Bull Market Stage 3 Makes 1700s S&P Difficult

by Chris Ebert, Zentrader

The stock market will very likely behave much differently in the coming weeks than it has for a long, long time. That is because the current Bull market has lost momentum. In fact, momentum is so slow that there is barely any trend at all when one considers the movement of the S&P 500 over a period of several months.

Upward momentum has slowed to a pace at which Long Call option trading* is no longer profitable, and that is the first time the strategy has failed to profit since January 2013. Although the loss of momentum does not necessarily indicate that the longer-term bull market is coming to an end, it does have significant consequences. The end of the recent streak of profitability of Long Call trading indicates that the stock market has entered Bull Market Stage 3 – the “resistance” stage.

Click on chart to enlarge.

*All strategies involve at-the-money options opened 4 months (112 days) prior to this week’s expiration using an ETF that closely tracks the performance of the S&P 500, such as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY)

You Are Here – Bull Market Stage 3

Click Here for a complete chart of all Options Market Stages

Bull Market Stage 3 is known here as the resistance stage because once the market has entered this stage, recent market highs tend to become strong resistance if those levels are reached in the future.

It wasn’t all that long ago that the S&P was above 1700 and the Dow was over 15,600. For nearly all of 2013 stock prices have had upward momentum, and any pullback was followed by a rally which topped the previous highs. Sellers taking their profits at peak prices were met with ample buyers looking to cash in on the persistent upward momentum. But, now that the momentum has disappeared, traders are likely to be much more wary of buying stocks if the Dow and the S&P reach those levels again.

It is not impossible for stocks to set new records in upcoming weeks, but history has shown that such records do not come easily once Stage 3 has been reached. A rally back to those levels, if there is one, would likely stall at or near the record levels set several weeks ago. The stall is sometimes temporary. But there is a tendency for sellers to dump more stock at those levels than buyers are willing to purchase; and the result is often a significant pullback.

Preparing for What Will Happen Next

Bull Market Stage 3, while it represents a huge shift in emotions from the previous Stage 2, is itself not a big concern. It is, after all, still a Bull market. As such, it would not be surprising for stock prices to rally back towards the highs of August 2013, or at least toward the May 2013 highs since they are an easier target.

The danger in Stage 3 is that despite the possibility that prices may continue to rally, it can instead evolve into Stage 4 – the “correction stage”. Since every Bear market begins as a correction, the evolution from Stage 3 resistance to a Stage 4 correction is particularly concerning. Corrections can be healthy, but when they take a turn for the worse, a Bear market can reveal itself very quickly, sometimes in a matter of a few days or weeks.

For the upcoming week, ending September 7, 2013, Long Call trading will remain unprofitable unless the S&P 500 rises above 1711. If that were to happen, it would indicate a reversion back to Stage 2. It is interesting to note that 1711 would represent a new all-time high.

If new highs are not reached this week, Stage 3 will continue; and since new highs are improbable during stage 3, it would be very unlikely for the market to revert to Stage 2. Perhaps more probable is the possibility of progressing to Stage 4. If Long Straddle trading experiences extreme losses, beyond the historically significant limit of -6%, then Stage 4 could begin this week, and that would occur if the S&P falls below 1657. Since the S&P is already below 1657, it must rise this week in order to prevent the market from entering a Stage 4 correction. Thus, the most important question to be answered by the market this week is likely to be whether the S&P can stave off correction by rallying to at least 1657.

Click on chart to enlarge.

Once Stage 4 is reached, the market generally tests for a bottom – a support level at which buyers looking for bargains outweigh nervous sellers. A logical level of support when a market is experiencing a correction is a level that separates a Bull market from a Bear market. Since Covered Call trading has been an historically good indicator of the dividing line between bullishness and bearishness – profits signaling control by the Bulls and losses signaling that the Bears are in control – a market in correction often tends to seek out that line in order to test it. When a market is in the midst of a correction, there is nothing as precious to traders as confirmation that a support level will hold up when tested.

For the upcoming week, the dividing line between profits and losses on Covered Call trading is at S&P 1620. The worst case for the upcoming week would be for Covered Call trading to lose profitability, which would occur if the S&P fell below 1620, since that would be a strong indication of a bearish environment. But if the S&P finds support at 1620 it would be a strong indication that the Bull market would be expected to resume.

To summarize the Options Market Stages for the upcoming week ending August 31, 2013:

• S&P over 1757 indicates a return to Stage 1 lottery fever.
• S&P between 1711 and 1757 indicates a return to Stage 2 digesting gains.
• S&P between 1657 and 1711 indicates continuation of Stage 3 resistance.
• S&P between 1620 and 1657 indicates a Stage 4 correction is underway.
• S&P under 1620 indicates the presence of a Stage 5 Bear Market.
• S&P bouncing off 1620 is a strong Bull Market Stage 5 all clear signal.

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