Above the 40 (August 22, 2017) – The Stock Market Gets A Reflex Bounce

AT40 = 35.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 46.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.4 (14.0% decrease) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Since last Thursday when I lasted posted Above the 40, AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective … Read more

Above the 40 (July 21, 2017) – A Stock Market Soaring High But On the Edge

AT40 = 64.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 60.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.4 (volatility index) (2nd lowest VIX since at least 1990!) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) is soaring high since its impressive breakout two … Read more

Forex Critical: The Australian Dollar – Too Much, Too Fast

Over two weeks ago I officially ended my bearishness on the Australian dollar (FXA). I made that call just in time. Source: FreeStockCharts.com The Australian dollar has powered higher against almost all major currencies and now threatens to retard the economy’s on-going adjustment away from mining investment. The Reserve Bank of Australia has consistently noted … Read more

Forex Critical: Speculators Ride the Wave Against the Japanese Yen

The Japanese yen (FXY) is the one major currency that has been notably weaker than the U.S. dollar for most of the past month. USD/JPY peaked in December, 2016, but it looks like the sell-off bottomed out in April. Source: FreeStockCharts.com This yen weakness has been particularly evident against strong currencies, like the euro (FXE), … Read more

Above the 40 (June 23, 2017) – The S&P 500 Watches the NASDAQ Position for A Recovery

AT40 = 54.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.0 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Last week, the NASDAQ snatched the baton from the S&P 500 (SPY) and now looks poised to resume its … Read more

Above the 40 (June 16, 2017) – A Post-Fed Market Still In Bullish Position

AT40 = 56.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.4 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The Federal Reserve gave the permission to the stock market that I awaited…well, sort of. On Wednesday, June 14, … Read more

Above the 40 (June 8, 2017) – The Market’s Bullish Push Through Thursday’s Trifecta

AT40 = 52.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.2 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary One out of three. The last event of Thursday’s Trifecta had the only notable impact on financial markets. With … 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

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