The Dow Jones Industrial Average blew past the psychologically important 12,000 level yesterday. What a feat! But what's next?

1. By- Michael Lombardi
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2. • The Dow Jones Industrial Average blew past the psychologically important
12,000 level yesterday. What a feat!
• Less than a month ago, on October 4, 2011, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
was at its lowest level since September 2010: 10,400. The widely followed stock
index has gained 1,800 points, or 17.3%, in less than a month.
• I know that everywhere you look in the media today you will read and hear that
the stock market took off yesterday because European leaders and European
banks have agreed to a bailout to save Greece. But this is not the real story as to
why the stock market ploughed through the 12,000 mark—only inexperienced
market watchers can be crediting activities in Europe.
• The real story here, the reason stocks have risen so sharply from the beginning of
October, is that the stock market became so oversold. How quickly we forget.
The stock market had a terrible summer. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
collapsed more than 400 points on several days in August.
•
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3. • The stock market simply became severely oversold. When you have stock market advisors
turning to their most bearish level since March, 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
will simply propel the other way. Never forget—in the majority of cases, the market does
the opposite of what is expected of it. When the majority of investors and stock advisors
are bullish, the market will go down. When the majority of market players are bearish, the
market will rise.
• Let’s face the facts. At a level of 10,400, the Dow Jones Industrial Average produced a
dividend yield of three percent. Compared to a three-year U.S. T-bill yield of 0.52%,
stocks were a bargain. And that’s exactly what I been yelling about since the summer
(Stock Market & Gold: An Opportunity Like We’ve Never Seen Before?).
• “So Michael, where do stocks go from here?”
• I believe stocks will continue to rise in the immediate term. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average has momentum to move higher. I believe word is spreading that stocks are a good
alternative to other investments. As stock prices rise, more stock advisors will turn bullish.
And this exactly what this secular bear market wants—more investors to get back into
stocks.
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4. • Where the Market Stands; Where it’s Headed:
• I’ve been writing in this column about the Dow Jones Industrial Average getting back up
over the 12,000 and that’s exactly what we got yesterday. In a “huge” move, the Dow
Jones Industrial Average propelled yesterday to 12,208. The world’s most widely stock
market index is up 5.6% for 2011, not including dividend payouts. This market is looking
more and more like 2010’s all over again (Today’s Stock Market: Making Money by
Copying Last Year’s Action).
• It has long been my belief that we are in a bear market rally that started in March 2009.
That rally will take stocks higher first, before the bear market enters Phase III of its cycle.
• What He Said:
• “Consumer confidence does not change overnight. In the U.S., 70% of GDP is based on
consumer spending. And in my life, all the recessions I have seen or studied have only
come to an end when consumers started spending. With consumer sentiment getting
worse, and with the U.S. personal savings rate at near record lows, it may take two or
three years for consumers to start spending again.”
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