Whether we like it or not, the markets made history with yesterday's 1000+ point swing in the Dow. We've also never seen three days in a row where this index has lost 300 points each and every day. So what does all this mean? What it underscores is just how fragile the world markets are at the moment and the general uncertainty and concern that investors have in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
At the moment, China is writing the script and with today's announcement of yet another cut in interest rates I don't see how China can win no matter what it does. It is very hard to bring back investor confidence and trust to the markets once it has gone. I think the loss of confidence has already happened in China and no matter what the government does, it is not going to be enough to bring it back any time soon.
The fact is, the government of China is in a lose-lose position no matter what they do and they have just brought this upon themselves. I do not expect the Shanghai index to rebound in a sustained manner anytime soon.
I'm not sure who created the phrase "dead cat bounce" and how it relates to the market, but it goes like this. When a market has had a pronounced move down like we've just seen in all the major indices and in many stocks, it's not unusual for the market to rebound. Professionals call this a "dead cat bounce" and it is not to be trusted as it does not change the previous negative direction of the market. It is simply a rebound, possibly caused by news or a short covering rally. Continue reading "Beware Of Dead Cats"