Trade ideas, analysis and low risk set ups for commodities, Bitcoin, gold, silver, coffee, the indexes, options and your retirement. We'll help you keep your emotions out of your trading.
A surprise drawdown in gasoline supply as the US becomes an exporter of more products as refiners sink deep into seasonal maintenance. Strong data out of China helped offset concerns about European sovereign debt. Add to it a weak dollar and you have created the right condition for an energy rally. Also of note China has now surpassed the United States as the biggest consumer of Saudi oil yet we may see some slowing as China takes steps to bring down exploding property prices.
Inventories seemed to be the major driving force for yesterday steady methodical rally. The EIA reported that motor gasoline inventories fell by a shocking 3.5 million barrels last week even as gasoline production increased to 9.2 million barrels a day and refinery runs scrapped the bottom at 85.8 %.It is clear that the US is exporting more gas and diesel as demand stagnates here and is robust in other places. The EIA shows that four moving average for gas demand is averaging 9.1 million barrels per day which is up just 0.9% from last year percent from the same period last year.
Yet gasoline supply fell as refiners look overseas. The US is now a net gasoline exporter for the first time since 1961. Reuters News reported today, “US oil refiners are shipping fuels to foreign markets to restore profits battered by sputtering domestic demand, signaling a historic shift in the global oil trade. Gasoline guzzling Americans have cut consumption while emerging markets including nearby Latin America have seen demand grow beyond the capacity of local refineries.....Read the entire article.
Wednesday the market didn’t tell us anything new. The equities market is still over extended on the daily chart but the market is refusing to break down. Each time there has been seen selling in the market over the past two weeks, the market recovers. Equities and the dollar have been trading with an inverse relationship and it seems to drop every in value each selling pressure enters the market, which naturally lifts stocks.
That being said, sellers are starting to come into the market at these elevated levels and it’s just a matter of time before we see a healthy pullback/correction. The past 10 session volatility has been creeping up as equities try to sell off. There will be a point when a falling dollar is not bullish for stocks but until then it looks like printing of money will continue devaluing of the dollar to help lift the stock market. Some type of pullback is needed if this trend is to continue and the markets can only be held up for so long.
Below is a chart of the USO oil fund and the SPY index fund. Crude has a tendency to provide an early warning sign for the strength of the economy. As you can see from the April top, oil started to decline well before the equities market did. This indicated a slow down was coming.
The recent equities rally which started in late August has been strong. But take a look at the price of oil. It has traded very flat during that time indicating the economy has not really picked up, nor does it indicate any growth in the coming months. This rally just may be coming to an end shortly.
This daily chart of the SP500 fund shows similar topping patterns. This looks to be the last straw for the SP500. Most tops occur with a gap higher or early morning rally reaching new highs, only to see a sharp sell off by the end of the session which generates a reversal day. From the looks of this chart that could happen any day.
In short, volume overall in the market remains light which is why we continue to see higher prices. Light volume typically gives the stock market a positive bias while Sell offs require strong volume to move lower. That being said every dip in the equities market which has been close to a breakdown seems to get lifted back up by a falling dollar, but that can only happen for so long because one the volume steps back into the market the masses will be in control again.
You can get my ETF and Commodity Trading Signals if you become a subscriber of my newsletter. These free reports will continue to come on a weekly basis; however, instead of covering 3-5 investments at a time, I’ll be covering only 1. Newsletter subscribers will be getting more analysis that’s actionable. I’ve also decided to add video analysis as it allows me to get more info across to you quicker and is more educational, and I’ll be covering more of the market to include currencies, bonds and sectors. Before everyone’s emails were answered personally, but now my focus is on building a strong group of traders and they will receive direct personal responses regarding trade ideas and analysis going forward. Due to more analysis and that I want to keep the service personal the price of the service will be going up Oct 1st, so join today.
CNBC's Sharon Epperson discusses the day's activity in the commodities markets, including gold's new high, and looks at where oil and gold may be headed tomorrow.
The U.S. stock indexes closed mixed today. The indexes earlier this week hit fresh multi month highs. Bulls still have upside near term technical momentum. We are half way through the historically bearish period from September to October, and the stock indexes have so far performed very well. It is my bias that if this autumn were to see serious market turbulence, it would likely have occurred during September. I would not be surprised to see the stock indexes rally during October and then trade sideways and choppy into the end of the year.
Crude oil closed up $1.53 at $77.71 a barrel today. Prices closed nearer the session high today following a bullish weekly U.S. stocks report. Bulls have gained the near term technical advantage in crude. The next near term upside price objective for the bulls is producing a close above solid technical resistance at the September high of $78.86 a barrel.
Natural gas closed up 1.4 cents at $3.965 today. Prices closed near the session high today in quiet trading and saw more tepid short covering in a bear market. The bears still have the solid overall near term technical advantage. The next upside price objective for the bulls is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the September high of $4.298.
Gold futures closed up $3.20 at $1,311.60 today. Prices today closed near mid range today and scored another fresh record high. A weaker U.S. dollar and more safe haven buying interest boosted gold again today. Gold bulls have the solid overall near term technical advantage. There are still no early technical clues to suggest a market top is close at hand in the gold market. Prices are in a two month old uptrend on the daily bar chart.
The U.S. dollar index closed down 23 points at 78.97 today. Prices closed near mid range today and hit another fresh eight month low. Bears have the solid overall near term technical advantage. There are no early clues to suggest a market bottom is close at hand. Bulls' next upside price objective is to close prices above solid technical resistance at 81.00.
In the last issue of the Musings, we wrote about good news and bad news for the development of the Marcellus gas shale deposit extending across New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern Ohio. This deposit with its multiple shales is considered to be potentially the largest gas deposit in the United States. It’s economics are challenging as the area is hilly, the road access is less than ideal, the land holdings are fractured and the public is not necessarily enamored with oil and gas drilling activities, especially hydraulic fracturing, which is key to the successful development of gas shale deposits. Low natural gas prices are potentially the biggest hurdle for Marcellus gas profitability.
Our article discussed the recently released 12 month natural gas production data for wells in the Pennsylvania portion of the Marcellus through June. The data showed average cumulative production for Marcellus horizontal wells in the 5 county core area of the North Central and Northeast part of Pennsylvania. The new data shows solid production results, and in fact, the average well’s production slightly exceeded the expected production suggested by Chesapeake Energy (CHK-NYSE) in a 2008 investor presentation. That chart was presented to show the company’s anticipated well economics for its foray into the region. Pennsylvania has a long history of oil and gas having been the cradle of the U.S. oil business with.....Read the entire article.
The closer we get to peak oil the further it goes away. As high prices collapsed when the global economic system fell apart the world is now awash in oil. Back around the beginning of this decade Fed Chairman Allan Greenspan warned that peak natural gas production in this country could put us in a competitive disadvantage.
Now it appears that some of the same ideas that took us from peak natural gas to an abundant supply could also change the supply outlook for oil. The Financial Times is reporting that, “A band of entrepreneurial oilmen have found an economic way to extract oil from shale rock, fuelling a frenzy for prospects that has pushed up lease prices and lifted hopes of the first rise in onshore US oil production in decades”.
The Times says, “These small independent oilmen had used hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to triple estimates of US natural gas supplies and are now applying that same technology to get oil from shale rock”. The FT says that the method could add one million barrels of oil a day to US supplies in five to eight years replacing 10 percent of US crude imports. And that might just.....Read the entire article.
Do you know how to use the Fibonacci tool in your trading. I mean, do you REALLY know how to use it. We have had a number of requests to do a video on Fibonacci retracements and how they can be used in trading.
We put together this five minute lesson on Fibonacci trading and how we use this important tool to determine turning points in the market. Like all tools, it has its flaws and should be used with other complementary tools like our "Trade Triangle" technology.
As always, our videos are free to watch and there are no registration requirements. We hope you have the time to comment and share if this video helped you understand this important trading tool, or how you're already using it.
We hope you enjoy this brief lesson and it helps you understand how to use this important tool.
Crude oil was higher overnight as it consolidates above the 20 day moving average crossing at 76.16. November has stalled above the 20 day moving average this week as concerns over demand have helped to limit near term gains.
At the same time, stochastics and the RSI are bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If November extends the rally off last week's low, the reaction high crossing at 78.86 is the next upside target. Closes below last Thursday's low crossing at 73.58 would renew the decline off this month's low.
First resistance is Monday's high crossing at 77.17
Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 78.86
Crude oil pivot point for Wednesday morning 76.28
First support is last Thursday's low crossing at 73.58
Second support is the reaction low crossing at 73.08
Crude oil advanced for the fifth time in six days in New York as an increase in Chinese manufacturing and a decline in U.S. supply bolstered speculation fuel demand in the world’s two biggest energy consumers will rise. Futures retraced yesterday’s 0.4 percent drop after a purchasing managers’ index showed manufacturing in China, the fastest growing major economy, accelerated for a second month. An Energy Department report today will probably show crude inventories in the U.S. fell last week, according to a Bloomberg News survey of analysts.
“There is still reasonable demand out there, and perhaps the sentiment toward economic optimism is still quite positive,” said Jonathan Barratt, managing director of Commodity Broking Services Pty in Sydney. Crude for November delivery rose as much as 44 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $76.62 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $76.45 at 1:37 p.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, the contract decreased 34 cents to settle at $76.18, snapping a four day rally.
Futures are down 3.5 percent this year. For September, the contract has climbed 6.3 percent and is poised for a 1.1 percent gain for the third quarter. An index of China’s manufacturing released today by HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics rose to 52.9, the highest in five months, from 51.9 in August. The data are seasonally adjusted and readings above 50 indicate an expansion. China overtook the U.S. as the world’s largest energy user last year.....Read the entire article.
