A consequence of that value system is economic relativism, and that means in this context, currency relativism. i.e. If you don't see it, it does not exist. So its ok to have a debasing currency, as long as no one sees the problems associated with it. What will happen? Countries like Australia which have a hard currency will be forced to debase by either:

1. Engaging in quantitative easing

2. Increasing debt spending, i.e. Long term infrastructure projects which will make no returns in the short term.

See how it is. It is about sabotaging your economy, as by inefficiently making your economy as inefficient as possible, you can keep your currency competitive and your people happy. The reality is that only countries like China, which imports, processes and exports is immune from the effects of this economic relativism....and that will remain true as long as the country has a surplus of labour. Give it about 15-20 years before it is forced to adjust. In the meantime, Australia will be forced to debase its economy. We will have a welfare state as big as European stages in future. Don't say you were not warned. It will all be done in the name of the 'common good', so you won't see it coming. Of course they use different words these days. Even since '1984' was published the words have changes in each decade. Today its 'global competitiveness' and 'quantitative easing'....tomorrow it will be 'lifestyle preservation' and 'harmonic adjustments'. Well they are my suggestions.

So back to Japan. Does it have any alternative but to engage in 'quantitative easing'? Not unless it is prepared to raise its taxes, raise interest rates or reform the economy, or cut spending. But the government is not prepared to significantly do any of that because that would cause 'disharmony'. So its national delusion and currency debasement....which places it in tune with the global imperative. The excuse is that Japan's currency is too strong. The reality is that Japan needs to fund its debt by debasing its currency. By printing money to repay debts.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The market outlook - for the next year

Here is a good argument for a 'double dip' in the broader equity markets. Eventually this will be good for gold. Another story someone sent me raises the spectre of $2.6 trillion in municipal bonds in the USA which will hurt investors as their returns evaporate. The goods news is that these investments are unlikely to be as troublesome as home loan excesses, as there is probably not the same excessive valuations attached to municipal assets, as say houses in the USA.

This is the type of news that I see taking the Dow to another bottom, then we can expect another recovery. So you need to trade these opportunities. In case no one told you; you ought to hold no broad equities at this point, and I would be selective in your specific or strategic assets. Even gold equities will be hit.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Australian market outlook - May 2010

You may have read that the Australian housing market is in for an 'implosion'. Read this article in The Australian. I disagree with this analysis by a US investment banker.

The guy who emailed me this story also made the point:

"Is the Australian house market a bubble? The Australian money supply (M3) has gone up 10% per year, the last 10 years. It is not an issue of if, but when".

Here are the reasons why I think there will be no collapse. But I do expect higher interest rates, and I do not expect much growth (if any) in prices. Yields need to rebuild in property.

The increases in the money supply have occurred because of huge capital inflows and investment, so matched by increases in productive capacity in mining. The outlook is for more mining investment in iron ore, coal, oil & gas. The outlook for commodity prices is rather good. Expect $300 billion of mining investment in the next 20 years.
Property prices are high because govt artificially keeps them high by restricting land releases, so they can keep taxes high, keep you working hard, and minimise the cost of local services, i.e. roads to nowhere, buses servicing no communities. High rates of immigration can be expected to assist with property demand. Where are all the NZ'ers going to go for a job. Sorry, you are right, they are all already there. :)
Many argue that China is a bubble, but again with huge capital inflows boosting labour productivity and productive capacity, I think there is fundamentally strength there. They are on an exponential growth path, along with India. I think this is one of those magical times where the world does REALLY WELL. Afterall 3 billion people have had their markets deregulated.
The US and EU are more of a basket case, so I think there will be a short term impact from those countries performing poorly and as he suggests 'boosting their money supply', but the long term looks good for Australia and the world, and govt spending will raise demand in the short term, as much as it might be inefficient expenditure.
I think markets will fall, and activity subdued only for the next few years...sideways more than anything. There was no huge capacity overhang when the US tanked, so the slack will be absorbed in a few years.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com