Peek Into Future Through Futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of June 16, 2015.  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: Let us see if we can make some sense out of this week’s major developments.  The FOMC met, and it looked like members … Continued

Cash-Secured Put On TLT

posted in: Credit, Derivatives, Economy, Technicals | 0

TLT, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund, declined 16 percent between the all-time intra-day high of 137.09 on January 30 and the low of 115.26 last Wednesday. It is as if the bond market globally has been awakened from … Continued

GLD Looks Ripe For June Cash-Secured Put

There is a trade brewing on GLD, the SPDR Gold Trust ETF. First some background. Ever since gold peaked in September 2011, the metal has lost its luster.  Back then, GLD had $77.7 billion in assets, becoming the ETF with … Continued

VIX Likely Decides Who Wins Duel Between Transports And Financials

posted in: Derivatives, Equities, Technicals | 0

Bears point to action in transports to drive point home Bulls cite how financials are acting to prove why bears are wrong VIX remains pinned by 15, bullish (financials); VIX past 15, bearish (transports) Much ink has been spilled over … Continued

Peek Into Future Through Futures

The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of June 2, 2015.  Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: Yields have decisively broken out of a five-month downtrend channel.  The only question is what triggered this. To quote the Beige Book: “The … Continued

Weekly Out-Of-The-Money Naked Call On QQQ To Possibly Go Short

posted in: Derivatives, Equities, Technicals | 0

The PowerShares QQQ (110.05), the ETF that tracks the Nasdaq 100, seems to want to go lower, at least near-term. When the Qs broke out of 104-plus in February, it quickly added nearly four percent, rallying seven-plus percent for the … Continued

IWM: Weekly Credit Call Spread To Benefit From Probable Downward Pressure N/T

posted in: Derivatives, Equities, Technicals | 0

IWM breaks out of 11-month range early Feb, but momentum slipping; loses Oct 14 trendline Short interest building from low level; large specs adding to net shorts in recent weeks Credit call spread to take advantage of probable sideways/down move … Continued

Whipsaws aplenty; difficulty distinguishing signal from noise

posted in: Derivatives, Equities | 0

Put-to-call ratios, VIX:VXV point to potential selling pressure in stocks But large specs expecting lower VIX not in agreement with peers betting on lower SPX Task of separating wheat from chaff – which signal to treat as signal and which … Continued