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A Dangerous Change in Character for the Market By Alan Farley Street.com Contributor 8/9/2007 11:11 AM EDT
We know from prior corrections that selloff lows can hold up for a month or two after downside pressure hits extreme levels, like it did last Friday. So it's premature to expect the major indices to roll over quickly from here and break down. But the price patterns are so conflicted that almost anything is possible as we head into the dead heat of August.
Challenging Environment
Wednesday's data illustrate the challenge that traders and investors face in this insane summer market. New lows exceeded new highs on the NYSE by almost 300 stocks in that session, while the Nasdaq Composite posted seven more new highs than new lows. These are truly wacky and conflicted numbers.
The Dow Industrials and Nasdaq 100 show possible double bottoms after this week's bounce, but Monday's lower lows on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite have undermined the technical look of those indices. This chaotic jumble of price bars could turn into just about anything at this point.
Next week is options expiration. Longtime readers know I rarely look for new lows when the markets sell off just before this monthly occurrence. However, this week's short-covering event has alleviated oversold technical readings just enough to put targets on everyone's backs. This would practically ensure bilateral stop running through the period.
August is a typically quiet month when money managers are supposed to head for the Hamptons to work on their expensive tans. But it's a different story this time around with the highest trading volume we've seen all year. The resulting volatility is translating into the best of times and worst of times at trading desks all over the world.
A handful of these folks will make millions this summer, while many others will wash out and never return to the financial markets. Unfortunately, the majority of speculators, self-taught and otherwise, are completely out of their league when price action gets this twitchy and unpredictable. But they probably won't realize the danger until its too late.
Tempting Stocks
Many trading strategies are working well in this high-volatility environment, but the most popular technically oriented methods have become total equity traps. This practically ensures the painful practice of buying tops and selling bottoms, again and again. Making matters worse: the handful of happy stocks glowing green and heading to new highs.
Chaotic markets are especially dangerous because a random assortment of equities buck the tide for no obvious reason and trends perfectly. Traders notice these oddballs and assume their favorite issues will act in the same way. This induces them to jump in aggressively and then get cut to pieces.
Watching stocks we don't own charge higher while everything else is stuck in the mud is a major head trip. At a subconscious level, these rallies force us to assume we've missed something important in our analysis. This contributes to an overtrading mentality at a time we should be spending the day sitting on our hands.
Drawdowns accelerate quickly when trade timing is out of whack in an unstable market environment. While high volatility is a key element in many strategies, it's dangerous for position traders because the wide swings undermine risk management and make stop-loss placement almost impossible.
Keeping it Light
The abrupt change in market character tells me to keep things light until my particular trading style comes back into vogue. That seismic shift could happen next week, or not until the fourth quarter. In reality, the only thing that matters is the profit-and-loss statement on the last trading day of the year.
We should choose our fights carefully until that annual judgment day arrives. You might recall the intensely profitable markets between Election Day and Christmas in 2005 and 2006. It could happen again this year, so it makes little sense to throw money away in this summer madness.
Simply stated, if you're not 100% confident in your trading in this crazy environment, get back to the sidelines until you are. The complexity of the selloff and the Market Volatility index (VIX) in the mid 20s tell us that times have changed considerably since the July top.
Many traders get stubborn in tough times and burn out their accounts fighting the tape. In contrast, market survivors share a willingness to modify their strategies in order to accommodate shifting cycles. Whether we like it or not, it looks like this summer market is forcing us to choose sides. |