Bull Market Everywhere?

TLT has just marched from $114 to $124, without fanfare or untoward publicity. The Yen has rebounded and is starting to gain some upward momentum. At the same time, the SPY continues to hit new highs, all the while the jobs market and earnings come in less than stellar.

I’ve always been a huge advocate, almost to the point of worship, of the Federal Reserve–Benjamin “Blunt Smokin'” Bernanke and his miraculous beard. I was always at the forefront, reminding people what POMO meant for stocks and how a little cocaine never killed anyone, when applied to the markets of course. But even legends such as Ben need a day off, in this case a single month.

Yes, everyone thinks the market will trade down in May; therefore, as all laws of contrarian opinion go, the markets shall rise again. But what about the 6 month winning streak for the SPY? Surely, if the market is up for 6 straight months, there must be some “excess speculative fervor”, no?

According to the laws (don’t shoot the messenger) of seasonality, it doesn’t matter what you think or say. The month of May is siesta time for policy makers. It’s the time of year everyone long stocks finds God, begging for his forgiveness, so that he may grant respite.

I, myself, am a victim today, long both AMBA and RBCN into the sharpest of teeth. My largest position is cash; but I haven’t a solitary hedge. Therefore, it goes without saying, I am losing my shirt today. But there’s a certain feeling of exhilaration in today’s rout, one that demotivates me from acting in favor of watching.

So I shall watch, as the rats scurry about–in search for more cheese. In the meantime, 80% of stocks are lower today. The tape is much worse than the indices suggest.