Forex Critical: South African Rand Breaks Its U.S. Dollar Flag

With a Partial Phase One Trade Deal apparently at hand between the U.S. and China, emerging markets look more interesting than ever. I am scouring the charts for entry points in related currency pairs. The South African rand looks particularly interesting. Against the U.S. dollar, the rand (USD/ZAR) created a double top from September, 2018 … Read more

Stock Market Stalls At Overbought Threshold As Momentum Stocks Retreat – Above the 40 (September 13, 2019)

AT40 (T2108) has stalled perfectly at the overbought threshold of 70%.

AT40 = 67.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 58.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (13-month high)VIX = 13.7Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary Overbought Overrules Times like these remind me of the significance of the overbought line. AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks … Read more

How to Use the Google Trend Momentum Check (GTMC) With Bitcoin Prices

Bitcoin (BTC/USD) continues to provide great data points for using Google Trends to assess the sustainability of significant price movements. So many milestones have occurred in such a short period of time that I decided to name this process: the Google Trend Momentum Check or “GTMC” for short. The latest example of the GTMC occurred … Read more

Cocoa’s Price Surge Confirmed By Historic Supply Coordination

Two years ago, I wrote about the announcement from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) indicating that cocoa-growing countries would coordinate production of cocoa to better support their economies. That news was soon followed by a recommendation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to cocoa producers to find ways to control the supply of cocoa. At … Read more

Bearish Resistance Won the Week Against Major Indices – More Churn Ahead: Above the 40 (May 17, 2019)

AT40 = 42.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 46.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.0Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary A day after the major indices flipped from bullish support to bearish resistance, buyers rallied these indices through resistance. It was a tenuous … Read more

Above the 40 (April 18, 2019) – Exhausted Buyers and Reluctant Sellers Make A Stock Market Dribble

AT40 = 58.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 52.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 12.1Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) ended the previous week looking ready to lunge for its all-time high. Surprisingly, buyers decided to take a rest, … Read more

Bitcoin Reawakens: Price and Search Trends Signal A Sustained Bottom

I have finally jumped into the crypto-era. Bitcoin broke out into the first “convincing” and buyable technical pattern I have seen since the bubble burst over a year ago. Breakout Anyone who follows cryptocurrencies knows by now that Bitcoin (BTC/USD) broke out last week. The move was a powerful one that launched the cryptocurrency out … Read more

Cocoa: Ivory Coast Supply News Sets Up Buying Opportunity

Time for me to buy iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) again. NIB gapped down to start the week at least partially on the news of a surplus from the Ivory Coast. From Reuters: Cocoa arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast reached 1.547 million tonnes between Oct. 1 and March 3, exporters estimated … Read more

Cocoa Prices Drop On Optimism for the 2018/2019 Main Crop Season

The price of cocoa has been in near freefall again. The picture-perfect bounce for iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) from its support at 200-day moving average (DMA) reversed into a recent 200DMA breakdown and a convincing breakdown below the June low. Source: FreeStockCharts.com As usual, a flurry of news exists that helps explain at … Read more