.."3) Rules has changed, you can't short the key financial shares. "...
This upward boost from this is over (short covering, ie see SKF, back to where it started), stocks have gone down in the past just from normal selling.
Frankly, I think Oct 1987, comes to mind !
If no recession, yes XLF may have bottomed, so if the CPI and employment come out better than expected, then maybe.
Otherwise I dont think so.
Food inflation leads headline inflation by 12 months, and that party is not over !