The Deep Woods: The New Volatility Explained

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our free e-letter The Deep Woods, or you purchased a product or service from its publisher, Eagle Financial Publications. [The Deep Woods] [Successful Investing]( [I]([ntelligence Report]( [Bullseye Stock Trader]( [About Jim]( In This Issue: - The New Volatility Explained - ETF Talk: Get in on the Booming Tech Industry with This Fund - The Cat and the Horror (A 9/11 Poem) - A Simple Formula The New Volatility Explained by Jim Woods Editor, [Successful Investing](, [Intelligence Report]( & [Bullseye Stock Trader]( 09/15/2021 Sponsored Content [Man Who Predicted Bitcoin In 2015: "This Is Bigger"]( Why are Billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Cuban & Michael Jordan Investing in This Odd New Technology? [Learn More!]( All of a sudden, the market is volatile… but why? That was one of the main topics of conversation I had with investors over the past couple of days at the Las Vegas MoneyShow. In fact, I fielded a lot of questions about why stocks wobbled last week, and that’s completely understandable. Fortunately, I was well-equipped to answer these questions. You see, when it comes to understanding the underlying reasons why markets behave as they do, you have to think a bit deeper than just the headlines. Indeed, that’s why I call this publication “The Deep Woods,” because it is here that we peel back the surface layers of the onion skin so that we can get deep into the real reasons why things are as they are. In doing so, we can get a much greater sense of where things might likely go in the future. That’s because when you have a good sense of why things are the way they are, you have an even better chance of being right about how things are going to be in the future. And when it comes to our money, knowing what is likely to happen going forward is essential to investing success. Your editor at the Eagle Financial Publications booth, Las Vegas MoneyShow. So, why did market volatility pick up last week? Well, first there were lingering concerns about the health of the economic recovery after the soft August jobs report and the increasing threat of a more “hawkish” shift at global central banks. Then there was a soft German ZEW Survey, which offset bullish Chinese export data. Politically, there was a Wall Street Journal article that warned corporate tax rates could rise before the end of the year, and that further pressured stocks. Another reason for last week’s volatility and subsequent selling was that the Treasury Department said the federal government would hit the debt ceiling in October, which was sooner than previously thought. The market will soon have to deal with what is potentially another volatility-inspiring political battle over raising the debt ceiling. And while I suspect the outcome here will be as it always is, i.e., yet another raising of the debt ceiling, there will be more volatility in markets as the battle on this issue in Washington rages. Finally, last week, stocks bounced around as derivatives trading continued to influence markets ahead of this week’s options and futures “quadruple witching” expiration. So, last week we had 1) Confirmation of Fed and global central bank tapering, 2) Tax hike headlines, 3) Debt ceiling warnings and 4) A series of earnings warnings related to the COVID-19 spike and subsequent margin pressures. Yet while all of these are legitimate headwinds, the first three issues we’ve known about for some time -- it’s just now the market has to deal with them as they are all coming to a head (tapering, tax hike headline risk and debt ceiling drama). However, none of these got materially worse last week, it’s just investors can’t ignore them anymore as a future risk. But while these events will continue to cause volatility, they are unlikely to be bearish gamechangers unless there’s a major surprise (accelerated tapering, massive tax hikes or a debt ceiling breach). The one headwind here that I am most concerned about is fundamental, and it is one that we have been watching closely and writing about every day in the "[Eagle Eye Opener](," our daily “insider” market briefing designed to give you this type of market analysis in your inbox every morning at 8 a.m. Eastern. That headwind is earnings, and last week, we saw numerous businesses from multiple industries (industrials, airlines, grocery stores) issue earnings warnings on a combination of reduced demand (airlines), supply chain issues (industrials) and margin compression (grocery stores). If expected earnings growth begins to suffer at the hands of inflation, supply chain issues or margin compression, then that is something more substantial we need to consider. The following is an excerpt from the "Eagle Eye Opener" dated Sept. 13, and it explains in detail why earnings growth is so important to understanding what could happen in markets next. The market is trading at 20X expected 2022 S&P 500 EPS of $220. That’s 4,400 in the S&P 500. But if expected 2022 EPS falls to $210, then the general market “ceiling” would be 20 * 210, or 4,200. That’s more than 5% lower from here. Worse still, it’s unlikely the market would trade at a 20X multiple if earnings expectations were falling, which would put a “reasonable” level of the S&P 500 even lower (around 4,000, more than 10% lower). Positively, a few earnings warnings don’t mean we’re going to see the overall EPS target for the S&P 500 materially cut. But this is a risk we need to watch closely, and you can be assured we will do just that. In sum, the declines in stocks last week weren’t because the outlook turned materially worse, it did not. However, at these levels and these valuations the S&P 500 has essentially zero room for error. And as investors are forced to digest tapering headlines, tax hike threats, debt ceiling earnings and other issues, we should expect more volatility and the chance of a quick 5%-10% “air pocket” remains very real. The bottom line here is that we all should expect to see more volatility in the coming weeks; however, more volatility doesn’t mean the end of the broader market rally. And with the help of this publication, and with the daily analysis subscribers get in the "[Eagle Eye Opener](," we can help you focus on making sure you can quickly differentiate between market “noise” and real, legitimate bearish gamechangers as we move towards Q4 and into the year's end -- and what can be better than that? [A New Way To Cash in on the Crypto Boom]( You don’t have to invest directly in cryptocurrencies to profit from the crypto revolution. In fact, you can do it using one little-known stock. Over 12 months, shares of this stock skyrocketed from just $6.06 to $73.03 -- a gain of 1,105% in just a year. In other words, had you invested $5,000 in this company a year ago, you could've had an extra $55,250 in your bank account today. [Click here to find out more on this stock.]( *************************************************************** ETF Talk: Get in on the Booming Tech Industry with This Fund Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:RYT) seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Information Technology Index. RYT provides broad coverage of large technology companies, but its equal-weighting skews it away from having a market-like portfolio. A pure market-cap benchmark would invest heavily in its top securities, which are the mega-caps in the tech industry. Instead, RYT allocates only a fraction of its overall assets to its top 10 holdings. This produces sector tilts such as an overweight to semiconductors and an underweight to software and information technology (IT) services. The index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis. Source: [Yahoo Finance]( RYT tracks an equal-weighted index of S&P 500 technology companies. The fund generally will invest at least 90% of its total assets in the securities that comprise the underlying index. The underlying index is composed of all the components of the S&P 500 Information Technology Index, which contains the common stocks of all companies included in the S&P 500 Index that are classified as members of the information technology services sector, as defined by the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). Source: [StockCharts.com]( The fund has amassed $2.8 billion in assets under management and an average spread of 0.6%. Its expense ratio sits at 0.40%, meaning it is relatively inexpensive to hold in relation to other exchange-traded funds. It has 74 holdings overall and a nice 0.84% distribution yield. As with any opportunity, I urge all potential investors to exercise their own due diligence in deciding whether this fund fits their individual portfolio goals. As always, I am happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to [send me an email](mailto:askjim@successfuletfinvesting.com). You just may see your question answered in a future ETF Talk. [How To Use Technical Indicators (The Right Way)]( Predictive analysis is revolutionizing the trading space as we know it. With high-accuracy forecasting, traders can dodge losses and squeeze the most out of gains. Our experts want to empower you with the knowledge and education to trade intelligently. Check out today's deep dive into cutting-edge, predictive technical indicators to see the tricks and tips you may not know about. [Click here to register for free.]( ***************************************************************** In case you missed it… The Cat and the Horror (A 9/11 Poem) There was a cat sleeping on my porch She didn’t know what I had witnessed The lacerated skyline of metropolis A bleeding out of her twin sons Flying lancets piercing steel hulls Black smoke seasoning the azure sky As the falling man descends to the concrete Incendiary ideas born in Bronze To please a prophet on a white horse Hatred of the good for being the good Crumbles a once-proud icon Falling ash blankets District streets A macabre concoction of concrete, bone, blood Fury rises in the giant’s heart Rage and revenge burn white Country targeted, let there be fight Two decades later, let there be flight There is a cat sleeping on my porch While the world remembers -- Jim Woods, September 11, 2021 *** Last week, we marked the 20th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. And yet the passing of two decades hasn’t been enough to fade our scars. And for me, those scars will never be allowed to fade. Etched on my personal black box are the memories I had circa 1999, when I checked in at the World Trade Center lobby to report to work at Morgan Stanley. The firm’s training program for advisers/traders took place in those Twin Towers, and in the weeks that followed I spent many an afternoon high atop the Manhattan skyline, learning the business inside the iconic monument erected to celebrate capitalism, Western achievement and the wealth of nations. Their boldness, their glaring simplicity, their twin-brother like stance and their defiance of the rest of the New York City skyline was all part of the reason the World Trade Center was targeted for destruction by forces whose primary directive is death to the infidel. On that day, when the blue skies were pierced by the stiletto insertion of commercial jets into the towers, I watched the events unravel from some 2,500 miles west. A condo nestled at the foot of the Hollywood Hills hardly seemed congruent to the billowing smoke oozing out of the structural siblings. The only connection in my mind was… my mind. A mind having been there just a couple of years earlier, wondering what it would be like to actually be there in that moment. Wondering if I would have been incinerated along with the roughly 2,600 other souls that were extinguished that day. Wondering if I would have acted heroically, the way so many did. Wondering if I would have succumbed to the cowardice that so often accompanies paralytic fear. I would like to think I could have been a hero. I need to think I would have been a hero. Fortunately, I didn’t have to find out. Instead, from afar, from the safety of Hollywood, I watched. All day, all night, I watched. Compelled by the horror; and compelled by the enormity. Thinking to myself, “Would this be the world from here on?” Would the world be plunged into war? At that moment, I wanted war. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to pound those responsible, and the philosophy that animated these acts, into a pulp. I still want to. I want to stoke the burn of that day. I want to remember the collapse of icons. I want to keep calling out the life-hating, celebratory death cult of ideas that is radical Islam, and I want to rejoice in its defeat. The scars of history must never be allowed to heal, and no salve of time should be permitted to mask the day America would be altered forever. For a special audio essay of this article, follow this link: “[The Cat and the Horror](.” ***************************************************************** A Simple Formula “Sitting Alone is better than walking with the wrong people.” -- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam What’s the secret to a happy life? Well, “happy” is different for everyone, but as humans, we generally share some basic characteristics and desires. Yet whatever our differences, there is one simple formula we can follow to enhance our existence. First, we can look at our interactions with others as a way for both participants to win, and not as a way for one party to defeat the other. Second, we should look to laugh along with everyone, and not laugh at anyone. Finally, we can employ the wisdom of former president of India, rocket scientist, writer and Renaissance Man, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, by choosing to surround ourselves with the right people, and by not engaging in futile relationships with the wrong people. Do these three things and watch your life improve immediately. Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. [Click here](mailto:askjim@successfuletfinvesting.com) to ask Jim. In the name of the best within us, [Jim Woods] Jim Woods Editor, Successful Investing & Intelligence Report About Jim Woods: [Jim Woods]Jim Woods is a 20-plus-year veteran of the markets with varied experience as a broker, hedge fund trader, financial writer, author and newsletter editor. Jim is the editor of [Successful Investing](, [Intelligence Report](, [Bullseye Stock Trader](, and The Deep Woods (formerly the Weekly ETF Report). 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