ARTICLE SYNOPSIS ...What K-wave? by Jeff Walker Cycles -- in things as varied as locusts, sunspots and pig iron production -- are an undeniable part of the universe. The reality of Nicolai Kondratieff's 54-year cycle is rather less certain. A cycle is a more-or-less regular fluctuation of a value from one extreme to another and at least partially back. In the longer run, the value may be trending higher, lower or not at all. Most advocates of the Kondratieff wave (K-wave) believe that an economic cycle averaging 54 years in duration turned up around the time of the Great Depression. Most believe that it peaked i...