“I have been following your discussion on
the Kress cycles for years. When I
combine the market analysis from other [financial analysis] sources I am
somewhat perplexed, however. I would
desperately desire to make a keen strategic maneuver in the next 24 months with
my retirement funds to, first, avoid the next crash predicted by the "hard
down' phase of the Kress cycle. But then
secondly, I’d like to be in the market to take full advantage of the ensuing
bull market.
“If
I fully believe the Kress 2014 crash scenario and pull out completely in the
coming months, my past luck would have me completely miss the Raging Bull
market. On the other hand, if I commit
to being in the market to ride the Bull, I could get annihilated again if
Kress's 2014 crash is as predicted….
“Can
you please expound on how a long term investor, like me, can negotiate this
coming period to minimize the risk of being on the wrong side of the wave when
it gets here? I'm feeling like a deer in the headlights and I'll bet I'm
not alone.”
To
answer this question, I would reiterate that the Kress cycles – indeed, no
theory of market cycles – should be used exclusively to make investment, or
especially, trading decisions. As I’ve
stated many times before, the yearly Kress cycles should be viewed as a rough
guideline, or road map, for the overall market path. More specifically, only when any of the major
yearly cycles within the 120-year Kress cycle series are “hard down” should you
consider embracing a bearish market stance.
For
instance, if the 10-year cycle is scheduled to bottom (as it last did in 2004)
then you can become increasingly defensive in your market posture as the cycle
bottom approaches in the fourth quarter of the year. Conversely, if a major cycle is peaking (as
the 10-year cycle did in 2009), then you can probably safely maintain a bullish
posture through much of the year.
The
final “hard down” phase of any of the yearly cycles is partly determined by the
configuration of the Kress weekly and quarterly cycles. It helps to know the position of these cycles
when evaluating the coming market year on an annual basis. There is some validity, however, in assuming
a net bearish market stance as we approach the final year of the 120-year bottom,
namely the year 2014.
How can an investor know
when to exit his long positions and return to a net short or all-cash position? Answer: By employing a disciplined technical
trading approach to the stock market.
For instance, even if you believe 2013 will be an extremely volatile
year as it progresses due to the conflicting cyclical and economic currents (as
I do), you can still maintain a net bullish investment posture as long as your
stocks and ETF positions are, for instance, staying above the rising 10-month
or 30-month moving averages. See chart
example below.
If
you wanted to play it closer to the hip, you could even use the 30-day and
60-day MA combo to enter or exit trading positions within a volatile year. (FYI, I employ a similar technical discipline
in the Momentum Strategies Report in
order to participate in rallies even in bear market years). Remember, just because a major yearly cycle
is in the “hard down” phase doesn’t necessarily mean that all stocks will be
declining. As the old Wall Street saying
goes, “There’s always a bull market out there somewhere.” This is why it pays off to vigilantly scan
the charts of actively traded NYSE and NASDAQ stocks regularly for trading
opportunities.
In
short, don’t let the Kress cycles dictate your short-term trading or investment
decisions unless there is valid reason for doing so (e.g. the cycle is in the
final stage of bottoming).
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