There are sure to be plenty of post-mortems over the weekend; usual suspects giving us their assessment on what’s already happened. 🙂
Sometimes the question, is not ‘what’s happened’, but ‘what has not happened’.
That’s where the opportunity may lie.
Market Implosion
Over the past week, there were wide price bars, with action unstable in all major indices (ETFs): DIA, IBB, IWM, IYM, IYR, QQQ, SOXX, SPBIO, SPY, XLF, and XOP.
However, what did not implode (completely), are the car dealerships; specifically, CarMax and Carvana.
For this update, we’ll look at CarMax.
CarMax, KMX, Weekly Close
On a close basis, KMX, has bounced off the lower wedge boundary and is near the resistance area (magenta line).
Price action could be positively biased in the coming week as a result of ‘tax refund’ car buying (not advice, not a recommendation)
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.
Yesterday, biotech had moving average compression; today, it’s Alcoa.
In this case, we’ll present the monthly chart, showing the long-term picture.
As we’ll see, moving average compression is rare, especially when using the longer time-frames.
In the case of Alcoa (AA), you have to go all the way back to 1978, to find a similar event.
The Big Bubble
Referring to Prechter’s analysis link here, he states that we’re [potentially], in the largest asset bubble since the South Sea, over 300-years ago.
Let’s keep that in mind. Events are happening on such a massive scale; the typical observer may not be aware of the significance and/or the rarity.
Alcoa AA, Monthly
The zoom areas are side-by-side to show the similarity.
Expanding the chart and including the wedge notation, also shows price action at the lower boundary.
It should be noted, AA, is part of the ‘Basic Materials’ sector, with tracking ETF as IYM.
Included in the IYM components, is NEM, and RGLD; this sector is correlated with the miners, GDX, GDXJ.
Positioning
It’s the trader’s discretion as what to do at this point.
This site may or may not execute a direct short of Alcoa, just as it might do with Carvana (CVNA), and maybe others (not advice, not a recommendation).
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.
We’re going to use the chart from yesterday’s post to set the stage for getting closer-in.
This past Friday’s early morning ‘spike’ is barely visible; the 30-minute (inverted) chart below, has more detail.
SPBIO, 30-minute (Inverted)
Price action rejected the lower levels (higher on SPBIO) and pulled away throughout the session. That ‘pulling away’ continued on, all the way into the close.
That’s a clue there may be follow-through at the next session.
If the early session opens ‘gap-higher’ (SPBIO, lower), into the resistance area (four magenta arrows, hourly chart), it would be the fourth time pressuring at this area; markets rarely hold a fourth attempt.
Summary
Of course, other markets are being watched like real estate (IYR), Tesla (TSLA), and even Basic Materials (DJUSBM), a potential sleeper for significant downside.
Updates are planned if/when low risk shows up.
Positions: Current Stance (courtesy only, not advice).
The following is the positioning of my firm’s main (largest) account.
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.
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.
Three markets with key reversals and the biotech sector (SPBIO) posting an inside day.
One other (less followed) market of note with outside down, was basic materials (DJUSBM).
Gold’s (GLD) upward thrust from Thursday the 29th, continues to erode.
One gets the sense that it’s slipping away for the bulls.
SPBIO price action shows the most probable direction is lower.
Expectation for the next session, is for some kind of downside follow-through along with lower market action overall.
Positions:
Current positioning remains unchanged (not advice, not a recommendation) being short the biotech sector via LABD.
Market updates for the week will be limited (as the result of travel) and will resume with technical discussions by the week-end.
Stay Tuned
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.
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 table lists well known index ETF’s; along with most recent highs and current (Friday) close:
All the usual suspects are there:
S&P 500, SPY, The Dow 30, DIA, Nasdaq, QQQ, and on.
What’s also listed is how far each index (ETF) is from its most recent all time high or ‘recovery’ high (in percentage terms).
Obviously, one of these is completely out of bed: Biotech, IBB
We’ll be discussing the technical condition of biotech tomorrow. For now, the updated ‘project’ chart’s included below:
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.
Bonds could be reversing but have already pushed rates high enough (long enough) to choke-off critical sectors of the economy like here and here.
Now we see the dollar has bottomed as well.
It looks like a strong multi-month (or year?) rally. Correspondingly, gold is weak. The overall markets are stretched to ever-livin’ extremes; never before seen.
Whenever this baby pops, try logging on to chaos, or exit any position (except maybe for the long bond).
Our approach then (not advice, not a recommendation), is continue work on positioning short. So far, the ‘project’ is taking small hits in those attempts. We’ll see how basic materials (SMN) works out today.
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.
DuPont is next and then Newmont mining. So, this is a potential deflation play (Newmont) as well.
A post just out yesterday, Uneducated Economist does an excellent job destroying the inflation narrative.
Steven Van Metre has also repeated many times, we’re likely to get a deflation impulse first before inflation.
One of the most important things he’s said, the Fed is not going to correct the public’s (false narrative) perception that inflation’s the danger.
If everyone’s pointed in the wrong direction, and it serves their interests, why correct it?
Which brings us back to Basic Materials. ‘Nobody’s watching’ this index. How do we know?
Look at the inverse fund, SMN.
Russell 2000 inverse, TZA, averages 6 – 10 million shares per day. Compare that to SMN’s 2,500 shares on a good day.
Volume does pick up as price action becomes active. Some days will be 100,000 – 200,000 shares.
Looking at the technical condition, there are bearish divergences on both daily and weekly time-frames. The chart at the top shows a Wyckoff up-thrust (reversal) condition just tested yesterday.
The response is to go short via SMN (not advice, not a recommendation).
Since we’re actively managing accounts throughout the day, it’s not a problem to monitor SMN and the bid/ask of the fund when trading is light.
The ‘project’ table has been updated:
Pre-market has SPY trading down about -1.5 points or -0.40%. The expectation is for Basic Materials to follow suit.
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® 