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Some Market "Fun With Numbers" From Art Cashin
Art Cashin shares this amusing market "performance" anecdote which should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the uber-volatile chaos that the stock market has become.
Fun With Numbers - A friend passed along some fascinating stuff from Michael Higley’s weekly “By the Number$” note. He begins with a review of the whipsaw nature of the S&P this year:
During the first 4 months of this year through 4/29/11, the S&P 500 gained +9.1% (total return). From 4/29/11 to 10/03/11 (i.e., approximately the 5 months that ended just 2 weeks ago), the S&P 500 lost 18.6%. But in the last 9 trading days through last Friday (10/14/11), the stock index gained +11.5%. The net YTD result for the S&P 500: down 1.1% as of 10/14/11.
Higley then notes some quirks about timing:
The S&P 500 is down 1.1% (total return) YTD through Friday 10/14/11. If you were out of the market for the 3 worst trading days of 2011, your YTD gain is +16.5% (source: BTN Research).
Naturally, there is a flip side to that coin:
If you were out of the market for the 3 best trading days of 2011, your YTD loss falls to 12.7% (source: BTN Research).
That certainly makes you think again about a buy and hold strategies. Always a novel nugget in BTN.
And for those needing yet another analogy for the stock market, here is a comparison of the European daily rumormongering Groundhog Day to that tried and true staple of efficient markets - the "Town Crier"
Town Crier Attempt Produces Market Tears - It is hard to believe in an age of Twitter and Facebook, but for hundreds of years, the closest thing to a news bulletin was the update from the Town Crier. You know the bit - “Hear Ye, Hear Ye. It is ten o’clock and all is well!” Simple. Reassuring but with little or no detail.
The European banking crisis seemed to have reverted to the Town Crier system on Monday. As markets were opening around the globe yesterday, the Town Crier announced that - “It’s October 17th and all is well.” He added that the EU Finance Ministers had set themselves a hard and fast deadline for a rescue plan for the banking system. That deadline was October 23rd, which is when the EU summit is due to convene. No details. No process revealed. Just a vague reassurance.
The initial reaction of the markets was an extension of the sigh of relief rally. But, when they realized the Emperor had no clothes, things headed south.
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Commit a felony, get a job. And some still don't believe Amerika is ass-backward.
What kind of future do we have when you don't have to wait until you get the job to commit the felonies?
These people just don't know how to delay gratification.
Art is a great guy, but he's touch is a little off.
"The S&P 500 is down 1.1% (total return) YTD through Friday 10/14/11. If you were out of the market for the 3 best trading days of 2011"
Lucinda Williams did a sweet one on "Those Three Days".
6 days...
like
... the number of talents of gold Solomon collected each yea
... the number of the beast
If, if, if...if your Aunt had balls she'd be your Uncle.
Looks like a 90% bad news day so get ready for the PPT sticksave by close.
Yet another market factoid to ponder Art, if you were in the market buy-and-hold since 1999, you havent gained jack shit.
"six hundred, sixty and six.."
in Hebrew, the number of his name, the Hebrew alphabet having numeric equivalency.
pimco was half right about the new normal...it is 2%...the daily moves in ES
Can anyone explain what the point of this Cashin note is?
http://www.wwbllc.com/commentary/2011/10/2/kurtosis-and-systemic-risk-policy-makers-need-to-get-a-clue.html