Hanging By A Thread … GDXJ

At The Next Open

If we’re at the downside pivot for gold and the miners, there’s only one right answer for the next market session.

That answer is:

Lower open, lower high, lower close.

Not advice, not a recommendation.

However, it is an assessment of where we are in the market cycle for gold and the miners.

The focus is on the Juniors GDXJ, as they are the weakest of both gold GLD, and the Seniors GDX.

If GDXJ, does not open lower, there’s something else happening; that would mean the downside reversal potential is in question and/or it could morph into more testing at the Axis Line, previously discussed.

Here’s a close-up of the sector.

Junior Miners GDXJ, Daily

Volume bar No. 1, corresponded with a solid up move for that session; shown as Price Bar No. 1.

Volume Bar No. 2, is where it gets interesting.

Specifically, higher volume, more narrow range (net distance) and a close well off the high.

Wyckoff called this: ‘effort vs. reward’.

Lots of effort (volume) with less reward (distance) than the previous move.

The next session confirmed that assessment by opening gap-down and then spending the entire day attempting to close higher … which did not happen.

That day (last Friday) may have been short covering. If so, we’re about to find out.

Junior Miners, GDXJ, Daily (forecast)

If we’re in a reversal (a big if), then we’ll get some variation of the price bar (black arrow) as shown (not advice, not a recommendation).

For the bearish option to remain intact, GDXJ needs to open lower and close lower for the day.

However, it does not need to post a new daily low, although that would help the case for more downside.

Anything other than what’s just described, would indicate a more complex price action environment.

If that happens, an update will be released.

Stay Tuned

Charts by StockCharts

Note:  Posts on this site are for education purposes only.  They provide one firm’s insight on the markets.  Not investment advice.  See additional disclaimer here.

The Danger Point®, trade mark: No. 6,505,279

Gold Bulls … Exhausted

The Volume Speaks

Nearly everyone expects gold to go higher; much higher.

You want ‘clicks’ on your website? Then talk about how gold’s going to the moon.

It’s an easy grift. Everybody’s doing it.

However, gold’s truth is in the price action, not the grift.

We’re going to look at that truth and more specifically, what gold’s (GLD) volume is telling us.

With full understanding that anything can happen, gold could go higher, there’s a case for a significant downside reversal (not advice, not a recommendation).

Gold GLD, Weekly

In Wyckoff analysis terms, volume is the energy behind the move. It’s the commitment … or lack thereof.

Last week’s volume is far below the prior spike high set during the ‘invasion’.

It’s down over 56% from the ‘invasion’ spike and down 26% from the most recent spike.

Demand, commitment and thrust energy, are backing away from the gold market.

Moving down to the daily, we see the net distance traveled with each significant thrust is shorter than the last.

Gold GLD, Daily Close

Wyckoff wrote about this observation a century ago when discussing how to spot the end (or absorption phase) of a move.

He called it ‘shortening of the thrust’.

So, there it is. The weekly chart shows each major volume spike is less than the last.

The daily close has net distance traveled less than the last.

Add in the mining sector’s GDXJ, posting its most recent peak four weeks ago (week ended April 10th).

Last week’s action in the Junior’s appeared to be an act of desperation by the bulls.

We’ll cover that sector in the next update.

Stay Tuned

Charts by StockCharts

Note:  Posts on this site are for education purposes only.  They provide one firm’s insight on the markets.  Not investment advice.  See additional disclaimer here.

The Danger Point®, trade mark: No. 6,505,279

Do ‘Miners’ Lead The Metal ?

Looking Over The Past Year

Does the mining sector forecast the actual direction of precious metals; specifically, gold?

When looking over the past year, the short answer is yes.

We’ll look at the daily chart of the Junior Mining Sector GDXJ, below and show that each peak and reversal in gold, was preceded by a reversal in the mining sector (not advice, not a recommendation).

Junior Mining Sector GDXJ, Daily

Each ‘black arrow’ shown on the chart of GDXJ, is a peak or bottom and significant reversal in gold (GLD).

Over the past year, GDXJ reached its peak or bottom several days or several weeks before the actual metal.

The right-most arrow is blue … because we don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Pulling to a longer time frame (still using the daily), we see the GDXJ on a closing basis, is oscillating about an axis line that’s been in effect for three years.

Junior Mining Sector GDXJ, Daily Close

Until proven otherwise, we’re still in a test of the ‘Up-Thrust’.

Price action could somehow power its way higher (with higher gold prices) and move into some kind of bull move.

Or, as the chart implies, we’re at a potential inflection point with probabilities equally weighted but suggesting a slight hint to the downside.

Futures Market

Gold futures, GCM23, as of this post (10:25 p.m., EST), are drifting higher and curretly trading up about +0.05%.

Funny things tend to happen overnight in the futures markets. We’ll see if the upward bias holds to the next open or if downside pressure becomes apparent.

From a news standpoint, we have the employment report(s) before the open at 8:30 a.m.; the Fed speaks at 1:00 p.m.

Stay Tuned

Charts by StockCharts

Note:  Posts on this site are for education purposes only.  They provide one firm’s insight on the markets.  Not investment advice.  See additional disclaimer here.

The Danger Point®, trade mark: No. 6,505,279

Market ‘Tests’ & ‘Instability’

Taking The Helm

‘We have assumed control …’

For the mining sector we’re about to find out if it’s bulls or bears.

With today’s overall (S&P, Dow, QQQ, etc.) down market and the press screaming in hysterical panic at the start of the day, you’d think the market had collapsed 50% or more.

The last update (over the weekend) had this to say about the S&P (emphasis added):

“So, here we are: The market (SPY) has rallied over the past week, giving the illusion that all is well.

However, it too is now in up-thrust (reversal) position.

So, the SPY declines by just over 1%, everyone loses their head and starts talking about CBDC.

Moving on to the ‘knee-jerk’ sector for the day, let’s look at the miners and specifically GDXJ.

Junior Miners GDXJ, Daily Close

Admittedly, the prior update was unsure whether or not this sector had its up-thrust reversal ‘test’.

Well, now we know.

The chart above has all the Usual Suspects.

We see the spring to up-thrust repeating pattern.

Then, a steady decline from the up-thrust and today’s short-sharp test or as the late David Weis used to call it, a ‘gut check’.

At this point the market’s unstable.

We’ll know soon if somehow we’re on to new highs or if this was the last gasp of a bull move withing an overall, years-long, bear market.

Stay Tuned

Charts by StockCharts

Note:  Posts on this site are for education purposes only.  They provide one firm’s insight on the markets.  Not investment advice.  See additional disclaimer here.

The Danger Point®, trade mark: No. 6,505,279