Breakdown/Breakout

In a repeat of the most effective algo move of the past 10+ years, VIX broke down following the Fed’s no-news rate decision and press conference yesterday. As always, this allowed equities to leapfrog an area of stubborn overhead resistance. continued for members… … continue reading →

Charts I’m Watching: Mar 8, 2024

Blink, and you might have missed the selloff this morning when nonfarm payrolls came in much higher than expected but the January print was revised sharply lower.Fortunately, the algos were on it, immediately crashing VIX to a point where a 15-pt decline in ES turned into a 15-pt gain. This should put SPX at its … continue reading →

Finally, a Backtest

We finally saw the backtest we’ve been expecting as SPX fell a whopping 70 points (-1.47%), almost reaching its 10-day moving average and bleeding off its overbought condition. ES came within a few points of our Fibonacci backtest, also coming up just short of its 10-DMA.continued for members… … continue reading →

All Eyes on OPEC+

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is the friend of my enemy my enemy? The relationship between the US and the Saudis has been through plenty of ups and downs, but it’s been years since it was as fraught as it is now. The West is trying to put the screws to … continue reading →

VIX: Not a Coincidence

When COMP bounced at 10,572.33 on Friday, a mere 7.19 above its June 16 lows, it might have struck some as a coincidence.  It wasn’t. It was a well-coordinated effort to ensure that new lows were avoided – at least for the time being.The usual culprit: VIX.  For the 6th session in a row and … continue reading →

Charts I’m Watching: Jul 6, 2021

Stocks rarely drop over a 3-day weekend. This one was no exception. The miniscule decline we saw in the futures last night has been all but erased despite a conciliatory 5% bump in VIX to backtest its SMA10. No fuss, no muss. continued for members… … continue reading →

Burning Down the House

Once upon a time, a few boys whose families owned the biggest lemon groves in town got together and opened up a lemonade stand. It was a very hot summer, so they sold an enormous amount of ice-cold lemonade. Since they controlled the supply of lemons, they were able to quickly raise prices from 10 … continue reading →

Coincidences and Consequences

It’s interesting how Khashoggi’s murder top-ticked oil and gas prices… …and, so soon after Trump’s latest demand that OPEC lower oil prices. I’m certainly not insinuating that Trump had anything to do with Khashoggi’s murder. But, OPEC ignored Trump’s Sep 20 demand.  Two weeks later, oil prices had spiked 10% higher.  Since Oct 3, the … continue reading →