Forex Critical: The Canadian Dollar Ignites But Was That Intended?

{updated to include commentary on The Guggenheim Canadian Energy Income ETF (ENY)} On Monday, June 12, 2017, Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada Carolyn A. Wilkins delivered a speech at the Asper School of Business in Winnipeg, Manitoba that was firmly bullish on the Canadian economy. The market’s reaction was swift and equally … Read more

Forex Critical: A Major Breakthrough Eluded Mexican Peso Bulls

Bulls in the Mexican peso successfully reversed all the post-election gains in USD/MXN. Yet they failed to hold onto a big break through when USD/MXN hit a new 6-month low last week. Buyers quickly stepped in and sent USD/MXN right back to its declining 50-day moving average (DMA). Source: FreeStockCharts.com The latest CFTC data on … 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

Forex Critical: Speculators Retreat from the Australian Dollar and Pound, Expand on the Euro and Canadian Dollar

The latest CFTC data on the Commitments of Traders (CoT) shows some important moves in the positioning of speculators. Australian dollar (FXA) While the price of iron ore plunged, bullishness on the Australian dollar (FXA) remained surprisingly strong. I am almost equally surprised to see this bullishness now in full scale retreat as iron ore … Read more

Trump Turmoil Takes 2017 Rate Hikes Down to Just June

I am surprised Fed futures traders still firmly expect a rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve in June. Source: CME FedWatch Tool After the stock market sell-off in the wake of more Trump turmoil, the market pegged the odds of a June rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve at 64.6%. Above 50% means … Read more

The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) Bottoms As Silver Speculators Continue Backing Down

The trade in silver just got even more interesting. For a few weeks, I wondered aloud why speculators were so stubbornly bullish on the precious metal, especially relative to speculators in gold. In my last post on silver, I noted how speculators were finally beating a hasty retreat. In the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) … Read more

Above the 40 (May 5, 2017) – The S&P 500 Again Skirts Past A Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 54.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.6 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Two hallmarks of this current stock market have been the 1) consistent weakness of sellers and 2) the persistent ability … Read more

Silver Speculators Beat A Hasty Retreat Just As A Record Ends

In recent weeks I have wondered aloud why silver speculators were so bullish. In the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) data it appears speculators are finally asking themselves the same thing. Source: Oanda’s CFTC’s Commitments of Traders In just two weeks, the level of net long futures contracts on silver have gone from levels not … Read more

The Fed’s Clarity Extends the Pain for Gold and Silver

Ahead of the May decision on monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, I concluded that the stars had aligned for a potential (sharp) relief rally for the SPDR® Gold Shares (GLD) and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV). In that post, I extrapolated from the market’s waning enthusiasm for two more rate hikes in 2017. … Read more

Gold and Silver Lag A Market Wavering On Two More Rate Hikes for 2017

Market expectations for a June rate hike remain as solid as ever. However, expectations for two more rate hikes in 2017 have wavered. A day ahead of the release of the next decision on monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, Fed Fund futures pricing in two rate hikes by December (assuming 25 basis point … Read more