US Stock Market Nearing a Top Similar to 1929 │ Tom DeMark

The stock market has been charging along for months. Perhaps not for much longer. Tom DeMark, an award-winning technical analyst who has advised investors such as Paul Tudor Jones, Leon Cooperman, and Steven A. Cohen, believes a market top is imminent.

DeMark highlights that the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from its December 1914 low to its September 1929 high, rallied 624%. From the 2009 low to this week’s high, the Dow has gained 587%. He notes that the current price action mirrors the patterns from the earlier period.  

 

DeMark focuses on trend exhaustion, with the guiding principle that "markets top on good news and bottom on bad." He uses sequences of 9 and 13 daily, weekly, or monthly bars, which need not be consecutive but must exceed the performance from 4 sessions ago in the 9-model or 2 sessions ago in the 13-model. For more information on DeMark's Sequential 9-13 Setup, visit his website [HERE], and [HERE].

 DJIA (1913-1933, and 2008-current; monthly bars).

"On the daily charts of the Dow and S&P, two new all-time highs are needed to trigger a sell signal."

DeMark suggests the Dow’s optimistic upside potential is 47,045, and for the S&P 500, it is 6,118.

"This could lead to a 5% to 10% pullback or a full breakdown."

 

 DJIA (2019-2024; monthly bars).

He also compares the current rally to the one from 2020 to early 2022. The multi-month advance from late 2022 shows a potential upside projection identical to that earlier move.  

 

 DJIA (Q4 2024; daily bars).

For the S&P 500, DeMark reports that the monthly sequential model countdown is at 12 or 13, with an upside potential of 6,118. The S&P 500 closed Thursday, November 14, at 5,949, unable to maintain gains above the 6,000 mark. 

 

On the daily charts, both the Dow and S&P are at sequential countdown 11, meaning two new all-time highs are needed to trigger a sell signal. This could lead to a 5% to 10% pullback or a full breakdown. "The past two weeks' rally has been precarious. A sudden halt in buying—without selling pressure—could undermine the rally and shift the market into a sellers’ phase."

 

"While good news may last until Trump's inauguration, once buying interest fades, any subsequent rallies are likely to be short-lived." 

  Nvidia (February-November 2024; daily bars).

"A new closing high would mark the end of its rally."

DeMark is also cautious about Nvidia, the key microchip maker driving the AI revolution, which reports results next week. The stock is at countdown 12, and a new closing high would mark the end of its rally. DeMark projects Nvidia’s upside potential at $154.50 but warns the downside risk "could be significant."

 

Reference:
Steve Goldstein (November 15, 2024) - Tom DeMark says the stock market is nearing a top as he draws 1929 parallels.

 

 DeMark's Sequential 9-13 Setup.

 

See also:
Lars von Thienen (November 1, 2024) - The 41-Month Kitchin Cycle Topping Patterns in US Stocks.
Richard Smith (October 29, 2024) - Equities Endgame? Spectrum Cycle Analysis of US Indices.
Sergey Tarassov (September 8, 2024) - Kitchin Cycle Suggests DJIA Decline Until End of 2025. 

 

 S&P 500 Seasonal Pattern for the Presidential Election Cycle 2024 - 2027.
4 Year Presidential Cycle in line with the Decennial Cycle. 

Trends and turning points are more important than levels. 60-, 80-, or 120-Year Cycle?

The Median Bull Cycle of US Stocks Lasts 32 Months │ Mark Ungewitter

The S&P 500 is up 68% over the 24-month period from October 2022 to October 2024. Since 1932, the median bull cycle has gained 73% over a 32-month span. We have counted 23 bull cycles since 1932. Of the 14 cycles that reached their two-year anniversary, six peaked in year three (43% of the time): 1953-1956, 1966-1968, 1970-1973, 1978-1980, 1987-1990, and 2016-2018.

 

The cyclical advance since October 2022 has reached its minimum targets, but is likely to extend further based on historical patterns. The average year-3 draw-up for all cases since 1949 (using similar labeling) is 12%, with a standard deviation of 9%, suggesting a peak for the S&P 500 of roughly 6,000 to 7,000 over the next eleven months. This is not a forecast, and it's somewhat unremarkable, but it may be useful for shaping expectations.

 

 

Reference:

Mark Ungewitter (November 18, 2024) - The Median Bull Cycle of US-Stocks Lasts 32 Months.

The 41-Month Kitchin Cycle Topping Patterns in US Stocks | Lars von Thienen

The weekly S&P 500 shows that the nominal 180-week cycle, currently at 177 weeks, is in an early topping stage. This long-awaited time cycle has been monitored since the end of 2023 and has been cited as a key driver for the upturn lasting into this window. Now that we have arrived at this point, we need to pay close attention to the shorter-term cycles and technical indicators.

Weekly S&P 500 with nominal 180 weeks / 41-Month Kitchin Cycle topping | October 23, 2024

Before moving to the daily cycle analysis, it is worth noting that the cyclic-tuned RSI indicator has reached the upper band, indicating a "bull exhaustion" mode. This condition can turn within days into a "bulls tired" and/or "bulls exit" state, signaling that we are primed for a longer-term reversal. The same weekly cycles situation can be observed on the NASDAQ.

NASDAQ weekly cycles | October 23, 2024

Let's now examine the daily cycles, starting with the S&P 500 model.

 » The daily composite model suggests a topping pattern either now or potentially by the end of the year. «

 S&P 500 daily dominant cycles model | October 23, 2024

The main cycles are the 192-day and the harmonic 89-day trading cycles. The daily composite model suggests a topping pattern either now or potentially by the end of the year. The cRSI indicator shows we are nearing the upper band, which could also signal a final year-end rally before both daily cycles align with the downward-trending weekly cycle noted earlier. A similar perspective can be observed in the Nasdaq daily data.

Nasdaq Composite daily dominant cycles model | October 23, 2024

The shorter-term daily cycles with lengths of 80 and 200 trading days on the Nasdaq model are rolling over now and will likely continue into the end of 2024. These cycles are also coming into alignment with the next long-term downward swing, which is in sync with the long-term cycles shown earlier.

It's worth noting that we're seeing a divergence forming, as the market experienced a clear topping pattern in June of this year: At that time, the composite model peaked while the cRSI was breaking down below the upper band, issuing a sell signal. The price never went back to achieve a higher high, and the cRSI is indicating an even bigger divergence between the price action and the signal line. The technical indicators shown below have been adjusted to the cycles detected and mentioned above. The highlighted red or green shaded areas indicate that the higher timeframe - here the weekly S&P 500 - is also taken into consideration. 

S&P 500 - cRSI cyclic indicator | October 23, 2024

The multi-timeframe cyclic technical indicator is showing a clear divergence between price and the signal. While the weekly chart confirms another overbought situation at the time the divergence signal emerges, this provides technical confirmation of a possible top in place. A similar technical condition can be observed on the NASDAQ.

 

Nasdaq Composite | October 23, 2024

Quoted from:
Lars von Thienen (October 23, 2024) - The next wave on the horizon for the US stock markets – it is time to prepare.

See also:
Richard Smith (October 29, 2024) - Equities Endgame? Spectrum Cycle Analysis of US Indices.

Sergey Tarassov  (September 8, 2024) - Kitchin Cycle Suggests DJIA Decline Until End of 2025. 

Sergey Tarassov  (June 26, 2024) - 2024 DJIA vs 40 Month and 42 Month Cycles.

Edward R. Dewey (1971) - The 41-Month Kitchin Cycle in Stocks. 

 

  Carol S. Mull (1989) - The 3 1/3 - Year Kitchin Cycle.

 

Joseph Kitchin (1923) - Cycles and Trends in Economic Factors.

Fed Policy-Driven Super Rallies and Corrections in US Stocks | Sven Henrich

The US market is at a critical juncture with a contentious election, a Fed meeting, and numerous earnings reports on the horizon. A significant liquidity rally is underway, raising hopes for a year-end rally, yet concerns about a potential corrective move linger, especially after an 11-month rise. Despite strong bullish sentiment, skepticism remains due to insufficient changes in underlying conditions and earnings not meeting expectations. The S&P 500 is now at approximately 5,800, with some analysts projecting levels as high as 6,600, but these optimistic forecasts prompt concerns about sustainability.

Super rallies and corrections in the S&P, driven by interest rate cuts and hikes (2016–2024).

 

Liquidity-driven super rallies, influenced by Fed policy on interest rates, are characterized by prolonged market increases with minimal price discovery. The first major super rally in the above chart followed the earnings recession of 2015-2016, fueled by tax cuts and global quantitative easing. Subsequent rallies occurred despite rate hikes, indicating a strong influence from central banks and government policies. These rallies often persist until liquidity conditions shift, such as through rate increases or unexpected events. 

 

Currently, global central banks are signaling easing policies, contributing to the ongoing liquidity rally. Fiscal dominance, marked by significant deficits, plays a crucial role in this environment. The unprecedented $1.6 trillion deficit in 2023 raises questions about recession potential amid fiscal stimulus. Past experiences show that downside movements typically arise when liquidity changes. The current market situation highlights a disconnect between strong policy support and underlying economic conditions. Overall, these factors suggest that the rally extend through the end of the year or into 2025, but risks remain.

 

Reference:

Sven Henrich (October 27, 2024) - NorthCast Market Update: Markets at a Crossroad. (video)

Markets expect the Federal Open Market Committee to 

cut interest rates again by 0.25% on Thursday, November 7.

 

The median Nasdaq 100 (NDX) return from October 27th to December 31st is +11.74% since 1985.  
The median S&P 500 return from October 27th to December 31st in election years is +6.25% since 1928. 

— Goldman Sachs, October 27, 2024.

 

See also:
Sven Henrich (January 14, 2024) - The Cynic’s Guide to Markets.

Equities Endgame? Spectrum Cycle Analysis of US Indices | Richard Smith

 NASDAQ (4-hour closes) - at the top of an 82-day cycle swing.

  E-mini S&P 500 (daily closes) - at the top of an 81-day cycle swing.

S&P 500 (weekly closes) 2017-2024 vs. 180-week cycle composites of all major US stock indices.

Reference:
Richard Smith (October 29, 2024) - Equities endgame? Cycles are screaming caution! (video)

 

Hurst Cycles Market Update — David Hickson, October 28, 2024.

Hurst Cycles in the S&P 500 — David Hickson, October 9, 2024.

Kitchin Cycle Suggests DJIA Decline Until End of 2025 | Sergey Tarassov

 » DJIA correction begun, and the 41 Month Kitchin Cycle suggests a decline until the end of 2025. «  
 —  Sergey Tarassov, August 5, 2024.

 

» Multiyear High in the DJIA between June and October 2024, i.e. sometime
between the crests of the 40 Month Cycle and the 42 Month Cycle.  «    
 —  Sergey Tarassov, June 25, 2024.

Reference:
Sergey Tarassov (August 5, 2024) - Tune Up 41 Month Kitchin Cycle for DJIA. (video)
Sergey Tarassov (June 25, 2024) - Review of Forecasts for DJIA, Gold, Bitcoin, IOC and Mexican Peso. (video)

 2024 in W.D. Gann's Financial Time Table: » Major Panic - CRASH! «

 

Panic Cycles Week July 15 - 19 & Week September 9 - 13.

—  Martin Armstrong, June 14, 2024.

 

2024 DJIA Compared to 40-Month and 42-Month Cycles | Sergey Tarassov

Multiyear High in the DJIA between now and October 2024, i.e. sometime 

between the crests of the 40 Month Cycle and the 42 Month Cycle (August 2024).

 

Reference:

 Sergey Tarassov (June 25, 2024) - Review of Forecasts for DJIA, Gold, Bitcoin, IOC and Mexican Peso. (video)

Sergey Tarassov (October 14, 2022) - 40 Month and 42 Month Kitchin Economical Cycles - Case Study. o)

The 41-Month Kitchin Cycle in Stocks │ Edward R. Dewey

Another cycle that has done all in its power to keep cycle scientists humble is one averaging 40.68 months in length. It has been present in industrial common-stock prices since 1871 and was discovered in 1912 by a New York group of investors. These gentlemen had learned that the Rothschilds had analyzed British consols (government obligations) and had broken up the price fluctuations into a series of repeating curves that had been combined and used for forecasting. The New York group hired a mathematician to discover the secret formula of the Rothschilds, and working with the Dow-Jones Railroad Averages, he discovered a forty-one-month cycle, plus three others, which his employers used to help them invest in the market. Apparently they were very successful around World War I.

 

Figure 38: The 41-Month Rhythm in Stock Prices, 1868-1945.

 

Some ten years after the original discovery, Professor W. L. Crum, of Harvard, noted a cycle of "39, 40, or 41 months" in monthly commercial-paper rates in New York. Almost simultaneously, Professor Joseph Kitchin, also of Harvard, discovered a cycle that he called forty months in six economic time series, bank clearings, commodity prices, and interest rates in both Great Britain and the United States from 1890 to 1922. As far as I know, it was not until 1935, twenty-three years after the original discovery, that this cycle was again noticed in the stock market. Our old friend Chapin Hoskins, who knew nothing of the earlier work, discovered this cycle in many series of price and production figures, including common-stock prices. Early in 1938 he made an extensive study of this cycle for one of the large investment-trust services.

Figure 38 shows the forty-one-month cycle (now refined to 40.68 months) from 1868 through 1945. As you can see, while its waves are not identical to an ideal 40.68 wave, which is represented by the broken zigzag, there is an amazing correspondence between them. This cycle persisted through wars and peace, good times and depressions.

Then, in 1946, something strange happened to our cycle. Almost as if some giant hand had reached down and pushed it, the cycle stumbled, and by the time it had regained its equilibrium it was marching completely out of step from the ideal cadence it had maintained for so many years. As you can see in Figure 39, it has regained the approximate beat of forty-one months or so, as before, but its behavior now appears upside down on our graph.

 

Figure 39: The 41-Month Rhythm, Upside Down, 1946-1957.

 

Scores of explanations and reams of paper have been expended to explain this behavior. We are familiar with most of the possibilities, such as distortion by random behavior, two or more other cycles of near lengths, and even a general public knowledge of this particular cycle, which may have had a distorting effect on its timing. But, in truth, no one can positively explain what happened in 1946 any more than they can explain the regularity of the rhythm for all the years that preceded it.

Quoted from:
Edward R. Dewey & Og Mandino (1971) - Cycles: The Mysterious Forces that Trigger Events.

 

Joseph Kitchin (1923) - Cycles and Trends in Economic Factors.
 

42-Month Cycle in the DJIA (weekly bars), March 2020 - October 2023.

The 4 Year Presidential Cycle | Carol S. Mull

The 3 1/3 - Year Kitchin Cycle

Within the average 11.094-year sunspot cycle, there are shorter periods of solar prominence which occur every 40 or 42 months. These were first recognized in 1923 by the American economist Joseph Kitchin. They account for trade fluctuations and have a marked effect on terrestrial weather, alternating between hot and dry to cold and wet. Articles in Cycles magazine proclaim a 40.68-month cycle, an example of which follows:

The Mars/Vesta Cycle (4.17 years)

The planet Mars and the asteroid Vesta have a synodic cycle period of 4.17 years. (Mars often serves as a trigger planet to aspects of the heavier business planets (Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter); Vesta has consistently been found in a prominent position in the natal horoscopes of stock traders.) The Dow is likely to peak at the first square (90-degree angle from the conjunction) between Mars and Vesta and to bottom at the second trine aspect (240-degree angle from the conjunction). Based on this, you should have bought May 28, 1985, and sold on December 7, 1987. (Ed. Note: October 19, 1987 was Black Monday. December would have been too late in this case.)

The 4 1/2-Year Martian Cycle

According to Lt.Comdr. David Williams, author of Financial Astrology (American Federation of Astrologers), the Mars/Jupiter 4 1/2-year cycle is one of the most dependable market indicators. Mars and Jupiter are in conjunction or opposition every 2.2353 years. Thus, every other conjunction is 4.4706 years, or approximately 234 weeks. Thomas Rieder, author of Astrological Warnings & the Stock Market (Pagurian Press), ties the 4 1/2-year cycle to the synodic period of Mars, The synodic period of a planet is the length of time elapsing between two successive conjunctions of that planet with the Sun as seen from Earth. Mars conjoins the Sun at intervals of about two years and three months, so this cycle is just twice the synodic period of Mars.

 The 4-Year Presidential Cycle

The 3 1/3-, 4.17-, and 4 1/2-year cycles overlap and become what is sometimes referred to as the 4-year presidential cycle. It is theorized that the government stimulates the economy at election time to provide the illusion of prosperity and to insure the re-election of the President. However, closer analysis reveals that the cycle also exists in countries where elections are held every six or eight years or not at all.

Quoted from:
Carol S. Mull - Predicting the Dow.
In: Joan McEvers (Ed. 1989) - Financial Astrology for the 1990s.

 

See also:

 Carol S. Mull (1989) - Astrological Methods of Forecasting the DJIA.

Carol S. Mull (1989) - The Lunar Cycle.

Long-Term Cycle Outlook On US-Stocks

Hard down into Q1 2016.
Kitchin Cycle (42 months), 1/3 Kitchin Cycle (13 1/2 months), Wall Cycle (4 1/2 months - 100 days)
Credits: Swing Trade Cycles

The Kitchin Cycle

Credits: Larry Edelson

The Kitchin Cycle, discovered in the 1920s by Joseph Kitchin, is a shorter cycle of 40-months related to the inventory cycle of commercial businesses. This cycle is believed to be accounted for by time lags in information movements affecting the decision making of commercial firms. Firms react to the improvement of commercial situation through the increase in output through the full employment of the extent fixed capital assets. As a result, within a certain period of time (ranging between a few months and two years) the market gets ‘flooded’ with commodities whose quantity becomes gradually excessive. 

Credits: UBS (2012)

The demand declines, prices drop, the produced commodities get accumulated in inventories, which informs entrepreneurs of the necessity to reduce output. However, this process takes some time. It takes some time for the information that supply significantly exceeds demand to get to the businesspeople. As it takes entrepreneurs time to check this information and to make the decision to reduce production, time is also necessary to materialize this decision (these are the time lags that generate the Kitchin cycles). Another relevant time lag is the lag between the materialization of the afore mentioned decision (causing the capital assets to work well below the level of their full employment) and the decrease of the excessive amounts of commodities accumulated in inventories. Yet, after this decrease takes place one can observe the conditions for a new phase of growth of demand, prices, output, etc. See also HERE

DJIA vs 35.21 Three Year Cycle

HighRev [Sep. 9th, 2012]: The 47 Year Cycle and the 35.21 Three Year Cycle are variations of the Kitchin Cycle. "I was originally working with a rough 7 year cycle working off the momentum lows on the technicals using the 2002-2003 lows and the 2008-2009 lows as my principal reference points, but that did not backtest well. 

As a result I started looking at the 4 Year Kitchin Cycle (which is really a 41 month cycle) that had failed in the late 1940’s, and when it revived, it was out of step with its previous cycle framework. In shifting the Kitchin cycle and using the 1932 low as the start date, the results were also lackluster. 

Since I wanted something that would tie in the 1932 low with the 2002 and 2009 lows, and also be fairly reliable in between, I discarded the Kitchin Cycle and started looking at variations. As a result, I came up with this “35.21 Three Year Cycle”, which in turn became the basis for the larger cycles and sub-cycles. 

I especially like the early cycle lows matching price lows, mid-cycle lows sometimes seeing inversions in a strongly trending environment, and late cycle lows oscillating between price lows and price highs. As with all cycles, there’s no such thing as perfection. Sometimes they come early, sometimes they come late, and sometimes they’re on time. The actual 47 year low came late with regards to the idealized low, but only missed by just over a 5% time window when looking at it on a century to century time frame, and that isn’t bad at all for a cycle low (and when looking at the 3 year cycle where there are a good many lows that came as much as 6 months early/late, that “miss” looks even better). Another thing I really like about this cycle is how the longer term 47 year cycle takes into account the two main secular bulls coming out of the 1932 lows. I also got the 1932, 2002, 2009, and a good many other important lows to “line up”, and that, in what I like to call, "a best fit" pattern."

The K-Wave: Heretical Thoughts & Practical Understandings | Tony Plummer

 Credits: MARKET TECHNICIAN - Issue 59 – July 2007.