Fourth Time a Charm?

This is the fourth time in a row that ES has pushed back into the rising channel from which it previously broke down. This one is more important, however, as it has the 50-day moving average in its sights. As we discussed last week, all the stars are aligned should the algos wish to pursue … continue reading →

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 →

Oil and Inflation

WTI has reached our 200-day moving average target posted last month.This is a very significant move which, unfortunately, didn’t happen soon enough to affect June CPI or PPI. Long-time readers know that I’ve been harping on inflation for a long time. The reason is simple: math. Annual “headline” CPI, which is the one we all … continue reading →

COVID-19: What to Expect

Updates are in reverse order, meaning the latest update is just below. UPDATE:  January 18, 2021 It has been almost a year since our first post on the coronavirus [see: More Where That Came From.]  We tried to stay away from politics. But, it was often very difficult – such as when this Feb 25 … continue reading →

Trade Troubles

The trade deal: the gift that keeps on giving. The August trade deficit came in at $67.1 billion, the largest since 2006 – partly a reflection of the pandemic but exacerbated by a 9.3% collapse in the value of the DXY since its March highs. At the same time, oil and gas prices have spiked … continue reading →

Update on Oil: Apr 6, 2020

Many seasoned investors are surprised to see how positively correlated stock returns have been to oil prices. Energy stocks make up 8% of the overall market, so you’d expect them to have some influence. But, thanks to the increasing prominence of algorithms and quantitative trading, the impact has grown well beyond what 8% should contribute … continue reading →

Update on DJIA: Mar 18, 2020

In our last dedicated update on the Dow [see: July 2019 Update], we noted the intersection of a number of overhead resistance features in its chart and offered some thoughts on its downside potential if it managed to reverse. Note that our 18974 target represents a backtest of the red channel from which DJIA broke … continue reading →

Who’s Propping up the Stock Market?

It was October 1989 and the stock market was in trouble. Two years after crashing 36% (including 20% in a single session) the S&P 500 had made a comeback and had climbed back to new all-time highs. But high inflation, slipping junk bond prices and failing S&Ls were in the headlines daily. On October 13, … continue reading →