More on Breadth Models
I’ve experimented with a few breadth models in the past. My hypothesis is that markets have become so efficient and correlated, that all (profitable) strategies break down into long vol or short vol profiles and at the end of the day, your profit will STILL be determined by the movement in the underlying. While utilizing an options structure might benefit or alter the structure of your payout, the extreme inefficiencies that once existed are probably gone and your ultimate profitability over the long run is determined by how well one forecasts’ the underlying.
So momentum jockies know this well and wait only for up-trending markets to trade. If that’s the case, then is momentum trading simply leveraged long in the underlying? Similarly mean-reversion strategies can perform extremely well in ‘stable’ environments and exceptionally well in high to low vol regime shifts but can easily get rocked in low to high vol environments.
Anyway, below is another simple model to forecast equities based on market breadth statistics. I like it cause it’s simple, green = short vol strategies, red = long vol strategies. The model just turned green, hopefully it’s the start of a new bull market! After trading through 08/09 and the recent Euro crisis, I much prefer low vol, uptrending markets. Profit margins may be thinner but far less stress.
Hi
Can u post this breadth indicator pls. Very interesting market timing approach.
thx
zhumingkealex said this on January 17, 2012 at 6:37 am |
In the first two paragraphs, you puts words to some of my thoughts. I could not have said it better.
GoodTrader (@GoodTrader1) said this on February 4, 2012 at 4:46 pm |
[…] and the relative level of implied vol to realized vol of the S&P. I discuss breadth models here. I should state flat out that I have a huge bias to shorting volatility. It just […]
Volatility Trading Update « Largecaptrader.com said this on May 6, 2012 at 5:27 pm |
[…] as a follow up to previous post, I did a similar study on SPX movements using my primary breadth indicator that I follow, looking for number of occurrences of the 1 day Average True Range of SPX was less […]
Little More on Black Swans « Largecaptrader.com said this on July 31, 2012 at 10:52 pm |
[…] an opportunity to use other asset classes for signals or inputs into timing volatility. I use a breadth measure. Like anything, it’s right sometimes and wrong sometimes, it’s important though […]
Conversations with Volatility Traders | Largecaptrader.com said this on July 13, 2013 at 8:09 pm |