It Looks Like Crash or Crush Time For Equities and Gold

The past couple weeks have been choppy in the equities market. While the strong intraday moves are great for day traders, it is extremely difficult for swing/position traders who normally hold positions for 3-60 days in length, which is my focus with this newsletter. That being said, we are reaching a do or die point for the equities market and next week there should be a strong move out of this trading range.

On the volume side of things, we have been seeing distribution taking place. Heavy volume continues to step into the market unloading large amounts of shares. The interesting part is that the majority of traders are bullish and sentiment levels are at extremes. Also, we are seeing the retail trader enter the market… What does this mean? It means we must trade very cautious and large positions on the long side shouldn’t be taken. The selling volume and extreme bullish sentiment are warning us that a correction is near.

There are a few things I watch to identifying trend reversals and they are accumulation or distribution of shares, Extreme sentiment readings, Market internals/breadth, and if the price relative to the 20 SMA. Currently we are seeing all the signs of a reversal to the down side, but it has yet to be confirmed.

My trading buddy JW Jones who focuses strictly on Options Trading has been cleaning up with the current volatility making 21%, 50% and 67% returns on his last threes trades. This guy loves volatility and always seems to put together an option play with very little risk yet big upside potential.

Just Click Here take a look at a couple charts that Chris Vermeulen has posted......


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Be Patient, Looks Like Gold & Stocks are on the Verge of Breaking Out!

Do you have the kind of patience in your trading that Chris Vermeulen of The Gold and Oil Guy.Com does......

The past couple weeks we have seen strong distribution selling in the equities market followed by equally large days of buying. These buying and selling frenzies have formed a sideways consolidation.

Intraday movements have been sizable and more than enough to shake those trying to pick a direction early out of the market a few times. As fewer traders get involved the price range narrows and becomes compressed. Eventually there will be a breakout in a direction on heavy volume and with any luck it will start a new trend.

As much as I love to trade, I have been sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks giving this market some time to sort it’s self out.... As we all know there are times when you get really aggressive and other times when it’s best to stand aside.

It is very important to note that each trader sees the market in a different way and once it is aligned with what you are comfortable with trading, only then should you step in and trade. If not, then it’s best to wait for more favorable price action. It took me years to figure this out but now that I know what I am looking for and on what time frames, trading is less stressful and I know I don’t need to be trading all the time, there is always another opportunity just around the corner....

Gold has been trading sideways for almost two weeks now as it tries to break free of the December high. It is much in line with the SP500 chart above. I feel Friday or early next week that the market, dollar, metals and oil make some sizable moves either up or down....

Mid-Week Conclusion:
In short, I don’t think it is wise to jump the gun and take on any large positions until we see what happens on Friday overseas....

If nothing happens which is kind of what I am thinking, we should see the extra fear value come back out of the price of gold, silver and oil (drop in price) and possibly help boost equity prices.

To get Chris Vermeulens free weekly reports and trade ideas to your inbox, just sign up at The Gold and Oil Guy.Com


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People Laughed at Adams "How to Trade Crude Oil in Just 90 Seconds"

A few years back our partner Adam Hewison did a video about learning how to trade crude oil in 90 seconds. Some people laughed, but they’re not laughing now as huge profits continue to pile up in the crude oil market thanks to this tried and true method of trading.

When you watch the video you must realize that we have upgraded the MarketClub interface to a much higher standard. However, the concept of trading has remained the same. The same rules apply now just as they did 4 years ago.

So wouldn’t you like to be trading with a proven trading plan that actually works? Now you can, thanks to MarketClub’s “Trade Triangle” technology. It is easy to learn, quick to implement and the rest you will see on your bottom line.

You have clear, concise signals that show you the trend and where the market is headed. Is this approach correct 100% of the time? Absolutely not, there’s not one program out there that is correct 100% of the time in any market. If you see something like that....Run the other way as it’s a scam.

Look at the recent opportunity you missed by not using MarketClub’s Trade Triangle technology.

Adam is putting his decades of experience on the line here, but we want you to watch this video and see just what we were saying years ago. Notice how we haven’t changed courses with the latest and greatest and see why we haven’t changed our approach to the market. The reason? It works. And why would you want to change a winning system?

Just click here to view the amazing December ’07 video. As always our videos are free to watch, even the ones we consider classics like this one.

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Important Article on Long Term Trends in Gold, Silver, Crude Oil....and Much More!

If you are trading with multiple time frames it's a good idea to be open minded and every now and then look at some different time frames to be sure you have a solid understanding for the longer term trends in play. I will admit that it’s easy to get caught up in trading the shorter time frames like the 1, 10, and 60 minute charts especially when there are large intraday movements. But every night you must reset your thinking by looking at the bigger picture.

Here are the weekly and daily charts which I think provide a big picture view of things.....Read "Important Article on Long Term Trends in Gold, Silver, Crude Oil"


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Precious Metal Target Zones

The gold and silver markets rallied dramatically to the upside as concerns and worries over oil supplies, inflation, and general nervousness in the world markets pushed both metals into new high ground.

We have just completed a new short video where we share with you our upside target zones for gold. The video only takes a few minutes to watch and emphasizes how important technical analysis is in the gold market. Our weekly Trade Triangles have been long gold from $1,368 and it looks as though that position is going to work out well.

We also refer back to a video that we made on September 20th last year, which underscores the importance of cyclic work in the gold market and, how if these same cycles hold true, can predict with a fair degree of certainty when the next cyclic high is going to occur.

We reveal all of this in this new short video that we think you'll find both informative and educational. And as always all our videos are free to watch and there are no registration requirements.

Want to trade like Adam? Click here for FREE lessons.

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Are we in the Late Stages of a Major Trend?

Last weeks crude oil spike created some exciting trading and so far 2011 has been interesting to say the least. Stocks and commodities have been jumping around with high volatility generating mixed trading signals. This choppy price action typically indicates trends are in their late stages. The late stages of a trend is very difficult to trade because volatility rises meaning larger day to day price swings, and at any time the price could either drop like a rock or go parabolic surging higher in value. Generally the largest moves take place during the final 10% of trend, but with a sharp rise in price keep in mind the day to day gyrations are much larger than normal, hence the false buy and sell signals back to back on some investment vehicles.

Taking a look at the charts it’s clear that we are on the edge of some sizable moves in both stocks and commodities. It’s just a matter of time before a correction is confirmed or this current pullback in stocks is just a dip (buying opportunity). I am in favor of the longer term trend at work here (bull market) but it only takes a 1 or 2 bid down days and that could change.

SPY (SP500 Price Action) – 60 Minute Chart
This chart shows intraday price action with my market internals. It is signaling a short term bottom within the overall uptrend on the equities market. The big question is if this is a just an opportunity to buy into this Fed induced bull market or the start of a larger correction?

Currently I am bullish but the next couple trading sessions could confirm my bullish view or a correction could be unfolding. Until then, we must remain cautious.

Price Of Gold – Weekly Chart
Gold has staged a strong recovery in the past four weeks. But it has yet to break to a new high. I do feel as though it will head higher because of the way silver has been performing (new highs). But it is very possible we get a pause for a week or two before continuing higher.

Because of the international concerns in the Middle East both gold and silver should hold up well even if the US dollar bounces off support. But, if the US dollar breaks down below its key support level we could see stocks and commodities go parabolic and surge higher in the coming months. It’s going to be interesting year to say least…....

Dollar Weekly Chart
This long term view of the dollar shows a MAJOR level which if penetrated will cause some very large movements across the board (stocks, commodities and currencies).

In short, a breakdown will most likely cause a spike in stocks and commodities across the board which could last up to 12 months in length. On the flip side a bounce from this support zone will trigger a pullback in both stocks and commodities. This weekly chart is something we must keep our eye on each Friday as the weekly candle closes on the chart.

Weekend Trend Report:
In short, 2011 has been interesting but trading wise it’s has yet to provide any real low risk trade setups which I am willing to put much money on. There are times when trading is great and times when it’s not. It all comes down to managing money/risk by trading small during choppy times (late stages of trends), and times when we add to positions as they mature building a sizable portfolio of investments which I think will start to unfold over the next few months.

I continue to analyze the market probing it for small positions as this market flashes short term buy and sell signals. Last week we say a lot of emotional trading and that typically indicates large daily price swings should continue for some time still so keep trades small and manage you positions.

You can get our FREE Weekly Analysis here at The Gold and Oil Guy.Com


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J.W. Jones: Mr. Market Sends Oil Investors Mix Signals

While this week was shortened due to the President’s Day holiday, it has been quite a ride for traders and investors. The 24 hour news cycle certainly intensifies current market conditions as any news focusing on oil or the Middle East protests moves markets. Thursday the International Energy Agency came out and indicated that the expected drawdown in crude oil supplies coming from Libya was being exaggerated. Immediately upon the release of this information light sweet crude oil got hammered and stocks rallied from day lows.

By now most market prognosticators and the punditry will be out declaring that oil prices are going to continue lower and equities are on sale and primed for a snapback rally. I’m not sure that it is that easy. Mr. Market makes a habit of confusing investors with mixed signals. One thing is certainly clear from the recent price action, rising oil prices are not positive for equities here in the United States. What is also clear when looking at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) version of inflation data (http://bpp.mit.edu) for the United States, it becomes rather obvious that inflation continues to ramp higher in the short term and also on monthly and annual time frames.

If inflation continues to work higher, it would be expected that light sweet crude oil futures prices would work higher as well. The dollar index futures have been selling off while oil and precious metals have rallied until the IEA news came out on Thursday. What should be noted from the recent uncertainty in the marketplace is that the U.S. Dollar Index futures did not rally. This is the “dog that didn’t bark.” During recent periods of market uncertainty such as the European sovereign debt crisis, the U.S. Dollar was considered a safe haven. This most recent market uncertainty caused by political instability in the Middle East has seen the U.S. Dollar Index futures sell off while gold and silver rallied as investors looked to the shiny metals for safety.

So what do all of the mixed signals relating to financial markets really mean? It’s simple, the U.S. economy is not on solid ground, rising oil prices will damage the economy, the world does not necessarily view the U.S. Dollar as a safe haven, and inflation is rising. With all of that being said, what if this is just the beginning of a major rally in energy and the metals? What if prices are going to pull back to key breakout levels, test them successfully, and probe to new highs? As can be seen from the chart above, the U.S. Dollar Index is poised to test recent lows. Should price test the lows and breakdown, oil and the metals could rally in lockstep in a parabolic move.

The daily chart of light sweet crude oil futures illustrates the breakout level that oil prices surged from.

I am expecting a test of that level at some point in the near future. If that level holds, oil prices could be poised to take off to the upside. If prices were to move considerably higher it could place downward pressure on equities and would correspond with the U.S. Dollar cycle lows which are expected by most sophisticated analysts sometime this spring. The intermediate to longer term fundamentals in the oil space are strong and technical analysis could also affirm higher prices very soon. If we see the key breakout level hold and a new rally takes shape on the heels of a lower dollar, the equity market could be vulnerable.

The next few days/weeks are going to prove critical as a lower dollar could change everything. A quick look at the silver futures daily chart illustrates the key breakout level which will likely offer a solid risk / reward type of setup.

As can be seen, silver has had a huge run higher and has broken out to new all-time highs. Gold has moved higher but has yet to breakout and could play catch up while silver consolidates. Longer term I remain bullish on precious metals and oil, but volatility is likely to increase in both asset classes going forward, particularly if inflation continues to increase. Patience and discipline will be critical in order to enter positions where the risk / reward validates an entry.

As for the equity market, it remains to be seen what we will see next week. I am not convinced that the issues in the Middle East are over and that oil is going to come crashing back down to previous price levels. Oil has broken out and if the breakout levels hold I would expect a continuation move higher. If we see price action in oil transpire in that fashion, equities will be for sale and prices could plummet tremendously.

I will be watching to see how much of the recent move lower is retraced. If we see a 50% retracement and prices rollover the S&P 500 will likely be magnetized to the 1275-1285 price range. If that price level is tested and fails, we are likely going to see a 10% correction and potentially more. The daily charts of SPX listed below illustrate the key Fibonacci retracement levels as well as the key longer term price levels that could be tested if prices rollover.

While lower prices are possible, if we see a retracement of the recent move which exceeds the 50% retracement level in short order prices will likely test recent highs and begin working higher yet again. The price action on Friday and next week is going to be critical to evaluate as many traders and market participants are going to be watching the price action closely looking for any clues that might help indicate directionality.

For right now, I am going to be patient and sit in cash and wait for high probability low risk setups to emerge. As I have said many times, sitting on the sidelines can be the best trade of all!

Get More Trade Ideas J.W. Jones visit Options Trading Signals.Com


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Is it Really That Easy to Replace Libyan Oil

If you listen to the TV news man we have nothing to worry about. Saudi Arabia will make up for the Libyan crude oil not making it to the market. Well, we know it's just not that simple. Most European refiners that rely on this sweet light crude coming out of Libya cannot handle the high sulphur content and sour nature of the Saudi crude. And that's if the Saudis can even back up the ability to increase their production on the drop of the dime.

Here's how the oil producing countries stack up in quality of oil they produce......

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High Oil Prices Have Fund Managers Moving Into "Risk Off" Mode

Let's ask ourselves "what is the true cost of oil". Economists are furiously downsizing their economic growth forecasts for 2011 in the wake of the oil price spike, both for the US and for the world at large. Since last week, West Texas crude prices have soared $12 from $86 to $98. Each $1 increase in the price of oil jumps gasoline prices by 2.5 cents. Each one cent rise in the cost of gasoline takes $1 billion out of the pockets of consumers.

If oil stays at this price, it removes $30 billion from the pockets of consumers. At $110 a barrel, it short changes them by $60 billion, or 4.1% of GDP. Subtract this out from even the most optimistic GDP forecasts for this year, and you end up with negative numbers. That, my friends, is what they call a recession. If you wonder why hedge fund managers have lurched into an aggressive "RISK OFF" mode, are throwing their babies out with the bathwater, and why the volatility index is spiking to three month highs, this is why.

Posted courtesy of our partner John Thomas, "The Mad Hedge Fund Trader"


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WIA: The Resurrection of Peak Oil

1) The Resurrection of Peak Oil

It has been a long wait for “peak oilers,” whose passionate belief is that the world will run out of oil in coming years, sending prices through the roof.

This splinter religion came into being in 1956 when M. King Hubbert produced some simple supply/demand charts showing that US reserves of Texas tea would dry up by 1965-70, forcing a heavy reliance on imports with which we have become all too familiar. This was later expanded globally, implying that Western civilization would come to a grinding halt.

It all seemed very prescient, when in 1973 OPEC raised prices from $3/barrel to $12 in the wake of the Yom Kippur war, and the resulting boycott caused enormous lines at American gas stations. It happened again in 1979 with the fall of the Shah of Iran, taking crude from $12 to $40. Then Saudi overproduction kicked in big time, bring 20 years of falling prices, all the way down to $8. At the 1998 low, oil was selling for less than the barrel that contained it.

Then came China and the commodities boom, which suddenly sent the value of all things “hard” skyward. Virtually overnight, the Middle Kingdom became the world’s largest marginal consumer of not only oil, but all energy sources. By 2008, peak oilers had the second coming in sight, with prices soaring to $150/barrel.

Enter the Great Recession. The real damage this caused was not the temporary collapse of prices down to $28/barrel and the wiping out of many industry participants. It was the two year freeze on the financing of new exploration and development, a byproduct of the Wall Street crash. BP’s Gulf oil spill didn’t help matters either. These events have combined to create a bubble in the energy pipeline, the implications of which we may only just now be seeing.

Now the Middle East is blowing up. With populations exploding, per capita incomes plunging, and a religion that mires them in the 14th century, this sort of viral, grass roots revolution could have, and should have happened any time over the last 40 years. It took cell phones, social media, and the Internet to provide the spark. At first, the world didn’t care, as Egypt and Tunisia produce little oil, and are non-factors in the global economy.

Now it’s Libya’s turn, and it’s a different kettle of fish. Having dealt with the Libyan government myself since 1968—Muammar Khadafi overthrew the government just before I was about to cross the border —I can only say this couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I missed the Pan Am flight he blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland by a week and lost a few friends. The sooner he is found hanging by his heels from a lamp post, the better.

The revolution there raises broader, far more concerning questions. If it can happen in Libya, why not in Saudi Arabia, where the government is still essentially tribal in nature and will not be winning any prizes for their human rights record anytime soon. Women are still not allowed to drive. Take their 12 million barrels/day off the market, even for a few days, and the geopolitical implications are large.

Which brings me back to peak oil. After a quiet, long term downsizing, the US now only imports 2 million barrels a day from the Middle East. Canada is now our largest foreign supplier, followed by Mexico and Venezuela. But oil is a globally traded commodity, and if you prick the supply line in one place we all have to pay. Remove Saudi Arabia from the picture, and the results could be catastrophic, for China first, but for ourselves as well.

Even without these “Armageddon” scenarios, we are still facing a huge problem. World oil production today is 82-83 million barrels/day. There is probably another 5 million barrels/day in reserve. By 2015, an additional 3 million barrels/ day in will come on stream that was financed prior to the Wall Street melt down. After that, new supplies become very problematic.

Even if the US can keep its own demand relatively flat through modest economic growth, conservation, new efficiencies, alternatives, and switching to natural gas, China promises to eat up all of this increase. That’s when the sushi hits the fan. I think oil could hit $300/barrel by 2020, or $225 in today’s prices. If you are wondering why I have become so cautious about investing lately, this is a major reason why.

Which leads us all to the bigger question of how do we make a buck out of all of this? Brent crude, which trades in Europe, is already at $104.40/barrel, a $12/barrel premium to our own West Texas intermediate. Prices here have stayed low because of a shortage of storage facilities. My buddies in the field also tell me there is some elaborate conspiracy to keep West Texas artificially low, because the prices for Middle Eastern imports are priced off of that highly manipulated benchmark. It is far more likely that West Texas trades up to Brent than the other way around.

I missed the window to get in last week at $85/barrel. But if you believe it’s going substantially higher, it is not too late to get involved. For a start, do notbuy the oil ETF (USO). The tracking error caused by the contango will kill you, assuring that you will take all of the risk but get few of the benefits.

Individual oil major stocks that I have been recommending, like ExxonMobil (XOM), BP (BP), and ConocoPhillips (COP) are great vehicles. A simple alternative is to pick up the double long oil majors ETF (DIG). These guys have massive supplies in the pipeline that are about to be revalued by higher prices. So are independents like Occidental Petroleum (OXY). You can throw oil service companies into the mix as well through the ETF (OIH). Higher oil prices almost make alternative energy producers like First Solar (FSLR) much more profitable.

As (OXY) founder, Dr. Armand Hammer, told me when I was a kid, “Keep your eye on oil, because everything stems from that.” Some 40 years later, and I think the old man is still right.

Quote of the Day

“The American hegemon knows no limits, it seems, when it comes to other people’s money for their own consumption….The American answer to a bulging waste line is always manana,” said Bill Gross, managing direct at the bond giant, PIMCO.

Posted courtesy of our partners at The Wealth Insider Alliance

Check out Macro Millionaire John Thomas


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