Valid until the market close on April 30, 2015
The S&P 500 closed March with a monthly loss of 1.74%, which follows the biggest monthly gain in 40 months. All three S&P 500 MAs and three of the five Ivy Portfolio ETF MAs are signaling “Invested”. In the table below, monthly closes that are within 2% of a signal are highlighted in yellow.
The Ivy Portfolio
The table below shows the current 10-month simple moving average (SMA) signal for each of the five ETFs featured in The Ivy Portfolio. I’ve also included a table of 12-month SMAs for the same ETFs for this popular alternative strategy.
For a facinating analysis of the Ivy Portfolio strategy, see this article by Adam Butler, Mike Philbrick and Rodrigo Gordillo:
- Faber’s Ivy Portfolio: As Simple as Possible, But No Simpler
Backtesting Moving Averages
Over the past few years I’ve used Excel to track the performance of various moving-average timing strategies. But now I use the backtesting tools available on the ETFReplay.com website. Anyone who is interested in market timing with ETFs should have a look at this website. Here are the two tools I most frequently use:
- Backtest an Individual ETF
- Backtest an ETF Portfolio
(requires a paid subscription)
Background on Moving Averages
Buying and selling based on a moving average of monthly closes can be an effective strategy for managing the risk of severe loss from major bear markets. In essence, when the monthly close of the index is above the moving average value, you hold the index. When the index closes below, you move to cash. The disadvantage is that it never gets you out at the top or back in at the bottom. Also, it can produce the occasional whipsaw (short-term buy or sell signal), such as we’ve occasionally experienced over the past year.
Nevertheless, a chart of the S&P 500 monthly closes since 1995 shows that a 10- or 12-month simple moving average (SMA) strategy would have insured participation in most of the upside price movement while dramatically reducing losses.
