Claus & Effect, The Next Wave

Unprecedented … Again

Nefarious forces operate in distraction and darkness.

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

The year 2021, was the year everyone (except children) showed their true colors; they made their decision, knowingly or not, for darkness or light.

This year, 2022, is where the effects (or ‘side effects’) of that decision began to take hold.

Now, as 2023 approaches, we’re likely to move into the realm of unprecedented chaos and collapse.

As if on cue, under the cloak of this week’s holiday distraction, we have what’s possibly the next wave.

This could be the reason as presented in the last update, why biotech appears to be in the early stages of disconnecting from the overall market.

That separation may continue or not; price action is always the final arbiter.

The ‘Woke’ Go Broke

The useful idiots that comprise the ‘woke’ business crowd may be in for the biggest surprise in the coming year.

If there is one overriding theme to keep in mind for 2023, this could be it.

Separate enclaves are now forming of those who have not, will not, and are not going to go along with the ever more unbelievable narratives.

Here is a link to just one of those enclaves.

As a digression; in Texas, we’re just now coming out of yet another record-breaking cold spell.

That’s two, never before seen record breaking low temp events within the past three years!

How does that fit with the global warming narrative?

Anyone awake knows full well what’s going on … and it’s not global warming.

Who’s On First: NFLX or TGT?

Now that vending machine Carvana (CVNA), is out of the way, who’s next?

Partly as a result of economic decline and partly from the decision to take consumer spending elsewhere, Netflix and Target now appear ready to continue their implosion.

More on their technical chart conditions in the next update.

Stay Tuned

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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

Fake Data, Fake Market, Real Price

‘Head Fake’ … 1-million Jobs

Within the mirage of fake data, one thing’s not fake, the price.

The latest revelation about fake data, comes at this link, telling us something we already knew; the jobs data is a complete mirage.

What must be over a year ago, Neil McCoyWard, presented a series whereby he reviewed several individual, personal diaries, from The Great Depression.

From that series, no-one (in the public) seemed to know the extent of unemployment until much later.

The numbers were ‘hidden’ back then, just like now; what a coincidence.

The search, and need for the ‘truth’, becomes more clear by the day. In the markets, truth is the price and price only.

Apparently driving it home, revelation that chief cook and (woke) bottle washer Netflix, drank the Kool-Aid and overestimated advertising demand.

The last update on NFLX, stated there may be a rally to test the breakdown. So far, it hasn’t happened.

Last Thursday’s – 8.6%, ‘air-pocket’, may have been the kick-off to much lower prices (not advice, not a recommendation).

Let’s take another look at the big picture on Netflix.

Netflix NFLX, Weekly

Very quickly we see the overall (impulsive) direction of the market is down.

In Wyckoff terms, there’s what he called ‘ease-of-movement’, to the downside.

Next, we have a possible Head & Shoulders, top.

If NFLX, reverses from here all the way down to the neckline (blue line), and if it breaks that line, then we target the 40-area; that’s a lot of ‘ifs’.

Moving in closer on the daily chart, is the following:

Netflix NFLX, Daily

The wedge breakdown is clear.

There was an attempt to rally, if you can call it that, on Friday. So far, no significant upside action.

The zoom area shows price action still below the lower wedge boundry.

Netflix is different from our other potential implosion, short candidate (which proved correct), Carvana, CVNA.

That difference, Carvana sold a product for which there was an actual need, i.e., transportation.

Summary

It’s been just over a year since the CVNA, ‘No P/E’, report.

Carvana’s a slow-motion train-wreck; down over -98%, as of Friday’s close.

Netflix?

Let’s see what happens next.

Stay Tuned

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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

Biotech … Breakdown, Imminent

Waiting For A New Daily Low

Price action leads the news.

As with the Carvana analysis, a year ago which said CVNA, would likely not survive, so too it would appear, biotech is about to join the ranks.

Join the ranks but for different reasons.

Price action leading the news was a concept presented decades ago by Robert Prechter Jr., as part of his Elliott Wave Theory.

His view was the market indicates ‘social mood’; in that case, the market must go down first, before the bad news comes out.

In effect, the public has to be ready and actually want bad news and/or be ready for unexpected, cataclysmic events.

It’s the complete opposite of the accepted mantra, from financial advisors and media alike.

The bear flag in biotech SPBIO, has been forming now for three months. In the history of this sector, there’s never been anything like it.

The last update said there’s been a change in the character of price action; that SPBIO, is heading lower and about to threaten the bottom of the flag.

As we’ll see from the daily chart, indeed we’re getting close.

At this point, there’s no apparent demand for the upside.

Biotech SPBIO, Daily

The change in character is clear. We’re pulling away from the top of the flag and now, hovering at the lows.

Switching gears and going to the 3X leveraged inverse fund LABD, on the daily basis, we see repeating trend lines.

SPBIO, 3X Leveraged Inverse LABD, Daily

As the magenta arrow shows, we’re looking for a new daily high in LABD, to confirm the trendline; that high would naturally correspond to a new daily low in SPBIO.

As of this post (1:02 p.m., EST) neither one has occurred.

Summary

Even as the overall markets are mixed to slightly higher, SPBIO, is posting down – 1.51%; a possible indication it may lead to the downside.

Just exactly what ‘news’ is about to come out is unknown.

However, at this juncture with action pressing lower, it appears, the market is ready.

Positioning

Not advice, not a recommendation.

LABD-22-14

Entry@ 18.905, 18.95*** Stop @ 18.36***

Note: Positions may be increased, decreased, entered, or exited at any time.

***, Indicates change

Stay Tuned

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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

The Market Set-Up … This Week

What To Watch … Crypto Collapse, Biotech, Gold, Telsa

JPMorgan … says sell

Goldman … says buy.

Wyckoff says … Don’t listen to either.

In fact, Wyckoff’s stock market training course, first published in 1934, (still available), says that until you can ignore the financial press completely, ‘You will never be successful in the markets’.

Price action itself, properly interpreted, will tell you where to look for the opportunity.

The Ponzi Implosion, Cometh

The market is littered with Ponzi schemes. Some have already imploded, CVNA, HOOD, Crypto; some have not.

Concerning Crypto, here’s an excellent update from Michael Cowan. Buried in that update, at time stamp 4:58, looks like HOOD, may be in even more trouble.

Biotech is in a class of its own and was discussed in yesterday’s update.

For gold, we’re going to look at the Junior Miners GDXJ, and last week’s action.

Junior Miners GDXJ, Daily Close

The Junior’s are the weakest in the sector; therefore, that’s where we look for a short opportunity (not advice, not a recommendation).

To move higher, above resistance, normal market behavior, is to come back to the lower blue line (i.e., support) to gain enough energy to move higher for a breakout.

To move lower, normal market behavior, is to come down to the lower blue line as a test which subsequently fails; the move continues lower.

Either way, normal behavior at this juncture, is to move lower. We’ll see.

Now on to the chief cook and bottle washer … Tesla.

Tesla (TSLA), At The Edge

For starters, let’s recognize there’re a lot of moving parts; U.S. ‘parts’ and China ‘parts’.

If one’s going short, another task is to forecast under what conditions a short would have enough risk removed.

For that answer, oddly enough, we go to gold, GLD.

Gold GLD, Weekly: 2015 – 2017

GLD posted a massive upthrust above the blue line lasting over fourteen weeks before breaking decisively lower.

Then, it labored four weeks to come back up for a test.

After that, collapse; lower weekly closes for seven consecutive weeks.

In the chart above, the area identified as ‘Short’, has as much upside risk removed as possible, right at resistance.

Now on to Tesla.

Tesla TLSA, Weekly

Two scenarios are presented where risk may be reduced.

Chart 1

Chart 2

One of these may happen or neither of them.

Either way, for risk to be reduced, a short entry is needed to be at a known resistance level (not advice, not a recommendation).

Let’s move on to the current positioning.

Positions: (courtesy only, not advice).

One of three events will happen at the next session.

1: Both positions stopped out

2: One position stopped out

3: No positions stopped out

Each outcome will provide a data-point where to focus (or not) in the current environment.

LABD-22-10:

Entry @ 18.1398: Stop @ 16.83

JDST-22-05

Entry @ 9.1666: Stop @ 8.79

Note: Positions may be increased, decreased, entered, or exited at any time.

***, Indicates change

Stay Tuned

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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

CarMax Crash … What’s Next ?

First, The Dead Cat Bounce …

What was said back then

“As the economy (if you can call it that) falls off the cliff, one of these two (KMX, CVNA), is not likely to survive.”

It looks like Carvana is swirling down its ‘disruptive’ vending machine wormhole, leaving CarMax to pick up whatever’s left of the car ‘consumer’.

The latest earnings release of KMX, confirms what’s left of the typical consumer’s purchasing power, is evaporating if not completely gone.

Still Clueless …

It’s not necessarily the linked earnings report on KMX that’s important, but the comments.

We’ll not call out any specific one but after reading them, there’s an uneasy sense, the typical American is still wandering around in a type of hypnotic, delusional state, namely, mass psychosis.

They’re stunned … ‘looking for the bottom’.

Everyone has their own timeframe but let’s see where an ultimate bottom for KMX, might be on the charts below.

CarMax, KMX, Yearly Chart

The big … big picture

There are three-months left in the year but already the thrust energy lower (magenta arrow) for KMX, is the highest in nearly 26-years of data presented.

Not even the ’08 – ’09, meltdown had downside energy anywhere close to what’s happening now.

That’s a clue in itself, we’ve got a long way to go.

How long, is long?

The quarterly chart of KMX gives us a clue where we might see a ‘bottom’.

CarMax, KMX, Quarterly Chart

Above, we’ve got a terminating wedge (blue lines) that’s been decades in the making.

As the magenta arrow shows, there could be small blip up to resistance in the 85-area before potentially rolling over into a descent that projects to the 4.00, level.

If and when that happens, CarMax rival Carvana, may be long gone; its disruptive vending machines possibly being used as homeless shelters or insect farms.

Stay Tuned

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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

No P/E ? … No Problem … Yet

Biotech SPBIO, Has No P/E

Is this like Carvana on steroids?

Looking at the top ten components of the SPBIO sector, making up over 14%, of the weighting, none have a P/E ratio.

The three largest weightings are listed below along with hyperlinks to their corporate summaries or research.

Beam Therapeutics Inc.: BEAM

Twist Biosciences Corp.: TWST

Fate Therapeutics Inc.: FATE

The Return on Equity for the list is Negative – 31.9%

With returns like that, it’s unlikely a positive P/E, is showing up anytime soon.

The Market Itself

Livermore worked to prefect his technique, searching for what’s going to happen in a ‘big way’.

Wyckoff discovered the market itself, decides on its next likely course.

Loeb presented the power of ‘focus’; Concentrated positions that eschewed the mediocre mantra of ‘a well-diversified portfolio’.

It’s important to note, Loeb was the former Vice Chairman of E.F. Hutton. The old commercials from the 70s, like the one linked here, were talking about him: ‘When Loeb talks, people listen’.

The Biotech Short

The vultures are circling this sector.

We’ve already shown in the last update, speculative volume on the 3X Inverse fund LABD, is literally off the chart.

The corporate links above, give us a potential ‘why’ for their short positioning.

All three of those companies have a common theme.

Stay Tuned

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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

The Moderna Reversal

‘Whistling Past The Graveyard’

Moderna (MRNA) appears likely to join the ranks of Carvana (CVNA), with a decline from all-time highs that’s well over -90%.

Even a ‘modest’ projection (as we’ll see below) puts the downside potential for MRNA, far below current levels.

Starting with the weekly chart, MRNA, has just barely retraced upward to an anemic 23.6%, before breaking to the downside.

Moderna MRNA, Weekly Chart

Zoom version below

The Wyckoff up-thrust (reversal), will be confirmed if/when MRNA pushes below last week’s low of 160.06

Projected Decline Over -90%

Unless it’s negated, the weak retrace (23.6%), tells us that MRNA, is probably just getting started to the downside.

Using a modest 1 : 1, projection from current levels, we have MRNA’s downside potential to the 45-area; representing a decline from all-time highs, of approximately -90.9%.

However, for such a weak equity (at this point), the decline also has the possibility to go a bit further, to a 1 : 1.382 projection (shown as the lower arrow).

Declining to the 27-area, would put MRNA, down a stiff -94.6%, from all-time highs.

If MRNA gets to those levels, that’s when the fun starts.

Class Action?

Recall, we’re using the Carvana Crash as the model, right?

Let’s hold that thought and go way back to October 17th, of last year. Reviewing the first bullet item of this post; some of which is repeated below, it said:

“Whenever a high-flyer darling stock changes course and reverses down in a big way, the lawsuits start.

‘Investors’ only know one direction … up.

They figure they’re so smart, any decision from them that does not work out, must be someone else’s fault.

Class Action for Moderna (with discovery) may be dead ahead.

Let’s start our stopwatch and see how long it takes for the first ‘Notice’.”

Getting back to Carvana (CVNA), it posted recent lows on July 14th this year. That was a decline (from all-time highs) of -95%.

Three weeks after that low, and just days ago on August 4th, we get ‘Notice of Class Action‘.

Tick, Tock …

Stay Tuned

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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

The Big Move & The Big Money

Common Characteristics

Everyone talks a big game, wanting to trade like the next Jesse Livermore or James R. Keene.

To aspire and reach the performance level of the legendary, few know, it’s almost a requirement that several fortunes must be won and lost along the way.

That’s why Prechter said it years ago (paraphrasing), ‘It’s best to lose your first fortunes early; that way, you have time to recover.’

One very public and famous ‘recovery’ from a blown account, was Livermore’s trade during The Panic of 1907.

He was flat broke but sensed a big down move about to happen in the markets.

Legend has it, he pawned his car for $5,000; then, using that capital, shorted the market during the panic and profited over $1 million, covering shorts near the bottom.

That was then. Is there a now?

The short answer is yes. Huge moves (especially down) are still a potential.

Let’s take a look at how one opportunity presented itself.

Big Move Characteristics

There are at least three characteristics for a major move:

Price Extreme

Sentiment

Catalyst

To demonstrate how that criteria can be used, we’re going to use one very recent example:

The Carvana Crash

From the all-time CVNA, high of 376.83, set on August 10th, 2021, to the most recent lows (thus far) posted July 14th, this year, was a collapse over -94.8%.

Price Extreme

Carvana Has No P/E and maybe, never had one.

“If your biggest claim to fame is that you ‘invented’ a vending machine … you’ve got real problems.”

With that, and hovering at nearly $380/share, it’s reasonable to say CVNA, had reached an extreme.

Sentiment

To go along with the price and no earnings was the sentiment … literally off the charts.

Used cars, years old, selling above the original MSRP. It was a never-before-seen event.

From a trading standpoint, it does not matter the ‘reason’ for the sentiment; only that the extreme was there.

Catalyst

Now, the hard part. The ‘catalyst’.

Just what was it that pricked the bubble for CVNA?

For our example, it looks like it was one sub-par earnings release too many. At the time of release, there was a subtle change in the character of price action.

About one week after the earnings release in August 2021, CVNA, broke a long-term trendline and never looked back.

Summary

The above example has been highly simplified for brevity.

Even so, we can still use these criteria to look at other market conditions … other sectors.

As you may have guessed, one sector that meets at least two of the above conditions, is biotech, SPBIO.

The third (Catalyst) condition may have been met this past week on August 3rd, with this report. Another link is here.

The take-over candidate GBT, releases earnings on Monday (tomorrow).

Let’s see what happens next.

Stay Tuned

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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

Biotech … The Case For Collapse

Down 90%, Before October ?

If all the “Ifs”, come true.

First off, biotech (SPBIO), may already be in a collapse.

Of all the major sectors, it’s leading the way lower; down -61%, from all-time highs, set in February of 2021.

With SPBIO, lower by that much, are there still downside opportunities?

Only you can be the final judge of that.

However, for my firm, I’m not waiting around to see what happens next; we’re already short (not advice, not a recommendation)

SPBIO, Summary

As we’ll show below, SPBIO’s maintaining price action in a downside channel, declining at approximately -97.8%, on an annualized basis.

If that channel is held for the next three months (a big if) and if there’s no ban on short sales (as happened last time in 2008), and if the vehicle itself (LABD) remains viable, we can look for a -90%, decline from all-time highs, by October at the latest.

Why -90% ?

We’re using our chief, cook, and oh so, ‘disruptive’ bottle-washer, Carvana (CVNA) as the example.

The last report on Carvana, highlighted the possibility that it’s ripe for implosion.

The very next session, that implosion started in earnest.

Currently trading at 26.53, CVNA is down -92.96%, from all-time highs.

So, -90% (or more), for biotech seems reasonable 🙂

Throwing in a couple of anecdotal comments from J.B., Dan, and Patera, and voila! ‘This sucker could go down.’

Moving on to the main topic.

Biotech SPBIO, Weekly

Here’s where we are with the un-marked chart.

We’re going to compress the chart and put in the channel lines. The lower horizontal line marks a decline of -90%, from all-time highs.

If price action maintains the right-side trend line, a 90% decline, targets right around October this year.

Summary

This analysis could be blown away, rendered invalid, at the very next session.

That’s the way of the markets.

As sated, current positioning is to be short the sector via LABD, with trade LABD-22-02 (not advice, not a recommendation).

As a result of today’s action thus far, we’ve got a hard stop for LABD, currently @ 55.73.

Even as this post is being created, SPBIO action continues to grind down; threatening to post a new weekly low.

Stay Tuned

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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

Weekly, Wrap-Up

The Usual Suspects

No. 1

Carvana Fires 2,500 Employees

We didn’t see that one coming. Or, did we?

Just a quick review of this report posted over six-months ago:

“If your biggest claim to fame is that you ‘invented’ a vending machine … you’ve got real problems.”

“As the economy (if you can call it that) falls off the cliff, one of these two (CMX, CVNA), is not likely to survive.”

Well, looks like we have the answer on that one.

From the date of the report above to last Friday’s close, CVNA, is down -87.8%.

Measured from all-time highs, CVNA, is down -91.1%.

As CVNA, swirls down the drain of ‘disruption’, looks like it was only a blip in the land of ‘status quo’.

No. 2

The ProLogis ‘Connection’

Is this a re-print of a prior report?

No, the update below, is essentially a confirmation of the analysis in that (above) report.

Turns out that Amazon (link here) is in negotiations with chief cook and warehouse bottle-washer, ProLogis (here) about terminating massive amounts of lease space.

The entire affair, is an irrefutable confirmation of the Wyckoff analysis method.

That is, ‘the market itself defines it’s next likely course’.

Those on the inside always know something; that ‘something’ (i.e., their actions) shows up on the tape.

After the initial ‘ProLogis Connection’, a follow-up was posted that identified the largest down-thrust energy in ProLogis history.

From that report was this quote:

“We’re using PLD, as the proxy for the real estate (IYR) sector as it’s the largest cap equity.”

“That’s true for now … but maybe not for long.”

How quickly things change.

ProLogis is now the number two in the IYR market cap and very close to being third.

No. 3

Wealth Confiscation Coming Soon

The first two bullets perceived events before they happened, so let’s make it three-in-a-row.

This one’s pretty much a no-brainer.

During the last meltdown in 2007 – 2009, IRA retirement accounts came within a hairs-width of being confiscated.

This time around, could be for sure.

The following’s a section of a report written years ago.

It’s even more relevant now.

Begin Report

4/7/19

Government To Confiscate IRAs?  It’s Easy

There has been enough time for the American working (and saving) public to take the lessons of the 2007- 2009 meltdown and act accordingly.

One of those lessons would have been to realize, just how close they came to having their IRAs confiscated.

Personally, I’m surprised that any of the following links below are still active.  Well, who’s looking at this stuff anyway?  Certainly, not the general public:

Dems Target

Fact Check

Congress considering

Government to Confiscate (no longer active)

Confiscation of Private Retirement

Even in the Wall St. Journal:  Targeting your 401K

After reading several of these reports in 2009 and later, it did not take long for me to set the plan in motion to cash out … completely.  I took the 10% penalty, while it’s still 10% and liquidated my accounts.

The rest of the population?  Not so much.

I think it was Prechter who laid out just how easy it is for the government to seize IRA accounts.  It’s basically a two step process.

Step 1.  The market drops 50% to 70%.  Remember, the drop from 2007 to the bottom in 2009 was 58%.

Step 2.  Declare a state of emergency (executive order) for the working population and move in to “save” the IRA accounts from more devastation.  The result would involve a stiff withdrawal penalty (say 50%) and to “protect” the accounts from further losses, IRAs can only invest in U.S. Treasuries or Bonds.

It’s that easy. 

As stated previously, wealth does not necessarily mean gold and silver.  That too can (and has been in the past) be confiscated.

In fact, I and my firm are already operating as if the next crisis is in full swing and asset confiscation is the norm.  That way, we don’t have to come up to speed quickly in what may be an extreme stress situation. 

End Report

One could propose that (IRA) legislation is already written.

Just like the CARES Act was already written and submitted to committee in January of 2019, nine months before there was any kind of outbreak.

Stay Tuned

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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