By Elliott Wave International

When it's sunny, you head outside without a thought, but when it's rainy, you look for your umbrella.

When the markets are trending up, you don't worry about your investments much, but when the markets turn bearish ... what do you do?

In an interview with Jeff Sommer of The New York Times in July 2010, Robert Prechter said that he is convinced that a "market decline of staggering proportions" is on its way, and that individual investors should get out of the market and into cash and cash equivalents, such as Treasury bills.

"I'm saying: 'Winter is coming. Buy a coat,'" Prechter said. "Other people are advising people to stay naked. If I'm wrong, you're not hurt. If they're wrong, you're dead. It's pretty benign advice to opt for safety for a while."

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Elliott Wave International President Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent analysis and forecasts from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

For more specific advice as to why now is not the right time to speculate in stocks, here's an excerpt from chapter 20 of Prechter's business best-selling book, Conquer the Crash -- You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression, 2nd edition 2009.

* * * * *

Should You Speculate in Stocks?

Perhaps the number one precaution to take at the start of a deflationary crash is to make sure that your investment capital is not invested “long” in stocks, stock mutual funds, stock index futures, stock options or any other equity-based investment or speculation. That advice alone should be worth the time you spent to read this book.

1. Stocks May Go to Near Zero

In 2000 and 2001, countless Internet stocks fell from $50 or $100 a share to near zero in a matter of months. In 2001, Enron went from $85 to pennies a share in less than a year. These are the early casualties of debt, leverage and incautious speculation. Countless investors, including the managers of insurance companies, pension funds and mutual funds, express great confidence that their “diverse holdings” will keep major portfolio risk at bay. Aside from piles of questionable debt, what are those diverse holdings? Stocks, stocks and more stocks. Despite current optimism that the bull market is back, there will be many more casualties to come when stock prices turn back down again.

2. Stock Mutual Funds Will Fall, Too

Not only will many stocks fall 90 to 100 percent, but so will a substantial number of stock mutual funds, which cannot exit large equity positions without depressing prices and which have the added burden to you of one percent (or more) annual management fees. The good news is that we will finally find out who the few truly good fund managers are and which ones were heroes by virtue of being around for a bull market.

3. The Fed Won't Be Able To Save the Stock Market

Don’t presume that the Fed will rescue the stock market, either. In theory, the Fed could declare a support price for certain stocks, but which ones? And how much money would it commit to buying them? If the Fed were actually to buy equities or stock-index futures, the temporary result might be a brief rally, but the ultimate result would be a collapse in the value of the Fed’s own assets when the market turned back down, making the Fed look foolish and compromising its primary goals, as cited in Chapter 13. It wouldn’t want to keep repeating that experience. The bankers’ pools of 1929 gave up on this strategy, and so will the Fed if it tries it.

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Elliott Wave International President Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent analysis and forecasts from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

By Elliott Wave International

On Aug. 12, volatile market action coincided with a technical signal called the Hindenburg Omen, whereby a relatively high number of new highs and lows in individual stocks occur at the same time.

This indicator instantly gained an enormous amount of media attention. So we sat down with Steve Hochberg, EWI's chief market analyst and close colleague of Robert Prechter, to ask him about the now-infamous Hindenburg Omen.

EWI: Steve, recently a market indicator called the Hindenburg Omen has been in the news, what is going on?

Steve Hochberg: Discussion of this indicator certainly has been everywhere. Someone emailed us and said they even saw it mentioned on the front page of the Drudge Report! Look, headline-grabbing names grab headlines. Essentially it measures the fractured nature of market action. Over the years, we've discussed numerous times in our publications how a fractured market is oftentimes an unhealthy market. The multiple non-confirmations registered at the recent August 9 stock high, which we talked about in the Short Term Update, are another manifestation of this bearish behavior. The message is consistent with how we view the Elliott wave structure.

EWI: Why are people interested in this particular indicator?

SH: That's a good question, and it speaks to a broader issue, viz., the "re-emergence" of technical analysis into the mainstream consciousness of market participants. In Prechter's Perspective, Robert Prechter discusses the timing of the popularity of technical analysis, of which Elliott waves, or pattern recognition, is the highest form:

"In long term bull markets, no one really needs market timing because the market is always going up. This was true during the 1950s and 1960s, a period of market strength. And it has been mostly true since 1982. From 1966 to 1982, though, the market was very cyclic, so investors couldn't sleep like babies with a buy-and-hold blanket like they do today."

The S&P 500 has a negative return over at least the past 12 years, so investors are naturally questioning the "broadly diversified, buy and hold" stance advocated by 90%+ of investment advisors. EWI subscribers are way ahead of the mass of investors because as the bear market progresses, the media should show increased focus on technical analysis, including patterns such as head-and-shoulders as well as trendlines, moving averages and, yes, even Elliott waves, just as they did during the last great bear market from 1966 to 1982. It will be an exciting time for those with even a cursory knowledge of the technicals.

EWI: So, what are you seeing now?

SH: Obviously we cannot give away our analysis, but the wave structure is clear, the myriad indicators we keep offer compelling confirmation and the market is accommodating our forecast. If readers have any interest in what this means for not only the stock market, but also all other markets, please give us a read to see if our work might be useful in helping to formulate your investment portfolio. We think it will be a worthwhile endeavor.

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Elliott Wave International President Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent analysis and forecasts from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

"The EMH is not only dead," writes a July 29, 2010 news source. "It's really, most sincerely dead." (Minyanville)

As to what caused the theory's collapse -- one recent business journal offers this insight:

"Financial markets do not operate the same way as those for other goods and services. When the price of a television set or software package goes up, demand for it generally falls. When the prices of a financial asset rises, demand generally rises." (The Economist)

Here's the thing. SIX years ago, Elliott Wave International president Bob Prechter pronounced the exact same finding in his April 2004 Elliott Wave Theorist. (Read that full-length publication today, absolutely free by clicking on the hyperlink) In that groundbreaking report, Bob presented the compelling picture below that shows how investors increase their percentage of stock holdings as prices rise, and decrease them as prices fall:

The next question is why? Answer: Motivation: i.e. the purchase of goods and services is about need; while the purchase of stocks is about desire. Here, Bob Prechter's 2004 Theorist takes the rein:

"The fact is that everyday in finance, investors are uncertain. So they look to the herd for guidance. Because herds are ruled by the majority -- financial market trends are based on little more than the shared mood of investors -- how they feel -- which is the province of the emotional areas of the brain (limbic system), not the rational ones (neocortex)... Buyers, in a rising market appear unconsciously to think, 'The herd must know where the food is. Run with the herd and you will prosper.' Sellers in a falling market appear to unconsciously think, 'The herd must know that there's a lion racing toward us. Run with the herd or you will die.'"

Prechter and contributor Wayne Parker then expanded on his landmark observation in the 2007 Journal of Behavioral Finance. (Also available, absolutely free by clicking on the hyperlink)

In the end, it's not enough to just tear down the long-standing EMH. One must build another, more accurate model up in its place. And in the 2004 Theorist, Bob Prechter does just that with the Wave Principle, which reconciles the technical and psychological sides of stock market behavior into this key point: Herding impulses, while not rational, are also NOT random. They unfold in clear and calculable wave patterns as reflected in the price action of financial markets.

As the mainstream media continues to jump on board Prechter's Financial/Economic Dichotomy Theory, you can read both of Prechter's original writings. Enjoy your complimentary access to the 2004 April 2004 Elliott Wave Theorist and the 2007 Journal of Behavioral Finance.

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent quotes from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

Prechter said that when the Elliott wave count and a head-and-shoulders pattern are saying the same thing about the stock market, it's best to pay attention.

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent quotes directly from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

Here's how the August issue of the Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, the sister publication to Prechter's Theorist, described the head and shoulders pattern unfolding in the stock market:

"The weekly Dow chart [below] shows the development of an intermediate-term, head-and-shoulders pattern from the January high at 10,729.90 to the present. The January high marks the left shoulder, the April 26 high at 11,258 is the head, and the right shoulder is now ending. The April [Theorist] discussed the pertinent characteristics that Edwards and Magee used to define this technical pattern ... all apply to the current formation. Observe how weekly stock trading volume has contracted during the development of the right shoulder, a necessary trait of this pattern. The downward-sloping neckline -- exactly as on the big ten year pattern -- displays market weakness, which is consistent with our interpretation of the wave structure."

This chart shows the head-and-shoulders pattern.

Here's what Robert Prechter himself said in a recent Elliott Wave Theorist:

"Generally, when the neckline slopes downward, the right shoulder does not rise to the level of the left shoulder ..."

Please look at the chart again -- then re-read Prechter's quote.

Read some of the latest nuggets directly from Robert Prechter's desk -- FREE. Click here to download a free report packed with recent quotes from Prechter's Elliott Wave Theorist.

By Elliott Wave International

To be a successful trader demands knowledge.

If you'd prefer to become an unsuccessful trader, you can start by making the following common trading mistakes, detailed by a professional who spent 25 years in portfolio management, trading and forecasting in the financial capital of the world, New York City.

In 2002, Wayne Gorman, long-time Elliott wave trader and current head of trader education at Elliott Wave International, left his 35th floor Manhattan apartment and moved to the quiet of North Georgia. He's been sharing his knowledge and skills with aspiring traders ever since -- in both online seminars and before live audiences around the world.

Wayne graciously agreed to a Q&A about trading mistakes. In his interview, Wayne reveals seven common mistakes traders make.

--------

EWI: Could you name two mistakes frequently made by stock traders?

Wayne Gorman: (mistake 1) The first big mistake is the flawed logic of extrapolation. Many traders and investors assume that a trend will remain in force until an "event" comes along to change it. But market trends are not like billiard balls on a pool table. This false assumption will put you on the wrong side of the market more times than not, especially at major turning points.

(mistake 2) The second big mistake is to suppose that news events drive market trends. In fact, the opposite is true: economic, political and social events lag market trends.

EWI: What are two common mistakes among options traders?

WG: (mistake 3) One common mistake is to buy puts or calls that are way "out of the money," with no other transactions to compliment them. Unless your timing is absolutely perfect -- and who has perfect timing? -- your chance of success is low. It’s like buying a lottery ticket.

(mistake 4) Another common mistake is to buy options with too little time left to expiration. With less than one month to expiration, the time decay begins to accelerate and the chances of success diminish.

EWI: Please name a frequent mistake among traders who aim to catch the beginning of a particular Elliott wave.

WG: (mistake 5) In the middle of a corrective pattern, it's common to run out of patience while waiting for confirmation of a trend change. You have to give corrective patterns time to unfold before you jump in. This requires discipline, and a solid understanding of the many ways corrective patterns can unfold.

EWI: What's the biggest misconception among traders about using Elliott waves?

WG: (mistake 6) Too many traders think Elliott wave is a trading system that tells you exactly where to enter and exit a particular market. That's the biggest misconception. The reality is that it's an analytical and forecasting tool, which helps you develop and use your own trading system, based on your own personal risk tolerance.

EWI: What technical indicators do you believe traders over-rely on, and why?

WG: (mistake 7) Traders tend to over-rely on momentum indicators such as RSI, Stochastics and MACD to precisely spot turning points. But to paraphrase Mark Twain, markets can stay overbought or oversold a lot longer than either you or I can remain solvent.

EWI: How would you characterize today's market action, and do you teach courses that address this environment?

WG: This is a difficult stock market in the near term. Prices haven't strayed far from where they began in January. The action has yet to break out significantly to the downside or upside. This situation may not last much longer. I can suggest these online courses to deal with the current situation, and to prepare for the next big move:

• How to Spot Trading Opportunities, Parts 1 and 2
• How to Trade Choppy, Sideways Markets
• 5 Options Strategies Every Elliott Wave Trader Should Know
• Trading the Line – How to Use Trendlines to Spot Reversals and Ride Trends

By Elliott Wave International

The single most convenient untruth about the 2008 (and counting) financial crisis is that it was unforeseen. For two years policymakers have insisted "There was no way to know ahead of time" that the liquidity boom would come to a screeching halt. Back in November 2008, in fact, the usually tight-lipped Queen of England herself publicly described the turmoil of international markets as "awful" and openly asked a panel of experts from the London School of Economics "Why did nobody notice?"

Her Majesty is right: Most financial authorities did NOT notice the crisis before it was too late. Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" of all places provided the most poignant evidence: A March 2009 video montage shows executives and economists from the world's leading financial firms repeatedly forecasting continued upside strength in stocks, plus renewed bull market growth in financials -- right as debt markets came unhinged and the US stock market headed into a 50%-plus selloff.

Dubbed the "8-Minute Rap" (after the "18-Minute Gap" of Nixon's Watergate tapes), the Daily Show video feature sent an equally powerful message, as the clip below makes plain.

Yet even as the mainstream authorities failed to detect the economic earthquake moving below their own feet, somebody did "notice" well in advance. That person was EWI's president Bob Prechter.

The clip below is from a 2007 Bloomberg interview. Clear as PLAY, the foreseeable nature of the crisis emerges from Bob's October 19, 2007 interview.

As the historic trend change began to unfold, Bob issued this timely insight:

"We've seen the first crack in the credit structure with a huge drop in commercial paper... These are the harbingers of a change toward the downside for the stock market, commodities including oil, and the debt market itself."

Don't believe the convenient untruths. Get objective market analysis today. Download this free report that contains valuable market forecasts directly from the desk of Bob Prechter.

Stress test results for the biggest European banks were recently released, while the largest U.S. banks took their first stress tests in May 2009. But most people don't really care how much stress their banks are under; they are more worried about their own stress levels. One thing that adds to personal stress is worrying about whether their deposits are in a safe place. Bob Prechter has encouraged people to find the safest banks for their money since he originally wrote his New York Times best-selling book, Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression in 2002. This excerpt explains why banks of all sizes are riskier than they used to be (think about portfolios stuffed with derivatives, emerging market debt and non-performing commercial loans). You can also get a list of the Top 100 Safest U.S. Banks -- two banks per state -- that was just updated in late June with the latest available data by joining Club EWI and receiving EWI's Safe Banks report.

* * * * *
Excerpted from Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression, by Robert Prechter

Many major national and international banks around the world have huge portfolios of “emerging market” debt, mortgage debt, consumer debt and weak corporate debt. I cannot understand how a bank trusted with the custody of your money could ever even think of buying bonds issued by Russia or Argentina or any other unstable or spendthrift government. As At the Crest of the Tidal Wave put it in 1995, “Today’s emerging markets will soon be submerging markets.” That metamorphosis began two years later. The fact that banks and other investment companies can repeatedly ride such “investments” all the way down to write-offs is outrageous.

Many banks today also have a shockingly large exposure to leveraged derivatives such as futures, options and even more exotic instruments. The underlying value of assets represented by such financial derivatives at quite a few big banks is greater than the total value of all their deposits. The estimated representative value of all derivatives in the world today is $90 trillion, over half of which is held by U.S. banks. Many banks use derivatives to hedge against investment exposure, but that strategy works only if the speculator on the other side of the trade can pay off if he’s wrong.

Relying upon, or worse, speculating in, leveraged derivatives poses one of the greatest risks to banks that have succumbed to the lure. Leverage almost always causes massive losses eventually because of the psychological stress that owning them induces. You have already read of the tremendous debacles at Barings Bank, Long-Term [sic] Capital Management, Enron and other institutions due to speculating in leveraged derivatives. It is traditional to discount the representative value of derivatives because traders will presumably get out of losing positions well before they cost as much as what they represent. Well, maybe. It is at least as common a human reaction for speculators to double their bets when the market goes against a big position. At least, that’s what bankers might do with your money.

Today’s bank analysts assure us, as a headline from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put it on December 29, 2001, that “Banks [Are] Well-Capitalized.” Banks today are indeed generally considered well capitalized compared to their situation in the 1980s. Unfortunately, that condition is mostly thanks to the great asset mania of the 1990s, which, as explained in Book One, is probably over. Much of the record amount of credit that banks have extended, such as that lent for productive enterprise or directly to strong governments, is relatively safe. Much of what has been lent to weak governments, real estate developers, government-sponsored enterprises, stock market speculators, venture capitalists, consumers (via credit cards and consumer-debt “investment” packages), and so on, is not. One expert advises, “The larger, more diversified banks at this point are the safer place to be.” That assertion will surely be severely tested in the coming depression.

There are five major conditions in place at many banks that pose a danger: (1) low liquidity levels, (2) dangerous exposure to leveraged derivatives, (3) the optimistic safety ratings of banks’ debt investments, (4) the inflated values of the property that borrowers have put up as collateral on loans and (5) the substantial size of the mortgages that their clients hold compared both to those property values and to the clients’ potential inability to pay under adverse circumstances. All of these conditions compound the risk to the banking system of deflation and depression.

Financial companies are enjoying big advances in the current stock market rally. Depositors today trust their banks more than they trust government or business in general. For example, a recent poll asked web surfers which among a list of seven types of institutions they would most trust to operate a secure identity service. Banks got nearly 50 percent of the vote. General bank trustworthiness is yet another faith that will be shattered in a depression.

Well before a worldwide depression dominates our daily lives, you will need to deposit your capital into safe institutions. I suggest using two or more to spread the risk even further. They must be far better than the ones that today are too optimistically deemed “liquid” and “safe” by both rating services and banking officials.

By Elliott Wave International

The biggest balloon in the world is deflating.

This balloon had been inflated with a quadrillion (10¹⁵) dollars, which is to say: This balloon was filled not with air but with debt from around the globe.

What will happen as this global debt winds down? In two words: Deflationary Depression -- the likes of which could be unprecedented in history.

Want to Know How to Prosper in a Deflationary Depression?
If you haven't yet given Robert Prechter's deflation argument your full attention, you should know now that yesterday was the best time to do so. Download Prechter's 60-Page Guide to Understanding Deflation here.

A thousand trillion in debt can't be wished away or swept under the rug. No one can "forgive" the debt. The consequences of unwinding this debt could be as massive as the dollar figure itself.

We've heard plenty about the debt problems of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

But how about the world's second largest economy? Consider this fact reported in the Japan Times (July 8):

"Japan's government debts are the highest the world has ever seen, at 219 percent of gross domestic product, according to the International Monetary Fund."

Then there's the world's sixth largest national economy. In January 2009,  Robert Prechter wrote this in the Elliott Wave Theorist:

"British banks have amassed $4.4 trillion worth of foreign liabilities, twice Britain's annual GDP. ... England, moreover, 'has not defaulted since the Middle Ages.' The possibility that it may do so again is yet another indication that the bear market is of ... (larger) degree, exactly as Elliott wave analysts have predicted all along."

Remember, Japan and Great Britain are major world economies. Imagine what the debt totals would look like in a line-item analysis of other nations, regions, states, provinces and municipalities around the world, including the U.S.

De-leveraging will likely lead to a deflationary crash -- a "day of reckoning."

How can you prepare for a deflationary crash?

To start with, keep your money safe. As Bob Prechter mentions in the June 2010 Elliott Wave Theorist:

"Investors should be primarily in greenback cash and Treasury bills."

He also describes holdings which should be strictly avoided.

Want to Know How to Prosper in a Deflationary Depression?
If you haven't yet given Robert Prechter's deflation argument your full attention, you should know now that yesterday was the best time to do so. Download Prechter's 60-Page Guide to Understanding Deflation here.

By Elliott Wave International

If "fundamentals" drive trend changes in financial markets, then shouldn't the same factors have consistent effects on prices?

For example: Positive economic data should ignite a rally, while negative news should initiate decline. In the real world, though, this is hardly the case.

On a regular basis, markets go up on bad news, down on good news, and both directions on the same news -- almost as if to say, "Talk to the hand cuz the chart ain't listening."

Unable to deny this fly in the fundamental ointment, the mainstream experts often attempt to reconcile the inconsistencies with phrases like "shrugged off," "defied" or "in spite of."

That begs the next question: How do you know when a market is going to cooperate with fundamental logic and when it won't? ANSWER: You don't.

Get FREE access to Elliott Wave International's most intensive forecasting service for the global Energy markets. Now through noon Eastern time July 28, you can get timely intraday charts, forecasts and analysis for Crude Oil and Natural Gas. You'll also get daily, weekly and monthly analysis and forecasts for all major Energy markets and Energy ETFs. Access FreeWeek now.

Take, for instance, the first three news items below regarding the July 22 performance in crude oil, versus the fourth headline, which occurred on July 23:

1. Crude prices surge nearly 4% in their sharpest one-day percentage gain since May. The rally was "aided by fears that Tropical Storm Bonnie will enter the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and disrupt oil production." (Wall Street Journal)
2. "Oil Prices Soar As Gulf Storm Threat Looms" (Associated Press)
3. "The storm should keep oil prices bubbling if it continues to strengthen and remain on track." (Bloomberg)

vs.

1. "Oil Slips From Surge Despite Storm Threats" (Commodity Online)

Unlike fundamental analysis, technical analysis methods don't rely on the news to explain or predict market moves. They look at the markets' internals instead.

Get FREE access to Elliott Wave International's most intensive forecasting service for the global Energy markets. Now through noon Eastern time July 28, you can get timely intraday charts, forecasts and analysis for Crude Oil and Natural Gas. You'll also get daily, weekly and monthly analysis and forecasts for all major Energy markets and Energy ETFs. Access FreeWeek now.

Mainstream financial analysts always look for ways to explain market action through news stories and events. Conventional wisdom states that news and inter-market correlations cause market booms and busts, but such explanations rely on selective presentation of the data. In this video, Elliott Wave International's Asian-Pacific Financial Forecast Editor Mark Galasiewski shows you how Elliott wave analysis was able to predict Hong Kong's late '90s mania and its aftermath in real time -- without looking at the news or the market's "fundamentals."

Watch More about the Power of Elliott Wave Analysis in this FREE Video
Discover how Elliott wave analysis gives you a consistently logical explanation -- and debunk one of the major myths of what caused the Asian Financial Crisis -- in the free video, "The Real-Time Power of Elliott Wave Analysis: Debunking the Myths of the Asian Financial Crisis." Access Your FREE Video Now.

Here is an excerpt from the EWI Independent Investor eBook, which answers the question: How close to the bottom are we?
* * * * *
Originally written by Robert Prechter for The Elliott Wave Theorist, January 2009

Some people contact us and say, “People are more bearish than I have ever seen them. This has to be a bottom.” The first half of this statement may well be true for many market observers. If one has been in the market for less than 14 years, one has never seen people this bearish. But market sentiment over those years was a historical anomaly. The annual dividend payout from stocks reached its lowest level ever: less than half the previous record. The P/E ratio reached its highest level ever: double the previous record. The price-to-book value ratio went into the stratosphere, as did the ratio between corporate bond yields and the same corporations’ stock dividend yields.

During nine and a half of those years, from October 1998 to March 2008, optimism dominated so consistently that bulls outnumbered bears among advisors (per the Investors Intelligence polls) for 481 out of 490 weeks. Investors got so used to this period of euphoria and financial excess that they have taken it as the norm.

With that period as a benchmark, the moderate slippage in optimism since 2007 does appear as a severe change. But observe a subtle irony: When commentators agree that investors are too bearish, they say so to justify being bullish. Thus, as part of the crowd, they are still seeking rationalizations for their continued optimism, and one of their best excuses is that everyone else is bearish. This would be reasoning, not rationalization, if it were true.

But is the net reduction in optimism since 2000/2007 in fact enough to indicate a market bottom? For the rest of this issue, we will update the key indicators from Conquer the Crash that so powerfully signaled a historic top in the making. When we are finished, you will know whether or not the market is at bottom.

Figure 1 updates our picture of Supercycle and Grand Supercycle-degree periods of prosperity and depression. The top formed in the past decade is the biggest since 1720, yet, as you can see, the decline so far is small compared to the three that preceded it. There is a lot more room to go on the downside.

Figure 2 updates the Dow’s dividend yield. Over the past nine years, it has improved nicely, from 1.3 percent to 3.7 percent, near its level at previous market tops. If companies’ dividends were to stay the same, a 50 percent drop in stock prices from here would bring the Dow’s yield back into the area where it was at the stock market bottoms of 1942, 1949, 1974 and 1982. But of course, dividends will not stay the same.

Companies are cutting dividends and will cut more as the depression deepens. So, the falling stock market is chasing an elusive quarry in the form of an attractive dividend yield. This is a downward spiral that will not end until prices get ahead of dividend cuts and the Dow’s dividend yield goes above that of 1932, which was 17 percent (or until dividends fall so close to zero that the yield is meaningless).

Get the whole story about how much farther we have to go to a bear-market bottom by reading the rest of this article from EWI's Independent Investor eBook. The fastest way to read it AND the six new chapters in EWI's Independent Investor eBook is to become a member of Club EWI.

Robert Prechter joins host Maria Bartiromo on CNBC's Closing Bell to talk about his bearish forecast for stocks and offer investment advice.

FREE Report: 20 Questions with Robert Prechter
Noted financial commentator Jim Puplava asks Robert Prechter tough questions about fiat currency, gold, the Fed, the Great Depression, financial bubbles, government intervention and how to protect your money -- and even profit -- in today's environment. Read Prechter's candid answers for FREE now. Access the 20-page report here.

Jim Puplava: In 1933 at the bottom of the crisis, the Roosevelt administration comes in. In its first week they declare a bank holiday, they reopen the banks with the FDIC, they sever gold, they come in with massive fiscal stimulus and they devalue the dollar substantially. The result was from 1933 to1937 we have positive CPI, economic growth, a robust stock market. If fiscal and monetary measures fail to revive the economy and the market, could the government try devaluation to change the deflationary outcome the way they did 1933?

RP: Well, you have to have a benchmark in order to devalue a currency. Our currency isn't pegged to anything, so I don't understand even what the term devaluation would mean. What would they do to do create a devaluation?

Editor’s Note: The article you are reading is just one small excerpt from Elliott Wave International’s FREE report, 20 Questions With Deflationist Robert Prechter. The full 20-page report includes even more of Prechter’s insightful analysis on fiat currency, gold, the Fed, the Great Depression, financial bubbles, and government intervention. You’ll learn how to protect your money -- and even profit -- in today's environment. Read ALL of Prechter's candid answers for FREE now. Access the free 20-page report here. 

JP: Maybe they come out with a formal saying: the dollar is now worth a half a euro, X amount of yen or it’s a formal statement. They just declare it formally.

RP: Yeah, but everybody already knows what it's worth, because it's floating freely against these other currencies. And they certainly couldn't fix it to a lesser currency like the euro. And then the managers of this other currency would simply make another decree and negate it. That’s not going to work.

Let's take your example, because it's very important. The whole idea of the government being ahead of the curve is bogus. You know the collapse was from September 1929 down to July 1932, right? The government did not act until it was over. They waited for the bottom of the collapse—of course—and then they finally decided they're going to do something about it. So, months after the low in 1932, they finally shut the banks and pass laws such as Glass-Steagall, which created the FDIC, and the Securities and Exchange Act, and that sort of thing, to bring confidence back into the banking system. I think the same thing is going to happen here. They're going to try the same old stuff, more and more lending, more and more borrowing—which is the problem, not the solution—until everything collapses, and then they'll go, “Oh maybe we should try something else,” and by that time we'll already be at the deflationary nadir, and it'll be time to look for an inflationary outcome.

My whole thesis is exactly along those lines. We want to stay prepared for a deflationary crash, and when it’s over, we're going to convert whatever money we have to stocks, and raw land, and gold, and whatever else we want to buy. That's when—if the government makes a political decision to inflate through currency printing—it would make the decision. They're not going to make it before the bottom. The government has never acted before the bottom, never acted in a new way. Right now these bailouts and other schemes are simply pressing the accelerator harder on what we've been doing since 1913. 

Editor’s Note: The article you are reading is just one small excerpt from Elliott Wave International’s FREE report, 20 Questions With Deflationist Robert Prechter. The full 20-page report includes even more of Prechter’s insightful analysis on fiat currency, gold, the Fed, the Great Depression, financial bubbles, and government intervention. You’ll learn how to protect your money -- and even profit -- in today's environment. Read ALL of Prechter's candid answers for FREE now. Access the free 20-page report here.

By Elliott Wave International

Moving averages are one of the most widely followed indicator in technical analysis.
Simply put, when the price of an index or stock stays above a particular price moving average line on a chart, that price level serves as support -- a level where buyers reside.
If the price falls below a moving average line and "can't" break through from the underside, this price level is a line of resistance -- a price level where sellers hover.
That's an easy explanation of moving averages for you.

Learn to integrate Elliott wave analysis with other technical disciplines. Read the FREE Ultimate Technical Analysis eBook to discover some of the favorite technical analysis methods used by the analysts at Elliott Wave International. Learn more and download your free, 50-page technical analysis ebook here.

A commonly watched line is the 200-day moving average.

After the DJIA fell below its 200-day moving average in May, prices remained mainly below the line until June 15, when the market rose 213 points. But, as this chart from Elliott Wave International's June 16 Short Term Update shows, the NYSE volume has remained muted:

"There was no follow-through today. More stocks closed down than up on the day on the NYSE, within the S&P 500 and also for the DJ Composite. Today's Big Board volume was similarly slow relative to yesterday. ..." -- Steven Hochberg, Short Term Update, June 16, 2010

With a lack of buying conviction, how long will the stock indexes remain above the 200-day moving average?

For the answer, you need to look at the DJIA's Elliott wave structure. It strongly suggests the market will move in a definite direction in a matter of days or weeks.

Learn to integrate Elliott wave analysis with other technical disciplines. Read the FREE Ultimate Technical Analysis eBook to discover some of the favorite technical analysis methods used by the analysts at Elliott Wave International. Learn more and download your free, 50-page technical analysis ebook here.

Skeptics are still worried the market has come too far, too fast. EWI's Chief Market Analyst Steve Hochberg joins CNBC Squawk Box host Joe Kernen on April 15, 2010 to share his view.

Get More Market Analysis in Steve Hochberg's FREE 16-Page Report
You've bared witness to the Great Asset Mania with signs such as unsustainable government spending, overvalued stocks and fear of a so-called double dip recession. But is it over and could it rise again? What does it mean for your investments? Originally available to subscribers at $59, you can now download this 16-page report free for a limited time Learn more here.

Robert Prechter, president of Elliott Wave International, tells host Maria Bartiromo why he sees dark days ahead on CNBC's Closing Bell.

Download Your FREE 50-Page Ultimate Technical Analysis Handbook
In this free 50-page eBook from Bob Prechter's Elliott Wave International, you will discover some of the very best technical methods used by the top professional technicians in the world. You will learn which tools are best for analyzing chart patterns, which are best for anticipating future price action, even which are best for spotting high-probability turning points. Download Your Free Technical Analysis eBook here.

Skeptics are still worried the market has come too far, too fast. EWI's Chief Market Analyst Steve Hochberg joins CNBC Squawk Box host Joe Kernen on April 15, 2010 to share his view.

Get More Market Analysis in Steve Hochberg's FREE 16-Page Report
You've bared witness to the Great Asset Mania with signs such as unsustainable government spending, overvalued stocks and fear of a so-called double dip recession. But is it over and could it rise again? What does it mean for your investments? Originally available to subscribers at $59, you can now download this 16-page report free for a limited time Learn more here.

By Elliott Wave International

Fear and uncertainty that drive a severe bear market are the same emotions which can set the stage for authoritarianism, in most any nation. 

"Bear markets of sufficient size appear to bring about a desire to slaughter groups of successful people. In 1793-1794, radical Frenchmen guillotined countless members of high society. In the 1930s, Stalin slaughtered Ukrainians. In the 1940s, Nazis slaughtered Jews. In the 1970s, Communists in Cambodia and China slaughtered the affluent. In 1998, after their country's financial collapse, Indonesians went on a rampage and slaughtered Chinese merchants." - Bob Prechter, Wave Principle of Human Social Behavior, p. 270

Why do authoritarian tendencies emerge only during bear markets in stocks?

"As society becomes more fearful, many individuals yearn for the safety and order promised by strong, controlling leaders." - The Socionomist, May 2010

Learn How to Anticipate and Prepare for Political Conflict and War, Bull Markets and Bear Markets. The 118-page Independent Investor eBook covers a vast array of investment topics and exposes myths that mainstream investors accept as fact. Once you learn the real cause of conflict and war, you might be surprised how the stock market plays a key role in forecasting major social events. Click here to download the 118-page Independent Investor eBook for FREE

Bob Prechter's new science of socionomics explains that stock market fluctuations mirror trends in people's collective mood. In simple terms, when the market is buoyant, it indicates positive social mood; the opposite when a bear market takes over.

The fascinating part is that because the stock market and social mood trend closely together, a forecaster can apply Elliott wave analysis to both -- and predict both.

Generally, widespread brutalities and wars do not follow the first phase of a bear market. Extreme violence, when it does occur, often follows the worst part of the market's downturn -- like the end of the Great Depression, a negative social mood period that ultimately ushered in World War II.

But even during the first phase, a negative social mood grows. So, if a forecaster determines correctly where in the wave structure social mood resides, he can make educated forecasts about what will follow in society -- given what has happened before under similar social mood trends.

Authoritarianism is a subject of heated discussions these days, which makes it a timely topic for a socionomic study. The latest, two-part issue of the monthly Socionomist gives you just that: A look at historic trends and specific forecasts for the years ahead.

Learn How to Anticipate and Prepare for Political Conflict and War, Bull Markets and Bear Markets. The 118-page Independent Investor eBook covers a vast array of investment topics and exposes myths that mainstream investors accept as fact. Once you learn the real cause of conflict and war, you might be surprised how the stock market plays a key role in forecasting major social events. Click here to download the 118-page Independent Investor eBook for FREE

* * * * *
Excerpted from How to Use Bar Patterns to Spot Trade Setups by Jeffrey Kennedy

The Popgun
I’m no doubt dating myself, but when I was a kid, I had a popgun – the old-fashioned kind with a cork and string (no fake Star Wars light saber for me). You pulled the trigger, and the cork popped out of the barrel attached to a string. If you were like me, you immediately attached a longer string to improve the popgun’s reach. Why the reminiscing? Because “Popgun” is the name of a bar pattern I would like to share with you this month. And it’s the path of the cork (out and back) that made me think of the name for this pattern.

The Popgun is a two-bar pattern composed of an outside bar preceded by an inside bar. (Quick refresher course: An outside bar occurs when the range of a bar encompasses the previous bar and an inside bar is a price bar whose range is encompassed by the previous bar.) In Chart 1 (Coffee), I have circled two Popguns.

So what’s so special about the Popgun? It introduces swift, tradable moves in price. More importantly, once the moves end, they are significantly retraced, just like the popgun cork going out and back. As you can see in Chart 2 [not shown], prices advance sharply following the Popgun, and then the move is significantly retraced. In Chart 3 [not shown], we see the same thing again but to the downside: prices fall dramatically after the Popgun, and then a sizable correction develops.

How can we incorporate this bar pattern into our Elliott wave analysis? The best way is to understand where Popguns show up in the wave patterns. I have noticed that Popguns tend to occur prior to impulse waves – waves one, three and five. But, remember, waves A and C of corrective wave patterns are also technically impulse waves. So Popguns can occur prior to those moves as well.

As with all my work, I rely on a pattern only if it applies across all time frames and markets. To illustrate, I have included two charts of Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) that show this pattern works equally well on 60-minute and weekly charts. Notice that the Popgun on the 60-minute chart [not shown] preceded a small third wave advance. Now look at the weekly chart [not shown] to see what three Popguns introduced (from left to right), wave C of a flat correction, wave 5 of (3) and wave C of (4).

There’s only one more thing to know about using this Popgun trade setup: Just be careful and don’t shoot your eye out, as my mom would say.

By Elliott Wave International

Telegraph.go.uk, May 26: "US money supply plunges at 1930s pace... The M3 money supply in the U.S. is contracting at an accelerating rate that now matches the average decline seen from 1929 to 1933, despite near zero interest rates and the biggest fiscal blitz in history."

Deflation is suddenly in the news again. It's a good moment to catch up on a few definitions, as well as strategies on how to beat this rare economic condition.

And who better to ask than EWI's president Robert Prechter? He predicted the first wave of deflation in the 2007-2009 "credit crunch" and has written on this topic extensively.

We've put together a great free resource for our Club EWI members: a 63-page "Deflation Survival Guide eBook," Prechter’s most important deflation essays. Enjoy this excerpt -- and for details on how to read the eBook in full free, look below.

What Makes Deflation Likely Today?
Bob Prechter, Deflation Survival Guide, free Club EWI eBook

Following the Great Depression, the Fed and the U.S. government embarked on a program...both of increasing the creation of new money and credit and of fostering the confidence of lenders and borrowers so as to facilitate the expansion of credit. These policies both accommodated and encouraged the expansionary trend of the ’Teens and 1920s, which ended in bust, and the far larger expansionary trend that began in 1932 and which has accelerated over the past half-century. Other governments and central banks have followed similar policies. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and similar institutions, funded mostly by the U.S. taxpayer, have extended immense credit around the globe.

Their policies have supported nearly continuous worldwide inflation, particularly over the past thirty years. As a result, the global financial system is gorged with non-self-liquidating credit. Conventional economists excuse and praise this system under the erroneous belief that expanding money and credit promotes economic growth, which is terribly false. It appears to do so for a while, but in the long run, the swollen mass of debt collapses of its own weight, which is deflation, and destroys the economy. A devastated economy, moreover, encourages radical politics, which is even worse.

The value of credit that has been extended worldwide is unprecedented. Worse, most of this debt is the non-self-liquidating type. Much of it comprises loans to governments, investment loans for buying stock and real estate, and loans for everyday consumer items and services, none of which has any production tied to it. Even a lot of corporate debt is non-self-liquidating, since so much of corporate activity these days is related to finance rather than production.

Figure 11-5 is a stunning picture of the credit expansion of wave V of the 1920s (beginning the year that Congress authorized the Fed), which ended in a bust, and of wave V in the 1980s-1990s, which is even bigger.

...it has been the biggest credit expansion in history by a huge margin. Coextensively, not only is there a threat of deflation, but there is also the threat of the biggest deflation in history by a huge margin. ...