Understanding and determining the market trends/climate/cycle

[Travis Bodnar]

Podcast 19 really brought something to the front of my mind (sorry I know I just started listening to the podcasts).  Everyone always talks about the market trends or climate.  I have also heard about market cycles (are the terms correct - used interchangeably??).  From what I have read, much like the cycles of the stock market, the best time to invest/buy is to buy when the market is at the bottom (correct me if I am wrong).  As a math and data junkie, I don't like to always trust the "opinion" of someone else.  So... How does an investor determine the market trend/climate/cycle within a given area?  Within a given state?  What are the tools available?  What are mathematical indicators people look at and where can one find ACTUAL and CORRECT data to support this?  If there is a blog/forum entry or even a keyword to search please let me know.  Thanks and appreciate your time.