Quote from zboy2854A:
Possible, but I disagree. First, I believe way too many people have come to rely on TA as a sole predictor, hence it is no longer as useful as it used to be. The more people know about and employ a certain strategy, the less effective it becomes, and TA has become WAY too popular in recent years, which is why for instance, we see so many more false breakouts and breakdowns, because everyone and their brother is watching the same support/resistance levels and technical indicators. And the markets will always behave in such a way as to benefit the fewest number of participants.
So that's why I don't put much stock (pardon the pun) in technical indicators or being a slave to the charts anymore.
From a fundamental perspective, based on the economy, the S&P has no business being up here, it should be closer to 400. But again, the markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent, so what has to happen over the long term has no bearing on what might happen over the short or medium term.
Right now, there are still too many people who "know" that the market has to fall, and are lining up to short it. Everyone watching the technical indicators and looking at market history, etc. sees the same thing, and it all is setting up too "perfectly", it's too easy. Therefore, in keeping with the truism that the markets will behave in such a way as to benefit the fewest number of participants, IMO the likeliest move for the markets would be a strong correction this month that scares the longs and emboldens the shorts, followed by a sharp turnaround and one final blistering run up through year end or early next year to new highs that burns the shorts and draws in all the remaining amateurs and general public that have still been sitting on the sidelines, fretting about having missed the huge rally since March.
Then once the last of the amateurs have piled in, and most of the shorts who were convinced the rally was over are confused and start to doubt themselves, that's when the market rolls over for good.
For the record, I'm currently short on the market, but my expectation is that this isn't the "big" drop yet, just a sharp, quick correction before one last hurrah higher. Doesn't mean I'm right, that's just what I'd consider to be the likeliest course of action for the markets to benefit the fewest number of people.