December/January 2018-2019 - Summary -


The month of January has seen the best start of the market ever, coming after the worst December ever. Volatility is the name of the game, and whether you`re a bear or a bull, i`d suggest to not fall in love with your positions and keep your leash tight. There`s plenty of opportunity for both the bears and the bulls to make money over the next 12 months, as long as you trade on a short-term basis.

Despite this January spike, I don`t see any fundamental changes in the U.S. economy, or any other western economy for that matter. The only thing that has changed are the news headlines, with every Trump staffer, including the man himself, making bald statements about the economy, about the Federal Reserve, about the U.S.-China relations and about new investments coming into the country.
These headlines do not change the fact that the fundamentals are still rotten, and need a proper deleveraging cycle before things look bright again. Deleveraging hurts, but it`s necessary. The only other alternative to deleveraging is hyperinflation, but I assume—and I hope—that governments decide to not take that route. Because one might think that they can control inflation and move it to a specific sweet spot of let`s say 15%-20%, but before you know it, prices will lead a life of their own and become completely out of control.

The bear market has just entered its 4th month, and I see at least a full year of damage and volatility ahead. This will be a year of trading, not investing. If you`re into that, you`ll have an amazing time ahead. If you don`t have the guts to trade, then I suggest taking a step back, go into cash (or precious metals), and sit out the ride.

I have shown a few charts that have long term potential to the upside (yes, i`m still trying to find bottoms, although it is getting extremely difficult). One of them is the German banking index, and one of them is the Chinese stock market. I am sure that they will outperform the S&P 500 over the next few years. Does that mean that they will rise? No, it can also mean that they will decline less than the S&P, but still decline. So, if you have a long term investment horizon and a healthy dose of risk appetite, i`d highly suggest to research these two a bit more.

Thank you for reading, and don`t forget to stay positive!


Robbert-John Sjollema




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