The GMI closed at 5 on Friday, up from one day at +4 on Thursday. For the first time since last March we have had two days with more new lows than highs in my universe of 4,000 stocks. There were only 40 new highs Friday, and 50 new lows. Interestingly, the Worden T2108 indicator of stocks above their 40 day moving average 
fell to 46% after a mid-week low of just under 39%. This indicator is down from 80% in April and tells me that the market pendulum is smack in the middle between the extremes where tops and bottoms occur. Some market lows have occurred around the 30% level, but the large declines have typically occurred below 25%. The GMI-L indicator remains at 100% and suggests to me that as yet there is no longer term down-trend in sight. But the GMI-S is at 44% reflecting the short term weakness. Still, the QQQQ up-trend remains intact and is in its 47th day….
This week is a critical juncture for the market. A large decline will tip the GMI below 4 and I will get very defensive. I am trying to hold on to my covered writes until my call options expire on Friday. So far, my positions have held up well during this decline…..
All of this talk about rising long term interest rates is ignoring the continuing down-trend in the short term interest rate indicator. 
First of all, this decline means that the inversion in the yield curve is disappearing. But with the short rates turning down, is the Fed really intending to raise rates? Could it be that everyone is missing something here? In the past, a sustained rise in this indicator has telegraphed the Fed’s intentions to raise rates…….
In addition, the short term interest rate indicator I have been writing about fell yet again on Thursday and is approaching its weekly low. This indicator continues to suggest that the Fed is letting short rates fall. Anyway, why do they need to raise short rates when the bond market has already driven long rates up? Rising mortgage rates will do a lot to cool off this economy and the Fed will probably have to come to its rescue soon.
