Best Post Election and Inauguration Lift
The drumbeat of markets becoming more and more over-extended is becoming louder and louder. From the election to the inauguration, the S&P 500 is up 13%, which is the best for any president since 1952. Post-inauguration, all major indices as measured via the Russell 2000 (IWM), Dow Jones (DIA), S&P 500 (SPY), and the Nasdaq (QQQ) hit all-time highs. The broader markets have been propelled higher in an already frothy market as 2021 unfolds. All major markets have been in a raging, nearly uninterrupted bull market with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 up 100% and 75%, respectively, since the pandemic low.
These moves are a function of the vaccine rollout, continued stimulus coming out of Washington, massive fiscal and monetary accommodation from the Federal Reserve, the election cycle being capped off with the presidential inauguration, and new policies aimed at spurring economic growth. Despite these tailwinds, the markets are looking overextended, as assessed by a broad range of historical benchmarks and current indicators investors should heed in the near term.
Historical Measures and Current Indicators
A recent E-Trade survey showed that the majority of investors (91%) with $1 million or more in a brokerage account believe the stock market is in a bubble or close to being in one. From a historical standpoint, markets have exceeded levels reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties and are now approaching the dot-com bubble territory. These historical comparators of options put/call ratios, the broad participation of stocks exceeding their 200-day moving average, and P/E ratios may be potential warning signs of near-term pressures. Current indicators are also suggestive of frothy markets as measured by Bollinger bands and the Relative Strength Index (RSI). Continue reading "Post Inauguration And Extended Markets"
