Thursday, May 24, 2012

Not enough panic?

As stocks have descended in the last few weeks, investor sentiment measures have moved into zones indicating excessive fear. As an example, the Citigroup Panic/Euphoria model is in the "panic" territory, which is contrarian bullish.


Numerous other indicators, such as the Ticker Sense Blogger Survey, to which I contribute and voted "bearish" last week, also confirms the observation that there are too many bears.


Watch what they do, not what they say
What's bothering me is that while all these sentiment surveys point to excessive bearishness, market based indicators such as the VIX Index is not showing very much fear at all.


Remember, what what they do, not what they say. While I have written before that this market is deeply oversold and due for a relief rally, these readings are suggestive that there is more downside before we see an intermediate term bottom.




Cam Hui is a portfolio manager at Qwest Investment Fund Management Ltd. ("Qwest"). This article is prepared by Mr. Hui as an outside business activity. As such, Qwest does not review or approve materials presented herein. The opinions and any recommendations expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or recommendations of Qwest.

None of the information or opinions expressed in this blog constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or other instrument. Nothing in this article constitutes investment advice and any recommendations that may be contained herein have not been based upon a consideration of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient. Any purchase or sale activity in any securities or other instrument should be based upon your own analysis and conclusions. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Either Qwest or Mr. Hui may hold or control long or short positions in the securities or instruments mentioned.

No comments: