As Expected, New Market Highs Continue…

In my previous blog, I eluded to the notion that the bulls would remain in charge for the foreseeable future and sure enough, in charge they are. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (chart), the S&P 500 (chart), and the small-cap Russell 2000 (chart) all hit record highs while the Nasdaq (chart) continues to gravitate toward the 5000 level. This market has no quit. With the majority of the S&P 500 companies reporting their Q1 earnings, overall earnings growth was relatively good, topping expectations. Meanwhile, Fed Chair Janet Yellen stated at her biannual meeting with the Senate Banking Committee that the Fed will be patient before any change in interest rate policies and that guidance would be given prior to any such action. This, along with the no real surprises coming out of earnings reporting season and the U.S. labor market showing a continuation of job growth, without question has played a role in the continuing strength of the U.S. stock market.  

Okay, all clear right? Well, we all know there is always the other side to the story and markets do not go up in a straight line forever. Without many upcoming catalysts in March, or in any given time period where catalysts are few, I always refer to the technical shape up of the markets to see if overbought or oversold conditions exist. As you all know by now, one of my favorite technical indicators to gauge whether or not the markets are in extreme conditions, is the Relative Strength Index. If you go back historically and look at the RSI indicator of any given stock or index, you too can see the reliability of this particular indicator when it reaches overbought or oversold conditions. Click on this link to get the definition of the RSINow I am not saying to completely base trading or investment decisions off of this technical indicator or any other technical indicator for that matter. However, for me personally this has proven to be a trusted guide and I do include this analysis when viewing the current market environment. That said, we are beginning to look a little overbought and I am going to look for pullbacks before I entertain any new positions in equities. Good luck to all and I wish all a very prosperous month 🙂

~George