[CHART] Why the 3 Biggest Signs of the Next Bear Market Are What You'd Least Expect

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There is nothing like a bull market to make investors feel great. But don't let optimistic data lead you into complacency. The market is at its most dangerous right when everyone agrees it's strong.

Think about it. When everyone is bullish, theoretically, they have already bought. If there is nobody left to buy, demand dries up, and the slightest bit of bad news can trigger a stampede to the exit doors as many people try to sell at the same time.

As you can guess, the next bear market can start in a hurry.

That's exactly what we saw when the Internet bubble popped in 2000. And when the housing and financial bubble popped in 2007.

Fortunately, investors can use three indicators as early warning signals.

When one or more of them go off, we'll know that it's time to play it a bit more conservatively or even step aside completely with all but core holdings.

And these indicators are the last place most investors will look…

Markets Move in Cycles

If you know where to look, you will see the natural ebb and flow in the stock market trace out regular periods.

Think about the annual market cycle, where some parts of the year are usually strong and others are usually weak. You may have heard this common witticism: "Sell in May and go away." The winter months – on average – perform better than the summer months.

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You may also have heard of the presidential, or four-year, cycle. Right now, the market is in the third year of the cycle. That means that if the cycle holds, the market should run into serious trouble in 2020.

Of course, that is just the average cycle. Economic or political events can make it longer or shorter, so the takeaway here is that the cycle is aging but not dead yet. Later this year, strategies should probably turn a bit more defensive.

In short, investors seeing market gains after the worst December for stocks in 30 years shouldn't get too optimistic.

Merger Activity Peaks Ahead of Bear Markets

Bull markets make companies feel good, too. After all, they are making money, and their share prices are moving higher. They look for ways to grow their businesses, and since their shares are inflated in price, they use them as currency to buy their rivals or suppliers.

Merger and acquisition activity starts to grow, and eventually companies become willing to take more risk and pay higher prices for their targets. It's just like an individual investor chasing Bitcoin higher in 2018. We know how that ended up.

The same is true in the stock market when corporations chase deals.

Right now, the data shows a decent spike in global merger activity in early 2018. There is usually a lag between the merger peak and the stock market peak, so this particular indicator suggests that investors keep their eyes open. The exact timing, however, is not well defined.

It's simply a reminder that deal activity picking up doesn't mean the market will keep growing.

In fact, investors getting confident is another sign the market could turn bad…

Investors Are Optimistic Until the End

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