Category Archives: Federal Reserve

Oil Bounce … Part II

August 23, 2024 By in Artificial Intelligence, David Weis, DRIP, DRIP-24-02, Federal Reserve, Great Depression 2.0, Interest Rates, IWM, Oil, Oil & Gas, Russell 2000, Semiconductors, SOXS, SOXS-24-13, SOXX, TZA, TZA-24-01, USO, XOP

Is This It?

We’ve gone form “Not Happening” to this morning’s action; ‘maybe it’s happening?’

As was done with Oil & Gas exploration XOP, we’ll now take a look at the oil patch itself and proxy, USO.

Oil tracking Fund, USO, Close

“What do you see?”

Marking up the chart.

We either have the ‘tradable bounce‘, or a potential contact point for the right-side channel line (not advice, not a recommendation).

The Fed announcement is just out, essentially accommodating a rate cut in September.

There was talk of some ‘cooling’ in the market (Ya think?).

With that, demand for oil seems like it would take a hit putting it lightly (not advice, not a recommendation).

Positioning.

The market itself is telling us where to go and what to do.

The important item for the day; what is the market not doing? Specifically, the Semiconductors, SOXX.

The SOXX, has not made a new (daily) high (at least, not yet) after the Fed’s announcement; it can even be seen as the ‘proverbial gut-check’, a la David Weis.

With that, all other positions have been closed save the short in the semiconductors via inverse fund SOXS (not advice, not a recommendation).

Danger Ahead

The ‘rate cut’ has yet to happen and September is a long way away.

It can’t be re-iterated enough how dangerous is this environment; prices stretched via a narrative that’s false (not advice, not a recommendation).

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

Pulling Back … The Curtain

August 22, 2024 By in Artificial Intelligence, Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, Semiconductors, SOXS, SOXS-24-13, SOXX, ZeroHedge

The Truth Comes Out

Here’s a different take on Wall Street’s ‘outrage‘ over a year’s worth of fake jobs data.

No, the outrage is not about the data being fake, the outrage may be the curtain has been pulled back, allowing the public to see the truth.

That truth, discovered by Wyckoff back in 1902, was price action has no connection to so-called economic numbers.

In fact, he said (paraphrasing):

‘Dynamics were operating on prices that had no relation to any fundamentals.’

If market action really was based on fundamentals, an historic revelation of 818,000 fake jobs, would have sent the indexes into a frenzy, which did not happen.

In fact, nothing happened

Now, we have ‘The Street’ putting the pieces back together (trying to re-hypnotize their clientele) and come up with another fake narrative; surely, the Fed will lower rates this time … honest!

Well, let’s leave the clown show (for now) and get back to some real, reality, the A.I. bubble.

Semiconductors SOXX, Daily

What do you see?

If you’re a long-time visitor (welcome back), by now, your market recognition should be near instant.

That is, we have a Head & Shoulders pattern (not advice, not a recommendation).

Nothing is ever perfect in the markets, but this one is near textbook.

Positioning

Shorting this sector is more than a little dangerous.

Just take a look at the gaps, volatility, huge percentage swings up and down, with leveraged inverse fund SOXS.

With that said, and with the danger in mind, a potential low-risk short (via SOXS) was established early this session.

The trade is labeled, SOXS-24-13, with a stop at the day’s low of SOXS 20.63 (not advice, not a recommendation).

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

Bonds In Trouble … Rates Higher?

August 17, 2024 By in Bonds, David Weis, Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, TLT, Uneducated Economist, Wyckoff

The Water’s Fine, Come On In

The financial press and their lackeys, expects the Fed to pull a rabbit out of a hat and lower rates.

The public’s perception seems to be:

‘Happy days are here again’, if rates get lowered, I’ll spend and spend. I can’t help myself, there is no end. So, get rates lowered, again.

Wyckoff warned about the financial press over a century ago. Since then, not much has changed.

In fact, it’s probably worse.

The public thinks rates are coming down. It’s the ‘credible threat’ as Uneducated Economist puts it. The Fed ‘threatens’ to lower rates, and it ‘happens’, sort of.

Actually, rates aren’t lower, but the market has distorted itself, as if they were.

So, let’s get past the narratives and go straight to the truth, price action in the bond market.

Long Bonds, TLT, Weekly Close

As my mentor Daivd Weis used to say: “What do you see?”

I’ve already marked-up the chart and I see one Wyckoff Up-Thrust, reversal, after another (not advice, not a recommendation).

That, along with exhaustion spikes in Force Index, at or near significant reversals.

The ‘Scary’ Part

Wyckoff analysis is not only price action, it’s volume as well.

Look at the volume in TLT, over the past year.

Massive inflow and what has price done? It’s gone essentially nowhere.

Wyckoff called this ‘Effort vs. Reward’. Lots of effort with little (net) reward.

Add to that, a potential exhaustion spike in Force Index (far right side, purple circle).

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

Correction … or … Crash?

August 2, 2024 By in 1987, Artificial Intelligence, Biotech, Bonds, Corn, Federal Reserve, Gold & Silver, Natural Gas, TLT 1 Comment

1987, Deja Vu

Insane, delusional valuations, high interest rates, no rate cut.

What could go wrong?

Visitors to this site already knew that ‘something’s up’.

Fully documented well in advance of today, was the A.I. bubble reversal, silver reversal, biotech reversal, and commodities like corn and Nat-Gas continuing their sustained decline.

Now the market hysteria is resulting in the typical knee-jerk, ‘flight to safety’ to the bond market (not advice, not a recommendation).

Surely, with all of that, the Fed will cut rates, right?

For the (potential) answer to that question, let’s look at the bond market.

Long Bonds, TLT, Weekly

Already proposed on this site, the Fed does not lead the bond market and interest rates, it follows it (not advice, not a recommendation).

So, what’s this chart telling us?

If the market continues its decline in the coming weeks, TLT price action itself shows a potential for higher bond prices (lower yields).

We’re just over six-weeks away from the next Fed meeting.

Fed Follower?

If the Fed is still a follower, not a leader and if bond (TLT) prices reach the target just as the September meeting is held, then, one would expect a rate cut (not advice, not a recommendation).

Important to note, if TLT gets to the target area, it’s in Wyckoff Up-Thrust (potential reversal) position.

Economic Air-Pocket

If there is a rate cut as a result of the leading action of the bond market and then it reverses to the downside (rates higher), that’s when it would get real interesting.

Correction or crash; we may have to wait until September to find out (not advice, not a recommendation).

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

Bonds: Break Up, or Break Down?

July 5, 2024 By in Bonds, Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, TLT

Into The Wedge

Bonds are in a ‘terminating wedge’.

So, what comes first? The market implodes with bonds (likely) moving higher?

Or … bonds break lower, icing on the cake for rate-hikes, then move higher as the market tanks … Or, behind door Number Three, they both melt down, together.

The least likely event is that nothing happens (not advice, not a recommendation).

Moving on to the chart.

Bonds TLT, Monthly

As shown, the 40-year bond bull market ended during March of 2020.

That was the week of Friday 13th … you can’t make this stuff up (it’s all about the numbers).

One item above, favoring the downside more than up, the last major thrust was ‘downside pressure’.

That thrust has not yet been confirmed with more downside or negated with an upside breakout.

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

The Usual Suspects

June 16, 2024 By in Artificial Intelligence, Federal Reserve, Food Supply, Genesis 41, Interest Rates, James Grant, The Speck, Usual Suspects, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge 1 Comment

Can It Get Any More Stupid?

It’s been a while since rounding up The Usual Suspects.

However, like last time, the stupidity, misdirection, misinformation, outright falsehoods, overall grift and schtick, has got to the point where an update is needed.

We’ll start off by repeating No. 1 from the prior ‘suspects’ as it encompasses the whole genre of ‘non-thought’ by the public and financial press alike; readers of this post excepted, of course. 🙂

No 1. There (still) is no Fed Pivot. Seriously, have rates really, actually been lowered? Everyone has a huge case of ‘normalcy bias’. i.e., what the Fed did last time will happen this time.

The 40-year bond bull market from the ’80s, ended in 2020. We’re in a different paradigm now.

We’ll add in this updated post, James Grant, of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer.

He second’s the motion: The 40-year bond bull market, is over. Period.

No 2. It has always been about the food supply.

Food is boring and gets no ‘clicks’ on my grifting ‘silver, gold stacking’ website or YouTube, so I ignore it.

After all, my business, is to get more business.

Just a reminder, if anyone really wants (inedible) gold or silver (cheap), this might be a way to get it.

No 3. The market has ‘thinned out’ to an incredible degree.

Now, instead of The Mag 7, there are only three and one of them, is a washed-up gaming stock.

How apropos, when considering the opening paragraphs about the overall public and financial press.

No 4. Is Artificial Intelligence just another lie?

Looks like according to this, it can’t be trusted. Who could have guessed?

I’m shocked! Shocked!

No 5. Ruh-Roh Scooby, fake meat’s bad for your health.

Didn’t see that one coming.

No 6. Well, there could be a new ‘scarient‘ in the works.

However, looking at price action of the biotech sector, far below its all-time highs, the market itself, is saying ‘No, not this time.’

No 7. Could the S&P make it to 6,300?

After all, it’s all about the numbers, right?

The S&P bottomed at 666.67 on 3/9/09.

Summary

If there ever was a time as Wyckoff said, to ‘completely ignore the financial press’, this may be that time.

He also stated, ‘reading price action is hard, taking literally decades and many losses to master’, a skill which is never really complete.

As the ‘About‘ section states, this site is one leader’s perspective on that action; presenting it, in a strategically cognizant form.

As far as is known, no other site is doing the same.

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

‘Adverse Moves’ … Action Plan

June 12, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, LABD, LABD-24-12, SOXS, SOXX, SPBIO, Uneducated Economist

What To Do When ‘Whacked’

The day started out with a bang; market’s up sharply on CPI print.

One could think, months of biotech (short) analysis, has been blown apart with this morning’s sharp move (not advice, not a recommendation).

Remember, this update said watch out for ‘French’ guys:

“However, just like the video snippet in the link above, what looks to be a dramatic conclusion to weeks if not months of work, could be completely derailed by a bunch of ‘French’ guys hanging out in a British castle.” 

Well, here they are. 🙂

From a trading, positioning perspective, is it really that bad, what’s going on?

For that answer, we’re going straight to the hourly chart of 3X Inverse Leveraged Fund LABD.

Biotech 3X Leveraged Inverse LABD, Hourly

Early morning price action penetrated the stop level given in this update.

However, as can be seen, price action behavior of LABD was different than (inverse fund) SOXS, under similar conditions; it did not keep going lower but stopped dead.

It’s clear, action at this point, is pulling away from the lows.

Rate Cuts Not

Way back in January of 2023, this site proposed the ‘rate cut’ discussion was nothing more than a ruse; keeping everybody (the press, especially) busy acting like Pavlov’s Dogs, while the big rug-pull was being set-up.

With that in mind, here’s the real story of what’s going on (not advice, not a recommendation).

Positioning

In a little bit of a market ‘cheat’, LABD is currently trading above the prior stop level.

At the risk of making a gross trading error, the short position in biotech (via LABD) is being maintained (not advice, definitely not a recommendation).

However, even as this post is being created (3:15 p.m., EST), biotech XBI continues to erode back into the trading range with LABD, continuing to rise.

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

The Nvidia (Split) Top

June 8, 2024 By in 1987, 1998, 2000 - 2001, 2007 - 2008, Artificial Intelligence, Federal Reserve, NVDA, SOXX 3 Comments

Top of The Tops?

Here … ‘Hold this bag’.

Having been through the crash of ’87, ’98, ’01, ’08, and now, the feeling is similar.

Each time the vehicle (stock) is different but also the same, at the same time.

In case anyone wants to review, here’s the definition of ‘bag holder‘.

Is Now, The Time?

Previous analysis and potential top identification for NVDA, has been premature.

With that in mind, presented below are two charts.

One has the Fibonacci count from the October ’22 lows; the other, shows a trading channel overlay.

The inference is, we’re close to some kind of ‘event’ whether it be sideways congestion or reversal (not advice, not a recommendation).

Nvidia NVDA, Weekly

It appears, since the October ’22 lows, NVDA is being influenced by a Fibonacci sequence.

The ”close’ chart has the same Fibonacci count as well as the current trading channel.

Next week is ‘Week 88’, stock-split (10 to 1), as well as the Fed meeting.

Week 88, is within the margin of error for a precise Fibonacci count, Week 89.

With NVDA, at the top of its trading range, one needs to be on the lookout for some type of Fed/Stock-Split ‘overshoot’ or other indicator of potential upside limit (not advice, not a recommendation).

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

SOXX Action … Tight & Tighter

May 13, 2024 By in Federal Reserve, Semiconductors, SOXS, SOXX


Was Today, The ‘Tightest’?

The last update on the SOXX (using inverse SOXS), said we closed out the day, last Friday, with five-hourly bars of tight price action.

Tight action implies a directional, breakout move of some sort; expecting downward, for the SOXX (not advice, not a recommendation).

It didn’t happen.

What we got instead, shown below, is price action that’s even tighter.

Since the last update used the 3X Leveraged Inverse Fund SOXS, we’ll continue with that, but move to a 30-minute timeframe.

Semiconductors 3X Leveraged Inverse SOXS, 30-minute

The boxes outline price action that has become increasingly more and more constricted.

Obviously, something’s about to happen … but what?

Data Release

Tomorrow’s the release of PPI data along with a couple of Fed speeches.

Not that the ‘data’ really matters. Anyone with two basis points rubbing together should already know about accuracy of ‘the data’.

Even so, it can be used as an excuse for market manipulation.

So, let’s see what happens next.

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

Miners … Struggle At The Top

May 1, 2024 By in DUST, Federal Reserve, GDX, GDXJ, Gold & Silver, Gold Miners, Interest Rates, JDST, Wyckoff 1 Comment

Looking Behind The Curtain

Did rates get lowered? … No? … Not Yet?

Well, maybe next time.

Good thing we’re not wasting time, talking about the circus rolling into town every two months or so.

It’s hard enough ignoring the ‘experts’ to remain focused on price action and the truth.

This update will be brief, self-explanatory.

Junior Miners, GDXJ, Weekly Close

Gold is near all-time highs but Silver along with Platinum and Palladium are far below their respective highs.

This is not what you would expect to see in a hyper-inflation scenario.

The Juniors have been struggling at the axis line, now resistance line, for several weeks.

Today’s non-event, may be the catalyst, taking the punch bowl away from the six-week rally (not advice, not a recommendation).

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