Bounce! by Carl Swenlin March 13, 2009 After the market blew down through important long-term support last week, this week we have gotten a nice oversold bounce back into the resistance (formerly support) zone. This rally is most probably driven by short covering, and we have to wonder how much more of that demand will be triggered to keep the rally going. On problem now is the heavy resistance barrier, formed by a convergence of trend and resistance lines, easily seen on the chart. 
Another problem is that the market is short-term overbought. Note how the CVI (Climactic Volume Indicator) is once again in overbought territory and at levels that coincide other price tops. There is still room for the CVI to move higher, but bear market conditions require the assumption that the ultimate outcome of this short-term overbought situation will be negative. That is not guaranteed, but the odds heavily favor it. One positive thing we should recognize is that the market didn't completely fall apart after last week's breakdown. 
Bottom Line: As I write this, the market has been flat all day and has another hour before it closes. At this point, my assumption is that the advance is over, and that prices will be down next week. It prices can slice through the resistance, I would be inclined to believe that we were finally getting the rally everyone has been expecting. . . . . A CLOSER LOOK AT EARNINGS Since I wrote the article a while back about the dismal earnings picture, a reader suggested that it would be useful to also look at earnings on a quarterly basis, rather than just twelve-month trailing (TMT) earnings. I agree because 2008 Q4 is going to be an incredible drag on TMT earnings until it is dropped in 2009 Q4. For example, P/E ratios will be huge through the next three quarters, topping 195 in 2009 Q3. Unless earnings continue to come in at large negative numbers, the traditional P/E calculation will be of little use in determining true stock valuations. 
Assuming that 2009 earings come in close to the estimates, valuations will still not be so great (estimating a P/E of 23.2 in 2009 Q4), but I am not inclined to put much faith in the estimates. There is still so much bad news in the economic pipeline, it is hard to imagine what earnings will look like a year from now. http://www.decisionpoint.com/ChartSpotliteFiles/090313_bounce.html ----------- http://www.ironandwine.com/ |