For the last month, I’ve been warning about the possibility of a either a market pullback or bearish trend reversal. During this time, I’ve moved much of my own portfolio into cash while hedging my long term long holdings (primarily GE leaps). While the US stock markets have continued to rise, albeit at a slowing pace, technical analysis continues to indicate an ongoing deterioration. As Market Edge writes in this week's Market Letter:

“The technical condition of the market deteriorated once again last week as the Momentum Index remained in negative territory while the Strength Indexes fell further into bearish ground. While the DJIA was posting new recovery highs last week, negative divergences continued to develop suggesting that the move may be suspect. The 14-day RSI, which is a short-term momentum indicator, failed again to confirm the DJIA's recent high. Also, the Up/Down Volume Ratio for most of the major averages continues to lose ground. This indicator, which is a measurement of accumulation and distribution, typically tops out prior to a significant decline. Finally, the market is in a very overbought condition as evidenced by very high stochastic readings and the near record high level of stocks above their respective 50 and 200 day moving averages.”

For those of you who consider technical analysis to be some kind of "voodoo," my view is that there is almost always an underlying fundamental analysis explanation for technical phenomena. The big picture here is that the underlying US economy along with Europe,Canada, Mexico, and numerous other weak spots continue to grapple with high rates of unemployment and the high likelihood of growth rates well below potential output. The latest earnings reports have been mixed at best and have therefore not provided the necessary fuel for a strong breakout above current market resistance levels. The fact that the Dow broke through 10,000 and then fell back last week should at least be a mild warning sign to anyone who thinks this bull market may not be at risk.

My broader philosophy here is that it's better to protect the large gains many of us made since the March lows than to give back a significant chunk of that profit by engaging in unprotected trading during a period of high uncertainty when the risk of a pullback or Trend reversal is at least as high as a follow-through on the current bull market.

Last take: Check out the biotech penny stock DUSA. It just broke through a major level of resistance and is poised for a possible upward move.

Navarro on TheStreet.com
Click here to review my videos on TheStreet.com.
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Peter Navarro is the author of the best-selling The Coming China Wars, the path-breaking The Well-Timed Strategy, and the investment classic If It's Raining In Brazil, Buy Starbucks. Peter’s latest book is Always a Winner: Managing for Competitive Advantage in an Up and Down Economy.

Peter is a regular CNBC contributor and has been featured on 60 Minutes. His internationally recognized expertise lies in his "big picture" application of a highly sophisticated but easily accessible macroeconomic analysis of the business cycle and stock market cycle for corporate executives and investors. He is a Professor at the Merage School of Business, University of California-Irvine and received his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Professor Navarro’s articles have appeared in a wide range of publications, from Business Week, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal to the Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Journal of Business. His free weekly newsletter is published at www.PeterNavarro.com.

© 2009 Copyright Peter Navarro - All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

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