So....Your nervous about trading overnight options trades? Don't be, and here's how!

You've seen us talking about a new Options strategy that John Carter was working on recently...and he is finally sharing it with us.

Video: My Favorite Way to Trade Options on ETFs

This strategy is the "sleep at night as you trade options" strategy. And we ALL need that!

Here's just a taste of what John shows you in this video:

*  Why trading options on ETFs cuts your risk so you can sleep at night

*  How you can profit with ETFs from the unexpected move in the dollar

*  Why you avoid the games high frequency traders play by trading ETFs

*  Why most analysts have the next move in the dollar wrong and how to protect your investments

*  What are some of the markets that will be impacted by the dollars next move

Here's the link to watch the video again

Enjoy the video,
Ray C. Parrish
aka the Crude Oil Trader


Reserve your seat now for John's next FREE webinar "Why You Should Trade Options on ETF's"....Just Click Here!

Mish's Mid Week Market Minute $SPY $IWM $DIA $QQQ

Michelle "Mish" Schneider gives a quick run down of this market like no one else can. Here's her Free Market Minute for Wednesday....

Flat has several meanings. 1. Smooth and even, without marked lumps or indentations. I wonder how many can say that about their equity after Tuesday’s session? 2. Lacking interest or emotion; dull and lifeless. That’s a yes! 3. In or to a horizontal position. Describes the market internals or McClellan Oscillator.

The S&P 500 is flat. Flat as a word has several more urban definitions; but I will leave that to your own curiosity to look up online. Speaking of, Google (GOOG), far from flat, did make new highs.

Volume equally flat with an exception to the small caps, Russell 2000s, which posted a rather small distribution day. Remember, when you’re flat on your back, everything looks up!

S&P 500 (SPY) Held the fast moving average, which by the way, is flat.

Russell 2000 (IWM) Broke the fast moving average with 111 an important support level

Dow (DIA) Closed just shy of the fast moving average but also on support. Also have to mention that IWM SPY and DIA did not make new highs recently while QQQs did

Nasdaq (QQQ) Marginally worked off overbought conditions

XLF (Financials) Volcker rule announcement had an impact. Sitting on support

SMH (Semiconductors) Holding the runaway gap

XRT (Retail) With a 6 day correction, 85.60 is pretty much the risk should this start to turn up

IYT (Transportation) Marginally held 128.40

IBB (Biotechnology) Held 219 and still digesting

IYR (Real Estate) 63.20 is the place to hold now

XHB (Homebuilders) Floundering around above the 50 DMA

GLD Gapped up so that reversal candle was good after all-now, 122 great resistance

USO (US Oil Fund) Cleared the 200 DMA-and baby, it’s cold outside!

XLE (Energy) 2 inside days-good one to focus on for range break

TBT (Ultrashort Lehman 20+ Year Treasuries) TLTs doesn’t believe taper talk it seems

EWG (Germany) 30.33 is the low of the island top to clear to negate that pattern


Click here...To Get Michelle's Market Minute in your inbox every morning.


Get our "Gold and Crude Oil Trade Ideas"

Are Your Bullish Calls Plagued with Divergences?

By now everyone has a prediction about where the S&P 500 Index (SPX) is going to be heading in the future. Most of the sell side and their ilk are all rolling out the green bullish carpet and predicting that a major bull run is right around the corner.

If you are a contrarian investor by nature and tend to sell when others are buying this will be of great interest to you. When retail investors are buying and the professional sell side is quickly reducing their long equity exposure we get increasingly more bearish.

This recent report was accompanied by some eye opening charts...... 

View report and charts courtesy of Bank of America Merrill Lynch


Get our FREE Trading Webinars Today!

The Market Trend Forecast....Our Latest Market and Gold Views

The staff at TMTF have continued to correctly project the wave patterns for months now for their subscribers in the SP 500 Index. Their latest views were to look for a minor wave 3 top at 1698 with a pullback minor wave 4. They hit that on the nose with a 23.6% fibonacci retracement of minor wave 3 as the index hit 1676.

Since that point, TMTF outlined a Wave 5 pattern that should take the SP 500 to 1736-1771. Several weeks ago they patterned out 1768-1771 as a perfect target for a Major wave 3 high. This will be followed by a 125-200 point SP 500 correction if we are correct.

Below is the latest chart update outlining what we project ahead. A run to 1736-1771, followed by a 120-200 point correction for Major Wave 4 in the SP 500. Subscribers get multiple updates each week.

Click here to join us today for a 33% discount at Market Trend Forecast




Get our FREE Trading Webinars Today!

Have the crude oil bears taken the clear advantage?

September crude oil closed slightly lower on Friday as it extends this week's decline. The mid range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening when Monday's night session begins. Stochastics and the RSI are bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 104.15 would confirm that a short term top has been posted. If September renews the rally off April's low, weekly resistance crossing at 109.45 is the next upside target. First resistance is last Friday's high crossing at 108.93. Second resistance is weekly resistance crossing at 109.45. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 104.15. Second support is today's low crossing at 103.90.

Our next FREE Trading Webinar is Tuesday, sign up now!

The September S&P 500 closed lower due to profit taking on Friday. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening when Monday's night session begins trading. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought and are turning neutral to bearish hinting that a short term top might be in or is near. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 1657.12 would confirm that a short term top has been posted. If September extends the rally off June's low, upside targets will now be hard to project with the next trading into uncharted territory. First resistance is Tuesday's high crossing at 1695.50. Second resistance is unknown with September trading into uncharted territory. First support is the reaction low crossing at 1666.00. Second support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 1657.12.

Start trading with our free "Trend Jumper" software

August gold closed higher on Friday. The high-range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening when Monday's night session begins trading. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought but remain neutral to bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If August extend the rally off June's low, the reaction high crossing at 1394.00 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 1277.50 would confirm that a short term top has been posted. First resistance is Wednesday's high crossing at 1348.70. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 1394.00. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 1277.50. Second support is June's low crossing at 1179.40.

The "Trading Edge" report...free in your inbox today!

August Henry natural gas closed lower on Friday as it extends this week's decline. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Monday. Stochastics and the RSI are bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. If August extends this week's decline, the reaction low crossing at 3.546 is the next downside target. If August renews the rally, the reaction high crossing at 4.003 is the next upside target. First resistance is last Thursday's high crossing at 3.835. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 4.003. First support is the reaction low crossing at 3.546. Second support is January's low crossing at 3.365.

Get our FREE Trading Webinars Today!

Leading Sectors, Cycles and Momentum Point To Drop This Week

Chris Vermeulen's trade set up for the first week of July.....

As talked about almost two weeks ago when the SP500 trend reversed to the down side we have been waiting for a bounce in price to short the market (buy and inverse ETF). That happened last week and now we are waiting for the market to shake out the short positions and suck in as many traders to get long before the next wave of major selling takes place.

It seems traders are becoming bullish again as prices rise and they are dumping their precious metal positions and rotating into equities again from the looks of things. Also if you know the Dow Theory then you know the industrial and transportation sectors tend to lead the broad market. Well today the only two sectors trading lower are just those two.

See the charts for a visual

The Fed, the S&P 500, & Why Gold Is Shining Bright

Well here we are, caught between resistance in the S&P 500 around the 1,330 area and support around the 1,300 price level. My last two articles have discussed why I was expecting a top in the coming days and weeks ahead, but prices just continued to work higher.

One of the things that I pride myself in as a person who trades and writes about financial markets in public is that I am always honest. If I blow a call I fess up and admit it. When I have made mistakes in the past, I always try to learn something new from them and I discuss losing trades publicly with readers and members of my service.

This time is different. I honestly do not know if I am going to be right or wrong. The price action in the S&P 500 Thursday was certainly bearish short term, but a back test of 1,300 or possibly even 1,280 could give rise to a Phoenix. Granted, the Phoenix is nothing more than Ben Bernanke’s pet, but that is a topic for a different time.

I have scanned through my list of indicators which discuss sentiment based on momentum, put/call ratio, the advance/decline line, Bullish Percent Indicators, and several ratio based indicators and they are all SCREAMING that a top is near. The interesting thing about the previous statement is that it would have been true a week ago and mostly true two weeks ago, yet prices have continued to climb.

The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index demonstrates the recent price action that has continued to climb the “Wall of Worry” for several weeks:

S&P 500 Daily Chart

 

The culmination of the massive run higher for the S&P 500 was the dovish comments coming from Ben Bernanke during Wednesday’s press release and press conference.

The U.S. & European Central Banks are seemingly in a perpetual race to debase their underlying fiat currencies. The race will not end well. In fact, this type of situation smells like a Ponzi scheme where Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi (ECB President) are the wizards behind the curtains. Their loose monetary policies and forced reflation are synthetic drugs that juice risk assets higher and ultimately Mr. Market will have his vengeance in due time.

At this point, it seems like Ben Bernanke will do anything to juice equity prices higher. I think his hope is that they will be able to artificially keep the game going until the recovery is on a more sound footing. However, when the entire recovery is predicated on cheap money and liquidity and is not supported by organic economic growth it just prolongs the inevitable disaster.

As an example, the daily chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average is shown below. I would point out that that Dow came within 35 points (0.27%) from testing the 2011 highs. Furthermore, the Thursday high for the Dow was only 1,356 points (10.55%) from reaching the all-time 2007 October high.

Dow Jones Industrial Average Daily Chart

 

I have argued for quite some time that the economy and the stock market are two different things. If Bernanke and his cronies succeed in reflating the financial markets and the Dow reaches its October 2007 high in the near term, more retail investors will regard equity markets as being rigged.

Who could blame them for viewing financial markets as a giant rigged casino that stands to win while they continue to lose their hard earned capital? We all recognize that the current economy is nowhere near as strong as it was in 2007. But alas, the regular retail investor does not recognize that the stock market and the economy do not portray the same meaning.

One specific underlying catalyst that has gone largely unnoticed by most of the financial media during this sharp run higher in stocks is the total lack of volume associated with the march higher. The NYSE volume over the past 2 months has been putrid when compared to historical norms.

As a trader, I am forced to take risk through a variety of trade structures. However, the idea that a crash could be coming seems hard pressed as long as Big Bad Ben is at the wheel.

If the Russell 2000 drops 10%, I am convinced that Ben will be out making announcements that the Fed stands ready to intervene with all of the supposed tools they have at their disposal. Let’s be honest here, they really have one tool comprised of 3 separate functions which are all a mechanism to increase liquidity in the overall system. To express this liquidity, the following chart from the Federal Reserve shows the M2 money supply levels:

Current M2 Money Supply

 

The 3 functions are the printing of currency, the monetization of U.S. Treasury debt (QE, QE2, QE2.5, Operation Twist), and exceptionally low interest rates (ZIRP) near 0 for an “extended period of time (2014).” Since monetary easing is all that the Federal Reserve has done since the financial crisis began, it begs to reason that the Federal Reserve has no other solutions or tools available. If they did, they seemingly would have used them by now.

The first bubble they created due to loose monetary policy was the massive bubble in oil in 2008. Fast forward to the present, and they are currently supporting another bubble in U.S. Treasury obligations. The bubble that they will create in the future when the game finally ends will be in precious metals. The precious metals bubble will be building while the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury attempt to keep the Treasury Bond bubble from bursting.

At this point in time, if we continue down this path stocks will not protect investors adequately from inflation should the Treasury bubble burst. I would argue that the central planning and monetary policy we have seen the past few years continues in the United States and Europe that gold, silver, and other precious metals are likely to begin their own bubble of potentially epic proportions.

As the weekly chart of gold futures illustrates below, gold has recently pulled back sharply and has broken out. I will likely be looking for any pullbacks in gold as buying opportunities as long as support holds.

Gold Weekly Chart

 

In closing, for longer term investors the stock market might have some serious short term juice as cheap money and artificially low interest rates should juice returns. However, eventually equities will start to underperform. At that point, gold will be in the final stages of its bubble and the term parabolic could likely be applied.

If central banks around the world continue to print money there are only a few places to hide. Precious metals and other commodities like oil will vastly outperform stocks in the long run if the Dollar continues to slide. The real question we should be asking is who will win the race to debase, Draghi or Bernanke?

By: Chris Vermeulen – Click here to get Chris' Free Weekly ETF Reports & Analysis
Co-Author: JW Jones – Click here to get J.W's Free Weekly Options Reports & Analysis

Get their Free weekly low risk stock picks!

The Dollar, Weak Earnings Indicate a Top is Near For The S&P 500

Can we still look to the financials to guide us on market movements?

Earnings season is now upon us and so far the only major earnings component that has been released is the J.P. Morgan earnings report that came in Friday before the market opened. After the report was digested by the marketplace, prices fell dramatically.

While the charlatans in Washington try to sell the American public into believing that the U.S economy is starting to firm up, the underlying truth is that the recovery has been relatively weak. If it were not for the massive liquidity injections provided by the Federal Reserve through multiple quantitative easing adjustments, risk assets would likely be priced significantly lower.

Inquiring minds combed through the data provided in the J.P. Morgan earnings release and a few major outcomes were placed front and center. Earnings disappointed overall due to a massive decline in investment banking activity. Investment banking profits represent a large portion of all of the major banks’ earnings.

On Friday the guys at Zero Hedge provided the following chart in its article titled, “Charting Disappearing Investment Banking Revenues And Profits, JPM Edition.” The chart below illustrates the massive decline in investment banking revenue:

To make the chart a bit easier to follow, the blue bars represent investment banking revenue. It is rather obvious that investment banking revenue is in free fall having dropped nearly 50% since the first quarter of 2011. In addition, I would point out the sharp declines in total net income (purple) and the massive decline in equity market revenue (green).

It is without question that the other major banks that have a large investment banking presence are likely to experience similar revenue losses. A significant reduction in investment banking gross revenue puts tremendous pressure on total bank revenues in this quarter and looking ahead.

I am of the opinion that major money-center banks like Bank of America and Citigroup are likely to experience similar revenue reductions. We will know for sure in the coming weeks as most of the large banks are set to report earnings in the near term. Clearly this expected reduction in overall revenue will likely have a major impact on the financial sector of the economy.

The financial complex is absolutely critical when looking at broad index returns. It is common knowledge that broad indexes such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average struggle to rally when the financial complex lags. The same can be said for the semiconductor sector as well.

Recently financials (XLF) and the semiconductor (SMH) sectors have worked considerably higher on relatively light volume. Both XLF and SMH are trading into major resistance and both are starting to show signs that they are nearing a potential top  The daily charts of XLF and SMH are shown below:

XLF Daily Chart

SMH Daily Chart

Both the XLF and SMH daily charts illustrate that a major top may be forming in both sectors. It is widely noted that if the financials and semiconductors are not showing strength in a rising market, a correction or major reversal may not be far away.

I have been writing about the potential for a major top to be forming for several weeks now and I find that I am not in the majority in this viewpoint. Recent sentiment and momentum in U.S. equities demonstrate that we are very overbought at this time. Retail investors are extremely bullish and the Volatility Index (VIX) is trading near recent lows.

I am unsure whether this is a major top that leads to strong selling pressure or whether a correction is a more likely outcome. What I do know is that tops are a process, not a singular event and at this point more and more evidence is supporting the viewpoint that equities may be getting tired and some profit taking is likely.

In addition to the lackluster price action in the charts above, earnings releases have been revised lower in the 4^th quarter of 2011. In fact almost 3.5 companies have announced earnings revisions to the downside for every company that has indicated a stable to rising earnings announcements. This type of scenario has not been present since the first quarter of 2008 which as we know was not exactly a great time frame to be looking to put cash into risk assets.

Furthermore, Goldman Sachs analysts came out with the following commentary, “While the 4^th Quarter is typically the strongest quarter for earnings, estimates have fallen 9% since the summer and are now below both realized 2^nd and 3^rd Quarter results.” Goldman Sachs is also expecting significant price pressure coming from a weak U.S. economy and the fears of a European recession in 2012. Overall, the estimates are far from bullish and are in fact quite concerning when looking at the current valuation of U.S. equities.

The impact that a stronger U.S. Dollar will have on domestic companies which are used to having a competitive advantage when looking at earnings due to currency adjustments could produce negative surprises. Typically positive earnings adjustments are likely to be revised to the downside as the U.S. Dollar has rallied sharply higher in light of the weakening Euro currency. The weekly chart of the U.S. Dollar Index is shown below:

The U.S. Dollar Index is consolidating directly beneath resistance which is generally seen as a bullish development. I expect a breakout over new highs is only a matter of time. It is unlikely that in the long term the U.S. Dollar can rally while stocks trade flat or work their way higher. While this is always possible, the likelihood of that scenario is unlikely due to earnings pressures that would occur if the Dollar pushes higher in the intermediate term.

In addition to the variety of above mentioned factors which could have a major impact on equity valuations, the S&P 500 Index is trading into major resistance. Unless the S&P 500 Index can work above the 1,325 area it is unlikely that a new bull market has begun.

If the S&P 500 Index manages to work above the 1,325 level then my analysis may be proven completely incorrect. However, right now the S&P 500 Index has a lot of overhead resistance at the 1,292, 1,300, and 1,310 price levels. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below’

Ultimately we are coming into the final week for the January options contracts which are set to expire at the close of business this coming Friday. I would not be shocked to see some volatility late this week and potentially even higher prices for equities.

However, my expectation is that once the January expiration hangover is behind us, increased volatility and lower prices are likely ahead for U.S. equities. The earnings announcements this week will likely have a large impact on the price action. Heads up, risk is exceptionally high!

To learn more about Options Trading Signals visit J.W. Jones Options Newsletter website.

Check out J.W.s latest articles

Is This December Similar to 2007 & 2008 for Gold & Stocks?

Thus far in 2011 the overall stock market movement has been much different from what we had in 2010. This year we have seen nothing but sideways to lower prices with wild price swings on a day to day basis. There just has not been any really solid trends to take advantage of this year. Instead we had to actively trade the oversold dips and sell into the overbought rallies to just pull money out of the market on a monthly basis. Last year we saw 3 major rallies that lasted several months making it easy for anyone who bought into the trend to make money if managed properly.

Looking forward to 2012 it looks as though we are going to see some major changes unfold globally that will change the way we do things live our lives. Unfortunately its a very negative outlook but I do have hope that something will be done to perserve are somewhat normal lifestyles. I’m not one to talk doom and gloom, there are enough of those guys out there already so lets stick with the charts and focus on what is unfolding now in the present and how to take advantage of it.......

The charts below show what I feel is likely to happen going into the new year IF we don’t get any major headline news in Europe that triggers another selloff.

Intermarket Analysis:

There are a lot of different things unfolding within stocks, commodities, currencies and bonds right now. And it is imporatnt to know that investments are inter-connected in some way. For example,  if one investment moves sharply in one direction it will have an effect on other investment classes.

My eye is focused on the US Dollar Index which has recently had a strong run up in price. For the past couple years we have seen stocks fall when the dollar moves up. So with the dollar index now trading at a key resistance level we should see the dollar top out for a few weeks and spark a Christmas rally into year end. After that, all bets are off and we re-analyze…

On the flop side of things, if Europe comes out with major negative headline news we could see the dollar index continue its rally and breakthrough this resistance level. If the dollar moves higher from here we could easily see a multi month run up in the dollar. You do not want to be long stocks if this happens, get short stocks and hold on tight.

Gold Daily Chart Analysis:

Here is my positive out look for gold and what I feel is likely to unfold near term. But keep in mind what I just said about the US dollar index above. If the dollar continues its rally and breaks out it could actually put some pressure on gold. I know gold is a safe haven so I do expect it to hold up, but a strong dollar will neutralize a lot of the buying in gold in my opinion.

SP500 Daily Charts:

Stocks should have a solid bounce this December if the dollar finds resistance and pulls back in the coming weeks. I am expecting a bounce of 5-10% if all goes as planned.

Christmas Holiday Rally Trading Conclusion:

In short, we are entering a tough time to trade the market. Volatility is low, there are a few holidays and typically we see volume thin out as December unfolds. Light volume generally favors higher prices for stocks and commodities which is one of the reasons we get the holiday lift in prices.

The recent selloff in stocks is looking overdone to the down side and ready to bounce any day. So I am looking for signals to get long the SP500. Overall risk remains very high as sellers are still in control of the market and because we are looking to put on a trade against the intermediate trend which is down.

On Friday morning myself and my followers exited our short position on the SP500 at the open locking in 13.5% profit. We exited the position because the intraday charts are showing signs of a potential bottom and we want to avoid the tear your face off short covering rally that I feel is just around the corner. Now we are waiting for a another low risk setup and will take action to go long or short depending how things unfold in Europe.

I hope this report helped shed some light on the current market condition for you. Remember you can!

Get my daily pre-market trading videos, intraday updates , and trade alerts with my premium newsletter at  The Gold and Oil Guy

Chris Vermeulen

Check out Chris' recent article "How to Trade Using Market Sentiment & the Holiday Season"

Is The SP 500 About to Stage a Multi Month Rally?

J.W. Jones of Options Trading Signals tells us where he sees this market headed...... 

The S&P 500 must have taken notice of the multitude of headlines coming at market participants and proceeded on a path of pure chaos. Since October 4th, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) managed to trade in a range that spanned from 1,074 to as high as 1,171 in 4 days. To put the past 4 days price action into perspective, the S&P 500 Index rallied 97 points or 9% in less than 96 hours.

Since late July, market participants have been dealing with a whipsaw that has been wrought with headline risk coming from Europe and huge swings in the price action of the volatility index. A few short days ago I was calling for a bounce higher in the SPX as every time frame was oversold. After the jobs number came out Friday morning domestic equities rallied sharply higher and in the short term prices were excessively overbought prompting some profit taking.

Around lunch time the news wires broke that Spain and Italy had their sovereign debt downgraded by Fitch Ratings. The downgrade put U.S. banks under pressure quickly and the price action started to rollover. By the end of the day price action was starting to work higher but a sharp selloff played out in the final 30 minutes of the session putting the major indices back into the red at the closing bell. So the real question that lies ahead is where do we go from here?

There is no easy answer to that question as the headline risk coming out of Europe over the weekend could have a dramatic impact on prices on Monday. Just as a reminder, U.S. bond markets will be closed on Monday for Columbus Day, but equities markets will be open as usual. At this point in time my short term bias is to the downside.

It would be healthy to see the S&P 500 roll over here and find a key support level where buyers step in and support prices. A higher low would be constructive and could lead to a more prolonged intermediate term rally which could last into the holiday season. However, before we can see any sort of rally we need to see a bottom form. While I do believe we have initiated that process, until I see a higher low carved out on the daily chart I will consider the current price structure to remain bearish.

In order to break to new lows, the SPX would have to push through several layers of support. I am of the opinion that we are unlikely to see the recent lows broken, but the chart below illustrates the key support levels going forward. A test of the 1,040 – 1,050 price range remains possible, but the price action the past week makes it seem less likely. Within the context of a hyper volatile period of time, just about any possible outcome remains feasible. The daily chart of the SPX below illustrates key support levels for the index:

In addition to the weak price action into the close on Friday, several other clues are pointing to potentially lower prices in the near future. Members of my service know that I focus daily on several underlying ETF’s which help me get a grasp of the overall market conditions. On Friday, the financials (XLF), the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), and the Russell 2000 Index (IWM) all showed relative weakness against the S&P 500. The chart below illustrates the relative performance on Friday:

The financials and the Dow Jones Transportation Index are excellent sectors to monitor when trying to determine the future price action of the S&P 500. Most of the trading session on Friday the financials (XLF) were exhibiting relative weakness versus the S&P 500 Index. Later in the session, the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT) started to roll over as well and once both ETF’s were under pressure it was not long before the S&P 500 Index flipped the switch to the downside.

The financials (XLF), the Russell 2000 (IWM), and the Dow Jones Transports (IYT) all put in large reversal candlesticks on the daily chart by the close of business on Friday. This is an ominous signal that lower prices for domestic equities may be forthcoming. The fact that key sectors are showing signs of weakness is a negative omen for the S&P 500 and the early part of next week. However, there is a bright side to this scenario.

If support levels can hold up prices next week and we see a higher low on the daily chart form, the bottoming process could be underway which could lead to a strong rally into year end. Obviously a probe to new lows is possible, but I believe that we are in the beginning stages of forming a bottom and a base for a rally to take shape.

If support levels hold up prices, a bottoming formation will likely get carved out on the daily chart of the SPX. The chart below illustrates two potential outcomes that could cause prices to rally sharply. In one case, a higher low is formed and we see prices take off to the upside. The other scenario involves an intraday selloff down to the 1,040 – 1,050 price level that gets snapped back up and a huge reversal candlestick would be formed. These scenarios are common during bottoming processes. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below with the two scenarios highlighted:

The other scenarios would involve prices blowing through support and possibly knifing down to test the S&P 500 1,000 – 1,008 support area. While I find this scenario to be less likely at this time, anything could happen in this trading environment.

The key in the short run is the utilization of defined risk through the use of stop orders. In addition, a trading plan with stop orders and profit taking levels planned ahead will help remove emotion in a volatile tape. The price action is wild, but from my perch the likely scenarios all involve some short term selling pressure. If my analysis is right, this could be a huge turning point for price action the rest of the year.

The next few weeks are going to provide us with clues about the rest of 2011. 

The question traders should really be asking is whether support will hold, or will we break below the recent lows? Right now, the upside looks limited, but in this trading environment the best thought out plans can turn out to be useless if price action does not cooperate. Be nimble and define your risk, as volatility is not likely to subside anytime soon.

Subscribers of OTS have pocketed more than 150% return in the past two months. If you’d like to stay ahead of the market using My Low Risk Option Strategies and Trades check out OTS at Options Trading Signals.com and take advantage of our free occasional trade ideas or a 66% coupon to sign up for daily market analysis, videos and Option Trades each week.

The Latest Options Trading Signals Articles

Chris Vermeulen: Gold, DAX and Dollar Still Pointing to Sharply Lower Prices

The past month has been a wild ride for both equity and commodity traders around the globe. Novice traders have had their heads handed to them and their investment accounts drained. When fear, uncertainty and volatility are running high, some of the best opportunities become available to those who know what to look for. These market conditions force you to focus and strive for perfection in finding low risk entry setups and to also actively managing positions with laser focus because within hours a winning trade can turn into a losing trade.

Looking back on the daily charts of the dollar, SP500, gold, and also the overseas markets it looks as though we are nearing a market bottom. I say NEARING because I think investments need more time for the current selling pressure and bearish sentiment to run its course, which could take another few weeks and possibly a few month before truly bottoming.

Let’s take a quick look at some charts…...

SPY 30 Minute Chart Looking Back 2 Months

As you can see below price action has been wild. But for subscribers to my newsletter it has been a fun and exciting time having pocketed over 40% return from August 1^st – up until today.

The point of this chart is to show you the basic market phases (Impulse, Uncertainty, and Corrective). Understanding how to identify each phase using momentum, price action, volume analysis and market sentiment is crucial for success in today’s volatile market. Once mastered you can trade virtually any investment with a high level of confidence, though I recommend mastering 3-4 investments at most and just trading those full time with pinpoint accuracy. Through my newsletter members learn exactly how to read the market and manage positions from my daily video market analysis, intraday updates, trade alerts and trading tips.

As you can see below I am anticipating weakness in the market over the next few days. Once those levels are reached or if the charts start hinting that a reversal back down is imminent I will be ready to take action using an inverse leveraged ETF.

Gold 30 Minutes Chart Looking Back 2 Months

This chart will piss some people off for sure… but the chart to me is still pointing to lower prices at this time. Until we get a breakout above the upper resistance level I am not bullish on gold. Keep in mind that during strong selloffs in the stock market almost all investment drop together (gold, silver, oil, stocks).

German DAX Daily Chart Looking Back 3 years

This chart shows the long term chart of the DAX which I think is giving us some insight to a global market bottom in the coming months. You will notice I painted the phases over the chart and where I feel the market is trading and where it is headed looking forward.

Dollar Index Daily Chart Looking Back 3 Years

The dollar also shows us three years for price action. If this strong rally continues in the dollar we will see lower stock and commodity prices for a few more months.

Trend Trading Idea Conclusion:

In short, I feel we have some very exciting times ahead along with huge potential trades starting to unfold. While I don’t want the market to collapse I will admit I prefer trading the short side of the market because fear is easier to trade than greed, not to mention prices drop much quicker than they rise… I’m sure you like making money fast also........

I can email you my bi weekly reports and videos by joining my free newsletter here at the Gold and Oil Guy.com

Read Chris' Most Recent Gold and Oil Guy Articles

J.W. Jones: Is The S&P 500 on the Verge of a Big Rally

Only 5 short months ago the S&P 500 was trading at the 2011 highs around the 1,370 price level on the S&P 500 Index. Since then, the price action has devastated investors and traders alike. As of the close on Monday, the S&P 500 had worked over 270 handles lower in 5 months. The price action since September 27^th has been a bloodbath.

It is true that the S&P 500 could be carving out a double bottom on the daily chart, but I am of the opinion that there may be more work to do to the downside. We are oversold on the daily and weekly price charts, but I have yet to see the kind of panic level selling that typically precedes a price reversal. The chart below illustrates the number of stocks that are currently trading above the key 50 period moving average:



While most market participants are concerned about a trap door that causes prices to cascade lower, I am concerned that at some point news will come out that could rip the bears’ faces off. The majority of retail investors are running for cover. The sentiment levels are decidedly bearish and the last thing most traders are looking for is a rally. The contrarian trader in me cannot deny that a rally would do a lot of damage in the near future, but Mr. Market needs to suck in a few more bears in order to do the most harm.

One sound bite out of Europe could alter the price action almost instantly in favor of the bulls. The ECB could suddenly cut interest rates or announce that Eurobonds are going to be made available. Either two headlines or a combination of both headlines would most likely drive prices significantly higher.

After the nasty downside probe today, there are layers of buy stops above current price levels. If price worked high enough, the stops would be triggered and an all out rally could play out. Anything coming out of the Eurozone that appears to be either stimulative or that appears to push an ultimatum out on the time spectrum will be viewed as positive.

Often news and price action play out together at key support/resistance levels and it would make sense that some form of announcement will be made when the S&P 500 price is sitting right at a long term support level. As can be seen from the weekly chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) below, the 1,008 – 1,050 price level is of critical importance.



The primary support levels I am watching on the S&P 500 if it continues lower are the 1,080 price level which should act as short term support. If that level breaks the 1,050 area will become a major support level that bulls will likely defend fervently. Additional long term support will come in around 1,008. I would be shocked to see the S&P 500 push through both the 1,050 and the 1,008 price level on the first attempt, but stranger things have happened.

If price works down to the 1,008 – 1,050 support zone it would not be shocking to see a strong reversal higher. With the recent carnage we have seen in the S&P 500, I find it hard to believe that we could see another 10 – 15% more downside before a reversal plays out. The 1,008 – 1,050 price zone seems ripe for a test, but one other scenario would be a test of the 1,080 support zone that fails intraday and by the close is regained. The chart below illustrates the two most probable scenarios:



Financial markets do not offer a sure thing, however it is without question that bulls will aggressively defend the 1,008 – 1,050 price level on the S&P 500. If that level fails, the price action is going to get far worse and an all out crash could be underway. For now, I am of the opinion we are within 7% – 8% of an intermediate term bottom which could produce a strong multi month rally into the holiday season.

As always anything could happen, but traders need to keep their eye on both sides of the price action. A rally would do a lot of damage to the bears as well as the under invested retail traders and investors. Ultimately the price action is in the hands of Mr. Market, but it is a well known fact that Mr. Market likes to trap traders and inflict pain on as many market participants as possible. A forthcoming rally  would offer yet another opportunity for a lot of traders to eat another slice of humble pie.

Subscribers of OTS have pocketed more than 150% return in the past two months. If you’d like to stay ahead of the market using My Low Risk Option Strategies and Trades check out OTS, Options Trading Signals.com and take advantage of our free occasional trade ideas or a 66% coupon to sign up for daily market analysis, videos and Option Trades each week.

Click here to get our latest Options Trading Signals article

SP500, Financials and Tech Stocks Playing off of our June 19th Article

A couple weeks back on June 19th Chris Vermeulen posted an analysis on how the stock market was bottoming and that we needed a couple key sectors to participate before we would get a solid bounce. You can quickly review the charts at  "Is This Market Flashing a Buy Signal or Another Market Collapse"

Today’s report plays directly off the June 19th analysis showing you the price movement from then on.

SP500 – SPY ETF Daily Chart
As you can see during early June the market became volatile with a broadening formation. This type of price action is an early warning that a trend reversal is near. It was only two days later when we saw stocks make a new high, which is the first ingredient for a trend reversal to take place. But once a higher high was made sellers quickly jumped back into the market pulling price back down. Keep in mind the higher high which was made was another early sign that a trend reversal was likely to happen.

During this time I was watching the charts like a hawk keeping a close eye on the time and sales window which I have filtered to show me only orders with a market value of $3million dollar or larger. This helps me keep a close eye on what the big money players are doing… Following their coat tails if done correctly will help keep you out of the market at times and also gets you in before the masses jump on the wagon.

The two key sectors I talked about on June 19th were the Financials and Tech. Both these sectors must move up if we are to get a decent bounce/rally in the market.

Financial Sector Daily Chart:
By zooming out on the daily chart we can see in terms of both price and volume that the financial sector was at a major support level. Also it had just fallen sharply for more than a week making it oversold and ready for a bounce.

Only a couple days later financial stocks rocketed 11% higher as expected and the broad market (SP500) posted some decent gains for us also.

Let’s take a look at the financial sector:
The tech sector was in the same boat as the financials above… Tech stocks jumped an average 6%.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the market has shown us some decent upward momentum and everything is now at the point where a pause is likely. I expect some type of pause or pullback in the coming week and then the market has a major decision to make. Will it continue and start a new leg higher or roll over and die… That’s the next key question/action about to take shape and I will help guide you through these times each day with my pre-market morning video analysis.

Get Chris Vermeulens Daily Pre-Market Trend Trading Videos, intraday updates and weekly market reports for at a big discount for at The Gold and Oil Guy.com

Share