Category Archives: $SPSIBI

Biotech … Bulls/Bears

June 20, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, IBB, LABD, LABD-22-03, Prechter, SPBIO

Fight Between Support & Resistance

Last Friday’s action was volatile with the op-ex short-covering apparently coming into play. Biotech was affected more than any other index.

If it really was short covering, then we already know what’s likely to happen next.

First, we’ll go over the charts and then build a case for the next probable direction.

The focus is on SPBIO, instead of IBB, as it’s the weakest of the two indices.

From a weekly standpoint, this is where SPBIO, left-off this past Friday.

Biotech SPBIO, Weekly Bar

Adding the mark-up to show we’re at support and resistance.

Getting closer in on that area.

We can see based on the price action itself, we’re at an important juncture.

Two years ago, in March of 2020, price action formed a support level.

Fast forward to now.

Price action bounced off that same level, attempted to move higher (for over three weeks), was rejected, moved lower, and last week, came back up for an underside test.

Most Probable Direction

If there was a short squeeze as a result of options expiration, fuel for that move is gone.

The options have expired.

in addition, that fuel was only able to get SPBIO, to the underside of resistance.

So, you can see where this is going.

Upside fuel is gone. SPBIO, is currently at underside resistance; most probable direction is down.

Measured Move

If the action from all-time highs during the week of February 12th, 2021, to the current support/resistance area is a trading range, then we may have a ‘Measured Move’ target as shown.

Under the current conditions, i.e., financial, societal, collapse along with the ‘elephant‘ going mainstream, a downside objective that’s an – 85.6%, decline from all-time highs, is entirely reasonable.

The 3X Inverse LABD, Weekly

The unmarked chart

First, the rule of alternation.

Last time is not this time.

Last time there was a reversal bar and the next week continued lower, then lower again and so on.

The rule of alternation says, whatever happened last time will not happen this time. Price action will (likely) have a different form.

Obviously, if the short squeeze referenced above is over and the trend remains down, one could expect LABD, price action to be higher at the next session (SPBIO, lower).

Positioning

The weekly chart shows progression and location of the stop orders on LABD-22-03 (not advice, not a recommendation).

The initial stop has been moved up to last week’s low.

There may be a trading channel as well.

Potential exit target(s) if not stopped out, would be contact points at the upper channel line.

Summary

If the position is stopped out at the next session, we’ll re-evaluate.

If not, and SPBIO, continues to move lower (LABD, higher), we’ll be looking for additional confirmation of the right-side trend line and the next likely area to move the stop.

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

Retail Investor … The Apocalypse

June 19, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, ALCD, Biotech, Economic Ninja, LABD, LABD-22-03, Retail Investor, SPBIO, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge

Mass Psychosis, At The Edge

Even before we had gone around the room to introduce ourselves, the instructor at Online Trading Academy, Dallas, said he had a important topic to cover.

He wanted to make sure everyone understood the concept. The rest of the seven-day course hinged on the understanding and acceptance of the idea.

What was it?

You may have already guessed: ‘Short Selling’.

The big money is made on the downside … not after, when the bottom is in, although that may happen as well. No, it’s the downside that has the greatest opportunity for profit.

Fear is a much easier emotion to gauge than greed; in that sense, down is easier than up.

Short Selling: Market Trading 101

You would think it’s a no-brainer; that everyone knows this.

Not so.

Years ago, while discussing the markets with a former broker, he asked me, and I quote: “What’s an inverse fund?”

During a business lunch, I asked another broker if he worked the downside for his clients. The response was “They can’t handle the volatility”.

In his case, he knows the vehicles are there (inverse funds) but he doesn’t use them; only working the upside.

Shorting The Market

My first short sale was back around 1995.

I shorted ‘against the box‘, when you could still do so. The short trade was Alcide.

In the May 1993, edition of my newsletter (see About) ‘Market Order Letter’, published by my firm, Equity Research Corporation, Alcide received initial coverage.

Prior to that edition, I managed to get a phone interview with Mr. John Richards, Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer of the company.

Remember that I was simultaneously employed as Engineering Technical Manager, for an avionics company. So, the interview was performed on my lunch hour.

During the call, I had made it past the receptionist, then secretary, and then to Mr. Richards, specifically.

Initially, the interview was not going well.

I could tell he considered me an annoyance and rightly so. That was, until I mentioned the competition and how they were going to deal with that.

At the time, Isomedix, had a plan to irradiate chicken (carcasses) to prevent salmonella. Conversely, Alcide had a product that was sprayed on (i.e. low-tech) and biodegradable.

When I mentioned Isomedix, the tone of the conversation changed instantly. I had done my work; I knew the market and wasn’t some newbie (even in ’93).

Mr. Richards opened up and gave me a fantastic interview discussing all manner of things. I did not tell him I was on my lunch hour and in the end, had to politely say, ‘You must be busy, so I’ll let you go’; thank you for your input.

Alcide (ALCD) was a ten-bagger that ultimately went from about $3/share to above $60/share (actually, a twenty-bagger) before being acquired by Ecolab.

Which brings us back to the ‘Retail Investor’

Still Buying The Dip

One more thing about the trading class mentioned above.

After the short-selling topic was covered, the instructor went on to say, the fact we were sitting in that room, separated us out from the massive herd of ‘investors’.

At that time, there were about 40,000 – 60,000 professional traders in the U.S. Although still neophytes, we were considered in that group.

That’s 60,000 out of 240-million adults, putting the ratio at around 0.03%

Now, on to ‘the dip’.

This article out from ZeroHedge has the data saying, ‘Retail’, is still buying the dips although the average portfolio is down a whopping -34%, for the year.

Without getting into specifics, the most conservative account managed by my firm is up over 30%, for the year, which includes the LABD, whack from this past Friday.

Note: An updated analysis of Biotech SPBIO, inverse LABD, and LABD-22-03, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Fuel, For The Downside

Over a century ago, Wyckoff wrote about the behavior of those on the wrong side of the trade.

That is, they are the ones who provide the fuel for the next move. In our case, that would be fuel for the downside.

Investors are buying the dip, because that’s all they know how to do.

It’s a sign of desperation.

Hoping that somehow, the markets will pull them out and return things to ‘normal’.

If you’ve read this far, you already know, ‘normal’ is gone.

Whatever happens next, (except for the starvation) will be completely new.

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

Biotech … Squeeze or Test

June 17, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, BIS, Darvas, IBB, LABD, LABD-22-03, SPBIO

Maybe, Both

If we look at it from the perspective of an up-thrust test, as we’ll do below, such tests if they don’t fail are the precursor to dynamic moves.

At the minimum, today’s action allows the stop to be moved on short position LABD-22-03 (not advice, not a recommendation).

It’s interesting, the biotech sector both IBB and SPBIO, with inverse funds BIS, and LABD, respectively are the only ones taking a major hit today.

Using a cue from Nicolas Darvas and his observations (as a dancer), the market will initially go opposite its main direction as if to get ready for the move; like a dancer crouching down before lifting the female partner.

That may or may not be the case now, as we’ll see below.

Biotech SPBIO, Weekly Chart

Next, we’re going to invert the chart (to mimic inverse LABD) and then label the up-thrust as a Wyckoff ‘Spring’.

Biotech SPBIO, Weekly Inverted

Next, we get closer to the action as shown.

Is the ??? area, a test or a failure of the set-up?

The short answer with about 90-minutes to go before the close, is unknown.

If SPBIO, closes down for the week, painting a red bar, probabilities are to the downside.

Closing higher for the week starts to bring a potential failure of the trade into question.

Summary

No matter what happens, the stop on the short position via LABD is going to be moved to the low of this session; currently LABD 49.90 (not advice, not a recommendation).

We may get into speculation later, on why biotech seems to be the only index in a major squeeze, preparing for downside.

Some who monitor this site, and those ‘awake’, may already have a good idea as to the potential why.

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

A War of Attrition

June 11, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, LABD, LABD-22-03, SPBIO 2 Comments

To Survive, Prosper, You Need To Have The ‘Stomach’

There’s nothing like the Vietnam war to remind us, the enemy on their home turf has the advantage and can exercise a war of attrition.

Similar to the Soviets in Afghanistan; the natives, the Mujahideen, wearing down the invading army month after month and year after year.

The Oligarchs and The Proletariat

Day after day, another food processing plant burns down; another fertilizer train mysteriously derails, a natural gas facility unexpectedly blows up.

‘So it goes’, as Vonnegut wrote.

Americans, except for a few, don’t have the stomach for discomfort. The Depression-era generation is long gone.

However, this site, is for that small few.

As can be seen with the above ‘events’, we’re in a long-term chess game. Adding a potential twist is this video at time stamp 12:50; seeds may now be dead-on-arrival.

Is the typical money management firm, or market analysis YouTuber, taking all of this into account?

Or are they still talking about ‘due diligence’, ‘fundamentals’ and what The Fed ‘has to do’?

A good number, if not the vast majority of these firms, may be on a course for self-destruction.

More chaos to come as that industry gets crushed.

With that, let’s review why there’s been so much focus on biotech and specifically, SPBIO.

The Major Indices or ETFs

As of yesterday, Friday, this is where the major indices stood in relation to all-time highs or ‘recovery’ highs.

Listed from smallest percentage loss to the largest.

Biotech SPBIO, has been down five quarters in a row and is working on the sixth.

Because of last week’s action, the sector may be poised for its most dramatic part of the decline (not advice, not a recommendation).

We’ve had an on-going analysis of the sector with recent links provided here, here, here, and here.

Positioning

If we’re about to have a market implosion in the coming week(s), SPBIO, has already set itself up to be the downside leader (not advice, not a recommendation).

That doesn’t mean ‘straight-down’, although it’s always a possibility.

The most likely price action is more SPBIO downside (LABD, higher), with some oscillation in the accumulation area shown on leveraged inverse LABD, below.

SPBIO, 3X Leveraged Inverse, LABD

Un-marked chart

Potential zone for oscillating price action.

Now, adding the trading channel, we see the possibilities.

In the coming week, there’s also the potential for a ‘test’ where SPBIO, rises and LABD, declines.

However, from an empirical standpoint, when a Friday has a violent down move that closes near the low, it increases the odds for downside follow-through the coming Monday.

Positioning

The data below is taken from one of the accounts trading this market. It’s provided as a courtesy; showing entries and exits as the trade, LABD-22-03, unfolds (not advice, not a recommendation).

The expectation is for price action to allow the position to be increased based on more biotech downside.

With the Fed meeting due up this week, it’s going to be interesting.

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


Biotech … ‘Brace for Impact’

June 10, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, IBB, LABD, LABD-22-03, SPBIO, Wyckoff 2 Comments

Downside Leader

From the outset of the bull market’s end, biotech has been the downside leader.

Of the two indices being tracked, IBB and SPBIO, the latter of the two, is the weakest.

Over the past several weeks, it’s been like a terrier on a mailman’s leg concerning positioning short this index (not advice, not a recommendation).

In the end (as we’ll see below), it turns out that waiting for an actual penetration, print, and close above resistance, was the best approach.

Now, it’s obvious, we’re in a reversal.

The unfortunate part from an economic standpoint, this could be the next big leg lower.

Biotech SPBIO, Daily Close

Penetration and close above resistance (blue line).

Then, price action retreats below resistance and back into the trading range; Wyckoff, Up-Thrust (reversal).

It’s important to note, if SPBIO closes at this level or lower, the prior analysis of ‘grinding to a halt‘ on a weekly close basis, remains valid.

Positioning

Right or wrong, the short position LABD-22-03, was never fully exited (not advice, not a recommendation).

Everyone has their own style.

From a personal standpoint, I despise ‘chasing’ the market. Chasing is for the lazy or frightened who are too afraid to pull the trigger. No thank you.

In fact, the LABD-22-03, position was increased near the end of yesterday’s session.

The intuition, the gut feel, if you will, was ‘This sector’s going to reverse. When it does, it’s going to reverse hard’.

With today’s pre-market action (about fifteen minutes before the open), LABD, trading higher by 3.10-points, or +6.35%, that intuitive assessment is proving correct.

At this point, an obvious stop level would be yesterday’s LABD, low @ 45.77

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

Biotech … ‘Hold the Phone’

June 8, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, LABD-22-03, SPBIO 2 Comments

Danger Point … Print, Danger Point … Close

First, biotech SPBIO, ‘printed’ into the danger point.

The next day (yesterday), it ‘closed’ into the same region.

The charts below show where things left off at that close.

As is frequently done, farther down, we’re going to invert the chart to show price action similar to the leveraged inverse fund LABD.

Biotech SPBIO ($SPSIBI) Daily Close

Adding zoom for more detail

Next, we invert the same chart to show how it looks going short via LABD (not advice, not a recommendation).

Biotech SPBIO ($SPSIBI) Daily Close … Inverted

We can see that price action has been in a similar set-up before; just prior to a significant decline (non-inverted).

Summary

Obviously, Monday’s print into the danger point was taken as the set-up for a reversal. That reversal appeared to be taking hold based on that day’s price action.

Yesterday, reversed the reversal but then wound-up printing and closing into a danger point; an up-thrust condition on the standard chart and a spring condition when looking at it on the inverted scale.

Positioning

As was done in prior action, the position size in LABD, was reduced as price retreated (not advice, not a recommendation).

However, the position was not exited entirely.

Pre-market action has LABD, trading higher about 1-point or 2.0%. This behavior is consistent with a potential reversal.

Today’s close is the important part.

Higher for LABD, and we’re in a potential reversal for a significant move; lower and it’s time to exit completely and stand aside (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

Biotech … Grinds To A Halt

June 4, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, LABD-22-02, Neil McCoy-Ward, S&P, S&P 500, SPBIO 3 Comments

‘Two Weeks, To Flatten The Curve’

On a weekly closing basis (as we’ll see below), it’s obvious.

Upward (net) progress in biotech SPBIO, has come to a standstill.

While the media continues to foment the lie that somehow interest rates have reached their limit, or ‘Da Fed’, is going to do this or that, behind the scenes the plan … set out years ago, continues to unfold.

Before we get to the charts, let’s not forget what’s happening ‘out there‘. The number of idiots seems to be increasing without bound.

As Goethe said way back in 1826, ‘There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action’. He was being polite with the ‘ignorance’ part.

Now, on to the charts.

The un-marked, chart of biotech SPBIO, is below.

The second chart zooms-in, showing the percentage changes on a closing basis.

Biotech SPBIO, Weekly

Zoom in, showing net progress.

One would think, since biotech has dropped so significantly, there’s no more (downside) left.

Certainly, anything can happen.

However, the premise is, the overall collapse is still in the early stages.

We have not (yet) had a 50% – 90%, drop in the S&P.

In addition, pension funds are likely to go broke.

So all those $250,000/year ‘retired’ lifeguards that J.B. has spoken about? Well, how do you leverage that ‘skill’ to another industry?

SPBIO, Inverted

Next up, the inverted chart of SPBIO, to mimic the action seen in leveraged inverse, LABD.

Then after that, is the same chart marked with a potential forecast of where price action may be heading (not advice, not a recommendation).

Now, the markup showing potential action should biotech continue its decline.

Zooming in on the last few weeks of action.

The fact price action has bounced from this area of the chart, tells us the trading range is valid; the blue line is being recognized by the market.

Now as shown, we’ve come to a halt.

So, what happens next?

Positioning

As SPBIO ground its way higher (LABD lower) over the past week, the short position, LABD-22-02, was reduced further but not eliminated (not advice, not a recommendation).

Since there’s no more net progress upward and we’re still in an overall downtrend, expectations are for biotech to either stall, or reverse, continuing its trend lower.

As stated previously in this post, the market’s prior congestion was ‘complex’.

So, we’re expecting ‘simple’ this time around; all of which lends support to more downside.

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

Biotech … Stall & Reverse

May 31, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Jerimiah Babe, LABD, LABD-22-02, SPBIO

Heading Off The Cliff ?

We’re about to find out.

The last update presented that whatever happens with biotech (SPBIO), it’s likely to be decided quickly.

That conclusion was based on the ‘rule of alternation’ and the fact, the whole short squeeze event from last week, did not result in a new weekly high.

That, Was Then

What we have now so far in today’s session, is an attempt to move higher by SPBIO, which appears to have stalled and now, looking to reverse.

The reversal part won’t be confirmed unless, and until a new daily low is posted.

For today, posting a new low is somewhat of a tall order because of Friday’s wide trading range … but we’ll see.

Instead of going to the actual index, SPBIO, we’ll look at the 3X leveraged inverse fund LABD

SPBIO, 3X, Leveraged Inverse, LABD

Note:

The chart below, is a 3-Day chart with Friday, completing the last ‘third’ day.

As price action has moved lower, energy behind that move is weakening; seen in the thrust divergence

Why a 3-Day Chart?

When’s the last time you saw a 3-Day, 2-Day, or 6-Day, or any other non-conventional chart in anyone’s analysis?

Anybody? … Bueller? Bueller?

It’s not different, just to be different.

Shown below, we have the same 3-Day LABD, compressed and marked up with a trading channel.

At this juncture, the 3-Day shows the nuances more clearly.

If this trading channel is in-effect, that is, if it’s active, potential exit points for an LABD position at this point in time, would be 105, or 240 (not advice, not a recommendation).

For LABD, to get anywhere close to those points, especially the second (240-level), biotech would need to collapse.

Summary

There’s plenty of chaos to go around. We have those who are still arguing whether or not ‘it’s the bottom’.

Such arguments are potentially (and likely) from those completely unprepared.

As Jerimiah Babe said in one of his latest videos, ‘something’s going to break’.

When or if that break happens, it won’t be to the upside.

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

Economic Free-Fall

May 29, 2022 By in $SPSIBI, Appalachia's Homestead, BIS, DRV, DRV-22-03, I Allegedly, IBB, IYR, Jerimiah Babe, LABD-22-02, Red Hurricane, SPBIO, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge 2 Comments

Anecdotal Data, Says Implosion

As we speak, economic activity is shutting down … fast.

Amazon shipments cancelled, gas stations going dry, banks halt lending, real estate sales collapse.

Meanwhile, the market’s in a short-squeeze.

What happens next?

We’ll discuss real estate and biotech farther down but first the data sources.

Dan from i-Allegedly reports here, he still has a couple of rubes (my word) that think the market just bottomed out.

Good luck with that.

As we’ll show below, the real estate bear market (IYR) rebound, was identified ahead of time.

Next, we have Red Hurricane describing one semi-trailer load after another being cancelled. He hauls for Amazon.

Shipping activity’s contracting, seemingly, by the minute.

Lastly, this link where the D-word, ‘Depression’ is used within the first one-minute, twenty seconds.

Bottom-out in the stock market? Probably not.

So, let’s take a look at real estate IYR, and see where it might go next.

Real Estate IYR, Weekly Chart

The last update (link, here) showed potential to rise into a test of resistance. That’s exactly what happened.

Back then:

And now:

With zoom

Obviously, the upward test happened much quicker than anticipated … but it was anticipated … no surprise.

Real estate got itself into Wyckoff spring position; so, a rebound (test) is normal market behavior … short-squeeze or not.

If it was a squeeze and if it’s over, we can expect an immediate drop in price action. We’ll analyze that as it plays-out in the coming week.

Now, on to biotech, SPBIO

Biotech SPBIO ($SPSIBI), Weekly

Some housekeeping first.

Obviously last week, with being short, more downside action was anticipated resulting in upside for LABD.

On Friday, that did not happen. Biotech was part of the squeeze as well.

The short position via LABD, identified as LABD-22-02, was reduced but not exited completely (not advice, not a recommendation).

At present this is where we are.

First, we’ll start by inverting the chart to mimic the action of 3X inverse, LABD.

Next, we’ll zoom-in and highlight the ‘squeeze’.

Doesn’t look like much when viewed that way does, it?

Next, we’re going to zoom-in, on the zoom

In spite of all the squeeze chaos on Friday, price action could not post a new weekly low (high on the non-inverted).

We’ll see this Tuesday, if that’s important or not.

This post is getting long but let’s end with the rule of alternation. The same chart is marked up below.

If this rule is still in-effect, we’re at a juncture where one can expect a ‘simple’ alternation.

We’ve already had complex action on the prior congestion; so, we can expect current action to be simple in character.

That means, price action’s not likely to stick around at these levels whether it’s going up or down.

Based on the above analysis, the expectation for Tuesday’s open is a gap lower for SPBIO and higher for LABD.

If that does not happen, something else is at work … we’ll report on that as necessary.

Summary

Has the market bottomed out? Not likely.

Those who are at this late stage, still arguing with Jerimiah Babe and Dan (and Patera), that the market’s rebounding, everything’s fine, are in a state of delusion.

The mindless herd following spending with ever newer cars, moving up to the McMansion, opulent vacations, posting it all on Facebook is most decidedly, gone.

It’s finished. It’s Done.

The problem is, as J.B. notes above (time stamp 7:15 and 8:30), those still living that life don’t seem to know it’s over.

For the leaders, the tiny minority and those reading this post, who are, or who have been preparing for years, it means potential huge (life changing) opportunities.

That is, as long as the markets, the banks and other infrastructure stay open; not guaranteed in any way.

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