The Market Decline of 2010 - A Recap of My Expectations

Confusion reigns re my market perspective and expectation; this occurs because readers (and my site's aggregator) do not bind my separate posts into one distinct thesis. This all is my fault, though. Please view this post as both a re-cap and FAQ (of sorts).

The general market should decline and base through the first 6-9 months of 2010;

Initial thrust down should carry to ~875 (S&P); the possibility exists for a deeper decline. (Ominous tops prevail, across all the periodicities.);

This particular oscillation (decline) is part of a (long-articulated) high level consolidation, now ~12 years old with 5-10 years left to run;

None of this action should qualify as a surprise; it is a part of the markets' omni-present oscillations;

Individual stocks, groups, and sectors should rise during the decline, even to new all time highs;

Sector analysis and timing should prove of paramount importance. Purchase the strongest sectors, the true leaders, during declines to short and intermediate term support;

Expect a positive (bullish) resolution later this year; possibly calendar Q3, probably calendar Q4.

Own the leaders, the best of the best, the crème de la crème.

Make money from your long investments.

Look back and smile at the balance in your life the decline created. You need not swing at every pitch, invest in all market environments.

These separate threads make up one giant tapestry; none stands alone and apart. Price vs. value; risk vs. opportunity; sector opportunity vs. buy & hold. As an investor, I always seek investment opportunities; they always exist.

My comments re the markets, though, could become less frequent while I monitor market behavior. I anticipate few if any long side purchases in the coming weeks -- especially during February, which I expect will prove especially hellacious (difficult, tough... down hard). Nonetheless, I have articulated many investment ideas, and continue to favor several of them. One theme recently discussed is the notion of large cap multi-nationals: Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and McDonalds (MCD) are two excellent long term investment opportunities; each remains in its primary, long term up trend. Investors should expect a difficult row to hoe in the short and intermediate term.

Which means now is the time to perform due diligence on all those exciting investment opportunities... which is precisely what I plan to do in the coming weeks and months.

Full Disclosure: Long Colgate-Palmolive and McDonalds.