S&P 500

We are confident that the first thing readers will be curious to look for in Greenlight's latest just released first quarter letter is David Einhorn's take on his investment in the now bankrupt former hedge fund hotel, SunEdison. Einhorn's spares no self-criticism here: "SunEdison (SUNE) collapsed from $5.09 to $0.54. In January we negotiated with the company to add an independent director to the board. Unfortunately, and to our surprise, the patient was already in terminal condition.

Authored by David Hay, via EvergreenGavekal.com,

"Low interest rates cause secular stagnation: they do not cure it.” -CHARLES GAVE

 

“Negative interest rates are the dumbest idea ever.” -JEFF GUNDLACH, the new “King of Bonds”

 

“Laugh but listen.” -WINSTON CHURCHILL, addressing the British House of Commons, warning it once again of the rising threat posed by Nazi Germany, to derisive laughter.

For the last 11 weeks - off The Dimon Bottom - the S&P 500 has made higher lows week after week without break. Last week, however, saw the streak end (with a lower low set). This length of incessant "uptrend" streak has not been since February 2011, at which time it was broken leading to an immediate decline followed by a considerably plunge soon after...

Couldn't happen again?

In 2011, the S&P 500 fell 4.8% in the month after the trend was broken... and then a 20% decline into the fall of 2011.

"Sell in May and go away" -- the old equity-market adage still holds water, but, as Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore explains, it's important to note how the seasonals have evolved since the great financial crisis.

In its original usage, the motto implied it’s advisable to cash out of equities at the end of May and enjoy a long summer of relaxation before returning to invest again. It wasn’t just a flippant saying; the facts tallied with the intuition.

Any moment now we expect Paul Krugman to come out with an op-ed suggesting that not just Time magazine, but Charlie Munger is the latest to join the ZH payroll, following some unexpected comments by Warren Buffett's right hand man earlier today on CNBC when he said that "the U.S. is looking more like Japan given the prolonged low-interest-rate environment."