About

Ahead of the Curve provides analysis and insight into today's global financial markets. The latest news and views from global stock, bond, commodity, and FOREX markets are discussed. Rajveer Rawlin is a PhD and received his MBA in finance from the Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales, UK. He is an avid market watcher, having followed capital markets in the US and India since 1993. His research interests include capital markets, banking, investment analysis, and portfolio management, and he has over 20 years of experience in the above areas, covering the US and Indian markets. He has several publications in the above areas. He currently teaches business and management students at CHRIST University. The views expressed here are his own and should not be construed as advice to buy or sell securities.

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Time Series Analysis with GRETL

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Monday, 21 April 2025

Market Signals for the US stock market S and P 500 Index and Indian Stock Market Nifty Index for the Week beginning April 21

 

Asset Class

Weekly Level / Change

Implications for S&P 500

Implications for Nifty*

S&P 500

5283, -1.50%

Bearish

Bearish

Nifty

23852, 4.48%

Neutral **

Bullish

China Shanghai Index

3277, 1.19%

Bullish

Bullish

Gold

3341, 2.98%

Bullish

Bullish

WTIC Crude

64.01, 4.08%

Bullish

Bullish

Copper

4.71, 4.02%

Bullish

Bullish

CRB Index

296, 2.05%

Bullish

Bullish

Baltic Dry Index

1241, -2.59%

Bearish

Bearish

Euro

1.1391, 0.27%

Neutral

Neutral

Dollar/Yen

142.17, -0.93%

Bearish

Bearish

Dow Transports

13439, 0.22%

Neutral

Neutral

Corporate Bonds (ETF)

106.75, 1.44%

Bullish

Bullish

High-Yield Bonds (ETF)

93.72, 1.44%

Bullish

Bullish

US 10-year Bond Yield

4.33%, -3.64%

Bullish

Bullish

NYSE Summation Index

-540, 9%

Bullish

Neutral

US Vix

29.65, -21.06%

Bullish

Neutral

S&P 500 Skew

130

Neutral

Neutral

CNN Fear & Greed Index

Extreme Fear

Bullish

Neutral

Nifty MMI Index

Greed

Neutral

Bearish

20 DMA, S&P 500

5517, Below

Bearish

Neutral

50 DMA, S&P 500

5706, Below

Bearish

Neutral

200 DMA, S&P 500

5752, Below

Bearish

Neutral

20 DMA, Nifty

23170, Above

Neutral

Bullish

50 DMA, Nifty

22972, Above

Neutral

Bullish

200 DMA, Nifty

24051, Below

Neutral

Bearish

S&P 500 P/E

26.28

Bearish

Neutral

Nifty P/E

21.68

Neutral

Bearish

India Vix

15.47, -23.08%

Neutral

Bullish

Dollar/Rupee

85.43, -0.88%

Neutral

Bullish

 

 

Overall

 

 

S&P 500

 

 

Nifty

 

Bullish Indications

11

13

Bearish Indications

7

6

 

Outlook

Bullish

Bullish

Observation

 

The S&P fell and the Nifty rose last week. Indicators are bullish for the week.

Markets are crashing. Watch those stops.

On the Horizon

*Nifty

 

India’s Benchmark Stock Market Index

Raw Data

Data courtesy stockcharts.com, investing.com, multpl.com, nseindia.com, tickertape.in

**Neutral

Changes less than 0.5% are considered neutral

 


The S&P fell, and the Nifty rose last week. Indicators are bullish for the week. Markets have topped, and the bottom of this leg will likely be revisited near 4800 soon. We are transitioning into a deflationary regime. The sentiment is extremely fearful. Carry trade liquidation has resumed as the S&P is below the 200 DMA near 5750. The macro-environment was rapidly deteriorating even before these latest rounds of tariffs. The recent massive breakdown in transports is quite ominous, with profound recessionary implications. The Nifty has corrected significantly from recent highs and will likely end its outperformance soon. The 200 DMAs of most global indices have started declining after almost 4 years.

The past week saw US equity markets fall. Most emerging markets rose even as interest fell. Transports were unchanged. The Baltic dry index fell. The dollar was unchanged. Commodities rebounded. Valuations are expensive, market breadth rebounded, and the sentiment is fearful. Volatility (S&P 500) retraced lower.

A currency crisis should resume and push risky assets to new lows. Deflation is in the air, and bonds are telegraphing just that. It feels like a 2008-style recession trade has begun, with a potential for a decline in risk assets across the board. The current market is tracking closely the 2000 moves down in the S&P 500, implying a panic low right ahead in the upcoming months (My views do not matter; kindly pay attention to the levels). A dollar rally is a likely catalyst.

The S&P 500 is correcting from recent highs. We have bounced from recent lows without capitulation. This suggests the lows may not be in, and the regime has changed from buying the dip to selling the rip. We may get a final flush down soon. Risky assets should continue breaking to the downside as earnings growth falters. The Fed has aggressively tightened into a recession. Deflationary busts often begin after major inflationary scares. The Dollar, commodities, and bond yields are flashing significant warning signs.

Global yield curves have inverted a second time after the recent steepening, reflecting the arrival of a significant economic slowdownThis inversion, following the recent steepening of the yield curve, after the first inversion, is a precursor to the next recession, and the riskiest assets will underperform going forward under such conditions. 

The critical levels to watch for the week are 5295 (up) and 5270 (down) on the S&P 500 and 23950 (up) and 23750 (down) on the Nifty. A significant breach of the above levels could trigger the next big move in the above markets.  High beta / P/E will get torched again and is a sell on every rise. Gold increasingly looks like the asset class to own over the next decade (currently going parabolic). Gold exploded almost eight times higher over the decade following the dot-com bust in 2000. Imagine what would happen to gold as this AI bubble bursts. You can check out last week’s report for a comparison. I love your thoughts and feedback.

 

 

Monday, 14 April 2025

Market Signals for the US stock market S and P 500 Index and Indian Stock Market Nifty Index for the Week beginning April 14

 

Asset Class

Weekly Level / Change

Implication for S & P 500

Implication for Nifty*

S & P 500

5363, 5.70%

Bullish

Bullish

Nifty

22829, -0.33%

Neutral **

Neutral

China Shanghai Index

3238, -3.11%

Bearish

Bearish

Gold

3245, 6.89%

Bullish

Bullish

WTIC Crude

61.50, -0.79%

Bearish

Bearish

Copper

4.52, 2.75%

Bullish

Bullish

CRB Index

290, 0.68%

Bullish

Bullish

Baltic Dry Index

1274, -14.44%

Bearish

Bearish

Euro

1.1360, 3.70%

Bullish

Bullish

Dollar/Yen

143.51, -2.31%

Bearish

Bearish

Dow Transports

13410, 1.89%

Bullish

Neutral

Corporate Bonds (ETF)

105.23, -3.26%

Bearish

Bearish

High Yield Bonds (ETF)

92.39, -0.06%

Neutral

Neutral

US 10-year Bond Yield

4.50%, 12.40%

Bearish

Bearish

NYSE Summation Index

-591, -99%

Bearish

Neutral

US Vix

37.56, -17.10%

Bullish

Neutral

S & P 500 Skew

129

Neutral

Neutral

CNN Fear & Greed Index

Extreme Fear

Bullish

Neutral

Nifty MMI Index

Fear

Neutral

Bullish

20 DMA, S & P 500

5517, Below

Bearish

Neutral

50 DMA, S & P 500

5761, Below

Bearish

Neutral

200 DMA, S & P 500

5754, Below

Bearish

Neutral

20 DMA, Nifty

23008, Below

Neutral

Bearish

50 DMA, Nifty

22947, Below

Neutral

Bearish

200 DMA, Nifty

24052, Below

Neutral

Bearish

S & P 500 P/E

26.67

Bearish

Neutral

Nifty P/E

20.75

Neutral

Bearish

India Vix

20.11, 46.18%

Neutral

Bearish

Dollar/Rupee

86.19, 0.80%

Neutral

Bearish

 

 

Overall

 

 

S & P 500

 

 

Nifty

 

Bullish Indications

8

6

Bearish Indications

11

12

 

Outlook

Bearish

Bearish

Observation

 

The S&P rose and the Nifty was unchanged last week. Indicators are bearish for the week.

Markets are crashing. Watch those stops.

On the Horizon

China – GDP, Eurozone – CPI, ECB rate decision, UK – CPI

*Nifty

 

India’s Benchmark Stock Market Index

Raw Data

Data courtesy stockcharts.com, investing.com, multpl.com, nseindia.com, tickertape.in

**Neutral

Changes less than 0.5% are considered neutral

 


The S&P rose, and the Nifty was unchanged last week. Indicators are bearish for the week. Markets have topped, and the bottom of this leg will likely be revisited near 4800 once this oversold bounce concludes. We are transitioning into a deflationary regime. The sentiment is extremely fearful. Carry trade liquidation has resumed as the S & P is below the 200 DMA near 5750 and in freefall. The macro-environment was rapidly deteriorating even before these latest rounds of tariffs. The recent massive breakdown in transports is quite ominous, with profound recessionary implications. The Nifty has corrected significantly from recent highs and will likely underperform. The 200 DMA’s of most global indices have started declining after almost 4 years.

The past week saw US equity markets rebound. Most emerging markets rebounded even as interest rates rose. Transports rebounded. The Baltic dry index fell. The dollar fell. Commodities rebounded. Valuations are expensive, market breadth fell, and the sentiment is fearful. Fear (S&P 500) retraced.

A currency crisis should resume and push risky assets to new lows. Deflation is in the air, and bonds are telegraphing just that. It feels like a 2008-style recession trade has begun, with a potential for a decline in risk assets across the board. The current market is tracking closely the 2000 moves down in the S&P 500, implying a panic low right ahead in the upcoming months (My views do not matter; kindly pay attention to the levels). A dollar rally is a likely catalyst.

The S&P 500 is correcting from recent highs. We have bounced from recent lows without capitulation. This suggests the lows may not be in, and the regime has changed from buying the dip to selling the rip. We may get a final flush down soon. Risky assets should continue breaking to the downside as earnings growth falters. The Fed has aggressively tightened into a recession. Deflationary busts often begin after major inflationary scares. The Dollar, commodities, and bond yields are flashing significant warning signs.

Global yield curves have inverted a second time after the recent steepening, reflecting the arrival of a significant economic slowdownThis inversion following the recent steepening of the yield curve, after the first inversion, is a precursor to the next recession, and the riskiest assets will underperform going forward under such conditions. 

The critical levels to watch for the week are 5375 (up) and 5350 (down) on the S&P 500 and 22900 (up) and 22750 (down) on the Nifty. A significant breach of the above levels could trigger the next big move in the above markets.  High beta / P/E will get torched again and is a sell on every rise. Gold increasingly looks like the asset class to own over the next decade (currently above short-term resistance at 3200). Gold exploded almost eight times higher over the decade following the dot-com bust in 2000. Imagine what would happen to gold as this AI bubble bursts. You can check out last week’s report for a comparison. I love your thoughts and feedback.

 

 

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My Favorite Books

  • The Intelligent Investor
  • Liars Poker
  • One up on Wall Street
  • Beating the Street
  • Remniscience of a stock operator

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Economic Calendar

GMT-4   Event Actual Consensus
Tuesday, Apr 22
24h US IMF Meeting
Wednesday, Apr 23
09:45 US S&P Global Composite PMI 51.2
10:00 US New Home Sales Change (MoM) 7.4% Revised from 1.8%
10:00 US New Home Sales (MoM) 0.724M 0.680M Revised from 0.676M
10:30 US EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change 0.244M -0.700M
13:00 US 5-Year Note Auction
13:15 UK BoE's Governor Bailey speech
14:00 US Fed's Beige Book
14:00 UK BoE's Breeden speech
24h US IMF Meeting
Economic Calendar >> Add to your site

India Market Insight

My Asset Allocation Strategy (Indian Market)

Cash - 40%
Bonds - 20%
Fixed deposit - 20%
Gold - 5%
Stocks - 10% ( Majority of this in dividend funds)
Other Asset Classes - 5%

My belief is that stocks are relatively overvalued compared to bonds and attractive buying opportunities can come along after 1-2 years. In a deflationary scenario no asset class does well other than U.S bonds, the U.S dollar and the Japanese yen, so better to be safe than sorry with high quality government bonds and fixed deposits. Cash is the king always. Of course this varies with the person's age.