Trade War Realities Weigh More Heavily

The Australian dollar versus the Japanese yen (AUD/JPY) is back to trading at levels last seen in the immediate wake of the financial crisis. A declining AUD/JPY helps to expose the intensifying risk-off sentiment in financial markets.

An Inescapable Truth In June, 2018, I made the following claims and observations (with fresh emphasis): “…at the end of the day, Trump is determined to drive the U.S. trade deficit as close to zero as possible. This cannot happen without some substantial economic disruptions. To the extent the market refuses to price in these … Read more

The 401K Stock Market Chokes On A Powell and Trade War Sandwich – Above the 40 (August 23, 2019)

AT40 = 28.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 39.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2-month low)VIX = 19.9Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (see caveats below) Stock Market Commentary Presidential Decrees “Q    Six hundred and twenty-three points — that’s what the Dow was down today … Read more

Forex Critical: A Bad Turn for the Turkish Lira

The U.S. Dollar vs the Turkish lira (USD/TRY) confirmed its 50DMA breakout with a second higher close.

The honeymoon seems already over for the new governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT). After the promotion of Murat Uysal to governor of the CBRT, I concluded the Turkish lira would weaken. That weakness lasted all of one day, and the lira proceeded to bounce around in a range. Next … Read more

The Google Trend Momentum Check Points to Next Launchpad for Bitcoin

This weekly view of Google Trends for Bitcoin shows a steady uptrend featuring higher highs and higher lows since Bitcoin broke out in April.

Bitcoin (BTC/USD) made a major peak on June 26th. Since then, the cryptocurrency has pivoted around its 50-day moving average (DMA). Three breakdowns of that line of support have been met with buyers which suggests to me that Bitcoin is consolidating a launchpad for imminently higher prices. The Google Trend Momentum Check (GTMC) supports my … Read more

Christmas In August Fails to Prevent A Test of the Month’s Extremes – Above the 40 (August 14, 2019)

The S&P 500 (SPY) printed a marginally new low for the month after a 2.9% loss.

AT40 = 26.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 40.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2-month low)VIX = 22.1Short-term Trading Call: neutral (caveats below!) Stock Market Commentary When the S&P 500 (SPY) bounced away from the oversold threshold last week, it left behind an extreme … Read more