Contrarian Investor: Is it time to protect portfolios?

Mixed signals in the market

David Stevenson takes a closer look at what could possibly go wrong as stockmarkets seem on fine form.

Am I the only investor who constantly checks the price of downside market protection? Stockmarkets seem on fine form, with most technical indicators suggesting benchmark equity indices are locked in an upward pattern. On this basis, an upside target of 7,500 for the FTSE 100 and 2,500 for the S&P 500 looks doable.  MSCI global equities index hits 23-year high Earnings season is well underway in the US. So far, 80% of the S&P 500 companies reported earnings and revenues which were up 5.5% and 4.7% year-on-year, respectively, according to a recent Lyxor report. In the UK, the late...