market folly

It appears that Appaloosa Management founder David Tepper has turned cautious on the markets. In a recent interview with the NY Post, Tepper has interjected some common sense and says that "when things go up too high, they will go down."

The hedge fund manager seems to be advocating taking some profits and reducing risk, or at the very least, bracing for any potential impact. From the NY Post, "Tepper said while 'the biggest opportunities' will remain in equities, 2011 will be 'harder and not without risk.' "

If you read into his comments, he obviously still sees equities as the more favorable asset class, but he also hints that you'll have to be more selective with your picks (rather than simply smashing the 'buy' button on anything, a trade that has pretty much worked since September). If you're looking for picks from the hedge fund manager himself, Tepper recently bought Dean Foods (DF). And you can of course see the rest of Appaloosa's picks in our Hedge Fund Wisdom newsletter (new issue due out in a few weeks).

We are pointing this out because Tepper is scheduled to appear on CNBC tomorrow. And last time he appeared on the network, his bullish take on equities sent the stock market rallying furiously higher in what many have dubbed the 'Tepper rally' (it's is up over 13% since). Will he move markets again tomorrow? We'll have to wait and see what his extended comments are. But if this interview is any hint of what he'll have to say, those trading on his every word will be inclined to take some profits and be more selective with their holdings.

As we've highlighted on the site, market strategist Jeff Saut has also been cautious on the markets, but will be an eventual buyer of any sizable dip.