Forex Market Club

The Dollar, Weak Earnings Indicate a Top is Near For The S&P 500

2012-01-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

Can we still look to the financials to guide us on market movements?

Earnings season is now upon us and so far the only major earnings component that has been released is the J.P. Morgan earnings report that came in Friday before the market opened. After the report was digested by the marketplace, prices fell dramatically.

While the charlatans in Washington try to sell the American public into believing that the U.S economy is starting to firm up, the underlying truth is that the recovery has been relatively week. If it were not for the massive liquidity injections provided by the Federal Reserve through multiple quantitative easing adjustments, risk assets would likely be priced significantly lower.

Inquiring minds combed through the data provided in the J.P. Morgan earnings release and a few major outcomes were placed front and center. Earnings disappointed overall due to a massive decline in investment banking activity. Investment banking profits represent a large portion of all of the major banks’ earnings.

On Friday the guys at Zero Hedge provided the following chart in its article titled, “Charting Disappearing Investment Banking Revenues And Profits, JPM Edition.” The chart below illustrates the massive decline in investment banking revenue:

To make the chart a bit easier to follow, the blue bars represent investment banking revenue. It is rather obvious that investment banking revenue is in free fall having dropped nearly 50% since the first quarter of 2011. In addition, I would point out the sharp declines in total net income (purple) and the massive decline in equity market revenue (green).

It is without question that the other major banks that have a large investment banking presence are likely to experience similar revenue losses. A significant reduction in investment banking gross revenue puts tremendous pressure on total bank revenues in this quarter and looking ahead.

I am of the opinion that major money-center banks like Bank of America and Citigroup are likely to experience similar revenue reductions. We will know for sure in the coming weeks as most of the large banks are set to report earnings in the near term. Clearly this expected reduction in overall revenue will likely have a major impact on the financial sector of the economy.

The financial complex is absolutely critical when looking at broad index returns. It is common knowledge that broad indexes such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average struggle to rally when the financial complex lags. The same can be said for the semiconductor sector as well.

Recently financials (XLF) and the semiconductor (SMH) sectors have worked considerably higher on relatively light volume. Both XLF and SMH are trading into major resistance and both are starting to show signs that they are nearing a potential top The daily charts of XLF and SMH are shown below:

XLF Daily Chart

SMH Daily Chart

Both the XLF and SMH daily charts illustrate that a major top may be forming in both sectors. It is widely noted that if the financials and semiconductors are not showing strength in a rising market, a correction or major reversal may not be far away.

I have been writing about the potential for a major top to be forming for several weeks now and I find that I am not in the majority in this viewpoint. Recent sentiment and momentum in U.S. equities demonstrate that we are very overbought at this time. Retail investors are extremely bullish and the Volatility Index (VIX) is trading near recent lows.

I am unsure whether this is a major top that leads to strong selling pressure or whether a correction is a more likely outcome. What I do know is that tops are a process, not a singular event and at this point more and more evidence is supporting the viewpoint that equities may be getting tired and some profit taking is likely.

In addition to the lackluster price action in the charts above, earnings releases have been revised lower in the 4^th quarter of 2011. In fact almost 3.5 companies have announced earnings revisions to the downside for every company that has indicated a stable to rising earnings announcements. This type of scenario has not been present since the first quarter of 2008 which as we know was not exactly a great time frame to be looking to put cash into risk assets.

Furthermore, Goldman Sachs analysts came out with the following commentary, “While the 4^th Quarter is typically the strongest quarter for earnings, estimates have fallen 9% since the summer and are now below both realized 2^nd and 3^rd Quarter results.” Goldman Sachs is also expecting significant price pressure coming from a weak U.S. economy and the fears of a European recession in 2012. Overall, the estimates are far from bullish and are in fact quite concerning when looking at the current valuation of U.S. equities.

The impact that a stronger U.S. Dollar will have on domestic companies which are used to having a competitive advantage when looking at earnings due to currency adjustments could produce negative surprises. Typically positive earnings adjustments are likely to be revised to the downside as the U.S. Dollar has rallied sharply higher in light of the weakening Euro currency. The weekly chart of the U.S. Dollar Index is shown below:

The U.S. Dollar Index is consolidating directly beneath resistance which is generally seen as a bullish development. I expect a breakout over new highs is only a matter of time. It is unlikely that in the long term the U.S. Dollar can rally while stocks trade flat or work their way higher. While this is always possible, the likelihood of that scenario is unlikely due to earnings pressures that would occur if the Dollar pushes higher in the intermediate term.

In addition to the variety of above mentioned factors which could have a major impact on equity valuations, the S&P 500 Index is trading into major resistance. Unless the S&P 500 Index can work above the 1,325 area it is unlikely that a new bull market has begun.

If the S&P 500 Index manages to work above the 1,325 level then my analysis may be proven completely incorrect. However, right now the S&P 500 Index has a lot of overhead resistance at the 1,292, 1,300, and 1,310 price levels. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below’

Ultimately we are coming into the final week for the January options contracts which are set to expire at the close of business this coming Friday. I would not be shocked to see some volatility late this week and potentially even higher prices for equities.

However, my expectation is that once the January expiration hangover is behind us, increased volatility and lower prices are likely ahead for U.S. equities. The earnings announcements this week will likely have a large impact on the price action. Heads up, risk is exceptionally high!

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Currency Market Analysis For Thursday January 12th

2012-01-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

The March Dollar closed lower on Thursday and the low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought but are turning bearish signaling that a short term top might be in or is near. Closes below last Tuesday's low crossing at 79.83 would confirm that a short term top has been posted. If March extends the rally off last fall's low, the 62% retracement level of the 2010-2011 decline on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 82.89 is the next upside target. First resistance is Monday's high crossing at 81.85. Second resistance is the 62% retracement level of the 2010-2011 decline on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 82.89. First support is last Tuesday's low crossing at 79.83. Second support is the reaction low crossing at 79.83.

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The March Euro closed higher due to short covering on Thursday as it consolidates some of the decline off last year's high. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are oversold but remain neutral to bearish signaling that additional weakness is possible near term. If March extends the decline off October's high, the 75% retracement level of the 2010-2011 rally on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 126.39 is the next downside target. Closes above the 20 day moving average crossing at 129.45 are needed to confirm that a short term low has been posted. First resistance is the 10 day moving average crossing at 128.53. Second resistance is the 20 day moving average crossing at 129.45. First support is Wednesday's low crossing at 126.64. Second support is the 75% retracement level of the 2010-2011 rally on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 126.39.

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The March British Pound closed higher due to short covering on Thursday as it consolidated some of the decline off October's high. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are oversold but remain bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. If March extends the aforementioned decline, October's low crossing at 1.5267 is the next downside target. Closes above the 20 day moving average crossing at 1.5508 are needed to confirm that a short term low has been posted. First resistance is the 20 day moving average crossing at 1.5508. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 1.5663. First support is today's low crossing at 1.5270. Second support is October's low crossing at 1.5267.

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The March Swiss Franc closed higher due to short covering on Thursday. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are turning bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. Closes above the reaction high crossing at .10839 are needed to confirm that a low has been posted. If March renews the decline off October's high, weekly support crossing at .10422 is the next downside target. First resistance is the reaction high crossing at .10768. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at .10839. First support is Monday's low crossing at .10431. Second support is weekly support crossing at .10422.

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The March Canadian Dollar closed slightly higher on Thursday however; the low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are neutral to bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. If March renews last week's decline, December's low crossing at 95.73 is the next downside target. If March renews the rally off December's low, December's high crossing at 99.23 is the next upside target. First resistance is last Tuesday's high crossing at 99.08. Second resistance is December's high crossing at 99.23. First support is Monday's low crossing at 96.75. Second support is December's low crossing at 95.73.

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The March Japanese Yen closed slightly higher on Thursday however; the high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought but remain neutral to bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at .12928 would temper the near term friendly outlook. If March extends the rally off December's low, the reaction high crossing at .13101 is the next upside target. First resistance is last Tuesday's high crossing at .13070. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at .13101. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at .12928. Second support is the reaction low crossing at .12833.

Mid Week Currency Market Update For The First Wednesday of 2012

2012-01-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

The March Dollar closed higher due to short covering on Wednesday filling Tuesday's gap crossing at 80.36 but remains below the October-December uptrend line crossing near 80.60. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. If March extends Tuesday's decline, December's low crossing at 78.52 is the next downside target. First resistance is December's high crossing at 81.41. Second resistance is the 62% retracement level of the 2010-2011 decline on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 82.89. First support is the reaction low crossing at 79.55. Second support is the reaction low crossing at 78.52.

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The March Euro closed lower on Wednesday and is poised to extend last year's decline. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are oversold and are turning neutral to bullish hinting that a short term low might be in or is near. Closes above the 20 day moving average crossing at 131.05 are needed to confirm that a short term low has been posted. If March extends the decline off October's high, the 75% retracement level of the 2010-2011 rally on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 126.39 is the next downside target. First resistance is the 20 day moving average crossing at 131.05. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 132.24. First support is last Thursday's low crossing at 128.69. Second support is the 75% retracement level of the 2010-2011 rally on the weekly continuation chart crossing at 126.39.

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The March British Pound posted an inside day with a lower close on Wednesday as it consolidated some of the rally off last Thursday's low. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are turning bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. Closes above the reaction high crossing at 1.5761 are needed to confirm an upside breakout of December's trading range. If March renews last week's decline, October's low crossing at 1.5267 is the next downside target. First resistance is the reaction high crossing at 1.5761. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 1.5860. First support is last Thursday's low crossing at 1.5350. Second support is October's low crossing at 1.5267.

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The March Swiss Franc closed lower on Wednesday as it extends the trading range of the past six weeks. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. Closes above the reaction high crossing at .10839 are needed to confirm that a low has been posted. If March renews the decline off October's high, weekly support crossing at .10422 is the next downside target. First resistance is the reaction high crossing at .10839. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at .10915. First support is December's low crossing at .10501. Second support is weekly support crossing at .10422.

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The March Canadian Dollar closed lower due to profit taking on Wednesday. However, the high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI remain bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If March extends the rally off December's low, December's high crossing at 99.23 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 97.52 would temper the near term friendly outlook. First resistance is Tuesday's high crossing at 99.08. Second resistance is December's high crossing at 99.23. First support is December's low crossing at 95.73. Second support is November's low crossing at 94.85.

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The March Japanese Yen closed slightly lower due to light profit taking on Wednesday as it consolidated some of the rally off December's low. The mid range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought but remain bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If March extends the aforementioned rally, the reaction high crossing at .13101 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at .12893 would temper the near term friendly outlook. First resistance is Tuesday's high crossing at .13070. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at .13101. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at .12893. Second support is December's low crossing at .12699. Second support is October's low crossing at .12609.

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Rising Dollar and Five Investments Moving in the Directions we Anticipated

2011-12-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

The last week of the year volume tends to be light due to the fact that big money traders are busy enjoying the holidays and waiting for their yearend bonuses.

I was not planning on doing much this week because of the low volume but after reviewing some charts and risk levels on my top 5 trading vehicles I could not help but share my findings with everyone last Friday.

You can see what I talked about on Friday here > Holiday Short Squeeze & Crude Oil Trade Idea

This Wednesday turned out to be an exciting session with all 5 of my trade ideas moving in our favour right on queue.

Charts of the 5 investments moving in the directions we anticipated …
- Dollar bounced off support

- Stocks are topping and selling off today

- Oil looks to have topped and is selling off

- Gold and Silver are moving lower

- VIX (Volatility Index) just bounced

Many of my readers took full advantage of my recent analysis and trade ideas which is great to hear. All the different ways individuals used to make money from Friday’s analysis is mind blowin......

The most common trade is the oil one with most traders adding more to Tuesday when the price reached its key resistance level on the chart. Also many traders took partial profits Wednesday locking in 3% or more in two days using the SCO ETF.

It’s amazing how many people like to trade the vix using ETFs. The best trade from followers thus far was an 8% gain in TVIX which was bought 4 days ago anticipating the pop in volatility which I had been talking about last week. Keep in mind ETFs for trading the vix are not very good in general. I stay away from them, but TVIX is the best I found so far.

Currently stocks are oversold falling sharply from the pre-market highs. Meaning stocks have fallen too far too fast and a bounce is likely to take place Thursday.

Also we saw some panic selling hit the market today with 14 sellers to 1 buyer. That level tells me that the market needs some time to recover and build up strength for another selloff later this week or next. We will see this pause unfold when the SP500 drifts higher for a session or two with light buying volume. This will confirm sellers are in control and give us another short setup.

In my Wednesday morning video I explained how/where to set stops when using leveraged ETFs because I know 90% of traders using them do not have a clue as to how to do this and they get shaken out of their trades just before a top or bottom.

I hope this helps you understand things more...... Over time you will pickup on a lot of new trading tips, tools and techniques with this free newsletter so just give it time and keep trades small until you are comfortable with my analysis.

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Chris Vermeulen

With the Bullish Outlook for the U.S. Dollar the Next Move is a Coin Toss

2011-12-22T06:53:00.000-08:00

The past few months have been tough for those holding precious metals stocks, PM futures contracts or physical bullion. With silver is trading down 41%, precious metals stocks down 30% and gold 15%. It has people scratching their head.

The question everyone keeps asking is when can I buy gold and silver?

Unfortunately that is not a simple answer. With what is unfolding across the pond and the bullish outlook for the US Dollar index the next move is a coin toss. That being said, I do feel a large move brewing in the market place so I am preparing for fireworks in the first quarter of 2012.

If you step back and look at the weekly trend charts of the dollar index and the SP500 index you will see the strength in the dollar along with a possible stop in equities forming. What these charts are telling is that in the next 3 months we should know if stocks and commodities are going to start another multi month rally or roll over and start a bear market sell off.

With the holiday season nearing, hedge fund managers sitting on the sidelines just waiting for their yearend performance bonuses, I cannot see any large selloff start until January. Selloffs in the market require strong volume and the second half of December is not a time of heavy trading volume. This leaves us with a light volume holiday season, major issues overseas and no big money players willing to cause waves.

So let’s take a quick look at the charts as to where the line in the sand it for the dollar index, gold and silver.

Dollar Index Daily Chart

This week we have seen a strong shift of money out of risk off assets (Bonds) and into risk off (Stocks). This shift is happening before the dollar has broken down indicating the dollar may be topping and could be an early warning of higher stocks prices going into year end. Also note that light volume market conditions also favour higher prices.

Gold Price Daily Chart

Gold could still head lower but at this point it is holding a key support level. If we see the dollar breakdown below its green support trendline then I expect gold to have a firm bounce to the $1675 – $1700.

Silver Price Daily Chart

Silver continues to hold a key support level. If the dollar breaks down the silver should bounce to the $31.50 – $32 area. But if the dollar continues to rally then silver and gold may drop sharply.

Mid-Week Trend Conclusion:

In short, I think the best thing to do is enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. Trading right now is not that great and with the market giving mixed signals. I am keeping my eyes on the market in case it flashes a low risk setup and I will keep you informed if we get one.

Be aware that Monday is a holiday and once January arrives the market could go crazy again. If you want all my swing trades that I personally do be sure to join my alert service The Gold & Oil Guy.Com

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

Cheers,
Chris Vermeulen

Why Are We on High Alert for a Panic Washout Selling Day?

2011-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again and I’m not talking about the holiday season...... What I am talking about is another major market correction which has been starting to unfold over the past couple weeks.

I have a much different outlook on the markets than everyone else and likely you as well. However, before you stop reading what I have to say hear me out. My outlook and opinion is based strictly on price, volume, inter market analysis, and crowd behavior and you should put some thought as to what I am saying into your current positions.

Two weeks ago I sent my big picture outlook to my subscribers, followers, and financial websites warning of a major pullback. You can take a quick look at what the charts looked like 2 weeks ago......

"The Currency War Big Picture Analysis for Gold, Silver & Stocks"

Since my warning we have seen the financial markets fall:
SP500 down 2.6%
Crude Oil down 4.4%
Gold down 9.6%
and Silver down 12.2%

If you applied any leverage to these then you could double or triple these returns through the use of leveraged exchange traded funds. The amount of followers cashing in on these pullbacks has been very exciting to hear. The exciting part about trading is the fact that moves like this happen all the time so if you missed this one, don’t worry because there is another opportunity just around the corner.

While my negative view on stocks and precious metals will rub the gold and silver bugs the wrong way, I just want to point out what is unfolding so everyone sees both sides of the trade. I also would like to mention that this analysis can, and likely will change on a weekly basis as the financial markets and global economy evolves over time. The point I am trying to get across is that I am not a “Gloom and Doom” kind of guy and I don’t always favor the down side. Rather, I am a technical trader simply providing my analysis and odds for what to expect next.

Let’s take a look at some charts and dig right i........

Dollar Index Daily Chart:

SP500 Futures Index Daily Chart:

Silver Futures Daily Chart:

Gold Futures Daily Chart:

Crude Oil Futures Daily Chart:

Mid-Week Market Madness Trend Analysis Conclusion:

In short, stocks and commodities are under pressure from the rising dollar. We have already seen a sizable pullback but there may be more to come in the next few trading sessions.

Overall, the charts are starting to look very negative which the majority of traders/investors around the world are starting to notice. With any luck they will fuel the market with more selling pressure pushing positions that my subscribers and I are holding deeper into the money.

Now that the masses are starting to get nervous and are beginning to sell out of their positions, I am on high alert for a panic washout selling day. This occurs when everyone around the world panics at the same time and bails out of their long positions. Prices drop sharply, volume shoots through the roof, and my custom indicators for spotting extreme sentiment levels sends me an alert to start covering my shorts and tightening our stops.

Hold on tight as this could be a crazy few trading session........

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Chris Vermeulen

Will The Dollar Ruin The Santa Claus Rally in the S&P 500?

2011-12-11T08:18:00.001-08:00

Experienced traders recognize that volume typically dries up going into the holiday season. Light volume and the holiday seasonality generally push equity prices higher. The discussion of whether Santa Claus comes to Wall Street has arrived in earnest.

I do not envy Santa as he has the most arduous task of determining if Wall Street was naughty or nice. I suppose it depends on whether he reviews recent performance, or if past performance comes into play. Clearly coal will likely be found in a few stockings soon enough. If I were John Corzine, I would not expect to get a lump coal, but something far worse potentially.

In all seriousness, the bullishness has gotten pervasive in the media and economic data points such as unemployment and consumer credit have improved according to the government. One way to gauge investor sentiment is to look at the weekly advisor sentiment numbers courtesy of Bloomberg and Investor’s Intelligence.

According to this week’s advisor sentiment numbers, advisors who are bullish advanced to 47.4% from 44.2% last week. Bearish advisors dropped to 29.5% from 30.5% from the previous week. The 29.5% bearish data point matches a level that has not been seen in nearly 4 months. Bullishness has clearly become the leading expectation in the marketplace.

Only one asset has the opportunity to be “The Grinch” and ruin Christmas on Wall Street. If the U.S. Dollar rallies sharply, risk assets are certain to get hammered lower. In addition to the bullish tenor of market participants, most market pundits and gold bugs believe strongly that the U.S. Dollar is doomed fated for lower prices.

When I look at the long term momentum of a stock or commodity contract I will look at a monthly chart and plot the 12 month moving average against the price action. While it seems simple, equity and futures positions adhere to the 12 month moving average quite closely in many cases. The analysis is very simple as prices above the 12 month moving average equate to bullishness and prices below the moving average predict lower prices. The monthly chart of the Dollar Index futures is shown below:

As can be seen above, the Dollar Index futures are showing strength currently. The 12 month moving average is starting to flatten out which is also a bullish indicator. When looking at the daily time frame we can see that price action is trading inside a wedge pattern and is bouncing higher off of support:

An additional catalyst that could push the U.S. Dollar higher is the economic tragedy that is Europe. European political leaders need to come up with a series of strong solutions that will stabilize their economic crisis otherwise the Euro will weaken further. A weakening or potentially crashing Euro will push buyers back into the U.S. Dollar. This would in turn place downward pressure on equities and commodities.

S&P 500

On Thursday the S&P 500 flushed over 2% lower by the close as the European Central Bank disappointed investors with an expected 0.25% rate cut and no new bond purchase announcements. The bulls will tell you that the Thursday the week prior to monthly option expiration usually is volatile and price direction is generally in the opposite direction of the primary trend. We will find out next week whether that axiom holds true. The daily chart of the S&P 500 is shown below:

The strength of Thursday’s move is not going to easily be reversed. The European leaders need to shock the market with tangible decisions and launch a major offensive against their growing fiscal issues. If European leaders disappoint investors, the reaction to the news could be a violent selloff that leaves bulls flatfooted next week.

Those who are leaning long in size should consider that their trading capital is being leveraged on the hope that European leaders can come to a groundbreaking agreement. I will be in cash watching the price action in the S&P 500. However, once the dust settles and others have done the heavy lifting, I will likely get involved with a directional trade. Until then, I am just going to ponder if I were Santa, would Wall Street get a present or a lump of coal?

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J.W. Jones

The Currency War Big Picture Analysis for Gold, Silver & Stocks

2011-12-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

I think you will admit that we are in the middle of one major crazy financial mess. The part that makes things really crazy is that it’s not just in the United States anymore but rather serious global problem which if not handled properly could change the way we live our lives going forward or possibly even spark some type of war, hopefully things don’t get that crazy...... But I do know one thing. Fear is the most powerful force on the planet and people do some crazy things when they are backed into a corner.

Anyways, on a more positive tone…... today China decided to help provide more liquidity for the financial system along with the central banks. This news triggered a monster rally in overnight trading making the market gap up sharply at the opening bell. This news did hit the US dollar index hard sending it sharply lower but the question remains “Will today’s news be a one week hiccup in the market?” If Euroland starts printing money it will likely send the dollar higher and stocks lower for 6 -12 months.

Just today I was joking with Kerry Lutz of the Financial Survivor Network about how each country should just give each other country a second chance. Wipe the dept clean and start over knowing this time around exactly how each country truly operates at a financial level allowing everyone to avoid a repeat of this BS. Some countries will get off way better than others because they would get so much dept wiped clean. But isn’t it better than years of problems and possibly wars over food, gold, guns, oil and Canadian water?

All joking aside, let’s take a look at the weekly long term charts.....…

Dollar Index Showing Possible Massive Rally If Euro Starts Printing Money:

I’m sure my off the cuff options/thoughts will cause a stir but I am fine with that. Everyone I talk to is thinking the dollar is about to fall off a cliff while I think it’s very possible that it does just the opposite. Either way I will be looking to benefit from which ever move unfolds.

Weekly Gold Chart:

Weekly Silver Chart:

Weekly SP500 Chart:

Long Term Thoughts:

I would first like to say that tonight’s report is out of my norm. Generally I do not focus on the big picture negative stuff and I like to avoid it for a few reasons...... One, it’s just downright depressing to talk and think about. And Second I don’t want to be labelled as one of those “The Sky Is Falling” kinds of guys.

So, that being said I think these charts above show a situation what is very possible to happen in the coming 6-12 months. Keep in mind that my focus is on short term time frames as it allows me to avoid and actually profit from major market moves while providing enough information for my followers to learn technical analysis and trade management. And the obvious idea of not looking too far into the future with a negative outlook.......

With headline risk changing the market direction on a weekly basis, this negative outlook could easily change in a couple months. I will recap on the big picture as things unfold in January/February.

Chris Vermeulen
The Gold and Oil Guy.com

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Is This December Similar to 2007 & 2008 for Gold & Stocks?

2011-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Thus far in 2011 the overall stock market movement has been much different from what we had in 2010. This year we have seen nothing but sideways to lower prices with wild price swings on a day to day basis. There just has not been any really solid trends to take advantage of this year. Instead we had to actively trade the oversold dips and sell into the overbought rallies to just pull money out of the market on a monthly basis. Last year we saw 3 major rallies that lasted several months making it easy for anyone who bought into the trend to make money if managed properly.

Looking forward to 2012 it looks as though we are going to see some major changes unfold globally that will change the way we do things live our lives. Unfortunately its a very negative outlook but I do have hope that something will be done to perserve are somewhat normal lifestyles. I’m not one to talk doom and gloom, there are enough of those guys out there already so lets stick with the charts and focus on what is unfolding now in the present and how to take advantage of it.......

The charts below show what I feel is likely to happen going into the new year IF we don’t get any major headline news in Europe that triggers another selloff.

Intermarket Analysis:

There are a lot of different things unfolding within stocks, commodities, currencies and bonds right now. And it is imporatnt to know that investments are inter-connected in some way. For example, if one investment moves sharply in one direction it will have an effect on other investment classes.

My eye is focused on the US Dollar Index which has recently had a strong run up in price. For the past couple years we have seen stocks fall when the dollar moves up. So with the dollar index now trading at a key resistance level we should see the dollar top out for a few weeks and spark a Christmas rally into year end. After that, all bets are off and we re-analyze…

On the flop side of things, if Europe comes out with major negative headline news we could see the dollar index continue its rally and breakthrough this resistance level. If the dollar moves higher from here we could easily see a multi month run up in the dollar. You do not want to be long stocks if this happens, get short stocks and hold on tight.

Gold Daily Chart Analysis:

Here is my positive out look for gold and what I feel is likely to unfold near term. But keep in mind what I just said about the US dollar index above. If the dollar continues its rally and breaks out it could actually put some pressure on gold. I know gold is a safe haven so I do expect it to hold up, but a strong dollar will neutralize a lot of the buying in gold in my opinion.

SP500 Daily Charts:

Stocks should have a solid bounce this December if the dollar finds resistance and pulls back in the coming weeks. I am expecting a bounce of 5-10% if all goes as planned.

Christmas Holiday Rally Trading Conclusion:

In short, we are entering a tough time to trade the market. Volatility is low, there are a few holidays and typically we see volume thin out as December unfolds. Light volume generally favors higher prices for stocks and commodities which is one of the reasons we get the holiday lift in prices.

The recent selloff in stocks is looking overdone to the down side and ready to bounce any day. So I am looking for signals to get long the SP500. Overall risk remains very high as sellers are still in control of the market and because we are looking to put on a trade against the intermediate trend which is down.

On Friday morning myself and my followers exited our short position on the SP500 at the open locking in 13.5% profit. We exited the position because the intraday charts are showing signs of a potential bottom and we want to avoid the tear your face off short covering rally that I feel is just around the corner. Now we are waiting for a another low risk setup and will take action to go long or short depending how things unfold in Europe.

I hope this report helped shed some light on the current market condition for you. Remember you can!

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Chris Vermeulen

Check out Chris' recent article "How to Trade Using Market Sentiment & the Holiday Season"

Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis

2011-11-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

In 1971, President Nixon imposed national price controls and took the United States off the gold standard, an extreme measure intended to end an ongoing currency war that had destroyed faith in the U.S. dollar. Today we are engaged in a new currency war, and this time the consequences will be far worse than those that confronted Nixon.

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Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared outcomes in international economics. At best, they offer the sorry spectacle of countries' stealing growth from their trading partners. At worst, they degenerate into sequential bouts of inflation, recession, retaliation, and sometimes actual violence. Left unchecked, the next currency war could lead to a crisis worse than the panic of 2008.

Currency wars have happened before-twice in the last century alone-and they always end badly. Time and again, paper currencies have collapsed, assets have been frozen, gold has been confiscated, and capital controls have been imposed. And the next crash is overdue. Recent headlines about the debasement of the dollar, bailouts in Greece and Ireland, and Chinese currency manipulation are all indicators of the growing conflict.

As James Rickards argues in Currency Wars, this is more than just a concern for economists and investors. The United States is facing serious threats to its national security, from clandestine gold purchases by China to the hidden agendas of sovereign wealth funds. Greater than any single threat is the very real danger of the collapse of the dollar itself.

Baffling to many observers is the rank failure of economists to foresee or prevent the economic catastrophes of recent years. Not only have their theories failed to prevent calamity, they are making the currency wars worse. The U. S. Federal Reserve has engaged in the greatest gamble in the history of finance, a sustained effort to stimulate the economy by printing money on a trillion-dollar scale. Its solutions present hidden new dangers while resolving none of the current dilemmas.

While the outcome of the new currency war is not yet certain, some version of the worst-case scenario is almost inevitable if U.S. and world economic leaders fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. Rickards untangles the web of failed paradigms, wishful thinking, and arrogance driving current public policy and points the way toward a more informed and effective course of action.

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Dollar Bulls Maintain Technical Advantage

2011-11-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

A huge up day for the dollar index as it breaks over the interim resistance of $78.50. We have been steadfastly bullish on this index indicating that we can see the market move up to the $79.50 to $80.50 levels. We continue to view the dollar index in a positive light and we expect that the highs seen in early October will be tested again. We believe that we will see this market trade higher and want to hold all long positions as our Trade Triangle technology continues to indicate that the market is in very strong hands. All Trade Triangles are in positive mode indicating that this market remains in a bull market.Long Term and intermediate term traders should maintain long positions with the appropriate stops in place.

The Unfortunate Truth About an Overbought Stock Market

Currency Market Summary For Tuesday November 22nd

2011-11-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

The March Euro currency closed up 10 points at 1.3522 today. Prices closed nearer the session low. Bears have the solid overall near term technical advantage. Prices are in a four week old downtrend on the daily bar chart.

The March Japanese yen closed down 10 points at 1.3032 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today. Bulls have the near term technical advantage. Prices are in a three week old uptrend on the daily bar chart.

The March Swiss franc closed up 21 points at 1.0958 today. Prices closed near mid range today. Bears have the solid overall near term technical advantage.

The March Canadian dollar closed steady at .9610 today. Prices closed near mid range. Bears have the overall near term technical advantage.

The March British pound closed down 9 points at 1.5617 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit a fresh six week low early on. Bears have the near term technical advantage.

The March U.S. dollar index closed down 2 points at 78.81 today. Prices closed near mid range today in quieter trading. Bulls have the overall near term technical advantage.

Just click here for your FREE trend analysis of the U.S. Dollar ETF UUP

Buying Chinese Yuan/Currency as Tail Hedge

2011-11-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is what we are doing to hedge our long term equities fund. Viktor Hjort, Head of Fixed Income Research & Global Corporate Credit Strategy, Morgan Stanley says despite low risk of a hard landing in China, buying the yuan is a good tail hedge.

Get your FREE Trend Analysis for the Chinese Yuan

The Unfortunate Truth About an Overbought Stock Market

2011-10-31T07:45:00.001-07:00

Writing about financial markets is probably the most challenging endeavor I have ever immersed myself into. I am a trader first and a writer second, but I have really come to enjoy scribing missives about financial markets because it really forces me to concentrate on my analysis.

Writing for the general public has really enhanced my perception of the market and forced me to dig deeper and learn new forms of analysis. I find myself learning more and more every day and the beauty of trading is that even for the most experienced of traders there is always an opportunity to learn more. As members of my service know, I strive to be different than most of my peers as my focus is on education and being completely transparent and honest.

I want readers to know that I was wrong about my recent expectations regarding the European sovereign debt summit. I was expecting the Dollar to rally based on the recent price action and quite frankly I expected stocks to falter after running up nearly 15% into the announcement. My expectations could not have been more untimely and incorrect.

I share this with you because as I read and listen to market pundits discussing financial markets I find that too many writers and commentators flip flop their positions to always have the appearance of accuracy. In some cases, there have been television pundits that stated we were possibly going to revisit a depression in 2012 no more than 5 weeks ago. These so called experts have now changed their positions stating that we have started a new bull market in recent weeks. How can anyone take these people seriously?

Financial markets are dynamic and consistently fool the best minds and most experienced traders out there. Financial markets do not reward hubris. If a trader does not remain humble, Mr. Market will happily handle the humbling process for him. I was humbled this week. I was reminded yet again that financial markets do not take prisoners and they show no mercy. I am sharing this with readers because I want you to know that I refuse to flip flop my position without first declaring that I was wrong.

When I am wrong, I will own up to it purely out of sense of responsibility. My word and my name actually mean something to me, and while I strive to present accurate analysis I am fallible and I will make mistakes. The key however to the mistakes that I make is my ability to learn from them and the past week was a great learning opportunity.

After regrouping and stepping back after the price action on Thursday, a few key elements really stood out to me regarding recent price action. First of all, in the short term we are extremely overbought. The chart below illustrates the number of stocks in domestic equity markets trading above their 20 period moving averages over the past 5 years:

Overbought Stock Momentum

What is apparent from the chart above is that prices are almost as overbought right now as they have been anytime in the past 5 years. The number of domestic equities trading above their 50 period moving average over the past 5 years is also nearing the highest levels seen during the same period as the chart below illustrates:

Trading Stock Market Momentum

Equities trading above the 100, 150, and 200 period moving averages are somewhat subdued by comparison meaning in the short run a possible correction appears likely. The longer term time frames are no longer oversold, but they have considerable upside to work with before we could declare that they are overbought.

Additionally, the details of the European Union’s supposed solution have not yet been released raising questions going forward. Every move that is made will create unintended consequences. As an example, since Greece had 50% of their debt written down why would Ireland or Portugal refuse to pay their debts in full?

The Irish and Portuguese governments are going to come under pressure from their constituents to renegotiate the terms of their debt based on the agreement that was made with Greece recently. Spain politicians will likely be under pressure as well. The decisions made in these so called bailouts reverberate across the geopolitical spectrum. Moral hazard still exists, it just evolves over time.

The risk premium of sovereign debt has to be adjusted since credit default swaps did not trigger payment as the write downs were considered “voluntary.” Thus credit default swaps are not the answer to hedge sovereign debt as it would appear that governments have the ability to write down debt without triggering a default based on the status of the write down. The long term unintended consequences could be severe and are unknown at this point in time.

In addition to the unknown factors impacting the European “solution”, next week the Federal Reserve will have their regular FOMC meeting and statement. There has been a lot of chatter regarding the potential for QE III to come out of this meeting. While I could be wrong, initiating QE III right after the Operation Twist announcement would lead many to believe that Operation Twist was a failure.

With interest rates at or near all time lows and the recent rally we have seen in the stock market, it does not make sense that QE III would be initiated during this meeting. It is possible that if QE III is not announced the U.S. Dollar could rally and put pressure on risk assets such as the S&P 500 in the short to intermediate term. If this sequence of events played out, a correction would be likely. The following is a daily chart of the S&P 500 with possible correction targets in place:

SPY Overbought Stock Market

Right now it is a toss up in the financial blogosphere as to the expectations of where price action will head. Are we near a top? Is this the beginning of a new bull market? I scanned through several charts Friday evening and Saturday morning and came to this realization. If the market is going to breakout and this is not a top but the beginning of a major bullish wave higher, then the Nasdaq 100 Index (NDX) has to breakout over the 2011 highs.

The Nasdaq 100 Index is comprised of stocks such as AAPL, GOOG, INTC, and YHOO. In order for a new leg higher to transpire, hyper beta names like AAPL and GOOG have to breakout higher and show continuation with strong supporting volume. If the NDX does not breakout over the 2011 highs, a top could potentially be forming. The daily chart of the Nasdaq 100 Index is shown below:

QQQ Overbought Market

In conclusion, the short term looks like a possible correction could play out. However, it is critical to note that the longer term time frames are more neutral at this time. Furthermore, if price action cannot penetrate the 2011 highs for the Nasdaq 100 Index, I do not believe that a new bull market will have begun. If the Nasdaq 100 Index cannot breakout above the 2011 highs, we could be putting in a potential top going into the holiday season.

In closing, I will leave you with the thoughtful muse of famed writer and minister Hugh Prather, “Almost any difficulty will move in the face of honesty. When I am honest I never feel stupid. And when I am honest I am automatically humble.”

Subscribers of OTS have pocketed more than 150% return in the past few months. If you’d like to stay ahead of the market using My Low Risk Option Strategies and Trades check out OTS at O ptions Trading Signals.Com and take advantage of our free occasional trade ideas or a 66% coupon to sign up for daily market analysis, videos and Option Trades each week.

J.W. Jones

Just click here to check out J.W.s latest articles.

Evidence Supports the Bears’ Case for the S&P 500

2011-10-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

I am not one to discuss fundamentals or macro views, but this situation in Europe is beginning to morph into a media frenzy. Price action in the marketplace is changing rapidly in short periods of time based on the latest press releases coming from the Eurozone summit.

I cannot help but comment on the seemingly arbitrary actions coming from this high profile meeting. Nothing has happened that market participants were not already privy too. The European Union is going to strengthen their EFSF fund by levering it up roughly 4 : 1. I have yet to hear how exactly they plan on doing this, but this action was no surprise to anyone that has read an article about the sovereign debt crisis in the past month.

There was also discussion about backstopping European banks’ capital position. Since European banks are holding billions (Euros) of risky sovereign debt instruments, it would make sense that their capitalization is a primary concern of Eurozone leaders based on current fiscal conditions. I would argue that the banks should be well capitalized regardless of economic or fiscal conditions in order for a nation to have a strong, vibrant economy that has the potential to grow organically.

The final piece of this week’s political nonsense involves write-downs on Greek debt in the neighborhood of 50% – 60% in order to stabilize Greece’s debt to GDP ratio. Apparently Eurozone leaders want to structure the write down so as to avoid payouts by credit default swaps which act as insurance against default. How does a bond take a 50% – 60% valuation mark down without a creating an event that would trigger the payout of CDS swaps?

If a write down of that magnitude does not trigger the CDS swaps, then I would argue they are useless as a tool to hedge against the default risk carried by sovereign debt instruments. If the CDS swaps do not payout as projected by European politicians, the risk assumed by those purchasing government debt obligations around the world would be altered immediately.

The impact this might have on the future pricing of risk for government debt instruments could be extremely detrimental to their ability to raise funds in the private market. Additionally, the write downs would hurt European banks’ capital positions immediately. If the CDS swaps were to pay out, bank capital ratios would suffer as those who took on counter party risk would be forced to cover their obligations thereby straining capital positions even further potentially.

Price action today suggested that the equity markets approved of the package that European leaders were working on. However, the biggest push higher came when news was released that China was interested in purchasing high quality debt instruments as a means to help prop up poorly capitalized banks and sovereign nations in the Eurozone through an IMF facility.

The market did an immediate about face which saw the Dollar selloff while the S&P 500 rallied higher into the close reversing a great deal of Tuesday’s losses. Inquiring minds wish to know where we go from here? I would be lying if I said I knew for sure which direction Mr. Market favored, however that did not stop me from looking for possible clues.

It has been a while since I checked out the short-term momentum charts that are focused on the number of stocks in U.S. domestic equity markets that are trading above their 20 & 50 period moving averages. The charts below illustrate the current market momentum:

Equities Trading Above the 20 Period Moving Average

It is rather obvious that when we look at the number of stocks trading above their 20 period moving average that momentum is running quite high presently. This chart would indicate that in the short-term time frames equities are currently overbought.

Equities Trading Above the 50 Period Moving Average

A similar conclusion can be drawn when we look at the number of stocks trading above their 50 period moving averages. It is rather obvious at this point in time that in the short to intermediate term time frames, stocks are currently at overbought levels. This is not to say that stocks will not continue to work higher, but a pullback is becoming more and more likely.

Additional evidence that would support the possibility that a pullback is likely would be the recent bottom being carved out in the price action of the U.S. Dollar Index. The U.S. Dollar has been under selling pressure since the beginning of October, but has recently started to show signs that it could be stabilizing and setting up to rally higher.

The daily chart of the U.S. Dollar Index is shown below:

The U.S. Dollar Index is sitting right at major support and is oversold based on historical price action. If the Dollar begins to push higher in coming days and weeks it is going to push equity prices considerably lower. Other risk assets such as gold, silver, and oil would also be negatively impacted by higher Dollar prices.

Members of my service know that I focus on several sectors to help give me a better idea about the broader equity markets. I regularly look at the financial sector (XLF), the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), emerging markets (EEM), and the Russell 2000 Index (IWM) for clues about future price action in the S&P 500.

During my regular evening scan I noticed that all 4 sector/index ETF’s are trading at or near major overhead resistance. With the exception of the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), the other 3 underlying assets have yet to breakout over their August 31^st highs. The significance of August 31^st is that is the date when the S&P 500 Index put in a major reversal right at the 1,230 price level before turning lower. It took nearly two months to regain the 1,230 level and its significance continues to hold sway.

The daily chart of IWM is shown below illustrating its failure to breakout over the August 31^st highs:

The chart above illustrates clearly that IWM has failed to breakout above the August 31^st highs. I am going to be watching IWM, XLF, & EEM closely in coming days to see if they are able to breakout similarly to the S&P 500. If they start to rollover, it will not be long before the S&P 500 likely follows suit.

Currently the underlying signals are arguing for lower prices in the short to intermediate term. While it is entirely possible that the S&P 500 rallies higher from here, it is without question that current market conditions are overbought in the short to intermediate terms.

Key sectors and indices are not showing follow through to the upside to help solidify the S&P 500′s recent break above the key 1,230 price level. Additionally, the U.S. Dollar Index is currently trading right at key support in addition to being oversold. At this time I am not playing the S&P 500 in either direction, but I will be watching the underlying price action in the U.S. Dollar Index closely. I will be watching for additional clues in the days ahead.

Market and headline risk is high presently.

Subscribers of OTS have pocketed more than 150% return in the past two months. If you’d like to stay ahead of the market using My Low Risk Option Strategies and Trades check out OTS at Options Trading Signals.com and take advantage of our free occasional trade ideas or a 66% coupon to sign up for daily market analysis, videos and Option Trades each week.

Chris Vermeulen & J.W. Jones

Currency Market Summary For Tuesday October 25th

2011-10-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

The December Euro currency closed down 20 points at 1.3920 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit another fresh seven week high. Bulls have the slight near term technical advantage as prices are in a four week old uptrend on the daily bar chart.

The December Japanese yen closed up 24 points at 1.3182 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and closed at a fresh contract high close. Prices have seen a bullish upside “breakout” from a sideways trading range at higher price levels. Bulls have the solid overall near term technical advantage.

The December Swiss franc closed up 27 points at 1.1399 today. Prices closed near the session high today and hit a fresh six week high. Bears still have the overall near term technical advantage. However, a bullish “rounding bottom” reversal pattern may be forming on the daily bar chart.

The December Canadian dollar closed down 85 points at .9852 today. Prices closed nearer the session low today and hit a fresh five week high early on. Prices also scored a big and bearish “outside day” down on the daily bar chart today as the bulls faded a bit.

The December British pound closed up 18 points at 1.6009 today. Prices closed nearer the session high today and hit another fresh six week high. The bulls have upside near term technical momentum. A steep three week old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart.

The December U.S. dollar index closed up 7 points at 76.34 today. Prices closed near mid range today and hit another fresh six week low early on. Some near term chart damage has occurred recently. Prices are in a three week old downtrend on the daily bar chart.

Just click here for your FREE trend analysis of the U.S. Dollar ETF UUP

SP500 Poised For A Sharp Pullback Near Term says Dr. Copper

2011-10-21T20:15:00.001-07:00

Back on October 3^rd I wrote a public article forecasting a major market bottom at around 1088 on the SP 500 index. I surmised we were about to complete a 5 wave move to the downside that commenced with the Bin Laden highs of 1370 in early May of this year. The following day we bottomed at 1074 intraday and closed over my 1088 pivot and continued higher as we all know. That brings us to the recent highs of 1233 intraday this week, a strong 159 point rally off the 1074 lows in just a few weeks.

Markets I contend move based on human behavioral patterns, mostly because the crowd reacts to good or bad news in different ways depending on the collective psychology of the masses. There are times when seemingly bad news is ignored and the markets keep going higher, and there are times when very good news is also ignored and the markets go lower. This is why I largely ignore the day to day economic headlines and talking heads on CNBC, as they are not much help in forecasting markets at all.

Using my methods, I was able to forecast the top in Gold from 1862-1907 while everyone was screaming to buy. I was able to forecast the April 2010 top in the SP 500 well in advance, the bottom last summer, and recent pivot tops at 1231 and 1220 amongst others. All of this is done using crowd behavioral theory and a bit of my own recipes.

That brings us forward to this recent rally from 1074 to 1233, which as it turns out is not all that random.

The rally to 1233 will have taken place within a 13 Fibonacci trading day window which ends today. In addition, the rally is leading into the end of Options Expiration week which tends to mark pivot highs and pivot lows nearly every single month. Also, at 1233 we have a 61% Fibonacci retracement level of the 1010 lows of July 2010 and the 1370 highs of May 2011. 1233 was my “Bear line in the sand” I gave out a few months ago to my subscribers as a likely bull back breaker.

In essence, the market is having trouble breaking the glass ceiling at 1233 for a reason; it’s a psychological barrier for investors now.

Near term, I expect the market to have another sharp correction to work off the near 160 point SP 500 rally that has taken hold in just over two weeks and again on 13 Fibonacci trading days as of today. In addition to that, we should follow copper as it tends to be an extremely good indicator for the SP 500 index long and short term.

Right now, Copper has dropped 8% this week while the SP 500 levitates on a magic carpet ride within a 30 point range. Copper looks like it has begun a 5^th wave down, which will likely take it to the $2.70’s per pound from $3.46 last week on its recent bounce from $2.99. Below I offer a few charts showing the projected copper pattern and also one showing the SP 500 relating to Copper.

In any event, we are due for what I call a “B wave” correction of sentiment in the SP 500 and market indices, which should take the SP 500 to the 1149-1167 ranges minimally, and perhaps set up another entry for a C wave to the upside. Caution is warranted near term is my point. If you’d like to receive these types of regular updates during the week covering Gold, Silver, and SP 500 and more, check us out for a coupon or free weekly update at Market Trend Forecast.Com

David Banister

Get David Banisters Free Weekly Index & Commodity Forecast

Is the Market A Buy or Short Sale?

2011-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Is the market a buy or short sale? That’s the question that is going through many trader’s minds this week. Should I buy this market, or should I go short this market? At the moment, this market is being driven by perception and sentiment. Eventually that will change and the market will become driven by the direction of the major trend.

Our major trend indicators remain negative on the equity markets. We are also looking at the S&P 500 at the top of the Donchian trading channel. I believe that was the reason for yesterday’s sharp move down.

In order for this market to really get going on the upside it needs to clear the highs of 1230 on the S&P 500 in a convincing fashion.

There is so much confusion in the marketplace right now.....Interest rates, mortgage foreclosures, contagion in Europe and the occupation of Wall Street. The markets always have numerous conflicting thoughts, but eventually the market figures it out and goes the way it wants to go. Our job here at MarketClub is to recognize those changes and alert you to what we are witnessing.

Let's look at todays action in the U.S. Dollar........

The dollar index moved to a five day high today before succumbing to selling pressure. We would not be surprised to see a rally back to the 78.50 area. We continue to be friendly to this index and want to hold long positions with money management stops. The Dollar index is coming from a large energy field that is capable of carrying it much higher. Long term traders should maintain long positions with the appropriate stops in place.

The December U.S. dollar index closed down 31 points at 77.11 today. Prices closed nearer the session low today. Significant near term chart damage has occurred recently to suggest a near-term market top is in place.

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score = – 55

Now, let’s go to today's video and look at the 6 major markets we track every day.

Adam Hewison

Check out Today’s MarketClub Trading Triangles

Adam Hewison: Here’s the Bottom Line, Nothing Has Really Changed

2011-10-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

The light volume rally that exceeded everyone’s expectations in the equity markets has finally come to an end. We were surprised, like many traders, just how far this rally extended. The major trends always win out in the end, and the major trend for the equity markets, the oil market, the silver market, and the Reuters Jefferies CRB index are all still negative longer term. The long term trends came into play and proved how important they are in the scope of trading.

This morning I saw that Wall Street insider Raj Rayaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his insider trading. I’m all for putting people behind bars that break the security laws of the United States. The security markets have no place for individuals like this.

I’m also for putting incompetent politicians who waste our money behind bars. There should be consequences for their actions. When you have Senator Dick Durbin go on the Senate floor and say to everybody to pull their money out of Bank of America, it is an irresponsible statement and very dangerous for our fragile economy.

The reason Senator Durbin said what he did on the Senate floor, is because he cannot be prosecuted. Had he made that statement in a town hall meeting or any kind of public meeting, Bank of America could and should sue him. You can’t have politicians denigrating businesses who are elected officials. Unfortunately, most of these officials have zero shame and certainly would not resign over something like this.

Here’s the bottom line, nothing has really changed, the country and the world is in a heap of trouble and that just can’t be swept under the rug and forgotten about.

Let's look at the action in the U.S. Dollar for Thursday.....

The dollar index is at the lower levels of the Donchian trading channel and is also in an oversold condition. Given the fact that the Chart Analysis Score is +55, we expect to see a rally and recovery most likely to the 78.50 level. We continue to be friendly to this index and want to hold long positions with money management stops. This index is coming from a large energy field that is capable of carrying it much higher. Intermediate and Long Term traders should maintain long positions with the appropriate money management stops in place.

The December U.S. dollar index closed down 4 points at 77.22 today. Prices closed nearer the session low again today and hit another fresh three-week low. Significant near-term chart damage has occurred recently to now suggest a near-term market top is in place.

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 55

Is The SP 500 About to Stage a Multi Month Rally?

2011-10-08T17:15:00.001-07:00

J.W. Jones of Options Trading Signals tells us where he sees this market headed......

The S&P 500 must have taken notice of the multitude of headlines coming at market participants and proceeded on a path of pure chaos. Since October 4th, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) managed to trade in a range that spanned from 1,074 to as high as 1,171 in 4 days. To put the past 4 days price action into perspective, the S&P 500 Index rallied 97 points or 9% in less than 96 hours.

Since late July, market participants have been dealing with a whipsaw that has been wrought with headline risk coming from Europe and huge swings in the price action of the volatility index. A few short days ago I was calling for a bounce higher in the SPX as every time frame was oversold. After the jobs number came out Friday morning domestic equities rallied sharply higher and in the short term prices were excessively overbought prompting some profit taking.

Around lunch time the news wires broke that Spain and Italy had their sovereign debt downgraded by Fitch Ratings. The downgrade put U.S. banks under pressure quickly and the price action started to rollover. By the end of the day price action was starting to work higher but a sharp selloff played out in the final 30 minutes of the session putting the major indices back into the red at the closing bell. So the real question that lies ahead is where do we go from here?

There is no easy answer to that question as the headline risk coming out of Europe over the weekend could have a dramatic impact on prices on Monday. Just as a reminder, U.S. bond markets will be closed on Monday for Columbus Day, but equities markets will be open as usual. At this point in time my short term bias is to the downside.

It would be healthy to see the S&P 500 roll over here and find a key support level where buyers step in and support prices. A higher low would be constructive and could lead to a more prolonged intermediate term rally which could last into the holiday season. However, before we can see any sort of rally we need to see a bottom form. While I do believe we have initiated that process, until I see a higher low carved out on the daily chart I will consider the current price structure to remain bearish.

In order to break to new lows, the SPX would have to push through several layers of support. I am of the opinion that we are unlikely to see the recent lows broken, but the chart below illustrates the key support levels going forward. A test of the 1,040 – 1,050 price range remains possible, but the price action the past week makes it seem less likely. Within the context of a hyper volatile period of time, just about any possible outcome remains feasible. The daily chart of the SPX below illustrates key support levels for the index:

In addition to the weak price action into the close on Friday, several other clues are pointing to potentially lower prices in the near future. Members of my service know that I focus daily on several underlying ETF’s which help me get a grasp of the overall market conditions. On Friday, the financials (XLF), the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), and the Russell 2000 Index (IWM) all showed relative weakness against the S&P 500. The chart below illustrates the relative performance on Friday:

The financials and the Dow Jones Transportation Index are excellent sectors to monitor when trying to determine the future price action of the S&P 500. Most of the trading session on Friday the financials (XLF) were exhibiting relative weakness versus the S&P 500 Index. Later in the session, the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT) started to roll over as well and once both ETF’s were under pressure it was not long before the S&P 500 Index flipped the switch to the downside.

The financials (XLF), the Russell 2000 (IWM), and the Dow Jones Transports (IYT) all put in large reversal candlesticks on the daily chart by the close of business on Friday. This is an ominous signal that lower prices for domestic equities may be forthcoming. The fact that key sectors are showing signs of weakness is a negative omen for the S&P 500 and the early part of next week. However, there is a bright side to this scenario.

If support levels can hold up prices next week and we see a higher low on the daily chart form, the bottoming process could be underway which could lead to a strong rally into year end. Obviously a probe to new lows is possible, but I believe that we are in the beginning stages of forming a bottom and a base for a rally to take shape.

If support levels hold up prices, a bottoming formation will likely get carved out on the daily chart of the SPX. The chart below illustrates two potential outcomes that could cause prices to rally sharply. In one case, a higher low is formed and we see prices take off to the upside. The other scenario involves an intraday selloff down to the 1,040 – 1,050 price level that gets snapped back up and a huge reversal candlestick would be formed. These scenarios are common during bottoming processes. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below with the two scenarios highlighted:

The other scenarios would involve prices blowing through support and possibly knifing down to test the S&P 500 1,000 – 1,008 support area. While I find this scenario to be less likely at this time, anything could happen in this trading environment.

The key in the short run is the utilization of defined risk through the use of stop orders. In addition, a trading plan with stop orders and profit taking levels planned ahead will help remove emotion in a volatile tape. The price action is wild, but from my perch the likely scenarios all involve some short term selling pressure. If my analysis is right, this could be a huge turning point for price action the rest of the year.

The next few weeks are going to provide us with clues about the rest of 2011.

The question traders should really be asking is whether support will hold, or will we break below the recent lows? Right now, the upside looks limited, but in this trading environment the best thought out plans can turn out to be useless if price action does not cooperate. Be nimble and define your risk, as volatility is not likely to subside anytime soon.

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Chris Vermeulen: Gold, DAX and Dollar Still Pointing to Sharply Lower Prices

2011-10-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a wild ride for both equity and commodity traders around the globe. Novice traders have had their heads handed to them and their investment accounts drained. When fear, uncertainty and volatility are running high, some of the best opportunities become available to those who know what to look for. These market conditions force you to focus and strive for perfection in finding low risk entry setups and to also actively managing positions with laser focus because within hours a winning trade can turn into a losing trade.

Looking back on the daily charts of the dollar, SP500, gold, and also the overseas markets it looks as though we are nearing a market bottom. I say NEARING because I think investments need more time for the current selling pressure and bearish sentiment to run its course, which could take another few weeks and possibly a few month before truly bottoming.

Let’s take a quick look at some charts…...

SPY 30 Minute Chart Looking Back 2 Months

As you can see below price action has been wild. But for subscribers to my newsletter it has been a fun and exciting time having pocketed over 40% return from August 1^st – up until today.

The point of this chart is to show you the basic market phases (Impulse, Uncertainty, and Corrective). Understanding how to identify each phase using momentum, price action, volume analysis and market sentiment is crucial for success in today’s volatile market. Once mastered you can trade virtually any investment with a high level of confidence, though I recommend mastering 3-4 investments at most and just trading those full time with pinpoint accuracy. Through my newsletter members learn exactly how to read the market and manage positions from my daily video market analysis, intraday updates, trade alerts and trading tips.

As you can see below I am anticipating weakness in the market over the next few days. Once those levels are reached or if the charts start hinting that a reversal back down is imminent I will be ready to take action using an inverse leveraged ETF.

Gold 30 Minutes Chart Looking Back 2 Months

This chart will piss some people off for sure… but the chart to me is still pointing to lower prices at this time. Until we get a breakout above the upper resistance level I am not bullish on gold. Keep in mind that during strong selloffs in the stock market almost all investment drop together (gold, silver, oil, stocks).

German DAX Daily Chart Looking Back 3 years

This chart shows the long term chart of the DAX which I think is giving us some insight to a global market bottom in the coming months. You will notice I painted the phases over the chart and where I feel the market is trading and where it is headed looking forward.

Dollar Index Daily Chart Looking Back 3 Years

The dollar also shows us three years for price action. If this strong rally continues in the dollar we will see lower stock and commodity prices for a few more months.

Trend Trading Idea Conclusion:

In short, I feel we have some very exciting times ahead along with huge potential trades starting to unfold. While I don’t want the market to collapse I will admit I prefer trading the short side of the market because fear is easier to trade than greed, not to mention prices drop much quicker than they rise… I’m sure you like making money fast also........

I can email you my bi weekly reports and videos by joining my free newsletter here at the Gold and Oil Guy.com

Read Chris' Most Recent Gold and Oil Guy Articles

J.W. Jones: Is The S&P 500 on the Verge of a Big Rally

2011-10-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

Only 5 short months ago the S&P 500 was trading at the 2011 highs around the 1,370 price level on the S&P 500 Index. Since then, the price action has devastated investors and traders alike. As of the close on Monday, the S&P 500 had worked over 270 handles lower in 5 months. The price action since September 27^th has been a bloodbath.

It is true that the S&P 500 could be carving out a double bottom on the daily chart, but I am of the opinion that there may be more work to do to the downside. We are oversold on the daily and weekly price charts, but I have yet to see the kind of panic level selling that typically precedes a price reversal. The chart below illustrates the number of stocks that are currently trading above the key 50 period moving average:

While most market participants are concerned about a trap door that causes prices to cascade lower, I am concerned that at some point news will come out that could rip the bears’ faces off. The majority of retail investors are running for cover. The sentiment levels are decidedly bearish and the last thing most traders are looking for is a rally. The contrarian trader in me cannot deny that a rally would do a lot of damage in the near future, but Mr. Market needs to suck in a few more bears in order to do the most harm.

One sound bite out of Europe could alter the price action almost instantly in favor of the bulls. The ECB could suddenly cut interest rates or announce that Eurobonds are going to be made available. Either two headlines or a combination of both headlines would most likely drive prices significantly higher.

After the nasty downside probe today, there are layers of buy stops above current price levels. If price worked high enough, the stops would be triggered and an all out rally could play out. Anything coming out of the Eurozone that appears to be either stimulative or that appears to push an ultimatum out on the time spectrum will be viewed as positive.

Often news and price action play out together at key support/resistance levels and it would make sense that some form of announcement will be made when the S&P 500 price is sitting right at a long term support level. As can be seen from the weekly chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) below, the 1,008 – 1,050 price level is of critical importance.

The primary support levels I am watching on the S&P 500 if it continues lower are the 1,080 price level which should act as short term support. If that level breaks the 1,050 area will become a major support level that bulls will likely defend fervently. Additional long term support will come in around 1,008. I would be shocked to see the S&P 500 push through both the 1,050 and the 1,008 price level on the first attempt, but stranger things have happened.

If price works down to the 1,008 – 1,050 support zone it would not be shocking to see a strong reversal higher. With the recent carnage we have seen in the S&P 500, I find it hard to believe that we could see another 10 – 15% more downside before a reversal plays out. The 1,008 – 1,050 price zone seems ripe for a test, but one other scenario would be a test of the 1,080 support zone that fails intraday and by the close is regained. The chart below illustrates the two most probable scenarios:

Financial markets do not offer a sure thing, however it is without question that bulls will aggressively defend the 1,008 – 1,050 price level on the S&P 500. If that level fails, the price action is going to get far worse and an all out crash could be underway. For now, I am of the opinion we are within 7% – 8% of an intermediate term bottom which could produce a strong multi month rally into the holiday season.

As always anything could happen, but traders need to keep their eye on both sides of the price action. A rally would do a lot of damage to the bears as well as the under invested retail traders and investors. Ultimately the price action is in the hands of Mr. Market, but it is a well known fact that Mr. Market likes to trap traders and inflict pain on as many market participants as possible. A forthcoming rally would offer yet another opportunity for a lot of traders to eat another slice of humble pie.

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What a week! What a month! What a quarter! Weekend Video Update

2011-10-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Major market trends prevailed through out the third quarter, as market after market succumbed to our Trade Triangle signals. For most market’s, the tone was a negative for the month and quarter. One shining star, was the dollar index, which was one of the very few markets that trended higher during this time frame.

As we start the final quarter of 2011, we still have that pesky little contagion problem in Europe that has never really gone away. How much that has to weigh on the markets remains to be seen.

I believe that Q4 is going to offer some exceptional trading opportunities, but these opportunities will only be available to those traders who do their homework. Before we get into looking at the markets, I wanted to share this personal note with you, here it is. On the cover of my workbook, where I write down all my various game plans for the markets I trade, it says this.

“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it”. It sums up as to how I look at the markets. No successful trader I know, wings it, they all work hard and do their homework, and work hard at staying successful.

Let's look at our Trade Triangles and Trend Analysis for the U.S. Dollar......

Change for the week: +0.62%

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 100

The December Dollar was higher overnight and poised to extend the rally off August's low. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought, diverging but are turning neutral hinting that sideways to higher prices are possible near term.

If December renews the rally off August's low, the 75% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.29 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 77.67 are needed to confirm that a short term top has been posted.

First resistance is Monday's high crossing at 79.65. Second resistance is the 75% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.29. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 77.67. Second support is the reaction low crossing at 76.58.

Here's our week ending video with details on the 6 markets we cover

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U.S. Dollar in a Large Energy Field, Capable of Carrying it Much Higher

2011-09-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

The dollar index happens to be lower for the week as of this writing, however it is higher for the month and also the quarter. In fact, a close around current levels would represent the best close in three quarters for this index. We continue to be long this market based on both weekly and monthly Trade Triangles.

However, we would like to see this market begin to gain some upside traction soon, otherwise it is in danger of rolling over and negating the powerful energy field that’s below this market. Let’s just be patient, and see how this market plays out on Thursday and Friday. This index is coming from a large energy field that is capable of carrying it much higher, possibly up to the 80.00 – 81.00 area. Intermediate and Long Term traders should maintain long positions with the appropriate money management stops in place.

The December Dollar closed higher on Wednesday ending a two day correction off Monday's high. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Thursday. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought, diverging and are turning bearish hinting that a short term top might be in or is near. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 77.31 would confirm that a short term top has been posted.

If December extends the rally off August's low, the 75% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.29 is the next upside target. First resistance is Monday's high crossing at 79.65. Second resistance is the 75% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.29. First support is the 10 day moving average crossing at 78.07. Second support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 77.31.

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 85

Check Out Today’s MarketClub Trading Triangles

Longer Term The U.S. Dollar Looks Poised to Move Much Higher

2011-09-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

The dollar index pulled back from its recent highs and fell to a five day low. However, this index is still significantly above the original breakout point of 76.10. We were somewhat disappointed that we did not see further upside action, as that was blunted by the potential rescue package for Europe.

Longer term this market looks poised to move much higher. This index is coming from a large energy field that is capable of carrying it much higher, possibly up to the $80.00 – $81.00 area. Intermediate and Long Term traders should maintain long positions with the appropriate money management stops in place.

The December U.S. dollar index closed down 79 points at 78.27 today. Prices closed nearer the session low again today on profit taking from recent solid gains. Prices Monday hit a seven month high. The bulls still have the overall near term technical advantage. Prices are in a four week old uptrend on the daily bar chart.

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 75

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J.W. Jones: The SP 500 and the Dollar Ahead of the Fed Meeting

2011-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Federal Reserve is holding a two day meeting Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Market participants are expecting the Federal Reserve to prop up financial markets yet again with some grand new plan. The fact is the Federal Reserve is running out of bullets.

Interest rates cannot move much lower in terms of the Federal Funds rate, additional quantitative easing seems redundant since Treasury yields are close to all time lows, and finally a twisting of maturities will do little to alter the current economic conditions. The Federal Reserve is just repeating practices which have proven over a long term do little to create jobs or get the economy moving in the right direction. A stock market rally does not help a person looking for a job!

It is possible that even if the Federal Reserve proposes additional stimulus the market could sell off. I have been trading less in this environment and have been focusing on looking for trade setups that could work regardless of price action. For now I am sitting predominantly in cash waiting to see how price action reacts to the news flow tomorrow.

S&P 500
If I had to guess, I continue to believe that the S&P 500 will get back to test the key 1,250 – 1,280 price level. While this resistance level is apparent, Mr. Market will be able to tear up traders if price jams into that resistance zone. Mr. Market loves nothing more than to shake people out of positions. If price works higher I would expect the 1,250 – 1,280 price range to offer just enough risk / reward to get investors and traders involved in a choppy trading environment. The key upside levels on the S&P 500 are shown below on the daily chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX):

The flip side of that argument would see the S&P 500 jamming into recent resistance around the 1,230 price level. If prices rolled over and momentum picked up, a test of the recent August lows would likely transpire and could produce a breakdown and a lower low.

When looking at recent price action, the S&P 500 Index has put in a series of higher lows which is a bullish signal, however the S&P 500 has a long road ahead to break out above the 2011 highs. If the S&P 500 carves out a lower high on the S&P 500 Index at 1,230, 1,250, or even 1,280 and subsequently takes out the August lows then the secular bear will be back. The weekly chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) shown below illustrates key support levels:

For now I am just going to sit in cash and wait for Mr. Market to provide me with some better clues. The trading range is pretty wide going from around 1,100 to 1,280. What I will be watching for is a strong move supported with volume that pushes price out of this range. As of the close today, price action was trading around the middle of this range but depending on how price action reacts to the news that comes out Wednesday it is possible that in coming days we could see a breakout in either direction.

Dow Jones Industrial Average
It will likely surprise long time readers that I am actually going to comment on the Dow. I will keep this brief, but I wanted to point it out to readers as I have not heard much mention of this pattern in the main stream financial media.

Over the weekend I was looking at some longer term charts and I accidentally stumbled across this head and shoulders pattern on a weekly chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I rarely pay much attention to the Dow as I monitor the S&P 500 closely. However, I could not ignore what I was seeing. I also noted that a similar pattern also exists on the S&P 500.

I am generally not the kind of trader who tries to predict where price action will arrive in the distant future. However, I am not going to ignore clear chart patterns that I recognize regardless of the time frame I am looking at.

For those not familiar with a head and shoulders pattern, it is a very ominous signal. Head and shoulders patterns are generally topping formations that if triggered result in violent selloffs. On this chart the pattern is obvious and if the pattern were triggered the forthcoming price action would be decisively negative for domestic equities. The long term monthly chart of the Dow is shown below:

If the pattern is triggered on an undercut of the March 2009 lows, the head and shoulders formation would produce selling pressure that would target the 3,800 – 4,000 level on the Dow. Yes, you read that right! I want readers to recognize that this pattern is not a given and it could play out over a long period of time. The pattern would suggest that a test of the 2009 lows is possible, but I will leave the likelihood of that test up to Mr. Market.

I view this pattern as a potential warning signal for long term equity positions. Consequently, it is far too early to jump into a plethora of short positions or sell every equity position owned simply because of this pattern. While I do not know where price goes from here or if this pattern will ever trigger, I think market participants should be aware of its existence.

It would take the perfect concatenation of events to push prices down to the March 2009 lows, but unfortunately the condition of social mood paired with all of the risks facing financial markets is notable. The recent selloff in August came on the heels of a head and shoulders pattern that was triggered. We all know how August played out, but this pattern on the Dow Jones Industrial Average has a long way to go before it can even trigger. Time will tell, but readers should at the very least put this chart pattern on your radar!

U.S. Dollar Index
The U.S. Dollar Index has ripped higher by more than 5% since August 29th. The strength in the Dollar has likely been precipitated by fear based on the European sovereign debt and banking crisis. While the Dollar certainly has long term flaws, it may simply be the best of the worst.

If the situation in Europe begins to break down further based on any number of events it could likely push the U.S. Dollar Index considerably higher. My trading partner Chris Vermeulen has been riding this strong impulse wave with his subscribers Swing trading the UUP etf and thinks there is big potential still if Euro Land fears continue to rise.

The daily chart of the Dollar Index futures is shown below:

Mid-Week Market Trend Conclusion
Wednesday will be filled with a variety of news and headlines. The Greek government is meeting and a news release regarding the conference will likely come out around the time domestic markets in the United States open. The news has the potential to move markets considerably.

In addition, the Federal Reserve is set to end its September meeting and market participants will be sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear from the Federal Reserve about any stimulus the central bank may provide.

Overall, the news and headlines on Wednesday will certainly impact the current conditions of financial markets. Right now I am pleased to be sitting primarily in cash. I have a few positions open, but for the most part the trades are not directional and are profitable based on time decay.

The one directional trade I have on presently is a remaining sliver of a position I have already taken profits from and stops are in place. While I have been risk averse the past few trading sessions, I am flush with cash and ready to accept new risk if high probability setups emerge.

However, the best trade can sometimes be no trade at all and I intend to remain patient. Risk is extremely high!

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U.S. Dollar Takes Overbought Conditions into The Holiday Weekend

2011-09-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

The dollar index is quickly reaching the upper levels of the top of its Donchian Trading Channel and is in an overbought condition. We expect that this combination will be enough to halt the current rally. At the moment, our Trade Triangles are presenting a mixed picture for this index. We believe that this market is still in a broad trading range with resistance coming in around the $75.00 mark. The index remains below its 200 day moving average, while our longer term Trade Triangle remains positive.

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 75

Dollar’s On the Verge of a Relief Rally...... Look Out!

2011-08-31T23:28:00.001-07:00

From Chris Vermeulen of The Gold and Oil Guy.Com........

Let’s talk about the dollar for a moment… The US Dollar has been stuck in a very large trading range during the past 4 months. But when the dollar actually breaks out of this pattern in either direction we should see some big price movements across the board in stocks and commodities.

From July through mid-August I was bearish on the dollar. But over the past 2 weeks the price action has become more neutral/bullish in my opinion. Its clear there is still indecision with the dollar value because every surge in price either up or down is quickly followed by a surge in the opposite direction. The key here is that the support level down at the 73.50 area has held more than three times and now I think the downward momentum is about to shift. The UUP bullish dollar etf is a good option.

Dollar Index Chart

Gold Chart:
Looking at the gold chart I see potential for another sharp drop to the low $1600’s. While I like the look of this chart for lower prices there is still a wild card which is the Euro-Land issues… I’m not willing to bet on lower prices because we could wake up any day to some poor news which instantly sends gold higher. Rather I am waiting for things to unfold then look to buy again for another 10-20% gain on the next rally.

Crude Oil Chart:
This chart is straight forward… The trend is down and at this time all bounces are to be looked at as shorting opportunities.

SP500 Index:
The equities market has broken down sharply over the past couple months and now we are seeing a rebound and small cap stocks are making big gains. With the dollar looking bullish and stocks trading up at resistance I have a feeling we may see another downward move within the next week or so to test the lows or make a new low before putting in a real bottom.

Mid-Week Trend Trading Conclusion:

In short, I feel the market overall is leaning towards lower prices in the coming week or two. After that we will have to re-analyze because it may be a fantastic buying opportunity for stocks and commodities. Consider joining me at The Gold And Oil Guy for ETF trade ideas on the SP500, Oil, Gold, and Silver with great accuracy.

Weekend Video Update: European Sovereign Debt Problems Spill Over into Global Equity Markets

2011-08-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Once again, the problems with sovereign debt in Europe spilled over into the global equity markets, and in particular the bank stocks. Europe is “the tail that wags the dog”, and in this case, it’s the world.

Weekend Video Update Here.

For the 4th straight week, US equities closed lower and under heavy selling pressure. Gold on the other hand soared to new highs, on fears that the sovereign debt crisis is escalating and getting totally out of hand. (It’s already out of hand).

With world equities coming under pressure crude oil was not immune to the potential of less demand for this commodity. With that in mind crude oil slipped 3.6% for the week.

So there you have it, the trends continue, and these trends are likely to continue in the near future.

Now, let’s go to the weekly charts and see what happened last week in the major markets according to our Trade Triangle technology.

S&P500: change for the week: – 4.68%
Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends: = Negative
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends: = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short-Term Trends: = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score: = – 100

Dollar Index: change for the week: – .77%
Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends: = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends: = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends: = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score: = + 55

CRB Index: change for the week: + 2.97%
Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends: = Negative
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends: = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends: = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score: = – 100

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The Key to Success is Having Discipline and Following MarketClub’s Trade Triangles

2011-08-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

We have been on the right side of the markets for quite some time now. It is in times like these when technical analysis really shines. It doesn’t matter if you have a strong upward trend in gold or a downward spiraling trend in stocks, technical analysis works.

We feel we have a target rich area for trading opportunities right now. Some of the best money can be made during periods just like this. A key to being successful in markets that are having large moves is to be disciplined and follow MarketClub’s Trade Triangles.

DOLLAR INDEX

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends                = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends    = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends                     = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score                                    = – 60

Our comments today remain pretty much the same as they were yesterday, as there has been very little directional change in this market. The 73.50 level continues to act as support for the dollar index. This market has remained in a fairly well defined trading range for the last several months. With a Chart Analysis Score of -60 we would want to approach this market using our Donchian Trading Channels as well as our Williams %R indicator. The index remains below its 200 day moving average, while our longer-term Trade Triangle remains positive.

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As always, we rely on our market proven Trade Triangle technology for catching the big moves.

Adam Hewison: Welcome to the Bear Market

2011-08-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

From Forex Market Club contributor Adam Hewison.....

Ladies and gentlemen, the market action yesterday was real. Please be aware that we have started on a bear market. As we have pointed out in our previous updates, we were looking for a move to the downside. That has now happened with all our indicators firmly in negative mode.

Most folks who are not in their 60s do not remember the bear markets of the 70s and 80s which caused a tremendous amount of pain for investors. It seems as though we just kicked the can down the road for the last time. The markets are bringing common sense back and they will find a solution for the economy.

President Obama came on the TV today to reassure everyone that it was not his fault that the stock market was down, it had to do with Europe, the tsunami in Japan. Mr. President we are and have been in a global economy for years. It’s too bad that Ben Bernanke and you don’t understand that.

Folks who saw their 401(k) and IRA retirement accounts decimated in 2008 are having a déjà vu moment. In the last 10 days the S&P 500 has lost over $1 trillion and we expect it will lose more. A simple solution to get America running again is to cut corporate taxes to 25%. Money will pour in, corporations will start hiring again and start building business. Corporations are the ones that create business and pay taxes in this country. It’s not the government that pays taxes.

So, President Obama will you please help give businesses the environment to thrive in, less regulation, less taxation? This is the only way for the country to get out of this recession.
The key element which is overriding everything right now is the current market psyche....Scared.

Last night every TV and cable show’s lead story was the market crash. If the market closes lower today, everybody will be frantic and worried about their investments over the weekend which means we’ll probably see a continuation early next week to the downside.

The equity markets are getting close to a 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of 1148 for the S&P 500 index. We expect that this level will be reached. We would expect to see some profit taking at that area and a modest retracement back to the upside. That is not to say we are bullish, it just means we going to see some profit taking coming into this market.

I would like to thank everybody for their positive feedback! We are thankful we can help you muddle through this extremely volatile time in the markets.

So let’s go to the 6 major markets we track every day and see how we can create and maintain your wealth in 2011.

S&P 500

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Negative
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = – 100
Watch Video for update.

SILVER (SPOT)

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 55
Watch Video for update.

GOLD (SPOT)

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Positive
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 90
Watch Video for update.

CRUDE OIL (SEPTEMBER)

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Negative
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = – 100
Watch Video for update.

DOLLAR INDEX

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long-Term Trends = Positive
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short-Term Trends = Positive
Combined Strength of Trend Score = + 65
Watch Video for update.

REUTERS/JEFFERIES CRB COMMODITY INDEX

Monthly Trade Triangles for Long Term Trends = Negative
Weekly Trade Triangles for Intermediate Term Trends = Negative
Daily Trade Triangles for Short Term Trends = Negative
Combined Strength of Trend Score = – 100

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SP500, Financials and Tech Stocks Playing off of our June 19th Article

2011-07-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks back on June 19th Chris Vermeulen posted an analysis on how the stock market was bottoming and that we needed a couple key sectors to participate before we would get a solid bounce. You can quickly review the charts at "Is This Market Flashing a Buy Signal or Another Market Collapse"

Today’s report plays directly off the June 19th analysis showing you the price movement from then on.

SP500 – SPY ETF Daily Chart
As you can see during early June the market became volatile with a broadening formation. This type of price action is an early warning that a trend reversal is near. It was only two days later when we saw stocks make a new high, which is the first ingredient for a trend reversal to take place. But once a higher high was made sellers quickly jumped back into the market pulling price back down. Keep in mind the higher high which was made was another early sign that a trend reversal was likely to happen.

During this time I was watching the charts like a hawk keeping a close eye on the time and sales window which I have filtered to show me only orders with a market value of $3million dollar or larger. This helps me keep a close eye on what the big money players are doing… Following their coat tails if done correctly will help keep you out of the market at times and also gets you in before the masses jump on the wagon.

The two key sectors I talked about on June 19th were the Financials and Tech. Both these sectors must move up if we are to get a decent bounce/rally in the market.

Financial Sector Daily Chart:
By zooming out on the daily chart we can see in terms of both price and volume that the financial sector was at a major support level. Also it had just fallen sharply for more than a week making it oversold and ready for a bounce.

Only a couple days later financial stocks rocketed 11% higher as expected and the broad market (SP500) posted some decent gains for us also.

Let’s take a look at the financial sector:
The tech sector was in the same boat as the financials above… Tech stocks jumped an average 6%.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the market has shown us some decent upward momentum and everything is now at the point where a pause is likely. I expect some type of pause or pullback in the coming week and then the market has a major decision to make. Will it continue and start a new leg higher or roll over and die… That’s the next key question/action about to take shape and I will help guide you through these times each day with my pre-market morning video analysis.

Get Chris Vermeulens Daily Pre-Market Trend Trading Videos, intraday updates and weekly market reports for at a big discount for at The Gold and Oil Guy.com

What the U.S. Dollar and the Euro Mean to the S&P 500

2011-06-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

The buzz around the blogosphere and in the media is that Quantitative Easing II is scheduled to end in around 3 weeks. Already pundits are asking about Quantitative Easing III as a matter of when, not if. In reality a QE III Lite version is already in the cards as the Federal Reserve has stated they will be buying Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) with maturing issues. The Fed also plans on reinvesting the interest earned from the existing portfolio (Roughly $15 billion/monthly).

When it comes to the application of financial principles, doing the opposite of what everyone else does generally leads to an extreme variation in the overall results. While the results are not always better, they are at the very least significantly different from what most lemmings within the group experience. In every aspect of my financial life I try to do the opposite of what the herd is doing. It takes experience and a significant level of discipline, but buying from the herd when they are selling and being willing to sell into a crowd when they are buying is a great way to trade. It sounds easy, but for most people it is not, myself included.

Right now financial markets are uncertain. I would be remiss if I did not point out the recent strength in the U.S. Dollar Index and the potential higher low that it has carved out on the daily and weekly charts. The weekly chart of the U.S. Dollar Index is shown below:

The current pattern on the U.S. Dollar Weekly chart is bullish. We could see the U.S. Dollar Index trade significantly higher from here as it has been under severe selling pressure for an extended period of time. While I believe technical analysis is just one context through which to view financial markets, it is uncanny how often market cycles and headline events line up. Is it merely a coincidence that the U.S. Dollar is potentially bottoming around the same time the Federal Reserve is ending the QE II asset purchase program?

Regardless of what camp economists are in, we presently live in a strange time for financial markets and capitalism in general. One of the more interesting charts to study is the Euro currency, which in contrast to the U.S. Dollar Index appears to have a more bearish pattern. Could it be that the U.S. Dollar is setting up to rally because of the perceived weakness of the Eurozone? The daily chart of the Euro ETF is shown below:

The Dollar may be firming up here based on the Euro’s weakness and it may have absolutely nothing to do with QE II ending. I always refer to price action and never question Mr. Market’s directional bias. If the U.S. Dollar begins to work higher what impact will it have on equities?

A stronger U.S. Dollar would certainly put pressure on risk assets, specifically equity and commodity prices. As it turns out, we are at an interesting juncture in financial markets at this point in time.

The 4 year stock market cycle is nearing an end, a presidential election will take place in less than 18 months, the U.S. government has a massive debt crisis developing, and the European debt crisis continues to mature in what will likely be a microcosm of what we will face here in the United States. The Middle East remains tense at the very least and the recent OPEC announcement to maintain supply levels has helped support oil prices.

Higher oil prices have obviously slowed down the U.S. economy as the consumer is strapped with higher costs on nearly everything, specifically food and energy. In addition, the unemployment numbers are seemingly not improving and housing appears to be rolling over . . . again.

Almost everywhere we look the news is bleak. Mr. Market has shrugged off bad news time and time again since the March 2009 lows. The long term shorts remain frustrated to say the least and those who were actively shorting along the way have likely been stopped out multiple times. Everywhere I look market commentary is bearish and pundits are talking about additional weakness as they point to a rallying Dollar and multiple economic headwinds facing domestic markets.

Traders and investors should be focused on a few specific price levels on the S&P 500. With the Dollar rallying, the S&P 500 index has remained under extreme selling pressure for multiple weeks. The S&P 500 (SPX) is likely going to test its 200 period moving average. From there I am expecting a bounce higher, although the bounce may be nothing more than a Dead Cat Bounce.

As always, time and price will be the final arbiter but if the Dollar continues to trade higher we could see the S&P 500 lose its 200 period moving average and eventually test a major support level which needs to hold up for the bulls. If the March 16, 2011 pivot lows are taken out to the downside, the next leg of the secular bear market may be under way. The daily chart of the SPX illustrated below shows the key price levels and the potential price action that may lead up to a key test of the March 2011 pivot lows:

Very rarely does the first mouse get the cheese, so I would anticipate a bounce off of the 200 period moving average which currently coincides with the March pivot lows. With not only the pivot lows but the 200 period moving average offering support a breakdown lower will be a large tell about the health and future price action of the S&P 500.

Right now I am just going to focus on how the S&P 500 handles the key support zone illustrated above. The forthcoming price action will tell traders everything we need to know about the health of financial markets. I have no idea if we are about to enter a double dip recession nor do I know whether price action will even test the March pivot lows.

What I do know is that price action in coming days around key support areas is going to be critical. I am convinced that Mr. Market will tell us whether the bullish party will continue or come to an end in the next few weeks/months. A breakdown of the March pivot lows in the future will likely initiate the launch sequence for the next secular bear market. I would keep the S&P 500 1,250 price level on the radar going forward. Risk remains high.

If you would like to receive J.W. Jones emails several times per week on SP 500, Volatility Index, Gold, and Silver intermediate direction and option trade alerts… take a look at Options Trading Signals.com today for a 24 hour 66% off coupon, and/or sign up for his occasional free updates.

Debt Issues in the Eurozone Pushing Prices of the U.S. Dollar Index Higher

2011-05-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Dollar Index pushed above recent highs on Monday but is experiencing selling pressure today. The selling pressure is being largely dismissed by the S&P 500 but other risk assets such as gold, silver, and oil are benefitting. Members of our service at Options Trading Signals.com understand that I have been focusing on the U.S. Dollar for weeks.

Right now risk assets are trading primarily in the opposite direction of the Dollar. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but a strong Dollar has meant lower equity and oil prices specifically. Gold and silver have been holding up well as fearful investors are using gold and silver as safe havens against the potential for a European debt default or a Euro currency crisis.
The U.S. Dollar may have put in a key pivot low on the daily chart back in the early part of May. In addition, the key 200 period moving average is overhead and the U.S. Dollar may be poised to test the key price level in the future. The daily chart of the U.S. Dollar can be seen below:

While the Dollar could roll over and probe lower, the fact that it has put in a higher low and broken out above recent highs is bullish. Similar to the S&P 500, the next few daily closes are going to be critical as it relates to risk assets. I will be monitoring the U.S. Dollar’s price action quite closely as a clue where equities may be headed.

New Video.....Where is This Market Headed Today!

2011-05-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Adam's back with a video update on todays market action.

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U.S. Dollar Trend Continues Lower.....Time to be Careful Though

2011-04-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

The dollar continues to get sold at a tremendous rate and the Fed is devaluing the currency as quickly as they can trying and save the world one dollar at a time…

The trend is strongly down but it’s starting to near a point where we should start to keep a closer eye on it for signs of a reversal to the upside. When the dollar makes a move higher and starts a rally it will put downward pressure on stocks and commodities. We must be prepared to move our protective stops ups and possibly take advantage of falling prices in the near future. Until then remain long equities and commodities.

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The U.S. Dollar’s Impact on Price Action in the S&P 500, Gold, & Crude Oil

2011-04-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

I was starting to put on my bullish hat on Friday morning when out of the blue an ugly close has forced me to rethink my position. After viewing a few hundred charts, I have determined that while I am still leaning into higher prices at this point in time, I will not totally rule out a rollover on the S&P 500. In coming days the news flow will be extreme and headline risk will be everywhere we look. The S&P 500 has been able to deflect worry for quite some time now and in every case the resiliency is unquestionable.

However, we are nearing the beginning of another earnings season which will start in just a few weeks’ time. First quarter earnings for 2011 are going to be quite interesting and most analysts’ estimates are relatively challenging. Will the rubber hit the road into earnings? Are we about to see a double top play out into earnings, or is there going to be a breakout which will take us to the SPX 1,400 – 1,415 price level?

I know, I ask a lot of questions but quite frankly that is what is running through my head. The SPX is not out of the woods yet, and the price action on Friday indicated that there is some serious supply overhead and two key resistance levels to break through before the SPX gets back to clear blue skies overhead. That being said Chris Vermeulen has caught a nice part of the recent bounce with his subscribers. He does feel the market is about to get choppy but his analysis is pointing to overall higher prices in the coming weeks.

SPX illustrates the two key price levels:

In addition to the uncertainty that earnings season can bring, the primary reason why I am still leaning into a bullish move in the S&P 500 is the recent price action in the U.S. Dollar Index futures. The U.S. Dollar is scheduled to make its 3 year cycle low sometime this spring and the recent price action is indicative that the recent lows may not be the cycle lows. If the U.S. Dollar Index breaks down below recent lows, I would expect to see a nasty sell off.

The U.S. Dollar Index futures daily chart is shown below:

Whether readers believe that we are going to be in an inflationary environment or a deflationary environment is a topic for a different time, but the chart above is undeniable that recently the U.S. Dollar has declined in value and is exhibiting weak price action. Friday morning it looked as though the U.S. Dollar was going to rip higher, but by the end of the day sellers had stepped in and forced the U.S. Dollar into the red for the session. The price action on Friday highlighted the weakness in the U.S. Dollar and the high levels of overhead supply.

If the U.S. Dollar continues to weaken, in the short run I would view this as a positive for the S&P 500, crude oil, and precious metals. If the dollar breaks down to new lows, it should help bouy the S&P 500 and gold prices. Gold has been consolidating for nearly 6 months and a breakout higher from current price levels would make a trip to $1,500 an ounce very likely. I would not be surprised to see gold work even higher than $1,500 an ounce depending on how violent the selloff in the U.S. Dollar might be.

The weekly chart of gold futures is listed below:

I would think that most investors are aware that crude oil futures have been trading higher recently. On Friday oil prices climbed above recent resistance around the $107/barrel price level and reached new recent highs. Members that belong to my paid service enjoyed a relatively low risk options trade that we put on several weeks ago which involved selling cash secured naked puts on $USO. The trade was closed on Friday for a total gain of 85% of the premium that was sold. For long time readers, my stance on energy has been pretty obvious. In the longer term, energy prices almost have to go up as the world’s demand for energy increases while supplies remain flat.

I will likely get involved in another oil trade at some point in the future, but for right now I’m going to wait for a more prudent entry. Based on current price action, it would not surprise me to see crude oil futures test the $110 – $112 per barrel price range in the near future. If the $112/barrel price level is breached to the upside, a test of the $120/barrel price level will be likely.

The weekly chart of oil futures is listed below:

Weekend Trend Conclusion:
The S&P 500 is in an interesting place as far as the price action is concerned. With earnings season rapidly approaching and a possible break down in the U.S. Dollar Index likely, future price action is uncertain. I am leaning into the bullish camp at this point, but that could change rather quickly based on the price action later this week in both the S&P 500 and the U.S. Dollar Index. One thing worth mentioning is that if the U.S. Dollar Index were to bottom around these levels and a bounce higher transpired, it would put negative price pressure on most asset classes. The fact that price action in the U.S. Dollar Index has been weak lately makes me believe a break down is likely, but as most readers know Mr. Market offers few guarantees.

Assuming the U.S. Dollar breaks down, we should see the S&P 500, precious metals, and oil continue to work higher. My eyes are going to be watching the U.S. Dollar Index closely in coming days/weeks. If a breakdown transpires, the potential upside in precious metals and oil could be intense. Ultimately, I remain slightly bullish on stocks and extremely bullish on oil and precious metals. However, my entire thesis could change if the U.S. Dollar Index starts to firm up and begins to work higher. There are simply too many question marks surrounding price action to take on significant amounts of risk at this point in time.

Get all of J.W Jones opinions and analysis @ www.OptionsTradingSignals.com
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Are Stocks & Commodities About To Start Another Rally?

2011-04-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple months everyone seems to have been preparing for a sharp market correction. Crazy part is that the SP500 dropped about 10% from the high and that is a typical bull market correction. The thing is… the stock market has a way of slowly unfolding making it look and feel minor, then before you know it, the correction is over and it’s back to an uptrend. That is kind of how this one unfolded.

The good news is that we caught the low risk portion of the correction locking in a 4.5% drop, and we are now in a long trade and in the money by 2.5% with very little down side risk at this point. Time will tell if this up trend is sustainable or not…

Now, let’s take a look at the charts…

Dollar 60 minute intraday chart
As you can see below the dollar looks to have started a breakdown today. If there is continued selling pressure in the next couple days then expect to stocks and commodities to move higher as the US Dollar drops. It is important to know that when a bullish pattern fails we typically see a very strong reaction in the opposite direction (down) catching the majority off guard and they rush to the door.

SPY Broad Market ETF – Daily Chart
A couple weeks ago we watched the market go into a free fall creating a washout bottom. From there we saw prices bounce back and retake my key moving averages. This gave us a bullish bias and dips should be looked at as buying opportunities. I will admit that stocks still have a long way to go before the masses are convinced. I feel we need to see the February and March highs get taken out first. Once they get taken out there should be strong buying as short covering (protective stops from traders who are short) causes a surge in buying pressure sending stocks sharply higher yet again.

My trading buddy David Banister at Active Trading Partners is starting to see small cap stocks come back to life. Money is starting to flow into these lucrative areas of the market and he is on top of things… This week’s trade is up 20% in less than 24 hours which is very exciting.

Gold Daily Chart
Gold has been moving up this year but the current price action is not really getting me excited to buy just yet. Recently we have seen strong selling volume and very light buying volume. My bias still favors higher prices but there is still a good chance we get another dip in the coming sessions.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel as though the dollar will trigger the next wave of buying in stocks and commodities for the next week or two… We should see the dollar make a clean moving in either direction shortly and that will help guide my analysis, positions and setups. I hope this analysis helps you to see the market from a different perspective.

Just click here if you would like to get Chris Vermeulens mid-week reports and his free newsletter.

“Day Trading Made Simple” Now Playing on Trend TV

2011-03-30T19:39:00.001-07:00

William Greenspan has over 155 consecutive winning months using his “day trading” system. As a day trader since the early 70s, he has walked in the pits of the CBOT and CME practicing his philosophy of making “a million dollars on a million trades, not a million dollars on one trade.”

Greenspan shares his strategy as well as best practices for successful trading on Trend TV…

“Discipline. That’s the key to success in so many aspects of life and it’s the main ingredient of any successful trading plan. But, what does discipline really mean to an intraday trader?
Discipline means taking small quick losses and letting your profits ride. That’s the key to all successful trading. Discipline means using stop loss orders on every trade to limit your losses and moving your stop loss orders to protect your profit.

That’s kinda like grooming your position. When you have a profit in a trade, you should take your stop loss order and move it first to your break even point, and then if your trade continues to trend your way, to always protect your profit along the way. Three, discipline means following all the buy and sell signals that your trading plan or system of trade has to offer you.

In all trading you must expect losses and you must accept them gracefully, because it may take only one mistake to wipe out the profits of ten winning trades…”

To watch the full video with William Greenspan, please visit Trend TV. Once you receive your password, you can visit Trend TV anytime and watch new videos as they are added.

We hope you will be able to use Greenspan’s experience to grow your profits and protect you from that one big mistake.

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Modern Music, Options, the SPX, the XLF and your Mood!

2011-03-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

What could modern music, options, the SPX, the XLF and your Mood have in common? Let's have options guru J.W. Jones tell us......

Before getting into the broader markets, I thought it was pertinent to share with readers that recently I have noticed a trend in alternative music, also known as modern rock. As a fan of music in general, I have noticed that more modern and mainstream music is starting to underscore the deterioration in social mood. Mainstream songs are having a resoundingly similar lyrical undertone which outlines the “us against them”, “rich versus poor”, and the political class versus everyone else.

While I am not a sociologist nor do I have any real training in the area, the underlying tone in a lot of artistic mediums highlights the current chasm between the haves and the have nots. While some might argue that it does not matter, if you as a reader, trader, or investor believe in behavioral finance you might agree that social mood matters a great deal. After all, the entire premise of technical analysis is an attempt to quantify market participant behavior at specific price levels.

Social mood is but one catalyst that can have a dramatic impact in price discovery, and thus must at the very least be monitored. Current music trends are literally screaming loud and clear that the average American can relate to the undertones and messages of song lyrics with the same resounding tone as the Rise Against lyrics listed above. Believe me, it may not matter right now, but it will matter and when it does it will likely be too late for financial markets.

Now that I have my little rant out of the way, why don’t we take a look at where the S&P 500 has been, where it is now, and where it might be going. Currently price action in the S&P 500 is sitting on the edge of a fence. We could be looking at an intermediate bottom or it could end up being a bull trap. As for me, my recent prediction for lower prices has indeed come to pass, but from hereon I have no real idea where price action is headed. Mr. Market is leaving a few clues behind which I will outline, but anything is possible. We have seen stocks climb a wall of worry for nearly two years now so there is precedent for a rally from this current point of indecision.

The daily chart of the S&P 500 listed below illustrates key technical levels on the daily chart, however readers will notice that we are currently caught between a ton of overhead resistance and a key support level. Until we see price move in either direction with volume confirmation, I will be sitting on the sidelines.

Another key chart to consider is the SPX weekly chart. A quick glance at the slow stochastic readings at the bottom of the chart reveal that the S&P 500 might have additional downside left before the market is able to form a solid bottom. If that is true, we could see the SPX test the 200 period moving average on the daily chart which would be around the 1186 price level. Additionally, the 50 & 200 period moving averages on the weekly chart correspond with the 1180 price level which is likely not coincidental. The level also corresponds with key resistance areas going back to the November 2010 lows. While a downward move that large seems a bit extreme to me at this point, anything is possible.

As can be seen from the chart above, price action is currently sitting above the 20 period moving average on the weekly SPX chart. Key support levels are around the 1225 and 1180 price levels. I would also point out that a Fibonacci retracement of the recent pivot high to the recent pivot low gives us a possible 1.618 retracement around the 1190 price level. Additionally, the slow stochastic on the chart above is eerily similar to levels that were seen on the weekly chart back in May of 2010. Will price action work lower? Will the weekly slow stochastic reading kiss the 20 level?

At this point, a few of you might think I’m outlining the case for lower prices in the equity market. I honestly have no idea where price is going from here, I’m just outlining some key aspects that I have found in my analysis to the downside. The upside is just as likely and we could see the SPX price bounce off of the 20 period moving average on the weekly chart and a challenge of the recent highs could play out. Should recent highs give way to breakout, the SPX would likely test the 1,400 price level at some point in the future.

If we look at the VIX for any clues, all that can be seen from that chart is a spike higher and a subsequent selloff as fear and uncertainty leave the marketplace. The VIX is currently arguing for higher prices in equities, however the financials represented by XLF are the fly in the proverbial ointment. The banks were unable to attract a bid on Monday’s strong advance and they experienced additional selling pressure on Tuesday.

In fact, the XLF’s daily chart shown below reveals a key test and subsequent failure.

A quick look at the XLF daily chart and it is rather obvious that price action in XLF has been weak in the past two sessions. Price moved higher off of the recent lows, tested the 20 period moving average and rolled over. Price is currently below key support levels, but we could witness a reversal on Wednesday. I am going to be watching the financials (XLF) quite closely in coming days as I believe the banks will provide traders with clues as to which direction Mr. Market is favoring. Right now it would appear that Mr. Market is favoring lower prices, but that would seem a bit too easy from these eyes.

We could consolidate at these price levels for a period of time. The volume on Monday and Tuesday was light and we have non confirming signals showing up in a variety of underlying indices. I am unwilling to accept any directional risk at this point. I will let others do the heavy lifting while I sit safely in cash and watch the price action play out.

The price action will eventually give us a confirming signal as to which direction prices will be heading, but right now I believe the prudent thing to do is remain in cash and wait for Mr. Market to signal which direction he favors. We are either sitting at the beginning of a major move higher or we are at a precipice and prices are about to plunge. Either way, risk remains high and the risk/reward is simply not there to warrant an entry. As I have said many times, sometimes the best trade is no trade at all!

Just click here to get J.W.'s "Profitable Options Strategies Report"

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Precious Metals and the Dollar’s Next Big Move Part II

2011-02-01T19:55:00.001-08:00

We have seen some exciting moves in the market and with the market sentiment so bullish it should make for a sharp selloff in the coming weeks. Meaning everyone is overly bullish and owns a lot of stocks and commodities therefore the market should top and leave them holding the bag while the smart money runs for the door. The market will not bottom until all of these individuals holding the bag finally cannot take the pain of losing any more money and once we see them panic and sell them all at once only then will we be looking to go long again.

The past couple weeks I have been bombarded with emails asking if gold and silver have bottomed and if they should be buying more on these pullbacks. Those of you reading my work for the past few months know that my analysis clearly has shown how both gold and silver have been topping out. There have been strong distribution selling and price patterns on the charts are also clearly signaling a top was near.

A couple weeks ago I posted an important report covering gold, silver and the US Dollar and where the next big moves will be. Well it’s time for another update on Gold, Silver and the Dollar as they have come a long way from my last report.

Ok let’s move on to today’s charts…

Silver Daily Chart
Silver has formed a very nice looking top and it is now trading under its key moving averages. It is also currently testing a key resistance level after Friday’s bounce on the back of fears in Egypt. Unless something happens internationally I figure silver sill continue its trend down.

Gold Daily Chart
Gold futures are doing the same as its little sister (silver). I feel the general public is still very bullish on metals and before we see higher prices (new highs) the market will have to shake the majority out of their positions first. At this time gold looks like it should test the $1285 level. Depending on how long it takes to get there and the price action it forms in the following days that outlook could change but expect sellers to step in at the $1350-1355 area.

US Dollar 2 Hour Chart
The dollar has been grinding lower the past two weeks forming a falling wedge reversal pattern. It’s also important to note that on the daily chart the dollar tested a key support level last week. This should be an interesting week for the dollar and the rest of the market simple simply because when the dollar makes sharp movements it pushes the price of stocks and commodities around in a big way.

I am looking for a multi week rally in the dollar possibly longer but with small pauses or corrections along the way.

Pre-Week Metals and Dollar Trend Analysis:
In short, I feel gold and silver are nearing a short term resistance level and will find selling pressure in the coming days only to continue on their journey down for a few weeks. The dollar on the other hand broke out of its falling wedge on Friday and could have a strong rally for 2-3 days. I feel most traders and investors have been shorting the dollar for two weeks straight, so once they realize it’s going higher there will be a ton of short covering and the dollar should rip higher.

This shift in the Dollar from down to up has a direct effect on the SP500 and subscribers of my newsletter are going to take full advantage of these next big moves in the market. Just Click Here if you would like to get my daily newsletter and trading analysis and trade exactly what I am trading.

Chris Vermeulen

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Forget About the Dollar; There are Other Ways to Make Money in the Forex Market

2011-01-25T19:36:00.001-08:00

Most people immediately think about the dollar when Forex markets are mentioned. Sadly, the main reason is its declining value against the other major currencies. There are several ways to look at the foreign exchange markets and one of them is to compare other major currencies. For example, you could be looking at the euro against the Japanese yen or any number of combinations in between.

In today's video we will be looking at the Swiss franc versus the Japanese yen over the past 12 months. I'm going to be showing you a very simple, yet very effective, approach that has proven to be 72% accurate in 2010-2011 when trading this particular cross rate.

In fact, using this easy to understand approach, you would have made just seven trades in approximately 12 months. As you can see, this is not a hyperactive approach. However, it will put the odds of making money on your side if you stick to the game plan. As in all trading, having a game plan in foreign exchange is extremely important.

If after watching this video you would like to know more about our trading system and the indicators we use just take us up on our FREE two week trial of MarketClub.

We hope you find this video informative and educational. As always our videos are free to watch and there are no registration requirements. All we ask is that you let us know what you think by leaving a comment, talk about us on your blog, Tweet to a friend or share us on Facebook.

Watch "Forget About the Dollar; There are Other Ways to Make Money in the Forex Market"

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A New Market, But the Same Indicator We've Been Using All Week to Conquer it

2011-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

You only have to watch our earlier videos to see that it has performed very well this week in gold as well as the crude. In today's short video we want to share an ETF that is setting up nicely and should be giving us a buy signal using the same strategy that we used in the earlier gold and crude oil videos.

This ETF which closely follows the Swiss Franc (symbol FXF) is one you may want to take a look at. As you may be aware, the Swiss Franc is independent of the euro zone and is a separate currency that is backed by the Swiss government.

We think you'll enjoy this short lesson as it will reinforce the two previous lessons on how to use this indicator. In case you missed our earlier lessons, you can watch the gold and the crude oil videos on the INO Trader's Blog.

As always our videos are free to watch and there are no registration requirements. Feel free to discuss them on the INO blog, Tweet them to your friends, and e-mail anyone that you think could benefit from these educational trading lessons.

Want to trade like Adam? Click here for FREE lessons.

The Inverse Dollar Relationship, SPX and Fear

2010-12-19T19:43:00.001-08:00

So far this week we have been seeing fear creep in the equities market. This Wednesday we started to see fear (green indicator) reach a level which tells me to start looking for the market to bottoming. I do follow a few other charts and indicators which warn me of a possible trend reversal (high probability setup) before it takes place but the US Dollar and selling volume are key.

As we all know, when the market is trying to top and roll over it tends to be more of a process than a couple day event. It’s this lengthy topping process which has a lot of choppy price action sucking traders into a position much to early or shakes you out of the position before the market does what you anticipated. Knowing that tops tend to drag out for an extended period of time is critical for an options trader simple because of Theta (time decay)

On the flip side, bottoming is more of an event because it tends to happen after a strong wave of panic selling. Fear is the most powerful force in the market (other than the Fed/Manipulators.. but that’s another topic). That being said, when you know what to look for in bottoms you can generally see the market starting to bottom and prepare for it.

The charts below of the US Dollar Index and the SPY clearly show the inverse relationship they have. Right now it seems everything is directly connected with the dollar… it has been like that for most if the year… I will note that its not normally this clear. Anyways, the dollar is currently trading at resistance which means there is a good chance it will turn back down. So if the dollar drops, then it should boost the SPY (equities market) and put in a bottom for stocks.

Looking at the lower chart of the SPY etf you can see that recent prices have dropped down to a support zone. The important thing to note here is how selling volume is ramping up. This to me means more traders are getting worried and are cutting their losses or locking in gains before it gets worse. We typically see panic selling enter the market near the end of pullbacks. Just like in a bull market where the retail trader (John Doe) is the last to buy into a stock before it falls, it’s the same but flipped in a down trend. The retail trader is the last to panic and sell out of their position before the market bounces/rallies.

Currently the equities market looks to be showing signs that a bottom is nearing. Over the next session or two the rest of this equation should come to light as a tradable bottom or to start playing the down side of the market, only time will tell.....

Posted courtesy of Chris Vermeulan at The Gold and Oil Guy.Com

If you would like to learn more and get Chris' trading alerts along with his pre-market morning videos so you know what to look for in the coming session I recommend taking a minute to subscribe to his ETF trading newsletter. Just visit The Gold and Oil Guy.Com

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Holiday Squeeze on the Dollar, Gold & Stocks

2010-11-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

The past week and a half has been as choppy as it gets for the stocks market. Thankfully the herd mentality (fear & greed) stays the same. Understanding what others think and feel when involved in the market is one of the keys to making money consistently from the market. The crazy looking chart below I will admit is a little tough on the eyes, and I should have used red and green for holiday colors but green just was not going to work today so bear with me.

Market Internal Indicators – 10 minute, 7 day chart
This is a simple chart to read if you understand how to trade these market internal indicators (NYSE volume ratio, NYSE Advance/Decline line, and Total Put/Call ratio).

It shows and explains how I get a read on the overbought/sold conditions in the market. There are several other criteria needed to pull this trade off but it is these charts which tell me to start getting ready to take partial profits, buy or take short positions.

The top section shows the NYSE volume ratio line. When the green line spikes is means there are more sellers than buyers by a large amount and I call this fear. On the other hand when he red line spikes it shows everyone is chasing the price higher because they can’t stand the thought of missing another rally. I call this greed or panic buying. You buy into fear, sell/short into greed.

Important point to note though… We are getting another sell/short signal here (Wednesday) but knowing Friday will be light volume and knowing that light volume means higher prices, I think we should get a better opportunity to short this new down trend next week at possibly a higher level. The market may have a short squeeze in the next 2-3 days. Just so you know, a short squeeze is when the market breaks to the upside on light volume forcing the short positions to cover. This creates a pop in price, only for it to drop quickly after. But, if we get a pop with solid volume behind it, then we could just see the up trend start again and we would then look to play the long side. Only time will tell…

Rising Dollar & Gold – I Don’t Get It?
That is the question everyone seems to be asking this week. I think what we are seeing is straight forward. Traders/investors are selling Euros because of the issues overseas and are buying the dollar along with gold and silver.

Generally when the dollar raises gold drops, but they are both moving up in sync, and really I don’t see the problem with this as it has happened many times in the past. Currently I am neutral on gold and silver because of this situation though. I feel something is about to happen in a week or so that will change things in a big way.

Mid-Week Gold, Dollar & Stock Trading Conclusion:
In short, the equities market is now in a down trend and overbought here. It’s prime for a short position but with the holiday, light volume Friday, and most likely a follow through buying session on Monday I think its best to sit in cash without the stress of wondering what will happen on Monday. Just enjoy the holiday.

Recently members had a great short play locking in 2.2% gain on one of our positions this week as we shorted the market using the SDS inverse SP500 ETF. We also continue to hold two other positions with a 22 and 24% gain thus far and I think going into year end things are really going to heat up.

To receive Chris Vermeulen's Real Time ETF Trading Alerts visit The Gold and Oil Guy.Com

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Bonds, U.S. Dollar, SP500 & Gold Have Changed Direction – Are You Ready?

2010-11-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

There have been some major trend changes recently and it looks as though more investments are about to follow. The real question though is… Are You Ready To Take Advantage Of It?

It has been an exciting ride to say the least with the equities and metals bull market and the plummeting dollar. But it looks as though their time is up, or at least for a few weeks. Traders and investors will slowly pull money off the table to lock in gains or cut losses and re-evaluate the overall market condition before stepping back up to the plate and taking another swing.

Below are a few charts showing some possible money making trade ideas in the weeks ahead.

TBT 20+ Treasury Note Inverse Fund

This fund moves inverse to the price of the 20 year T.N’s also known as bonds. Looking at the chart you can see the recent reversal which took place. We had a great entry point shortly after this reversal took place using my low risk setup strategy.

Falling bond prices are considered to have a negative impact on equities because it implies that interest rates may start rising which means more investors will pull money out of stocks and put that money into a safe interest earning investment. You will typically see bonds change direction before equities. That being said the chart below is an inverse fund, so when this bond fund goes up, it means actually indicates bond yields are falling. I will admit these inverse funds really throw my brain for a loop at time… I prefer the good old days, buying long and selling short....so simple and clean....

UUP – US Dollar Index Fund

This fund moves with the dollar and allows equities traders to take advantage of currency trading. This chart below shows a possible trend reversal for the dollar. If the dollar continues to rally then it’s also a good sign that interest rates could be rising in the near future and it also means more downward pressure on equities.

SDS – Inverse SP500 Index Fund

These bear funds make it possible for traders and investors to profit from a falling market using a regular buy and sell strategy. They can also be traded in retirement accounts making them a golden investment for those willing to play a falling market.

This chart moves the same as the SP500 index only flipped. As the SP500 falls this fund rallies.

The strategy we just used to play the recent rally is the same strategy we will use during a bear market, but instead of trading the SPY, we are trading this fund.

It is important to note that while bull market rallies tend to drag out; bear markets typically have faster movements. Fear is much more powerful than greed which is why the stock market drops quicker than it goes up.

GLD – Gold Exchange Traded Fund

Gold also looks to be topping and could actually be starting to form a Head & Shoulders reversal pattern.

Mid-Week Trend Trading Conclusion:

In short, understanding inter-market analysis is crucial for traders/investors to know. Not understanding how they affect one other can be very costly in the long run. Remember that volatility and volume rise together at the end of a trend. You can view the recent volatility index (VIX) to see its price action also. Volatility changes also make for great low risk options trades if options are your thing. Focus on trading with the trend, bounces in a down trend are typically muted or trade sideways making is very difficult to make money buying in a falling stock market.

Get Chris Vermeulen's Daily Pre-Market Trading Analysis Videos, Intraday Updates & Trade Alerts at The Gold And Oil Guy.com

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Video Exposes High Probability Trade...Misses!

2010-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

As soon as I watched the video below from Scott Downing I knew I wanted to share it with you. Scott's recent video looks at how 95% of Forex traders miss the easiest and most CONSISTENT trade set-ups on a daily basis.

Here's where I found the video at Big Trends.Com

The one thing that caught me off guard was just how 'in your face' some of these set-ups were. I mean I've been trading for a long time, with a lot of success, but seeing how anyone could be playing these set-ups made me laugh at how many people were missing them!

Watch > High Probability Trade...Misses!

Good Trading,
The Forex Market Club

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U.S. Dollar Continues to Control Gold, Crude Oil & Equities

2010-11-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months it seems as though everything has been tied to the dollar. Simple inter-market analysis makes it obvious that almost everything in the financial market eventually has an affect on stocks and commodities in some way. But recently trading has really been all about the dollar. If you watch the SP500 and gold prices you will notice at times virtually every tick the dollar makes directly affects the price and direction of gold and the SP500 index.

Let’s take a look at some charts to see the underlying trends and what they are telling us…

Dollar Index – Daily Chart
As you can see the trend is clearly down. Currently the dollar is trying to find a bottom as it bounces and pierces the previous high. The question everyone wants to know is if the dollar is about to rally and reverse trends or was Friday’s pierce of the October high just a shake out before the next leg down?

Back in late August the dollar pierced the July high on an intraday basis (shake out) just before prices dropped sharply. I think this could very easily happen again but when you see what gold volume is doing, it’s a different story.

Those who follow me closely know I focus on trading with the underlying trend, but manage my risk by trading smaller position sizes when the market has more uncertainty than normal with is what we are currently experiencing.

GLD – Gold Fund – Daily Chart
Gold and the dollar are almost inverse charts when comparing the two. Gold happens to be testing a key support level and its going to be interesting to see how the price holds up going forward. The one thing that has me concerned is the amount of selling taking place. The chart shows heavy volume selling and could be warning us of a possible trend change in the dollar, gold, oil and equities in the coming weeks.

Again the trend for gold is still up, so I would not be trying to short it at this time, rather look to buy into dips until the market trend proves us wrong. That being said, with the selling volume giving off a negative vibe and the fact that gold has rallied for such a long time, any new positions should be very small....

Crude Oil – Daily Chart
Oil looks to be forming a possible cup and handle pattern. If the Dollar continues to consolidate for another 1-3 weeks and breaks down, then we should see the price of oil trade in the range shown on the chart and eventually breakout to the upside. I have a $95-100 price target on oil if the dollar continues to trend down. Until we see some type of handle form here I am not trading oil.

SPY – SP500 Fund – Daily Chart
The equities market looks to have had one of those days which spooked the herd. Friday the price dropped triggering protective stops with rising volume. I was watching the intraday chart as the SP500 broke below the weeks low, and this triggered protective stops which can be seen on the 1 minute charts. In an uptrend I prefer watching stops get triggered because it means traders are getting taking out of long positions and most likely looking to play the short side. When the masses become bearish on the market, that’s when I start looking to play the upside in a bull market (buy the dip).

The chart below clearly shows the days when the shake outs/running of the stops took place. Most traders were exiting their positions and/or going short because the chart looked bearish. One thing I find that helps my trading is that if the chart looks rally scary (bearish) then I start looking at a shorter term time frame for a possible entry point to go long using price and volume analysis.

Weekend Market Trend Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the market is at a critical point which will trigger a very strong movement in the coming days or weeks. Because the dollar, gold, oil and the equities market have had such big moves I think trading VERY DEFENSIVE is the only way to play right now. That means trading small position sizes. Right now I am trading 1/8 – 1/4 the amount of capital I generally use on a trade. Meaning if I typically put $40,000 to work, right now I am only taking positions valued at $10,000.

Remember not to anticipate trend reversals by taking a position early. Continue to trade with the underlying trend with small positions or skip a couple setups if you feel strongly of a possible reversal. Once the trend reverses and the volume confirms, only then should you be playing the new trend. Picking tops can be expensive and stressful.

Get Chris Vermeulen's Daily Pre-Market Trading Analysis Videos, Intraday Updates & Trade Alerts Here at www Gold And Oil Guy.com

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FXE....Another Nice Profit in This ETF

2010-11-10T18:41:00.001-08:00

We have been trading the ETF FXE for some time now in MarketClub’s Perfect “R” Portfolio and today we exited our long position at $136.64, which produced a profit of $8.14 a share. This market has performed very well for us and we have only had two major trend changes for the year so far. The FXE is an ETF that mimics the Euro versus the US Dollar, so there’s always plenty movement which equals opportunity in the market. That is one of the principal reasons why we chose to include this ETF in the Perfect “R” Portfolio. Right now our score is a -60, meaning one should be on the sidelines until a more defined trend takes place. This is one of the beauties of this portfolio; you are not in the market all the time.

Just follow this link to find out more about the MarketClub’s Perfect “R” Portfolio and all other portfolios.

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Leverage Misuse and Abuse in FOREX

2010-11-08T11:27:00.001-08:00

Forex is the worldwide currency exchange market, also known as the foreign exchange market, "fx" for short. This is an over-the-counter electronic trading market for the major worldwide currencies. It offers easy entry to the average public trader and fairly low margin requirements.

However, this low margin and high leverage is also the #1 risk and cause of loss among novice Forex traders. Misuse of leverage is the Forex cardinal sin. In the article below I'm going to explain the new leverage rules, and show you exactly how to take advantage of it! To give you even more I put together this Free Forex Toolkit with an entire video section dedicated to using the new leverage rules to consistently profit…GET IT HERE.

What do we mean by low margin and what is leverage? Well basically this means that you can control a huge amount of a currency in the Forex market with a very small cash outlay. The normal stock and index options that we trade at BigTrends.com represent 100 shares of stock — you pay a premium to control/own this option. For example, in the stock option market you may be able to control the right to buy 100 shares of IBM for $500 — this is an example of leverage. However, the leverage in Forex is much greater than this in most cases … but so is the risk.

We only have to look at the recent housing market crash to see an example of where leverage and low margin caused massive losses among individual investors. People across the world were buying houses and properties beyond their means and with very little cash down. Many of these were speculative, greedy bets on a continued sharp rise in housing prices — which knowledgeable, experienced traders such as ourselves knew wouldn't continue forever. They weren't bad homeowners; they simply misused leverage.

The huge amount of potential leverage and low margin requirements in fx trading is similar to this. The latest rules allow Forex leverage for 50:1 on major currencies and 20:1 on minor currencies. Some brokers may still be able to offer 100:1 leverage. What this means is that a trader can often control millions of dollars of a currency proposition with a very small cash outlay. When novice traders allow emotions such as greed and fear to rule their trading, they often end up on the losing end of large leveraged bets.

Thanks for reading, and we've got a lot more where that came from! While you wait for our next article get our Free Forex Toolkit that will put your Forex trading on the right track!

Author Scott Downing is the Director of Research at BigTrends.com. Having learned to trade options under Price Headley, Scott was eager to make his mark on the trading world by applying his systematic approach to other asset classes. He was immediately drawn to FOREX due to the liquidity, leverage and lucrative nature of that market. From there, Scott set out to help other traders overcome their individual challenges to achieve successful FOREX trading.

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The Market Continues The FOMC March Upward

2010-11-04T07:30:00.001-07:00

With the election over and congress divided, it may be difficult for the president to get much done. None of this will take affect until the near year but traders are asking the big question… Will the government work together as a team or will it be a stalemate?

Today’s whipsaw action after the FOMC statement shook things up as it always does. We saw gold, silver, the dollar, SP500 and bond prices go haywire. It took about 30 minutes for the market to digest this news in that time a lot of people lost money because of the wide price swings. Trading around news, I find, is a net losing trade over the long run and I advise never to do it. Rather wait for a trend to form and trade any low risk setups that come your way.

I truly believe that the market has already priced in most news and events which unfold, and that news tends to agree with the overall trend of the market. Of course there will be short term blips on the charts from the news, but they tend to be minor setbacks in the underlying market trend. That being said, the trend is our friend, and while so many are trying to pick a top in the equities market it makes me cringe because they are fighting the trend and the Fed.

Successful trading is done by trading the trend, and during choppy times you may get roughed up a bit and need to alter your strategy for shorter term momentum play, but overall you gotta’ stick with the trend until proven wrong. Once the trend reverses and confirms, only then can you start shorting the market.

Last week we took another long position near the lows on the SP500 as it dipped down to key support with the market internals confirming our entry. This low risk setup gets us into a market at an extreme, meaning we are in the money usually within hours of entry and the market tends to keep well above our entry point until its ready for another surge higher or a break down.

I agree with those of you who think the market is WAY over bought and due for a strong pullback, and I find myself squirming in my chair when I take another long position way up here in the lofty SP500 prices. But over the years I have found that if it’s hard to pull the trigger, then it should be a good trade if all the trading rules have been met, and if it’s a clear chart setup (meaning an easy looking trade) you better watch out!

This chart shows two charts, one of the 10 minute intraday chart covering 6 trading sessions.

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SPX, U.S. Dollar, Crude Oil and Gold Analysis

2010-10-24T21:56:00.001-07:00

Last week was volatile thanks to China raising their interest rates a quarter basis point. This rate hike caused the Dollar to spike in value which in turn forced equities and metals to sell off sharply. This one day event caused equities to break below a short term support level causing a large number of protective stops to be triggered. This added more selling pressure causing the market to be down nearly 2.5% at one point but a late day bounce recouped a good chunk of the drop.

Wednesday & Thursday the market had a nice rally making back all of losses and then some. But Thursday afternoon we saw the market slip below a key short term support level and triggered another wave of stops. The market continues to resilience because it recovered into the close saving the day.

After Thursday’s end of day rally, we had expected a typical light volume session which typically chops around in a sideways or slow grind higher.

SPY – SP500 ETF 10 Minute Intraday Chart

Chris Vermeulen
The Gold And Oil Guy.Com – ETF Swing Trading Signals

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What is Next for the Dollar, SP500 and Gold

2010-10-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

The equities market reversed to the upside Wednesday posting a light volume broad based rally. Remember light volume tends to have a neutral to upward bias on stocks, But it was mainly the sharp drop in the dollar which spurred stocks and commodities higher.

Today’s bounce was not much of a surprise for several reasons…
• Overall trend is up, one day sell offs are generally profit taking
• Panic selling on the NYSE tipped us off that the market was oversold
• I don’t think they will let the market fall before the November election
• Intermediate cycle is turning up this week, 3 weeks of upward momentum…

US Dollar Index – 4 Hour Chart
The dollar put in a big bounce this week filling its gap window… Remember most gaps get filled with virtually every investment vehicle so when you see them remember this chart....

SPY ETF – Daily Chart
SP500 has been riding the key moving average up and Tuesday’s sell off tagged the 14MA along with extreme market internal readings telling intraday traders that a bounce is about to take place.

Gold Futures – Daily Chart
You can see gold has done much the same… A sharp profit/stop running sell off, which took the price back down to support. We took a long position to catch this bounce and hopefully a larger move going forward.

Market Sentiment Readings
Tuesday’s pullback was a great reminder of just how over extended the equities market was. These heavy volume sell offs are typical in a bull market. Without regular pauses in price, traders tend to place trailing stops moving them up each day. With traders chasing stocks higher bidding them up instead of waiting for a pullback we get a very large number to stop orders following the price up each day. Then, it’s only a matter of time before a key short term support level is broken at which point the flood gates open and everyone’s stops turn to market orders flooding the stock exchanges with sell orders causing a rapid decline and panic selling. This is exactly what happened on Tuesday which I show in the chart below.

Understanding how to read market internals provides great insight for short term traders looking to make quick high probability trades every week… Market internals are just part of the equation but very powerful on their own with proper money/position management. Both of these intraday extremes were bought on Tuesday in the advanced chatroom (FuturesTradingSignals.com).. We quickly booked profits and moved our stops up in order to protect our capital as the market surged higher.

Mid-Week Market Trend Analysis:
In short, the US Dollar is still in a down trend overall. The Fed’s I would think will continue to hold the market up into the election. It works well for them… they print money which devalues the dollar, and in return boosts stocks and commodities, plus they get trillions of dollars to spend… I’m sure its like kids in a candy store over there.

While everyone is trying to pick a top in this over extended market I think it is crucial to stick with the overall trend and to not fight the Fed. Using the key moving averages on the daily chart as shown in the charts above, continue to buy on dips until the market closes below the 20 day moving average at which point you should abandon ship.

Get My Reports and Trade Ideas Here for Free at The Gold and Oil Guy

Chris Vermeulen

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Protect Your Nest Egg, Bulletproof Your Retirement Account

2010-10-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to retire in the next 10, 15, or even 20 years, it's time to have a strategy in place before it's too late. Now is the time to plan and protect your family's future by turning your portfolio into the financial fortress that you're counting on in the years to come.

In today's short video, we share with you a way to bulletproof your retirement portfolio.

You may remember when we launched the "Perfect Portfolio" some months ago. This portfolio was very popular, but many of you told me that it would not work within your retirement accounts. With this in mind, I specifically designed the "Perfect 'R' Portfolio" to work with your 401(k) or IRA account.

The "Perfect 'R' Portfolio" uses an easy to follow MarketClub strategy that I developed using my many years of investing experience as a former floor trader and member of four major exchanges.
For most investors, this report will come as a real wake-up call. For your own sake, I hope that you are one of them.

In this report, I share with you all the rules and results which explain how the "Perfect 'R' Portfolio" was created, how it actually works, and how it can work for you. As a bonus, I have included a special certificate that will give you instant access to MarketClub for the next
30 days.

With complete access to MarketClub and my foolproof strategy, you can see and verify for yourself that everything in the report is 100% accurate. Download this report today and see how you can easily use this information to bulletproof your retirement account ... no matter what
happens to the economy.

Want to trade like Adam? Click here for FREE lessons.

The $20,000 Forex "Secret Weapon"?

2010-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

For the past year, one of the Forex trading community's most seasoned trading "veterans" has been working diligently in his "trading lab" trying to solve the #1 request his Forex trading students from all around the world have been asking him for:

* "How can I make MORE money in LESS time, even if I'm not a technical Forex 'geek'?"

To do this properly, he had 2 big challenges:

1. How to shorten the time needed to actively find & manage the highest probability, lowest risk trades...

2. How to give you total control to manage these trades to completion, so your portfolio is protected at all times...

After a LOT of research and testing, he's finally ready to show you what he came up with, a way to MULTIPLY your profit potential in these highly lucrative markets in 60 seconds or less of active trading, so he recorded a brand new presentation that reveals his discovery here:

The $20,000 Secret Weapon

The "secret weapon" behind his discovery is a custom piece of intelligent software that he paid over $20,000 to develop that can predict with a high level of accuracy which way any of the 6 major Forex pairs are headed in the next 8 hours...

It does all the "hard work" of finding the best trade setups, saving you hours of analysis......but then gives you total control to place and manage the trades yourself so your portfolio is always shielded from risk.

And from what I've seen, no one is trading like this (yet)...

No, it's NOT a "robot"... it's NOT an "expert advisor"... it's NOT even a "plug-in"...

It's a complete, step-by-step approach to trading that's probably unlike anything you've seen before.

He reveals it all in his new trading lab discovery presentation here:

It's awesome, and it's something anyone can do, regardless of your experience. Plus, it easily fits into your busy schedule because you really only need 60 seconds here and there throughout the day to place and manage your trades.

Just Click Here to watch The $20,000 Forex "Secret Weapon"

Good Trading,
The Forex Market Club

p.s. This presentation will only be online for a short time in order to get your feedback on this discovery, so if any of this interests you, make sure you watch it here ASAP

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Forex Market Club

The Dollar, Weak Earnings Indicate a Top is Near For The S&P 500

Currency Market Analysis For Thursday January 12th

Mid Week Currency Market Update For The First Wednesday of 2012

Rising Dollar and Five Investments Moving in the Directions we Anticipated

Charts of the 5 investments moving in the directions we anticipated …- Dollar bounced off support

- Stocks are topping and selling off today

- Oil looks to have topped and is selling off

- Gold and Silver are moving lower

- VIX (Volatility Index) just bounced

With the Bullish Outlook for the U.S. Dollar the Next Move is a Coin Toss

Why Are We on High Alert for a Panic Washout Selling Day?

SP500 Futures Index Daily Chart:

Silver Futures Daily Chart:

Gold Futures Daily Chart:

Crude Oil Futures Daily Chart:

Mid-Week Market Madness Trend Analysis Conclusion:

Will The Dollar Ruin The Santa Claus Rally in the S&P 500?

The Currency War Big Picture Analysis for Gold, Silver & Stocks

Is This December Similar to 2007 & 2008 for Gold & Stocks?

Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis

Dollar Bulls Maintain Technical Advantage

Currency Market Summary For Tuesday November 22nd

Buying Chinese Yuan/Currency as Tail Hedge

The Unfortunate Truth About an Overbought Stock Market

Evidence Supports the Bears’ Case for the S&P 500

Currency Market Summary For Tuesday October 25th

SP500 Poised For A Sharp Pullback Near Term says Dr. Copper

Is the Market A Buy or Short Sale?

Adam Hewison: Here’s the Bottom Line, Nothing Has Really Changed

Is The SP 500 About to Stage a Multi Month Rally?

Chris Vermeulen: Gold, DAX and Dollar Still Pointing to Sharply Lower Prices

J.W. Jones: Is The S&P 500 on the Verge of a Big Rally

What a week! What a month! What a quarter! Weekend Video Update

U.S. Dollar in a Large Energy Field, Capable of Carrying it Much Higher

Longer Term The U.S. Dollar Looks Poised to Move Much Higher

J.W. Jones: The SP 500 and the Dollar Ahead of the Fed Meeting

U.S. Dollar Takes Overbought Conditions into The Holiday Weekend

Dollar’s On the Verge of a Relief Rally...... Look Out!

Weekend Video Update: European Sovereign Debt Problems Spill Over into Global Equity Markets

The Key to Success is Having Discipline and Following MarketClub’s Trade Triangles

Adam Hewison: Welcome to the Bear Market

SP500, Financials and Tech Stocks Playing off of our June 19th Article

What the U.S. Dollar and the Euro Mean to the S&P 500

Debt Issues in the Eurozone Pushing Prices of the U.S. Dollar Index Higher

New Video.....Where is This Market Headed Today!

U.S. Dollar Trend Continues Lower.....Time to be Careful Though

The U.S. Dollar’s Impact on Price Action in the S&P 500, Gold, & Crude Oil

Are Stocks & Commodities About To Start Another Rally?

“Day Trading Made Simple” Now Playing on Trend TV

Modern Music, Options, the SPX, the XLF and your Mood!

Precious Metals and the Dollar’s Next Big Move Part II

Forget About the Dollar; There are Other Ways to Make Money in the Forex Market

A New Market, But the Same Indicator We've Been Using All Week to Conquer it

The Inverse Dollar Relationship, SPX and Fear

Holiday Squeeze on the Dollar, Gold & Stocks

Bonds, U.S. Dollar, SP500 & Gold Have Changed Direction – Are You Ready?

Video Exposes High Probability Trade...Misses!

U.S. Dollar Continues to Control Gold, Crude Oil & Equities

FXE....Another Nice Profit in This ETF

Leverage Misuse and Abuse in FOREX

The Market Continues The FOMC March Upward

SPX, U.S. Dollar, Crude Oil and Gold Analysis

What is Next for the Dollar, SP500 and Gold

Top Forex Profit Multiplier Questions Addressed

Protect Your Nest Egg, Bulletproof Your Retirement Account

The $20,000 Forex "Secret Weapon"?

Charts of the 5 investments moving in the directions we anticipated …
- Dollar bounced off support