S&P 500 Now Declining into 18-Month Hurst Cycle Low | Ahmed Farghaly

Major asset classes (equities, metals, cryptos) are entering the final phase of their current 18-month cycles (beige-yellow in first chart below), with synchronized troughs expected from late January into early March 2026. 

S&P 500 / US Equities: The August 2024 trough is identified as the 54-month cycle low. The brief break beneath it in April 2025 is viewed as a false Trump—“Liberation Day”—Tariff straddle and the first 40-week/9-month cycle trough within the current 18-month cycle. Since that time, price action has built a clean sequence of 20-day, 40-day, 80-day, and 20-week cycles. 

S&P 500 (daily closes); 2020 to December 2025: The Big Picture. 

 

S&P 500 (daily bars); September to December 2025: Last stage of the 18-month cycle.

The current 20-day cycle (magenta) ideally bottoms on December 7 (Sun), and the 40-day cycle (red) on December 23 (Tue).

 

The market has completed the latest 80-day trough on November 21 (Fri) and has now entered the final 80-day cycle before the 18-month (beige-yellow) low, which is due around mid to late January 2026 (second chart above). A rally out of the 80-day cycle low into December, but without a new all-time high, was expected because the broken 20-week VTL typically marks the 40-week peak (see first chart). 

 

An early December high remains likely before a meaningful decline into the 18-month trough. This forthcoming weakness is regarded as a mid-cycle correction within the still-intact 54-month cycle upswing. Strong gains are projected for Q2–Q3 2026 as the new 18-month cycle rises.

Reference:
Ahmed Farghaly (December 1, 2025) - Hurst Cycles Update: S&P 500, US Dollar, Gold, CRB Index, Interest Rates, Bitcoin. (video)

Hurst Cycles in the CNN Fear & Greed Index.

See also:

Ahmed Farghaly (December 2, 2025) - Hurst Cycles Update (S&P 500, US Dollar, Gold, CRB Index, Interest rates, Bitcoin). 

Ahmed Farghaly (November 2, 2025) - S&P 500 Hurst Cycles Analysis: Next Peaks and Troughs.

Ahmed Farghaly (October 18, 2025) - Long-Term Commodity Cycles: Unraveling the Big Picture.
Ahmed Farghaly (October 24, 2025) - J.M. Hurst’s "Principle of Commonality": One Divine Force.

David Hickson (December 1, 2025) - Bullish or Bearish? - Hurst Cycles Market Update. (video)

TPR (2025) - J.M. Hurst’s Cyclic Theory. 

J.M. Hurst (1975) - The Cyclitec Cycles Course.

 

High-Confidence Position Trading: Dow Jones Industrials

divided by Consumer Price Index, 1942 to 2025, and Forecast into 2037.

 

» A "straddle" is an analysis period that has its high above the FLD and its low below. «

(Cyclitec Cycles Course: Lesson 8, p. 8-14; Lesson 9, p. 9-11; Appendix C, Chart #47).

A "false straddle" is caused by an exogenous shock—an abrupt, unpredictable event originating outside the market's endogenous cyclic structure—that temporarily disrupts the established hierarchy of cycles, such as the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic or the April 2025 announcement of Trump's global "Liberation Day” tariffs.

Early Global Commodity Supercycle: Top Investment Picks | Andrew Hoese

Commodity Supercycles are long-term, decade-spanning periods of sustained above-average price surges, driven by major demand shocks—such as industrialization, energy transition, and urbanization—alongside supply constraints and geopolitical shifts. Notable past cycles include 1896–1920 (US industrialization), the 1970s (oil crises), and 2000–2014 (China’s rise). 

 

Gold-S&P 500 Ratio (monthly closes, 1925 to October 2025).

» There is an early breakout in Gold versus the S&P 500, a double bottom breaking higher. This signals a shift into a world unlike the past 40 years — a transition from an era of declining interest rates to one of rising rates. That creates different money flows. Money is no longer flowing mainly into bond and stock markets; instead, it is increasingly moving into precious metals, mining companies, and commodities. This marks the beginning of an outperformance of commodities and precious metals over traditional financial assets. «

Today, advancements in AI, digitization, electric vehicles, robotics, the emergence of thousands of new data centers, other technologies, and the relentless rise of BRICS+ are set to fuel an unprecedented surge in energy demand, including coal, oil, gas, hydrogen, nuclear, geothermal, solar, and more. Urgent grid overhauls and expansions will drive a massive increase in demand for key metals such as lithium, nickel, silver, and copper.
 

The current Commodity Supercycle (2022-2045) is driven by several financial key factors, with interest rates playing a central role. From 1980 to 2021, declining rates favored Bonds and Stocks, creating cup-and-handle patterns in Gold and Silver. Now, the shift to an increasing interest rate environment is disrupting this dynamic, as evidenced by a shoulder-head-shoulder topping pattern in bonds. 

 

When rates hit 4.5-5% on the 10-Year US Treasury Note Yield, stocks are likely to decouple, with rates rising while stocks stagnate or decline. The Dollar (DXY), currently in an uptrend channel, could accelerate commodity gains if it breaks downward. Inflation cycles further shape this landscape: disinflation boosts safe-haven assets like gold and silver, while accelerating inflation drives broader commodity markets. Money printing, such as the significant stimulus in April 2025 (Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act), fuels gold and silver in real-time, with other commodities responding as money flows through the system.

 

 

 Investment Potential Rankings: Commodities and Financial Instruments (October 2025):

Top: Lithium, Coal, Iron Ore. iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ: tracks large/mid-cap Brazilian equities for emerging market exposure), VanEck Steel ETF (SLX: tracks global steel sector companies (production, mining, fabrication). Highest potential due to recent bottoms, high historical leverage (50-150x for coal/iron ore, 20x for EWZ), strong breakout patterns, and inflation-sensitive demand (EV/BESS for Lithium, Steel +1.1%). Under-the-radar status maximizes asymmetry.

Mid: Copper, Nickel, Natural Gas, Silver, Platinum, Palladium: Strong performers with breakouts or bottoming patterns; Silver/Platinum have top performer potential but face consolidation or supply risks; Copper near highs but neutral Q4 2025; nickel oversupply concerns.

Low: Oil bearish short-term ($60/bbl YE2025); Gold strong but nearing consolidation, and less leverage than Silver.

Lowest: S&P 500, NASDAQ, Bonds. Financial assets face headwinds from rising rates (4.5-5% disconnect); bonds least attractive due to downtrend and rotation to commodities.

The ongoing and escalating worldwide commodity boom is unfolding in a clear sequence: It began in 2022 with a disinflation phase, where gold and silver led as safe-haven assets, potentially pushing silver prices toward $60-90. Over the next six to twelve months, a transition is expected where gold and silver may consolidate or experience choppy trading (point 7. in the historic long-term fractal).

 

 Platinum-Palladium Ratio (monthly bars, 1986 to October 2025).

 

 Platinum-Gold Ratio (monthly bars, 1986 to October 2025).

 

 Platinum-Silver Ratio (monthly bars, 1986 to October 2025).

 

 Copper-Gold Ratio (monthly bars, 1986 to October 2025).

 

  Oil-Gold Ratio (monthly bars, 1984 to October 2025). 

 

Uranium (monthly bars, 2011 to October 2025): Bullish.

 

During this period, other commodities like Crude Oil and Base Metals, which bottomed in April-May 2025, will begin to gain traction. As the cycle shifts to accelerating inflation, oil and base metals are poised to surge, driven by money rotating out of bonds and stocks into hard assets. 

This mirrors historical patterns, such as the 2018-2020 period when gold rose during a slowdown, followed by oil's sharp rally in August 2020 after gold consolidated. The current cycle aligns with the 2001-2008 commodity bull market, characterized by a declining dollar and strong commodity outperformance against financial assets, as signaled by gold's breakout against the S&P 500.

 

In 2025, Precious Metals are surging, with gold and silver both up over 60% year-to-date and mining stocks nearly doubling in value. Technical indicators suggest short-term overbought conditions, but the long-term outlook remains bullish. Notably, spot silver has climbed above $50, showing backwardation against futures prices around $48.70, indicating strong physical demand and potential discrepancies between paper and physical markets.

 

Certain commodities are poised to lead in performance. Gold is a key leader but not the top performer; Silver and Platinum are expected to outshine it, with silver potentially reaching $300 based on historical fractals from the 1940s to 1980s. 

 

Platinum, currently at a 0.4 ratio to gold, could revert to its historical mean of 1.2-2x gold’s price, with potential to hit 5.5-6x as seen in the early 1900s. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Copper (nearing all-time highs), Steel (breaking out), Iron Ore, Nickel, and Lithium (up 100-300% from bottoms) are also strong contenders. 

 

Platinum-Gold Ratio currently 0.41 (gold/platinum 2.44) as of October 2025, with platinum at $975/oz, gold $3975/oz. Historical: Platinum premium (up to 6.63:1 in 1968) until late 1990s due to industrial demand (catalysts, auto); low 0.05 in 1885. Fluctuations from supply disruptions (South Africa/Russia mines), financial crises, geopolitical tensions, inflation fears; gold safe-haven spikes ratio in downturns (e.g., 2.3x in 2020, 3.1x Feb 2025).

Coal and Iron Ore offer high leverage, with potential for 50-150x gains as seen in the 2000s bull market, making them prime investment targets. Emerging markets like Brazil, through ETFs like EWZ, present 20x potential driven by currency exchange rate unwinds, particularly as the dollar weakens.

Historical parallels provide further context. In the 1930s, gold’s revaluation with flat input costs led to massive mining gains. The inflationary 1970s and 2000s resemble today’s environment, while the 1940s-80s increasing rate cycle mirrors current conditions, with silver moving from consolidation to a boom. 

 

This is not solely a precious metals bull market but part of a broader commodity and hard assets cycle. To maximize returns in the current commodity cycle, one should have invested in under-the-radar commodities like oil, natural gas, iron ore, nickel, and copper between April and May 2025, when they formed quiet bottoms—evident in patterns like inverted head-and-shoulders and double bottoms—before gaining mainstream attention. 

 

These assets, now moving higher, offered significant asymmetry as smart money positioned early, capitalizing on low public interest. For those yet to invest, opportunities remain in inflation-sensitive commodities like steel, coal, and lithium, which are breaking out or showing early uptrends, particularly as the dollar weakens and money flows from bonds and stocks. 

 

Reference:
Andrew Hoese (October 11, 2025) - Early Commodity Cycle: Top Investment Picks. (video) 

 

Commodity Supercycles from 1805 to 2045.

A rotation from Gold back to the Dow might be most prudent if/when inflation-adjusted DJI retreats

back to its 2000 level, which could take many years.  For now, we are right at the upper rail.

The Great Rotation out of Paper Assets into Hard Assets: 
The biggest Bull Market of our Lifetimes is underway.

Gold entering the parabolic phase of the Debt/Fiat collapse.
Moves that took years to unfold now happen in Months/Weeks.

 

Copper: The new oil for this century.

Palladium: Now joining the party. Target $3,430.

 

Platinum: Bullish. First target above $3k. 

 

Silver: A chart pattern that has taken five decades to form.

A generational set-up unfolding. Go long and stay long. 

 

An epic Silver fractal is playing out. 

  

162-Year, 54-Year, and 18-Year cycles in Silver from 1802 to 2025 (quarterly closes, log scale). 

 

The global financial shift isn’t coming—it’s already here. Gold. Silver. BRICS. De-dollarization. Geopolitics and geoeconomics now underpin the unfolding of the next great global commodity supercycle: escalating US–China rivalries, supply-chain fractures, and rising WW3 risks accelerate the decline of the United States’ 250-year empire-life cycle while cementing China’s ascent. 

 

Collapsing US stock indices–to–gold ratios reveal deep monetary stress, aligning with inflationary, interest-rate, and commodity-cycle dynamics that signal dollar devaluation and the breakdown of the post–World War II global financial system. The Great Rotation out of paper assets—equities and bonds—into hard, tangible assets is igniting what the charts suggest will become the greatest commodity bull market of our lifetimes.

 

Wealth preservation now hinges on tangible inflation hedges—metals such as lithium, copper, and nickel; precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium; and energy assets spanning coal, oil, gas, hydrogen, nuclear, geothermal, and solar. Avoid rate-sensitive exposure in US stock indices, and bonds; instead, accumulate undervalued, cash-flow-rich commodity producers and physical holdings to capture asymmetric, real-asset returns into around 2040.

 

See also:

TPR (October 9, 2025) - The Dow-to-Gold Ratio (DJI/XAU) Collapses: Get Ready for Tangible Assets.

Larry Williams (September 25, 2025) - US Stock Market Outlook for Q4 2025.

Fed Cuts, Banks Cash In, Main Street Bleeds, Stocks Rise | Oscar Carboni

Jerome Powell cut rates by a quarter point. Big deal? Not for Americans paying 8% mortgages. Banks borrow from the Fed at 4% and lend at nearly double. Every cut fuels their spread, no relief for homebuyers. Bond market moves by banks erase any Fed benefit.

» Every time the Fed lowers rates, banks push down the bond market, which drives mortgage

rates right back up. We saw this earlier this year: bonds get hammered, rates climb. «

 

Main Street loses. Wall Street profits. This loop has repeated for months. Powell’s cuts can’t counteract bond manipulation. And the bigger risk looms: in past crises—2008, COVID—near-zero rates saved the system. Burn through cuts now, and the Fed has less firepower when the next shock hits.

» Bonds don’t look good, but the S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin, even real estate—all look strong.

Lower rates push asset prices higher. So we’ll trade dips, especially in Bitcoin, and ride the trend. «

Traders, however, see opportunity. Even tiny rate cuts flood liquidity into markets. Equities, crypto, real estate—they all get a boost. S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin—buy dips, ride the rally. Bonds remain toxic, but risk assets thrive. Cuts inflate prices, but housing stays out of reach.

The solution is simple: cap lending spreads. If banks borrow at 4%, mortgages shouldn’t exceed 6%. Without it, the Fed's moves only fuel asset inflation while Main Street bleeds. Until reform arrives, liquidity drives traders’ gains while banks run the bond market—and Americans pay the price. The Fed may cut, but the real game is elsewhere.

Reference:

Oscar Carboni (September 18, 2025) - Bond Market, Banks & Jerome Powell's Interest Rate Move Explained. (video)

 

» When the Fed cuts with the S&P <2% from ATH (13x since ’90), the next 30 days is a coin flip (6 up/7 down).  3-months out has almost a perfect record: 12/13 up with the last and only loss in 1990. Recent four 3-month gains: +6.2%, +5.9%, +7.7%, +1.6%. «
Mark Minervini, September 19, 2025.

 

See also:

Alex Krainer (September 20, 2025) - How Rate Cuts Fuel an Overheated Market,

and Why a Pullback Is Part of the Journey to new Highs. 

TPR (September 16, 2025)  - “Sell Rosh Hashanah, Buy Yom Kippur” | Hurst Cycles Suggest Otherwise. 

 Jeff Hirsch (September 9, 2025) - September Seasonality of US Stock Indices.

Outlook for 2025: Depression, Debt, Default & Destruction | Martin Armstrong

The year 2025 marks a critical turning point, with a global economic crisis on the horizon. Our computer models predict a major downturn, particularly in Europe, and a prolonged US recession extending into 2028. This crisis stems from long-term mismanagement by central banks, especially the Federal Reserve, which kept interest rates too low for too long, forcing banks to hold risky government debt. While analysts focus on short-term rates, the Fed has little control over long-term rates, which continue to rise despite rate cuts. Tensions in Europe, including the threat of World War III, are exacerbating this issue and pushing rates even higher.

» While financial elites are aware of the looming collapse, everyday people will feel its full force. «

The rise in long-term rates reflects a loss of confidence in government debt. For instance, corporate bonds in France are now offering better returns than government bonds, and even Greece's debt is becoming more attractive. This points to systemic weaknesses within European governments. Meanwhile, the US faces its own dilemma: raising rates to combat inflation only makes its national debt more expensive. As the world's largest borrower, higher rates simply add to the debt burden rather than reducing spending. This crisis underscores the failure of Keynesian economics, which Paul Volcker acknowledged in 1979. Today, the US government borrows far more than in the past, and raising interest rates does little to curb spending—it only adds to the debt.

The financial system is now in deep trouble, and the average person will bear the consequences. Europe is headed for a depression, and the US is facing a severe recession. Unemployment will rise, wages will shrink, and basic goods will become more expensive. The gap between the rich and poor will widen, and financial instability will increase. A sovereign debt default in Europe by 2025 is likely to trigger a broader collapse, with massive financial instability by 2026-2027. Many banks and pension funds are heavily invested in government debt, and a default could lead to the disintegration of European financial systems. Insiders are very much aware of the crisis and fear that public panic could worsen the situation, potentially triggering bank runs. While not all banks are equally at risk, poor management and political interference in banking have worsened the problem. The Federal Reserve, designed to act as a backstop for failing banks, may be overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis.

 

The impact on ordinary Americans will be severe, with rising unemployment, shrinking wages, and higher living costs. While financial elites are aware of the looming collapse, everyday people will feel its full force. The US government’s failure to roll over its debt could spark a chain reaction, causing widespread bank failures. The interconnectedness of the banking system means one collapse could trigger a broader financial breakdown. Cash will become essential, as digital transactions and credit systems may fail, as seen in previous disruptions like the Canadian trucker protests.

I strongly recommend preparing for this crisis by having physical cash and at least two years' worth of food stored. The collapse of the financial system will lead to widespread losses in banks and pension funds, and the government and central banks will be unable to protect everyone. Those who are unprepared will suffer the most.

 November 2024: A Norwegian task force has advised against the immediate adoption of a central 

bank digital currency, while South Korea has launched a CBDC pilot with seven major banks.

As the debt crisis worsens, geopolitical instability will exacerbate inflation and push capital into the US as a safe haven. The dollar will strengthen, and sectors like gold, food, and bonds will see increased investment. However, emerging markets with high foreign-denominated debt, such as Brazil, will be particularly vulnerable to financial crises.

I also caution against the growing threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which would grant governments unprecedented control over personal finances. The rise of gold as a long-term safe haven, coupled with rising long-term interest rates, will create significant risks for those holding variable-rate debt. People should prepare by securing tangible assets like cash, food, and gold, and locking in fixed-rate debt where possible. The coming crisis is inevitable, and those who prepare will have the best chance of weathering the storm.

Reference:
Martin Armstrong (December 21, 2024) - Depression, Debt, Default & Destruction in 2025. (video)

 

See also:

TPR (December 10, 2024) - 2025 in J.M. Funk’s '56-Year Cycle of Prosperity and Depression'.

Lu QiYuan (December 8, 2024) - Scott Bessent's Covert MAGA Strategy for Trump 2.0.  

 Martin Armstrong (June 21, 2024) - Final Days of the Empire. (video)

L. David Linsky (2023) - War and or Revolution in 2026. The 84 Year War Cycle.

Bojan S. Dimitrijević et al. (2016) - Sunspots and Stock Markets: Evidence of their Interdependence in Transition Countries.

Mikhail Gorbanev (2012) - Sunspots, Unemployment, and Recessions: Can the Solar Activity Cycle shape the Business Cycle?