What Is Stock Market Leading Indicator Saying Now?

Worth a read: Baltic Dry Index Continues Leading The Stock Market.

Do check out the chart posted in the posting and the last few passages is worth noting.. esp the comments saying that the markets could be topping.

• ................ In fact, if you compare the S&P 500 index for the past few years with the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), it would seem that shipping rates have lead the equities from 1 to 3 months in both rallies and tops (take a look at the marked points on the chart above).
  
  Of course, the relationship is fuzzy and not a one to one, up and down, direct correlation. But in all its fuzziness, you can still make it out rather clearly. You can even see that about a month before the stock market went into a waterfall decline last year, the BDI broke down below its low and started on its head first dive.
  
  So what is it saying now?
  
  The BDI topped out in early June 2009 at 4291 and has since been in a downtrend. In keeping with the same approximate time lag, we would expect the stock market to top out in late August or early September. Which is right about now. We’ve been underwater since the S&P 500 index hit 1031 on August 27th, 2009. Now, I’m not suggesting that you trade just on this type of thing but it does provide an interesting context. Especially when you consider everything else which is telling longs to be cautious.