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Market Timing: Is it Possible in Today's Data-Focused World?

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Market timing is one of the most sought-after skills in the investing world. Many try to do it, and very few are successful. The appeal is undeniable though, as doing it right can be the difference between beating the market or underperforming.

The team at Hull Investments, however, thinks that they have cracked the code. I talk with Rick Anderson, the CIO of Hull Investments, in the latest edition of the Dutram Report about what makes their process different, and how they go about trying to time the market for their Hull Tactical Fund (HTUS - Free Report) .

Inside Their Process

In the interview, we discuss how they have refined their process over the years and we talk about some of the many models that they use in order to decide how to be invested. Some of these models have a technical focus, others have longer time frames, while still others take social media sentiment—such as data from Twitter —in order to understand what the ‘herd’ is thinking about the overall market’s position too.

In terms of positioning the fund and the strategy at large, we also go over their approach in terms of allocating capital, namely how much to be invested in instruments such as SPY. The product can use leverage, or be down to zero percent invested in stocks so it has wide range depending on current market conditions.

I also ask Rick about the idea of having too much data, and if all these extra systems actually end up hurting, since they have the potential to create false signals. We discuss that, and several other key topics about how investing has changed and how Hull—and investors—can stay up-to-date in this changing world by making sure their models are focused and still working in-concert to give you the best information possible.

And while some might be skeptical, the fund has put up a solid performance and it has close to $100 million in assets under management too. This is a pretty respectable figure and it is worth comparing this product to other alternative solutions out there.

Bottom Line

Maybe market timing isn’t impossible after all? Be the judge of the Hull process by listening to the full episode of the Dutram Report, and make sure to leave us a comment on SoundCloud or at podcast @ zacks.com for email. We’d love to know what you think of Rick’s plans to time the market, and if you have any other topics you’d like us to cover in the future too.

So, make sure to listen to this edition of the Dutram Report for a closer look at this controversial topic, and how some are looking to get it done in today’s big data world. And for more news and discussion regarding the world of ETFs, make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the Dutram Report, and check out the many other great Zacks podcasts as well!

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