Showing posts with label stop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stop. Show all posts

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Crude Oil, Gold, Coffee, Sugar and Markets

Over the past few weeks, the likelihood of a December rate hike by the Federal Reserve Bank has grown substantially. Both economic data and hints from a number of Federal Reserve policymakers now point towards a December rate hike and now on Wall Street 70% of investors polled believe a rate hike in December is possible. 

So let us take a look at the data and what Fed officials are saying that is making investors believe a hike is coming. Our trading partner Mike Seery  is back to give our us a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week.

Crude oil futures in the January contract are up 90 cents this Friday afternoon in New York settling at 42.00 last Friday while currently trading at 42.60 as this market has been on the defensive for quite some time due to the fact of massive worldwide supplies as I’ve been sitting on the sidelines at the current time. Oil prices are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average hitting a double top at the 52 dollar level with the next major level of support at the contract low which was hit in late August around 40.00 as we could be entering a short position next week as the chart structure is starting to improve dramatically on a daily basis. Crude oil has stabilized in recent days due to the fact of terrorism and especially the possibility of that spreading to the Middle East, however worldwide supplies are massive and that is the real problem coupled with the fact of a strong U.S dollar which is higher once again today as the Federal Reserve basically will raise interest rates in the month of December which is also another negative, but as a trader I look for risk/reward to be in your favor and that could be in next week’s trade to the short side as I’m not convinced that prices are headed lower. In my opinion think if the oil market moves higher you’re going to need OPEC to cut production and I’m not sure if they are willing to do that at the current time, but if that does happen that would certainly put the short term bottom into this market.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Improving

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Gold futures in the December contract settled in New York last Friday at 1,081 an ounce while currently trading at 1,081 unchanged for the trading week still trading below its 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside, however I’m sitting on the sidelines in this market as prices have dropped $100 in the last three weeks as the chart structure is awful at the current time. Earlier in the week prices traded at a new contract low of 1,062 and now has rallied for the 2nd straight day as I still see no reason to own gold at current time as money flows are coming out of the precious metals once again and into the equity markets as I think that trend will continue for the rest of 2015. Gold prices have stabilized here in recent days due to the fact of all the terrorism that is occurring throughout the world and it looks to me that that probably could continue here in the short term, but the easy money to the downside has been made in gold as I think you will start to see a consolidation of the recent downdraft in prices so avoid this market at the current time and look at other markets that are beginning to trend with less risk.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Coffee futures in the March contract settled in New York last Friday at 115.80 a pound while currently trading at 122.75 up nearly 700 points for the trading week having one of the strongest weeks in quite some time bottoming out at the 115 level. As I’ve written about in previous blogs as I think coffee is in the process of bottoming, however at the current time I’m sitting on the sidelines waiting for a trend to develop as prices are trading above their 20 day but still below their 100 day moving average telling you that the trend currently is mixed. The contract low was hit around the 115 level as prices are getting very cheap in my opinion as we are starting to enter the volatile season as I think we are squeezing blood out of a turnip at these levels, but I will be patient and wait for better chart structure to develop therefore lowering monetary risk as I think over the long haul prices are headed higher. The next major resistance is at 125 which is just an eyelash away as the soft commodity markets except for cotton have rallied over the last several weeks as traders remember in early 2014 a drought hit key coffee growing regions in the country of Brazil sending prices sharply higher in just a matter of weeks.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

Sugar futures in the March contract settled last Friday in New York at 15.04 a pound while currently trading at 15.04 unchanged for the trading week still in a very volatile trade as prices are swinging up and down on a daily basis as the chart still looks bullish in my opinion, however I am sitting on the sidelines as the chart structure is poor at the current time. Sugar prices are actually trading above their 20 and 100 day moving average which is one of the only few commodities you can say that about as the trend still remains higher with major resistance at 15.50 as strong demand continues to prop up prices here in the short term coupled with the fact of lower production numbers coming out of Brazil. Sugar prices have rallied around 35% over the last three months as this was a very bearish trend for the several years as prices used to trade in the 30’s in 2011 as that’s how far prices have come down due to over production in Brazil, but that scenario has changed going into 2016 as weather is now the main focus to drive prices higher.
Trend: Higher - Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

Mike Seerys Trading Theory
What Does Risk Management Mean To You? I generally tell people that the reason people lose money in commodities is not due to the fact that they are bad at predicting where prices are headed, however they are bad when it comes to losing trades and refusing to take a loss which results for heavy monetary losses that are difficult to come back from. For example if a customer has $100,000 account in my opinion on any given trade he or she should risk 2% – 3% of the account value meaning if you are wrong the worst case scenario is still a $97,000 remaining balance, however what I always see is traders risking ridiculous amounts of money and instead of the 3% stop loss will risk 20% to 30% on any given trade or even higher therefore if you are wrong on two or three trades that $100,000 dollar account could dwindle down to nothing very quickly and I’ve seen it many times throughout my career. What many traders forget to realize is they might have 4 or 5 commodity positions on and if you have too many contracts on all at the same time and all of those trades go against you which is very possible the losses can add up to be staggering so what I am suggesting to you is if you have $100,000 account risk between $2,000 – $3,000 per trade so if you lose on five straight trades the worst case scenario is that your down $15,000 and still have an $85,000 balance which is very possible to still come back from and your still in the game.

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Crude Oil, Coffee, Sugar and Corn Markets

Last week U.S. retail sales were reported and rose less than expected in October. One of the big surprises was the automobile sector and the decline in the purchases of new cars. All of this weighed on the markets, pushing back the bulls once again. So our trading partner Mike Seery  is back to give our us a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week.

Crude oil futures in the December contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside hitting a 10 week low as prices settled last Friday in New York at 44.90 while currently trading at 40.50 a barrel down around $4 for the trading week continuing its longer term bearish trend. At the current time I’m sitting on the sidelines as the chart structure is very poor which means that the 10 day high is too far away risking too much money in my opinion, however keep a close eye on this market as the chart structure will start to improve in next week's trade therefore lowering monetary risk. In my opinion it looks to me that prices are going to test the August 24th low of 39.22 as high inventories continue to pressure prices coupled with the fact of a strong U.S dollar hampering many commodity markets in 2015 and unless OPEC cuts production prices will probably remain on the defensive for some time to come. The weather in much of the United States has been above normal which is putting pressure on heating oil futures because of the lack of demand and therefore putting pressure on crude oil, but we are starting to enter the winter months as that could change very quickly but at the present time the 7/10 day weather forecast remains warm.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

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Coffee futures in the March contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average settling in New York last Friday at 121.15 while currently trading at 118.80 down over 200 points for the trading week continuing its short term bearish trend. Prices look to retest the contract low which was hit on September 24th at 117.80 as coffee is acting nonvolatile at the current time as historically speaking coffee is one of the most volatile commodities in the world, but there is very little fresh fundamental news to dictate short term price action. At the current time I'm sitting on the sidelines waiting for better chart structure to develop, however I do think prices are limited to the downside as I think you're starting to squeeze blood out of a turnip as we start to enter the volatile winter season as in 2014 a drought hit the country of Brazil sending prices sharply higher so keep a close eye on this market for a possible bullish pattern to develop in the coming weeks. Coffee prices have been extremely choppy over the last six months as I've had a couple recommendations that fizzled out but as a trader you can't give up because the trend always comes back it's just a matter of time and patience.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

Sugar futures in the March contract settled last Friday in New York at 14.46 a pound while currently trading at 15.08 up about 60 points for the trading week as I'm currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for another trend to develop and at the current time I’m advising clients to avoid this market. Sugar prices are highly volatile with many sharply higher and sharply lower trading sessions with major resistance at the peak high around 15.50 and support around the three week low at 14.00 which was hit in Monday's trade as production numbers out of Brazil continue to swing prices on a daily basis. Sugar prices are still trading above their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is still higher as this has been one of the few commodities that continue to have a bullish trend due to less production in Brazil and key growing regions throughout the world coupled with the fact of very strong demand pushing prices up around 35% from lows hit just 3 months ago. If you’re looking to pick a top I would sell a futures contract at today’s price while placing your stop at 15.55 risking around 45 points or $500 per contract plus slippage and commission, but I am currently involved in other markets with better risk/reward parameters.
Trend: Higher
Chart Structure: Poor

Corn futures in the December contract settled last Friday in Chicago at 3.73 a bushel while currently trading at 3.60 down around $.13 for the trading week as I've been recommending a short position from the 3.79 level and if you took that trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 3.84, however the chart structure will start to improve on a daily basis therefore lowering monetary risk next week. Prices are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside as prices reacted to the USDA crop report which raised carryover and production numbers sending prices to a new contract low so continue to play this to the downside in my opinion as lower prices are ahead. Many of the commodity markets continue to move lower especially crude oil which is also putting pressure on corn prices as I think the next major level of support is 3.50 as volatility is relatively low, but if you have missed this trade move on and look at other markets that are beginning to trend. At the current time I’m recommending many short positions including soybeans and corn as I think oversupply issues will continue to keep a lid on prices for the rest of 2015.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Improving

What does Mike mean when he talks about chart structure and why does he think it’s so important when deciding to enter or exit a trade?

Mike tells us "I define chart structure as a slow grinding up or down trend with low volatility and no chart gaps. Many of the great trends that develop have very good chart structure with many low percentage daily moves over a course of at least 4 weeks thus allowing you to enter a market allowing you to place a stop loss relatively close due to small moves thus reducing risk. Charts that have violent up and down swings are not considered to have solid chart structure as I like to place my stops at 10 day highs or 10 day lows and if the charts have a tight pattern that will allow the trader to minimize risk which is what trading is all about and if the chart has big swings your stop will be further away allowing the possibility of larger monetary loss."

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


Make sure you get our latest FREE eBook "Understanding Options"....Just Click Here!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Natural Gas, Gold, Silver, Copper and Corn Markets

A positive monthly unemployment number which added 271,000 jobs sent many commodities lower on Friday all due to a very strong U.S dollar. So we have asked our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our us a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week.

Natural gas futures in the December contract settled last Friday at 2.32 while currently trading at 2.38 as I’ve been recommending a short position over the last several months and if you took that trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which has been lowered to 2.42 as the trend may have bottomed out in the short term. If you take a look at the daily chart there is a price gap at 2.46 as it looks to me that prices want to fill that gap as weather in the Midwest has put pressure on prices in the short term as we are way above normal average temperatures therefore lowering demand and therefore putting pressure on prices. Natural gas prices are still trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is lower as many of the commodity markets were lower once again today due to a strong U.S dollar but natural gas is a domestic product which is not influenced by the dollar but by weather conditions as we are starting to enter the winter months, but continue to place your stop at the proper level and if we are stopped out look at other markets that are beginning to trend as this trade worked very well.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Outstanding

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Gold futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 1,141 while currently trading at 1,087 an ounce down $17 this Friday afternoon all due to a very strong U.S dollar which is up over 100 points today on a positive monthly unemployment number which added 271,000 jobs sending many commodities lower. Gold prices are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short-term trend is to the downside as prices hit a three week low; however the chart structure is terrible as prices have collapsed over the last couple weeks as I’m sitting on the sidelines waiting for the risk/reward to improve. The next major level of support is at 1,080 which is the contract low as you have to think that gold prices are headed lower as I’m currently bullish the stock market and I do believe that will continue to move higher taking money out of the precious metals therefore continuing to put pressure on prices as I see no reason to own gold. The unemployment rate is 5% as investors are now thinking that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates which are another negative influence towards gold and commodity prices.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Silver futures are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average settling last Friday at 15.56 while currently trading at 14.77 an ounce hitting a 4 week low as the trend in silver is to the downside, however it also has poor chart structure so I’m sitting on the sidelines at the current time. The next level of support in silver is 14/14.50 as I do think prices are headed lower due to a strong U.S dollar which should continue to move higher for the rest of 2015 in my opinion as the commodity markets look to head lower. At the current time I’m recommending a short position in copper as I think silver and gold will continue to put pressure on copper as I see no reason to own the precious metals. Silver prices have been very choppy over the last several months with many false breakouts so be patient as the risk/reward is not in your favor presently, but I’m definitely not recommending any type of bullish position as the path of least resistance is to the downside.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Copper futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 231.75 a pound while currently trading at 224.40 down about 700 points for the trading week as I have been recommending a short position from around 231 and if you took that trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 2.38 as the chart structure will tighten up in next week’s trade. Copper futures are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short-term trend is to the downside hitting a five week low with the next major level of resistance at 2.20/2.22 and if that level is broken I think prices could test 2.00 in the next several weeks as the U.S dollar continues to put pressure on many commodity prices including copper. The precious metals continued their bearish momentum with gold and silver sharply lower this week keeping a lid on copper prices. I think this trend is just beginning so take advantage of any price rally as I think lower prices are ahead as we could possibly be adding to this position as the risk/reward is in your favor in my opinion as copper is a very large contract which can experience huge volatility with high risk which is what we look for as a trader as long as you risk 2% of your account balance on any given trade. Copper has traded lower for the last 3 trading sessions as volatility is relatively high as the long term trend line is still intact so continue to play this to the downside.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

Corn futures in the December contract settled last Friday in Chicago at 3.82 a bushel while currently trading at 3.72 down $.10 for the trading week as I’ve been recommending a short position from around 3.79 if you took the original trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which stands at 3.88 as the chart structure will start to improve in next week’s trade. Corn prices are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside with the next major level of support at the contract low of 3.60 which could be tested next week off of the USDA crop report which should send high volatility back into this market. Volatility in corn at the current time is relatively low as I expect that to continue until next spring as there is very little fundamental news to put high volatility into the market, but I do think the trend will continue to the downside as expectations are of higher production numbers in the upcoming report and extremely high carryover numbers which should keep a lid on prices. Corn prices hit an 8 week low as the one reason I took this trade was the fact of excellent chart structure at the time of the recommendation with the original risk of 8 cents or $400 as I still see lower prices ahead due to a very strong U.S dollar which is up sharply this Friday afternoon.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

What does Mike mean when he talks about chart structure and why does he think it’s so important when deciding to enter or exit a trade?

Mike tells us "I define chart structure as a slow grinding up or down trend with low volatility and no chart gaps. Many of the great trends that develop have very good chart structure with many low percentage daily moves over a course of at least 4 weeks thus allowing you to enter a market allowing you to place a stop loss relatively close due to small moves thus reducing risk. Charts that have violent up and down swings are not considered to have solid chart structure as I like to place my stops at 10 day highs or 10 day lows and if the charts have a tight pattern that will allow the trader to minimize risk which is what trading is all about and if the chart has big swings your stop will be further away allowing the possibility of larger monetary loss."

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


Make sure you get our latest FREE eBook "Understanding Options"....Just Click Here!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Silver, Dollar, Coffee and Sugar Markets

Is being on the sidelines a good trade? Of course it is and sometimes we just have to step back and being honest with ourselves when there just is not any trends that work to our advantage. And that's never been more the case than it is right now in the commodity markets. So who better to have than our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. 

Crude oil futures in the December contract are trading below its 20 and 100 day moving average hitting an eight week low in Tuesdays trade only to rebound in Wednesdays trade off of a bullish API report as prices remain choppy as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines just like I have been in many different markets as there are very few trends that are currently developing.

Crude oil prices settled last Friday in New York at 44.60 while currently trading at 46.18 slightly higher for the trading week as the U.S dollar is at an eight week high putting pressure on many commodities especially the precious metals over the last several days, but it looks to me that crude oil prices are stabilizing around the mid-40 level.

Gasoline prices have fallen dramatically over the last several months and has put pressure on crude oil prices as I paid $2.14 in the suburb of Chicago yesterday for gas which was the lowest price since 2009 but at the current time this market remains choppy, but the chart structure still remains very solid as there could be a possible trade in the next week or two.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Solid

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Natural gas futures in the December contract are trading lower for the 8th consecutive trading session finishing down 25 points for the trading week hitting a 3 ½ year low currently trading at 2.25 as I’ve been recommending a short position for the last eight weeks and if you took that trade congratulations as this market has completely collapsed due to the fact of extremely warm weather in the Midwestern part of the United States. Natural gas prices are trading far below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is sharply lower as the November contract right before expiration actually traded below 2.00 as the next level of support on the December contract is this Fridays low of 2.18 and if that is broken I think we can retest 2.00 once again as the forecast of warmer weather continues.

The chart structure will start to improve dramatically in Wednesdays trade as the 10 day high currently stands at 2.70 but that will be lowered on a daily basis so be patient as the risk will come down so accept the monetary risk. Many of the commodity markets are dictated by a strong or weak U.S dollar, but natural gas is a domestic product as price fluctuations depend on weather conditions as the weather in the Midwest has been extremely warm therefore depressing demand lowering prices as well so remain short in my opinion, however if you have missed this trade move on as you have missed the boat.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Silver futures in the December contract settled the trading week on a sour note closing around 15.55 an ounce unchanged this Friday afternoon after hitting a 4 month high in Wednesdays trade, but then the Federal Reserve stated that they will possibly raise interest rates in the month of December sending silver prices sharply lower hitting a three week low in today’s trade.

I was recommending a long position from around 16.25 while getting stopped out around 15.60 taking a small loss as I can’t remember the last time the Federal Reserve actually benefited my trades which is very frustrating as I just wish they would raise interest rates and get it over with.

At the current time I’m sitting on the sidelines waiting for another trend to develop as gold prices look very weak in my opinion as I’m sitting on the sidelines in that market as well while focusing at other markets that are beginning to trend as silver prices remain extremely choppy despite the recent bullish momentum.
Ttend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Solid

The U.S dollar is trading above its 20 and 100 day moving average in a very volatile trading week surging higher in Wednesdays trade as the Federal Reserve stated that they might possibly raise interest rates in the month of December, however prices have fallen back 100 points in the last two trading days finishing down on the week by about 50 points. The dollar hit a 10 week high in Wednesday’s trade as I’ve been sitting on the sidelines in this market as well as this remains extremely choppy as the 10 day low is over 200 points away therefore not meeting my risk criteria.

The problem with many of the commodity markets at the current time is that they remain choppy as the U.S dollar is sharply higher one day and then sharply lower the next day so be patient. I’m still looking at a possible bullish position but the chart structure has to improve and that’s going to take another five days so keep a close eye on this market to the upside, but at this point in time look at other markets that are beginning to trend. One bullish fundamental factor that could prop up the dollar is fact that the U.S will raise interest rates it’s just a matter of time while Europe and many other foreign countries continue to lower interest rates.
Trend: Higher - Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

Coffee futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 118.45 a pound while currently trading at 121.15 as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for another trend to develop. I was recommending a bullish position several weeks ago when prices traded as high as 138 on concerns about dry weather in Brazil but adequate rains hit key coffee growing regions sending prices to today’s levels.

Major support in coffee is at the contract low around 115 which was hit in the month of September as I think I will be on the sidelines for quite some time as the chart structure is very poor which means that the monetary risk is too high to enter into the trade so look at other markets that are beginning to trend. Volatility in coffee is relatively high as that’s not surprising as coffee historically speaking is one of the most volatile commodities as in 2014 a drought hit Brazil sending prices up about 80% very quickly, but at the current time there are no weather problems existing.

In my opinion I do believe coffee prices are bottoming out as it would surprise me if we headed much lower and if you are a producer I would still be buying at today’s prices as I think the downside is limited.
Trend: Mixed - Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Sugar futures in the March contract settled last Friday in New York at 14.28 a pound while currently trading at 14.68 up 40 points for the trading week continuing its bullish momentum hitting a 5 1/2 month high. Sugar prices are trading far above their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the upside as I have missed this trade due to the fact that the chart structure was poor at the time of the breakout, but my recommendation would be if you are currently long a futures contract place your stop loss below the 10 day low which stands at 13.94 as the chart structure will start to improve in next week’s trade therefore lowering monetary risk.

The next major level of resistance is at 15.00 as prices bottomed out around 11.50 in September due to less production coming out of Brazil due to heavy rains as well as strong demand changing the supply/demand table very quickly as we will not produce a record crop in 2016 like we have over the last several growing seasons.

As a trader you must have an exit strategy as I had many short positions in sugar over the last year, however I always use the 10 day high if I am short as an exit strategy because holding on and never getting out is a very dangerous way to trade because commodity prices can change very quickly.
Trend: Higher
Chart Structure: Improving

What does Mike mean when he talks about chart structure and why does he think it’s so important when deciding to enter or exit a trade?

Mike tells us "I define chart structure as a slow grinding up or down trend with low volatility and no chart gaps. Many of the great trends that develop have very good chart structure with many low percentage daily moves over a course of at least 4 weeks thus allowing you to enter a market allowing you to place a stop loss relatively close due to small moves thus reducing risk. Charts that have violent up and down swings are not considered to have solid chart structure as I like to place my stops at 10 day highs or 10 day lows and if the charts have a tight pattern that will allow the trader to minimize risk which is what trading is all about and if the chart has big swings your stop will be further away allowing the possibility of larger monetary loss."

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


Make sure you get our latest FREE eBook "Understanding Options"....Just Click Here!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gold, Silver, Dollar and Coffee Markets

Traders reacted to a very bad monthly unemployment number pushing the U.S dollar sharply lower supporting many markets on Friday afternoon. So who better to have than our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. 

Crude oil futures in the November contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside as prices have been consolidating in recent weeks settling last Friday in New York at 45.70 a barrel while currently trading at 45.10 down around $.60 for the trading week. Traders reacted to a very bad monthly unemployment number pushing the U.S dollar sharply lower supporting many markets this Friday afternoon as I’m recommending a short position if prices break 44.00 while placing your stop loss above the 10 day high which now stands at 47.15 risking around $1,600 per contract plus slippage and commission, as prices have not broken out at this point so keep a close eye as this as this could happen any minute.

Many of the commodity markets are mixed this Friday afternoon as a weak U.S dollar has supported many different markets as the S&P 500 is sharply lower and that’s usually a negative influence towards oil prices, but they are stuck in a consolidation and I don’t like to trade choppy markets so be patient and wait for the breakout to occur. Oil prices have been relatively volatile especially with the fact that Russia is bombing Syria sending prices sharply higher yesterday and then falling out of bed towards the end of the day, so make sure you respect this market placing the proper amount of contracts therefore respecting risk which is high at the current time.
Trend: Sideways
Chart Structure: Improving

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Natural gas futures in the November contract settled last Friday in New York at 2.63 while currently trading at 2.43 hitting a 3 ½ year low as I’ve been recommending a short position from around the 2.70 level and if you took that trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 2.72 as the chart structure is poor at the current time due to the fact that prices continue to move lower.

Mild temperatures in the Midwestern part of the United States is causing demand problems therefore putting pressure on short term prices as the next major level of support is around 2.25 and if that is broken we can retest the 2012 lows around 2.00 in my opinion as the trend is your friend and this trend is getting stronger to the downside on a weekly basis.

At the time of the recommendation the chart structure was outstanding and was one of the main reasons I took that trade, however if you have missed this trade the chart structure is poor as the risk is too high as you have missed the boat so look at other markets that are beginning to trend. If you take a look at the weekly chart pattern natural gas has broken out of major consolidation as I’m looking to add more positions to this trade once the chart structure tightens up which will take another week or so.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Gold futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 1,145 an ounce while currently trading at 1,131 down about $14 this week but reacting sharply higher today on a poor monthly unemployment number but continuing its long term down trend while trading below its 20 and 100 day moving average retesting major support at 1,100 near an eight week low as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines as this market remains choppy with poor chart structure.

I still see no reason to own gold currently as the risk/reward is not your favor so look at other markets that are starting to trend. Gold prices had a significant rally in the month of August bottoming out around 1,080 then rallying to 1,170 which was impressive in my opinion due to short covering and a flight to quality as the stock market has experienced volatility in recent weeks sending money out of stocks and into gold as a safe haven, but things have settled down putting short term pressure on gold.

As I’ve talked about in many previous blogs I am a trend follower and I do not like to trade choppy markets because they are extremely difficult in my opinion so avoid this market at the current time and wait for better chart structure to develop before entering.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Silver futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 15.11 an ounce while currently trading at 15.00 down about $.10 reacting sharply higher due to a poor monthly unemployment number today continuing its remarkable choppy trend over the last several months as prices are right near a four week low.

At the current time I’m sitting on the sidelines as I hate trade choppy markets as prices are still trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside and the long term down trend is still intact in my opinion as this market has been frustrating as prices seem to go nowhere.

I’ll keep a close eye and wait for better chart structure to develop as platinum prices hit another contract low and I think that will continue to pressure silver, but I will wait for a breakout to occur as the 10 day high is too far away risking too much money at the current time so be patient as the trend clearly remains bearish.

The U.S dollar has remained strong throughout 2015 as that’s put pressure on the precious metals and many other commodities as I think the U.S dollar is about to breakout to the upside and if that does occur look for silver prices to possibly head back down to the $13 level.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

The dollar index futures in the December contract are trading above their 20 day and right at their 100 day average telling you that the trend has turned to the upside as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for a breakout above 96.88 to occur before entering a bullish position while then placing your stop loss at the 10 day low which would be 95.57.

The dollar settled last Friday at 96.43 while currently trading at 96.45 basically unchanged for the trading week as investors are awaiting the monthly unemployment number which will be released this morning at 7:30 sending high volatility back into this market. I have not traded the dollar index for quite some time but when I do see excellent chart structure coupled with a solid risk/reward situation I will trade the market, but at this point patience is the key waiting for the true breakout to occur before entering as we could be entering a bullish position any day now.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Improving

Coffee futures in the December contract are trading above their 20 day but still below their 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is mixed as I was recommending a short position getting stopped out last Friday around the 122 level as I’m now sitting on the sidelines waiting for another trend to develop as I have been stopped out of the last two recommendations. Coffee settled last Friday at 122.70 a pound while currently trading at 121 down slightly for the trading week with very low volatility as prices are still right near a 4 week high waiting for some fresh fundamental news to dictate short term price action.

Generally speaking coffee is one of the most volatile commodities historically speaking, but with low volatility at the current time as prices have been going sideways for the last month or so, but a new trend could be developing as prices look to be bottoming out around this level in my opinion. The Brazilian Real has stabilized against the U.S dollar in the past week and that’s also helped push up coffee prices here in the short term, but only time will tell to see if that trend remains, but I expect high volatility to emerge in the coming months.
Trend: Higher
Chart Structure: Solid

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Mike Seerys Weekly Recap of the Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gold, Silver, Dollar and Coffee Markets

The fed showed it's lack of confidence in the economy by keeping rates unchanged and traders made it clear how they feel about it. So who better to have than our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. 

Crude oil futures in the October contract settled last Friday in New York at 44.63 a barrel while currently trading at 46.40 up nearly $2 for the trading week as the short term trend seems to be gaining traction to the upside.

I’m currently sitting on the sidelines in this market as prices are trading above their 20 but below their 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is mixed as a bullish API report on Wednesday sent prices up sharply as it looks to me that prices want to go higher but the risk is too high at the current time to enter into a position. The U.S dollar was sharply lower this week as that supported the precious metals and the energy sector as prices are still consolidating last month’s rally from $38/$49 as volatility is relatively high at the current time.

The Federal Reserve announced yesterday that they will not raise interest rates helping push up many commodities here in the short term, but the problem with oil at the current time is the fact that we have massive worldwide supplies which have sent prices sharply lower in 2015 but that’s already reflected into the price, but wait for better chart structure to develop as it might take a couple more weeks so keep a close eye on this market.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Improving

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Natural gas futures in the October contract are trading below their 20 and 100 telling you that the trend is to the downside as I’m now recommending a short position at 2.63 while placing your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 2.80 risking $1,700 per contract plus slippage and commission.

The chart structure will not improve for another 6 days so you’re going to have to accept the risk as prices are down about 6 points for the trading week as the energy sector is lower this Friday afternoon. Natural gas prices bottomed out around the 263 level on over a dozen occasions only to rally every single time but this time we broke major support and that’s why I am taking a short position as I think the risk/reward is in your favor but I would like to see a little better chart structure as we had a false rally earlier in the week to the upside and that’s why the stop loss is relatively high.

If the risk is too high for your trading account take advantage of any price rally therefore lowering monetary risk as who knows how low prices go as huge supplies continue to put pressure on this market coupled with mild weather conditions therefore decreasing demand here in the United States so stay short in my opinion as this is a major breakdown in price technically speaking.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

Gold futures in the December contract are sharply higher this Friday in New York trading up $20 at 1,137 an ounce after settling last Friday at 1,103 reacting to the Federal Reserve yesterday not raising interest rates sending gold sharply higher with high volatility. Gold is trading above its 20 day but still below its 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is mixed as I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for quite some time as this trend is extremely choppy as I’m advising investors to avoid this market at the current time and wait for better chart structure before entering.

I was recommending a silver trade getting stopped out a couple of days back as the precious metals as a whole have rallied as it looks like the Federal Reserve is very hesitant to raise interest rates which is bullish commodity markets at least here in the short term, but the true breakout in gold is above 1,170 but look at other markets that are beginning to trend with less risk.

The U.S dollar has been down 150 points in the last three days which has been very supportive to the precious metals as money is coming out of the S&P 500 and into gold but time will tell us if this trend is for real.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

Silver futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 14.50 an ounce while currently trading at 15.25 up $.75 this week reacting to the Federal Reserve not raising interest rates sending silver prices sharply higher. I was recommending a short position in silver from around 14.70 getting stopped out in Wednesdays trade around 14.95 as prices are now trading above their 20 day but still below their 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is mixed so sit on the sidelines and look at other markets that are beginning to trend.

The chart structure in silver at the time of the recommendation was outstanding, however currently the chart structure is poor with high risk as the true breakout does not occur until prices break 15.77 as silver may have bottomed in the short term.

Many of the commodity markets have been choppy in recent weeks as I was stopped out of many of my trade recommendations as my only two positions at current time are short coffee and cattle as I will wait and be patient as sometimes not trading is the best thing to do.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

The dollar index futures in the December contract are trading below their 20 & 100 day average telling you that the trend is to the downside reacting negatively to the Federal Reserve’s decision not to raise interest rates sending the dollar down over 100 points for the trading week.

I’m currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for a breakout above 96.63 to occur before entering a bullish position but it looks to me that prices look to retest last month’s low of around 93 but the chart structure is poor at the current time so avoid this market as the risk is too high in my opinion.

I have not traded the currencies in quite some time but when I do see excellent chart structure coupled with a solid risk/reward situation I will trade the currency market but at this point the chart structure does not meet my criteria so find another market that is trending.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Coffee futures in the December contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is bearish in the short term after settling in New York last Friday at 116.55 while currently trading at 118.25 in a very nonvolatile trading week. I am currently recommending a short position and if you took that recommendation continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 122.50 as the chart structure is outstanding at the current time while the risk/reward is in your favor in my opinion.

Coffee prices continue their bearish trend as traders are concerned that Brazil will continue to sell reserves due to the fact that of the Brazilian Real weakness versus the U.S dollar, but only time will tell to see if this comes to fruition. I’m a trend follower and the trend is to the downside as I think volatility will start to increase as coffee historically speaking is one of most volatile commodities in the world but at this point remains very dormant.

As I talked about in yesterday’s blog anytime you can risk three or four points in coffee you must take that trade as I think that’s a special situation that does not happen very often over the course of the year due to the fact that volatility is usually much higher than it is presently.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Outstanding

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Weekly Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gold, Silver, Dollar and Coffee Markets Recap with Mike Seery

The institutional traders are back from vacation and trading volume is picking up. So who better to have than our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. 

Crude oil futures in the October contract settled last Friday in New York at 46.05 a barrel while currently trading at 45.20 as this market has been highly volatile as I probably will not be trading crude oil for quite some time as the chart structure is terrible so look at other markets that are beginning to trend with less risk. Prices are currently trading above their 20 day moving average for the first time in months but still below their 100 day average as the trend remains mixed.

Crude oil prices have been following the stock market as when the S&P 500 is sharply lower you can rest assured crude oil prices will be lower and vice versa as everything comes to and as we were short this market from $59 as the trend was our friend for three months before turning on a dime, as this is why you must have an exit strategy as mine is placing a stop at the 10 day high if I am short as never getting out is very dangerous in my opinion. Goldman Sachs cut demand for crude oil sending prices lower this Friday afternoon as experts are calling for lower prices and the possibly of breaking $30 a barrel due to massive oversupply but I will wait for a trend to develop.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

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Natural gas futures settled in New York at 2.65 last Friday afternoon while currently trading at 2.67 in a very nonvolatile trading week as prices are stuck in an incredibly tight three-week channel looking to breakout one direction and my feeling is to the downside and if prices break 2.63 I’m recommending a short position while placing your stop loss above the 10 day high at 2.73 risking $1,000 per contract plus slippage and commission. Natural gas futures are still trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average as this has been a bearish trend over the last several years due to oversupply issues here in the United States as we are a massive supplier and exporter of natural gas and I don’t think that situation is going to change, so keep a close eye on this market as a breakout is in the cards in my opinion. As a trader you have to look for special situations as my consolidation rule states that a consolidation must be 8 weeks or longer so this does not meet criteria, however the chart structure is outstanding therefore lowering monetary risk as I’m looking forward to getting into this trade either on the short side or possibly even on the long side as the risk/reward is your favor once the breakout occurs but you must be patient.
Trend: Sideways
Chart Structure: Outstanding

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Gold futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 1,121 an ounce while currently trading at 1,106 down about $15 this week trading below its 20 and 100 day moving average near a 3 week low as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines as this market remains choppy with poor chart structure. I still see no reason to own gold currently as the risk/reward is not your favor so look at other markets that are starting to trend such as the silver market which I am currently recommending a short position because the chart structure is outstanding. Gold prices had a significant rally in the month of August bottoming out around 1,080 then rallying to 1,170 which was impressive in my opinion due to short covering and a flight to quality as the stock market has experienced volatility in recent weeks sending money out of stocks and into gold as a safe haven but things have settled down putting short-term pressure on gold. As I’ve talked about in many previous blogs I am a trend follower and I do not like to trade choppy markets because they are extremely difficult in my opinion so avoid this market at the current time and focus on silver.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

Silver futures in the December contract are trading lower by about $.30 this Friday afternoon in New York currently trading at 14.33 an ounce as I’ve been recommending a short position from around 14.70 and if you took that trade place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 14.95 as you’re going to have to be patient as that stop loss will not be lower for quite some time. The next major level of support is at the contract low around the $14 mark and I do think that’s a possibility that could be retested in next week’s trade as the chart structure is still very solid at the current time. Silver prices settled last Friday at 14.55 while currently at 14.33 down over $.20 for the trading week as prices have been consolidating the recent downdraft in prices over the last three weeks, but the long-term and short-term trend still remain bearish in my opinion, so continue to play this to the downside while taking advantage of any price rally while maintaining the proper risk management strategy. Silver futures are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average closing at 3 week low in today’s trade as the commodity markets still looks bearish in my opinion.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Solid

The U.S. dollar index futures in the September contract are trading below their 20 day but still above their 100 day average telling you that the trend is mixed and has remained choppy for the last two weeks as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for a breakout above 96.63 to occur before entering a bullish position. The dollar settled last Friday at 96.24 while currently trading at 95.50 as investors are awaiting the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision which will come out next week and will certainly send high volatility into this market so keep a close eye on this trade as we could be involved in next week’s trade. I have not traded the currencies in quite some time but when I do see excellent chart structure coupled with a solid risk/reward situation I will trade the currency market but at this point the chart structure does not meet my criteria so sit on the sidelines and see what the Federal Reserve states, and in my opinion I think they will not raise interest rates at the current time as there is too much uncertainty especially in the stock market.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Improving

Coffee futures in the December contract are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average hitting a multi year low while settling in New York last Friday at 119.15 a pound while currently trading at 117.50 down slightly for the week in low volatility. I’m currently sitting on the sidelines kicking myself as we should be entering a short position but the 10 day high is too far away and does not meet my risk/reward criteria, however I’m certainly not recommending any type of bullish position in this market as I do think prices could break 100 in the next month or so as ample supplies worldwide continue to keep a lid on prices. Many of the soft commodities including sugar and cocoa have rallied in recent weeks but has not help support coffee prices at all as this trend remains your friend and certainly the short-term trend is to the downside and if the chart structure does improve I will be recommending a short position which could happen in the next couple of days especially if a price rally occurs. I would imagine that volatility in coffee will start to increase as historically speaking coffee is one of the top five most volatile commodities in the world as this low volatility will not last.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Improving

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets. Get more of Mike's calls on this Weeks Commodity Markets


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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Weekly Crude Oil, Gold and Silver Markets Recap with Mike Seery

The markets end a wild week in about the same place it started. Another wild ride that makes us so thankful to have our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks stressful trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. 

Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.

Crude oil futures in the October contract settled last Friday in New York at 40.45 a barrel while currently trading at 45.00 sharply higher for the trading week as a hurricane is entering the Gulf of Mexico sending prices sharply higher as I have been recommending a short position from 59 over the last three months getting stopped out in today’s trade as everything comes to an end as this market has bottomed in the short term so sit on the sidelines and look at other markets that are beginning to trend.

Many investors are running for the hills today as a relief rally has occurred in many of the commodity markets, however I’m still not bullish, but I’m not recommending any type of bullish position in this market at the current time as the chart structure is extremely poor and the risk is too high currently.

Political tensions with Yemen have also set prices higher but I truly believe this was just massive short covering as many of the funds have been short over many months and exited in today’s trade pushing prices higher but we will have to take a look if the open interest is declining or rising but in my opinion I think we will see the open interest decline which means short covering occurred.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

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Gold futures in the December contract settled last Friday at 1,159 while currently trading at 1,133 in a wild and volatile trading week as I’ve been sitting on the sidelines as the chart structure is terrible at the current time as the risk/reward is not your favor so look at other markets.

Gold futures are trading above their 20 but still below their 100 day moving average rallying about $90 from their monthly low around 1,080 up to 1,170 in Monday’s trade as the stock market has sent shockwaves throughout the commodities and especially in gold. This market remains extremely choppy as I like trading markets with very tight chart structure as this will take some time to develop so keep an eye on this market but there is no recommendation at this time.

The problem with gold was the fact that the stock market was down dramatically in Monday’s trade but gold was unable to rally as over the course of time as I still see no reason to own gold but there is no trend and as a trend follower I will stick to my rules and look at other markets that are starting to develop.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

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Silver futures in the December contract settled last Friday at 15.34 an ounce while currently trading at 14.53 down about $.80 for the trading week continuing its bearish momentum and traded slightly below $14 for the first time in 6 years. I am currently sitting on the sidelines as the chart structure is very poor as the 10 day high currently stands at 15.77 as the risk/reward is not in your favor, however I remain bearish so I want to keep a close eye on this as the chart structure will start to improve later next week therefore lowering monetary risk.

Silver futures are trading below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the short term trend is to the downside as volatility is very high as many commodities have rallied this week as silver and gold have followed the footsteps of crude oil which was up about $8 for the trading week as the commodity washout may have stalled for the time being.

In my opinion take advantage of any sharp spike up in silver prices near the $15 level to enter into a short position as the trend is your friend when you trade the commodity markets but make sure you risk 2% of your account balance on any given trade so avoid this market at the current time but we could be entering a short position later next week.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Poor

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Friday, August 21, 2015

Weekly Crude Oil, Gold, SP 500, Coffee and Sugar Markets Recap with Mike Seery

The markets closed out the week in brutal fashion for the bulls this week so we are happy to have our trading partner Mike Seery back to give our readers a recap of this weeks trading and help us put together a plan for the upcoming week. Mike has been a senior analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.

Crude oil futures in the October contract settled last Friday in New York at 43.11 a barrel while currently trading at 41.00 continuing its bearish momentum hitting a 6 ½ year low as I’ve been recommending a short position from $59 as we have now rolled over three times as we are now currently in the October contract as we started in July contract as prices still have not hit a 10 day high which currently stands at 46.00.

The chart structure will start to improve on a daily basis starting next week as prices are trading far below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside as the commodity markets continue to look weak as heating oil and gasoline prices continue to hit new lows as well as who knows how low prices could actually go, however if you have missed the original recommendation sit on the sidelines as you do not want to chase markets as you have missed the boat in my opinion.

The stock market has hit a 7 month low which is also putting pressure on commodity markets as everything looks weak in my opinion so continue to place the proper stop loss as worldwide supplies are overwhelming at the current time coupled with the fact of a relatively strong U.S dollar as there is very little bullish fundamental news except for possible shortcoming to push prices up here in the short term as this trade has been tremendous over the last three months.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Improving

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Gold futures in the December contract settled in New York last Friday at 1,112 an ounce while currently trading at 1,157 up about $45 for the trading week on massive concerns of global slowdowns pushing stock prices to a 7 month low therefore putting money back into the precious metals as I’m currently sitting on the sidelines in this market getting stopped out around 1,105 or 10 day high around 10 days ago as Monday’s trade certainly will be interesting in my opinion.

The chart structure is extremely poor at the current time as we’ve had about an $80 rally from recent lows as prices traded as high as 1,168 earlier in the trading session but this market concerns me due to the fact that many of the commodity markets are headed lower as this is just a flight to quality here in the short term in my opinion.

Gold futures are trading above their 20 and 100 day moving average for the first time in several months as it looks to me that prices might head up to the $1,200 level but I have a hard time believing that gold will rally as demand from China and India at the current time are weak so look at other markets that are beginning to trend as I went through this before especially in 2008 when stock and commodity markets kept going down including gold as everybody had to sell everything because of margin calls and liquidity issues so keep a close eye on this market but at this time continue to look at other markets to sell which has been shooting fish in a barrel over the last 6 weeks.
Trend: Higher
Chart Structure: Poor

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The S&P 500 in the September contract is trading below its 20 and 100 day moving average for the first time in several months hitting a 7 month low settling last Friday in Chicago at 2089 while currently trading at 2001 down 88 points for the trading week as I’ve been recommending a short position from 2080 and if you took that trade place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 2103 as the chart structure which once was excellent is now terrible.

If you have missed the original recommendation do not chase this market as the risk/reward is not the favor at the current time so look at other markets that are beginning to trend as the energy sector is pulling down the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 rather dramatically in the last couple of days as the commodity markets are showing real worldwide weakness as I will continue to remain short while taking advantage of any price rally.

As I’ve talked about in many previous blogs I hate selling the S&P 500 and I’ve only done it 2 times in the last 10 years but the risk/reward was highly in your favor so I took a shot and who knows how low prices can go as we are still only 5% from the record high as I think the next major resistance level is at 1950 which could be hit next week as volatility is extremely high with major risk at the current time.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Terrible

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Coffee futures in the December contract settled last Friday in New York at 141.15 a pound while currently trading at 132.50 in a highly volatile last couple of weeks as prices are trading right at their 20 but still below their 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is mixed at the current time.

I’m currently sitting on the sidelines in this market as I was recommending a short position several weeks ago getting stopped out at the 10 day high which at the time was at 128 as the chart structure is very poor currently so I will be sitting on the sidelines for some time as prices did hit a 6 week high last Friday but unable to hold those levels due to the fact of a weak Brazilian Real and weak commodity prices throughout the world.

Volatility in coffee is extremely high as coffee historically speaking is one of the most volatile commodities, but I do not like trading choppy markets and at the current time this market is very choppy so I will wait for tighter chart structure to develop therefore lowering monetary risk with the next major level of support around the contract low of 120 as the soft commodities still look very weak as I’m currently recommending a short position in sugar and cocoa.
Trend: Mixed
Chart Structure: Poor

Sugar futures in the October contract settled last Friday in New York at 10.68 a pound while currently trading at 10.56 trading slightly lower for the trading week on very low volatility as I have been recommending a short position from 11.50 and if you took that trade continue to place your stop loss above the 10 day high which currently stands at 10.93 risking around 37 points or $400 per contract plus slippage and commission from today’s price levels.

Sugar futures are trading far below their 20 and 100 day moving average telling you that the trend is to the downside as the daily chart structure is excellent allowing a tight monetary stop therefore lowering risk as a weak Brazilian Real continues to put pressure on prices coupled with the fact that crude oil has hit a six year low which is also a negative influence on sugar prices as sugar is also used as a biodiesel so continue to play this to the downside in my opinion.

The next major level of support is 10.40 and if that is broken I think we could break 10.00 a pound possibly next week as I see no reason to own any commodity at the current time as worldwide deflation currently exists.
Trend: Lower
Chart Structure: Excellent

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Monday, February 2, 2015

Marin Katusa: 199 Days of Hell

By Marin Katusa, Chief Energy Investment Strategist

Just after I signed the publishing agreement for my first book, The Colder War, I realized how much research I was going to end up doing, specifically in areas that I never thought would be so integral to my subject area: energy and mining. Along the way, I came across some fascinating events that were completely out of my area of expertise but gave me a better sense for the unintended consequences in an historical perspective of the events that led to where we are today.

One epic event that really stood out for me, which I will discuss today, is the bloodiest battle of all time, to my knowledge. Over 2 million soldiers and civilians died in this one battle that lasted 199 days from start to finish. (If you know of one particular battle—not a war—that had more deaths, I would love to hear about it)

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What was the catalyst for the bloodiest and most horrible battle of all time? Oil. Before I get into why it was, I want to present the events that led up to this epic battle.

In 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Hitler focused on Western Europe and on defeating France by the mid 1940s, he became rattled by Soviet expansion in the East, which by this time included the occupation of the Baltic states (now Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) by the Soviets.

The Day That Changed the World


A critical, often forgotten event (especially by the French) occurred on June 22, 1940. That was the day the French surrendered to the Nazis and signed the armistice. Four days later, the Soviet Union made a decision that ended up becoming one of the critical turning points of WW II.

Initially, the Soviets planned on annexing parts of Romania via full-scale invasion. Sound familiar? I’ll touch on Crimea later in my missive, but for now, stick with me—this gets very interesting.

However, the military masters of the Soviet Union recognized that with the fall of France, out went the French guarantee of security at Romania’s borders.

So rather than actually invading Romania, the Soviets sent an ultimatum to Romania: withdraw from our territories of interest—which were Northern Bukovina and Northern and Southern Bessarabia—and avoid military conflict with the Soviet Union. If not, the Red Army will invade.

Germany via the 1939 German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact recognized the Soviet Union’s interest in Bessarabia; thus Hitler became paranoid about the Soviet Union’s expansion from the east to Central Europe. But more specifically, Hitler feared the proximity of the Russians to the Romanian oil fields, which the Nazis depended on.

By early August 1940, these territories that Romania withdrew from made up the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, and they were quickly folded into the Soviet Union.

By late 1940, Hitler made the decision that I believe was a critical turning point of WW II. Initially, Hitler planned on invading the Soviet Union in May 1941, but Yugoslavia and Greece got in his way, and his plans were delayed by five weeks until the Nazis defeated those armies in the Balkans.

The Russian winter came early in 1941, but Hitler believed that the Nazi Germany army was much superior to the Red Army (and they were more superior at the time) and that the Soviets would be defeated before November 1941.

The Nazis sent 3 million soldiers. Stalin met the Nazi offensive with over 5 million Soviet soldiers. I don’t know of a larger invasion in the history of mankind.

To put this battle in perspective, it’s the equivalent of battle lines spanning from Florida to New York (over 1,100 miles). Also, over 90% of all Nazi casualties in WW II were due to their invasion of the Soviet Union.
By late July 1941, the Nazis fought their way within 200 miles of Moscow; by this time, they had progressed over 400 miles into the Soviet Union in less than a month.

Initially, the Germans made incredible progress. However, heavy rains in early July hampered their speed as the terrain became a mud bath, and by this point, Stalin ordered a scorched earth policy, where the Soviet troops destroyed all infrastructure, burned all crops, and dismantled and evacuated all factories and equipment via rail to the east upon the Nazi advance.

As winter set in, the progress of the Nazis came to a standstill. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and subsequently, the United States joined the Allies and entered WW II.

Hitler was well aware that the biggest priority of the Americans upon entering WW II was to defeat the Nazis. He knew he had to bring a quick defeat to the Soviet Union and drastic measures had to be taken.
Hitler believed that rather than attacking Moscow (the heavily fortified capital of the Soviet Union), Germany should go after the Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus. For Hitler, the victory would result in a triple positive for Germany:
  1. Cut off the flow of oil to the Soviet resistance;
  1. Divert the oil produced from the oil fields in Caucasus for the Nazi cause and for future battles against the Americans; and
  1. Cut off Soviet access to the breadbasket areas of Ukraine.
To execute Hitler’s plan, the Nazis would have to control a key industrial city, which happened to be named after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin: Stalingrad (today known as Volgograd). The Nazis invaded, and Stalin threw everything the Red Army had at this battle, even refusing to allow the civilian population to be evacuated. He believed the soldiers would fight to their death if civilians were in the city.

He was right. Stalin’s ruthless orders worked. The Red Army, including civilians who worked in factories made up of men and women of all ages, put up a ferocious resistance doing whatever possible. The Germans had superior weapons, training, and land and air support. To put things in perspective, the average Soviet soldier, upon arriving to Stalingrad, had less than one day’s life expectancy.

The battle eventually evolved into concrete guerilla warfare within the city ruins. The Nazis captured 90% of the city by September 1942 and by this time, they took over 3 million Soviet prisoners of war, most of which never returned alive.

The Soviets’ luck changed on November 19, 1942, when they decided to launch Operation Uranus, which many at the time within the Red Army believed would be their last chance to defeat the Nazis. With 90% of Stalingrad under Nazi command, the Soviet plan was to swing multiple army troops around the Nazis and surround them. It worked.

Up to this point, Hitler publicly made announcements that the Germans would never leave Stalingrad. For most of the German soldiers, this proved to be true. Rather than having the German troops attempt a breakout (and going against Hitler’s promise of Germany never leaving Stalingrad), they were ordered to fight, even though they were running low on ammunition and starvation had set in within the German camp.

On January 31, 1943, German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered to the Soviets. After the Nazi defeat in Stalingrad by the Soviets, it was only a matter of time before Germany lost the war. Hitler never got access to the oil fields, and over 2 million soldiers died.

Déjà Vu and the Butterfly Effect


Let’s reflect back to the events that followed. Hitler became paranoid about the Soviet expansion after the signed 1939 German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact.

Remind you of anything?

We see NATO today supplying military troops and land and air force in the Baltics for similar fears about Russian expansion. NATO sees Crimea today as a reminder of the Baltics’ situation in 1940. Ukraine is not in a civil war—let’s make that very clear. A civil war is defined as two or more groups fighting for control of the government. What’s going on in eastern Ukraine is not a civil war, but rather a war of secession; the two breakaway provinces don’t want to go to Kiev. Furthermore, NATO will not stand for a secession.

Putin is facing sanctions from the West and military force by NATO… not to mention that oil has dropped in half from over $100/bbl to under $50 a barrel in the last 12 months. Hitler’s decision, based on actions that essentially involved a small territory (now known as Moldova) sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, resulted in the bloodiest battle of all time.

But behind the scenes there is always tension and momentum building and waiting for a catalyst to release the pressure that has built up. We have seen this many times in the past where an insignificant event on the global stage puts in motion events with shocking results. But there is always more behind the story than a “simple” catalyst or unconnected events.

The Arab Spring eventually brought to the global front a built-up dissatisfaction of many youths and lower-income people of human rights violations, dictatorships, absolute monarchy, extreme poverty, and many other factors. The catalyst for the protests in Tunisia was the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in 2010.
I recall a specific event I experienced in Kuwait in December 2010, where a Pakistani taxi driver shared with me his story of anger and contempt with the government of Kuwait. I asked him to be my driver for the week, mainly because he spoke English and had been in Kuwait for 10 years and knew his way around, but I also enjoyed his company.

But I got much more than I expected. He took me around Kuwait, where I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. Every city in the world has those areas you will never see advertised in the travel guidebooks.

Kuwait—a “dry country,” meaning you cannot buy alcohol—wasn’t that difficult to find alcohol in if you really wanted it. Yet at what seemed to me to be every hour on the hour, I heard prayers blasting through the air. My taxi driver wasn’t an extremist; he was Muslim—and no different than any Catholic, Jew, or atheist—working his cab 12-15 hours a day, wanting a better life for his family. He was a good guy, caught up in the momentum that was building, which led to the Arab Spring.

The spread of the Arab Spring was muted by high oil prices. That is fact, though not a popular one. How did Saudi Arabia prevent protests in its kingdom? The House of Saud promised tens of billions of dollars in social programs.

How will the oil producing nations, such as members of OPEC, Russia, Canada, and Mexico, fare at $45 oil in 2015? How will the African petro-states function? How will the investors, who are exposed to billions of dollars of debt in the US energy sector (below is the payment schedule of all public companies’ debt payments due over the next 11 years), going to fare if oil stays below $50 in 2015?


History doesn’t repeat, but human nature has a repeatable pattern. The growth for energy will only increase in the future, even with energy efficiency improvements.

The fact is, the world will consume more oil in five years than it does today… even though I get many emails a day from uninformed individuals telling me why fossil fuels are awful (and yes, to the 100+ people who have emailed stating that Tesla cars will kill the need for oil—keep on dreaming. And by the way, your Tesla is on average powered over 50% by coal and natural gas—so you all are absolute hypocrites).

The world still needs uranium to power its nuclear base-load power, such as the US, which is currently the world’s largest consumer of uranium, using about 25% of the world’s uranium. China won’t be far behind, and it’s catching up quickly.

You Need to Be Brave When Everyone Is Fearful


Investing isn’t easy. If you want to do well in cyclical sectors, such as energy or mining, you must be able to buy when the sector is unloved and beaten down. Unfortunately, from a psychology standpoint, it’s easier to buy when it feels good.

Here is a list of rules of speculation I like to follow:
  1. Never put more than 10% of your speculative portfolio into any one stock. True success in speculation is only achieved with risk mitigation and letting your winners ride. While putting all your eggs in one basket theoretically can pay off in a big way, it rarely does so in reality. If your speculative portfolio is worth $50,000, don’t put more than $5,000 into any one junior.
  1. If, for whatever reason, an investment causes you stress to the point that you cannot sleep or are overly distracted from your daily life, sell enough stock to alleviate the situation. Life is too short. Have fun. If your stress level becomes intolerable, you’re either overinvested or speculating just isn’t for you. That’s okay; you’ve found out more about yourself. Speculation is a journey where the reward is money and the experience, but it’s not for everyone. If your wife, husband, family, or partner is hating you because you lost the family’s vacation money, look back to Rule 1.
  1. Know what you own and why you own it. The Casey Energy Report posts all relevant news about the companies in our portfolio every Monday and Thursday after market close.
  1. Use trailing stops and stop losses. For liquid stocks, they’re important, in my opinion. We work to create for you a balanced portfolio of high-risk speculations along with mid risk and lower risk yield plays, and we lock in gains along the way.

    The current market is exciting but carries a significant level of volatility. We want to be able to capture the upside and hold on to it, which is best accomplished by locking in gains with trailing stops (we did this very well earlier in 2014). Then we can sit patiently on the sidelines and await a general correction that allows us to get back into our favorite stocks, which we are currently doing.

    There’s a big difference between a trailing stop and stop loss. A stop loss limits losses. It’s the price you set to sell your stock in case the trade goes south on you. A standard stop loss is a sell order that’s automatically triggered if the security falls 20% (or whatever you put in for your stop-loss percentage) below your purchase price. For example, if you bought a stock for $10 and you put in a 20% stop loss, it would be $8, at which point you would lose $2. Unfortunately, stop losses (and trailing stops) don’t work for illiquid juniors, so be careful. That’s why Rule 3 above is so important.

    A trailing stop locks in your gains. Let’s say you paid $10 for a stock, and it goes to $14. If you’d be happy to sell at $13 and pocket $3 per share in profit, then that’s where you set your trailing stop, in case the price retreats to that level. Of course, if the stock continues to push higher, you can always move your stop along with it, to capture even more profit.

    Many of our trailing stops were hit in early to mid-2014, a good indicator that we’ve been right to be careful amid this market’s volatility.
  1. Give your speculation some time to play out, as with trends like the European Energy Renaissance. Such speculations demand that the investor wait for the market to catch on to the potential. This one specific rule—be patient—is probably the most difficult of all to stick to. A speculator is his or her own worst enemy.
  1. Risk mitigation. Reduce your risk while preserving profit by using the Casey Free Ride formula when the opportunity arises. It’s prudent speculation.
Getting Your Casey Free Ride
Number of shares to sell =
Purchase price of stock
x Number of shares bought
Stock price when you want to sell
  1. Know that you’ll make mistakes, and that will result in losing money on that trade. Not every trade will be a winner. But if one or two of the junior high-risk speculations work out, they will make the whole journey more than worthwhile. I’m speaking from personal experience.
This is just a short list of many of the rules to speculation.

With oil at $45 per barrel, could there be massive changes that many aren’t expecting?

Definitely.

If you’ve been a subscriber of mine, you know how cautious I’ve been since early to mid-2014 on the price of oil.

What’s Next in the Energy Sector?


In the past four months, I’ve personally invested more cash than I have in the last four years. Could I be wrong? You bet I could, but this is not my first downturn.

I also believe in not owning too many positions, as I don’t have many positions either personally nor in the Casey Energy Report. I follow a very disciplined approach, and my style isn’t for everyone. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that fact.

If you’re looking for a newsletter that recommends a stock every month on the month and has 50 stocks in its portfolio, I’m not your guy.

But if you’re looking for in-depth research, experience, and exposure to my vast network in the resource sector, then you may want to pay attention to what I’m doing.

There’s blood in the streets in the energy sector—and I love that!

Now if you believe that to be successful in the resource sector one must be a contrarian to be rich, as I do, now is the time to become engaged.

Come see what I am doing with my own money. You’ll get access to every Casey Energy Report newsletter I’ve written in the last decade, and my current recommendations with specific price and timing guidance. It’s all available right here.

I can’t make the trade for you, but I can help you help yourself. I’m making big bets—are you ready to step up and join me?

The article 199 Days of Hell was originally published at caseyresearch.com.


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