Category Archives: ZeroHedge

Positioned For Trouble

August 3, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, LABD, LABD-24-16, SOXS, SPBIO, Wyckoff, XBI, ZeroHedge 1 Comment

When The Tide Goes Out

We all know the quote attributed to Buffett:

‘When the tide goes out, that’s when you find out who’s been swimming naked’.

Or, to put it another way:

‘Everybody’s a genius in a bull market’.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are.

We’re about to witness what method’s best suited to handle typical ‘price destruction’ behavior of a bear market (here and here) along with possible chaos in commodities.

That challenge also includes this site of course.

Bear Market Behavior

If we’re really entering a bear market, prices typically do not go straight down unless there’s an outright crash.

No …Bear markets are all about what’s called ‘price destruction’.

That is, price action whipsaws a near infinite number of times; getting into (a short) position for the downside or (long for) an upside squeeze is incredibly difficult.

The most recent example of this was the volatile whipsaws in 3X leveraged inverse fund, SOXS:

Swings over +/- 20%, back-to-back in days if not hours.

With that said, we’re looking at biotech XBI, to see if there’s a chance of it being ‘well-behaved’ during a decline (not advice, not a recommendation).

Biotech XBI, Weekly

On a weekly close basis, we’ve had a double top.

Using the MACD, it shows momentum weakened on the leg up to the second top.

Watching price action (the tape) of XBI late Friday, near the close, it gave the appearance of short covering.

Upward spikes that appeared to be labored.

If that’s true, then a lower open at the next session would be the expectation (not advice, not a recommendation).

Taking Action

As the disclaimer states, this site is ‘not certified’ by the SEC and does not, cannot provide any advice.

What it can do, is infer the actions being taken.

With that said, this update shows the ‘category’ side bar with LABD-24-16, thus inferring a short position via LABD.

That’s the firm’s identifier used for spreadsheet tracking; the 16th biotech short via LABD, for the year.

Never Too Early, To Trend

In the next update, we’ll discuss how even in the early stages of (potential) XBI reversal, we may already have a trendline.

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

How To Use ‘Seasonality’

July 21, 2024 By in Livermore, Seasonality, SOXS, SOXS-24-12, SOXX, Trump, ZeroHedge

Three Months of Down

For the next three-months, until the end of October, the (net) seasonality of the markets is down.

That’s not all.

According to this link, we have a bevy of technical and fundamentals suggesting the overall direction of the markets is to lower levels (not advice, not a recommendation).

Lower is good … at least if one is positioned short.

With that, we’ll look at the semiconductors, SOXX, to see how seasonality might help on a (potential) short position.

Semiconductors SOXX, Daily

If the channel remains intact, we’re still at the beginning.

Of course, the very next session can completely blow this analysis apart. That’s the way of the markets.

For now, however, we do have a channel, we do have the above-mentioned seasonality; probability and pressure is to the downside (not advice, not a recommendation).

Turkey & Position

For those familiar with ‘Reminiscences‘, and ‘Turkey’, a.k.a. Mr. Partridge, we should all know the importance of maintaining position.

The objective, therefore, is to attempt to maintain a short position (via SOXS, or other short) as long as possible, given the trading channel and bearish bias (not advice, not a recommendation).

Simple But Not Easy

One of the very first things the Online Trading Academy (Dallas) told their class back in the day, working the markets with a profitable plan of action should be ‘simple’.

They also said, the problem is, it’s not easy.

Here’s just one unrelated example of a simple job (i.e. ‘protection’) that’s obviously, not easy.

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 A.I. Rope … Just Broke

July 17, 2024 By in Artificial Intelligence, NVDA, Semiconductors, SOXS, SOXS-24-12, SOXX, TSM, ZeroHedge

So, It Begins

SOXX, pre-market, down a solid -3.2%.

Taiwan Semi (TSM) is the primary reason with its own trading down over -5%,.

If this really is the top of the A.I. bubble, the potential (now apparent) reversal was covered well in advance, here, here, and here.

If this is not the top and there’s more to go, the SOXX would need to retrace significantly, find support and thrust energy to mount another rally (not advice, not a recommendation).

Note: MACD indicators are bearish divergent on both daily and weekly.

Making It Up, As We Go

Of course, the press has to make up a reason for the pre-market rout. So, for today, we have this and this.

Tomorrow is a whole ‘nother story, literally 🙂

Semiconductor SOXX, Weekly

The blue arrow notes only one other time (in history) in the SOXX, where downward thrust exceeded that of week ending, April 19th.

Otherwise, we have the usual suspects: Terminating wedge, dissipating energy, Fibonacci correlations for chief cook and bottle washer Nvidia, link here.

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

Nat-Gas … Another Set-Up

June 30, 2024 By in Natural Gas, UNG, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge

Watch For The ‘Bounce’

Nat-Gas, UNG, is at support right now.

So, what happens next?

Before we get to that, let’s first be aware of what’s being presented to the public. This recent link, says that upon increase in production, ‘go short’ (absolutely, definitely, not advice, not a recommendation).

So, the advice is, somehow tie the fundamentals to a trading action?

Given that going short on increase of production would even work (I wouldn’t do it), how is anyone going to figure out whether those numbers are real?

So, we choose not to play the game and instead, go straight to the truth, price action.

Nat-Gas UNG, Daily

First, it’s important to note the ‘Risk At A Low’, area.

That’s the location of this update.

With price action now at support, anything can happen.

There could be an immediate bounce, downside penetration, or some combination.

Note that Force Index (purple rectangle), shows action as ‘well behaved’.

That is, there’s no apparent craziness as was seen to the far left of the chart with wide swings in Force Index.

If UNG, does bounce higher from here, it increases the importance of the support level.

That, in turn, gives us a ‘heads up’; keep watching for a subsequent downside penetration and possible Wyckoff ‘spring’ set-up.

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

Neural Plasticity … Be Flexible

June 26, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Dr. Elder, LABD, LABD-24-13, SPBIO, Uneducated Economist, Wyckoff, XBI, ZeroHedge

Reviewing The Plan

From the outset, the premise for biotech XBI, was this:

We’re in a huge up-thrust, several years in the making (not advice, not a recommendation).

With a set-up that big, downside potential was projected to be just as big, link here.

Then came the hard part, validating the premise and getting into position.

Nural Plasticity

So, it’s been on again, off again; a total of seven short trades; LABD-24-06 – LABD-24-12, with an eighth, LABD-24-13 opened, as of today.

The entire (closed) series has been profitable.

However, during that time, assessment of (major) downside potential shifted from confidence to caution, and now back to confidence.

‘Sticking to one’s guns’, no matter what the market (the tape) is saying, is a sign of real trouble.

The market itself directed the entering/exiting.

With that, let’s move on.

The ‘New’ Paradigm

Reviewing the host of ‘experts’ in the press and YouTube alike, (except for UE), everybody has their reason on why nothing (bad) will happen until after the ‘election’.

The last go-round should have broken that paradigm completely; but no, we’re still hanging on.

The ‘new’ paradigm is probably, ‘no’ paradigm. 🙂

From a Wyckoff perspective, the financial press is to be ignored except for when data releases are scheduled.

What’s in the release is not important; it’s the time and date itself, warning of potential volatility.

Biotech XBI, Daily (inverted)

Once again, inverting the chart to show the short-side (LABD) potential (not advice, not a recommendation).

Note: The dashed blue lines, an extension of the support level shows we’re also in a potential spring set-up at one higher timeframe, the weekly; more background, link here.

Positioning

As noted above, a new short position was opened via LABD, during this session (not advice, not a recommendation).

Typically, discussion of open trades within the trading community is (or should be) taboo. As Elder said years ago, there’s the real risk of ‘ego’ causing errors in discernment.

With that said, I might exit this trade at any time, without notice, without explanation.

Veteran traders will agree with that statement; when something’s ‘off’ with a trade (only known to them), it’s time to get out.

Nonetheless, a hard stop for today’s position would be yesterday’s LABD, low of 6.97 (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

The Moderna Reversal

June 19, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Dr. John Campbell, Elliott Wave, IBB, Livermore, Loeb, MRNA, PFE, Prechter, SPBIO, Wyckoff, XBI, ZeroHedge 1 Comment

When Price Action Heads South …

Said many times;

‘When price action heads south, bad news comes out.’

That’s a slightly different take on Prechter’s (Elliott Wave) observation.

‘Price action leads the news; not the other way around’.

Going to BigCharts, typing in MRNA, shows they still have no P/E.

So, the ‘bad news’, can’t be they’re not making any money because they’re not doing it, now. 🙂

I wonder, who can it be now?

For a clue to the (potential) answer, we can look at what’s happening to Pfizer, link here and here.

However, let’s not get ourselves wrapped around the axle on events, forecast years ago.

Rather, let’s go straight to the truth, the price action and see what it’s telling us.

Moderna MRNA, Weekly

The entire move from low to highs is shown. Included on the chart, are two Fibonacci indicators.

One is the standard ‘retrace’ indicator; the other, is a ‘projection’ indicator.

The ‘projection’ is based off the ‘a-b-c’ move from the lows of November 2nd, 2023, to the highs on May 24, 2024.

The retrace and projections are hard to see, so the ‘Detail‘, arrow is where we’re headed next on the daily.

Moderna MRNA, Daily

If there ever was a chart to once-and-for-all, refute, dismiss, trash, the whole ‘Fundamentals’ argument, that earnings, interest rates or some other ‘Voodoo economics’, moves prices, this is it:

MRNA, price action hit the 23.6% retrace level (exactly) for two days before moving on to hit the 161.8%, projection (exactly) before reversing.

Note the ‘100%‘ level as well; price action confirmed this area (exactly) three times! Once on the way up and two times on the way down (third time, not shown).

A century ago, Livermore said, ‘It’s all about the numbers’.

Strategy, First

Just as Livermore was primary a strategist, so is this site’s method of analyzing the markets, i.e., Strategy, Tactics, Focus, in that order (not advice, not a recommendation).

The news has been replete with reports like this one and this one.

Another panic ahead?

Sounds like it but at least in the case of Moderna, the chart itself says (effectively):

‘There’s no money in it’.

That means, another wave like we saw several years ago, is not the most likely future event (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

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

Deep ‘Kimchi’ Update … Newmont

May 11, 2024 By in Gold & Silver, Gold Miners, Michael Bordenaro, NEM, SBUX, Speck-Effect, The Speck, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge 1 Comment

Setting Up For ‘Breakout’ or, ‘Digging-In’ …?

Gold’s near all-time highs, silver’s rebounded, testing recent highs; yet Newmont’s at a paltry 23.6%, retrace.

So, you tell me. What’s likely to happen to Newmont, if gold or silver head back lower, even just a little bit?

That dude in the picture, needs to keep on diggin’. 🙂

Wyckoff, In-The-Know

Years ago, Wyckoff told us not to pay any attention to the financial press, the local circus.

However, that does not mean he didn’t know what was going on. He did, and sometimes down to the penny.

We don’t know for sure what’s (really) happening with Newmont and the mining sector but among other things, it might have something to do with this, this, and this.

Even so, price action’s the truth; let’s look at our chief cook and bottle washer’s progress since the last update.

Newmont Mining NEM, Weekly

The chart has expanded the Force Index (middle panel) for better clarity.

Going back to the last update, it had this to say:

“A reasonable expectation is NEM, retraces, testing the wide bar and volume before continuing to the downside or moving back higher to a breakout.”

Price action has done exactly that. It came down to test the wide (4/25/24) bar and then back up to resistance, where we are now.

The only thing missing at this point, is the breakout or reversal (not advice, not a recommendation).

Show Me, The Money

Anyone with two Latte’s rubbing together, knows the economy may (already) be in full-blown collapse.

Anecdotal (and factual) evidence of that can be found here, here and here.

Adding, Nemont itself is not doing well as evidenced by this recent (February) article about dividend cuts, asset sales.

Seems like everybody’s looking around for cash.

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 Breakdown … Is This It?

April 16, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Dr. Elder, Ed Dowd, Greg Hunter, LABD, SPBIO, UNG, USO, XBI, ZeroHedge 1 Comment

‘Respecting’ Fibonacci … So Far

Before we get started, biotech may have decisively turned the corner to the downside with this, just out … maybe.

‘Zero Respect For Thieves’

Before we get started, with getting started, a brief mention on thievery.

Years ago, Dr. Elder stated he had ‘zero respect for thieves’; those who had stolen his book tile, ‘Trading For A Living’, in various forms.

When you have limited skills and even less insight, thievery is the only way to go … that is, until you’re found-out.

Turns out, the analysis of silver SLV, posted on this site (here and here) nearly two weeks ago, specifically the presence of SLV volume ‘spikes’ at inflection points, may have been ‘lifted’ without citation by a prominent YouTuber (who will not be named … yet).

It may have been just a coincidence. If so, all is well. However, a ‘second time’, not so much. So, let’s all play ‘nice’ shall we? 🙂

Now, on to biotech.

Biotech, XBI, Daily

This update is being released just before the open. It looks like XBI, is about gap-lower.

We see in the chart, XBI, is respecting the Fibonacci projections.

As with the recent oil market analysis and USO, (here and here) we let the market decide what areas are important.

In the case of XBI, and unless significant demand comes in, lower prices appear to be the most probable direction (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

Nat-Gas, Goes Negative

April 13, 2024 By in Natural Gas, Oil, Oil & Gas, UNG, USO, Wyckoff, ZeroHedge 3 Comments

… At Least, In Texas

Storage facilities in Texas are paying to have someone take excess Nat-gas.

As this link says, the ‘reason’ for negative Nat-gas, is high oil prices prompt drillers to increase oil production, along with (by-product) Nat-gas, driving down the price.

We’ll cover Nat-gas (UNG) in a separate update which by the way, on Friday, posted another Wyckoff spring set-up.

The question du jour is, ‘does oil go higher from here?‘

If oil is going higher (or likely to go), then Nat-gas may be pressured downward for longer.

International Chaos

The amount of ‘pontificating’ from the media on what oil is, or is not going to do, is mind-numbing.

Wyckoff himself said, we’re attempting to find out ‘the next probable direction’ for the market, which of course, can never be known for sure.

With that, let’s go to the truth of the matter, the chart.

Oil Tracking Fund, USO, Weekly

Shown on the chart, is a Fibonacci projection from the lows of March 2023, to the first wave high of April ’23, then back down to the wave low, in May ’23.

It might be hard to see, so the first waves are highlighted with green dashed lines.

At this point, instead of asking the question ‘where’s oil going?’, a better question may be, ‘is the chart of USO “respecting” the Fibonacci projections?’

Looking at the chart, it’s an obvious, yes.

Right now, we’re at the 161.8%, projection and USO is hesitating; at the same time, Nat-gas, UNG, appears to be forming a long-term bottom (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