Cycles

I've posted two long term charts of the Nikkei and the S&P showing the 3 year cycles in the Nikkei and the four year cycle in the US markets.

In the first chart we see the secular bear in the Japanese market. It started with a 2 1/2 year decline from the late 89 peak to the 92 bottom and an initial loss of over 60%. What followed was a series of right and left translated cycles until the bottom in 03. That's a 13 year bear market. Notice the right translated cycles end very quickly and the left translated ones tend to just grind lower. Also notice the first counter trend rally ended in a right translated cycle and a vicious waterfall decline. The remaining cycles were all left translated and each successive 3 year low ended lower than the preceding one. The current cycle looks to be a left translated cycle or possibly a very shortened right translated cycle. It's also entirely possible the secular bear market in Japan isn't over yet. The slowing US economy has the potential to drag down the rest of the global economies. The action in the Nikkei is becoming rather ominous.

Now let's look at the US market. Here we see the same series of cycles only the US cycle is a 4 year cycle. We also see that right translated cycles have ended in violent moves downward even in a secular bull market. We see the cycle that topped in 2000 was a left translated cycle that ended the great secular bull market that started in 74. The normal 2- 2 1/2 year decline that followed is typical for first legs down in secular bear markets. During this decline the S&P lost almost 50% of it's value. We now have the third longest 4 year cycle in history. This cycle is now coming to an end and it's doing it in the overall context of a secular bear market. It's probably discounting a recession. Maybe even one that's already started. By the action in the Nikkei and China it may very well be discounting a global recession. This has the potential to be a very wicked bear move if it ends like other right translated cycles have ended and if it is in fact discounting a global recession.