Markets climbed to new all time highs last week and the Dow finally got above the 20k level for the first time. But stocks appear to be pulling back from those new highs and that means we have to consider scenario two I described in my recent Dow 20k post. A sharper pullback could be in the making here.
Let’s start with the current Nasdaq chart:

The Nasdaq has outperformed the S&P 500 in recent months and is climbing within a narrowing wedge. That is always a dangerous setup, with or without Dow 20k, and is prone to a sudden drop once the high rate of change cannot be kept up.
The bearish divergence remains in my Earl indicator (blue line), while the slower Earl2 (orange line) has marked time by going sideways. This is typical for a market that has stretched itself out and up as far as possible, and that in itself is as dangerous as climbing inside a wedge.
The Nasdaq gained 41 points in the recent lunar green period and we are now starting a new red period. The setup suggests that we will finally get some downside action in a red period. A drop below 5550 would confirm this scenario.

I would remain cautious at this point and take some profits or at least keep stops very close to the market. A further climb is not impossible with this setup, but the odds are not good and the risk/reward ratio stinks.

To finish we have the LT wave chart for February:

The wave did a poor job in January, climbing higher when the wave suggested weakness and merely drifting sideways during what was supposed to be the stronger period. I have not seen this kind of “inversion” in the LT wave chart before, so I don’t know what it means (if anything).
The second peak on the 28th came close to the highs of the month and maybe that marks the return of normal cycles. If so, then market weakness should continue until the 8th and be followed by a brief period of strength until the 15th. The remainder of February is also weak, except for the last couple of days.
As always, this LT wave is experimental so don’t bet the farm on it.

Stocks came under some pressure last week and the S&P 500 is struggling to stay above the important 2120 support level. As we pointed out last week, price action has been weak and there is nothing going on as long as there is no clear breakout, up or down. We are still in that situation but now my indicators are starting to turn down, suggesting that a breakout to the downside is gradually becoming the more likely scenario. Here is the current Nasdaq chart:

Earl and MoM indicators have turned down after a very weak rally attempt and the slower Earl2 is languishing at low levels, apparently unable to get back above the zero line. The lunar green period will be ending later his week and it looks like we will be lucky if it ends near breakeven for the period. This suggests the path of least resistance is down.

Looking at the LT wave chart for November offers more reason for caution:

We got the expected weakness in the first half of October, but the positive bias after the 15th was very weak. Most of the peak LT wave values happened to come on weekend days when markets are closed, but the other days didn’t produce any convincing green candles either.
Going into November the wave tries to hold up in the first days, but then shows a drop with weakness to continue until around the 17th. The rest of the month is hardly above neutral. The lowest LT wave value for the month comes on the 10th, and the high is projected for the 19th.
Does this mean the market will crash? No. Does this have anything to do with the upcoming US election? No. Four years ago when Obama was re-elected the S&P 500 dropped 6% in the next two weeks. I guess that whoever wins the election, some half of the population will be disappointed and may see it as a good reason to sell stocks. Everything is possible and there is no guarantee whatsoever that the projected LT wave pattern will pan out.

An up and down week for S&P 500 ended with little change for the week and the month. Major indexes are once again close to new all time highs.
The direction of the next significant swing is still very uncertain. Here is the current S&P 500 chart:

A push to record highs looks quite likely, but a new lunar red period will start later this week. The Earl indicator (blue line) is flattening out, but the slower Earl2 (orange line) keeps pointing up. It is an indecisive picture. The LT wave for October isn’t very clear either:

The wave did quite well in September, with the market peaking early in the month and a clear period of weakness from the 6th until the 25th.
For October another period of weakness is projected to start around the 4th. After the 15th there is more strength but it could come with high volatility.

Most stock markets surged higher after the Brexit panic subsided. If you bought when others were fearful, as we suggested last week, then you must be smiling. The FTSE 100 climbed about 10% from its Monday lows and is already setting new highs for the year. US markets also rebounded strongly.
Is it now too late to buy? Let’s have a look at the S&P 500:

We got the retest of the 2000 level I had been hoping for. And stocks bounced back very strongly off that level. That is bullish price action, but another revisit of the 2000 level would now quickly worsen the scenario. Being not far from new all time highs the market can be allowed some breathing space at this point, but not for too long. A continued failure to climb above the May 2015 highs would soon be punished with another sell-off. So, the market is entering a do-or-die situation.

Technically the setup is favorable with the Earl (orange line) and MoM indicators turning up again, and the slower Earl2 (blue line) at the verge of doing so. So a push to new highs is possible this week already and if it doesn’t happen then another chance may come by early August.
If no new highs are seen before the middle of August then the odds will quickly shift towards another drop to ~1900. But I prefer to take things one step at a time, so let’s first see what happens with the current market rally.

We also have the LT wave chart for July:

The wave did well in June. The high of the month came exactly on the 8th and a first low came on the 16th, just one day off with projected low on the 17th. The second low (expected on 23rd) came with a few days of delay, and was followed by new strength in the final days, as expected.
For July the wave suggests ongoing strength until the 11th, followed by weakness from the 13th until around 20th. The final week looks mildly positive again. Highest LT wave values come on the 6th and the 11th, with another possible peak on 26th. LT wave lows are projected for 16th and 20th. None of those highs and lows stand out as extreme values so it could turn out to be a sideways range period, especially from the 13th onwards.