Robert Nurock

Robert J. Nurock, a notable stock market analyst who was a panelist on the long-lived PBS series Wall Street Week, died on February 26, 2017 at his home in Santa Fe, NM. He was 79.

As a stock market analyst, he created the Technical Market Index for Wall Street Week, where he was a panelist for 19 years until his retirement from the show in 1989 and referred to as the ‘Chief Elf’, a reference to Robert’s statements that the ‘elves’ calculated his Technical Market Index. Throughout his career and personal life Bob was known to have a love of using puns in his professional work, which also spilled easily into his social life.

Robert Jay Nurock was born on May 25, 1937 in Philadelphia, PA to Sid Nurock, one of the first woman buyers for the Strawbridge and Clothier’s Department Store and Abe Nurock, an attorney.

Bob always held a passion for his alma-mater, Penn State, from which he graduated in 1958. After graduation he moved to Baltimore, MD to own and operate an auto service shop business. He quickly turned his business acuity to the stock market and joined Merrill Lynch as a stock broker then moving into Merrill’s Market Analysis Department learning from Robert Farrell and other innovators of market analysis.

Bob formed his own market movement theories. The capstone was his Technical Market Index sometimes known as his ‘Elves Index’, which premiered on Wall Street Week in the 1970’s. Between 1974 and 1984 his index, which tracks 10 barometers of market momentum, investor psychology and monetary conditions, compiled a record for calling major turning points in the stock market. The elves' forecasting signals, both bullish and bearish, were right 95.1 percent of the time in forecasting whether the market would be higher or lower 52 weeks later (source, New York Times 12/15/1985).

Through his advisory business, Investor’s Analysis, Inc. he published a pioneering investment newsletter, The Astute Investor, from suburban Philadelphia until moving to Santa Fe in 1994.
In Santa Fe, Bob expanded on his love of the arts. He was Treasurer of the Fine Arts Committee and Budget Chair of FOCA, Friends of Contemporary Art. He was very active with the Museum Foundation of New Mexico; as the founding Chair of the Investment Committee since the fall of 2000. He also served on the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Investment Committee, and the New Mexico Museum of Art Development Team. He was voted to become an Honorary Trustee of the Museum Foundation of New Mexico in 2016. Bob was also a Director of ATC Funds, Inc., a mutual fund organization specializing in socially responsible investing, and is a member of the Trust Investment Committee of the First National Bank of Santa Fe

He is survived by his former wife, Bridget Nurock the mother of his two children, daughter Megan Brand and her spouse Tim Berry, son Andrew Brand and his spouse Rhonda Cinotto and his cat, Ginger.

Donations in Robert Nurock’s name can be made to Presbyterian Medical Services Hospice Center 1400 Chama Ave, Santa Fe NM 87505, or the Espanola Valley Humane Society at 108 Hamm Parkway, Espanola, NM 87532.

A graveside service will be held at the Santa Fe National Cemetery at a time and day to be announced.