Bearish Sentiment Sells Newspapers

• Posted by DynamicHedge
• on December 8th, 2010

This is a modest website.  I take notice when there’s a big traffic spike.  Traffic spikes are usually the result of writing about something that’s already in the media, or a couple mentions by someone on Twitter, or more likely, Josh Brown or Tadas Viskanta have linked to an article.  Regardless of that, the biggest post ever on this website has been, Topping Out Is a Process.  This article alone got three times as much traffic as the next most trafficked article.  Keep in mind that this article was only mildly bearish.  Here is an excerpt:

As for right now, the fact is that we’re in day 40 of this uptrend.  Day 40 is pretty late in the game.  My analysis points to resistance at 1190 up to 1202 so my portfolio is tilted slightly short and defensive.  If we do get a correction it should last for 9-15 days….

…My strategy is primarily market neutral and I always make sure that I have a pretty wide margin of error, because quite frankly, I need it.

That was as bearish as I got!  Can you imagine if I had made some insane proclamation that the end of capitalism was near?  This confirms a long held assumption of mine that bearish writers get more clicks.  I’ve always felt that bear dens gather like-minded people more easily than those with a positive outlook, at least when it pertains to the markets.  If you combine a bearish outlook with sounding even slightly smart or well-read, you have a recipe for full cult leader status.  Repeatedly shouting fire in a crowded theater makes great sense if you are in the business of selling advertising or subscriptions.  Remember that next time you read about the coming bearpocalypse.

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