Stocks Fall as Gold and Oil Jumps Amid Tension Over Ukraine - FED

The FED has made it very clear that it will raise its benchmark interest rate, the federal funds rate. This could have severe consequences and even lead to a financial crisis. They are too far behind the curve and will be labeled a major policy error in the future, most likely. They have put themselves in a situation where they are now their own hostage. They need more leadership to describe what a soft landing is going to look like. They have been too slow to act, and now they are going too fast. The “Powell Put” has now been put out to pasture.

We believe that the FED will make more rate hikes than they have announced. Goldman Sachs thinks there will be four 25-basis-point increases in the federal funds rate in 2022. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said, “he wouldn’t be surprised if there were even more interest rate hikes than that in 2022. There’s a pretty good chance there will be more than four. There could be six or seven. I grew up in a world where Paul Volcker raised his rates 200 basis points on a Saturday night.”

Mr. James Bullard of the St. Louis FED spoke out in an arrogant tone that aggressive action is now required. The markets translated this to mean that the FED was going to call an emergency meeting as soon as this coming week to hike interest rates by no less than 50 basis points. This sent interest rates soaring and stock prices plummeting.....Read More Here. 

Fed Comments Help To Settle Global Market Expectations

The recent Fed comments should have helped settle the global market expectations related to if and when the Fed will start raising rates and/or taking further steps to curb inflation trends. 

Additionally, the Fed has been telegraphing its intentions very clearly over the past few months, providing ample time for traders and investors to alter their approach to pending monetary tightening actions. Read the full Fed Statement here.

In my opinion, foreign markets are more likely to see increased risks and declining price trends for two reasons. 

First, at risk nations/borrowers struggle to reduce debt levels. 

Second, foreign market traders/investors struggle to adapt to the transition away from speculative “growth” trends. 

I think the U.S. Dollar may continue to show strength over the next 4+ months as the foreign traders pile into U.S. economic strength while the Fed initiates their tightening actions.

So it makes sense to me that global markets would recoil from Fed tightening while debt-heavy corporations/nations seek relief from rising debt obligations....Continue Reading Here.

Death, Taxes, and Time Decay

Few things are certain in life. But as the old saying goes, there is nothing quite so certain as “death and taxes”. As an Options Trader, I would enthusiastically add option time decay to that list.

Options offer traders and investors more leverage and risk mitigation than just purchasing shares outright. For example, if I were to purchase 100 shares of a stock at $100 per share, my total capital outlay would be $10,000. Options give us the right to buy or sell at a certain price for a pre-determined length of time.

I could control that same 100 shares by purchasing an "At the Money" call with a $100 strike price with 90 days to expiration for perhaps $6 per share, or $600 total capital outlay. 

That’s powerful leverage. My downside risk is also limited to....Continue Reading Here.

Earn Monthly Dividends By Solar Powering Schools, Businesses and Communities

Like the big oil companies we are diversified across all of the energy sectors. Here is our new favorite, shore up your retirement with this great program.

Join the Sun Exchange today and start generating and selling clean energy online through a global solar cell leasing platform. All from anywhere on the planet.

Sourcing our Solar Projects
Sun Exchange identifies schools, businesses and organisations that want to go solar. Our solar engineers work with local solar construction partners to carefully evaluate proposed solar projects and ensure they meet our core criteria:

* Economic and technical viability
* Social and environmental responsibility

Tip: Sign Up and get notified about new solar project crowd sales coming soon. 

View Upcoming Solar Projects Here

Buying Solar Cells
Once solar projects have been accepted as viable and responsible, we run a crowd sale for the solar cells that will power the project. Any individual or organisation, anywhere in the world, can sign up to be a Sun Exchange member and buy solar cells, even starting with a single solar cell.

Your solar cells will:

* Generate clean energy
* Make a positive social and environmental impact
* Earn income as you lease them to schools, businesses and other organisations
* Reduce your carbon footprint for years to come

  Tip: Buy solar cells in the local currency of the project using credit card, bank transfer, Sun Exchange  

   wallet or Bitcoin (BTC).

   View available solar projects

Installing Solar Cells
Once a solar cell crowd sale sells out (they go quickly!), installation of the solar project begins. The appointed local construction partners install your solar cells, which typically takes four to six weeks, but can be longer for larger projects.

Tip: Track the status of your solar cells through your Sun Exchange dashboard.

Effortless Solar Income
Generate and sell clean energy. Schools, businesses and organisations pay you to use the clean electricity your solar cells produce. Your lease starts when your solar cells start generating electricity.

You’ll receive your monthly solar income, net of insurance and servicing fees, into your Sun Exchange wallet in your choice of the local currency of the project or Bitcoin (BTC).

Your Sun Exchange dashboard keeps you up to date on:

* Solar project status updates
* Our solar cell earnings (BTC and ZAR)
* The clean energy your solar cells generate (kWh)
* The amount of carbon your solar cells offset (kg CO2)
* Your Sun Exchange wallet balance, payments and withdrawals

  Tip: The monthly income you accumulate in your Sun Exchange wallet can be used to buy more solar cells

   in other solar projects.

Start earning monetized sunshine and offset your carbon footprint, while powering schools, businesses and communities through Sun Exchange.

Join Our Global Solar Cell Community Here!

Screening Key Technicals To Select Option Trade Types

Controlling portfolio beta, which measures overall systemic risk of a portfolio compared to the market, on the whole, is essential as these markets continue to break record high after record high with violent pullbacks. 

The month of September was a prime example as the markets pushed to new all time highs early in the month then suffered a deep sell off to only bounce back to new record highs in October. 

Controlling beta while generating in line or superior returns relative to the market is the goal with an options based portfolio. A beta controlled portfolio can be achieved via a blended options based approach where ~50% cash is held in conjunction with long index based equities and an options component. 

Options alone cannot be the sole driver of portfolio appreciation; however, options can play a critical component in the overall portfolio construction to control beta....Read More Here.

 

Where The SP500 Is Headed Next Week

Everyone wishes they knew where the stock market was going to go next. What sector is going to rally? When is the subsequent market sell off? When and where to put your money to work are the questions strive to figure out. Nothing is perfect. You cannot predict the future, but if you follow something close enough, you can get a good feeling of where it’s headed next, based on what it has recently been doing.

There are two moving averages here, the 50 day and the 20 day moving average. When the price is above these moving averages in general, and they’re sloping upwards, this means the market is most likely going to continue to trend higher.

When the price is sloping down, the price is below the moving average, and the 20 day moving average is below the 50 day, just what the market is doing this week; this tells us that there’s actually a mixed market signal. The market is struggling and in a new. As the saying goes, “the trend is your friend,” so it’s always best to trade with the market trend for the chart time frame you are following....Continue Reading Here

How To Trade When There Is Panic Selling In The Market

Straight from me to you – what you should do when panic selling hits the market. Should you follow the pack or hold firm?

As technical traders when all indicators are saying to get out of the market, then this is exactly what should be done. We do not fight a downward trend that is more likely to continue in that direction than it is to reverse. Do I like selling at a loss, of course not. But holding positions when all indicators are saying to sell is not a smart move – it’s an emotional one.

When fear hits the market and panic selling commences, yet all indicators show that the overall market remains in an uptrend, it’s best to hold on through the wave. The market will shake out those who caved to emotion and gave the sell orders to their brokers. To learn more about what to look for and how to trade when there is panic and fear....Listen to the Report Here.

What Does The Fed Mean By "Transitory Inflation" And Why Is It Important To Understand?

As the markets react to the somewhat shocking CPI and Inflation data while Q2:2021 earnings continue to roll across the news wires, we wanted to take a minute to explore the recent Fed comments related to “Transitory Inflation” and what that really means.

The COVID-19 Cycle Phase Setup

The COVID-19 market collapse happened at a time when the general US stock market was continuing to transition into stronger upward price trending and where consumers were engaging in the economy at fairly strong levels. Initial Jobless Claims in November and December 2019 averaged near 221k per week. Real Consumer Spending averaged more than 2.80% throughout all of 2019.

The Consumer Price Index (a measure of price inflation) averaged only 0.18% throughout all of 2019. One could say jobs were strong, consumers were spending moderately robustly and inflation concerns were relatively mild or non existent....Continue Reading Here.

Learn How to Take Advantage of Volatility And Profit From It

Volatility is the most common way to measure risk in the financial markets. While there are a plethora of methods, calculations, and derivatives to calculate volatility, they are all trying to accomplish the same goal: what is the price of a security going to do in the future? Without a crystal ball, there’s no perfect answer, but let’s go through a few common ways that we can estimate future volatility.

Let’s Talk Volatility

Generally speaking, there are two types of volatility that traders and investors use in an effort to understand risk – historical volatility and implied volatility....Continue Reading Here.

 

Utilities Continues To Rally – Is It Sending A Warning Signal Yet?

We have experienced an incredible rally in many sectors over the past 5+ months. My research team has been pouring over the charts trying to identify how the next few weeks and months may play out in terms of continued trending or risks of some price volatility setting up. We believe the Utilities Sector may hold the key to understanding how and when the US markets will reach some level of stronger resistance as many sector ETFs are trading in new all time high price ranges.

Utilities Sector Resistance at $71.10 Should Not Be Ignored

The Utilities Sector has continued to rally since setting up a unique bottom in late February 2021. A recent double top setup, near $68, suggests resistance exists just above current trading levels. Any continuation of this uptrend over the next few weeks, targeting the $70 Fibonacci 100% Measured Move, would place the XLU price just below the previous pre COVID19 highs near $71.10 (the MAGENTA Line).

My research suggests the momentum up this recent uptrend may continue to push prices higher into early May, quite possibly setting up the Utilities ETF for a rally above $70. Yet, we believe the resistance near $71.10 will likely act as a strong barrier for price and may prompt a downward price correction after the completion of the Fibonacci 100% Measured Price Move. In other words, the recent rally across many sectors will likely continue for a bit longer before key resistance levels begin to push many sectors into some sideways trading ranges....Continue Reading Here.