* Cycle status is based on S&P 500.

Market Overview – What We Know:

• Major indexes were mixed Thursday, as NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000 closed at new highs. S&P 500 and Value Line index pulled back from new closing highs made Wednesday, but Dow 30 lags while still holding below December 31 peak.
• To suggest more negative tone on Minor Cycle, S&P 500 must close below lower edge of 10-Day Price Channel (1830.79 through Friday). Intermediate Cycle remains positive until S&P seriously challenges lower edge of 10-Week Price Channel (1766.14 through January 17).
• VBVI, our VIX-based volatility indicator, backed off slightly Thursday, but remains toward “Overbought” territory at 88.40%. Indicator remains “Overbought” on larger Intermediate Cycle (96.22%).
• Daily MAAD was decidedly negative by 3 to 16 with 1 issue unchanged Thursday after indicator rallied Wednesday to best level since March 2009. But Daily MAAD remains above uptrend line stretching back to November 2012. Daily MAAD Ratio was last marginally “Overbought” at 1.29.
• Daily CPFL was positive by 3.13 to 1 Thursday and rallied to best level since October 9 short-term low. Indicator remains below June 11 short to intermediate-term peak, but margin relative to that high continues to shrink. Daily CPFL Ratio was moderately “Overbought” at 1.62.

Market Overview – What We Think:

• Frenetic market remains more positive than not on near term, but trend does not look particularly “solid” considering fact pricing in major indexes is mixed. S&P 500 merely eked out slightly higher closing high Wednesday while Dow 30 isn’t even in game, still holding below new high made back on December 31. Recent best performers have been NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000 with Value Line index coming in third.
• So either “strength” to new highs by all except Dow will eventually drag blue chip index upward, or “rally” since Monday’s lows will prove to be bullish bump fueled by weaker hands and Dow failure will be prescient.
• Simply put, without all of majors running on all cylinders on upside there will be doubts as to staying power of this market. Its true next larger Intermediate Cycle remains positive as does long-term trend, but as we’ve suggested frequently, it will be Minor Cycle that will ultimately ring death knell on both of larger cycles.
• For now Minor Cycle is sort of positive, but unless there is more buying to push all of majors to new highs, we cannot rule out possibility back and forth price action over past few weeks will prove to be topping action into intermediate-term high that could lead to reversal of at least uptrend since November 2012.

Note: Stop levels, a function of the extant trend, are based on the trailing moving average price channels for the Highs or the Lows of an index. Whether or not a specific index is suggesting a “Buy” or Sell” is determined by whether or not index prices are above or below the current channel Stop levels. Stop levels should only be used as an entry or exit guide and in conjunction with other market entry and exit strategies.

Next page: Indicator review

We are also updating the daily chart of both the Call/Put Dollar Value Flow Line (CPFL) and Most Actives Advance/Decline Line (MAAD) indicators every day and providing the most recent raw data so you can begin to plot the indicators on your own (see below). The weekly equity index indicator summary provides longer-term commentary based on these indicators.

The definitions of the indicators along with links to the original stories provide helpful background. Also, Robert describes these indicators in a recent I-Trade show presentation available online.

*Note: Unchanged issues are not counted.