This December will mark a couple major milestones in my financial services career. For one, it will mark the completion of my 28th year of being a licensed investment professional. Throughout my long career I have experienced just about everything that can happen in the financial markets and have provided observations and strategy considerations in my book, Protecting The Pig: How Stock Market Trends Reveal the Way to Grow and Preserve Your Wealth.

This December will also mark the completion of 10 years of writing and publishing these Monthly Market/Trend Updates. It’s hard to believe an entire decade has passed and I’m still writing them. When I first began writing and publishing these articles it was for one primary reason: I didn’t just want to tell people that the behavior of the financial markets was not totally random; I wanted to show them as well. I wanted to help the “average” investor reduce if not eliminate their fears of suffering a major investment loss so they could more fully enjoy their retirement, and hopefully, benefit from occasional pay raises over time.

While I have enjoyed writing these updates and sharing them with you, there has been one longstanding lack: reader engagement. For the most part, I rarely if ever receive any follow up from these articles. When meeting and talking with clients they rarely ask about anything I have previously written. And I can hardly recall a single individual who has become a client because of these monthly updates. These observations, along with others, led me to title this article, “Bueller? Bueller?” after the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. For most of this year whenever I have published a new monthly update I have felt like the teacher in the movie calling out “Bueller? Bueller?” to an empty classroom desk.

A lot has changed since I began writing and publishing these articles and I think it’s time for me to change as well. Video has become the primary means that most people use to consume information, and regardless of the information I share in these articles, they become “lost” within the world wide web shortly after being published. So, I have decided to make a change. This December’s update will mark the end of these articles in their current format. It is my hope and intent to expound (through video) the content written in my book in addition to creating new content. I’m not currently sure how all of this will eventually take form, but I hope to have it completed and available within 2026.

Until then, I may continue to publish a streamlined “Monthly Update” through my website blog, but I do not intend to publish these at all on LinkedIn after December. For anyone who is not currently subscribed to my website blog, you can do so here.

 

STOCK MARKET, THE TREND:

Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com, Data as of 8/31/25

 

Turning our attention to the US stock market, I have circled the two red, downward pointing arrows in the top right-hand corner showing that once again we continue testing a resistance line that traces back to 2021. I currently expect the market to eventually drop to the parallel green line just below it, but aside from that, I don’t currently see much reason for concern. As long as price continues to remain above the Blue Line, our process suggests investors just sit back and enjoy the rising trend.

 

STOCK MARKET, WATCHING FOR THE SUMMIT:

Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com, Data as of 8/31/25

 

The S&P finished the month of August 8.5% above the Blue Line, compared to 8.4% above the Blue Line at the end of July. For more information on the Blue Line, please refer to Chapter 2 of my book.

Jeff Link

 

Disclaimers:

The BLUE LINE INVESTING® (BLI) investment process was founded on over 95 years of stock market history. It seeks to identify and align investment decisions with multiyear trends. Various aspects of this process have been illustrated in my book Protecting The Pig: How Stock Market Trends Reveal the Way to Grow and Preserve Your Wealth.

The S&P 500 Index is one of the most commonly followed equity indices, and many consider it one of the best representations of the U.S. stock market, and a bellwether for the U.S. economy. It is comprised of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ. The volatility (beta) of the account may be greater or less than the index. It is not possible to invest directly in this index.

Technical analysis is a method of evaluating securities by analyzing statistics generated by market activity, such as past prices and volumes. Technical analysis attempts to predict a future stock price or direction based on market trends. The assumption is that the market follows discernible patterns and if these patterns can be identified then a prediction can be made. The risk is that markets may not always follow patterns. There are certain limitations to technical analysis research, such as the calculation results being impacted by changes in security price during periods of market volatility. Technical analysis is one of many indicators that may be used to analyze market data for investing purposes and should not be considered a guaranteed prediction of market activity. The opinions expressed are those of BLI. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. BLI reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. This material is not financial advice or an offer to sell any product. The information contained herein should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed.

Investment advisory services offered through Guardian Wealth Advisors, LLC D/B/A Blue Line Investing. Guardian Wealth Advisors, LLC (“GWA”) is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about GWA’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form CRS or Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.

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