Ap Index of Geomagnetic Activity and S&P 500 Returns | Lifang Peng et al.

Existing research provides strong evidence that geomagnetic activity impacts stock investment decisions by influencing human health, mood, and behavior. Using monthly geomagnetic indices and US stock market indices from the past 20 years, we found compelling evidence supporting a causal relationship between geomagnetic activity and stock market returns.

 

High AP Index, low stock market performance—really?

Sunspot Number and Ap Index 2018 into 2032 (NASA, updated December 5, 2024).

 

The results were robust, indicating that higher geomagnetic activity, which often corresponds with intense solar activity, is inversely related to stock market performance. In other words, when geomagnetic activity was higher, the stock market tended to perform worse.

Reference:
Lifang Peng, Ning Li, Jingwen Pan (2019) - Effect of Ap Index of Geomagnetic Activity on S&P 500 Stock Market Return.

 

S&P 500 (daily candles) vs Ap Index. 

 The semiannual variation of geomagnetic activity is linked to the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's tilted magnetic field, which typically causes increased geomagnetic disturbances around the equinoxes and lower activity around the solstices.

 

 See also:
Vladimir Belkin (2024) - Strong Inverse Correlation between Ap Index and Gold Price. 

Vladimir Belkin (2024) - 2025-2027 Oil Price Decline Linked to Solar Cycle Activity.

Anna Krivelyova and Cesare Robotti (2003) - Playing the Field: Geomagnetic Storms and the Stock Market.

US Stock Market at the Cliff — Don't Be a Lemming | Lars von Thienen

[...] The chart below depicts a composite model of all identified cycles in the P/E Shiller data from 1900-2024. Notably, the "cliff" phenomenon, where all cycles synchronize their peaks at a single point in time, has only occurred in 1929, 2000, and now appears to be happening again in 2024. 

 

 Composite Cycle Analysis Model for the P/E Ratio of the S&P500 from 1900-2024 | December 6, 2024.

[...] The 42-Month Cycle has the highest strength and is the dominant cycle in the dataset. This 42-Month Cycle is generally significant for financial markets, as it has been identified across numerous financial assets. Let's take a closer look at what makes this cycle so special in this case. Starting with the current situation, the 42-Month Cycle has topped at major market peaks, such as the internet bubble in 2000, the financial crisis in 2007, and 2021. Additionally, the bottoms of this cycle have been synchronized.

 

42-Month Cycle in the P/E S&P 500 Ratio | 1900-1950.

42-Month Cycle in the P/E S&P 500 Ratio | 1999–2024.

[...] A cycle that remains remarkably stable in length and phase over 120 years is quite uncommon. As shown in the upper chart, the 42-Month Cycle is also currently reaching its peak and transitioning into a downward phase, which is expected to continue into 2026.

Quoted from::
Lars von Thienen (December 8, 2024) - The Cliff - Don't Be a Lemming. 

P/E Ratio of S&P500 stocks reveals a cliff of red downward pointing cycles.

 

See also:

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

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.

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

S&P 500 Cycle Analysis - Time and Price Projections Update | Steve Miller

In early November, both small caps and mid caps took the lead, but they have since paused. Recently, the mega caps have regained leadership, with Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft all making sharp moves to the upside. This has contributed to a recent uptick in the S&P 500. On the upside, we have short term resistance levels between 6,073 and 6,176.

S&P 500 (weekly bars), six-month cycles, three-month cycles.

S&P 500 (daily bars), 20-trading day cycle trough is expected on December 7 (±3).

The next 20 trading day cycle low is expected on December 7 (±3 trading days), and the dominant cycle trough is due in late May to June of 2025. The market is clearly in a rising phase, with the weekly trend firmly up. Only a drop below the 5,700 low would shift the market from a bullish cycle structure to a bearish one. On the short-term S&P 500 chart, the current setup resembles Apple’s chart: a bullish, right-hand translation throughout nearly the entire rally.

 

Now there is this very narrow window around December 7 for a pullback. The downside base case would be between 6,025 and 5,963, followed by another move to the upside for a higher high. Overall, this remains a very bullish market during a bullish seasonal period, and fading the trend is not advisable at this time.

Reference:
Steve Miller (December 5, 2024) - US Stock Market - S&P 500 | Price Projections & Timing | Cycle and Chart Analysis. (video)

 

David Hickson (November 25, 2024) - Targets & Levels to Watch - Hurst Cycles Market Update. (video) 

 

Lulled into Permabull Paradise | Callum Thomas

“To put it simply, and probably no one wants to hear it, but this is not a good set up 

— investors and speculators alike have been lulled into permabull paradise.”

 Callum Thomas, December 4, 2024.

 

S&P 500 E-mini Futures (daily bars - December 4, 2024) - Tom DeMark's Sequential 9-13 Setup. 

Another ATH (its 56th of the year), and up for the 11th session in 12.
Its daily MACD and RSI pushed further positive.

AAII Bull-Bear Spread Signals Bullish Outlook | Duality Research

Despite the S&P 500 at all-time highs, we have just seen the largest 2-week shift in investor sentiment in over a year, according to the latest AAII Survey.

 

 AAII bears outnumber bulls for the first time since late April. 

All that happened after that was a five month win streak. 

Ryan Detrick, November 28, 2024.

Bearish sentiment has surged to its highest level in more than a year, while bullish sentiment has dropped to its lowest point since April. As a result, the bull-bear spread has turned negative. For context, the average AAII bull-bear spread over the past 12 months has been +18.8%.

Duality Research, November 28, 2024.

 

 S&P 500 Election Year Seasonal Pattern 1949-2022. See also [HERE], [HERE], [HERE], and [HERE].

The Status of the TOY Barometer at the End of November | Wayne Whaley

The way equity markets move from one year to the next often provides insight into what to expect in the following year. One of my favorite Turn of the Year (TOY) barometers is Toy2mt, which tracks the S&P 500's performance over the two months from November 19 to January 19. Historically, when the S&P shows a gain of 3% or more during this period, it has performed very well over the following 12 months (36-2 record, with an average return of 16.6%). I have found that the November component of Toy2mt (November 19-30) serves as an early indicator of what may lie ahead for Toy2mt and the year to come.

As of November 30, six of the first seven Toy2mt days were positive, and the November segment of Toy2mt stands at +1.98%, with bulls targeting a +3% Toy2mt return. Below is the performance for the following 12 months (December-November) since 1950, based on three different levels of the November 19-30 segment of Toy2mt.

 

» If I could make only one trade per year based on one indicator, it would be Toy2mt. «

[HERE], and [HERE]

When the November 19-30 period registers +1.5% or higher, it has typically been a positive signal for the following 12 months (December-November). In 2024, the November 19-30 period came in at +1.98%. It’s still early, and we will learn much more over the next seven weeks.

Wayne Whaley, November 30, 2024.

20-Year High in Insider Selling Precedes Market Top | Adam Taggart

Insider selling is often early.

The highest bars in the chart above (ratio of sellers to buyers) seem to come before the final major price tops in the S&P 500. The ratio of insider selling to buying is now at a 20+ year high:

 

1. Stocks are at an all-time high.
2. Corporate executives are selling far more stock than they are buying.
3. It doesn't take a genius to see that the insiders are cashing out while the getting is good,

     leaving everyone else to be the patsy when the rug pull arrives.

Adam Taggart, November 27, 2024. 

Scott Rubner: 4% year-end rally to 6,200 in the S&P 500, and 7,000 not long after.
Bloomberg, November 25, 2024.

 

Over the past 50 years, the Nasdaq has only experienced one instance (2011) where it was negative both on the Wednesday before and the Friday after Thanksgiving. Out of the 9 negative Wednesdays recorded during this period, the Nasdaq posted a positive return on 8 Fridays after Thanksgiving, with an average Friday gain of 1.39% and a median gain of 0.83%.

Wayne Whaley, November 27, 2024.

 

Jeffrey A. Hirsch, November 28, 2024.

DJIA and S&P Bullish Into Year-End, with Bouts of Profit Taking | Day Hagan

In the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500, near-term resistance exists within bullish price channels, as negative A/D Line divergences are resolved. The bulls remain in control, but we are watching for signs that the post-election market action signals the beginning of a transition to a choppier 2025. Large-, mid-, and small-cap proxies didn’t come close to filling the upside gap created by the election results, nor did they break below their recent topside breakout ranges and levels. I view this as supportive (bullish) in the near term. It also suggests that the recent low serves as the first level of short-term support.

DJIA and S&P 500 (daily bars). Short-term resistance is still in place. When coupled 

with high levels of “Excessive Optimism”, bouts of profit-taking shouldn’t be surprising. Mind the gaps.

Have equities brought forward the historically bullish returns of the fourth quarter following elections? Are we at risk of such an occurrence? While I still believe there will be instances of profit-taking as we approach year-end, I consider seasonal charts to be secondary; they are not as significant as primary indicators and models.

The Dow Industrials' Four-Year Presidential Cycle suggests a choppy start to 2025, with weakness in the latter part of the 

first presidential year extending into the second year—an outlook that has not been widely discussed on Wall Street.

 

The bull market typically continues into the first year after an election, but the first two years tend to be rocky. Many bear markets begin in the first year and persist into the midterm election year, as seen with the bear market that started in 2021 and continued into 2022. Therefore, looking ahead, prudence suggests adopting an investment strategy that objectively manages risk.

Reference:
Day Hagan (November 27, 2024) - Bullish into Year-End with Bouts of Profit Taking.

 

The typical December Seasonal Pattern starts off dull and pops mid-month.

Support Holds on S&P 500, Bullish Pattern Targets 6,100s | Stephen Suttmeier

First support shifts slightly to the 5870s-5850s area on the S&P 500, which bent but did not decisively break last week. Continuing to hold this support would keep the pattern bullish, with upside potential to the July-September cup and handle. The early 2022 to early 2024 big base breakout targets are into the 6,100s. The cup and handle breakout and retest zone at 5,700-5,650 offers additional support.

The S&P 500 advance-decline (A-D) line reached a new high on Friday (11/22), and the NYSE Composite stocks A-D line hit a new high yesterday (11/25). This neutralizes the mid-October to early November bearish divergences for these market breadth indicators. It also provides bullish confirmation for the new highs on the NYSE and serves as a potential leading indicator for new highs on the S&P 500, increasing the likelihood of following bullish seasonality into year-end.

Stephen Suttmeier, November 26, 2024 [HERE], and [HERE]

 

Trend-wise, while the cap-weighed S&P 500 continues to float above its trendline, the chart above shows that the index is only two standard deviations above trend. At major extremes it can reach three standard deviations.

Jurrien Timmer, November 26, 2024.

Two Years of +20% Gains for the S&P 500: What's Next? │ Michael Hartnett

Michael Hartnett, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of America, notes that the S&P 500 is on track for a +20% return in two consecutive years. This has occurred only four times in the past 150 years: 1927/28, 1935/36, 1954/55, and 1995/96. 

 

Historical analysis of returns in the following two years reveals two key insights:

1. The S&P 500 is likely to experience another significant double-digit move in 2025.
2. Falling bond yields may serve as the "secret sauce" that helps the S&P 500 avoid the substantial reversals seen in 1929/30, 1937/38, and 1956/57, potentially catalyzing further significant equity gains, similar to what occurred in 1997/98.

Michael Hartnett (BofA), November 22, 2024. 

 

Decennial Cycle: Average annual change in the DJIA (1881-2023).

 

 Ned Davis Research.

See also:

Tom DeMark (November 15, 2024) - US Stock Market Nearing a Top Similar to 1929.

Thanksgiving to Santa Claus Rally Trade │ Jeff Hirsch

Thanksgiving [Thursday, November 28] kicks off a run of solid bullish seasonal patterns. November-January is the year’s best consecutive 3-month span (2025 STA p. 149). Then there’s the January Effect (2025 STA p. 112 & 114) of small caps outperforming large caps in January, which begins in mid-December.

 » Buy the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and hold until the 2nd trading day of the New Year. «

And of course, the "Santa Claus Rally," (2025 STA p. 118) invented and named by Yale Hirsch in 1972 in the Almanac. Often confused with any Q4 rally, it is defined as the short, sweet rally that covers the last 5 trading days of the year and the first two trading days of the New Year. Yale also coined the phrase: "If Santa Claus should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall."

We have combined these seasonal occurrences into a single trade: Buy the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and hold until the 2nd trading day of the New Year. Since 1950, S&P 500 has been up 79.73% of the time from the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to the 2nd trading day of the year with an average gain of 2.58%. Russell 2000 is up 77.78% of the time since 1979, average gain 3.34%.

Reference:
Jeffrey A. Hirsch (November 20, 2024) - Feast On Small Caps Thanksgiving to Santa Claus Rally Trade.

 

 » From November 5 to December 31, the average return of the S&P 500 has been 2.68%; Nasdaq 100 5.53%, 

and Russell 2000 5.7%. In election years S&P 500 3.38%; Nasdaq 100 0.79%, and Russell 2000 7.94%. «

 Goldman Sachs fund flows guru Scott Rubner, November 6, 2024. See also [HERE].

 

 S&P 500 (daily bars) - Hurst Cycles; Steve Miller, November 21, 2024. See also [HERE].

See also:

Jeffrey A. Hirsch (November 5, 2024) - Bullish Novembers in Election Years Have Weak Seasonal Points.

Jeffrey A. Hirsch (November 6, 2024) - Presidential Election Day to Yearend Historically Bullish.

Jack Gillen (2009) - Year-End Rally, January Effect, and Trend for the Year Ahead.

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.

S&P 500, VIX, MACD, Seasonality, and LT Hurst Cycles Projection

S&P 500 E-mini Futures (daily bars). 

 Daily trend is up. Weekly close above monthly R2. Daily NR4. Daily MACD (9,13,9) remains supportive. 

Entering Week 2 of the 3 Week Cycle. Monthly True Open. Top of 20 Trading Day Cycle around November 15-18. 

Major news on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Volatility S&P 500 Index (daily bars).
Weekly close at multi-month support; NR7, 2BNR. Reaching for S2, S3 likely.

Jeff Hirsch's November Seasonality during Election Years.

Winter began on November 7; Light Snow on November 22.  

US stock indices may move sideways to up into mid-November.

ChartingCycles, November 6, 2024.

Hurst Cycles Composite Model suggesting the month's swing-high was reached on November 8.

See also: 41-Month Kitchin Cycle Topping Patterns.