"Because if you sell predicting a recession and there is none then the market has gotten way ahead of you without you and now you have to chase it."
My question is what if your a fund manager, you didnt sell and there is a recession...
There are quite a few classic signs stating that there is going to be a recession. The most telling one for myself is the new car sales statistics.
A fund manager has millions, sometimes billions, of dollars under management. There are quite a few fund managers at Fidelity who lost billions of dollars making Amaranth look tiny. One notable Fidelity fund manager had lost over 20 billion dollars for his customers in the years 2000-2001.
I can imagine an individual with a million or less in an account betting that there will be no recession and not selling. However, if your a fund manager with millions or billions under management, you have a responsibility to your investors to do the right thing. If you see classic signals of a recession, then you have to bring the cash into safe harbor. You cant just gamble the money as if this were a casino. You have to look at the signs. You cant just say "Its going to be different this time." It usually is never different.
Currently, the market is being bid up as if 2007 is going to be a banner year for growth. Unfortunately, the growth for next year will pale in comparison to 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Even if there is no recession, you are going to have a great pullback on your hands at some point in 2007. Many money managers are switching over to mid-large value names. The most telling sign is hedge funds starting to transfer their debt through bonds and not utilizing a bank.