"Gravity Works..."

Are you ready for the inevitable?

Why did the stock market fall? The usual suspects are finding all sorts of “causes.” How about this one: when everyone is on the same side of the boat, driven by hope and greed or fear and loathing, the boat capsizes, no matter the economic “fundamentals” or political climate.

Since 2009 the world’s central bank’s have blown up their balance sheets and much of that newly created fiat debt found a home in equity and bond markets and cryptocurrencies. With few interruptions, most asset prices have rallied ever since.

Virtually every stock market sentiment and positioning indicator has, like the stock market itself, gone from new extreme to new extreme for months. Numerous commentators, including SLL, have been warning for months, even years. Pick a valuation measure and stocks, even after the last two weeks, are at peak valuations rivaled only by 1929, 2000, and 2007.

The only mystery was when they would give way. If they are now in fact giving way, then there’s no mystery about how bad it’s going to get. Very bad.

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