Crude Oil? Bah Humbug!

Oil traders need to get visited by the ghosts of Christmas oil trading past, present and future to get that holiday risk taking sprit. Remember those famous Christmas spikes on Iran rumors or when Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe? Yesterday oil traders acted like someone told them there was no Santa Claus the way they pulled in their bull horns and hid from risk.

This is despite the fact that all of the economic data that was released such as weekly jobless claims, the Empire State and Philly Fed Manufacturing numbers and good numbers from FED-EX, should have got the bullish juices flowing, yet after the blood bath the day before, kept traders cautious and fearful. Oh, some Scrooge may point out that the Industrial Production number had a lot to be desired but the preponderance of the evidence suggests that the US economy is indeed improving.

Of course we know what the problem is. The problem is Europe. Europe continues to miss opportunities to try to set the market straight as their aversion to stimulus and euro bonds is holding us back. You can be pro quantitative easing or anti quantitative easing but based on the US data, compare the US debt with record low yields against Europe with record high yields, at least for now quantitative easing seems to be working better than the European inflation aversion. Ben Bernanke may be smiling......Read the entire article.

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Adam Hewison: Five Ways to Improve Your Trading During “Silly Season”

About a year ago I wrote a blog on the “silly season,” as I call it. The silly season starts on December 15 and extends through the first week of January. The silly season has nothing to do with telling jokes and laughing at funny things, but everything to do with trading.

Trading is a serious business. If you want to be successful you have to practice, just like an athlete would. I don’t think there is an athlete out there who just woke up and said I’m going to be a world class athlete and achieved that goal without practicing.

After December 15 most successful traders who made their money during the year are headed to either Florida, Palm Springs, or just taking a break to spend time with family. What makes the silly season, silly?

It has everything to do with the lack of volume in trading. When you have very little volume it is easy for markets to be, forgive me because I am about to say the M word – manipulated – by just a few traders. You do not want to be ending your year at the mercy of markets that are erratic at best. You may as well just head out to Las Vegas and take a shot at the roulette wheel.

So how can you avoid this trading trap? Here’s what I do every year.....

After the 15th I close out all of my positions win, lose, or draw, and say thank you very much for another good year. Once I have cleared my trading book I’m free to enjoy the silly season without falling prey to the big M. I let the markets be the markets, because I know they will be there next year and I want to be prepared physically and mentally to take advantage of them.

That being said, here are my five key recommendations for you during silly season.....

1. Enjoy time with your family and friends.

2. Be appreciative what you have, not what you don’t have. There are a lot more folks that have a whole lot less than you than folks who have more.

3. Give something back. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how small, give something back; it will make you feel good.

4. Enjoy the season. Forget about the markets they will be there next year.

5. Take some quiet time for yourself to regenerate your spirit.

For me, number 5 means sitting in a quiet room by myself and thinking about all of the different things that have happened in the past year. Doing this keeps me grounded and prepares me for the year ahead. This quiet time helps me put everything into perspective and gets me in the right frame of mind for trading in the New Year. This quiet time restores your inner strength, which is something you need in trading.

So there you have it. That is how I avoid silly season and prepare myself for the new trading year.

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Bears Maintain Near Term Technical Advantage Going Into Fridays Session

Crude oil closed lower on Thursday as it extends Wednesday's decline. The low range close sets the stage for a steady to lower opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term. If January extends this week's decline, the 38% retracement level of the October-November rally crossing at 92.68 is the next downside target.

Closes above Tuesday's high crossing at 101.25 would confirm that a short term low has been posted. First resistance is Tuesday's high crossing at 101.25. Second resistance is November's high crossing at 102.44. First support is the 38% retracement level of the October-November rally crossing at 92.68. Second support is the 50% retracement level of the October-November rally crossing at 89.37.

Precious Metals, Equities and Crude Oil Long Term Outlook

Precious Metals, Equities and Crude Oil Long Term Outlook Part II

It’s that time of year again and I’m not talking about the holiday season...... What I am talking about is another major market correction which has been starting to unfold over the past couple weeks.

I have a much different outlook on the markets than everyone else and likely you as well. However, before you stop reading what I have to say hear me out. My outlook and opinion is based strictly on price, volume, inter market analysis, and crowd behavior and you should put some thought as to what I am saying into your current positions.

Two weeks ago I sent my big picture outlook to my subscribers, followers, and financial websites warning of a major pullback. You can take a quick look at what the charts looked like 2 weeks ago...... 

"The Currency War Big Picture Analysis for Gold, Silver & Stocks"

Since my warning we have seen the financial markets fall:
SP500  down 2.6%
Crude Oil down 4.4%
Gold down 9.6%
and Silver down 12.2%

If you applied any leverage to these then you could double or triple these returns through the use of leveraged exchange traded funds. The amount of followers cashing in on these pullbacks has been very exciting to hear. The exciting part about trading is the fact that moves like this happen all the time so if you missed this one, don’t worry because there is another opportunity just around the corner.

While my negative view on stocks and precious metals will rub the gold and silver bugs the wrong way, I just want to point out what is unfolding so everyone sees both sides of the trade. I also would like to mention that this analysis can, and likely will change on a weekly basis as the financial markets and global economy evolves over time. The point I am trying to get across is that I am not a “Gloom and Doom” kind of guy and I don’t always favor the down side. Rather, I am a technical trader simply providing my analysis and odds for what to expect next.

Let’s take a look at some charts and dig right i........

Dollar Index Daily Chart:

 

SP500 Futures Index Daily Chart:

Silver Futures Daily Chart:

Gold Futures Daily Chart:

Crude Oil Futures Daily Chart:

Mid-Week Market Madness Trend Analysis Conclusion:

In short, stocks and commodities are under pressure from the rising dollar. We have already seen a sizable pullback but there may be more to come in the next few trading sessions.

Overall, the charts are starting to look very negative which the majority of traders/investors around the world are starting to notice. With any luck they will fuel the market with more selling pressure pushing positions that my subscribers and I are holding deeper into the money.

Now that the masses are starting to get nervous and are beginning to sell out of their positions, I am on high alert for a panic washout selling day. This occurs when everyone around the world panics at the same time and bails out of their long positions. Prices drop sharply, volume shoots through the roof, and my custom indicators for spotting extreme sentiment levels sends me an alert to start covering my shorts and tightening our stops.

Hold on tight as this could be a crazy few trading session........

If you want to get these free weekly reports just  click here to join my free newsletter! 

Chris Vermeulen

OPEC Agrees to 30 Million Barrel Output Limit

OPEC decided to increase its production ceiling to 30 million barrels a day, the first change in three years, moving the group’s supply target nearer to current output. “We have an agreement to maintain the market in balance and we’re going to adjust the level of production of each country to open space for Libyan production,” Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting ended today in Vienna.

The group won’t set individual quotas for each member nation, a person with knowledge of OPEC policy said earlier today while the ministers were still in talks. The 30 million barrel a day limit is for all of OPEC’s 12 member nations, including Iraq and Libya, United Arab Emirates Oil Minister Mohamed al-Hamli said after the meeting ended.

OPEC is raising its quota to more closely match actual production while at the same time gauging the possibility of a slowing global economy and rising Libyan supply. Its last meeting in June broke up without consensus when six members including Iran and Venezuela opposed a formal push to pump more oil by Saudi Arabia and three.....Read the entire Bloomberg article.


The Currency War Big Picture Analysis for Gold, Silver & Stocks

Crude Jumps On False Iran Rumor, But Holds Onto Gains

Crude oil futures leapt more than three percent in just minutes Tuesday on a market rumor that Iran closed a major oil shipping channel, but then pared gains as the rumor proved untrue.

According to the rumor, the Iranian government closed the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, located between Iran and Oman, is the most important oil shipping channel in the world, handling about 33% of all ocean borne traded oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The rumor was picked up on financial blogs and a handful of news web sites, and sent Nymex crude futures rocketing as high as 3.6% over Monday's settlement, to $101.25 a barrel.

An Iranian official later dismissed the rumor, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet in Bahrain said shipping traffic in the strait was flowing normally. The rumor appeared to be founded on a news item from Monday afternoon, in which a member of the Iranian parliament said its military was preparing to practice closing the straight......Read the entire Rigzone article.


How to Trade Using Market Sentiment & the Holiday Season

Dennis Gartman: The Gold Bull Run is Dead

Calling the death of gold's bull run, and the beginning of a gold bear market, with Dennis Gartman, The Gartman Letter.



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

ONG: Crude Oil Daily Technical Outlook For Tuesday Dec. 13th

Crude oil continues to stay in tight range above 97.36 temporary low and intraday bias remains neutral for the moment. As noted before, more consolidative trading would likely be seen below 103.37 high. Below 97.36 minor support will flip bias to the downside for 94.99 and possibly below. But in such case, downside is expected to be contained by 89.16/17 cluster support (50% retracement of 74.95 to 103.37) and bring rebound. On the upside, break of 103.37 will confirm resumption of recent rally and should target 114.83 resistance next.

In the bigger picture, fall from 114.83 has finished at 74.95 already. The structure suggests it's merely a correction or part of a consolidation pattern. Hence, rise from 33.2 is not finished yet. As long as 89.16/17 support holds, we'd favor a break of 114.83 resistance to resume the rally from 33.2. However, break of 89.16/17 will indicate that rebound from 74.95 has completed and whole fall from 114.83 is possibly resuming for another below 74.95.

Nymex Crude Oil Continuous Contract 4 Hour, Daily, Weekly and Monthly Charts


Gold’s 4th Wave Consolidation Nears Completion and Breakout

Crude Oil Stochastics and RSI Turn Bearish, Sideways or Lower Prices Likely

Crude oil closed lower on Monday due to concerns over the global economy and the prospect for falling demand near term. A short covering rally tempered early session losses and the high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Tuesday. Stochastics and the RSI have turned bearish signaling that sideways to lower prices are possible near term.

Closes below the reaction low crossing at 94.99 are needed to confirm that a short term top has been posted. If January renews the rally off October's low, the 75% retracement level of the May-October decline crossing at 105.42 is the next upside target.

First resistance is the 75% retracement level of the May-October decline crossing at 105.42. Second resistance is the 87% retracement level of the May-October decline crossing at 110.46. First support is the reaction low crossing at 94.99. Second support is the reaction low crossing at 89.05.

Look for the $100.00 area basis the January contract to offer stiff resistance for any rallies in this market. We would not be surprised to see this market move down to the lower band of its Donchian Trading Channel, around the $95 level.

With two of our Trade Triangles green, giving us a +65 Chart Analysis Score, it still appears as though the under lying elements of this market remain bullish. Long term, and intermediate term traders should be long this market with appropriate money management stops.


Gold’s 4th Wave Consolidation Nears Completion and Breakout

Residual Fuel Consumption in the U.S. Continues to Decline

After reaching a high point of over three million barrels per day (bbl/d) in the late 1970s, demand for residual fuel oil in the United States has steadily declined (product supplied as seen in the chart above is a proxy for demand). Residual fuel is used as fuel for large ships and for electricity generation, industrial process and space heating, and other industrial purposes. Between 2000 and 2010, average annual residual fuel use fell from approximately 900,000 bbl/d to 500,000 bbl/d. It averaged nearly three times that in the 1940s and 1950s. As its name implies, residual fuel oil is the remaining fraction resulting from the crude oil refining process. Because residual fuel is a heavy product, it has limited uses and relatively high emissions.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly.
Note: Product supplied is a proxy for demand.
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Changes on both the residual fuel supply and demand side of the equation are contributing to the downward trend.

Demand The demand-side landscape for residual fuel has changed over the course of the past few decades, particularly in the electric power sector. From 2000 to 2005, natural gas and oil prices tracked closely. Since 2006, the prices of these two fuels decoupled, as rapidly increasing supply drove natural gas prices down. As a result, the power sector began relying more on natural gas and less on residual fuel, except in circumstances where spot natural gas prices soared due to weather-related constraints. Other exceptions include Hawaii, which relies on residual fuel for much of its power generation (58% in 2010). To a lesser degree, Alaska and Florida use residual fuel, and in-city generators in New York City must use a minimum of residual fuel to meet reliability requirements. Other factors accounting for declining generation at residual-fired plants include: the availability of more efficient natural gas combined-cycle units, increased stringency of air emissions, and at times rising sulfur dioxide emissions costs.

Aside from the electricity sector, other major demand sectors, such as transportation, have not seen much change in residual demand over the same period. Residual fuel, often called bunker fuel in this context, continues to power large ships.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales.
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Supply The supply of residual fuel oil from domestic refining has also declined. U.S. refinery yield for residual fuel oil dropped from 5.8% in 1993 to 3.8% in 2010. Refinery yield represents what finished petroleum products are made from crude oil run through refineries' crude distillate units and other downstream processes. Lighter petroleum products, such as motor gasoline and ultra low sulfur distillate, command higher market prices. Therefore, refineries focus their operations to maximize production of those products. By investing in more sophisticated downstream unit capacity, refineries can increase the amount of lighter products from each barrel of crude, and, as a result, lessen the production of heavier products such as residual fuel oil.

Due to rising gross exports and falling gross imports, the United States became a net exporter of residual fuel oil in 2008 (see chart below). U.S. gross exports of residual fuel oil increased steadily since the early 1990s. Additionally, after a sharp decline in gross imports from a high of more than 1,800 thousand barrels per day in 1973 to a low of less than 200 thousand barrels per day in 1995, gross imports have averaged about 350 thousand barrels per day over the last 10 years.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly.
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