Weekend Update: Markets In Choppy Pullback Mode

 | Sep 14, 2014 02:00AM ET

REVIEW

After closing within three points of the all time high last week, the market went into a choppy pullback mode this week. For the week the SPX/Dow were -1.0%, the NDX/NAZ were -0.4%, and the DJ World index was -1.4%. On the economic front, reports came in mostly to the positive. On the uptick: consumer credit, retail sales, wholesale/business inventories, import prices, consumer sentiment, and the budget deficit improved. On the downtick: export prices, the WLEI and weekly jobless claims increased. Next week is FOMC week, and we get reports on Industrial production and Housing.

LONG TERM: bull market

Here we are 66 months into this bull market and we are still trying to identify the top of Primary III, in a five primary wave bull market. The western central banks have been propping up liquidity since the bull market began. The FED with QE’s 1, 2, 3 and Operation Twist. The ECB with LTRO’s 1 and 2, and now ABS. During this period the SPX has tripled, and is more than 25% above its 2007 all time high. Germany’s DAX has nearly tripled as well, and is more than 23% above its all time high. With the ECB just starting ABS another liquidity injection is thrown into the count.

Thus far we have counted Primary waves I and II completing in 2011. Primary III could have topped in 2013, but extended into 2014. The current uptrend has the potential to end Primary III, as we can count five Intermediate waves up from the Major wave 4 low in February at SPX 1738. However, there are two problems with this count, one in the DOW and the other in the NDX/NAZ. We detailed these problems in the last weekend update, and the one two weeks before that. Currently we think the probabilities of Primary III ending with this uptrend, or extending into next year, are equal.