A Record Iron Ore Shipment As Prices and the Australian Dollar Plunge

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 11, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Port Hedland Port Authority along the northern coast of Western Australia reported on June 10th surprising news on an iron ore shipment: {snip} The Port does not report the value … Read more

Take A Pause From Your Deflation Fears and Consider Some Counter-Evidence

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 25, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Swiss franc (FXF) has started another weakening phase, putting an exclamation point on the currency market’s refusal to go along with the shrill, recent headlines claiming another deflation cycle has … Read more

Latest China GDP Figures Set Up Next Buying Opportunity

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 15, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) When it comes to the Australian dollar (FXA), traders have to stay nimble and on their toes. Just two days ago in “Poor Employment Report Only Slows Australian Dollar’s Breakout,” I … Read more

Don’t Overplay the Recovery In Iron Ore Prices

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 7, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Back in September, one of the big stories was the plunge in iron ore prices to three-year lows around $87/ton. With prices down over 50% from the record high of $191/ton … Read more

Australian Officials Further Signal Lower Rates to Come

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 2, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) This week featured two interesting speeches by Australian officials. On October 30, Philip Lowe, Deputy Governor for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), gave a speech at the Commonwealth Bank Australasian … Read more

Consol Energy’s Breakout Survives A Reduction In Earnings Guidance

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 17, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Consol Energy (CNX) is the U.S.’s largest producer of coal from underground mines. {snip} The charts below show how CNX recently broke out and how it has traded relative to its … Read more

The QE2 Reference Price Identifies the Strongest Iron Ore and Metallurgical Coal Plays

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 16, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week, I demonstrated how the timing of QE2 provided a useful reference point for buying Freeport-McMoran (FCX) as part of a coming revision of the commodity crash playbook. In this … Read more

T2108 Update (September 6, 2012) – Bearish Undertones Brushed Away In A Single Swipe

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are highly likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades … Read more

Sifting Through the Rubble of Retail High-Flyers for Potential Trades – Long and Short

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The HOLDRS Retail ETF (RTH) made new all-time highs in late July, and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) has remained in a trading range since failing a retest of its … Read more

The Reserve Bank of Australia Declares Soft-Landing In China, Focuses On Europe

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 7, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The immediate response to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest monetary policy decision was muted, but I think the statement spoke volumes. The RBA essentially declared a soft economic landing in … Read more