Coincidence? I think not!

October 26, 2009

The WSJ reports that weekday circulation for the largest U.S. newspapers dropped 10.6%, based on a cumulative average for the six months ended Sept. 30 compared to a year earlier. It was the sharpest falloff in more than a decade.

In related news, Dorsey Wright’s blog was launched in early 2009!


Economists Forgot One Little Thing

October 26, 2009

We have a finite supply of fossil fuel and economic models don’t take that into account. Oops.

Incorrect assumptions in models of reality can lead to big problems in the real world. This article is eye-opening on a topic that no one else is thinking about. I can’t think of a more important reason to use an adaptive, systematic investment process. A lot of things could put us into a ditch—things we don’t necessarily see coming from a long way off—but a systematic model just keeps adapting to what is actually happening in real time. It allows tactical adjustment as conditions change.


Treasury Tries to Lock In Low Rates

October 26, 2009

Apparently even the U.S. Treasury expects inflation to be higher in the future, as they are planning to extend the duration on the Federal debt. As a citizen, I’m happy to see them do this—it saves all of us money. If I had the bulk of my assets in bonds, however, I would be signficantly less excited. There are only a few practical things that can be done to alleviate the deficit as a percentage of GDP: 1) cut spending, 2) increase taxes, or 3) inflate. Congress shows no inclination to cut spending and the public shows no inclination to support higher tax rates on themselves. Inflation doesn’t require anyone to vote and might turn out to be the path of least resistance.


Look Who’s In Counseling

October 26, 2009


Weekly RS Recap

October 26, 2009

The table below shows the performance of a universe of mid and large cap U.S. equities, broken down by relative strength decile and quartile and then compared to the universe return. Those at the top of the ranks are those stocks which have the best intermediate-term relative strength. Relative strength strategies buy securities that have strong intermediate-term relative strength and hold them as long as they remain strong.

Last week’s performance (10/19/09 - 10/23/09) is as follows:

Pretty good week in relative performance for high relative strength stocks as the top quartile outperformed the universe returns. High relative strength stocks have had a good showing for three out of the last four weeks.