He's Back....Mike Seerys Weekly Crude Oil and Gold Market Summary

We've asked our trading partner Michael Seery to give our readers a weekly recap of the futures market. He has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.

Here's Mikes call on crude oil and gold. Read more of his calls for this week by visiting here.

Crude oil futures in the April contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside however I have been recommending investors to sit on the sidelines in this market as prices have been in a tight consolidation trading between $48 – $55 for the last five weeks as I’m waiting for another trend to develop.

Crude oil futures settled last Friday at 49.76 a barrel while currently trading at 49.70 basically unchanged but currently down $1.00 this Friday as the U.S dollar is up 130 points putting pressure on many of the commodity markets. At the current time there is a struggle between the bulls and bears as deflation is a worldwide concern, however the U.S monthly unemployment number came in very strong which could increase demand especially when you’re starting to enter a strong driving season which can push prices higher however sit on the sidelines and wait for a trend to occur making sure that you risk 2% of your account balance on any given trade as the chart structure currently is outstanding so a breakout is looming in my opinion.

Oil prices are consolidating over the last month or so after falling from around $90 and that is understandable as prices could go sideways for several more months but as a trader I want to follow the trend and this trend is mixed at the current time so look at other markets.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Excellent

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Gold futures in the April contract are trading far below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside after settling last Friday at 1,213 while trading at 1,172 down $22 this Friday afternoon as the monthly unemployment report was construed as bullish sending gold to a 9 week low.

The U.S dollar is hitting another contract high up 110 points putting pressure on the precious metals as I'm currently recommending a short position in the mini contract which is $33 for every dollar move while placing your stop above the 10 day high which currently stands 1,223 risking around 50 points or $1800 per contract plus slippage and commission.

In my opinion I believe the U.S dollar will continue its bullish trend and therefore should continue putting bearish pressure on gold and silver prices here in the short term as the next level of support is at 1,165 and if that is breached I think that we test the contract low around 1,130 so continue to play this to the downside as the chart structure will start to improve later next week tightening the stop and reducing monetary risk.

Many of the commodity and stock markets were lower today due to the fact that United States treasury bonds plummeted this afternoon sending yields higher as now the speculation is that the Federal Reserve will start to raise rates in June which is another pessimistic fundamental indicator towards gold prices.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

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Mike Seerys Weekly Crude Oil and Gold Market Summary

We've asked our trading partner Michael Seery to give our readers a weekly recap of the futures market. He has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.

Here's Mikes call on crude oil and gold. Read more of his calls for this week by visiting here.

Crude oil futures are trading above their 20 but still below their 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is mixed as I have been advising clients to sit on the sidelines until volatility slows down which could take some time. Crude oil futures settled last Friday at 53.67 a barrel while currently trading around 51.20 in the April contract down around $2.50 for the trading week.

The chart structure is starting to improve as prices have been trading between 50-55 in the last 2 weeks looking to breakout soon so keep a close eye on this market as a breakout above $55 could be in the cards but be patient as the trend is still choppy with no short term trend which does not meet my criteria to enter.

The API report came out yesterday stating that we had 14 million barrels in storage versus the 3 million estimate sending prices down over $2 as the fundamentals still remain bearish as currently there is still an oversupply issue in the short term.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: OK

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Gold futures in the April contract settled last Friday at 1,227 while currently at 1,207 down about $20 for the trading week still trading below their 20 & 100 moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside as prices have hit a 6 week low. I am currently sitting on the sidelines awaiting better chart structure to develop as investors continue to put money into the equity market as gold seems to be entering into a bearish trend once again in my opinion.

The next level of major support is around the 1,180 level and if that level is broken I would have think that a retest of the contract low which was hit in early November 2014 could be in the cards so keep a close eye on this trade because a trade could be coming if chart structure improves and that could happen next week.

Problems around the world seem to be out of the lime light at the current time as I don’t see any real reason to own gold as I remain bullish the S&P 500 as the U.S dollar continues to hover around 11 year highs as I think the dollar is in a secular bull market for some time to come as Europe’s economy is not as strong as the United States as that’s also a negative fundamental influence on gold prices.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

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CME: Crude Oil Steady Ahead of EIA Inventory Report

Crude oil prices have been steady over the last twenty four hours after a short covering rally driven by a recovery in the euro and equity markets in Europe and the US after Monday's post Spanish bailout sell off. We are now entering the major event period for the month of June with the OPEC meeting kicking off tomorrow and the Greek elections on Sunday. Also since yesterday the EIA, IEA and OPEC have all released their oil forecasts while today the EIA will release its weekly oil inventory report. Last night the API data showed a surprise build in crude oil and decline in gasoline stocks (see below for more details on all of the fundamental reports.

I am still expecting a rollover with no production cuts from the OPEC meeting. I am still of the view that the Saudi's will keep oil production high even if oil prices continue to decline. I believe part of the strategy is to add pressure on Iran with lower oil prices and thus hope that it motivates Iran and the West to eventually negotiate a deal over Iran's nuclear issues. The next Iran/West meeting is in Moscow early next week.

At the moment most risk asset markets are still in a downtrend even after a short covering rally yesterday. The technicals for all of the markets are also suggesting lower values going forward. However, event risk will take over as the main price driver for all of the risk asset markets including the oil complex as the macro correlations remain very tightly linked. I believe there is a lot of trading and investing dollars sitting on the sidelines which is likely to remain parked in bonds and money markets until more clarity emerges from the major market headwinds. Following are just some of the main questions clouding all of the markets

Who will win the Greek elections?

Will the Spanish bank bailout actually go forward?

Is Italy next on the agenda?

Will the EU move to eurobonds?

Will contagion spread around to other EU countries as well as outside the EU?

Will the EU slip back into recession?

Will the US economy continue to slow?

Will China's easing result in a growth spurt for this meteoric economy?

Will the US Fed announce another quantitative easing program at their June meeting?

What will be the outcome of the OPEC meeting...production cut or status quo?

Will any progress be made at the next round of talks between Iran and the West?

If no progress is made does it quickly increase the likelihood of military action in the region?

There are more but I trust you all get the point as to the magnitude of the event risk to all of the markets over the next two to three weeks. All of the above have implications for the market and are likely to impact the direction of the markets...at least for the short term. In addition to all of the normal technical and fundamentals approaches you use for trading and investing for the next two to three weeks you must pay close attention to not only the outcome of all of the events but the 30 second news snippets hitting the media airwaves leading up to all of the events. The only guarantee is markets will remain volatile with sudden price reversals as we saw during Monday's US trading session.....

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Oil N' Gold: Drop in Crude Inventory Fails to Alter the Downtrend

Total crude oil and petroleum products stocks declined -4.63 mmb to 1074.56 mmb in the week ended September 30. Crude stockpile fell -4.68 mmb to 336.28 mmb as 3 out of 5 PADDs recorded stock draws and Gulf Coast inventory plunged -5.24 mmb. Cushing stock also fell -0.83 mmb to 30.09 mmb. Utilization rate fell -0.1% to 87.7%.

Gasoline inventory dropped -1.14 mmb to 213.72 mmb although demand slipped -0.06% to 8.989M bpd. Imports dropped -6.65% to 0.51M bpd while production edged up +0.08% to 9.29M bpd during the week. Distillate inventory slipped -0.74 mmb to 156.93 mmb as demand jumped +7.39% to 4.10M bpd. Production gained +2.37% to 4.67M bpd while imports soared +36.67% to 0.21M bpd during the week.

WTI crude oil price rebounded to 78.84 after the report as crude inventory surprisingly fell. Distillate and gasoline stockpiles were also down during the week. However, the near-term outlook remained dismal amid global economic concerns and worries about European sovereign crisis.


A Comparison between API and EIA reports at Oil N' Gold


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Debt Contagion Spreads to Italy, Belgium. Global Markets Tumble

Financial markets remained under pressure with Wall Street tumbling and the dollar soaring to a 2 1/2 month high against the euro. Debt contagion accelerated further in the European periphery. In bond markets, US Treasuries and German bunds strengthened while Spanish and Italian yield spreads widened to record highs. In the commodity sector, oil prices plummeted as bourses weakened. Moreover, industry report showed that oil inventories rose last week. The front month contract for WTI crude oil slipped to as low as 83.55 before closing at 84.11, down -1.89%. Precious metals rose across the board with the benchmark gold contract surging +1.47% to settle at 1386.1. Benchmark contracts for silver, platinum and palladium also gained +3.91%, 1.33% and 1.17% respectively.

Sovereign concerns about debt-ridden European countries remained elevated even though a bailout program of 85B euro for Ireland has been approved. The rescue program's impacts on easing worries were short-lived and the market soon began speculating Portugal as the next country following Ireland to seek help from EU/IMF. Look at bond markets, yield spreads between peripheral European bonds and German bunds continued to widen. While Greek and Irish spreads were the widest, Spanish and Italian spreads accelerated and reached record highs. A similar picture was seen in CDS spreads and we find it particularly interesting that Italian and Belgium spreads were widening fast.

In Asia, China reported the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) expanded to 55.2 in November from 54.7 a month ago. This is the strongest reading in 7 months and signaled the country's manufacturing activities have been growing robustly despite the government measures. Asian shares fluctuated after the report. While investors were encouraged by the strong growth, it also fueled tightening concerns as the government may accelerate measures to control inflation.

Gauges for manufacturing activities will also be released in Europe and the US later. In the US, ISM manufacturing index probably eased to 56.5 in November from 56.9 a month ago. We will also get some employment data in the NY session. ADP will probably report +65K addition of payrolls last month while Challenger's estimates for job cuts may have been lowered from 31.8% in October.

We will also get EIA's weekly oil inventory report. The market forecasts crude and distillate inventories fell while gasoline stockpiles gained in the week ended November 26. The industry-sponsored API estimated crude inventory drew -1.4 mmb while both gasoline and distillate recorded stock builds.

Let's Look at The Charts....5 Year Sovereign CDS Spread and 10 Year Yield Spreads

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Crude Oil Rallies Above 83 Despite Inventory Gains

Total crude oil and petroleum products stocks declined for the 4th week, by -0.26 mmb to 1106.15 mmb in the week ended November 19. Crude oil inventory unexpectedly gained +1.03 mmb, compared with consensus of a -1.03 mmb drop, to 358.63 mmb with stock rising in 3 out 5 PADDs. Cushing stock also rose +0.56 mmb to 33.63 mmb. Utilization rate climbed +1.5% to 85.5%.

Gasoline inventory increased +1.91 mmb to 209.59 mmb while that for distillate dipped -0.54 mmb to 158.25 mmb. Gasoline demand slipped -1.37% to 8.83M bpd. Imports and production rose +39.50% and +0.12% respectively. Distillate demand claimed +0.63% to 3.80M bpd. Both imports and production soared, by 49.43% and +1.46% respectively.

WTI crude oil jumped to as high as 83.05 after the report, despite stock builds in crude oil and gasoline. A Strong rebound in the stock markets was probably the main reason driving oil prices higher.

Here is a Comparison Between API and EIA Reports


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Crude Oil Hits Five Week Lows, Inventory Fears Weigh

Crude futures dropped below $74 Wednesday, hitting five week lows as equities fell and data from an industry trade group showed large builds in already high U.S. oil inventories. Light, sweet crude for September delivery recently traded $1.61, or 2.1%, lower at $74.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange traded $1.29 lower at $75.64 a barrel.

Late Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, said oil inventories rose by 5.8 million barrels last week, while stocks gasoline and distillates, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, rose by around 2 million barrels each. The unexpected rise in inventories combined with falling equities Wednesday morning to push crude to the lowest level since July 7. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently down 48 points to 10357.

Growing stockpiles suggest that demand for oil and oil products is having trouble keeping up with supply, a worrying prospect for a market already flush with crude. Stockpiles at the Cushing, Okla., delivery point for Nymex benchmark crude are inching closer to record levels set in May. And inventories of gasoline remain above five-year averages amid the important U.S. summer driving season.

The Department of Energy is set to report its own statistics on inventories at 10:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday. These more influential data are expected to show a 1.3-million-barrel decline in crude stocks, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey of analysts. Gasoline stocks are seen falling by 500,000 barrels, while distillate inventories are expected to grow by 1.2 million barrels.....Read the entire article.

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Crude Oil Rises a Second Day on U.S. Home Sales Growth, Crude Stockpile Decline

Oil gained for a second day in New York after U.S. home sales rose and an industry funded report showed a decline in the country’s gasoline inventories, bolstering optimism that the economic recovery will accelerate. Oil advanced as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbed after pending sales of existing homes rose to the highest level since October.

The American Petroleum Institute said last week’s gasoline supplies fell to the lowest this year. “The flow of data from the U.S. is still on the positive side, suggesting recovery,” said Toby Hassall, commodity analyst at CWA Global Markets Pty in Sydney. “If we start to see inventories decline in line with their seasonal pattern then that should offer support to the market.”

Crude oil for July delivery increased as much as $1.03, or 1.4 percent, to $73.89 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and was at $73.77 at 1:36 p.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, the contract rose 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, to settle at $72.86. The S&P 500 increased 2.6 percent yesterday. That has pushed Asia stocks higher today with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbing the most since February. The index of pending U.S. home sales gained 6 percent after they were projected to rise 5 percent in April, according to the median of 40 forecasts in the Bloomberg survey.

“The economic numbers out of the U.S. have been improving gradually this month,” said Serene Lim, an energy commodity strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Singapore. “Yesterday’s API data was quite encouraging. We’ll have to see if the Department of Energy numbers match that, especially if the Cushing inventories fall”....Read the entire article.

Complimentary Trend Analysis For Stock, Futures, And Forex

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