China: Soft vs. Hard Landing

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- If you read my article in late April on China, you know that I am bearish on China contrary to the majority of analysts. I have one advantage: no conflict of interest. I don't manage money, I am not a broker, and don't work for Wall Street. Thus, I can say "sell" or "sell short."

The next 12 months may be the most important for investors and traders in several years. Most money managers are not prepared for it, just as they were totally unprepared during the last global crisis. This opens up great opportunities for the small segment of investors who are prepared.

I have been using sophisticated technical analysis, combined with serious credit markets analysis, to determine major trend changes in the markets for 35 years. No investment discipline is perfect, but this is what has worked best for me over the long term. It is lonely to call a major downturn when everyone else is bullish, as it was in October 2007. In fact, during the bull markets there are lots of invitations from the media. When I turn bearish, the invitations dry up. Strange. But the bulls continue to cheer on.

China is currently one of the overhyped markets. You can probably count the number of bears on one hand. Yet, it is one of two areas that will have serious problems, and cause devastating losses for the bulls, not just for investors in China stocks, but all the firms that have been selling to China. And that is a big universe.

The China housing crash is finally getting some attention in the media, but the analysts tell us that it's nothing to worry about. Ben Bernanke told us that in January 2008 about the subprime mortgage crisis. We know how that one turned out.

Last summer, when I produced the special report, The Coming China Crisis, the bulls denied that the China economy was weakening. Now the debate has changed to "soft landing versus hard landing." At least they admit there will be a "landing." If "soft" means in quick sand and mud, they may be correct.