Showing posts with label etf trading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etf trading. Show all posts

Friday, April 1, 2011

Are Stocks & Commodities About To Start Another Rally?

Over the past couple months everyone seems to have been preparing for a sharp market correction. Crazy part is that the SP500 dropped about 10% from the high and that is a typical bull market correction. The thing is… the stock market has a way of slowly unfolding making it look and feel minor, then before you know it, the correction is over and it’s back to an uptrend. That is kind of how this one unfolded.

The good news is that we caught the low risk portion of the correction locking in a 4.5% drop, and we are now in a long trade and in the money by 2.5% with very little down side risk at this point. Time will tell if this up trend is sustainable or not…

Now, let’s take a look at the charts…

Dollar 60 minute intraday chart
As you can see below the dollar looks to have started a breakdown today. If there is continued selling pressure in the next couple days then expect to stocks and commodities to move higher as the US Dollar drops. It is important to know that when a bullish pattern fails we typically see a very strong reaction in the opposite direction (down) catching the majority off guard and they rush to the door.
SPY Broad Market ETF – Daily Chart
A couple weeks ago we watched the market go into a free fall creating a washout bottom. From there we saw prices bounce back and retake my key moving averages. This gave us a bullish bias and dips should be looked at as buying opportunities. I will admit that stocks still have a long way to go before the masses are convinced. I feel we need to see the February and March highs get taken out first. Once they get taken out there should be strong buying as short covering (protective stops from traders who are short) causes a surge in buying pressure sending stocks sharply higher yet again.
My trading buddy David Banister at Active Trading Partners is starting to see small cap stocks come back to life. Money is starting to flow into these lucrative areas of the market and he is on top of things… This week’s trade is up 20% in less than 24 hours which is very exciting.
Gold Daily Chart
Gold has been moving up this year but the current price action is not really getting me excited to buy just yet. Recently we have seen strong selling volume and very light buying volume. My bias still favors higher prices but there is still a good chance we get another dip in the coming sessions.
Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel as though the dollar will trigger the next wave of buying in stocks and commodities for the next week or two… We should see the dollar make a clean moving in either direction shortly and that will help guide my analysis, positions and setups. I hope this analysis helps you to see the market from a different perspective.


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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Mid-Week Market Report on SP500, Crude Oil, Gold & Dollar

Wednesday the market didn’t tell us anything new. The equities market is still over extended on the daily chart but the market is refusing to break down. Each time there has been seen selling in the market over the past two weeks, the market recovers. Equities and the dollar have been trading with an inverse relationship and it seems to drop every in value each selling pressure enters the market, which naturally lifts stocks.

That being said, sellers are starting to come into the market at these elevated levels and it’s just a matter of time before we see a healthy pullback/correction. The past 10 session volatility has been creeping up as equities try to sell off. There will be a point when a falling dollar is not bullish for stocks but until then it looks like printing of money will continue devaluing of the dollar to help lift the stock market. Some type of pullback is needed if this trend is to continue and the markets can only be held up for so long.

Below is a chart of the USO oil fund and the SPY index fund. Crude has a tendency to provide an early warning sign for the strength of the economy. As you can see from the April top, oil started to decline well before the equities market did. This indicated a slow down was coming.

The recent equities rally which started in late August has been strong. But take a look at the price of oil. It has traded very flat during that time indicating the economy has not really picked up, nor does it indicate any growth in the coming months. This rally just may be coming to an end shortly.


This daily chart of the SP500 fund shows similar topping patterns. This looks to be the last straw for the SP500. Most tops occur with a gap higher or early morning rally reaching new highs, only to see a sharp sell off by the end of the session which generates a reversal day. From the looks of this chart that could happen any day.


In short, volume overall in the market remains light which is why we continue to see higher prices. Light volume typically gives the stock market a positive bias while Sell offs require strong volume to move lower. That being said every dip in the equities market which has been close to a breakdown seems to get lifted back up by a falling dollar, but that can only happen for so long because one the volume steps back into the market the masses will be in control again.

You can get my ETF and Commodity Trading Signals if you become a subscriber of my newsletter. These free reports will continue to come on a weekly basis; however, instead of covering 3-5 investments at a time, I’ll be covering only 1. Newsletter subscribers will be getting more analysis that’s actionable. I’ve also decided to add video analysis as it allows me to get more info across to you quicker and is more educational, and I’ll be covering more of the market to include currencies, bonds and sectors. Before everyone’s emails were answered personally, but now my focus is on building a strong group of traders and they will receive direct personal responses regarding trade ideas and analysis going forward. Due to more analysis and that I want to keep the service personal the price of the service will be going up Oct 1st, so join today.

Let the volatility and volume return!

Chris Vermeulen
The Gold And Oil Guy.Com
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Monday, September 27, 2010

SP500 Internals, Dollar & Gold Pre-Week Analysis

From Chris Vermuelen.....The Gold and Oil Guy

After a fierce equities rally on Friday, which I figured would happen, just not that strong; I have to wonder if there is some event or major decision in the works we don’t know about?

Friday’s rally could be something simpler like window dressing by the funds. This is when the funds buy up all the top performing stocks for month end reporting. They do this so that their investors think they are on the ball and know what they are doing. Window dressing will end Monday and from there we could see some profit taking (selling) start. But for all we know Obama could be extending the tax cuts for everyone or cutting payroll taxes etc…

It would only take one of these events to trigger a sharp up move in the market and that could be what Friday’s move was anticipating. That being said volume has remained light and during low volume session the market has a tendency to move higher. Sell offs in the market require strong volume to pull the market down, so until volume picks up there could still be higher prices just around the corner.

Let’s take a look at some charts…

SPY – SP500 60 Minute Intraday Chart
Last week we saw the market reverse to the down side with a strong end of say sell off. That set the tone for some follow through selling and for any bounces to be sold into. That being said, the market always has a way of surprising traders and it did just that on Friday gapping above Thursday’s reversal high causing shorts to cover and the typical end of week light volume drift to help hold prices up.


NYSE Market Internals – 15 Minute Chart
I like to follow some market internals to help understand if investors are becoming fearful or greedy. It also helps me gauge if the market is over bought or oversold on any given day.

These three charts below show some interesting data.
Top Chart – This indicator shows me if the majority of shares traded are bought or sold. When the red line spikes up and trades above 5 then I know the majority of traders are buying over covering their shorts. I call this panic buying because traders are buying in fear that the market will continue higher and they will miss the train. When everyone is buying you know a pullback is most likely to occur.

Middle Chart – This is the NYSE advance/decline line. When this indicator is below -1500 then the market is over sold and bottom pickers/value buyers will step in and nibble at stocks. But when this indicator is trading over 1500 then you know the market is overbought and there should be some profit taking starting any time soon.

Bottom Chart – This is the put/call ratio and this tells us how many people are buying calls vs put options. When this indicator is below 0.80 level more traders are bullish and buying leverage. My theory is if they are buying leverage for higher prices, then they have already bought all their stocks and now want to add some leverage for more profits. When I see the majority of traders bullish then I an sure to tighten my stops (if long) as top my be forming.

Putting the charts together – When each of these charts are trading in the red zone know I must be cautious for any long positions because the market just may be starting to top. Or a short term correction may occur.


UUP – US Dollar Daily Chart
The US dollar has been under some serious pressure with all the talk about quantitative easing (printing money). Obviously the more the Fed’s print the less value the dollar will have. The chart below shows a green gap window which I think once it is filled should put the dollar in a oversold condition for a short term swing trade bounce before heading back down. A bounce in the dollar will put pressure on equities, gold and oil.


GLD – Gold Daily Chart
Gold continues to grind its way up. This move is looking very long in the teeth and pullback will most likely be sharp.


Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, equities and gold continue to grind their way higher while the US dollar continues its grind lower. When I say the market is grinding I am implying the market is over extended and a reversal any day should occur.

Financial stocks like Goldman (GS) which typically leads the market has been strongly underperforming over the past week. Insiders were selling GS very strongly which is strange and makes me wonder what’s up there? With the financial stocks underperforming it sure looks like a market reversal is just around the corner.

If Friday’s rally was simply window dressing by the funds then it should end on Monday and with any luck we will see a sharp reversal to the down side early this week.

You can get my ETF and Commodity Trading Signals if you become a subscriber of my newsletter. These free reports will continue to come on a weekly basis; however, instead of covering 3-5 investments at a time, I’ll be covering only 1. Newsletter subscribers will be getting more analysis that’s actionable. I’ve also decided to add video analysis as it allows me toe get more into across to you quicker and is more educational, and I’ll be covering more of the market to include currencies, bonds and sectors. Before everyone’s emails were answered personally, but now my focus is on building a strong group of traders and they will receive direct personal responses regarding trade ideas and analysis going forward.

Let the volatility and volume return!

Chris Vermeulen
The Gold and Oil Guy .com

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Monday, September 20, 2010

SP 500 Fakeout & Market Trend


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

I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows the markets are manipulated… but during options expiry week we tend to see prices move beyond key resistance and support levels during times of light volume which triggers/shakes traders out of their positions.

Trading during low volume sessions Pre/Post holidays for swing traders or between 11:30am – 3:00pm ET for day traders tends have increased volatility and false breakouts. This happens because the market markets for individual stocks can slowly walk the prices up and down beyond short term support and resistance levels simply because there is a lack of participation in the market.

SP500 4 Hour Candlestick Chart
That being said, the chart below of the SPY (SP500 ETF) shows that last Thursday, (the day before Friday options expiry) the put call ratio was showing extreme bullishness. I also mentioned that we should expect a pop of 0.5 -2% in the next 24 hours as big guys will try to shake everyone out of their short positions (put options).

The put/call ratio indicator at the bottom of this chart is a contrarian indicator. When it shows that everyone has jumped to the bullish side, the big money knows its about time to change the direction so they can cash in at premium price levels.


SP500 60 Minute OptionsX Chart of the Week
If you look at the volume at the bottom of the chart you will see there are times where this virtually zero volume trades. The yellow high lighted section shows the overnight price surge which is very easy for the big guys to push higher as everyone sleeps.

Here is what they are doing. The light volume makes it easy to manipulate so they push it higher until key resistance is broken, then everyone who was short and had a protective stop in place will have their order executed. As the price rises, more and more stops get triggered. Also, with the rising number of traders becoming bullish from the previous session have buy orders to go long if key resistance is broken. This causes a virtually automated rally to unfold, but once the orders/buying dries up, the big guys start selling their positions at premium prices, pushing the price all the way back down to where the market closed the previous day.

In short, the big guys shook the majority of traders out of their positions Thursday night and pocketed a ridiculous amount of money. Crazy part is 99% of the public don’t even know this type of thing is happening while they sleep.


SP500 OptionsX Intraday Price Action
I thought I would show this chart as it shows the selling pressure in the market. What I find interesting about this chart is the fact there was more selling volume during options expiry week, but the prices continued to move higher.

From watching the market internals I saw the majority of traders go from bearish to bullish by the end of the week, and this really gave the big guys a huge advantage in my opinion. Each session selling volume took control with the big guys unloading bu the low volume afternoons naturally brought prices up again as more and more traders became bullish each session. This happened all week and Thursday night it looks as though they let the price rise allowing the key resistance level to be broken which caused a surge of buying which they could selling into. So what’s next…


SP500 / Broad Market Trading Conclusion:
In short, the market looks toppy and if all goes well, last weeks overnight shakeout just may have been a top. This week will start off slow and most likely with light volume until Wednesday. During light volume times, keep trading positions smaller than normal and remember there is a neutral/upward bias associated with light volume.

You can get my ETF and Commodity Trading Signals if you become a subscriber of my newsletter. These free reports will continue to come on a weekly basis; however, instead of covering 2-4 investments at a time, I’ll only be covering only one. Newsletter subscribers will be getting more analysis that’s actionable. I’ve also decided to add video analysis per customer’s request, and I’ll be covering more of the market to include currencies, bonds and sectors. Before everyone’s emails were answered personally, but now my focus is on building a strong group of newsletter traders and they will receive direct personal responses regarding trade ideas and analysis going forward. Let the volatility and volume return!

Chris Vermeulen

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Financials, Crude Oil & Gold on the Move

Most traders I have been talking with are feeling the same thing. Something big is brewing for the equities market but most do not want to get heavily involved until there is a clear direction. The broad market has been consolidating for almost 3 months and it’s important to remember that the larger the consolidation the bigger the move.

Also the biggest and best moves come from failed patterns. So is the big head & shoulders pattern on the SP500 which everyone is yelling about (the sky is falling) really going to happen or is this the BIG fake out? Only time will tell, either way no matter which way it goes I will be sure to catch some of it.

Below area few charts pointing out patterns and trends which could provide some opportunity in the coming days or weeks.

XLF – Financial Sector ETF
Financials play a large roll in moving the major indexes so if this reverse head and shoulders patter breaks out to the upside then the indexes should rally and XLF etf could reach its measured move of $16.50.


USO – Crude Oil Fund
Crude oil almost looked like it was going to breakout and mover higher this week but sellers jumped in sending it lower once again. The daily chart shows a large bearish pennant which is known as a continuation pattern. So it looks as though we should see lower prices for oil.


GLD – Gold Bullion ETF
Gold has been sliding lower for several weeks now and it looks to be showing selling exhaustion. The 5th wave down with the volume spike indicates panic selling as investors cannot hold onto those positions any longer and exit. This is a bullish sign for gold. Also we are seeing gold fall deep into a support level along with the 200 day moving average.


Mid-Week Financial, Oil and Gold Trading Conclusion:
In short, the equities market is in limbo until a clear trend is established. If the financial sector breaks out to the upside then we should see a sizable rally. As for oil it looks to be trading in near the middle of its range but is still in a down trend overall. Gold is almost looking ready for a bounce but I am waiting for more confirmation before jumping on the wagon.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

How to Trade Market Bottoms for SP500 & Gold

The stock market topped in April which was expected from analyzing stocks and the indexes. Back in April I posted a few reports explaining how to read the charts to spot market tops. Today’s report is about identifying market bottoms. It does not get much more exciting than what we have seen in the past 2 months with the market topping in April and the May 6th mini market crash. This Thursday we saw panic selling which pushed the market below the May 6th low washing the market of weak positions.

For those of you who have been following me closely this year I am sure you have noticed trading has been a little slower than normal. This is due to the fact that the market corrected at the beginning of the year and we went long Feb 5th and again on Feb 25th. Since then the market rallied for 2 months and never provided another low risk entry point. In April the market became choppy and toppy and we eventually took a short position to ride the market down. Now were we are looking at another possible reversal to the upside.

Only a few trades this year which I know frustrates some individuals but if you step back and look at my trading strategy you will learn that we only need to trade a few trades a year to make some solid returns. I don’t know about you but I would rather trade a few times a month and live life between trades… not trade all day every day getting bug eyed in front of the computer.

Ok enough of the boring stuff let’s get into the charts....

SP500 – Stock Market Index Trading ETFs & Futures
The pullback in the broad market was expected but the mini crash on May 6th really through a wrench into things for us technical analysts. We don’t really know the truth about what happened that day… was it just a simple error or was it a planned error for the US government to take a massive short position to move something in their favor quickly to generate MASSIVE gains? It leaves us technicians hanging wondering if that was a shift in trend from up (accumulation) to down (distribution)?

My thoughts are if the crash was truly an error then we will see months if not another year of higher prices… But if it was a planned sell off with banks moving to the sidelines then we are most likely headed into another bear market. Personally it does not matter what happens as big money will be made in either direction. Problem is if we do go into another bear market then the majority of individuals will lose capital as investor’s portfolios get smaller and smaller. That will lead to a lot of depressed people…

In short, I am neutral on the stock market for the intermediate and long term. Once we have a few more months of price action only then will I have a plan for longer term investments. But on the short term time frame the market is screaming at me with extreme sentiment levels lining up on the stock market and gold.

The daily chart of the SPY – SP500 Index shows several important points which help me time market bottoms. We have prices trading at a support zone. Buyers step back into the game here and should provide a decent bounce which started Friday Morning.

Next we have the panic selling spikes from an indicator I created. Generally the day after we see panic in the market like we did on Thursday we will see a big bounce and many times a large rally.

Down at the bottom you can see my custom market cycles which are both starting to bottom. During times like this the market has a natural tendency to move higher.


VIX – Market Volatility Daily Chart
The VIX has an old saying “When the VIX is high its time to buy, When the VIX is low, its time to go”. Simple analysis clearly shows the VIX trading high and at a resistance zone.


Put/Call Ratio – Daily Trading Chart
This chart measures the amount of put and call options traded each day. When it is trading over 1.00 then we know for every 1 call option traded (wanting the market to go up) there is 1 put option traded (wanting the market to go down). Over 1.00 is extreme and when that many people are bearish and using leverage to profit from a drop in price then in my opinion it means everyone has already sold and the selling pressure is about to end.

Actually if you go back in time and review SP500 and this ratio you will notice 2-3 days after this ratio reaches 1.00 or higher the market bounces/bottoms.


NYSE Advance/Decline Line for Equities – Daily Chart
This chart shows us how many stocks are advancing or declining on any given day. When extremes are reached look for a short term bounce or bottom 1-3 days following.


How to Identify Stock Market Bottoms with Simple Analysis:
In short, I feel the market is forming a bottom here. How big of a rally will we get? I don’t know because of the mixed signals from the May 6th EXTREME heavy volume selling session. As usual I focus on trading with the trend, trading the low risk setups and I manage my money/positions scaling in and out of those positions as I see fit.

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Moment of Truth for Gold, Silver, Crude Oil & SP500

It has been an exciting couple weeks with the stock market slowly forming its top before breaking down this week. I have been warning everyone keep tightening your protective stops and to keep new positions small because once prices start to sell off they will most likely drop like a rock.

This week we have seen all the markets around the world breakdown and this indicates that there could be some large waves of selling in the near future. Traders and investors are very bullish on both stocks and commodities and financial market is designed to hurt the largest group of investors possible. So with over 53% of trader’s bullish and only 18% bearish (same readings as the Jan high) it makes for a perfect blood bath in the market catching the majority off guard left holding the shares.

Here is a chart of the SP500 ETF – SPY Daily Chart

You can see from simple analysis these repeated patterns in price and volume.



Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:

The broad market is now in the middle of a trend reversal and during times like these we can see wild price swings in stocks and commodities making trading much more difficult. But a few more sessions and we should see things smooth out and provide some great shorting opportunities before the market starts to head back up to make new 2010 highs.

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Monday, April 5, 2010

What to Expect in April for Stocks & Precious Metals

Gold Exchange Traded Fund – Daily Chart

As you can see the price action of gold has been trading within a few patterns the past couple months. First we saw a nice ABC Retrace correction and now it looks like a possible reverse Head & Shoulders or Wedge pattern is forming.

All three of these patterns are bullish but resistance must be overcome before I will start putting my money to work.



NYSE & NASDAQ Indexes – Daily Charts

We saw the broad market trade sideways for the majority of the week. As usual we had a pre-holiday pop in prices with the week closing slightly positive for stocks. These gains are generally given back the following week as volume picks back up.

The one thing that has me scratching my head is that the major indexes like SP500, Dow, NASDAQ and Russell 2000, all stayed below their previous weeks high. But the NYSE as shown below as the top chart clearly broke out to a new high.

I look at the NYSE as leading indicator and this makes me think we could see stocks grind higher right into earning season. All we can do at this point is wait for more data points on the chart and continue analyzing the market one day at a time.



Weekend Trading Conclusion:
As I mentioned last week, the market is over extended as we enter earning season. The market is in the same situation as we saw going into the January earning season.

I do not think we will have a huge pullback but I think a 3-5% correction is likely in the coming days or week. Once we get a pullback we should see support around the 30 or 50 day moving averages and then see the market head toward new highs once again.

The precious metals sector is getting a lot of attention because of the whistle blower on JP Morgan stating that metals are seriously manipulated with a huge amount of short positions still in place. I think this could be helping this sector and I hope we get a low risk setup in the coming week or two.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sure Looks Like A Top? VIX, NYSE, DOW & GOLD

I think many of you will find this article interesting as I show several different indicators which point to an imminent correction for stocks and precious metals.

Last Wednesday’s report I showed how the current price of the index was almost identical to the January peak from where prices dropped nearly 10%. The report was called “28 Day Sector Rotation, Commodity & Index”. We did get the first sign of toppy market last Friday with the sharp one day sell off as I expected.

Today, one week later we are now that much closer to a 3-8% drop which is shown in the charts below. It’s important to remember that bottoms tend to happen quickly while a market topping is more of a process which is why so many people take big losses trying tip a top.

The market will continue to move up even when it is way overbought. It’s only when extreme levels are reached that tops can try to be played.

The Volatility Index – Measures Fear & Complacency in the Market

While the VIX is not something I follow on a daily basis it is important to keep an eye on it. When extreme low levels are reached we know the market (John Dow traders) are feeling confident and buying up everything they can get their hands on.

I like to trade with the trend but when extreme levels are reached I start looking for a low risk setup to the short side (profit in a falling market) using leveraged ETFs.

As you can see from the chart of the VIX and SP500 below, each time the VIX tested the support level the market made a top. Again the VIX is not a great timing tool but it helps me decide which trading strategy I should focus on (swing or day trading) and if I should be looking to buy or selling the market.



NYSE New Highs-Lows Index

If a chart is worth a thousand words then this chart is worth 2000. It cannot get any simpler that the NYSE new high-low index.

The green line is the SP500 index which is straight forward. The Red line is the number of stocks on the NYSE which have reached a new high.

How strong is the market if is keeps going up while the underlying stocks are getting weaker? Something has got to give and it will most likely be to the down side.



Dow Jones Industrial Average – Daily Trend Chart

This chart adds another layer of clarity. You can see what happened last January when everyone was buying stocks thinking life is good, trading is easy. As my trading buddy David Banister from ActiveTradingPartners.com always says “Buy when the Cry, Sell when they Yell”and that’s what I am looking to do.

Today the Russell 2000 index (small cap stocks) sold down very hard. These stocks tend to lead the market both up and down. So the red flag is up and I am just waiting for the market to show me its hand so we can catch the next big move.

Coles Notes on Chart:
• Market is over bought and in dire need of a pullback
• The length of this steady rally is much longer than a normal rally
• The rate as which prices are rising is much to steep to be maintained
• The market is trading at the parallel trend line
• VIX is tell us people are buying and not worrying about any possible drop
• NYSE divergence is screaming Overbought....



GLD Gold Fund Trading

Gold is still in a major bull market but the recent price action from Dec up until now has been down as gold consolidates the large rally from 2009.

Looking at the chart below you can see the mini Head & Shoulders pattern. The neckline has now been broken and prices are falling. I almost had a buy signal for gold two days ago with the small move up and the candle closing above the previous days high. But because the price was still under the neckline (resistance) I decided to stand aside and live another day.



Mid-Week Gold Newsletter Conclusion:

In short, the market looks very strong but from a technical point of view it’s about to die of exhaustion in my opinion.

Gold, silver and oil I figure will move together which is sideways or down.

I am keeping a very close eye on things hoping prices unfold in a manor which will allow us to spot a low risk setup in the coming days as I would like to catch this drop if it happen. With any luck we could make 10-15% within a couple days using a leveraged ETF.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Gold, Silver, Oil and Natural Gas Mid Week Trading Charts

From guest analyst Chris Vermeulen....

So far this week has been pretty slow. Large cap stocks continue to lag the market which can be observed by looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Average which still has room to move higher before breaking the January high.

One important thing to note is that volume has picked up this week considerably, particularly on the SP500 and OEX. It’s difficult to say if this volume is a good sign or not.

A lot of stocks and sectors are trading near their January high and this gives traders a reason to unload shares. On the flip side, the several sectors and indexes have broken their January high and this triggers a surge in volume as breakout traders try to take advantage of the new high and momentum. So you can see how the surge of volume is not a useful indicator right now.

Here are some charts of what I think we could see in the coming weeks.

US Dollar Index – Daily Trading Chart
I follow the US dollar index very closely simply because it affects the prices of stocks and commodities. I used a line chart below in order to take out the daily candle stick noise which made it very difficult for our eyes to pick up this pattern.

The chart shows a possible head & shoulders pattern and if that is the case then we should see the dollar start to slide lower. In turn, this would boost stocks and commodities. This is the fuel that I think could really move the market sharply higher in the coming weeks.



GLD Gold ETF – Daily Trading Chart
The price of gold looks to be setup for a nice bounce off support and the timing could just work out if the US Dollar starts to drop over the next few days. There could be a low risk setup just around the corner.



SLV Silver ETF – Daily Trading Chart
Silver has held up well but today’s reversal candle to the downside scares me a little. The odds are that silver will carry this strong momentum selling down for another 1-2 days. Again, with any luck, it will test support and the US Dollar will start to slide lower.



Crude Oil – Daily Trading Chart
Oil has had a great run the past month but as you can see it’s currently trading at the top of a large trading range. I would like to see a sideways move before it takes another run at the $84 level, but the 7 day bull flag that formed two weeks ago may have been enough to maintain the upward momentum. Again, if the Dollar drops we will see oil rally.



Natural Gas – Daily Trading Chart
This chart is actually very attractive looking. Even if you do not understand how to read charts I think it’s safe to say this one is a no brainer.

I will be closely watching for a potential low risk setup in the coming days.


Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, stocks and indexes are trading at resistance levels with many of them making new highs and that is great to see.

A lot of things are trading in limbo waiting to see what the US Dollar is going to do. Several months ago I posted some charts showing that 81 would be a key resistance level for the dollar. If it broke above that then 84 would be the next key level to watch. So we just have to wait and see… the hardest part of trading is the waiting.

Gold, silver, oil and natural gas all look like they could continue higher in the next few days if things unfold that quickly. But the market always finds a way to drag out moves so we could still be a 2-3 weeks away.

I hope this report helps give you an idea of where things are at in the market.

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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

George Gero: Gold Prices Test $1,100

George Gero, vice president of global futures at RBC Capital Markets, argues that the threat of higher interest rates is putting pressure on gold.




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Monday, February 8, 2010

Gold Market Commentary For Monday Evening


Gold closed higher due to short covering on Monday as it consolidated some of the decline off December's high. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Tuesday. Stochastics and the RSI are bearish signaling that additional weakness is possible near term.

If April extends last week's decline, the 38% retracement level of the 2008-2009 rally crossing at 1035.00 is the next downside target. Multiple closes above the 20 day moving average crossing at 1105.70 are needed to confirm that a short term low has been posted.

Gold's pivot point for Monday evening is 1066.40

First resistance is the 10 day moving average crossing at 1087.00
Second resistance is the 20 day moving average crossing at 1105.70

First support is last Friday's low crossing at 1044.50
Second support is the 38% retracement level of the 2008-2009 rally crossing at 1035.00

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Friday, February 5, 2010

Gold Daily Technical Outlook For Friday


Gold's decline is still in progress and reaches as low as 1051.2 so far. Intraday bias remains on the downside and further fall should be seen to 100% projection of 1163 to 1074.4 from 1126.4 at 1037.8 next. On the upside, above 1070 minor resistance will turn intraday bias neutral and bring consolidation. But upside should be limited below 1126.4 resistance and bring fall resumption.

In the bigger picture, gold has made a medium term top at 1227.5 and correction from there is still in progress to 100% projection of 1227.2 to 1075.2 from 1163 at 1010.7, which is close to 1000 psychological level. However, we'd expect such correction to be contained there at around 1000 psychological level and bring resumption of the whole up trend from 2008 low of 681. A break above 1126.4 resistance will indicate that such correction has completed and will turn outlook bullish for another high above 1227.5.....Comex Gold Continuous Contract 4 Hours Chart.

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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Are Precious Metals Melting or Firming Up

The past two months have been tough on the precious metals sector. We saw precious metals lead the market higher all of last year until December 2009 when prices plummeted as the US Dollar started to bounce. The continued rise in stocks indicated an extreme overbought condition and alerted us that a sharp pullback was going to take place.

Many traders including myself were surprised that the broad market did not sell down with the metals. In December the market looked and felt ready for a sharp pullback but new money continued to flow into stocks, pushing the market higher. This slow and steady grind higher was very frustrating to watch because the market was making new highs day after day while obviously needing to take a breather at any time.

It’s this grind higher that sucks in the last retail buyers before prices collapse, unfortunately leaving many holding overpriced securities and commodities for sale another day.

Since gold lead the market up last year it should be the first to correct and also pullback quicker and deeper than its followers (stock market). This is what we are seeing now which I explain below using charts.

HUI – Gold Stock Index – Monthly Gold Trading Chart
I use this exact month chart for helping to time long term trends for gold and gold stocks. It looks as though we have temporarily formed a double top with this current breakdown. It will most likely take several months to repair the damage done to this chart and possibly more than a year.

There are two options for this chart:
1 - It will form a bullish flag or pennant then continue its move higher.

2 - Or will continue to slide, indicating sellers are in control and that we are looking at a multi year trading range as the market digests the 10 year rally in gold.



The HUI:GOLD Ratio – Weekly Gold Trading Chart
This chart goes up if gold stocks are out performing the price of gold and down if they are underperforming. From 2001 – 2006 the chart looked very bullish but as time went on the ratio really started to look weaker and weaker.

The 2008 meltdown crushed precious metal stocks and the recent rally back up to resistance looks very bearish. It looks like a large bear market rally (test of breakdown level). This also goes for the monthly chart above. I cannot say either chart is looking bullish anymore. Things really depend on how strong the next bounce/rally is so we can gauge the strength behind the move (dead cat bounce, or legitimate rally).



Gold GLD ETF – Daily GLD Trading Chart
The next three charts really pull things together in my opinion in terms of how much selling is left in the market on the daily chart time frame.

Here I have drawn on a daily chart showing what I figure will unfold over time. This is the same pattern that I have been talking about since early December. I love trading ABC retrace patterns because of their accuracy and follow through on trend reversals.

In short, if we see gold break this support level then traders are going to panic out of the market sending the GLD fund towards the $101-$103 level. This panic selling is exactly what is needed if we want to see gold continue a sustainable and strong bull market rally higher.



Silver SLV ETF – Silver Trading Chart
Silver has been a little more difficult to trade as the chart clearly shows the choppy price action. I feel that if silver breaks this level of support we should expect to see $14-$14.50 quickly.



US Dollar Trading – Daily Dollar Trading Chart
This chart pulls the above GLD and SLV charts together. Both gold and silver have more room to fall before reaching a major support level. Knowing that and looking at this chart of the Dollar you can see the Dollar has approximately the same amount of room to rally.

So in a perfect trading scenario, the dollar will continue to climb for a few more days to reach resistance and in return that will push gold and silver down for a few more days.



Precious Metals Trading Conclusion:
I think this week will be a pivotal one. I can see the dollar moving higher sending precious metals and stocks down enough to shake traders out of their long positions in gold, silver and stocks. Once the sentiment turns bearish we will begin looking for an oversold speculative trade and possibly a low risk trend trade setup.

As for the energy sector, both crude oil and natural gas look weak and I continue to patiently await a low risk setup for each.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Video: Central Bank Buying Saves Gold

Natalie Dempster, Head of Investment for the World Gold Council, says central banks have shifted from being net sellers of gold to being net buyers. This transition is a bullish indicator for higher gold prices.



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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Are Commodities and the Dow Index Dead?

It was a heart pounding week on Wall Street as traders and investors locked in profits during 2010’s first round of earnings season. While it is normal to see selling of shares after good news hits the market, last weeks melt down was over exaggerated and for good reasons.

In short, we expected good earnings and that is why the markets have been crawling higher the past couple months (buy on rumor, sell on news). But what made last weeks sell off so strong was the fact the market was way overbought on the short term time frame and looking ready for a correction already. So we saw twice the selling pressure crammed into one week.

Looking back at a 12 year chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average we can see the market is now trading at a major resistance level. There are two scenarios the market will likely follow in the coming 12 months. And it could take a year for each of these scenarios to unfold.

Scenario #1 – The market could top then start heading lower to test the 2009 March low. I don’t want this but it could still happen. Topping is a process. Unlike most bottoms which happen very quickly, tops tend to drag out much longer. In this case I figure we are looking at 4-12 month time frame for the market to truly roll over and confirm that we are in a major bear market again.

Scenario #2 – If the market holds up relatively well and forms a bull flag then we can expect to see higher prices in the future. If this happens it will take 4-12 months to unfold also.

Both scenarios have characteristics associated with them, so as the market progresses I will update on the market internals which will help tell us if the underlying market is holding up well or deteriorating. Only time will tell and we will play it one candle at a time.



Gold Stocks – Rockets or Rocks?

The gold stock index closed below its support trend line which held up for over a year. This is not a good sign for gold or gold stocks but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Simple technical analysis is telling us to be cautious at these price levels. If we zoom way out on the charts the current price level and chart patterns on these charts scare me. The gold stock/Gold ratio chart is trading under resistance and the HUI (gold stock index) is trading near the 2008 high. What I do not like is the technical breakdown on the HUI monthly chart. You can see the trend line break on the chart with my small zoomed in picture.

The good news is that everything looks to be extremely over sold on the 60 minute charts so I am expecting a bounce across the entire market for a 1-5 day dead cat bounce. Friday we did see gold stocks move up strong off their lows out performing the price of gold. This is positive for gold and stocks. Depending on how that unfolds we could take a short term momentum play to profit from a possible leg lower.



Precious Metals ETF Daily Charts – Gold & Silver
Gold and silver lost some shine last week as they plunged towards their next support level. A bounce is expected but then I feel we are heading lower and this will likely shake out the majority of traders before starting another rally higher.



Energy Fund Trading – USO & UNG



Commodity and Stock Market Index Trading Conclusion:
This month looks and feels like last Jan – March, but reversed. The market is now getting choppy as the bulls and bears fight for direction making is difficult to swing trade. Times like these are best for intraday traders, not swing traders. Trading tops is actually much more difficult than trading a bottoming market in my opinion so I will be picky with trade setups. My number one goal is to preserve capital and avoid choppy market conditions as part of managing risk.

Final trading thoughts, I look for the broad market to get a possible bounce this week, but I feel lower prices are still to come. The USO oil fund looks prime for the picking and that could be our next trade.

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