ETF Trading: Gold, Silver, Oil and the Dow Index

Etf trading has made it so easy for traders and investors to get maximum exposure to the entire market without the high fees of mutual funds and manager. There are now etfs covering almost every investment type whether it’s stocks, indexes, sectors, commodities, bonds, real estate, currencies etc…

In this short report I will quickly show a few charts on what is happening for precious metals and energy.

HUI – Gold Stock
This monthly chart of the gold stocks index you can see how easy it is to trade the market and avoid large sell offs when using technical analysis. Currently gold stocks are in a bull market, testing the 2008 highs. Until we are proven wrong buying stocks after a pullback is a winning strategy.



Trading the GLD ETF
We have been in the GLD etf for a few months as we ride this bull to new highs. This chart clearly shows how buying dips in a bull market can really pay off. I do have certain criteria which must be met before buying dips so I know the odds are in my favor.



ETF Trade Silver
Silver along with gold and oil are looking ready for an oversold bounce. I don’t think prices will jump and rally higher right out of the gate but eventually I feel the will head higher.



Crude Oil Fund - USO
Crude oil looks prime for the picking. It is currently oversold and testing 2 support levels. The downside momentum is still strong so this selling could last another 1-2 days but I’m expecting it to soon.

This is not a low risk setup. This is more of a short term aggressive contrarian play. For those of you who like heart pounding plays.



Natural Gas Fund - UNG
Natural gas has been taking its time to bottom. Virtually every bottom picker has been burned this year. I am starting to hear everyone get more bearish on it again which is great! It should bottom any day then! LOL….

Seriously it cannot get much more bearish for gas. We don’t have enough space to store it and companies are finding more natural gas in the ground every day. Because it sounds like a terrible investment it must be getting close to a bottom. If this is the start of a flat basing pattern, then I expect it could drag out for a few months before actually making a nice move up.



Dow Jones ETF - DIA
The Dow looks similar to gold and silver. I feel we are ready for a 1-2 day bounce then we go a little lower to shake traders out of the market before heading higher.



ETF Trading Conclusion
Gold stocks and the broad market are in a bull market. The recent pullback has many traders worried. I think this an opportunity to bet into some positions before the next rally. Buying the dips in a bull market is a low risk trade until proven wrong. I think we still have more of a pullback yet but then we could have a very profitable year end Xmas rally.

Natural Gas is just bumping along bottom I think. Not expecting any trade for a few weeks anyways.

Crude Oil looks like its ready for a move whether it is a 1-2 day bounce or the start of a new leg higher. If you loot at late Sept you can see USO broke down on heavy volume shaking most traders out of their positions just before the next leg higher, and this is what I feel it is doing now. Only time will tell.

Let’s see how the second half of this week unfolds.

Just click here to get a our free weekly newsletter for The Gold and Oil Guy.



Share

Gold : A Minor Pullback or a Major Correction?

Wow....what a week it was in the world of Gold! After charging above $1,200 on the front month futures contract earlier in the week, Gold finally finished the week on a very weak note, closing below $1,150, which was right above the low established a week earlier in the wake of the Dubai debt debacle. Clearly, Gold is beginning a trend reversal on a daily based time frame, but the technical picture is less clear over the long term. Let’s examine a weekly chart for GLD (one of the financial instruments that holds actual Gold) to get a better fix on what might be expected in this volatile market over the next month or so.


Graphic credit: Metastock v.11

Before going any further, I must admit to being a Gold Bug, having been afflicted with this wonderful malady for many years, including the time period prior to the recent bull run in Gold from 2001-present. Long term, and given the abysmal long term outlook for the US Dollar (and all fiat currencies for that matter), declining mine production (most of the high quality, easier to mine deposits are used up already) and greater awareness among investors regarding the inclusion of Gold in their portfolios, I believe that Gold will easily make it to $2,500 to $3,000 at some point in the next five years, despite several massive sell offs along the way to the eventual summit. However, in the here and now, we need to also rely on our charts, technical indicators and COT futures market data (Commitment of Traders report, published weekly by the CFTC) in order to minimize losses and maximize gains by waiting for more opportune times to add to long term holdings of Gold and/or to capitalize on high probability, short term moves (up and down) that will likely commence from solid support/resistance (S/R) levels in the weeks ahead.
OK, now on to what the weekly chart of GLD is telegraphing to astute traders and investors here:

1. $1,200 was a key Fibonacci extension/Keltner Band resistance area on both a weekly and monthly time frame; major turbulence was expected well in advance, thus the recent tumble came as no surprise to experienced technical traders.

2. Note this week’s wide range weekly reversal candle, one that printed on extremely heavy volume (see circle at bottom of chart); this is a major reversal signal, especially for daily based traders, coming in the wake of such a high profile resistance barrier($1,200).

3. Look now at the short-term and long term money flows (lower portion of the chart); both of the Chaikin money flow indicators (CMF)(34) and (CMF)(144) are revealing pronounced negative divergences with the actual price trends of GLD, which means that the raw fuel (money flowing into GLD and Gold) needed to drive Gold higher is beginning to dry up, for the time being.

OK, so what? What’s a trader and/or investor to do now, given this information? Well, if you’re a long term Gold Bug, simply hold your core investment positions for the long haul; that $100+ trillion US national debt/unfunded liability problem ain’t paid off just yet (and likely will never be), so the future for Gold has never looked better, especially for those wishing to diversify out of the Greenback. Let this corrective move play out and trhen consider adding more at lower price levels, $1,050 might be one such a price zone, which happens to be the current 21 week exponential moving average (EMA) price for cash Gold. For those investing via shares in GLD, the area near $104 also coincides with its own 21 week EMA. More cautious investors might wait for a move lower toward the 50 week EMA, which comes in at about $96 for GLD and $975 for cash Gold. The 21 and 50 week EMA’s acts as strong S/R barriers in nearly every kind of market, and Gold is no exception, so you may wish to do further analysis to see if adding on at those particular price areas makes sense for your financial situation.

Traders can be a bit more aggressive; expect to see some sort of a reaction move higher once GLD/Gold hit their 21 week EMA (green box on the chart shows the likely time/price zone in which to anticipate a reversal higher) this will most likely be a high-probability swing trade play, one that also needs to have a logical stop loss and profit target as well. Daily based traders can do the same thing, plan on on the 21 day EMA offering some sort of a floor from which a short term tradable bounce will commence. But be very nimble, with firm stop-loss and profit targets in place before you enter the trade.

Yes, this is a real correction in Gold, but no one really knows how far the price might fall. Even the strongest bull markets need to pause and correct before moving higher, and perhaps this is the case with the Gold market right now. We should know more as the weeks ahead play out, as always, use common sense, be patient and learn to focus on what the charts and long term fundamental factors are saying, rather than giving in to fear, doubt or the opinions of those who may not have your best interests in mind.


Courtesy of Donald W. Pendergast Jr. - ETF Trading Partner

Share