From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

From the desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Our Top 10 Charts Report was just published.

In this weekly note, we highlight 10 of the most important charts or themes we're currently seeing in asset classes around the world.

It’s Time To Look Outside The US

From the desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Check out this week's Momentum Report, our weekly summation of all the major indexes at a Macro, International, Sector, and Industry Group level.

By analyzing the short-term data in these reports, we get a more tactical view of the current state of markets. This information then helps us put near-term developments into the big picture context and provides insights regarding the structural trends at play.

Let's jump right into it with some of the major takeaways from this week's report:

* ASC Plus Members can access the Momentum Report by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.

Macro Universe:

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Two weeks into 2022 and EEM (Emerging Markets) has a 500 basis point YTD lead over SPY (S&P 500). Emerging markets are up more than 2% and the S&P 500 is down more than 2%. Short-term charts can make this look like a significant shift in leadership. While it may turn into that, at this point it looks like a premature conclusion. My guess is that we are in the early stages of a shift away from the US and toward global equity market leadership, including emerging markets. But two weeks of outperformance after a decade of relative weakness is not much of a signal. 

If we look at the history, all of the net gains in EEM over the past nearly two decades have come when the ratio between EEM and SPY has been above its 200-day average. The ratio is rising and the 200-day average is falling, so there is convergence. But there has not yet been a crossover. That’s the signal I want to see before getting too excited about the strength we are seeing from EEM. 

It’s certainly something to watch, but we want to watch with a bit of perspective.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

It was Bucks vs Warriors in Milwaukee last night. Giannis vs Curry. A marquee January matchup for the NBA. 

The game got away from Golden State early and they were down 48-24 with about 8 minutes to go in the first half. When the final buzzer sounded, it was a 118-99 Bucks win. Curry, who has been averaging 35 minutes per game this season, was only in for 29 last night. In fact, no starter on either team played more than 30 minutes.

Turns out a blowout in January is a great time for players (even the stars) to get some rest. It's a long season and when the must-win playoff games come around, coaches are going to want their players as fresh as possible.

This is the video recording of the January 13th Weekly Town Hall w/ Willie Delwiche & JC Parets

01/13/22 2:00 PM ET

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Don't judge a book by its cover is sage advice I'm sure we've all heard from a parent, teacher or mentor at some point in our lives. 

The message is clear. We’re not supposed to read a title or see a label and jump to conclusions. It's always better to get inside and see what something’s all about before deciding to embrace or reject it.

We’re seeing this play out in the market in several ways right now.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

The cyclical weight of the evidence tilts toward opportunity.

Our tactical risk management model remains constructive even in the absence of a breadth thrust (though such an event would certainly help the bullish case). 

While not doing much from an asset class perspective, we have made some changes in our dynamic portfolios. Highlights include:

• Getting more constructive on Europe and the new highs coming from the UK. 
• Shortening the duration of our fixed income holdings as we start to upward pressure on interest rates.. 
• Making a clean (Technology-related) to dirty (Materials-related) rotation in our Tactical Opportunity portfolio. 

Overall we continue to position these portfolios not for what could or should happen but consistent with the message of the market and an eye on what is happening.

From the desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Our Top 10 Charts Report was just published.

In this weekly note, we highlight 10 of the most important charts or themes we're currently seeing in asset classes around the world.

Commodities Keep Cruising

Despite copper remaining range-bound and the CRB index stuck below its October highs from last year, our equal-weight commodity index hit fresh 8-year highs last week. This speaks to broad participation and strength among commodities, and is supportive of our view that a new commodity supercycle is upon us. This index making new highs is also excellent confirmation of the breakouts in the US 10-year yield, and energy and financial stocks. We think these areas of the market will continue to do well. Though we’re definitely not out of the woods, we are beginning to see signs that the market is finding its way. Our equal-weight commodity index at its highest level in eight years is definitely one for the bulls. After a prolonged period of consolidation in 2021, we think commodities are ready to make a fresh leg higher.