Fear and Greed Visualized

As discussed on my Fear and Greed Portfolios page, I allocate a portion of my assets to a strategy that applies a trend following rule when risk assets are expensive.

One way I think about this strategy is by separating market environments in four quadrants based on valuation and momentum. Here is a visual representation:

Four Quadrant Chart

Fear and Greed Quadrants

Categorizing market environments by momentum and valuation

Inexpensive Expensive Negative Momentum Positive Momentum Fear (Inexpensive, Negative Momentum) Greed Turning to Fear (Expensive, Negative Momentum) Fear Turning to Greed (Inexpensive, Positive Momentum) Greed (Expensive, Positive Momentum)

The idea here is to be long (consistent with the predetermined portfolio allocation) unless we are in the top right quadrant: Expensive + Negative Momentum. If the expected returns are low and the trend is negative, we are out.

Here is another, classic cartoon depicting the trends in markets and a humorous allusion to the underlying patterns of greed and fear which seem to drive them:

Attempting to intelligently navigate this cycle of market emotion is the goal.