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I've avoided the pandemic, politics and economic doomsday as topics recently because there's only so much one can say about them. This is especially true of the coming bear market.  Coming exactly when, you might ask? Of course, even the very best of us gurus is unlikely to produce the correct answer, other than in after-the-fact promotional material that shamelessly bends the truth.  My own technical work suggests the market may already have topped, since most of the major indexes have stalled within inches of Hidden Pivot targets I'd drum-rolled weeks or even months earlier. IWM, for one, has yet to surpass the 234.82 objective disseminated to subscribers six weeks ago.  A proxy for small-cap stocks, it peaked at 234.53 on March 15 and has sold off moderately since.  Similarly, a QQQ target at 337.10 that first appeared here five weeks ago caught the peak of a spike on February 16 that hit 338.19. And there was a well-advertised, very long-term DIA target at 327.27 that has been exceeded only slightly so far. Rotate This, Mack! Ordinarily I'd be pretty jazzed about all of these possible tops occurring more or less simultaneously and within easy distance of compelling Hidden Pivot targets.  I tend to rely solely on my charts rather than on my gut in order to be reasonably certain about market trends and turning points; but in this instance I am drawn to more subjective evidence. Specifically, the machine-like rotation of buying from one sector to the next that has been occurring routinely is evidence that the crooks who make their living at it are still very much in control of the game. Thus whenever stocks are falling, we can safely infer it is because the crooks are keen to accumulate them at lower prices. Rotation also provides an

The rabid mania that has seized the world of investables has gotten so much ink lately that I thought I'd explore an equally curious phenomenon with a far greater impact on our daily lives. Have you noticed how time seems to have taken wing during the pandemic?  Each Friday follows the last so quickly that, speaking as a man in his 70s who is rounding the final turn, I struggle to invent ways to keep the months and years from slipping away with equally alarming speed. I have a possible solution, one that could work for you as well that I will tell you about it in a moment. But first let me ask whether you’ve experienced the same thing yourselves. For me, the speed-up of time started to become unsettling when the interval between haircuts seemed to grow shorter and shorter. I typically let six weeks go by, but lately my hair has started to look pretty shaggy after only a few weeks. Or so it seemed. When I started recording the date of my last clip-job on an Outlook calendar, I discovered that what had felt like a mere three or four weeks since my last haircut was actually closer to the normal six weeks. Too Much Urology The same seeming compression of time has occurred in other areas of my life. Dental appointments spaced at four months have begun to feel as though they are popping up twice as often. Biannual visits to my urologist now stare me in the face seemingly every time I flip the calendar. I can hardly keep up with Outlook reminders to send out birthday cards, and yearly payments for life insurance, long-term care coverage and golf-club membership are coming due relentlessly. What could account for this feeling that time is accelerating?

DIA on Friday slightly overshot an exceptionally clear and compelling Hidden Pivot target at 327.27 that has been in play since mid-November, then closed above it. This does not bode well for bears because of the stellar quality of the ABC pattern, which should have shown precise stopping power. Regardless, we hold a few March 26 300 puts purchased last week for 0.86 and will continue to offer puts short at a lower strike for at least as much as we paid. This would lock in a no-risk vertical bear spread, but it'll take a 4-5 point pullback to get us filled.  Alternatively, a decisive push past 327.27 would put a 374.13 target (!!!) in play, presumably to be achieved via a continuation of the nearly vertical ascent begun from 182.10 a year ago. Here's the chart. _______ UPDATE (Mar 16, 5:58 p.m.): Although the major indexes are still in a topping range in relation to some Hidden Pivot targets I'd drum-rolled for as long as months, the so-far tiny overshoots could continue to torment bears. Alternatively, the broad averages could blast sharply higher, trashing my targets and leaving no doubt about whether even crazier prices are coming. Concerning DIA, even though its relentless rally gives no hint of weakening, I am uncomfortable telling you, simply, that it's bound for the wild blue yonder. To avoid such vagueness, here's a plausible pattern with a 343.38 target that lies about 4.5% above. It provides an intermediate objective that is not quite as ambitious as the 374.13 target given above. Finally, let me show you again how microscopically the very-big-picture target at 327.40 (slightly modified from 327.27) has been exceeded. Here's the chart. Investors looking for the return of sanity can only hope that it foreshadows the massive coronary that this overheated

Last week's steep vertical climb came within 0.67, or less than two-tenths of a percentage point, of a longstanding target at 234.82, maxing out the monthly chart. I'd suggested getting short in TZA to leverage a possible top, but it never made it down to the 28.86-28.91 level where subscribers were instructed to place a bid. The order will remain viable on Monday, but because odds are heavily against it, you should maintain a tight stop-loss initially at 28.69. Here's a TZA chart with a downtrending ABC pattern that corresponds inversely to IWM's bullish move. _______ UPDATE (Mar 16, 6:15 p.m.): Playing cat-and-mouse with TZA wore me out, but some subscribers reported getting aboard near Monday's low based on my downside target at 28.86. If so, take a small partial-profit so you can hold what remains without risking a loss. I cannot say with confidence whether TZA is at a major bottom, but IWM's so-far infinitesimally small undershoot of a corresponding rally target, a very major one at 234.82, suggests it's at least possible. ______ UPDATE (Mar 18, 5:38 p.m.): Finally, a day that bears could enjoy! The reversal in the early afternoon from a slight gain could spell trouble for the herd if it picks up speed and power ahead of the weekend.

The so-far low for this month at 297.45 just missed triggering a 'mechanical' buy at the green line, 294.75. If the Cubes should relapse to it in the weeks ahead, the trade would still be a 'go', subject to a sop loss just beneath C=260.11. Subscribers will notice that the 398.68 target of the pattern shown is somewhat higher than the already ambitious one at 377.14 presented here earlier. This is a lesser pattern, but I've given it precedence nonetheless  because it is more easily managed for trading purposes. Regardless of whether Mr Market gifts us with a pullback to the green line, the 398.68 target would become an odds-on bet to be reached following a decisive move past p=329.40. ______ UPDATE (Mar 16, 6:37 p.m.): Reading my last few touts for this vehicle, subscribers might not recall that a long-ago forecast nailed the so-far all-time high within three-tenths of a percent. The 337.10 target was dropped from subsequent touts and updates after QQQ peaked at 338.19 exactly a month ago. It has since recouped half of the steep plunge to 297 (!), but that hardly negates the possibility that a bull market top is in.  This update is simply to put 337.10 back on-the-record and to add heft to the still speculative idea that we are in a bear market.

We've been using a 66,880 rally target that comes from the weekly chart and which tripped a 'mechanical' buy signal down at 47,845 (stop 41,500).  However, the lesser pattern shown in this chart has a higher target at 69,172 that will give us more running room and a chance to get aboard belatedly, since the current long, with enormous entry risk, was originally proffered as a paper trade. The  nearly $7,000 swoon to the green line required to trigger the trade seems unlikely, given the steep, uncorrected pitch of the rally, but we may be able to craft a 'reverse ABC' set-up or a 'mechanical' bid at the red line to get us aboard. Stay tuned to the chat room if you're interested, and make sure the 'email notifications' feature on your account dashboard is turned on. _______ UPDATE (Mar 23, 6:41 p.m.): A fall to the green line would trigger a 'mechanical' buy, but because we're long already on paper, and because the opportunity has evolved into something less than stellar, I'll issue no new buy recommendation. The paper long from 47,845  remains tied to a 41,700 stop-loss, with half covered on 2/21 at p2=57,363 (daily chart, A= 7580 on 3/11/20). Its imputed cost basis is 38,327.  

May Silver is on a buy signal triggered March 4, when the futures touched the green line (see inset) after having popped ever-so-briefly above the red one a month earlier.  The price spike was caused by an effusion of Reddit/Robinhoodie hubris; however, the short squeeze they'd intended did not get very far. In retrospect, it is clear that they misjudged the heft of commodity silver as well as the fact that bullion's lazy bull market is on its own schedule and cannot be hastened with mere talk. Given the artificial nature of the February 1 spike, I suggested paper-trading the 'mechanical' buy when it triggered at 25.12. The position required a stop-loss just below C=21.99, implying initial risk of more than $15,000 per contract. In any event, the trade would be a winner if the futures reach p=28.27 without having dipped first below C=21.99. I have my doubts this will occur because a recalcitrant gold has been exerting downward pull on silver, but we should keep an open mind in any event. A two-day close above p=28.275 would indicate bulls have regained their mojo and are capable of pushing this vehicle to D=34.55.

DaBoyz have beaten down the lunatic sector pretty hard simply because they had to. With bubble chatter at 100 decibels, it became necessary to rotate Other People's Money into quieter places. The mere process suggests that 'they' have control and plan to take stocks higher. This will occur just as soon as investors return to their wonted state of obliviousness toward insane stock valuations and rampant speculation in every investable save bullion. To help distract us from the recurring idea that the Mother of All Tops is in, I will maintain my focus on the ambitious 377.14 target in this vehicle. Traders will also want to notice that if a selloff hits p=271.04 it would trigger an attractive 'mechanical' buy, stop 235.67. There are no guarantees 'D' will be reached, however, given the lengthy basing period at p. ______ UPDATE (Mar 10, 4:04 p.m.): DaBoyz gapped QQQ higher on the opening, but the relatively weak selloff suggests the uptrend is likely to continue. The thrust exceeded three minor 'external' peaks, adding to the hidden power of the move. Here's a  chart that shows it.

Bulls struggled last week to hold above a key Hidden Pivot support at 1702, but their failure to endure portends more downside over the near term to 1630.50. That's my worst case target for now, and although the chart pattern that produced it is highly unconventional, using a visually obvious 'marquee' high and a point 'B' low that failed to exceed any significant prior lows, it's all we've got. The pattern is certainly good enough for government work, meaning a tradeable reversal at or near D is highly likely. We will remain open-minded nonetheless toward the unthinkable -- i.e., a decisive breach of the 1630.50 pivot that would imply an eventual test of the 1467 watershed low recorded exactly a year ago. A relatively minor 'hidden support' at 1660.40 mentioned here earlier also remains viable and can be used to bottom-fish with a very tight stop-loss. Gold clearly does not like anything Powell has to say, even when his obfuscations suggest the Fed will continue to pursue inflationary policies with reckless abandon. So why doesn't bullion rally on that prospect? Perhaps it understands that the inflate-or-die effort is ultimately doomed. Even so, that is hardly a reason for bullion prices to have fallen relentlessly since last August's $2100 high. _______ UPDATE (Mar 8, 7:05 p.m. ET): A downside target at 1667.20 that I flagged in the chat room has surfaced as a possible "best case" for a turn. If you use  a 'reverse ABC' pattern to set up a trade, the A-B segment can be as tight as 10 points, provided you plant the point 'C' low within 1.00 point of the target. Here's the chart. ______ UPDATE (Mar 9, 4:29 p.m.): The futures have levitated themselves off a 1673 low that stranded our niggardly bid, but I have little