Odds Stacked Against Biotech

March 19, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, LABD, SPBIO, XBI 4 Comments

Below Resistance & Trendline Break

Tomorrow’s the Fed interest rate announcement; anything can happen.

The way it stands now for biotech XBI (the day prior), an upside rally is against the odds.

The chart below for the sector is a busy one.

Biotech XBI, 3-Day

Price action’s below resistance (possible false breakout), has broken an upside trend to the downside (grey dashed line) and today, has come back for a test of both.

Breaking below resistance was accompanied by increased volume; bearish.

A significant amount of demand will need to show, to get this market back to the bullish side (not advice, not a recommendation).

The Fed interest rate announcement is scheduled for Wednesday, 2:00 p.m., EST.

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 … Terminal Wedge

March 17, 2024 By in BOIL, Natural Gas, UNG, Wyckoff 2 Comments

Futures Open Higher, Late Sunday Session

Nat-Gas just opened higher, currently +2.52%, at 1.834, in the Sunday session.

A continued move higher past 1.893, on the NGK24, futures may indicate a potential breakout from a terminating wedge.

We’ll use the chart of UNG, heavily traded, highly liquid proxy for the sector.

Nat-Gas UNG, Weekly

It’s relatively straightforward.

An upside penetration of UNG 16.08, indicates probability of a breakout (not advice, not a recommendation).

On an inflation adjusted basis, Nat-gas is below the 2020 lows, and 26-year lows (i.e. Wyckoff ‘spring’ position), as shown at this link.

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

Gold … Breakout or Fake-Out ?

March 16, 2024 By in Food Supply, Genesis 41, GLD, Gold & Silver, Inflation, Sovereign Default, Spring-to-Up-Thrust

Everybody’s, Been Waiting

How long has it been?

How long have we heard incessant rants, gold and silver hyper-launch is imminent?

Sure, I like gold as much as the next guy. It feels good when you hear the ‘clink’ of real money in your hands.

However, one has to remain unbiased and look at what price action, the market is actually telling us.

Strategy First

Since December 2020, this site has proposed, we’re in a situation similar to Genesis 41; it’s the food supply first, then gold and silver (not advice, not a recommendation).

In this post (two years ago), an observation, ‘stackers’ may be forced to liquidate just to survive.

Now, we have this and this. On that second link, the comments tell the real story:

‘… people are selling their silver because they need cash.’

With that, let’s look at the chart of gold, GLD.

Gold GLD, Weekly Bar

We’ve seen it before, the set-up, The Danger Point®

Let’s add some insight to this picture, hidden in the chart; we have the following:

Look at how much time it’s taken GLD, to go from the bottom of the range to the top; longer each time and with less energy, shown by the decline in (upside) volume.

Longer & Less

Takes longer and less energy.

Still, that does not guarantee anything. Gold cold just keep on grinding higher.

However, probabilities suggest (the chart itself) we may be at or near, a pivot to the downside (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

Frog In The Pot … Biotech

March 15, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, GDXJ, LABD, SPBIO, XBI 2 Comments

Turning Up The Heat

It’s all quiet on the biotech front but for those paying attention, the temperature’s rising.

XBI (sector ETF), penetrated support and is now testing that breakdown.

At this juncture, anything can happen. A new lease on life, and we get a reversal higher.

However, probabilities argue against that scenario; multiple posts, here, here, here and here, present the case for significant downside (not advice, not a recommendation).

Going to the price action, we’ll use a 3-Day chart.

Biotech XBI, 3-Day

You might ask, ‘Who uses a 3-Day chart?’, ‘I don’t know anyone that does.’

Well, this may be the only place and that’s the point. 🙂

The 3-Day, for this market, at this juncture, shows support/resistance areas more clearly.

Notice on the current bar how the close (as of 3:15 p.m., EST) is below resistance, the blue line.

Then, look how the prior bar closed above the resistance area. The attempt to test this area (resistance breakout) and make it support has failed (thus far).

As a reminder, it’s the failed moves that get the attention of The Street.

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

Gold Miners … Trap Set?

March 13, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, Bonds, GDX, GDXJ, Gold & Silver, Gold Miners, IWM, Life Insurance, MET, NVDA, SOXX, SPBIO, TLT, Wyckoff, XBI 4 Comments

Is The Fear Exhausted?

It’s a confusing time.

Semiconductors with chief cook and bottle washer Nvidia, seem to be reversing. Other sectors like biotech and mid-caps were never part of the mania.

Add to that, biotech and life insurance may be correlated (more on that, in another update).

As the market looks to pivot lower, bonds are also pivoting lower or at least under pressure.

In response, one can say there’s been sort of a panic into the mining sector GDX, GDXJ; like it’s somehow more safe there.

Let’s see if the miners really are the safe-space.

Junior Miners GDXJ, Daily

As the chart shows (as of 12:35 p.m., EST), we’re pushing into known resistance (blue line) at the 37.00, area.

There’s also a Fibonacci time frame. Today is ‘Day 55’, from the December 22nd high.

Not only are we at Day 55 from the 12/22/23 high, but we’re also at Day 21, from the February 13th, lows.

Essentially, GDXJ is about to post a Wyckoff up-thrust condition, the area for potential downside reversal.

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 Ready … For Reversal

March 10, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, CAT, LABD, NVDA, SPBIO, Spring-to-Up-Thrust, Wyckoff, XBI 3 Comments

The Set-Up, Two-Years Wide

It seems like it’s been forever.

Shown in the chart, Biotech XBI, may be set-up for potential, sustained downside.

This post from August of 2021, describes what we’re looking for; a repeating action, possibly as old as the market itself.

It’s important to note, ‘set-up’, is not, success.

‘Set-Up’, Means: Conditions have presented themselves, lending to high probability outcome (not advice, not a recommendation).

Biotech XBI, Weekly Close

Looking at the example with CAT (above link), and comparing it to the chart below, it’s similar except for the timeframe; XBI, is much longer.

Of course, downside action in CAT, reversing back to support, has yet to materialize with XBI.

That’s the point, it’s the unknown; The Danger Point®, where the risk of being wrong is least.

There’s nothing wrong with being wrong, i.e., quickly exiting a losing trade. It’s being wrong and staying wrong, that’s the problem. 🙂

The Nvidia Connection

This past Friday had wild trading action and volume in Nvidia, NVDA.

It posted a wide outside-down day, ranging over 108 points with heavy volume, 113.6-million.

The net result may be the end of the A.I. bubble; potential downside for it, and the rest of the markets (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

Gold Up … Production Down

March 9, 2024 By in BA, GDX, GDXJ, GLD, Gold & Silver, Gold Miners, Inflation, NEM

New Highs As Supply Contracts

Is it as simple as being stuck between supply and demand?

If so, does that mean gold’s new highs have nothing (or very little) to do with inflation?

Over a year ago, was this post, proposing the following insight for gold (GLD):

“Maybe it’s because of scarcity (along with nearly everything else) that’s causing the increase in price.”

We can see from this link, world-wide production dropped in 2020, and has remained lower.

That is at least, an alternate reason for the increase in price.

Then, Newmont, NEM

Let’s not forget, in the above post was Newmont Mining, forming a ‘terminating wedge’, ready to break lower.

On Friday, January 20, 2023, one day before the update, NEM closed at 53.34.

The following week, three trading days later, NEM posted a high of 55.41, and rolled over; currently down a stiff 35.4%, at 33.91.

Miners In Decline, Why?

Gold’s at new highs, while miners GDX, GDXJ, are in a multi-year decline. Why?

Let’s answer the question with a question.

Why is Boeing (BA) and the airlines in decline? Why has there been one aviation incident after another like here, here and here?

Why are we having investigations like this and this?

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

Newmont Mining … Still In Trouble

March 5, 2024 By in GDX, GDXJ, Gold & Silver, Gold Miners, NEM, Richie Naso, Wyckoff

Breakout Into Reversal?

Like a movie script, price action will play with your emotions.

As Richie Naso says, that’s what the market’s designed to do.

The miners GDX, GDXJ, launched higher over the past four trading days, giving the impression that, ‘this could be it, the big move’; however, the truth, the price action itself, tells a different story.

Let’s look at one of the big caps in the sector, Newmont.

Newmont Mining NEM, Daily

Newmont has pushed past known resistance (magenta line) straight into the 38.2% retrace area.

When this type of breakout occurs, it’s called Wyckoff ‘Up-Thrust’ position; that is, a potential false breakout.

When we have the largest bubble conditions in market history, there may be no safe place to hide … that could include the miners as well (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

Real ‘Opportunities’ Are Rare

March 4, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, LABD, Loeb, SPBIO, XBI 1 Comment

When One Is Found …

… It must be used to it’s maximum extent’.

A paraphrased quote from late Gerald M. Loeb, Vice Chairman of E.F. Hutton, Author of: The Battle for Investment Survival.

Here … Now?

Is that where we are with biotech, XBI?

Obviously, the answer won’t be known until it’s all over.

What we do have, is a potential reversal in the making that could be of significance.

No New Highs

At the open today, XBI immediately began to post lower.

It did so without exceeding the prior recovery high set three trading days earlier on February 28th.

Biotech XBI, Daily

The daily chart shows just how close XBI is to a 38.2% retrace. A bigger picture view of that retrace is in the prior update, link here.

It’s obvious we’re still at The Danger Point® where anything can happen.

However, price action tells us, it’s struggling at this area.

A decisive break lower would likely signal a top and significant reversal (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

At The Edge … Biotech

March 3, 2024 By in $SPSIBI, Biotech, IBB, LABD, SOXX, SPBIO, The Maverick of Wall Street, Wyckoff, XBI 2 Comments

Amidst The Confusion, The Biotech Set-Up

Let’s remind ourselves with a paraphrased quote, long ago:

‘Until you can completely ignore the financial press and focus strictly on price action, you will never be successful in the markets.’

Richard D. Wyckoff, circa 1934

New Highs … Except

It’s new highs for the AI insanity; all the while, CEOs and other insiders are cashing out, as reported by The Maverick, and J. Bravo.

Notably absent from this drunken cyber-bash are biotech IBB, and XBI.

Fibonacci Retrace Compete?

Both indexes (ETFs) posted a Fibonacci retrace (from 2021 highs), doing it simultaneously; IBB at 50% and XBI at 38%.

Potential reversal of XBI, link here.

We have below, even more (technical) weight for XBI pivot from up-to-down (not advice, not a recommendation).

Biotech XBI, 3-Day

Attempted breakout above resistance (magenta line) puts XBI, at The Danger Point®

Price action’s hovering above resistance while at the same time posting climactic volume.

Note that it’s just touching the underside of the 38.2% retrace level (blue line).

The last time we had a similar volume climax was the pivot point from down-to-up, in early May of 2022.

Does that mean the current volume spike signals a (potential) reversal from up-to-down?

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