There appears to be a debate happening immediately between economists and market technicians (!?) as as to whether we’re in a bull or bear market. I’ve outlined markets up to now (see this) so those that wish to delve deeper can.

No matter the place fall within the bull/bear spectrum – I’ve been constructive right here – permit me to level out some bullish objects you’ll have neglected (I’ll talk about bearish considerations subsequent week).

Merely Pink: We start by noting there was nowhere to cover in 2022: final 12 months noticed losses for shares and bonds, with Bonds off 12.9%, the S&P 50 Index down 19.7%, the Russell 2000 off 21.7%, and the Nasdaq 100 down 33.4%.

Threat Urge for food: Fund Managers surveyed by Financial institution America Merrill Lynch (BAML) are as detrimental about as they ever get. It’s uncommon to see shares as hated as they have been in the course of 2008-09, however that could be a very contrarian sign. Many of the bottoms sign wonderful fairness entry factors.

Getting Higher: Nasdaq was the massive loser in 2022, however (as Paul sang) it’s getting higher on a regular basis. The chart up high doesn’t do justice to how a lot many of those excessive fliers have recovered. These inventory beneficial properties for the reason that bear market lows present some massive beneficial properties:

Massive Tech Gainers
Netflix:  +99%
Roblox:  +66%
Coinbase:  +65%
Nvidia:  +62%
Fb:  +52%
Uber:  +47%
Tesla:  +26%
Airbnb:  +24%

The Remainder of FAANG:
Amazon:  +18%
Microsoft:  +11%
Apple:  +10%
Google:  +10%

Recall how far many of those fell in the course of the worst of their 2022 drawdowns…

Lose Weight: BAML notes that “Buyers are most underweight on US shares since 2005;” When retail buyers are underinvested in shares following a down 12 months in markets, it has traditionally been a long-term bullish set-up in equities.

Breakaway: For less than the 25^th time since World Warfare II (a median of as soon as each 3 1/2 years), the Dow Jones Industrials registered what technician Walter Deemer calls “breakaway momentum” (or “breadth thrust”). This usually indicators a brand new bull market (or a brand new intermediate upleg inside a bull market).

It’s noteworthy that many of the bullish indicators are market-based or technical in nature. The bearish indicators I’m gathering for subsequent week appear to be primarily basic or financial in nature…

Beforehand:
Observations to Begin 2023 (January 3, 2023)

Groping for a Backside (October 14, 2022)