Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.

I am finally back home in Cape Town after a number of overseas trips over the past few weeks, including stops in Europe and South America. Both the business and leisure sides of the visit were excellent and enjoyable, having met with old acquaintances and new friends. On top, I was blessed with glorious sunshine in most parts.

Isn’t it amazing how the dramatic action on financial markets always happens when one goes away? Also, BlackBerry services seem to stall and Internet speed slow to watching-paint-dry levels as market volatility becomes panicky. In spite of this your globe-trotting analyst did manage to keep a high-level watch over developments. More about me throwing the bones on the market outlook elsewhere in today’s delivery and in future posts; suffice to say for now that with the particularly loud growl of bears as stock markets plunged to levels last seen in September 2010, I fully expected equities to not only bounce but also carry higher on an intermediate (two-three month) horizon.

However, it is not yet possible to know whether the fat lady of the 30-month bull market has made her appearance. The nature of the rally, especially to what extent up-days are supported by solid volume, would, among others, provide a clue as to whether the cyclical bull is still alive and kicking.

Regarding posts, my blogging endeavors came to a halt during my travels but don’t despair, the service has been resumed! I thoroughly enjoy sharing my ideas with readers, but also have business and diplomatic responsibilities that require a rightful allocation of my time. It’s a question of finding the elusive “happy balance” …

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I’m back, and trying to figure out whether there is a bear at the door was first posted on August 15, 2011 at 12:00 pm.
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