Did it really matter if the economic data was “so so” these past 6 months – as the continued efforts by both The Fed and The Bank of Japan just kept pushing equity prices higher and higher regardless?
I don’t know how many times I pulled up charts, pointed out facts, figures, levels etc suggesting these last “several hundred” SP points where merely a “last-ditch effort” to keep the spin “positive”, and keep the story “believable” just a little while longer. Did it matter?
Absolutely not.
Regardless of any of the underlying “fundamental factors” suggesting slower global growth, until it’s “in the news” and the media machine, The Fed, and the Wall Street algorithms switch to “sell” – the data doesn’t matter one hill o’ beans.
The contraction phase has clearly begun, with the Fed sticking to its guns ( for now ) and stock price set to “re adjust” reflecting prices a little closer to those of us down on Earth.
If you didn’t know back “then”…………where in the graph below do you think we are “now”?
forex_kong_economic_cycle
Remember this beauty?
US_Macro_Data
And this one, with respect to the movement of supposed “smart money” ( the big boys) vs “dumb money” ( retail investors )….essentially suggesting “selling” the entire last year and a half.
Smart_Money_Forex_Kong
It’s really no surprise at all that markets are finally making the “obvious turn” lower, considering everything we’ve learned / seen over the past couple of years.
When you consider they’ve had no business being this elevated in the first place.
If we aren’t on the other side of the mountain now ( after 5 straight years of Fed induced stock prices ) resulting in essentially “zero” new economic growth, and now entering a macro phase of “tightening and contraction” I really can’t wait to see what they pull out of their hats next.
Watch for the next “retail bounce” likely already here, and if I was doing anything ( other than trading currency ) I’d be using the opportunity to sell.