Is This ETF Laying The Foundation For A Rally In Crude Oil?

Picking bottoms is not something one should do if you're going to be a successful trader. But looking at market that may be forming a bottom is a good exercise, and one that you should be doing on a regular basis.

I had done this before gold reversed to the upside traded over $1300 an ounce. Maybe it's time to look at crude oil and see if it's beginning to set itself up for a move to the upside.

Technically, the Trade Triangles remain negative on crude oil, so there is no reversal showing up with those technical tools.

The story is a little bit different with the RSI indicator. This particular indicator is showing that there is a big positive divergence on the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (PACF:XLE), and it is one that spans months.

Today I'm looking at the ETF XLE and the fact that if it closes higher for the week, it will be a positive sign. The previous week saw a very important Japanese candlestick formation call a "Dragon Fly Doji" this can be interpreted as a strong indication of reversal. It all depend's on how XLE closes this Friday. Continue reading "Is This ETF Laying The Foundation For A Rally In Crude Oil?"

How The Oscars May Affect The Way You Look At The Markets

This past weekend I saw a great movie titled, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, both of whom are nominated for Academy Awards, as is the movie itself.

The Imitation Game chronicles the life of Alan Turing, who is largely credited with developing the computers we use today. The story revolves around the incredible work that was done at Bletchley Park in England to break the German Enigma code. At the time, the Enigma code and machine were thought to be unbreakable. The breaking of this code helped shorten and end the war. Otherwise, I would be writing this post in German and not English (I was born in England right after WW2).

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend seeing it and witnessing the extraordinary genius of a remarkable man named Alan Turing.

Why would I discuss and recommend a movie when MarketClub and INO.com are financial websites dealing with stocks and futures? The reason I bring this up is because I wanted to share with you some math today that can help you in the market.

Now don't worry this is not high-level mathematics, it has more to do with a remarkable sequence of numbers known as the Fibonacci sequence. Continue reading "How The Oscars May Affect The Way You Look At The Markets"

The Next Bombshell To Hit The Markets ... Greece

The big news of this past week has to be the Swiss National Bank (SNB) parting ways with the euro. Make no mistake about it, this was a game changer and the ramifications of SNB's actions will be felt for a long time to come.

The next big game changer will be Greece exiting out of the Euro and going back to its old currency the Greek drachma. It may not happen next week, or next month, but it will happen.

On to the markets - it has been quite a week for the indices, with the DOW, S&P 500 and NASDAQ all down over 2%. The strong downtrend in crude oil was unabated, with crude closing down the week with a loss of 3%. The only two positives of the week, are the dollar index, which closed the week with a gain of 0.7% and gold which climbed to its best levels in over four months with a gain of 3.16% for the week. Continue reading "The Next Bombshell To Hit The Markets ... Greece"

A Black Swan Event Rocks Gold And The Swiss Franc Today

A black swan event is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise and has major consequences.

Today, such an event occurred causing the Swiss franc to soar as much as 30% and gold to jump to 4-month highs in chaotic trading after The Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned the cap on the currency's value against the euro.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said the cap, introduced in September 2011, was no longer justified. No one predicted, hinted or even contemplated that The Swiss National Bank would do this.

This move could well begin the demise of the euro that was cobbled together some 15 years ago. Personally, I am surprised to this day that this currency has survived as long as it has. The disparity between the work ethic of a country like Germany versus Greece is a joke - yet that is what the euro represents.

A Flight To Quality

As the Russian ruble continues to lose buying power, money is flowing into Switzerland from that country. I remember when I lived in Switzerland, flights used to arrive with passengers whose suitcases were stuffed full of illegal money. Make no mistake about it, this move by the Swiss National Bank is a game changer. Continue reading "A Black Swan Event Rocks Gold And The Swiss Franc Today"

Last Week's Volatility Could Be A Harbinger Of Things To Come

There's a war going on right now and I don't mean overseas, I mean right here in the markets. Last week was a perfect example as the intraday swings of the S&P500 clocked in at a staggering 6.5%. Market volatility often is a precursor of things to come, and the irony of all this action was that the market closed with a loss of -0.65% for the week.

The net weekly change for the DOW was -0.53% and there was an even smaller loss of -0.42% for the NASDAQ. All three indices formed an important Japanese candlestick pattern, a weekly doji candle. Why is this important? A doji candlestick often signals indecision in the market. When the doji forms in an uptrend or downtrend, this is normally seen as significant, as it is a signal that the buyers are losing conviction when formed in an uptrend and a signal that sellers are losing conviction if seen in a downtrend.

What To Watch For This Week

A lower weekly close would indicate to me that the buyers are beginning lose control of this aging bull market. Here is the "line in the sand" for each of the indices that I am watching. Once below this line, watch for heavy liquidation to come in across the board.

DOW: 17.262
S&P500: 1,992
NASDAQ: 4.090

Gold Is Now Officially On The Move

You might remember on January 7th, I wrote a post on gold (FOREX:XAUUSDO) and the key neckline level. The key neckline in gold was broken to the upside last Friday when gold closed out the week with a very positive 2.9% gain. I now have a confirmed upside target zone of $1,340, which equates to about $132-$134 on the ETF, GLD. To follow all of the entry and exit points for gold, check in daily with the World Cup Portfolio. Continue reading "Last Week's Volatility Could Be A Harbinger Of Things To Come"