Here’s the Skinny,
The popular 1st Quarter 2018 USA Financial Trending Report has been released along with the January 2018 USA Financial Trend Tracker.
Here’s an except from the report…
On January 4, 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed above 25,000. Just eight trading days later, on January 17, 2018, the DJIA closed above 26,000, sprinting through the fastest 1000-point growth milestone ever. Many may remember years ago when I first introduced the stark visual differences of “your father’s stock market” (1980-1999) in contrast to “your stock market” (2000-2012).
The visual distinction for the S&P 500 for the 20 years of 1980-1999 compared to the 13 years of 2000-2012 is shocking. In fact, in my opinion, it changed everything. It ushered in the age of risk-management as king, unseating passive buy and hold investing as the logical approach. However, we are now dealing with a whole new era that began in 2013. (Note: I consider 2012/13 as the transition point for the next era, as 2013 was the year the market surpassed its previous highs, finally recapturing gains from both 2000 and 2007).
Once again, we see a very distinct contrast from the previous era, even with the performance flatness from late 2014 to early 2016. If we string all three eras together on a single chart, you can quite literally see and feel the “tone” of the market change as we progress through time (the RED vertical lines separate the eras).
Continue reading the 1st Quarter 2018 USA Financial Trending Report.
See the most recent trending updates and the accompanying explanatory video.
That’s the Skinny,
