To each his/her own, but bad breadth is useful at price lows (a washout), but in real-time (key), it is a minefield of false signals at price highs. There are better signals available to you. Jmo from the past 26 yrs
Breadth: Cumulative A/D (top panel) is at a new high. Why this is considered a good sign is a mystery since a new A/D high has occurred at nearly every >5% fall in $SPX (bottom panel), whether $SPX was at an ATH (2013-on) or a lower high (2003-07; 2009-13)
Long story short: generations of bright minds have tried to figure out which stocks will be the next FAAMNG and in the process 95% of them have underperformed $SPX. The end.
Using $SPX A/D (top panel; at new high) or $NYSE common stock A/D (middle) doesn’t give a different conclusion
Another look at breadth, using % stocks >50-d or 200-d. Poor participation + divergences hasn’t stopped a 4-mo rally back to ATHs. This is nothing new. Divergences can last days or a year. Markets can peak with or without them, on 'good breadth' or bad. In real time, worthless
I have been regularly tweeting this message out throughout this rally to demonstrate that things can look tidy in hindsight but real time is all that matters and most (not all) of this kind of analysis doesn’t give any edge.
‘Equal weight’ $SPX has been underperforming 'market weight' $SPX for 5 years (bottom panel), during which $SPX has gained 50% (top). Other peaks before a >10% drop occurred when equal weight outperformed. Not useful but it's still a FinTwit favorite for some reason
Breadth: 5 of 9 sectors have outperformed $SPY since the Feb peak to yesterday’s new ATH in $SPX (LHS). fwiw, by the time $SPX made a new ATH in April 2013, 8 of 9 sectors were outperforming, the big laggard being financials (RHS)
Breadth: Two looks. First, $NYMO -50 but $SPX at an ATH on Friday. I found zero since 2013 but here are some that occured close to a $SPX high
Breadth: Second, $NYSI falling below its 5-d (lower panel) with what happened to $SPX (upper panel). Oct 2017 and Nov 2019 were go-go mkts but those were the exceptions
Breadth: $SPX now up +4% while $NYSI falling. This also happened in late-2017 and -2019; in both, $SPX returned to the scene of the crime months later. Late-2013 (not shown) the same
Breadth: at the Sept 2 ATH in $SPX, the $SPX A/D line was at a new high, >80% of components were above their 50-d and close to 70% above their 200-d (the best since Feb). In other words, based on these commonly used measures, $SPX peaked on "good breadth.”
(Scroill up to see charts explaining why this is not surprising or unusual. In real time, these measures are aren’t especially helpful at tops)
Breadth: $NYSI fell from +926 on Aug 18 to +6 on Friday. Today it will rise to +9. Since Aug 18, it has only risen on one day (Sept 16). The key of course is rising on consecutive days
$NYSI went positive Oct 1 and has risen everyday since. In the last 2 days, my stream has gone full on breadth. A good collection of breadth charts here:
Breadth momentum ($NYMO) hit -81 today. Sometimes that’s the $SPX bottom, but more often there’s more selling ahead (either directly or after a bounce)
Yesterday, bounce. Today, lower low. Momentum, whether upward or downward, takes time to wear off.
At the Oct 12 high in $SPX, the A/D line was at a new high, 80% of components were above their 50-d and 75% above their 200-d. Objective;y, very good breadth. Surprised $SPX fell 8% since then? You shouldn’t be. Beating this dead horse some more
Breadth: So far, a 2nd >80% up volume day in a row (middle panel). Don’t be surprised if this leads into another >5% selloff as that’s exactly what has happened several times since the March low. Remember, it’s still 2020 $spx
Fintwit excited that >80% of stocks above their 200-d. As many >8% drops (equal to that in Oct) take place under this condition as when breadth is weak.
Breadth momentum is a tailwind. $NYSI went from < 0 in Sept to > 500 today. Notes on chart. More upside ahead but 5% drawdown can happen anytime
Small caps outperforming $SPX (lower panel) is irrelevant to overall market direction. Notable tops (vertical lines) happen whether they under or outperform. Why? $SPX is about 75% of total US equity market cap; small caps are less 10%. It’s dog versus tail
How 'good breadth' is equally a measure of increasing investor comfort
$NYSI went < 0 in Sept to being on track to close ~940 today. The last time it closed >1000 was early June; $SPX promptly lost 8%. But, longer term, strong breadth momentum is a tailwind - not something that happens at bull market tops. Notes on chart
100% closed higher either 1 or 2 months later $NYSI $SPX
Stuff that happens when more than 90% of $SPX stocks are above their 200-d
I have some bad news if you think small caps (lower panel) will weaken (i.e., ‘diverge’) before $SPX weakens
More generally, you will spot the ‘breadth divergences’ that matter only in hindsight. Looking for these is a complete waste of time
The green arrows are good entry points. Red arrows happened at tops in 1980, 1987, 2011 and others (scroll up) - if you’re fine with a 20% DD and/or 18 mo of treading water then you’ll be paid for your patience. Your preferred timeframe is what matters
You should be connecting these breadth numbers with the sentiment numbers. That’s not an aberration, that’s how this works
Awesome example of recency bias with small caps up 100% since March. From BAML
10-day total new highs minus new lows at a very high level. In the past, $SPX has fallen hard (vertical lines + blue arrows), chopped (circle) or continued higher (green arrow). Why this is considered unequivocally bullish (or even useful) remains a mystery
There were zero new $NYSE 52-wk lows last week. That can happen after big bear mkt lows (1980, 82, 91, 09) but also ahead of long consolidations and decent sized DDs (like last June)
When you see ‘strong breadth’ and ‘broad participation’, this is what is going on behind the numbers. It’s why ‘breadth’ and ‘sentiment’ are most often the same thing
Even steel stocks - steel! - up 200% since last March. A 10 year high $SLX
$NYSE $RUA $DJIA and other indices at new ATHs today but it’s without FAANMG
- $aapl near ATH
- $amzn $nflx $msft $goog all under 50-d
- $fb under 200-d
Strong breadth leads to statistically lower forward returns. Scroll up. From the always awesome @sentimentrader Sign up for their free daily email here: sentimentrader.com/blog/ (I’m not affiliated, just a fan)
What was behind the ‘strong breadth’ pundits have been in love with. Scroll up for more
Breadth: New ATHs in NYSE A/D and SPX A/D just last week. >90% of $SPX above 200-d and 80% above 50-d. The very broad $WLSH (3500 stocks) at ATH this week. On these measures, breadth strong right into the price high. Scroll up
$NYMO (breadth momentum) closed > 30 Friday (lower panel). Signalling the all clear? No.
New 1-yr highs in $SPX (top panel) have not topped ahead of >5% drop w/ $NYMO >30 in the past 6 yrs (red lines) but that was not the case earlier (blue lines)
Last weekend, FinTwit was in a tither over the ‘negative breadth divergence’. $SPX up 5% since then.
Here’s how often that has worked in the past few years
When US equities peaked in mid-Feb, breadth was objectively strong:
- NYSE and SPX A/D at new highs
- NYSE High-Low at a new high
- NYSE % above 50-d and 200-d 81% and 88%, respectively
Also, BAML fund managers equity allocation was the 2nd highest in survey history
That’s not an anomaly, that’s how this works
Nasdaq’s breadth right as it started its 11% drop
This thread: Breadth indicators like A/D lines and % above 50-d or 200-d are demonstrably garbage as real-time tells at highs (not at lows) but I am a fan of $NYMO and $NYSI and track them at every close.
To each his/her own, do what works for you
$NYMO +20 today, the first positive close since Feb 16. Still needs follow through. Here are all drops in $SPX >4% the last 5 yrs. A rising $NYSI has been coincident with at least an interim low
$NDX down 4 days in a row. Last 5 yrs, n=14. $NDX closed lower 5 days later 64% of the time and only half the cases closed higher within those next 5 days. Weak indexindicators.com/backtest/nasda…
$NDX down 5 days in a row. Last 5 yrs, n=8 (small sample). $NDX closed lower 5 days later 63% of the time and had a lower close within those next 5 days in all but one instance (88%).
This valuation chart from Bloomberg is making the rounds, showing that world equities are overvalued because they exceed world GDP, like 2007, 2017 and the start of this year
Here’s a slightly longer term perspective, back to 1980, which shows that it was also overvalued (by slightly more) in 1999
More than half of world equity market cap is just the US, so it’s a good barometer for the world. Here’s an even longer time series, back to 1950 from Doug Short
$VIX up >40% yesterday. Others in past 30 yrs. None marked the exact low on an intraday basis $spx 1/2
Cont 2/2
New intraday low today. For the immediate term, both the $vix spike and the mega distribution day pattern have been fulfilled. Charts on both earlier today and last night $spx
Sentiment round-up
Bearish (-1): AAII, fund flows, BAML FMS
Bullish (+1): II, Panic/Euphoria, DSI, 10-day CPCE, one-month CPCE, NAAIM
Neutral (-1): Fear & Greed, Consensus
1 more measure moved up into the bull camp this week
10-day equity-only put/call now at 0.53. Since 2004, a >5% drawdown was ahead, or if $SPX ran higher, all gains given back. It could take weeks to unfold