Nicholas_Santiago's blog

The market has staged a very impressive rally since the March 6th low. At that time the S&P bottomed at 666 and is now around 900. This massive rally has occurred in just two and a half months. Some talking heads in the media are now saying that this is the start of the next bull market. Many call a move of 20% or more a bull market and perhaps by that definition they are correct.

On March 6th the S&P traded as low as 666. This was a new 12 year low and since then it has rallied higher by over 170 points, trading as high as 845. Many so called market mavens have said the lows are in for the year. There is even talk that these are generational lows and the opportunity of a lifetime.

Throughout time, the markets have gone through ups, downs, peaks, valleys, highs and lows. Mark Twain said, "History does not repeat exactly, however, often it rhymes." This bear market, which began on October 11, 2008, is now being compared to the 1929 stock crash, which consequentially lead to the great depression. Perhaps this is a repeat of what took place some eighty years ago.

As Henry Paulson took office as the Treasury Secretary of the United States in mid 2006, succeeding John Snow, Goldman Sachs suddenly become a market leader.

In the mid 1990's a massive bull market took place.

Have you ever wondered why a stock rallied after reporting their worst earnings ever? Have you ever seen a stock drop like a rock after reporting blockbuster earnings? I'm sure the answer to both of these questions is a simple, yes. This happens endlessly in the market on a daily basis. By now you are asking why does that happen?

2008 will go down in history as the worst year on record for individual retirement account performances. Most 401k retirement plans and IRAs were down 40% on average for the year.

Cycles; Do They Repeat Or Rhyme?

Cycles have been repeating from the beginning of time. The use of our clock is a cycle. There are sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, two twelve hour cycles or twenty four hours in a day. The ancients used the moon cycle which is a twenty nine day cycle. The four seasons are a cycle of roughly ninety days for each cycle or season.