The sharp decline in US stocks last October-December forced the Fed to do a 360 as relates to its campaign to tighten monetary policy. The dovish shift apparently wants to unleash animal spirits. Investors have obliged – thus far. Will … Continued
With higher lows since the December 2015 trough, gold finds itself right underneath major resistance. A breakout would speak volumes about the global economy and how major central banks would react in response. Near-term notwithstanding, gold bugs deserve the benefit … Continued
After the October-December rout, US stocks rallied big in January and February-to-date. Several data points such as consumer and investor sentiment followed suit, but their rise has been muted. For longs, this could mean there is room for more strength, … Continued
Bulls last week defended support at 2600-2630 on the S&P 500, which has rallied massively since bottoming on December 26. Daily conditions are deeply overbought, pricing in a dovish Fed. A two-day FOMC meeting begins Tuesday. A ‘buy the rumor, … Continued
Fundamentals are still a suspect, but US stocks were treated with soothing comments from Fed chief last week. Bulls have the ball, but bears are likely to show up at $260 on SPY. Speaking at the American Economic Association’s annual … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of December 11, 2018. 10-year note: Currently net short 393.8k, up 100.6k. Next week – on 18-19 – the FOMC meets. This is the last meeting this year. A 25-basis-point raise is expected, … Continued
SPY last week was rejected at channel resistance, coming up $0.63 short of surpassing the all-time high of $286.63 reached January 26. The path of least resistance is down. A covered put might help. There are interesting dynamics at play … Continued
Arguably, US stocks are giving off some signs of fatigue. The S&P 500 large cap index (2840.35) is still below its late-January high of 2872.87. The Nasdaq 100 index (7395.49) in the week before was rejected at six-month-old channel resistance; … Continued
If the Fed moves in September and December, the fed funds rate will be in excess of core inflation. In a leveraged economy, that should begin to bite. The FOMC dot plot expects three more hikes next year. This is … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of June 12, 2018. 10-year note: Currently net short 336k, down 61.6k. With this week’s 25-basis-point raise, the fed funds rate now stands at 175-200 basis points, up 175 basis points since December … Continued