We have had some inquiries about our “Gong Model.”  They say that no one rings a gong at the bottom, so our marketing department thought this was a cool name.  This article showed a good description of the last time the Gong sounded.

Many traders are seeking “oversold signals” and calling the bottom.

The Gong is not now signaling a bottom, and it is not close.  The Gong model has two parts.  First the hammer must be drawn back, and we are not yet at that stage, nor close to it.  Second, the mallet must come forward.  We’ll provide some updates.

Can We Be Wrong?

Of course.  We can certainly be wrong.  If tomorrow’s payroll number is surprisingly good, given the +/- 100K confidence interval, the market could rally by a couple of hundred Dow points on a report showing surprising strength.  Our report on The Gong, and other methods, are available to readers on request.

Our intermediate-term outlook has grown increasingly bearish over the last month or so, as documented in our participation on the TIckerSense blogger sentiment poll.  We have reported this both there, and on the weekly updates of our TCA-ETF system.

It is entirely possible that we will have a rally without The Gong.  Also, the gong model gives an entry signal, but not an exit.  We have searched hard for the ultimate bottom-calling method, but we are realistic.  It is not easy.

The Importance of Time Frames

While our system signals have been negative, we have been less convinced by the fundamentals.  In our programs, we have the system (affectionately called the “Vince Model”) and the fundamentals, (called the “Jeff Model”).  The time frames are different.  The “Jeff’” model is geared to the long-term investor and has a great long-term record.  It is thematic, and the themes have worked over a period of more than ten years.  It is not a trading system, although we obviously try to find the most promising stocks and sectors.  We currently believe that people have become far too negative about the economy and economically sensitive stocks.  Vince sees more pain in the near term.

Readers may be interested in our discussion of the importance of time frames.  We also have written about how a single trade can have two winners — those who have different time frames or investment objectives. It is not just a question of the immediate stock reaction.

Conclusion

In a difficult market it is important to have one’s primary objective in mind.  Traders and investors can reach different conclusions.  One theme is the reaction of the individual investor — scared out at market bottoms.

Is this the bottom?  Probably not, but that does not mean bailing out of one’s retirement account.  We have a nice list of attractive stocks with good valuations.  When the Gong sounds, we will get more aggressive.