Showing posts with label ETF Trading Newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ETF Trading Newsletter. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2012

Was Friday’s Price Action in Gold Signaling a Top in the S&P 500?

Friday morning traders and market participants awaited the key January employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The reaction to the supposedly wonderful report was a surge in the S&P 500 E-Mini futures contracts as well as several other key equity index futures.

The overall tenor among the financial punditry was predictable as wildly bullish predictions permeated the morning session on CNBC and in the financial blogosphere. However, after the report had been out for several hours notable independent voices such as Lee Adler of the Wall Street Examiner came out with information that suggested the numbers were an apparition of manipulated statistics.

I am not going to spend a great deal of time discussing the report, but the reaction to the news was decisively bullish on Friday. The question I want to know is whether Friday was a blow off top? In the recent past the S&P 500 has seen several key inflection points and intermediate-term tops form on non-farm payroll monthly announcements.

I follow a variety of indicators to help me decipher more accurately when the market is getting overbought or oversold. For nearly two weeks the market has been extremely overbought, but now we are reaching truly astonishing levels. The following charts represent just a few signals that the market is due for a pullback and a top is likely approaching.

Percentage of NYSE Stocks Trading Above Their 50 Period Moving Average

The chart above clearly illustrates that as of Friday’s closing bell (02/03) over 89% of stocks were trading above their 50 period moving averages. Consequently that reading is one of the highest levels that we have seen in the past 3 years. In addition, over 73% of stocks that trade on the NYSE are currently priced above their longer term 200 period moving averages. Another extremely overbought signal.

S&P 500 Bullish Percent Index Weekly Chart

The S&P 500 Bullish Percent Index is another great tool for measuring the overall position of the S&P 500. It is without question that the longer term time frame is reaching the highest level of overbought conditions in the past 3 years.

McClellan Oscillator Divergence with S&P 500 Price Action

The two charts shown above present an interesting situation regarding the divergence in the McClellan Oscillator and the price action in the S&P 500. The most recent example of this type of divergence occurred in October of 2011 and prices immediately reversed to the upside after several months of selling pressure. In fact, this correlation between reversals in the S&P 500 and divergences in the McClellan Oscillator works relatively well historically.

Clearly there are bullish voices arguing for the 2011 S&P 500 Index high of 1,370.58 to be taken out to the upside in the near future. Additionally, several market technicians in the blogospere have been pointing to the key resistance range between 1,350 and 1,370 on the S&P 500 as a likely price target. Obviously if those price levels are met strong resistance is likely to present itself. However, as a contrarian trader I have found that the more obvious price levels are the more likely it is that they either will not be tested or they will not offer significant resistance.

It is obvious that Chairman Bernanke and the Federal Reserve have embarked on a massive fiat currency printing campaign which has helped buoy risk assets to the upside. Through a combination of reducing interest rates on safety haven investments like Treasury’s and CD’s, the Federal Reserve has forced conservative investors and those living on a fixed income into riskier assets in search of yield.

This process helps elevate stock prices and creates the desired outcome for the Federal Reserve which involves the perception by average individuals that they are wealthier. The Fed calls this the “wealth effect” and they seem poised to insure that U.S. financial markets continue to ride upon a see of cheap money and liquidity.

Ultimately the Federal Reserve’s most recent announcements have served to help flatten the short end of the yield curve further while providing a launching pad for equities and precious metals. However, issues persisting in Europe could have an adverse impact on the short to intermediate term price action of the U.S. Dollar.

Right now everywhere I look I hear market prognosticators commenting on how hated the U.S. Dollar is and how Chairman Bernanke will not allow the Dollar to appreciate markedly in order to protect U.S. exports and financial markets. I think that the Dollar has the potential to rally in the short to intermediate term. Right now the U.S. Dollar Index appears to be trying to form a bottom.

U.S. Dollar Index Daily Chart

Obviously there is good reason to believe that the U.S. Dollar Index could reverse to the upside here. Whether it would have the strength to take out recent highs is unclear, but a correction to the upside not only seems unexpected by most market participants, but it seems plausible based on the weekend news coming out of Greece.

Monday morning the Greek government is set to determine if they will agree to the demands of the Troika in exchange for the next tranche of bailout funds. If the Greek government and the Troika do not come to an agreement, the Euro could sell-off violently.

Additionally there are already concerns about the next LTRO offering from the European Central Bank. The measure is to help provide European banks with additional liquidity, but there are growing concerns that the size and scope of the LTRO could have a dramatic impact on the Euro’s valuation against other currencies. Time will tell, but there are certainly catalysts which could help drive the U.S. Dollar higher.

Another potential indicator that the Dollar could see higher prices in coming days was the largely unnoticed bearish price action on Friday of precious metals. Both gold and silver have been on a tear higher over the past several weeks. Both precious metals have surged since the Federal Reserve announced that interest rates would remain near zero on the short end of the curve through 2014.

However, on Friday gold and silver were both under extreme selling pressure. The move did not get much attention by the financial media. The price action in gold and silver on Friday could be another indication that the U.S. Dollar is set to rally. The daily chart of gold is shown below.

Gold Futures Daily Chart

Obviously the reversal on Friday in gold futures was sharp. The move represented nearly a 2% decline for the session on the price of gold. However, as long term readers know I am a gold bull. I just do not see how gold and silver do not rally in the intermediate to longer term based on the insane levels of fiat currency printing going on at all of the major central banks around the world. The macro case for gold is very strong, but the short term time frame could reveal a brief pullback.

At this point, I suspect a pullback will present a good buying opportunity for those that are patient. However, I think it is critical to point out that this move in gold on Friday could be a signal that the U.S. Dollar is going to find some short to intermediate term strength. If the Dollar does start to push higher, it will likely put downward pressure on risk assets like equities and oil.

While Friday’s price action may not mark a top, nearly every indicator that I follow is screaming that stocks are overbought across all time frames. Pair that with the Greece uncertainty and LTRO considerations and suddenly the Dollar starts to look a bit more attractive. Ultimately I am not going to try to pick a top, but the evidence suggests that it might not be too many days/weeks away.


Monday, April 25, 2011

Gold and Stocks Rally But is it Time for a Little Pullback

It has been a very interesting week thus far. Monday kick started traders with a heart pounding equities sell off which sent money into the US Dollar, precious metals and bonds as the safe havens of choice.

A lot has happened this week on a technical analysis basis which I can’t really show in a written report like this. But can do so in detail within my video newsletter. There are just to many charts required and layers of analysis to cover… But I can cover some of the points and my thoughts using the charts below:

SPY 30 Minute Intraday Chart

This chart shows the volume traded at various price levels for the SP500 index. These high volume levels act as support or resistance depending if you are above or below them. On Wednesday we had large gap higher into a resistance level which the market could not break through. So I am expecting to see the market take a pause and fade back down to fill part or all of Wednesday’s gap window.
While most gaps tend to get filled. Gaps that occur right at the beginning of a new trend when momentum is strong. They generally do not fill all the way down to the bottom. I expect a couple days of sideways to lower price action. Buyers should step back in and send the market higher next week if this trend is to continue.
GDX – Gold Miner Stocks – Daily Chart
Gold stocks have been underperforming the price of gold bullion for several months. This typically is not a strong sign for physical gold prices. That being said I do feel the majority of investors are seeking true safety and want to own real gold and not some highly leveraged gold stock. This to me is more of a risk off trade for global investors and it explains the performance.

From the recent price action shown on the GDX chart I am expecting to see prices trade sideways or lower in the coming days. A sideways move would actually be bullish and would signal a possible breakout to upside. So that is what I am hoping will unfold in the coming days/weeks.

US Dollar Daily Chart

The dollar continues to get sold at a tremendous rate and the Fed is devaluing the currency as quickly as they can trying and save the world one dollar at a time…
The trend is strongly down but it’s starting to near a point where we should start to keep a closer eye on it for signs of a reversal to the upside. When the dollar makes a move higher and starts a rally it will put downward pressure on stocks and commodities. We must be prepared to move our protective stops ups and possibly take advantage of falling prices in the near future. Until then remain long equities and commodities.
Mid-Week Trend Conclusion:
In short, it looks as though stocks and commodities are in favor again. Monday’s panic sell off looks to have shaken the masses out of the market and the big money players were buying up all the shares they could. Members and myself are sitting nicely in our long positions and this could be the start of something exciting.

You can get Chris Vermeulens Pre-Market Trading Analysis Videos, Intraday Chart Updates and Trade Alerts with his Premium Newsletter The Gold and Oil Guy.Com



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Monday, November 15, 2010

U.S. Dollar Continues to Control Gold, Crude Oil & Equities

Over the past few months it seems as though everything has been tied to the dollar. Simple inter-market analysis makes it obvious that almost everything in the financial market eventually has an affect on stocks and commodities in some way. But recently trading has really been all about the dollar. If you watch the SP500 and gold prices you will notice at times virtually every tick the dollar makes directly affects the price and direction of gold and the SP500 index.

Let’s take a look at some charts to see the underlying trends and what they are telling us…

Dollar Index – Daily Chart
As you can see the trend is clearly down. Currently the dollar is trying to find a bottom as it bounces and pierces the previous high. The question everyone wants to know is if the dollar is about to rally and reverse trends or was Friday’s pierce of the October high just a shake out before the next leg down?

Back in late August the dollar pierced the July high on an intraday basis (shake out) just before prices dropped sharply. I think this could very easily happen again but when you see what gold volume is doing, it’s a different story.

Those who follow me closely know I focus on trading with the underlying trend, but manage my risk by trading smaller position sizes when the market has more uncertainty than normal with is what we are currently experiencing.


GLD – Gold Fund – Daily Chart
Gold and the dollar are almost inverse charts when comparing the two. Gold happens to be testing a key support level and its going to be interesting to see how the price holds up going forward. The one thing that has me concerned is the amount of selling taking place. The chart shows heavy volume selling and could be warning us of a possible trend change in the dollar, gold, oil and equities in the coming weeks.

Again the trend for gold is still up, so I would not be trying to short it at this time, rather look to buy into dips until the market trend proves us wrong. That being said, with the selling volume giving off a negative vibe and the fact that gold has rallied for such a long time, any new positions should be very small....


Crude Oil – Daily Chart
Oil looks to be forming a possible cup and handle pattern. If the Dollar continues to consolidate for another 1-3 weeks and breaks down, then we should see the price of oil trade in the range shown on the chart and eventually breakout to the upside. I have a $95-100 price target on oil if the dollar continues to trend down. Until we see some type of handle form here I am not trading oil.


SPY – SP500 Fund – Daily Chart
The equities market looks to have had one of those days which spooked the herd. Friday the price dropped triggering protective stops with rising volume. I was watching the intraday chart as the SP500 broke below the weeks low, and this triggered protective stops which can be seen on the 1 minute charts. In an uptrend I prefer watching stops get triggered because it means traders are getting taking out of long positions and most likely looking to play the short side. When the masses become bearish on the market, that’s when I start looking to play the upside in a bull market (buy the dip).

The chart below clearly shows the days when the shake outs/running of the stops took place. Most traders were exiting their positions and/or going short because the chart looked bearish. One thing I find that helps my trading is that if the chart looks rally scary (bearish) then I start looking at a shorter term time frame for a possible entry point to go long using price and volume analysis.


Weekend Market Trend Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the market is at a critical point which will trigger a very strong movement in the coming days or weeks. Because the dollar, gold, oil and the equities market have had such big moves I think trading VERY DEFENSIVE is the only way to play right now. That means trading small position sizes. Right now I am trading 1/8 – 1/4 the amount of capital I generally use on a trade. Meaning if I typically put $40,000 to work, right now I am only taking positions valued at $10,000.

Remember not to anticipate trend reversals by taking a position early. Continue to trade with the underlying trend with small positions or skip a couple setups if you feel strongly of a possible reversal. Once the trend reverses and the volume confirms, only then should you be playing the new trend. Picking tops can be expensive and stressful.

Get Chris Vermeulen's Daily Pre-Market Trading Analysis Videos, Intraday Updates & Trade Alerts Here at www Gold And Oil Guy.com



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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Gold Stocks, SP500 & the U.S. Dollar – What’s Next?

From Chris Vermeulen, The Gold and Oil Guy......

Investors around the globe are concerned with the economic outlook, not only with the United States but with virtually every country. This has caused not only investors but banks and countries to start buying gold & silver in order to be protected incase of a currency melt down in the coming years.

While the majority is concerned about the eroding economy, we have seen the opposite in the financial market. Gold and equities have risen… That being said the volume in the market remains light simply because the average investor is no longer putting money into the market for long term growth. Instead individuals are now focusing on saving and paying down debt.

That being said we all know light volume market conditions allow Wall Street powerhouses to bid the market up. Not to mention with quantitative easing taking place I’m sure that has also helped the market of late. While we don’t know for sure that QE is taking place as we speak, the sharp drop in the dollar and strong move up in gold are pricing this into the market.

Let’s take a look at some charts....

HUI – Gold Stock Index
This long term monthly chart of the HUI index provides valuable trading signals for both gold stocks and gold bullion. As you can see below this index is trading at a key resistance level after forming a bullish 3 year Cup & Handle pattern. The next 1-2 months for the precious metals sector will be interesting as it tries to break above key resistance. I would really like to see the HUI:GLD ratio break to the upside to confirm if the breakout occurs.


SPY – Daily Long Term Trend
The broad market looks to be forming a short term topping wedge. If this is to occurI expect it to take several weeks to play out. Looking at the chart if we use Fibonacci retracements along with trend line support we can get a feel for where this pullback should correct to.

That being said the broad market breadth and internals seem to be holding up indicating higher prices over the long run. While the short term price action is overbought and I expect a pullback to form, my analysis is pointing to higher prices as we go into year end.


UUP – US Dollar Daily Price Action
Although the majority of investors have a bearish outlook on the economy, we have seen a large price appreciation in equities and precious metals. This is largely due to the fact that the US dollar is quickly getting devalued. Simply put, as the dollar drops, it helps boost commodities and stock prices.

While a rising stock market is great to see, at some point the dollar will become so cheap that it will start to have a very negative affect on the US economy, commodities and stocks. Being from Canada it has always been more expensive to take holidays in the United States, and I remember paying $1.50-$1.70 for every $1 green back. But now the dollar is almost at par making holidays very affordable. The big question/concern is when will they ease off on the printing? At the rate which they are printing the greenback will be at par with peso… well not that extreme but you get the point Eh!


Weekend Market Conclusion:
As we all know the market has a way of making sure the majority of traders miss major turning points. The saying is, “If the market doesn’t shake you out, it will wear you out” and it seems we are getting the later…

The never ending grind higher in precious metals has not had any big shakeouts, rather its wearing out any short positions before rolling over to take a breather. As for the stock market, we are getting much of the same thing as the market grinds higher day after wearing out the shorts before rolling over.

That being said, there is more at work here than just regular market movements. With the light volume in the market we know there is price manipulation and QE (quantitative Easing) which is helping to boost prices and exaggerate market movements.

Just Click Here if you would like to have my ETF Trade Alerts for Low Risk Setups!

Let the volatility and volume return!
Chris Vermeulen



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Sunday, August 29, 2010

High Volume Resistance Plagues Precious Metals, Crude Oil & SP500

Last week was a relatively strong week for stocks and commodities. Although the SP500 closed slightly lower on the week the price action Friday was strong. The recent pop in commodities has everyone feeling good and bullish again and we all know how the market works… When everyone is feeling good the market has a way of shaking things up.

Below are a few charts showing heavy volume resistance levels that will most likely cause the broad market & commodities to pullback or trade sideways for a few days as buyers and sellers play tug-o-war.

SLV – Silver Bullion ETF Trading
Silver had a very nice pop last week but if you step back and look the recent price action you can see that it’s still trading below the previous major bounce from back in June. It looks as though silver is a little over extended as large percentage moves tend to give back 25-50% of the mover shortly after.

Take a look at the price by volume bar. It shows there has been heavy volume traded at that $19.00 level and the previous time it was reached sellers stepped back in pulling silver down.


GLD – Gold Bullion ETF Trading
Gold is trading deep into the resistance level and struggling to hold up. Last week we went long GLD after the bullish engulfing candle and took profits near the high two days later on Thursday’s price. Although gold is trading at resistance the intraday price action remains somewhat bullish/neutral for the time being.


USO – Oil ETF Trading
The oil ETF broke down from its large multi-month bear flag and is now bouncing up to test that breakdown/resistance level. This could be a possible kiss good bye. I will keep my eye on this commodity as it could provide us with a great shorting opportunity in the coming days.


SPY – SP500 ETF Trading
The equities market has been tried to bottom all week and Friday’s price action looks strong. While the chart looks strong the market internals are telling me the opposite. Last week we saw a gap down and Friday that gap window was filled. With heavy volume resistance just above the current price the odds are pointing to lower prices.


Weekend Equities and Commodities ETF Trading Report:
In short, it looks as though everything is trading just under or at resistance levels. That means sellers will start to enter the market and cause prices to stall (trade sideways/choppy) and or reverse lower.

That being said, with Friday’s strong close for oil and the sp500 I am expecting a gap higher in the morning because traders will review those charts this weekend and enter the market Monday feeling bullish.

Just click here if you would like to get Chris Vermeulen's ETF Trade Alerts for Low Risk Setups


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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Gold and Crude Oil Shine Compared to the SP500

Commodities have been shining recently as the US Dollar loses its luster for investors. Also the weakening dollar has helped boost equities as a lower US dollar helps the large multi national companies. This report is a quick follow up from the Weekend report showing what the odds were favoring which was higher gold, oil and sp500. As of today each investment is unfolding as planned, once candle at a time.

GLD – Gold ETF Trading
In my last report I pointed out how gold needed to break through its down trendline, the MACD had to crossover and then we needed to wait for a pullback which ends with a reversal candle to the upside. It seems gold is working its way through that process now.

Today’s Pop & Drop is not bullish price action and I expect we see a couple more down/sideways days before higher prices are reached. There are two bullish ways gold could pullback. First one would be a drop to $115 area with below average volume which could form the right shoulder of a reverse head & shoulders pattern, or we could see prices just fade sideways on light volume for 2-4 days before another up move starts.


USO – Oil Trading Fund
Oil just had a 3 day pop and with today’s doji candle the chart is saying it needs a breather. That also falls inline with the price of the US dollar which should continue higher tomorrow (Thursday Aug 5th) putting downward pressure on crude oil.


SPY – SP500 ETF Trading Signals
SP500 had a nice pop on Monday taking it up to the first key resistance level. The best play would have been to buy last Thursday or Friday when it dropped down to support unfortunately the intraday charts at that time were not that healthy looking.

I am not a fan of trading breakouts because so many of them fail and you end up paying a premium for your position and they can end up going against you very quickly. Rather I focus on trying to pick things up at support or sell them at resistance.

If we see the price pause for another 1-4 days on light volume and hold above the support trendline we could have a great low risk entry point with a stop set just below support. Or we could see a pop then pullback to test the breakout level as which point we can take a long position. This play needs to mature a little more.


Mid-Week Gold, Oil and Index Trading Conclusion:
In short, Gold, Oil and the SP500 look ready for a small pullback or some sideways price action. It will be interesting to see how strong the pullback will be on the SP500. The chart pattern and volume while they favor higher prices at the moment, if the support trendline is breached then selling volume will most likely spike and a sharp decline will occur causing the SP500 to drop approximately 3% all the way down to the $109 area.

If you would like to test out Chris Vermeulen's trading service which has a 30 day money back guarantee visit his site at the The Gold and Oil Guy.


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Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Gold & Silver Precious Metals Correction

It’s been an exciting week for traders as volatility levels are through the roof and the broad market is moving up and down like a yoyo. You cannot take your eyes off the screen if you have a large amount of money invested as you can quickly find yourself with a large profit or loss in the matter of minutes....

Although we have seen stocks jump around the past few days precious metals have held strong with very little volatility. This is because of the economic fears looming for the US and other countries of possible financial collapse. This fear is helping to boost gold and silver prices because they are seen as the safe haven. Also we are seeing money move in the US dollar because the country is still seen as a leader in many ways helping to boost the US dollar.

Below are a couple charts on Gold and Silver ETF’s showing the end of last years rally and the correction in prices which are now looking to setting up for another leg higher.


Gold Futures Price – 60 Minute Day Trading Chart

Gold has been showing some very bullish price action the past week forming several mini bull flags with confirming volume levels. I think we should see gold pop another $5-10 bucks in the very near future if not continue higher for several days.


SLV – Silver ETF Trading Vehicle – Daily Chart

Silver formed much of the same patterns as gold but with much more volatility. Also silver has yet to break the 2009 high which is surprising but with a large part of silver being use for industrial purposes it does make sense as the economy is not as strong as it was thought to be in 2009. Silver carries much more risk when trading because it has more random moves and increased volatility.


Mid-Week Precious Metals Trading Conclusion:

In short, gold and silver are in an uptrend and looking strong. Both are currently trading at short term resistance levels on the daily chart which has caused them to stop moving up today (Wednesday May 26th) but on an intraday basis they look solid and could break though these resistance levels.

That being said buying way up here adds a lot more risk because a good chunk of the move has already been made and if prices do roll over and start heading back down the next support level is several percentage points away for placing a protective stop with the proper amount of wiggle room.

If Trading Gold, Silver and Index Futures and ETFs interest you, check out Chris Vermeulen's trading services at The Gold and Oil Guy.com



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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Weekend Gold, Silver and SP500 Trading Charts

Last week was amazing for both gold and index traders as gold surged higher and the SP500 tested a key resistance then fell 4% in our favor. The past couple weeks with the mini market crash and Euro issues making the market extra volatile both gold and the broad market (SP500) index has been wild.
The added volatility makes trading more difficult because price patterns become less predictable and price movements are much larger increasing risk for traders.

Below are the charts & videos of what to look for in the coming days…

GLD – Gold ETF Trading
Gold continues to trend higher at an accelerated rate. Friday we saw gold pullback and test a key support level then bounced to close in the middle of the days trading range. As you can see the trend line support has become very steep and once the trend line support is broken I figure there will be a sharp drop to digest the recent rally.


SLV – Silver ETF Trading
Silver popped and tested a key resistance level from a previous high as expected. It also tested the top of its trend channel providing even more resistance. This week will be interesting as we wait to see if precious metals have a small pullback or continue to rally.


SPY – SP500 Index ETF Trading Chart
This chart clearly shows what I think is about to unfold by looking at the past market drop. Because of the mini market crash triggering everyone’s stops already I figure we have made the low and the dip we are seeing now will drift down a few more percentage points then bottom out.


ES M0 – SP500 Mini Futures Trading Setup – Pre-Drop
Below is a chart of the SP500 which we shorted or bought the SDS bear etf trading fund last week looking to profit from a falling stock market. As you can see from the chart we saw the es mini contract drift into a key pivot point on light volume. What this means is that a large group of sellers will be waiting at that price, and because volume is light we know there are not many buyers at this price level. Simple supply/demand comes into play with more sellers causing the price to stop rising and eventually force the price lower which is what we were anticipating.

The green arrows show key support levels on the 60 minute chart where 1/3 of a position should be taken of the table to lock in gains which also reduces overall risk on the trade. Once we cash in the first 1/3 of the position we move our protective stop the breakeven which is the entry point for the remaining portion of our position. This turns the trading into a winner no matter what happens allowing us to enjoy the ride…


ES M0 – SP500 Mini Futures Trading Setup – Current Price
Here is the same chart 24 hours later showing both of our profit targets triggered pocketing 2/3rds of our position for a very nice gain. Depending on the type of trading vehicle you traded there was potential to make up to 150% return in less than 24 hours.

We currently hold 1/3 of the position left with a loose stop allowing the trade to mature incase the down trend continues for several days or weeks. If not and the price rallies then our stop will get triggered for small profit on the balance of the position. Either way we win.


Stock Market ETF and Futures Trading Conclusion:
In short, the market is trading on increased volatility making it difficult to find low risk setups. At the moment we are long gold and short the SP500 with both position deep in the money. All we can do now is manage our positions to make sure we maximize our profits.

Just click here if you would like to receive Chris Vermeulen's Trading Signals



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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Are Precious Metals and Indexes Going Parabolic?

It’s been an exciting couple weeks in the market with gold now making new all time highs as money floods into this shiny safe haven. It has everyone all worked up wanting to take part or they are riding the rally up already. But the big question is when should some money be taken off the table to lock in gains and lower your overall risk during these crazy times?

Below are a few charts showing you how I see things at this time.

GLD – Gold Exchange Traded Fund
The price of GLD and gold appear to be going parabolic (straight up). The tough part about this type of price action is that large moves can happen in a very short period of time. But on the flip side, when the price reverses we tend to see prices fall just as fast if not faster. Trading this type of price action carries a very high level of risk. Those chasing it up buying at these overbought market conditions is a double edge knife.



SLV – Silver Exchange Traded Fund
Silver is trading similar to gold but the key difference here is that silver has not broken to a new high as of yet. The high was set in 2008 just over $20 per ounce. But from looking at the chart I think metals are ready for a breather.



HUI Index – Gold Stocks
Gold stocks have yet to breakout along with silver as they both are nearing key resistance levels. With gold stocks and silver trading near resistance I figure we will see pause in the coming days as traders digest the recent strong moves up taking some money off the table incase prices get stuck under these resistance level.



SPY – SP500 Broad Market Exchange Traded Fund
The broad market appears to be forming a possible short setup on the daily chart as the price continues to drift higher with declining volume. Also indexes are testing key resistance levels and the 10 period moving average. The next few days should be interesting....



Mid-Week Precious Metals and Index Exchange Traded Fund Report:
In short, it looks like precious metals and the broad market could take a breather in the coming days. I’m not sure how large of a correction we will see but I do not think it will be all that big.

Gold and silver should have a quick dip with buyers stepping back in on weakness. The SP500/broad market is a little more tough to call as last weeks market crash messed things up washing out all the stops in one day instead of weeks....but we could easily see a 5% drop in the market still.

Check out Chris Vermeulen's trading services at The Gold and Oil Guy.Com.






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Sunday, May 9, 2010

This Week's Commodity & Index ETF Trading Strategy

As we all know, last weeks stock market blip/mini crash was very emotional for those of you watching or trading it live. A lot of money changed hands last week and you either lost a bundle or made a bundle…

I did send out some charts and a video on Thursday night about the market crash/recovery if you have not seen it. It’s called “Stock Market Micro Intraday Crash Shows Us Where The Safe Havens Are”.

Below are my ETF charts for the commodities and index I actively follow and trade.

GLD – Gold Bullion ETF – Daily Chart
GLD is a great ETF to trade as it generates 10-20 quality low risk setups each year for subscribers. The chart clearly shows the large rally in late 2009 and the correction as it formed patterns moving from a down trend – base – and back to an uptrend.



$USD – US Dollar Index – Monthly Chart
This weekly chart I think shows some serious potential for gold and silver prices. The US Dollar is now trading at a key resistance level which I think it will have a tough time moving higher. The dollar has been moving up for several months and looks ready for a pullback or at least a pause. If the dollar starts to roll over in the next few months then we should see gold and silver move substantially higher.



SLV – Silver Bullion ETF – Daily Chart
Silver like gold bounced off a key support level last week as investors started to buy silver as a safe haven. Gold moved up sharply on the day of the intraday market crash while silver traded sideways for a day before joining the party. The following day investors starting buying up silver because it was lagging its big sister “yellow Gold”.



USO – Oil Fund – Daily Chart
Several weeks back I posted this chart showing how volume was drying up as oil tested resistance on declining volume. This indicated to us that once/if the price started to roll over it would trigger a sharp sell off as short term traders who bought in anticipation of a breakout to the up side sold out of their positions once support was broken. This is what caused the heavy volume and sharp price drop.



SPY – SP500 INDEX Trading ETF – Daily Chart
It’s tougher now to read the index charts as last weeks heavy volume market crash could be seen in two very different ways…

One – We are starting a correction and had a jump start with the human error of selling billions of dollars worth of investments instead of millions prematurely pushing pulling the market down to a level where I think it should/will test again before moving up.

OR
Two – This extremely heavy sell off is just the start of what is to come....

Since the government owns the largest banks and the banks are unloading/selling massive amounts of shares calling it an error how do we know it’s not a scam for them to completely short the market in anticipation for a collapse which would make them unheard of amounts of money as the market drops… It is tough to trust anyone sitting up there in those power positions after everything they have been caught for already…

I personally think we could see lower prices in the coming month then the market will bottom and we will see new highs for 2010.



Weekend Commodity & Index ETF Trading Strategy Conclusion:
Stepping back and looking at the above charts it looks as thought we could see stocks and commodities digest the recent moves. In short, gold and silver have rallied strong and now trading near resistance. Oil dropped last week and is now trading near a key support level. I feel it the market will trade sideways and stabilize before for a while as the SP500 had that crazy drop last week and now the market is in shock. I figured it would see 3-4 weeks to reach those prices yet it happened in 1 day so now the market could do very little for 3-4 weeks…

The US dollar is something we will be watching more closely because it’s trading at key resistance level. In the past it has taken a month or two for a rally to roll over and head back down. This could play out very nicely if the dollar tops and the rest of the market trends sideways to digest the recent moves. Once the dollar starts to fall it will provide fuel for the next rally in both stocks and commodities.

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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Gold & Indexes Melt Up Into Earnings?

Gold and the stock market continue to trade within a tight range this week. While the long term trend for both stocks and metals are up, and the charts look bullish I am not buying at this level because the market is over bought.

Chasing prices higher especially after a run this large is not the right move in my opinion. I did mention last week that we could see stocks continue to grind higher going into earning season which is about 2 weeks away still. I think that could happen, and if the same thing happens which we saw last January with great earnings (which I think we will see again) then watch out for another drop.

In short, if earning are good which they have been and everyone is expecting the same this April, then the typical Buy on Rumor (pre-earnings rally) which is what we have now, and Sell on the Good News in April then all the suckers thinking the market should rally will provide some liquidity for the smart money to sell at a premium.

That being said, if the earning are not good, then people will sell on that news also because the market is just waiting for news to sell… It’s the exact same situation as last time, that’s how I am feeling about it.

Trading Bottoms in the Broad Market

The past few months I have been really focusing on buying dips in the broad market after I see a mini 3 wave correction. I use a mix between price patterns, volume, market sentiment, and market internals and of course years of watching how the market moves and evolves during times of economic expansion and contractions. This is represented on the chart below as the purple line.

This chart below shows one of my custom indicators which have successfully timed intermediate market bottoms 1-2 days before everything started to rally higher. This is one of the reasons we bought into the selling on Feb 5th and again on Feb 25th using ETF’s.

Because this is a new etf trading strategy and type of trading signal to be used in a bull market I still have to fin tune it a little more because I want to be sure we don’t get shaken out of positions to early which is what happened to a couple ETF’s we got into Feb 5th.

What happened was were buying when EVERYONE was bearish and panicking out of positions making it an extremely emotional time for traders and myself to buy into the market. This is not an easy task… I still have trouble pulling the trigger on these days and some times I just sit back in my chair and with one quick poke from my finger I hit the enter button to buy. My heart pounding just from that… but add few thousand followers on the pile relying on quality analysis and you start to understand what im going though. Not to mention the hundreds of emails with people telling me the market is about to crash, we should be shorting etc....Crazy times for sure.

Anyways, I will be provided these new signals for subscribers which is very exciting. Because my focus is on managing risk and keeping it as low as possible this will be a learning curve as I apply it to the service and set protective stops which is very difficult to do during a time of high volatility in the market. We can see the market move 2-4% in one day during these times so if we are trading the TNA 3x leveraged Russell2000 fund we could see our position drop 12% in one day. Bigger risk, bigger rewards as they say.



GLD Gold ETF – Daily Chart

Gold and silver are currently trading in limbo at the moment. It’s tough to say what’s going to happen here which is why I continue to wait for something with a high probability of winning before putting any money to work.

The daily chart clearly shows a multi month bull flag, ABC retrace, Reverse Head & Shoulders, and wedge. All of which are very bullish. It’s just a waiting game as I do not jump the gun on any move because the market has the tendency to catch everyone off guard and I don’t want to be one of them. Been there, done that to many times....



Mid-Week ETF Trading Signals Conclusion:

Keeping things short and simple, I think the stock market is in a major bull market. I am not buying anything until we get a pullback of some type. If the market unfolds properly we could have a great shorting opportunity (profit from a falling market) happening any day now, so that is my main focus at this time.


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Thursday, March 18, 2010

28 Day Sector Rotation, Commodity & Index Update

From guest analyst Chris Vermeulen.....

Earlier this week I noticed a pattern in the market throughout an entire trading session that has inspired me to write a short piece on sector rotation.

On Tuesday March 16th, my quote screen was flashing green as sectors reached new intraday highs or 52 week highs. The interesting part was that every sector that was flashing green happened to be in sectors that strengthen at the end of a bull market cycle or strong rally. This would include basic materials, staples, services, utilities and financial.

Today I investigated the different sectors and came across some interesting numbers between the January market peak and this week’s price action as I show in the charts below.

JANUARY – ETF Sector Rotation Trading – 28 Day Cycle
I may not explain this well but try to follow me here
Just before the market rolled over and lost over 9% last January, all the proper bull market sectors were very strong during the previous 28 days. This is normal and a strong sign that market participants were bullish on the overall market.

But the market was overbought; trading volume was light indicating that not many people are willing to buy at these lofty prices. And the VIX (volatility index) had reached an extreme low (a level that has triggered large sell offs in the past). All this means one thing to me. And that is, trade with caution and tighten your protective stops.

General rule, if everyone is buying all the hot stocks at these over bought levels then you can’t help but think its time for the market to roll over and shake them all out.



MARCH – ETF Sector Rotation Trading –28 Day Cycle
The chart of March shows where the sectors have finished over the past 28 days. Notice how similar the sectors have appreciated in price…

I have overlaid John Murphy’s sector rotation image to show which sectors are strongest in a bull market.

Now the interesting part is that it appears to be the setup as in January. My quote system is flashing new highs for the bear market cycle sectors which are the one which have not performed well (Stapes, Services & Utilities) and I have to think the market is about to take a breather or do a swan dive.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we are on the verge of a bear market. I actually think the market is strong and will trade sideways in a large range for most of this year or just continue to trend up.
What I am saying is that these sectors go in and out of favor during smaller market cycles and that can be very useful information.



Sector Rotation Explained
You can learn more about sector rotation from this detailed course How to Profit From Sector Rotation Using ETFs. This course explains how different sectors are stronger during different points within the economic cycle. The chart above shows the relationships and which of the various sectors should strengthen from the economy. The financial Market Cycle leads the Economic Cycle because traders try to anticipate the economy.

Market Update & Trading Conclusion:
Stock Indexes: The market in my opinion is way over bought on the daily chart and needs a breather. Volume is light, VIX is at the same level we saw in January just before the top and the bullish sectors are firing on all pistons. You won’t catch me buying up here. Any type of pullback will most likely be sharp and there is no need to put money to work right now.

Precious Metals: Gold and silver had a nice pop this week off of a support level. I did not have a low risk setup as momentum was not on my side at the time of the pop. Also the large gap up on GLD makes me nervous as gaps tend to get filled. I am just waiting for something to unfold which looks to be a few days away still.

Oil: It has popped higher also and is trading at resistance. As I mentioned in Sundays report, if the USD dollar completes this breakdown then we will see commodities and stocks surge to higher prices and most likely post a nice multi month rally.

Natural Gas: We are seeing natural gas prices dip below support, shaking out traders who had their protective stops set just beneath the previous low. Natural gas is a silent killer as it will shake even the best traders out of the market. I feel natural gas is over sold and ready for a bounce but until I get a low risk setup I remain on the side lines.


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