Fear & Greed Index at 12 Shows Extreme Fear

The CNNMoney "Fear & Greed Index" is currently showing "extreme Fear" with a reading of 12 on a scale of zero to one hundred. Here is a snapshot of the index for today.

Fear & Greed Index for July 31, 2014

This index is a summation of seven indicators explained in detail here. 

1. Stock Price Momentum: The S&P 500 versus its 125-day moving average
2. Stock Price Strength: The number of stocks hitting 52-week highs and lows on the New York Stock Exchange
3. Stock Price Breadth: The volume of shares trading in stocks on the rise versus those declining.
4. Put and Call Options: The put/call ratio, which compares the trading volume of bullish call options relative to the trading volume of bearish put options
5. Junk Bond Demand: The spread between yields on investment grade bonds and junk bonds
6. Market Volatility: The VIX, which measures volatility
7. Safe Haven Demand: The difference in returns for stocks versus Treasuries

Fear & Greed Index Components for July 31, 2014

"For each indicator, we look at how far they've veered from their average relative to how far they normally veer. We look at each on a scale from 0 - 100. The higher the reading, the greedier investors are being, and 50 is neutral. Then we put all the indicators together - equally weighted - for a final index reading."

Fear & Greed Index plot vs Time

Must Read: Timer Digest Market Timer of the Year Awards

August 1 Update:  Today the Fear and Greed Index hit 5 for a low not seen since 2011!

Los Altos Home Prices for June 2014

This article shows:

• The 6-month trend for Median Single-Family Home Prices for Los Altos, California
• Individual Single Family Home Sales List for June 2014
• The three portfolios in Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter are again at record all time highs. Subscribe today and get the July 2014 Issue for FREE!

Located between Apple, Google, Facebook and Tesla and just a short drive to Stanford University, Los Altos is central to many of today's growing companies that turned founders and employees into recent millionaires.  With some of the top schools in the country, Los Altos is a prime target for young tech titans looking to diversify their stock holdings and settle down to raise a family or just live in a town with a low crime rate.

The median single-family home price for Los Altos California as of June 2014 is $2,350,000

Historical Mortgage Rates

June 2014 Los Altos Sales Summary

The three portfolios in Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter are again at record all time highs.  

Subscribe today and get the July 2014 Issue for FREE!

Los Altos real estate data courtesy of Alain Pinel realtors Jeff Stricker (jstricker@apr.com) and Steve Tenbroeck (stenbroeck@apr.com)

Home Prices vs School API Test Scores for Santa Clara County

2014 Home Prices vs 2013 API Test Scores for Santa Clara County School Districts

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For a Full, FREE issue of "The Retirement Advisor, see below.

I write two different, but related, newsletters, "The Retirement Advisor" and Kirk Lindstrom's "Core and Explore" Investment Letter Service.  For more information on both, see "Kirk's Two Investment Letters - Which is Best for You?"

1. "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter Service" is $155 a year and uses the "core and explore" method to invest. It has two core portfolios plus an explore portfolio of individual stocks. 
2.  I write "The Retirement Advisor" with David Korn. We sell this for a very modest $99. We offer three model portfolios. We do not recommend individual stocks but we have articles that discuss current financial events such as economic data and Social Security COLAs. We also have articles to help you save money plus we find CDs with FDIC paying the highest rates. Our most aggressive portfolio has 50% in equities. Our most conservative portfolio contains no equity exposure.  Download a free issue (Slow to load pdf) 

API Data courtesy of Owen Halliday
Owen@serenogroup.com
www.owenhalliday.com

ECRI USFIG at 70-Month High - Inflation Pressures Continue Higher

On Thursday, July 3, 2014, the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI), a New York-based independent forecasting group, released its latest readings for its proprietary U.S. Future Inflation Gauge (USFIG) for June 2014.  The value of the USFIG lies in its ability to measure underlying inflationary pressures and thereby predict turning points in the U.S. inflation cycle.

In today's release, July 3, 2014, ECRI reported USFIG rose to 105.5 in June from the May reading of 105.0.

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Lakshman Achuthan,ECRI's managing director, said "With the USFIG trending up and hitting a 70-month high in June, underlying inflation pressures have risen further."

ECRI’s Recommended Books:

• Beating the Business Cycle By Lakshman Achuthan, Anirvan Banerji
• Analyzing Modern Business Cycles: Essays Honoring Geoffrey H. Moore(Paperback) by Philip A. Klein (Editor)