The #MysteryBroker checked in overnight. Still cautious, mindful of the consistent tendency for weakness from this point in Sept. into early Oct. Likens the backdrop to Sept. 2020: Poor market breadth for many weeks, growth stocks holding up indexes until they no longer could.
The swing toward bearish sentiment in the AAII survey last week and outsize focus on Sept. weakness by pundits gives #MysteryBroker some pause in his correction call. Says hard for stocks to "really break down" (more than a 10% correction) when AAII bears surge like this.
Though #MysteryBroker says there was a similar shift toward negative retail sentiment the week ended Sept, 10, 2020, and there was further downside from there in that correction. Or maybe a bounce soon and some weakness gets shifted into October.
The #MysteryBroker continues to be bearish on Treasuries, notes that yields firm even with "softer" core inflation print last week. Believes the 10-yr Treasury above 1.5% would mean problems for growth stocks. Still thinks hypergrowth faves like $SNOW and $AFRM wildly overvalued.
Catching up on the latest from #MysteryBroker, who checked in near the end of August. I was away for a bit, he didn't really change his outlook, and I never got around to an update. Until now...
The #MysteryBroker continues to think summer breadth divergences in the stock market have been "unhealthy" and more likely to drag down indexes than resolve to the upside. Still doesn't like overall equity-index risk/reward, believes real economy is fine, prefers value stocks...
The #MysteryBroker thinks "stay-at-home" stocks are still overvalued/over-loved.
Expects the market to start discounting a semiconductor glut early next year. Likes $QCOM, thinks $NVDA way too crowded/expensive...
Off and unplugged this week but sharing a no-real-change #MysteryBroker update from Monday. He notes Delta surge has fed a Goldilocks trade (bond rally, growth stocks carry S&P) but could flip with a mid-Aug. US Delta peak, which would match the UK case-growth trajectory.
The #MysteryBroker says ongoing weak market breadth/seasonal headwinds keep him cautious on the broad market. Any relative-performance shift from growth back to his favored value/cyclicals could come in the context of a weaker tape. Remains firmly upbeat on the real economy.
Final note, #MysteryBroker takes a bit of a victory lap on one of his contrarian/pre-pandemic and then mid-pandemic stock picks, L Brands. With its split executed into Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret, their combined share prices now about at his LB fair-value target.
The #MysteryBroker says he's not changing his view, still sees very little further S&P upside and significant correction before long.
Continues to believe outperformance of cyclical/value over growth will resume and persist longer than most expect, if by a more moderate degree.
Since #MysteryBroker turned cautious two months ago, S&P 500 is +1.5% and had a 4-5% pullback. The growth-stock bounce has been unconvincing, he says. He sees Treasury yields resuming their climb by July as employment strengthens, thinks somewhat higher inflation will be sticky.
While #MysteryBroker says stocks may lift into the Fed meeting, as they often do, he sees a risk that the Fed decision could be the prompt for a selloff given how investor complacency has grown lately.
The #MysteryBroker went to a short-term Sell on stocks at Friday's close.
After a 90% surge in S&P 500 in 13 months, expects a tough correction lasting perhaps 3-6 months. Analogous to the deep 2010 correction, which was not previewed by serious divergences or other warnings.
The #MysteryBroker concedes he might be a week or two early with his call, but whatever further upside comes near term would likely be given back quickly.
He notes overall market breadth/small-caps peaked March 15, beta subsectors (spec-tech, EVs, meme stocks) have deflated.
The #MysteryBroker says recent isn't focused on on any particular catalysts, just sees sentiment, extended technicals and reduced risk/reward (Value Line Appreciation Potential was very high in March 2020, now at extreme lows, augurs poorly for small/mid-cap returns).
The discussion around Coinbase's public listing, and the reaction to its financials, remind be a bit of when LaBranche filed for its IPO in 1999, before becoming the first NYSE specialist firm ever to go public.
(Not a perfect analogy, but hear me out...)
Stock prices and volumes were, of course, surging in 1999 on swelling public excitement for the asset class.
Everyone knew NYSE specialists and market makers made good money. But LaBranche's results were better than most assumed, and more stable.
LaBranche was putting up 45% returns on equity. Once it came public, the CEO would go to investment conferences and talk about how the firm never had a down week trading. Investment conferences attended by the fund managers that sent all those orders to the floor.
A #MysteryBroker update arrived overnight. Most is a skeptical take on crypto.
But on stocks, he says the rally's reached the upper limit of his recent forecast, he sees excess bullishness as a problem. Isn't calling for an immediate correction yet, but "getting very close."
On crypto, #MysteryBroker is a non-believer, says Bitcoin is the one speculative part of the market that hasn't corrected dramatically (as solar, cannabis, pre-profit hypergrowth tech have).
Says the $COIN public listing will "likely mark the top" for cryptocurrencies.
The #MysteryBroker cites lack of intrinsic value in crypto (he also won't own gold, art, collectibles either).
Even if crypto displaces gold as investment asset, sees potential market much lower than total value of gold (~$10T) because half of gold demand is jewelry/industrial.