The Surprising Implications of Periods of Extremely Low Volatility – A Follow-Up

The volatility index, the VIX, has closed below 11 for 5 straight days and 22 of the last 25. These stretches of extremely low volatility (I will now shorten it to ELV for convenience) include a 14-year low for the VIX. The interruption in this streak of ELV included an abrupt wake-up call where the … Read more

Above the 40 (May 26, 2017) – The S&P 500 Hits More All-Time Highs Floating On Pillows of Caution

AT40 = 47.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary I should no longer be amazed, but I am still amazed: the inability of sellers to generate follow-through in … Read more

Trading Cocoa: A Roller Coaster of Weather and Forecasts of Surplus

The downtrend for the iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) won out yet again. Source: FreeStockCharts.com The buyers looked particularly convincing for NIB’s latest 50DMA breakout. Yet, a 1-2 punch of a return of good weather results in Ivory Coast and a particularly aggressive crop production forecast from Rabobank killed the latest rally for NIB. … Read more

Trading Cocoa: Poor Weather and Cartel Plans Drive Bids for Another Bottom

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 10, 2017. Click here to read the entire piece.) When I first identified a potential bottom for the iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB), I did not envision the volatile process that has since unfolded. I particularly did not anticipate … Read more

IHS Markit Jumps On News It Will Join the S&P 500 Index

Sometimes an uptrend tells traders everything they need to know. On May 22, 2017, I reviewed the results from my scan for stocks with relative strength during times of weakness in the S&P 500 (SPY). I lamented how last week’s flash of selling did not provide any good buying opportunities. So I indicated my plan … Read more