Monday, December 31, 2012

Copper ETFs and Copper Stocks About To Move Big

With 2012 now behind us it’s time to start looking for some new long term investments which have big potential gains in the new year. Copper is one metal that has caught my eye.

The long term monthly chart of the copper ETF JJC shows a potential cup and handle pattern accompanied with bullish volume characteristics. Last year copper traded sideways in a narrowing range. This type of price action tends to bore traders and investors forcing them to look elsewhere for new to trades. The saying is “If the market doesn’t shake you out, it will wait you out”

You can see on the monthly chart that the interest in this commodity diminished. You can tell because of the sideways movement and declining volume. I like to focus on investments which are out of favor but are showing signs of another big trend starting. getting on the train before it leaves the station can make for a fun ride.

Just click here to take a look at the charts, analysis and our best copper stock setup


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2013 Forecast – Tis The Season To Drink & Own Coffee

It's always time for coffee, but today staffer Chris Vermeulen shares his coffee trade with us.....


Coffee prices have fallen more than 50% since 2010 which can be seen through the coffee exchange traded fund symbol: JO. This investment seeks to replicate the returns that are potentially available through an unleveraged investment in coffee futures contracts as well as the rate of interest that could be earned on cash collateral invested in specified Treasury Bills.



Weekly, Hourly and Seasonal chart of JO Coffee Exchange Traded Fund

The top weekly chart shows my price targets for 2013 while the lower hourly chart shows strong on balance volume meaning big money is slowly building a long position in coffee. The small white chart is the seasonal chart of coffee futures showing prices historically rise from January–March, then a correction followed by another rally in to May.

Coffee prices are still in a down trend but it looks as though the end is near and if played properly it could provide up to 100% return on your capital in 2013.

Dec28JO

Coffee Futures Monthly Long Term Chart

This chart gives you a bird’s eye view on where coffee prices are trading in the big picture scheme of things.

CoffeeLongTermMonthly

JO Coffee ETF VS. SBUX Starbucks Share Price:

Lower coffee bean prices has helped lift share prices of coffee companies like Starbucks: SBUX, Coffee Holdings Co.: JVA, Coffee Roasters Inc.: GMCR, and PEET’s Coffee: PEET. But cheap coffee may not be around that much longer and the lower earnings for coffee brewers may be closer than most may think.

CoffeeBrewer

2013 Caffeine Conclusion:

In short, I have been watching coffee prices for a bottoming pattern for months and I now feel it is getting really close to a bottom and it could be a great trade and investment in the new year. As for companies like Starbucks it will likely not have much of an affect on the bottom line until the second half of the year though it is something to keep an eye on during earning seasons.

If you want my trading and investing ideas each week along with trade alerts for ideas like this then join my newsletter today at The Gold & Oil Guy.com

Chris Vermeulen

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

The New Era of Oil Renaissance....Where Nuclear Failed and Crude Oil Succeeded

 From our friends at EconMatters......

In a continuation of our series on the state of the oil industry we look at some of the other ramifications of what we are labeling the Oil Renaissance in the US, and around the world for that matter. This phrase was first proposed regarding the potential Nuclear turnaround here in the US, where companies like NRG Energy, Toshiba and many more players all along the supply chain were positioning themselves for the Nuclear Renaissance of cheap, and abundant Nuclear energy for the next 50 years.

Well, the natural disaster in Japan changed that movement in the span of a week of just untenable radioactivity readings coming out of Japan. An already uphill battle for changing public sentiment towards the dangers of nuclear energy became an impractical fight from an investment standpoint that relied upon large DOE loan guarantees to attract private investment.

It is ironic, but all these companies spent a lot of time and effort from lobbying to developing strategic partnerships with each other, and in the end, most of that 7 year effort had to be written off by firms. It really shows how firms have to get the industry right; Oil was so much the smarter play. Higher margins, better technology, much easier safety hurdles, and even the environmental fight is much more manageable.

Not to mention the number of jobs created is far more with an Oil Renaissance as opposed to a Nuclear Renaissance, even with a complete buildup of the entire nuclear supply chain. Nuclear projects are just not scalable like oil projects are from a numbers standpoint due to the regulation, lead times for components, inspection, build times, and many more constraints.

No DOE Loan Guarantees: The Free Market at Work

We are going to have a Renaissance in this country, it just happened under everyone`s nose. The free market of high oil prices for the last 10 years made it happen all on its own without government subsidies, and part of the reason that things are going to get real tough for the alternative energy folks over the next 5 years as those government subsidies wind down. They will not make sense from an economic standpoint once oil prices come down considerably, and from a budgetary perspective we can no longer afford this propping up industries that cannot sustain themselves on their own merit in the free market. A 16 trillion dollar debt and climbing means the environmentalists will now be facing an uphill fight on Capitol Hill to have their cause funded by the American taxpayer.

Click here to read the entire EconMatters article "The New Era of Oil Renaissance, Where Nuclear Failed, Crude Oil Succeeded"


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Friday, December 28, 2012

SeaDrill [SDRL] Financial Calendar for 2013

Don't put that calendar away....Seadrill Limited [SDRL] plans to release its financial statements on the following dates in 2013:

February 28, 2013 - Preliminary fourth quarter and financial year 2012 results

May 31, 2013 - First quarter 2013 results

August 30, 2013 - Second quarter 2013 results

November 29, 2013 - Third quarter 2013 results

Please be advised that the dates are subject to change.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Now Available....CME Groups 2013 Product Expiration Calendar

OK fellow commodity traders, it's time to start getting ready for 2013. Make sure you bookmark this page, there is no excuse to ever miss a single energy product expiration day.


Just click here to get the CME Groups 2013 Product Expiration Calendar





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Monday, December 24, 2012

Musings: E&P Spending Survey Gives Cheer Not Lumps Of Coal

The annual exploration and production spending outlook survey conducted by Barclays oilfield service stock research team was unveiled a couple of weeks ago.

According to the analysts, global oil and gas companies plan on boosting their E&P spending by 7 percent to a record $644 billion in 2013. That's the good news. The bad news is that almost all the growth in spending will be outside of North America, where the spending outlook is projected to be flat with 2012.

The analytical team at Barclays has been conducting these spending surveys for many years, and the results are anxiously awaited by the industry to see the thinking of managements about future oil and gas prices, commodity demand and where and how much the oil and gas companies figure they can, and should, spend to find, develop and produce hydrocarbons.

The capital spending increase for 2013 would mark the fourth consecutive year of growth, although the amount of the annual increases has varied noticeably. The Barclays' analysts believe, as well as energy company managements, the industry is in the early stage of an extended demand cycle, which will be driven by growth in developing economies.......Read the entire Musings article.


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Friday, December 21, 2012

EIA: U.S. could become the world’s top liquid fuels producer, but how much does it matter?

Significant increases in U.S. production of crude oil and other liquid fuels and the outlook for further growth have focused attention on the possibility that the United States could soon surpass Saudi Arabia to become the leading global producer.

A higher level of U.S. oil production could significantly boost the U.S. economy, and could also reduce global oil prices through its effect on the global crude oil and product market balances. However, regardless of any future crossing of U.S. and Saudi production paths, the timing of which would depend on which particular accounting convention is applied, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a unique and vital role in world oil markets.

graph of U.S. and Saudi liquid fuel production, as described in the article text

Read the entire EIA article

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Trading the ABC Sentiment Shifts Ahead Of The Crowd

Today David Banister shows us how to spot the 3 day rest B wave for profits......

One of the most obvious keys to successful trading or investing is buying low and selling high. The problem being if it was that easy to pinpoint those low and high points then all traders would be batting 1000%. What we use at my ATP service is a combination of fundamental analysis and catalyst spotting inter-twined with charting techniques. Most of our work revolves around buying substantial dips in a strong stock, 3x ETF’s, or reversal patterns. 3x ETF’s are great for short term swings as they function almost exclusively on crowd behavioral patterns, but it also applies to individual stocks.

In all cases what traders really need to spot ahead of the masses of investors is a subtle shift in sentiment. That key pivot point where the negative sentiment whether it be short term or long term is about to run out of gas, and the bullish sentiment is going to take over and reverse the stock or ETF higher or break the position out of a base pattern.

One of the most common patterns amongst many that we use as trigger points is the ABC pattern. This is a situation where the stock or ETF recently had a strong run. That run produced a flurry of over optimistic sentiment and is reflected in the high spike in the stock from the prior base. We call this the “A Wave High” pivot point. This is where many of the traders who chase short term performance come in with a bang, right near the top.

Read Banisters complete article "Trading the ABC Sentiment Shifts Ahead Of The Crowd"



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EIA: United States Energy Imports Decline While Energy Exports Increase

In 2011, the United States consumed more than 97 quadrillion Btu (quads) of energy, despite only producing about 78 quads. The difference, about 18 quads, reflects the balance of imports and exports of energy. Petroleum, which includes crude oil as well as petroleum products, accounted for a majority of both energy imports and exports.

The United States imported almost three times as much energy as it exported in 2011, a ratio that is much lower than the import peak in 2002, when energy imports were more than eight times energy exports. Imports have exceeded exports in every year since 1952.

Petroleum made up about 86% of energy imports in 2011. Canada supplied the largest share of these petroleum imports. The next biggest sources of U.S. petroleum imports in 2011 were Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria, in that order. Overall, about 40% of U.S. petroleum imports came from countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), while 60% came from non OPEC countries such as Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Brazil. Most of these petroleum imports were crude oil as opposed to petroleum products.

Image of U.S. energy flow, as explained in the article text

Besides petroleum, most of the remaining energy imports were natural gas (12%). All other fuel sources, including coal, coal coke, biofuels, and electricity, combined to account for about 2% of energy imports in 2011.

Petroleum also made up the bulk (57%) of U.S. energy exports in 2011. However, less than 2% of that exported petroleum was crude oil. Most of it was products derived from crude oil: petroleum products, unfinished oils, pentanes plus, and gasoline blending components, as the United States has some of the world's most advanced oil refineries.

Other energy exports include coal and coal coke (27%), natural gas (15%) and a small amount of biofuels and electricity (about 1%).

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Getting Coal in Your Stocking May Be Exactly What You Want

Looks like the guys at The Gold & Oil Guy.com are working through the weekend as staffer Chris Vermeulen is bringing us yet another great trade to get Mondays trading off to a good start.....

We all want new and exciting electronic gizmos and gadgets for the holiday season. Unfortunately they have the tendency to lose almost all their value within weeks because of newer versions etc… but what if you just got a lump of dirty old coal in your stocking, how would you feel?

The only individuals who would appreciate a dirty gift like that would be those forward looking investors who see major opportunities before they become the next big movers and headline news.

Knowing how to spot Stage 1 patterns is one of the most important bits of information you need to know as an investor. This one pattern is how I found RIMM which now up 100% in the past 30 days, ANR up 30% in two weeks, FSLR up 20% in 20 days and the list goes on. My main focus is on ETFs because of lower risk they provide but very powerful when applied to individual stocks.

Coal and coal stocks have been out of favor for almost two years now. But these unwanted and hated shares may soon be owned by the masses, or at least by traders and investors. A few weeks ago to I talked about the four stages all investments go through and which patters you must be able to spot in order to make huge money investing while having very limited downside risk.

In summary, Trade with the BIG BOARD and only focusing on buying stocks, ETFs etc… as they are coming out of a Stage 1 Accumulation Basing Pattern. This puts the odds greatly in your favor for not only winning the majority of your trades but to generate above average returns.

The BIG BOARD – NYSE – Weekly Major Stock Market Trend

The New York Stock Exchange is the big board. This chart formed a reversal candle last week which points to lower prices. Its likely we see a 1-2 week dip before buyers step back in. Until then individual stocks should pause or form mini bull flags until the sellers are finished and buyers step back into risk on assets (equities).

NYSEWeekly

Coal Sector ETF Showing Stage 1 Basing Pattern

Coal stocks have been bouncing bottom for some time and if you did not review the Stages Report using the link above then do so now so you know what to expect in detail.

KOL coal exchange traded fund is a basket of coal companies and is starting to show signs of a new bull market. A breakout and close above $26.00 should trigger strong buying with the potential of a 21% gain before it hits my first price target. This could go way past that but one target at a time folks.

Naturally I would like to see a bull flag or pause in KOL over the next couple weeks, then look to get long using the pivot low of that pause/bull flag as my protective stop. I’m not jumping in here as the broad market looks ready to correct and ¾ stocks follow the big board which will pull KOL down.

 

ANR – My Top Coal Stock Pick

I pointed out ANR at $7.50 at the beginning of December to followers as it was the best looking coal stock I could find. The two key indicators “Price” and “Volume” were clearly pointing to higher prices and the potential gain even if it was just played up to the Stage 1 Resistance Level still netted a 30% move. Crazy part is that there is the potential for a 100% rally to my first price target.



You want Gizmos or Coal in You’re Stocking???

In short, I really like the coal sector for the first quarter of 2013. I’m not too worried about the fiscal cliff as it’s not the end of the world and the US along with most other countries are all bankrupt together in my opinion. New rules and ideas will be implemented and life and business will continue… I am not to worried.

I am expecting stocks to continue sideways or higher into May at which time a serious correction could take place. But not to worry as we take things one week at time and will be adjusting my outlook accordingly.

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Chris Vermeulen

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Schlumberger Issues Disappointing Fourth Quarter Update

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) provided the following fourth quarter operational update on Friday.


• The Europe/CIS/Africa Area is experiencing continued contractual delays combined with higher than usual seasonal slowdowns in activity

• North America activity is weaker than anticipated on land in the US and Western Canada.

The combined earnings per share impact of the above is estimated to be in the range of $0.05 to $0.07 per share.

Schlumberger will discuss final results of the fourth quarter in detail during its previously announced fourth quarter earnings conference call on January 18, 2013, beginning at 9:00 am (US Eastern Time), 3:00 pm (Paris time).

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Mid week trades to focus on .... SPX, U.S. Dollar and Natural Gas

Yesterday’s price action was very bearish yet again and we are patiently waiting for a counter trend pullback to happen. While three are some good looking plays out there I really do not want to get long until the market clears the air with a bout or three of strong selling. Remember 3:4 stocks follow the market and the odds of picking a commodity or ETF that bucks the trend is unlikely.

SP500 / Broad Stock Market

We have seen a bug run up in stocks this month and things are looking a little long in the teeth. A large number of stocks are trading above their upper Bollinger band and the broad market is testing that key resistance level also. Typically when a Bollinger band is reached we see price reverse for a couple days at minimum.

While the equities market is in a new uptrend as seen by the moving averages I pullback seems imminient. The last two days has formed reversal candles and are pointing to lower prices.

Dec12SPY

Dollar Index Hourly Chart

This chart shows a possible bottom forming in the dollar pointing to a 3-8 day pullback in stocks.

Dec13DXBottom

Gold Futures Hourly Chart

Dec13Metals

Natural Gas Hourly Chart

Dec13NatGas

Morning Trading Conclusion

Looking at the charts on several different time frames, not all shown here, technical analysis shows a pullback in stocks is highly likely. This is what we are currently positioned for.

The US dollars downward momentum is slowing and if it can find a bid today it should trigger strong selling in both stocks and commodities. Gold and silver are down sharply along with miners.

We have been watching natural gas for a few months and know that it has been trading inverse to what stocks do. This bodes well for a bounce in natural gas if stocks start a sell off. That being said, natural gas is trading at a key tipping point that could spark a very fast and hard drop. This knife can fall at a speed that will take a slice out of your trading account if not traded and managed properly (tiny position and use of a stop). I actually like natural gas the more it moves down and could issue a buy alert on it today or this week. I would like to see volume decline at this level showing the momentum is slowing......

Chris Vermeulen

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Dominick Chirichella: Crude Oil Prices Lower on Profit Taking Selling

Some of the uncertainty that was looming over all of the markets this week is now in the background. The OPEC meeting ended with a rollover agreement (as I suggested) with the group kicking the can down the road for a year on the election of a new Secretary General. A view that the economy is starting to show signs of stabilization coupled with the main oil demand growth engine of the world... China now projected to show its oil demand growth growing at a faster pace than previously projected (latest IEA monthly report) was enough for OPEC to take a wait and see approach to production levels. This will be an issue that will most likely have to be dealt with sometime during the first half of the year especially if supply continues to outstrip demand.

Today in the EU another tranche of aid was approved for Greece while the EU Finance Ministers finally agreed to put the ECB in charge of all of the banks. Greece is now moving further into the background and will remain a secondary market driver for the next several months or until the next Greece crisis emerges. The agreement to put the ECB in charge of all of the banks will move the EU one step closer to financial integration. The agreement opens the door for the EU's financial firewall to now provide direct bailout to the banks under the direction of the ECB. As is always the case with the EU there are still many details that will have to be worked out prior to the start date of the new ECB authority on March 1, 2014. Overall pushing Greece into the background coupled with the new agreement by the EU Finance Ministers is a positive for the EU economy as well as the EU equity markets at least for the short term.

In the US at least one of the major uncertainties is out of the way... the outcome of the last US FOMC meeting of the year. As expected the Fed replaced Operation Twist with a new or additional round of quantitative easing... let's say QE3a or QE4 that will entail the buying of another $45 billion dollars of long term Treasury instruments. Thus starting in January the Fed will be printing about $85 billion dollars per month to provide liquidity to the long term bond markets...both mortgage and treasury instruments.....Read the entire article and see Dominicks charts.


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EIA: For most fuel sources, domestic production has been increasing

In 2011, the United States produced about 78 quadrillion Btu (quads) of energy, more than at any point in the nation's history. More than three-quarters of this energy production came from nonrenewable fossil fuels: coal, natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas plant liquids. Despite rising production, the United States was a net energy importer, consuming more than 97 quads of energy in 2011.

The 60.6 quads of domestic fossil fuel production set a record, exceeding the previous peak of 59.3 quads in 1998. Of those fuels, natural gas surpassed coal as the most produced fuel with 23.5 quads compared to coal's 22.2 quads. Production of crude oil, which experienced a long decline from 20.4 quads in 1970 to 10.5 quads in 2008, rose to almost 12 quads in 2011. Natural gas plant liquids (NGPL), which are distinct from 'dry' natural gas, rose to their highest level of 2.9 quads.

Image of U.S. energy flow, as explained in the article text

Other fuels also experienced record production levels in 2011. Biomass, which includes wood and wood-derived fuels, biomass waste, and biomass inputs to the production of ethanol and biodiesel, increased to 4.5 quads. Other nonhydroelectric renewable energy increased to 1.6 quads, mostly from wind (1.2 quads), with the balance from geothermal and solar photovoltaic.

The other fuel sources remained at their recent product levels: nuclear electric power contributed 8.3 quads, maintaining its position as the nation's largest nonfossil fuel energy source, and hydroelectric power contributed 3.2 quads.


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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The One Crude Oil Chart Everybody Should See

When people read about a long term forecast of world oil supply, say, out to 2030, they often believe that the forecasters are merely incorporating our knowledge of existing fields and figuring out how much oil can be extracted from them over the forecast period.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Much of the forecast supply has not yet been discovered or has no demonstrated technology which can extract or produce it economically. In other words, such forecasts are merely guesses based on the slimmest of evidence.

Perhaps the best ever illustration of this comes from a 2009 presentation made by Glen Sweetnam, a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) official. The EIA is the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy.

The following chart from that presentation will upend any notion that we know exactly where all the oil we need to meet expected demand will come from.....Read the entire article "The One Crude Oil Chart Everybody Should See "


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Monday, December 10, 2012

Is this "an emerging low" in gold stocks?

Gold stocks have been in another recent downtrend, which makes sense during a “wave 2″ correction in GOLD.

If we review the GDX ETF for Gold Stocks we can see a possible triple bottom formation. This one though looks bullish for a reversal trade to the upside near term as GOLD forms a C wave bottom.

This triple bottom looks like a series of higher lows should the 43-44 GDX ranges hold near term. The MACD line is still trending down, but in very oversold territory as in the prior two lows that had massive rallies.

Ways to play a reversal for the aggressive stock investor is NUGT ETF, which is a 300% long leveraged ETF based loosely on the GDX ETF (1x).

The specific timing of entering NUGT is of course tricky and best saved for our ATP trading service. That said, assuming GOLD does bottom at 1681 or 1631 near term, the GOLD stocks tend to lead the metal higher.… so they will bottom BEFORE the metal.

Here is the GDX long term chart showing what looks like an emerging Tradeable low...




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Friday, December 7, 2012

What the VIX Term Structure is Saying About the Fiscal Cliff

The past few weeks have been full of a constant barrage of press conferences and public statements from the charlatans in Washington D.C. Politicians cannot pass up a chance to get in front of the cameras and the media has used the “fiscal cliff” as a mechanism to scare average Americans further about their future.

Interestingly enough, amid all of the nonsense that has been going on stocks have remained resilient. I think sometimes its important to just step back away from the media’s noise and just look at some price charts for more clarity. The S&P 500 Index has been trading in a relatively tight range now for over 6 trading sessions as shown here by the great staff at The Technical Traders.com......

Read "What the VIX Term Structure is Saying About the Fiscal Cliff"



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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Energy Sector Storm Brewing – Oil & Gas Stocks

Todays article comes from our trading partner Chris Vermeulen of The Gold & Oil Guy.com and if you have been following him this fall you know Chris has been cranking out the great calls. Today appears to be no different.....

Oil and gas along with their equities have been under performing for the most part of 2012 and they are still under heavy selling pressure.

I watch the oil futures chart very closely for price and volume action. And the one thing that is clear for oil is that big sellers are still unloading copious amounts of contracts which is keeping the price from moving higher. Oil is trading in a very large range and is trending its way back down the lower reversal zone currently. Once price reverses back up and starts heading towards the $100 and $105 levels it will trigger strong buying across the entire energy sector.

Crude Oil, Energy & Utility Sector Chart – Weekly Time Frame

The chart below shows the light crude oil price along with the energy and utilities sectors. The patterns on the chart are clearly pointing to higher prices but the price of oil must shows signs of strength before that will happen. Once XLE & XLU prices break above their upper resistance levels (blue dotted line) they should takeoff and provide double digit returns.


Oil Sector Trading XLU XLE


Looking at the XLU utilities sector above I am sure you noticed the steady rise in the price the last couple of years. This was a result in the low interest rates in bond price and a shift from investors looking for higher yields for their money. Utility stocks carry below average risk in the world of equities and pay out a steady and healthy dividend year after year. So this is where long term investment capital has/is being parked for the time being.

Utility Stock Sector – Deeper Look – 2 Hour Candle Chart Time Frame

Last week I covered utility stocks in detail showing you the Stage 1 – Accumulation base which they had formed. The chart below shows the recent price action on the 2 hour candle chart and recent run up. You can learn more about how to take advantage of this sector here.


Utilities Sector Trading XLU


Oil and Gas Services – Daily Time Frame

This chart shows a very bullish picture for the services along with its relative strength to oil (USO) at the bottom. While the sector looks a little overbought here on the short term chart, overall it’s pointing to much higher prices.


Oil Gas Services XES


Energy Sector Conclusion:

In short, crude oil looks to be trading in a VERY large range without any sign a breakout above or below its channel lines for several months at the minimum. But if the lower channel line is reached and oil starts to trend up then these energy related sector ETFs should post some very large gains and should not be ignored.

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Chris Vermeulen

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Gold Should Be Nearing A Major Bottom

The recent rally in Gold took the metal from the 1620’s to roughly 1800 per ounce before the ensuing corrective action began. Back around October 20th we warned our readers about a likely “ wave 2” correction in Gold and we had several reasons for that warnings. One of the biggest concerns we had was that the sentiment surveys were running very hot at the time. The percentage of professional advisors polled that were bullish on GOLD was 88%, with 7% neutral and only 7% bearish. Elliott Wave Theory is the foundation of our work, though we are sure to mix in other clues and elements to “fact check” our reads. When you see sentiment readings that high, coupled with a $180 rally leading up to those readings, you can begin to look for clues of a top.

The other warning signal we noted was the MACD signal which had crossed south and was a topping warning signal to get out of GOLD for intermediate traders. At the time, we surmised that a “wave 2” correction in sentiment, and therefore price was required to work off the overbought conditions. The first level attacked the 1681 areas roughly and then a “B” wave rally to 1751 roughly ensued. Wave 2’s are made up of a 3 wave pattern, A down- B up- and C down to finish. It appears that GOLD is now in the final C wave down in sentiment to complete the correction pattern.

Clues for the “C” wave include the Goldman Sachs quasi-bearish 2013 GOLD forecast that came out today. In addition, the media attempting to explain the drop in GOLD as being related to stronger than expected economic indicators or fiscal cliff negotiations, neither of which make any sense at all.

We expect GOLD therefore to complete the C wave correction at 1631 or 1681 specifically. There are Fibonacci fractal relationships to the first leg down (The A wave) at those levels, and they tend to repeat themselves in terms of crowd behavior. At the 1681 level we have the C wave equal to 61.8% of the A wave amplitude. At 1631 we have a more traditional C wave equal to the A wave. In either event, look for a washout low in GOLD occurring at anytime near term, and for traders to start scaling in long.

Below is the GLD ETF chart showing the two most likely bottoms for the precious metal, one of which already qualifies as of today’s trading:


Gold Market Forecast



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Freeport-McMoRan to Acquire Plains Exploration and McMoRan Exploration

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX), Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE: PXP) and McMoRan Exploration Co. (NYSE: MMR) announced today that they have signed definitive merger agreements under which FCX will acquire PXP for approximately $6.9 billion in cash and stock and FCX will acquire MMR for approximately $3.4 billion in cash, or $2.1 billion net of 36 percent of the MMR interests currently owned by FCX and PXP. Upon closing, MMR shareholders will also receive a distribution of units in a royalty trust which will hold a 5 percent overriding royalty interest on future production in MMR’s existing shallow water ultra deep properties.

The combined company is expected to be a premier U.S. based natural resource company with an industry leading global portfolio of mineral assets, significant oil and gas resources and a growing production profile. FCX’s mineral assets include the world class Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia, the large-scale Morenci minerals district in North America, the Cerro Verde and El Abra operations in South America, the high potential Tenke Fungurume minerals district in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a leading global molybdenum business.

The addition of a high quality, U.S. focused oil and gas resource base is expected to provide exposure to energy markets with positive fundamentals, strong margins and cash flows, exploration leverage and financially attractive long term investment opportunities. The combined company’s long lived resource base with commodities critical to the world’s economies provides enhanced opportunities to benefit from long term global economic growth. On a pro forma basis for 2013, approximately 74 percent of the combined company’s estimated EBITDA (equals operating income plus depreciation, depletion, and amortization) is expected to be generated from mining and 26 percent from oil and gas, with 48 percent of combined EBITDA from U.S. operations.

The oil and gas assets being acquired are located in attractive onshore and offshore U.S. geologic basins. PXP’s major assets include its established strong oil production facilities in California, a growing production profile in the onshore Eagle Ford trend in Texas, significant production facilities and growth potential in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico and large onshore resources in the Haynesville natural gas trend in Louisiana. MMR is an industry leader in the emerging shallow water ultra deep gas trend with sizeable potential, located offshore in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in South Louisiana. The MMR portfolio is expected to provide a large, long-term and low cost source of natural gas production.

Here is the complete terms of the deal.....


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EIA: U.S. Monthly Crude Oil Production Reaches Highest Level Since 1998

U.S. crude oil production (including lease condensate) averaged almost 6.5 million barrels per day in September 2012, the highest volume in nearly 15 years. The last time the United States produced 6.5 million barrels per day or more of crude oil was in January 1998. Since September 2011, U.S. production has increased by more than 900,000 barrels per day. Most of that increase is due to production from oil bearing rocks with very low permeability through the use of horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing. The states with the largest increases are Texas and North Dakota.

Graph of U.S. oil imports, as explained in the article text



From September 2011 to September 2012, Texas production increased by more than 500,000 barrels per day, and North Dakota production increased by more than 250,000 barrels per day. Texas's increase in production is largely from the Eagle Ford formation in South Texas and the Permian Basin in West Texas. North Dakota's increase in oil production comes from the Bakken formation in the Williston Basin. Increased production from smaller-volume producing states, such as Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, is also contributing to the rise in domestic crude oil production.

Graph of U.S. oil imports, as explained in the article text




Graph of U.S. oil imports, as explained in the article text

Graph of U.S. oil imports, as explained in the article text
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly.



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Gold, Silver and Miners in Stage 1 Accumulation Mode

Is the SP 500 at a Crucial Cross Roads?

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Kinder Morgan Announces 2013 Financial Expectations

Kinder Morgan today announced its preliminary 2013 projections for Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP), Kinder Morgan Management, LLC (NYSE: KMR) and El Paso Pipeline Partners, L.P. (NYSE: EPB). Chairman and CEO Richard D. Kinder stated, “We anticipate strong growth in 2013 across the Kinder Morgan family of companies. KMI’s growth is driven primarily by its ownership of the general partners of KMP and EPB.

The majority of our assets resides at KMP and EPB. KMR is financially equivalent to KMP, but does not own any assets. Kinder Morgan primarily owns or operates a diversified portfolio of fee-based energy assets that generate substantial cash flow in virtually all types of market conditions. With our large footprint of midstream assets in North America, we are confident that Kinder Morgan is well positioned for future growth.”

KMI expects to declare dividends of $1.57 per share for 2013. This represents a 16 percent increase over KMI’s 2012 budget target of $1.35 per share and a 12 percent increase over the $1.40 per share of dividends it expects to declare for 2012. Growth at KMI in 2013 is expected to be driven by continued strong performance at KMP, along with contributions from EPB and the natural gas assets that KMI acquired in the El Paso Corporation transaction.

KMP expects to declare cash distributions of $5.28 per unit for 2013, a 6 percent increase over its 2012 budget target of $4.98 per unit, which it expects to meet. KMP’s 2013 budget projection includes the expected purchase (dropdowns) of 50 percent of El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline and a 50 percent stake in midstream assets from KMI, which would give KMP 100 percent ownership of these assets. (KMR also expects to declare distributions of $5.28 per share for 2013 and the distribution to KMR shareholders will be paid in the form of additional KMR shares.)

“We see exceptional growth opportunities across all of KMP’s business segments, including the need to build more midstream infrastructure to move or store oil, gas and liquids from the prolific shale plays in the U.S. and the oilsands in Alberta, along with increasing demand for export coal and CO2,” Kinder said.

Click here for more details on what KMP expects in 2013

Don't miss this weeks most popular articles.....

Gold, Silver and Miners in Stage 1 Accumulation Mode

Is the SP 500 at a Crucial Cross Roads?

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Monday, December 3, 2012

Is the SP 500 at a Crucial Cross Roads?

We had an interesting 131 point SP 500 decline from the summer fall highs of 1474 to the recent 1344 lows. Interesting because in the work that I do, we focus on crowd behavioral patterns, sentiment, and Elliott Wave Theory. There is no one technical analysis methodology that works all the time, so it’s important to incorporate other elements into your work to help with some clues. Let’s examine the crossroad we are at right now around 1420 on the SP 500 and why the next move may be a “tell” as they say in poker.

The correction from the 1474 highs can be read as a 3 wave correction, which in Elliott Wave Theory is corrective against the major trend, which so far has been up. 3 wave corrections serve to work off over zealousness of the crowd and above average bullish sentiment. To be sure, at the 1474 highs the sentiment surveys were running pretty hot and near 3 year highs, a flag that waved a warning sign for us. The correction though worked off that sentiment and at 1344 was in fact a Fibonacci 61.8% retracement of the rally from 1257-1474 that we witnessed this summer. These type of Fibonacci fractal retracements at 61.8% are common correction patterns in bull cycles.





What we need to see near term on this crossroad then is a clear cut rally over the 1424 area, which now is a 61.8% upwards retracement of the drop from 1474-1344. Why is that important to clear? Because 61.8% also is a common upwards retracement for a wave 2 counter-rally in a downward trend. Clearing that hurdle would indicate that the rally from the 1344 lows is more than just a counter-trend rally, and likely the confirmed start of a solid leg upwards towards highs for this bull market cycle.

This is why we like to draw these lines in the sands and let our subscribers be aware of what to watch and why. The above chart gives you an idea of where we are at in the current cycle. Consider joining us so we can help you with daily updates on the SP 500 and Gold, stop scratching your head and guessing as to the patterns in the markets today! Go to Market Trends Forecast.com and sign up for our free weekly reports.


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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Gold, Silver and Miners in Stage 1 Accumulation Mode

We don’t hear much about gold and silver anymore on the news. This time last year you could not go 5 minutes without a TV or radio station talking about them. Why is this? Simple really, precious metals have been building a Stage 1 Basing Pattern for the last 12 months. This boring sideways trading range is how the market gets most of those long holders out of an investment before it starts another move up. The saying is “If the market doesn’t shake you out, it will wait you out”.

We all know time in money so the above statement makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? Instead of having your money sitting in an investment that has clearly displayed a large sideways range with month and possibly years before any significant breakout will occur, why would you want their money in it doing nothing? There are other opportunities which you could be putting your money into that could generate more gains until the precious metals sector sets up with a high probability trading pattern.

The good news is that gold, silver and precious metal miner stocks are forming a very large Stage 1 Accumulation pattern on the weekly chart. This points to a multi month rally in prices if they breakout above our resistance levels.


The chart below shows a lot of analysis and to the untrained eye this may look messy and confusing, so take your time to review it. In short, what we are showing are sideways price patterns using the previous highs and lows for support and resistance levels. The analysis shows the shift in prices from bearish (down), to Neutral (sideways). The exciting part about this pattern is that a new bull market should emerge if our analysis is correct. Now, we are not talking about 5 -10% move here, we are talking about a multi month and possibly a year long rally in precious metals that could allow some individuals to retire early if played properly.

A break above our red dotted resistance lines should trigger aggressive buying in gold miners along with physical gold bullion.

Gold Miners ETFs


In the past month we have been giving out some of my Stage 1 trading ideas which have generated some decent gains for those who follow along. All but one have generated gains with FSLR 12.5%, FB 12%, RIMM 54%, AAPL 5%, TLT 2.5%, XLU 1.5%, and KOL down -5.2%.


This chart of silver and silver miner stocks (SIL), shows a very similar pattern to that of its big shiny sister (Yellow Gold). Silver carries a lot more risk because of its industrial usage. Also this commodity is thinly traded and can move very quickly on a daily basis compared to gold. Because of these quick price movements it has attracted a lot of speculative money which also has increased the volatility. More often than not silver will move 2-3 times more on a percentage bases than that of yellow gold.

Silver Miners ETFs


This chart compares three precious metals miner ETFS (GDX – Gold Miners, SIL – Silver Miners, NUGT 3x Leveraged Gold Miners).

Silver miners have held up the best because the herd saw how big the move was a year ago and are front running the next potential rally. But, depending on how you read the charts and sentiment it may be pointing to the dormant gold miners for a bigger than expected rally. But debating which one will breakout and run the most is a conversation/debate of its own and even I can argue both sides. The safe play is that even if gold miners (GDX & GDXJ) underperform the silver miners (SIL), the NUGT which is 3x leveraged gold miners should be the same if not outperform silver miners.

Precious Metals Mining Stocks

Precious Metals & Miners Trading Conclusion

In short, we favor trading the miners over physical bullion simply because the charts show much more profit potential than if one was to buy the bullion exchange traded funds GLD and SLV.

The market seems to be setting up for some very large moves in 2013 and members of our trading newsletter should do very well. Be sure to join and follow along at The Gold & Oil Guy.com



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EIA: Canada is the leading supplier of crude oil to the United States

U.S. imports of Canadian crude oil rose to record levels during the first eight months of 2012, with Canada accounting for a growing share of total gross U.S. imports. The United States is importing more crude oil from Canada, even though the total amount of crude oil America buys from foreign suppliers is falling.

Canada is the largest supplier of foreign oil to the United States, followed by Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Venezuela. Almost 99% of Canadian oil exports are sent to the U.S. market. Canada accounted for approximately 25% of U.S. crude oil imports in 2011, averaging 2.2 million barrels per day.

Graph of U.S. crude oil imports, as explained in article text

The importance of Canadian crude oil to U.S. refiners has increased in 2012, as Canada supplied the United States with a record of nearly 2.5 million barrels per day during January-August 2012, according to the latest oil trade data from EIA. At the same time, total U.S. crude oil imports fell from 8.9 million barrels per day in 2011 to 8.7 million barrels per day through August 2012. As a result, the share of Canadian oil as a percentage of total U.S. oil imports during the eight-month period increased to 28%.

Graph of U.S. oil imports, as explained in the article text


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ONG: Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Gold Weekly Technical Outlook for Sunday Dec. 2nd

 It's time for this weeks call from the great staff at Oil N'Gold.com.......


Crude oil stayed in established range of 84.05/89.90 last week. The corrective nature of the price actions from 84.05 so far argues that that it's merely a consolidation pattern. That is, fall from 100.42 isn't over yet. Hence, while stronger recovery could be seen as the consolidation continues, we'd expect upside to be limited by 50% retracement of 100.42 to 84.05 at 92.24. ON the downside, break of 84.05 will now target 77.28 support.

In the bigger picture, current development suggests that price actions from 114.83 are a triangle consolidation pattern. Fall from 100.42 is likely the fifth and the last leg of such consolidation. Having said that, downside should be contained above 77.28 and bring an upside breakout eventually. Break of 110.55 will strongly suggest that whole rebound from 33.29 has resumed for above 114.83.

In the long term picture, crude oil is in a long term consolidation pattern from 147.27, with first wave completed at 33.2. The corrective structure of the rise from 33.2 indicates that it's second wave of the consolidation pattern. While it could make another high above 114.83, we'd anticipate strong resistance ahead of 147.24 to bring reversal for the third leg of the consolidation pattern.

Nymex Crude Oil Continuous Contract 4 Hour, Daily, Weekly and Monthly Charts

The case for near term reversal is starting to build up in natural gas. Consider it just bounced off from medium term falling trendline, has bearish divergence condition seen in daily MACD. Nonetheless, break of 3.47 support is needed to confirm topping first. Otherwise, another rally would remain in favor to 4.0 psychological level. Sustained break of 3.47 will turn focus to 3.355. Break there should confirm near term reversal and should at least bring pull back to 2.575/3.277 support zone.

In the bigger picture, recent developments argued that medium term decline from 6.108 is completed at 1.902 already. It's bit early to confirm but bullish convergence condition in weekly MACD suggests that the down trend from 13.694 (2008 high) is possibly over too. Sustained break of the channel resistance (now at around 3.88) will set the stage for a test on 4.983 key resistance next. Meanwhile, break of 3.277 resistance turned support will argue that the rebound from 1.902 is over and the medium larger down trend is still in progress for a new low.

In the longer term picture, decisive break of 3.255 resistance was an important signal of long term bottoming reversal and should at least give a push to 4.983/6.108 resistance zone.

Nymex Natural Gas Continuous Contract 4 Hour, Daily, Weekly and Monthly Charts

Gold's sharp at the end of the week suggests that corrective rebound from 1672.5 is possibly completed at 1755 already, on bearish divergence condition in 4 hours MACD. Initial focus in on 1704.5 minor support this week. Break will turn near term outlook bearish. In such case, whole decline from 1798 should be resuming for 61.8% retracement of 1526.7 to 1798.1 at 1630.4.

In the bigger picture, price actions from 1923.7 high are viewed as a medium term consolidation pattern. There is no indication that such consolidation is finished, and more range trading could be seen. In any case, downside of any falling leg should be contained by 1478.3/1577.4 support zone and bring rebound. Meanwhile, break of 1792.7/1804.4 resistance zone will argue that the long term up trend is possibly resuming for a new high above 1923.7.

In the long term picture, with 1478.3 support intact, there is no change in the long term bullish outlook in gold. While some more medium term consolidation cannot be ruled out, we'd anticipate an eventual break of 2000 psychological level in the long run

Comex Gold Continuous Contract 4 Hour, Daily, Weekly and Monthly Charts
 

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