Jobless Claims Pile On

Job cuts rose to 228K (vs 200K expected) last week. It will officially register as a drop, however, as the previous week was revised from 198K to 246K.  When viewed through the prism of new highs in bankruptcies and an earnings implosion… …it’s not too surprising that futures are drifting lower. continued for members… … continue reading →

OPEX Strikes Again

Futures are up sharply… …as VIX is being crushed in order to provide cover for about $2 trillion in options expiring today. We’ve been seeing this all week, with multiple downturns reversed by late-session assaults on VIX even as earnings and economic data have argued for lower stock prices. Chase this rally at your own … continue reading →

Update on Bitcoin: Jan 4, 2021

BTC reached our next upside target at 29,890-30,108 [see: Dec 22 Update on BTC.]  Had it remained in either the rising pink or purple channel, it might have taken quite some time. But, as we discussed last month, it broke out of both channels and topped the Fib target at almost exactly the time forecast … continue reading →

Update on Gold & Silver: Nov 30, 2020

We noted back on July 9 [see: Moment of Truth] that GC had reached our long-held 1823.60 target well ahead of schedule. From a charting standpoint, it should reverse here at its .886 Fib retracement. From a fundamental standpoint, of course, the fiscal picture suggests plenty of additional upside. Remember, it broke out of two … continue reading →

Update on XLF: Nov 17, 2020

After being stuck in a textbook triangle pattern for almost six months, XLF finally broke out last week. We noted its having reached overhead resistance a few weeks ago [see: Yield Curve Model – Correction Imminent.] At the time, the 2s10s was threatening a breakout which, per our model, suggested a downturn for equities in … continue reading →

Just When You Thought it was Safe…

The downside scenario triggered when S&P futures reached our upside target on Jan 22… $ES_F just reached our next upside target.https://t.co/zTy3q8WSBd pic.twitter.com/CoRSemmDOk — pebblewriter (@pebblewriter) January 22, 2020 …is playing out very nicely indeed. Credit VIX, which uncharacteristically didn’t collapse last night……and CL which, having come close to our 51.62 target on Sunday, is taking … continue reading →

A Backtest or More?

Today should shape up as a battle between holding a much-cherished round number (SPX 2900) and backtesting solid support (the January highs.) The futures are off about 5, with yesterday’s downside target of 2878.50-2881.95 still looking good — if SPX will relinquish 2900. Much will depend on the yen, which is strengthening in the midst … continue reading →

Why Rising Rates Are a Problem This Time

A sharp drop in interest rates has traditionally been a negative for stocks.  The chart below shows that most significant declines in 10-year yields over the years were associated with steep drops in the S&P 500.  Usually, equity losses precipitated the drops in yield.  As stock declines accelerate, money flows into bonds — raising prices … continue reading →