US Dollar Index’s Sharp Two-Day Rally Driven By Fear, Not Fundamentals

From last week’s Thursday close through this Monday, the US dollar index jumped 3.4 percent.  This was the sharpest two-session increase since it rallied 3.6 percent on September 29, 1992.  That is how far back one has to go in … Continued

Amidst S&P 500’s 3.6% Fri Tumble, Looking For Signs Of Reversal N/T On Spot VIX

Last Friday, post-Brexit win, the 10-year Treasury yield declined 16 basis points to end the session at 1.58 percent.  It fell as low as 1.53 percent at one point during the session.  The drop ensured 10-year yields remained below support … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of June 21, 2016.  Change is week-over-week.  (Please note holdings are prior to non-commercials’ potential Friday reaction post-Brexit win.) 10-year note: There goes any sliver of hope for a rate hike in … Continued

S&P 500 – Room To Rally N/T But Valuations Stumbling Block For Sustained Strength

Many times in the past spot VIX spikes, but cannot hang on to the gains and reverses quickly.  Chart 1 only goes back eight months, but this phenomenon goes back a lot longer. VIX just experienced one such spike reversal.  … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of June 14, 2016.  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: In Godfather III, Michael Corleone famously says: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” Given the circumstances, this … Continued

XLE’s Path Of Least Resistance Down — At Least Near Term

Since spot West Texas Intermediate crude bottomed intra-day at $26.05/barrel on February 11th and began to rally, resistance points have fallen one after another.  First went $34-$35, then $40, followed by $42-$43 and then $47-$48 (Chart 1), rallying past both … Continued

S&P 500 Fails At Crucial Resistance, Bears Smell Opportunity

In 1Q16, the S&P 500 large cap index edged up 0.8 percent.  Not much.  But considering that the year got off on the wrong foot, quickly losing north of 11 percent by January 20th, this was quite a comeback (Chart … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of June 7, 2016.  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: The Bank of Korea on Thursday eased its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a record low 1.25 percent.  The move … Continued

Risk/Reward Favors S&P 500 Shorts Near- To Medium-Term

The chart below (Chart 1) caused a lot of stir last Friday – across asset classes, primarily in the U.S., and elsewhere. The U.S. economy only added 38,000 non-farm jobs in May, much weaker than expected and the lowest monthly … Continued