Forex Critical: The Euro Slices Through Downside Targets

At the end of last month I made the following claim about the euro in reference to EUR/USD: “The slide will likely take some time, but I fully expect EUR/USD to retest its low around 1.089 from September of last year. The current rebound looks like a technical break from many months of decline. At … Read more

Forex Critical: Dollar Danger

It was one of those trades that works until it doesn’t. Ever since the U.S. dollar index (DXY) broke out above its 200-day moving average (DMA) back in April, 2018, the index provided a lot of bullish swing trade opportunities. In the early stages of the rally, DXY pivoted around its 20DMA and then its … Read more

Forex Critical: The Organized Chaos of the British Pound

Chaos After the divided politicians of the United Kingdom managed to postpone Brexit to October 31, 2019 from March 29, 2019, I assumed the British pound (FXB) would take a break from wild and sudden gyrations. I was wrong. On Thursday, local elections plunged the Conservative party (the Tories) into a resounding defeat that most … Read more

Betting the Swiss Franc’s Italian-Inspired Comeback Is Temporary

In mid-April I wrote expecting EUR/CHF to finally return to the old 1.20 currency floor set by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) years ago. Two days later, EUR/CHF did indeed hit 1.20….for all of a few hot minutes. For almost the past three weeks, EUR/CHF has plunged all over again as political turmoil in Italy … Read more

Forex Critical: Putting The Mexican Peso and Canadian Dollar On Shorter Leashes

Currency speculators have not been this bullish on the Mexican peso in about four years. The Canadian dollar (FXC) has enjoyed such bullishness for a year longer. Source for charts: Oanda’s CFTC’s Commitments of Traders I have traded alongside these bulls for several months now, but I decided this week to pull in the reins … Read more

Above the 40 (June 27, 2017) – Tech Troubles Redux

AT40 = 53.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.1 (volatility index) (11.7% gain) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Suddenly, tech stocks are in trouble all over again. On June 9, 2017, tech stocks suddenly swooned, … Read more

A Fresh Burst of Euro-Optimism Ahead of the French Presidential Election

The French people will make a final decision on a President in less than 24 hours from the time of writing. Financial markets are in a much different place now than they were two weeks ago ahead of the initial round of voting. Thanks to the “French Fly” optimism is riding high and all assumptions … Read more

Above the 40 (April 26, 2017) – A Stretched Stock Market Loses Bid for Overbought Status

AT40 = 68.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 65.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.9 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs), pushed into overbought territory today with … Read more

The U.S. Dollar Fails To Benefit From Expectations for An Earlier Fed Rate Hike

Perhaps the shift was not large enough. Perhaps it was the magnetism of the 50-day moving average (DMA). After the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its last meeting on monetary policy, the U.S. dollar index (DXY0) promptly weakened. The dollar closed the day marginally lower after trading for a small gain in the morning. … Read more

A Euro Flush: Buyers Take Back Control For Now

By now, traders should know the drill on these highly anticipated events that promise dire potential consequences… Traders build positions in anticipation of or to hedge against the potentially “adverse” outcome of the highly anticipated event. An outcome interpreted as adverse occurs and markets respond accordingly. The expected response to an adverse outcome turns out … Read more