Category Archives: TLT

AMT: Downside Leader

February 16, 2021 By in AMT, DRV, IYR, TLT, TMF 1 Comment

Early in the session, looks like AMT is leading the way lower.

In addition, a new pivot may have been established along with a new (lower) trend line. Subsequent price action will determine if we’ve seen acceleration to the downside.

Separately, IYR has just posted a new daily low … helping the case for reversal (and not ‘throw-over’) at this juncture.

The firm maintains its short position via DRV (not advice, not a recommendation).

Separately, bonds (TLT) broke lower at the open which was unexpected.

The long position in TMF (3X TLT) was exited just after the open. Not advice, not a recommendation.

Even though expectations are for TMF to recover, we’re not going to wait around and hope.

One gets the sense events are happening quickly at this session. Was the Texas blackout the ‘event’ to trigger a market reversal?

It’s possible. Real esate, IYR now trading lower at -1.38%, just 90-minutes after the open.

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.

Throw-Over, Or Not?

February 15, 2021 By in AMT, Bonds, Dollar, DRV, IYR, TLT, TMF, UUP 1 Comment

IYR’s in a terminating wedge … will it throw-over, or reverse from here?

American Tower (AMT), the largest cap in the ETF, bounced off a 23.6% projection during last Friday’s session.

That keeps a short term bullish possibility alive. Longer term, AMT still remains in a downward trading channel.

Bonds and the dollar continue at extremes. On the dollar side, it looks like a significant bottom is in the works.

Weekly UUP, MACD has posted a bullish divergence along with an MACD lines cross (to the upside) signal.

Bonds (TLT) remains at its near term lows; near support levels formed back in September, 2019.

IYR is right at the upper wedge boundary and volume (upside pressure) has dropped significantly.

It could still levitate higher … however, it seems that getting a significant ‘throw-over’ is going to require more energy than is currently available.

We’ll see what price action has in store for Tuesday’s session.

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.

Bonds: A Closer Look

February 14, 2021 By in Bonds, HYG, Positions, TLT, TMF 1 Comment

The last report on bonds said to expect fireworks soon.

Price action has the final say. It’s saying not yet but close.

The weekly chart of TLT shows the area we’re going to look at a bit closer.

The chart has been expanded below:

In the past six weeks, there have been three decisive down weeks.

The black arrows on those weeks show each successive down week has less net travel.

Last week was the shortest net travel of the three. In addition, that week had higher volume than the week prior.

Less range, more volume.

The late David Weis in his Wykoff analysis video (link here) discussed a similar situation using Apache Oil (APA).

The short version of the story is: Less range, more volume … ‘somebody’s buying’.

Although not really a bond fan, the opportunity is there. Risk has been or is being removed (never entirely) and one way to participate in a reversal and bull move is using leveraged funds (not advice, not a recommendation).

This past Friday, I positioned the firm in TMF, a 3X leveraged bond fund.

Volume (liquidity) is acceptable at around 600,000 – 800,000 shares daily (allowing pre-market entries/exits).

It’s important to note, while TLT was making new daily lows, the high yield HYG, ticked just 0.01-point above its post recovery high. Since August of last year, TLT and HYG have been inversely correlated.

On way to read this, we’re at extremes.

We’re just one ‘incident’ away from sending things violently in the opposite direction; complete with down-gaps, trading halts, brokerage lock-ups … the whole nine yards.

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.

Bond Fireworks, Dead Ahead

February 11, 2021 By in Bonds, HYG, TLT 1 Comment

With the highest level of short positions in bond history, it’s reversing.

Short sellers have been hypnotized after six months of non-stop downward action … sometimes the reversal begins quietly.

The clues are there. Bullish MACD in both histogram and the lines. The price action trap-gap.

The purple oval has been expanded to the left showing the ‘trap-gap’. This type of action is common during a surprise reversal.

The problem is, it’s all connected. Bonds rising indicate the economy is weak. Actually, the economy is dead (by design).

Just take a look at one of Jeremia Babe’s walk-around updates.

Businesses and malls are ‘decimated’ in his words. Here’s the latest from him … just out.

The TLT and HYG (junk bond) both reached their extremes on the same day but in opposite directions.

TLT reached its low and HYG reached its high.

Now, both those markets have reversed. The latest CPI numbers were a surprise. It highlighted that hyperinflation is not there.

That article also pointed out, rent inflation (i.e. commercial real estate) is decreasing.

One last thing. The broker used by the firm has posted a message each day upon logging onto the trade platform. That message is to the effect:

‘As a result of increased market activity, we’re experiencing especially high call volume and hold times’

This message is being posted when the market is going up!

Are any of the major brokers going to effectively handle the herd of retail calling in a panic, trying get out of a downside trading halt?

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.

Into Thin Air …

February 10, 2021 By in DRV, IYR, TLT

Yesterday’s action in IYR, looks like a breakout higher.

That is, until you look at volume.

Price action levitates higher while everyone leaves the party.

From the start of the last thrust higher on February 1st, volume has declined over 75%.

There are two possibilities:

  1. Buyers and Sellers are backing away; letting prices drift.
  2. There’s no bullish commitment at these levels; reversal imminent.

Two quotes that accurately sum up the overall market situation; from Johnny Bravo and Steven Van Metre respectively:

‘One thing or the other, something’s going to break’

‘This is pretty dangerous stuff going on here’.

Before we wrap up, we’ll add just one more thing.

Junk yields have sunk to record lows.

Why buy TLT at ‘relatively’ safe 1.55%, when you can have junk yield at 3.95%, that’s going to blow-up (launching TLT into the stratosphere) at any time.

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.

Bonds: Measured Move, Met

February 6, 2021 By in Bonds, IYR, S&P 500, SPY, TLT

From the wedge breakout to the downside, Friday’s action in TLT has met the measured move.

Price action finished at the low of the day (+0.01) and is posting a bullish MACD divergence.

On the other end of the spectrum, the S&P 500 finished at all time highs.

Intuitively, we can see how this is setting up.

Each market is at an extreme. That includes real estate, IYR at its own 76.4%, retrace … although severely lagging the S&P.

Unfortunately at such junctures, we can expect some type of ‘incident’ to set things off in the opposite direction.

It may not happen but if it does, the markets define the news; not the other way around.

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.

Ruh, Roh: Bond Reversal

January 12, 2021 By in Bonds, IYR, TLT, UUP

Now, it gets interesting.

Bonds sold short the most in history.

Then, today’s action is reversal with moderate volume.

On the dollar side, at first glance it looks like a terrible day.

Action was down 0.53%.

The reality is, UUP came down to test an up-trend line formed as part of its own reversal last Thursday.

Both dollar and bonds are in an upside reversal; the dollar looks slightly ahead by a few days.

Real estate (IYR) has rallied (sort-of) which may only be temporary; likely on the (false) belief lower bond yields are good for higher yielding sectors.

Not true when we still have (as Van Metre puts it), the ‘insolvency event’ yet to come; everyone going bankrupt all at the same time.

Anything can happen and the above analysis could fall apart tomorrow.

On the probability side, looks like we’ve seen the extremes in the major sectors; now ready for reversal pivots.

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.

Gold Down. Why?

January 9, 2021 By in Bonds, Dollar, GLD, GOLD, TLT, UUP

We have the usual suspects rolled out; providing expert analysis on why gold went down.

The answer is quite simple. It tested a trend break, then reversed.

If we look at the (close) chart of GLD, it broke an uptrend during the week of November 20th, last year; went lower and then back to test.

That test was rejected dramatically with Gold (GLD), heading significantly lower; getting whacked down over 5%, in just two days.

This is not bull market behavior.

Steven Van Metre’s assessment (at this juncture) that we’re in a deflation event is being shown correct. The lagging factor in the scenario is the overall market … still near all-time highs.

It’s true bonds broke lower (rates up) this week but that’s another event answered by technicals; the wedge formation, discussed here.

Both bonds and the dollar have set the stage for a swift reversal.

Just how that’ll affect an extended, obscenely overvalued, stretched, call options wild market with everybody all-in, is not known.

Getting back to Van Metre; he’s reported, during this past week, small traders/speculators added to short (bond) futures positions.

If there’s a signal bonds are stretched, ready to reverse, it’s the little-guy just now getting in (going short) …. right at the bottom; as usual.

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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.

Bonds Pulled Tight

January 8, 2021 By in Bonds, TLT 2 Comments

Overnight and early pre-market, bonds have completed a measured move.

Using the 10-yr note (futures) as the proxy for overnight, we’ve updated the TLT chart to show the target (bottom of dashed line).

The low was hit overnight; now bonds are edging back higher.

It’s like a drawstring pulled tight.

As Livermore said years ago (in Reminiscences), the manipulators will push a stock to the sell levels they want but not too much.

Too much of a push will bring in more selling and they’ll lose control.

Bonds pulled tight but not too tight.

The long bond was already sold short the most in history. It’s possible speculators are even more short now.

Dollar also higher in overnight and pre-market; that could be shutting the trap for bears in both markets.

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.

Bonds Down

January 7, 2021 By in Bonds, TLT

Bonds closed decisively below support at the last session.

This morning in the pre-market, they are trading near the bottom of yesterday’s range.

The TLT chart has the details. We have the ‘Wyckoff Wedge’ (as we’re calling it) as discussed in a prior update.

We’re at the danger point and in spring position.

That means, if bonds push back above the resistance and test, it’s a strong indication of a huge rally to come.

Think of the wedge as a clock pendulum oscillating down to zero.

To get the clock started again, the pendulum must be pulled to one side and then let go.

Separately, as a result of this price action, Steven Van Metre, is starting to lose some fans. Nothing against him.

It’s just that a vast majority of the investing public, has very little idea of how the markets actually work.

Wyckoff called it the ‘Composite Operator’.

Today’s interpretation could be called the ‘Central Mind’. There is manipulation behind everything … always has been.

A push below support, is doing what the Central Mind wants.

That is, the bond bulls to give up, lose their following, have accounts pulled (withdrawn) and for them to start questioning their own analysis.

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.