Above the 40 (June 15, 2018) – A News-Packed Week Hands Victory to Stock Market Bulls and Bears

AT40 = 64.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a 4-month high) VIX = 12.0 Short-term Trading Call: bearish Commentary Once again, a tried and true bearish signal delivered. However this success came with a tremendous caveat: a simultaneously … Read more

A Fresh Top in Cocoa

It did not take long. Two days after I identified a Bollinger Band squeeze on iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB), the technical chart pattern resolved to the downside. NIB has lost 11.9% over this time. Source: FreeStockCharts.com At current levels, NIB has confirmed a top from its 19-month high: a breakdown below the 50-day … Read more

A Cocoa Surprise: Prices Spring Back to Life

In commodities, the time to get bullish is usually when prices are pressuring the industry and sentiment is persistently and deeply negative. The time to get bearish is usually when prices are skyrocketing, industry participants are celebrating wondrous fortunes, and sentiment is as euphoric as can be. Since I am long-term bullish on cocoa, I … Read more

Above the 40 (April 2, 2018) – Chipping Away At the Market Positives On the Way to Oversold

AT40 = 27.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 36.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (new 2-year closing and intraday lows) VIX = 23.6 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary In my last Above the 40, I tried to highlight the positives even as the negatives … Read more

Above the 40 (March 9, 2018) – Stock Market Returns To Its Originally Scheduled Programming

AT40 = 48.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 52.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.6 (11.5% drop) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The (expected) plunge in the volatility index, the VIX, says it all…the stock market is ready to return to its … Read more

Another Bullish Breakout for Cocoa

On Friday, The iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) soared 3.0% to a 14-month high. It was a breakout the validated months and months of patience betting that in a market with strong demand, extremely low cocoa prices would create the conditions for higher prices in the future. While NIB has persistently rallied since the … Read more

A New Breakout for Cocoa as Ghana Falls Short

It was a welcome turn of fortune for iPath® Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB). In a week where global stock markets took a sharp tumble, NIB followed through on an important technical breakout. The week started ominously when NIB sold off and dove back below its 50 and 200-day moving averages (DMAs). After that setback, … Read more