Choppy SP500, Gold Stock Meltdown and Dollar Strengthens

From guest blogger Chris Vermeulen....

For the past few weeks I have been expecting the market to correct. By looking at the price action on the weekly and daily charts we can see that there has not been any real pullback since November and that is important to note. Without regular market corrections stocks start to become over bought meaning everyone has/is buying them and no real sellers have jumped off the trend. So when the price in an over bought market starts to slide lower we generally see everyone rush to hit their sell buttons. This is what causes the high volume breakdowns similar to the GLD (Gold) breakdown last December.

Another way of getting a feel for the market to know if it is over bought is to look at market sentiment for bulls vs. bears (buyers vs. sellers). Currently almost everyone is bullish and with this high of a reading we must start protecting our positions by tightening stops and/or get ready to play the coming correction with a short term trading strategy.

We can add another level of analysis to assist our understanding of the market if we look at the 60 minute charts of the SPY & IBM.

The chart below of the SPY (SP500) clearly shows we are in choppy times. With the majority of investors buying up stocks left, right and center because they are bullish on both the economy and individual companies, we have continued to see the index crawl higher. This has been going on for almost 3 months now but the more recent price action in the SPY chart clearly shows there are some BIG sellers unloading positions into this buying pressure. When the big sellers slow their selling we see the price drift back up until selling kicks back in. This is a warning signal for lower prices in the coming days.

The IBM chart shows a perfect example of the ‘Buy on the Rumor – Sell on the News’ saying we all know. The share price of IBM ran up into their earning news as traders know IBM is great for beating estimates. Once the great news came out which actually beat the estimates, the price sold off. This is happening everywhere with stocks.

In short, the market looks top heavy and has also rallied into earning season. These two points really have me on edge for taking a long trade at the moment.



Gold Stocks and the Dollar

The HUI (Gold Stock Index) has been on fire the past 10 months. Both gold and gold stocks have been leading the market higher. But the past month we have seen gold stocks under perform the SP500 and as of today are testing a key support level. Only time will tell if it bounces or breaks, so keep a close eye on your positions.

I use the UUP etf of the US Dollar to show the price action of today’s price move. The US Dollar is now above a key resistance level and has started to move higher. If the Dollar continues higher commodities across the board will have downward pressure. This could trigger a large sell off in the gold and gold stocks which I think are still over bought using a short term time frame.



Gold & Oil Futures Trends

The trend of gold and oil has been down the past few days. Gold broke down in the past 24 hours in overnight trading which triggered a wave of selling when the US market opened.

Gold and oil are currently trading between key support and resistance levels. I am looking for gold to drift back up to the $1130 level where I will look for a short setup as the current price action is not bearish on the intraday charts.

Oil is still bullish so I am not really looking to short it at this time. I will wait for another low risk buy signal.



Commodity Trading Conclusion

I feel the broad market could be ready for a large correction ranging from 5-10%. I am calling it a correction as I want to stay positive thinking. But it could be the start of a major market top. Market tops tend to be a process and take several months to roll over. So let’s focus on protecting our money and wait for a pullback that will allow us to load up with some great positions in the coming weeks.

Patience is how money is made in the market. Waiting for the market to come to you is vital for success. Also having the patience to let winners run by scaling out (selling a portion) of a position when the price reaches a support or resistance level makes it easier to let them run. Each time you sell some of a position you are locking in a profit and lowering your risk for the balance of that trade.

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How to Trade Crude Oil and other Commodity ETF’s

Whether you are trading stocks, ETFs or futures, technical analysis is the preferred choice for short term traders. Technical analysis in short is the study of price and volume movements on charts. It can be used for studying charts in any time frame whether you are a 1 minute chartist or a long term investor using monthly charts.

Using technical analysis in my opinion really opens the door for a trader to lower his/her overall risk when investing money. I always like to know if the investments I am watching are trading near a critical price level (support or resistance). During these times you can take positions that have very clear entry and exit points for trading. Also it puts the odds in your favor when a position is entered in the same direction of the underlying trend.

Price action is how we make money in the market, so I strictly follow price and volume when trading as they are the least lagging indicator on what the market it doing.

I have put together a few charts using commodity ETFs to show you what I am seeing in the market and what we should expect to see in the coming days.

USO Crude Oil Fund – Daily Trend Chart
Oil has slid lower the past 5 sessions and is now nearing a support level. This has me looking for an oversold bounce with the potential to rally much higher. I am keeping an eye on this for any possible low risk setup.



UNG Natural Gas Fund – Daily Trading Chart
While UNG is not a great intermediate and long term fund to invest in, I do find it trades very nicely for intraday and short swing trades. I am neutral on natural gas for the time being. It could go either way from here and I’m not willing to take on a 50/50 probability trade. Let’s wait for something exciting to form.



Commodity Trading Conclusion
In short, gold and silver have been underperforming the market recently which is not what we want to see. They have led the market higher all year but are now taking a breather.

The way I see gold, silver, oil and natural gas is that they are trading below their recent highs and still have more room to fall before landing on a solid support level.

The stock market is now over extended and looks ready for a sharp correction. If this happens we will see commodities drop and test lower prices also.

There is not much we can do right now other than protect our current long positions by tightening our stops. Depending on the strength of the breakdown, there could be a great opportunity for short term traders (60 minute chart traders) to make some quick money. I expect a sell off which will last 3-5 days at the least.

Just Click Here if you would like to receive this Free Technical Trading Newsletter.

Chris Vermeulen "The Gold and Oil Guy"



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Year End Commodity & ETF Trend Trading Signals

Well, here we are with only hours left before the year is over. Virtually every investment is up other than the US dollar. Not much has changed since my last gold market trends report. But I have provided some interesting charts that show us what is possible in the coming weeks for the dollar, gold and natural gas.

US Dollar Trend Analysis – Resistance Levels
The dollar has shown some strength in the past month. It was a no brainer trade for 2009. You were either long gold or short the dollar. The chart below shows the key resistance levels for the $USD. I have a feeling we are going to see the dollar test the 80 -81 levels before rolling over and heading south again.

If this happens then gold and silver will continue to pull back. I am actually hoping the dollar moves higher and gold drops back to test the $1000-1060 level. This would clear the way for gold and the dollar to continue with their longer term trends with increased momentum (dollar collapses, gold goes parabolic).



GLD Gold ETF – Daily Chart
The daily gold swing trading chart is really starting to look attractive for a buy signal. Depending on what the US dollar does in the coming days will set the tone for gold.

We could see gold start to rally starting tomorrow or it will become volatile and start to sell off sharply in the coming days. Right now we have very light volume so any moves/breakouts cannot be taken seriously or with a large position.

If the dollar starts to rally we could see the GLD ETF drop to the $97.50 – $103 level.



Spot Gold Trend Analysis – 18 Day, 1hr Bar Chart
Starting in 2010 I will be providing futures trading analysis and signals so I thought I would provide a chart of the spot gold trend I have been day trading over the holidays.

This may seem like I am going against my #1 trading Rule – Never Trade Against the Trend, but the trend changes depending on time frame and trading style you are using. In short, gold reversed very strong 18 days ago just as we anticipated it would. The selling momentum was so strong it made for excellent gold futures day trading setups which I took advantage of over the past 10 trading days.

The chart below is of the 100 ounce gold GC Feb 10 futures contract which I traded. The chart is shrunk down and does not show my setups, nor does the chart look very sexy, but it clearly shows the direction of the trend and the BIG SELLING VOLUME.

The table shows my recent trades and if you take a close look all of the trades I did were Short Trades. Because the momentum and trend is down on this time frame I only traded perfect short setups (profiting from gold as it loses value).



UNG Natural Gas Trading Fund
UNG appears to be trading at resistance and starting to look like its rolling over. It did move above last weeks high which voids the reversal candle we had Tuesday and Thursday, or else it would have been a short setup for us. I don’t chase a trade, that’s my #2 rule, so I am waiting for a possible bounce here, test of resistance then another reversal back down.



Commodity & ETF Year End Trends
In short, we continue the waiting game for more setups in the coming weeks as volatility and volume creep back into the market. The dollar and gold are currently trading at pivot points and no one knows which way to play them.

Trading futures run virtually 24 hours a day and have provided some excellent trading opportunities that I will be providing in the coming weeks for traders.

Natural Gas is trading at pivot point and looking ready for another move down.

Crude oil and the board market I feel will top out in the next 2-5 days but nothing worth putting any money on at this time.

I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and support over the past 12 months. I wish you all a happy and safe New Years!

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ETF Update - Gold, Silver and Oil Out Perform their Equities?

Since the market crash in late 2008 we have seen investors favor quality stocks that pay dividends and have steady earnings. Fast growth companies and equities with physical resources like commodities have also done well.

Let’s examine the monthly charts of gold, silver, oil and natural gas, and observe how they have traded in comparison to their mining equities

Gold – Monthly Chart
Looking at the monthly chart as far back as 2004, we see that gold has formed the same patterns repeatedly. This has created a stair step pattern and allows us to calculate measured moves and a time frame for this to take place.

As we can see gold has broken its 2008 high and is starting another rally which we have seen several times before. I figure we could see gold rally for another 3-5 months and possibly reach the $1500 -$1600 level before forming a multi month or year consolidation.

Investors around the world are buying gold because it is a physical product which has been proven to hold its value.


Silver & Precious Metal Stocks – Monthly Chart
Silver and PM stocks have been trading in tandem since 2004 and we can see this by looking at a price performance chart of both silver and the HUI index. The interesting part is that the physical commodity silver has held its value better than the stocks during corrections.
Apparently investors prefer tangible investments over stock certificates of mining companies in periods of increased volitility. Lower risk is in the commodity.


Oil – Monthly Chart
Crude oil has held its value over energy stocks for the majority of the time since 2003. And currently, investors are more comfortable holding oil as a safe investment over energy stocks.


Natural Gas – Monthly Chart
Natural gas is the energy sector’s underdog in my eyes. The world has found so much natural gas in the ground and discovered cost effective ways to collect gas that it will continue to see investors move away until inventory start to deplete.


Commodity Trading Conclusion:
Investors around the world continue to put money into gold which is a universal hedge against inflation. The broad market appears to be trading at a major resistance level. Tops in the market generally take a much longer than to reverse directions than market bottoms. We will not knot for sure if we are entering a top for a couple months as the charts unfold. Now that commodities are trading back at reasonable levels I think they will hold up better than equities if the market starts to correct.

We continue to enter low risk setups and trade with this strong up trend but are aware that we must be protected and focus on the lower risk plays.

Just click here to receive weekly trading reports from The Gold and Oil Guy!


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Energy ETF Trading Report - USO and UNG

So far this week has been generous with our commodity ETFs moving higher, other than natural gas which is clearly in a bear market. Each of the commodity ETF trading charts below is at a different stage and it will be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming weeks.

Trading ETFs is very rewarding when done properly and using multiple time frames for timing your entry and exit points is crucial. My main focus is on the weekly and daily charts but I use a 30 minute intraday chart when the time comes to actually pick an exact buy or sell point. Below I have provided both the weekly and daily chart so you can see how the same ETF looks completely different on the two time frames.

USO Fund Trading – Weekly & Daily Trading Charts
While gold and silver have been moving higher oil has been flagging sideways taking a breather. Both the weekly and the daily charts are aligned for a nice move higher if the trend and charts follow through on their patterns. We could get some tradable action in the next couple days.


UNG Fund Trading – Weekly & Daily Trading Charts
Natural gas is really starting to slide. Wednesday UNG dipped below the Sept low of $8.94 by a couple cents then moved up into the close. Overall it’s not bullish. This could be the start of a waterfall sell off which is a sharp heavy volume sell off that lasts 3-5 days.


Commodity ETF Trading Conclusion:
To sum everything up the gold and silver ETFs are on fire as they continue to surge higher. Being ready for a sharp reversal is important if you want to lock in gains on a portion of your position.

Crude oil is taking its time but looking ripe for a breakout higher. We continue to watch for some action.

Natural gas continues to get pushed down and it’s not looking good for higher prices anytime soon. We are waiting for a shorting opportunity or an oversold condition to play a 1-5 day bounce.

Quick Trading Tip: If you have a position which has done well and has moved up for an extended period of time be sure to draw some trend lines and tighten your stop, or set a stop, under a tight trend line. Sell some of your position (25-50%) to lock in gains and let the core position continue to mature. If you get a pullback to a support level (previous breakout level) you can buy back your other part of your position at a lower price.

Just click here to receive Free Trading Reports from The Gold and Oil Guy.

ETF Commodity Trading Analysis & Charts - USO & UNG

Commodities continue to perform well as the US dollar tests the October lows. If we step back and take a look at the weekly charts of the gold, silver, oil and natural gas ETFs we can get a better feel for what to expect in the coming week.

Trading commodity ETFs can be a very fun and profitable experience when done correctly. The first things I always analyze are the longer time frame charts. This allows me to see past support and resistance levels and determine whether the investment is trending up, down or sideways.

Let’s take a look at crude oil and natural gas.

USO Fund – Weekly Chart
The USO fund continues to look bullish as it consolidates the breakout with volume getting lighter. We could see a bounce this week and if we do I will be watching for a low risk entry setup.


UNG Fund – Weekly Chart
UNG continues to trend down and under perform the market. The last time UNG dropped to this level we had a nice bounce generating a 30% move in 3 weeks. But I don’t think that will happen this time. The price has been sliding lower slowly on light volume. This type of price action is not as predictable when compared to others. I will wait for a proper setup before buying an oversold bounce or shorting after a bounce.


Commodity ETF Trading Conclusion:
The weekly charts don’t lie. Trade with the underlying weekly trend and you will put the odds in your favor. I use the daily chart and 30 minute intraday charts for timing my trades as those time frames have proven to be very accurate with commodity ETF investments.

WE continue to be hold our golden rocket stocks and GLD fund. If the market co operates this week we could get some trading signals for both Canadian and US ETF funds.

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Commodity Newsletter for Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gold and Silver

Everyone is talking about commodities as the place to be in the coming months. I tend to agree, but it is still important to know where each commodity is trading to maximize returns and reduce risk.

That being said we are also seeing money flow out of the small cap stocks and into the large cap blue chips Stocks. These companies prove year after year that they are profitable and that’s where investors have been putting their money the past couple weeks. This can be seen by simply looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Russell 2000 index as the Russell has dropped in value much more than the Dow. But if we see the market turn back up and make a new yearly high in the coming weeks, small cap stocks will most likely provide explosive opportunities for traders.

Below is some analysis on Crude oil, Natural Gas, Gold and Silver....

GLD ETF Trading – Weekly Trading Chart
By looking at the weekly chart of gold we can see two simple things.
1 – Each breakout is happening quicker as money continues to move into gold.
2 – This step like pattern (bull flags) is very powerful and can continue for a very long time.


GLD ETF Trading – Daily Trading Chart
This chart shows the same price action but on a daily chart. It also shows one way to find and trade low risk setups for the GLD ETF traded fund.


SLV ETF Trading – Weekly Trading Chart
Silver ETF trading has not been as exciting. Silver has yet to breakout above the 2008 high. It is actually trading at a major resistance level and still has some work to be done before looking really bullish in my eyes. This is acting like major resistance level for two main reasons.

1 – It is testing the 2008 highs where a lot of traders bought silver over a 5-6 month period. There are a lot of sellers to flush out before moving higher.

2 – The drop in silver price in late 2008 was so scary for investors who bought at $16-20 that they cannot believe they are getting their money back. I think this is making a higher volume of investors sell their positions at break even because they just want out after seeing 50% loss at one point last year.


UNG Fund Trading – Daily Trading Chart
UNG has been sliding lower and lower since hitting its head on resistance back in October. The gap down on Friday is bearish indicating traders are starting to panic out of UNG and willing to get out at any price.


UNG Fund Trading – Natural Gas Seasonality Timing
UNG and the seasonality chart seem to be spot on for timing the price of natural gas. Keeping an eye on seasonality and general market seasonal patterns can really help improve ones performance. It may be better to trade stocks or commodities, or maybe just carry more cash depending on the timing and situation the market is in.


USO Fund Trading – Daily Trading Chart
USO has broken out from its large multi month consolidation from August – early October and is now forming a bull flag. While this flag could last a couple months I have feeling we will see a breakdown or a breakout sooner than later. This is just a gut feel and I will continue to watch and wait for a low risk setup.


Commodity Trading Newsletter Conclusion:
To sum up next weeks market action I feel it will not be anything to write home about. Gold and silver will most likely trade sideways or up, natural gas should continue lower and crude oil should trade sideways. With any luck stocks will continue to rally and test the highs once again.

GLD ETF continues to be our investment of choice as it provides the more accurate low risk setups time and time again. With any luck we could get some low risk setups this week but I am not counting on it.

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Crude Oil and Natural Gas ETF Trading

The past week in gold, silver, oil, natural gas and the broad market wasn’t anything to write home about. We are seeing controlled profit taking which is making the market choppy. Many traders are getting very bearish on the market which is a good thing in my opinion. According to my market internals, sentiment and volume analysis we should get a shake out (sharp dip) which would make traders exit their positions before the market continues higher.

Some trader’s say we are in a bull market, others say we are in a major bear market. Either way the trend is up on the daily and weekly charts and companies are making money. Buying on over sold dips has been very profitable this year. Until I see things drastically change, this is my strategy for the broad market.

Lets take a look......

Crude Oil – USO Exchange Traded Fund
Oil has been making a strong rally after breaking out of is multi month consolidation pattern. We are now looking for some type of pullback or test of breakout for another low risk entry point.


Natural Gas – UNG Exchange Traded Fund
Natural gas is having some trouble breaking out above the multi month resistance trend line. Buying here is a 50/50 bet and I will wait for another entry point before putting our money to work.


Crude Oil and Natural Gas Conclusion:
Overall, the market feels ready for quick snapback to shake traders out of profitable positions. I expect a resumption of the up trend as the market slowly creeps higher at a steady pace digesting each rally with sideways movement.

I know many people are shorting the broad market and that is not something I am willing to do yet. Until I see a drastic change, long positions are my bread and butter. Once the market does reverse, there will be plenty of time to play the short side using the Leveraged ETFs.

Commodities are taking a breather but with our support trend lines nearing I expect some movement this week.

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Mid Week Oil and Natural Gas Trading Report

Commodities so far this week have not changed much. But I can point out a few things for us to watch Thursday and Friday.

Energy – Oil USO Fund – Energy Stocks XLE Fund
We are seeing a similar pattern in the energy sector. Oil had a nice move higher today while energy stocks sold off. Stocks are starting to fall out of favor.



Natural Gas – UNG Fund
Natural gas is still in a bear market and trading under a major resistance trend line. This commodity could go either way so I am going to wait for the odds to be more on my side before jumping on board with a long or a short trade.



Mid-Week Oil and Nat Gas Conclusion:
The market is starting to look and feel top heavy with many indicators and price action patterns giving cross signals. While the market could continue to rocket higher with new money getting dumped in from average investors because of solid 3rd quarter earnings, we must be cautious by tightening our stops and take some profits off the table. Until we get a short term oversold market condition I am trading very conservatively.

Waiting for a good trade is crucial in trading. If you always want to trade and force positions when the market is choppy you end up with lower probability trades.

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