Update

The wave C of primary wave 4 count is still the preferred count however we are not out of the woods until mid to late January when multiple long term cycles are due for completion which are usually bearish. The main question is whether wave C bottomed today or will it bottom sometime in January(if the bottom was today, that is just two trading days after my opinion given in Wednesdays post that the bottom may occur last week). The longer time frame would allow time for wave C to expand to a double zigzag instead of a standard zigzag.

An alternate count with nearly equal odds would allow for the decline from the October/2018 high to present to be wave A of a larger sideways type correction within primary wave 4. In this count, primary wave 4 would extend up to several months past January/2019 but subsequent lows may be above the December/January low. This count would agree more with the cycles which are more mixed to negative in 2019 (especially in January) compared to 2018 which had bullish cycles (also 2019 is the 3rd year of the election cycle which is the strongest as stated last week with an average gain of 12.8%). There is also a long term bullish cycle that tops in 2020.

An 2nd alternate long term count has been identified that labels the October high as the top of primary wave 3. That count would allow the current correction to be a zigzag style correction - a standard zigzag or a double zigzag. This is not a preferred count as wave 4's tend to be sideways or complex type corrections whereas wave 2's tend to be simple or zigzag type corrections.

The bearish cycle wave 1 count with the top at the October/2018 high given as the alternate count last week would also be followed by a probable zigzag style cycle wave 2 - with that, there could be a large intervening B wave that could last several months and create a large up move that could move up toward the old highs. This still looks like the less likely scenario but becomes more likely if there are lower prices after January/2019 as stated last week or if indexes continue to drop hard as they did last week.

Dow monthly chart. Preferred bullish count. Click to enlarge.

Alternate bullish count. Click to enlarge.

Alternate bearish count. Click to enlarge.