Mass Media Examples: Defying Stupidity, Do the Opposite

Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.
Saadi

Mass Media Examples of Stupidity

Updated June 2023

For the past few months, we continued to Google the Terms, Dow 19K, Dow 20K and Dow 21K. We got the most hits on the search term Dow 20,000, but the noise was not enough for us to take these developments too seriously. However, when we noticed that CNBC published two similar articles within 30 days, it was time to take note.

It is a known fact that when sites such as CNBC take a stance, your best bet is to take an opposing position or move to the sidelines. Too many sites are calling for a Dow 20,000, and the Dow has not even traded past 19,000, which means that the markets are more likely to head lower than higher.

All top sites like Barons, moneypress.com, Cnn.com, etc. have an uncanny knack for being in the wrong camp and at precisely the right time. The chatter calling for Dow 20 0000 has hit a level that is too much for us to ignore.

Mass Media examples Of Providing the Wrong Info At The Right Time

Dow 20,000 is coming this year, and here’s why: Strategist CNBC July 16, 2016

Dow 20,000? Don’t laugh. Bulls are alive and well Money.CNN Jul 15, 2016

Dow To Hit 20,000? ETFs To Play Yahoo Finance July 18, 2016

Dow hitting 20,000 soon? Wall Street says it will happen CNBC Aug 6, 2016

Wall Street’s New Target: Dow 20000 Wall Street Journal Aug 10, 2016

The Dow at 20,000 in a year is now the consensus forecast Market watch Aug11, 2016

Dow 20,000 in 2017? Maybe Kiplinger Aug 16, 2016

The Dow Could Reach 19,000 or Even 20,000 The Street Aug 18, 2016

In a very recent article, titled crude oil bottom likely to propel Dow higher we made the following comment

The consolidation in oil appears to be over and given their relationship, the Dow together with Crude oil could be gearing up to trade to new highs. Ideally, (but it is not necessary) the Dow would test the 17,800-18,000 ranges before making a break for 19,000.

When Mass Media tells you its time to buy; Be wary

This surge in bullish sentiment might provide the necessary impetus for the markets to let out some steam before attempting to trade to and past 19,000.

When mainstream media starts to jump on the bandwagon, we start to get nervous and so it is more likely that the Dow will test 17,800-18,000 ranges before surging to 20,000. This zone represents former resistance that has turned into support as indicated in the chart above.

Popular media outlets are just too bullish, and they are turning bullish after the market has surged to new highs; from a contrarian perspective, this is a negative development. The trend in all the indices is up, so the longer-term outlook is still bullish. Forget Dow 20,000 for now; the Dow is more likely to trade lower than surging to new highs.

Mas Medias Reaction to the Coronavirus April 2020 Update

This hysteria based sell off is producing one of the biggest buying opportunities in decades, more on that later.

In the short-term technical analysis cannot identify support levels because we are dealing with madness, and that is the reason, we added the new level in the anxiety index. What exacerbates the situation is that there is very little liquidity, look at the bid and ask price on some options they are unreal, for example, a bid of 1.40 and ask of 5.00. This provides a few big players with the opportunity to move the markets in whatever direction they see fit.

In the short-term technical analysis cannot identify support levels because we are dealing with madness, and that is the reason, we added the new standard in the anxiety index. What exacerbates the situation is that there is very little liquidity, look at the bid and ask price on some options they are unreal, for example, a bid of 1.40 and ask of 5.00. This provides a few big players with the opportunity to move the markets in whatever direction they see fit.

Mass Media is fuelling the hysteria, so the time to buy is now. Buy when there is blood on the streets and sell when the media is pushing the “its time to buy now story”

The Sentiment is far from positive

Insiders have been using this massive pullback to purchase shares, and one way to measure the intensity of their buying is to check the sell to buy ratio. Any reading 2.00 is considered normal, and below 0.90 is considered as exceptionally bullish. So what do you think the current ratio is; well, it’s at a mind-numbing 0.35, which means these guys are backing up the truck and purchasing shares.

So what are the readings today? Based on very heavy transaction volume, Vickers’ benchmark NYSE/ASE One-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is 0.33, and the Total one-week reading is 0.35. Insiders are not just buying shares, they are devouring shares. Insiders behaved in a similar fashion in late-December 2018, after stocks crashed on Christmas Eve; in early 2016, when stocks also corrected; and in late 2008/early 2009, at the depths of the Great Recession correction. Those were spectacular times to buy stocks. Insiders seem to be telling us that today offers a similar opportunity. https://yhoo.it/2TV0cE2

Consider the hour-glass; there is nothing to be accomplished by rattling or shaking; you have to wait patiently until the sand, grain by grain, has run from one funnel into the other.
John Christian Morgenstern