Where’s the Faith

End of Day Analysis:

Stocks shrugged off early weakness and finished a smidge higher, but that is all it took to mark another record close. Overnight we learned Japan unexpectedly slipped into a recession. While that sent their stocks crashing 3%, our market barely noticed, down just a fraction at the open.

The S&P500 has been unable to move past 2,040 resistance. Many traders feel this is stalling and foretells of an imminent collapse. Even though the market keeps making record highs, the Stocktwit’s SPY sentiment gauge keeps making new lows. That shows a material divergence between price and trader’s expectations.

While traders are growing suspicious of this market, it is dangerous to argue with a market that holds strong in the face of bearish news. The headlines out of Japan were more than enough to send a vulnerable market into a tailspin. Fears over global growth triggered October’s 10% selloff. But this time it barely registered as the market clearly shifted from a half-empty outlook on the global economy to one that is half-full.

The talking heads have a million reasons why the market is acting this way, but it really comes down to simply supply and demand. October’s selloff shook free most of the available supply. Now when the market runs into bearish economic headlines, there is no one left to sell the news and the market proves amazingly resilient. When no one sells, supply becomes tight, and prices go up. People can invent all the justifications they want, but this market’s strength comes from tight supply.

Increasing cynicism bodes well for continued gains. Even though we are at record highs, traders are selling and shorting this consolidation. Unfortunately for them, they will be the next round of buyers forced to chase the breakout above 2,050. Markets fall from unsustainable levels quickly. Holding near 2,040 for nearly over a week shows these new highs are not unsustainable. Owners can continue holding and shorts need to be very careful.

Jani