It was fun while it lasted. I’m talking about the brief buying opportunity last winter, when the S&P 500 plunged 10% in the first six weeks of 2016. On February 10, the day before the market hit its midwinter trough, I bet that it was ready for a turnaround, as the number of bearish option bets had hit a 10-year high—a clear contrarian indicator. I then gave you the names of three stocks to buy straightaway . As if on cue, all three went on to clobber the index’s subsequent 13.3% rise: Ventas Inc. (VTR) exploded for a 33% gain, while HCP Inc. (HCP) soared 22%. The Vanguard REIT Index Fund (VNQ) , took off on a 15.5% run. But now, with the market back above... Read more