Can investors outpace volatility in a year of global headlines and shifting trends?

May 9, 2025 – Can investors outpace volatility in a year of global headlines and shifting trends? David Keller, Chief Investment Strategist at Sierra Alpha Research, joins Jim Puplava

May 9, 2025—Can investors outpace volatility in a year of global headlines and shifting trends?

This week, the U.K. and the U.S. reached a deal on tariffs, while the Vatican elected a new Pope—the first American Pope in history. In other news, the market seems to be enjoying this combination of events, pushing all indexes into positive territory. Let’s see if the positive momentum continues.

Joining me on the program is David Keller, president and chief investment strategist at Sierra Alpha Research.

We’ll begin with a couple of articles that Dave sent me. He’s short-term bullish but medium-term bearish.

Key takeaways:

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Jim Puplava:Well, this is certainly turning out to be a momentous week. We just reached a deal with the U.K. on tariffs, and the Vatican has elected a new Pope, the first American Pope in history. The market seems to be liking that, as all indexes are on the upside. Let’s find out if this continues. Joining me on the program is Dave Keller. He's president and chief investment strategist at Sierra Alpha Research. Dave, let’s begin with a couple of articles. You sent me a number of charts, but you’re short-term bullish, medium-term bearish. Explain that.

Dave Keller:It’s great to be back with you, Jim. Thanks, as always, for the invitation. You have to consider the market on multiple time frames. If there’s anything I’ve learned so far as we progress through 2025, it’s that you must separate short-term disruptions from medium-term trends and long-term secular movements. Recognizing those multiple time frames that are always interplaying within day-to-day and week-to-week periods is so valuable. It helps you avoid making long-term decisions based on short-term data. In 2025, after a sell-off from a new all-time high in mid-February to a new swing low in early April, and then retracing a good amount of that sell-off back to around 5,700—where we’re at today—that’s a significant amount of volatility, which I don’t think is going to change. High volatility is likely to remain the norm. Recognizing short-term movements that turn into medium-term trends is key. For me, the medium-term time frame is about recognizing what we call the cyclical time frame, looking at a period of months as opposed to minutes, and understanding how those have shifted. When I look at the S&P 500 chart and apply my trend models, the short-term model is undeniably strong off the early April low. There’s no denying the strength we’re seeing, even this week, with additional upside follow-through for stocks—not just in big-cap technology, but in other areas as well. The medium-term time frame, however, has a lot to do with where a major average is relative to the 200-day moving average. Despite the rally off the early April lows, the S&P is still below its 200-day moving average. The last time we tested that was in late March, and we had a failure move before the new low. Until the S&P gets above the 200-day moving average, I think many investors, including myself, would consider this, at best, a neutral picture. A move above 5,750, with follow-through above 5,800, would adjust the contours of this market to a much more bullish outlook on that medium term.

Jim Puplava:So, you would want to see a breakthrough above 5,800?

Dave Keller:Yes, because that would complete a rotation back above the 200-day moving average. Many investors are still waiting for the next shoe to drop, expecting the next headline to cause the S&P to retest the April lows. If we get above 5,800, you have to abandon that mindset and recognize and embrace the strength we’ve seen in risk assets off the April lows. You follow the evidence, and if the evidence shows enough buyers coming in to propel us above that long-term barometer, you have to follow that trend higher.

Jim Puplava:I can