WEEKLY RESEARCH: Weekly Insider Data and Commentary files were last updated on Sunday, December 16th 2018, with data as of the Friday, December 14th SEC closeout. Please review your Commentary File for particulars. The Insider portion of the Workbook section of the Website was populated with new weekly data and e-mail versions were distributed as well. (Data for all companies, and broad strategy commentary highlights) The Insider Commentary file of the past weekend includes an updated, thumbnail Strategic view of the Markets from the top-down perspective of all models. MPT Top Down View improved to a more-Bullish +3.  On a price performance basis, at the ETF Sector level, Utilities (2nd week), and Consumer Staples did best.  Energy and Financials (2nd Week), lagged.   The Markets cannot be viewed as a singular snapshot, but are instead a dynamic, moving picture. Employing MPT research to follow and anticipate the most probable trend features and changes is an important aspect of the research.

MONTHLY RESEARCH: The December, 2018 edition of Market Profile Theorems was run based on the data close-out of Friday, November 30th, 2018. Your specific monthly data files were pushed to you on Sunday, December 2nd, 2018.  WEB site data (Workbook section) were available on Sunday before 11:30 PM, and included refreshed Probability Plots, Screening features, and Files located in the monthly File Download section of the Web-site. The Strategy notebook should have arrived on Thursday, December 6th. If you did not receive your files, or the notebook by the dates indicated, please contact us.  Reach us by e-mail or call 206-890-6789 if you wish to schedule a conference call in December.

GENERAL COMMENTARY: The November asset allocation projection carries no Capitalization bet, and again favors Growth.  MPT bottom-up model performance, relative to the S&P 500, was average over the November period.  The aggregate top-down model remains Bullish at "+2" this week, with the Technical Model improved to "+3."  The tenor of the Top-down Earnings Model (-2.31) continues to collapse and remains Bearish, with reduced optimism for longer-term earnings and GDP numbers.  GDPNOW Q4, 2018 estimate rose to 3.0%.  The second Commerce Department Q3 estimate came in at 3.5%.  Yields were flat-to-higher with spreads rising to 16 bp (2 to 10 year).  Equity Market trouble has arisen with the 10yr approaching 3.3%.  With the recent price decline, high valuations are of less concern for equities.  See the weekly Insider Commentaries, and the monthly Strategist, (Green Book) for further details and interpretation.  The Dollar (96.91), rose to the highest weekly close of 2018.  Gold pulled back, consolidating recent gains, to close at $1241.40.   The base here appears substantial, and the metal should rally nicely into year-end.  It is a long-term buy, and our year-end target is $1275.  Inflationary Forces are mixed with CPI below expectations for October, and a recent GDPNOW "sticky" Inflation number higher at 2.5%.  Still, Wage Inflation has spiked sharply higher by 3.1% and is 1/2 of the inflation equation.

The Market Cycle, in terms of MPT's "Market Clock," advances to 11:30.

Top-Down Look Back: Equity selection for the trailing 24 Months has been good.  A longer, 81 month, look-back confirms bottom-up performance.