As an email from [omitted] entitled “Cyclical Indicators Soar” hits my inbox, I thought I’d update a cyclical indicator of another kind. You know, the friggin’ cyclical indicator that preceded them all? Why, it’s none other than our Canary in a Coal Mine, the Semi sector and in particular, Semi Equipment. The progression and projection we used back in 2013 was Semi Equipment → Semis → General Manufacturing → Jobs → Completely bubble headed euphoric mania with a business friendly corporate stooge in the White House. Okay, well I just added that last part in, but you get the point.
The answer to the title question is no. We’ve put forth reason to believe that the earliest of birds, the Semi Equipment sector, may have issues in 2018. What’s more, this warning to ignore a MarketWatch article and the newly bullish fund manager it highlighted came exactly 2 days before the SOX index made its top. (more…)