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New economic data being released as earnings start to hit may alter how investors perceive the recent price recovery in the US and global markets.  Many institutional analysts began suggesting “the bottom is in” and recently began to issue stronger forward guidance.  The new data suggests we are seeing an economic contraction that, in some cases, maybe 2x or 3x the contraction that took place in the 2008-09 Credit Crisis.

The US stock markets reacted to this news and earnings data by collapsing over -2% in early trading.  Gold and Silver are both lower as we write this article which would indicate weakness across the broader market.  We continue to believe a deeper price low will set up in the near future with the US and global stock prices attempting to retest recent price lows – possibly falling below these levels.  We believe the collateral damage to consumer engagement, manufacturing, transportation, retail/leisure, real estate and other sectors of the economy is just now starting to become evident.  What the economy may look like near Mid-May is anyone’s guess.

MANUFACTURING OUTPUT INDEX

One of the most interesting data items published recently in the US Manufacturing Output Index which reported at -6.3%.  This is the largest downside (negative) print going back over 20 years.  It is nearly 2x larger than the deepest levels from the 2008-09 Credit Crisis and nearly 6x the levels of the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks.  This time it really is different.

Before we continue, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals 
before closing this page, so you don’t miss our next special report!

NEW YORK EMPIRE STATE MANUFACTURING INDEX

The New York Empire State Manufacturing Index was no different – posting a level at -78.20%.  This massive negative number is nearly 2x the deepest levels printed during the 2008-09 Credit Crisis and clearly illustrates how the COVID-19 virus event has disrupted manufacturing output across the globe.  Depressed manufacturing translates into decreased shipping, decreased supply, decreased demand, and decreased overall economic engagement (employment, support services, taxes, and others).  A number similar to the lows of 2008-09 would be sufficiently terrible.  A number that is 2x below the lowest levels in 2008-09 is absolutely destructive to forward expectations.

NAHB REAL ESTATE INDEX

Real estate is starting to feel the pinch too.  The NAHB Real Estate Index came in at 30.  The only times in history where this level has been reached were September 1990, October 2006, and June 2007.  These areas in history clearly point to an early recession indicator in the markets.  We found it interesting that September 2001 (9/11) didn’t experience any major downside print in the NAHB index.  The lowest level reached after 9/11 was 46 (November 2001).  The current 30 level is shocking.  If history is any indication of what to expect in the future, this real estate index may attempt to set up an extended bottom near or below 15 to 20 over the next 12+ months.

REDBOOK INDEX

Lastly, the Redbook Index – which printed a level of -8.3.  This index of over 9000 retail locations is one of the broadest market indicators of consumer/retail-based activity in the US.  Obviously, with the shutdown taking place within the US and across the globe, we were not expecting any type of fantastic number. Yet our concern is that consumer engagement continues to slowly emerge from the shutdown over the next 12+ months and the collapse in retail may become prolonged

Historically, this is the deepest level printed on the Redbook Index since 2008-09.  We believe the continued shutdown and disruption to traditional manufacturing, supply and retail will continue to present very negative outcomes for global economic measures.  Thus, we believe the risks to the US and global stock market are still very real for skilled traders.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

The US Fed and global central banks are doing everything possible to support a shocked global economy – yet they can’t print enough money to replace the global activity of consumers, manufacturers, and traditional economic functions. They can just attempt to “patch things up” while they wait for consumers and manufacturers to begin operating near-normal levels.

It is very important for skilled traders to understand the bigger economic risks that are at play and to understand the process of price moves within the current market cycle.  I was recently interviewed about my market opinions and stated very clearly how investors could fall into a “suckers rally” trap.  Listen to my talk here.

Be prepared for more downside risks and a potential for a much deeper price bottom over the next 6+ months.  Those individuals/firms suggesting “the bottom is in” are certainly jumping the shark, in our opinion, right now.  It’s a pretty big event to come out right now and tell investors “buy these dips because we believe the US Fed has everything under control”.  Be cautious and use your own skills to wait for a proper bottom setup.

I have to toot my own horn here a little because subscribers and I had our trading accounts close at a new high watermark for our accounts. We not only exited the equities market as it started to roll over, but we profited from the sell-off in a very controlled way, and yesterday we locked in more profits with our SPY ETF trade on this bounce.

As a technical analyst and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles in stocks and commodities. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for investing and short-term swing traders. 2020 is going to be an incredible year for skilled traders.  Don’t miss all the incredible moves and trade setups.

I hope you found this informative, and if you would like to get a pre-market video every day before the opening bell, along with my trade alerts. These simple to follow ETF swing trades have our trading accounts sitting at new high water marks yet again this week, not many traders can say that this year. Visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter.

We all have trading accounts, and while our trading accounts are important, what is even more important are our long-term investment and retirement accounts. Why? Because they are, in most cases, our largest store of wealth other than our homes, and if they are not protected during a time like this, you could lose 25-50% or more of your entire net worth. The good news is we can preserve and even grow our long term capital when things get ugly like they are now and ill show you how and one of the best trades is one your financial advisor will never let you do because they do not make money from the trade/position.

If you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Long-Term Investing Signals which we issued a new signal for subscribers.

Ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis.

Chris Vermeulen
Chief Market Strategies
Founder of Technical Traders Ltd.

As the world reacts to the global economic slowdown because of the COVID-19 virus event and the massive stimulus programs and central bank efforts to support the global economy, investors still expect weakness in the US and foreign markets.  We believe this expected weakness will not subside until news of a proper resolution to this virus event is rooted in the minds of investors and global markets.

Hong Kong and China are currently concerned about experiencing a “third wave” of the COVID-19 virus within their society.  As the economies open back up to somewhat normal, people are very concerned that a renewed wave of new infections will suddenly appear and potentially result in another shut-down event or infectious cycle?  We believe all nations are watching what is happening in Hong Kong and China as they attempt to reopen their economies.

The rest of the world is still battling the rising infection rates and dealing with the economic shutdowns that have brought the global economy to its knees.  Europe, Japan, Canada, and the US are all experiencing vast disruptions to their economies and commodity prices and demand expectations are collapsing as a result.

Nearly a week ago, we issued a research article that suggested our proprietary Fibonacci Price Modeling tool’s key resistance levels may become a very valid ceiling for any price recovery.  It appears this is happening in the markets as the NQ Daily chart, below, shows.

Before you continue, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals 
before closing this page, so you don’t miss our next special report!

DAILY NASDAQ (NQ) CHART

The NQ resistance level, near 7880, has acted as a soft ceiling in the NQ over the past 4+ trading days.  Today, the NQ briefly rallied above this level, then rotated downward below this level again to confirm this key resistance level.  We believe this critical Fibonacci resistance level may continue to act as a price ceiling over the next few trading days and push prices lower as economic news and expectations hit the news this week and next.

The next downside price target for the NQ is 6565 – new price lows.

If you have not seen this important technical analysis on the Nasdaq which I posted a couple of days ago, be sure to see these charts.

SP500 (ES) WEEKLY CHART

This ES Weekly chart illustrates another key resistance level near 2679.  Although the ES price has not rallied up to reach this critical Fibonacci resistance level, we still believe this level is acting as a price ceiling and that the ES will weaken as future expectations are confirmed by earnings data, economic data and other collateral damage to the global economy.

We are still very early in understanding the total scope of this virus event.  The US and other global central banks are attempting to front-run any weakened expectations as a result of this virus event.  We continue to believe the extended collateral damage to the consumer, business and other aspects of the economy are yet to come.  Most recently, consumer delinquencies have begun to skyrocket and the news is being printed about landlords and renters being unable to satisfy obligations on April 1st.

This is part of the reason why we believe further caution is warranted at this time in the markets. We issued an Important Trade and Investment Alert Yesterday.

Our research team believes a deeper price low will likely set up over the next 30+ days to establish a true price bottom.  As we’ve warned, we believe extended collateral damage to the US and global economy will soon become better understood and the extended shutdown of the US and other economies only manages to complicate any positive expectations for a bottom.

We believe a deeper price low will set up within the next 30+ days and we urge skilled traders to pay attention to the broader expectations of the markets.  Earnings data and other economic data will continue to stream into the news centers over the next 30+ days.  Don’t get too aggressive with trying to buy a bottom in the markets just yet.  Be patient and wait for the markets to show you when the bottom has really setup.

As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for short-term swing traders.

I hope you found this informative, and if you would like to get a pre-market video every day before the opening bell, along with my trade alerts visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter. If you are a long-term investor looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to look into my Long-Term Investing Signals.

Ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis.

Chris Vermeulen
Chief Market Strategist
Founder of Technical Traders Ltd.

This is one of those articles that are packed with resources showing your what to expect for various assets both long-term and short-term and will guide you through these volatile times and this year.

Our friends and followers continue to contact us asking what to expect and what should they be doing with their assets and trades?  Our research and analysis have been very clear up to this point; we warned of a Zombie Rally in early November and early December 2019, we warned that Oil would fall below $40 on November 15, 2019, and we warned of a global Black Swan event on January 26, 2020.

January 26, 2020: THE BLACK SWAN EVENT BEGINS

December 2, 2019: IS THE CURRENT RALLY A TRUE VALUATION RALLY OR EUPHORIA?

November 15, 2019: WHEN OIL COLLAPSES BELOW $40 WHAT HAPPENS? PART III

November 10, 2019: WELCOME TO THE ZOMBIE-LAND OF INVESTING – PART I

All of this research, in addition to our other research, was very clear that we believed the upside price rally that began in September/October 2019 was a “Zombie-like” price advance that didn’t have a supporting fundamental or technical foundation.  We were warning clients and followers to use this advance as a means to move away from risk and into more of a cash position – in preparation for a future event that we believed was setting up.  One of the clearest examples of our research team attempting to prepare our followers for what we expected in early 2020 was this post.

December 20, 2019: WHO SAID TRADERS AND INVESTOR ARE EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW?

LIVE FROM NASDAQ

On Friday I was on TV “live from NASDAQ with TD Ameritrade” talking about the technical breakdown on the charts and what to expect here

S&P 500 TOPPING CHART PATTERN

This article highlighted our belief that a major topping pattern was set up and that this same price pattern happened just before other major peaks in the US stock market.  The Stealth, Awareness, and Mania Phases seemed to be in place – the only thing left was the Blow Off Phase.

This article, today, is going to attempt to share some additional research data developed by our team to help you better understand the potential future outcome of this unfolding event.  As with anything we share related to making future price predictions or analysis, this is all based on our research team’s understanding of various global economic fundamentals and expectations related to capital functions throughout the global economic environment.

Be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals before closing this page, so you don’t miss our next special report!

Let’s get started…

FED FUND RATE & EXPECTATIONS

First, we want to share with you our modeling of the US economy and the Fed Funds Rate Optimal Levels which will assist all of us in understanding the future expectations and actions by the US Fed related to future economic modeling.  This chart, created by our research team in early 2018, attempts to model the optimal US Fed Funds Rate (FFR) levels based on a decline in population and GDP while US Deficits also decline moderately after 2020 – in other words, more of the same type of global economic functions.

If the Covid-19 virus pushes the GDP lower while government expenses increase and consumer spending/activity decreases, we believe this model is most likely a proper representation of what to expect by the US Fed going forward.  As you can see, this modeling system draws an expected FFR level in BLUE, a high variance level in PINK and a low variance level in GREY/TURQUOISE.  After the near-zero rates after the 2008-09 credit crisis, our model expected the Fed to begin raising rates in 2013 and for rates to peak near 2017.  We believe the US Fed was behind the curve in their actions to adjust the FFR levels throughout most of the past 8+ years.  Although, The US Fed has positioned current rates very near to where our predictive modeling system expects for 2020; between 1.25~1.50%.

The future of this model suggests the US Fed will normalize rates near 1.0% as early as 2022 or 2023 and keep rates near 1.0% until sometime near 2027 or so.  This model suggests a substantial advance in the US stock market may take place sometime between 2022 and 2028 – before it appears the US Fed will have to address another type of crisis event in near late 2028, or 2029, or early 2030.

How this chart plays into the current Covid-19 expectations is simple, the US Fed will have to attempt to lower rates while stimulating the US and global economies in conjunction with other Central Banks.  This modeling system does not take into consideration a pandemic event or other type of Black Swan event.  It does take into consideration modeled optimal levels based on a decrease in population, a decrease in GDP and an increase in US Deficits.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

The point of this article is to share some of our data and our future expectations with you, our friends and followers.  As we continue to post additional sections/parts of this article, we’ll dig deeper into our research and forward expectations.  Remember, we’ve just highlighted two charts that show potential global economic expectations well into and past 2030.  We’ve also shared some predictive modeling that suggests a period between 2021~22 and 2027 should be relatively calm and trendy (likely Bullish) for the US markets.  Keep this in mind as we continue our future article posts.

The type of market condition I think we have entered could be here for a while, a year or three, and it’s going to be a traders market, which means you must have a trading strategy, plan your trades, and trade your plan. It’s amazing how simple a few trading rules are written down on paper can save you thousands of dollars a year from locking in gains, or cutting losses. I have this mini trading strategy mastery course if you want to take control of your trades and override your emotional issues. It’s easy to hold winners until they turn into losers, taking to large of a position, or maybe you have masted the art of buying high and selling low repeatedly? Yikes! It happens to most traders, and it can easily be overcome with a logical game plan I cover in the crash course, pun intended 🙂

In short, if you have lost money with your trading account this year, holding some big losing trades that were big winners just a couple of weeks ago, I think it’s worth joining my trading newsletter so you can stay on top of the markets. I take the loud, emotional, and complex market and deliver simple common sense commentary and a couple of winning trades each month.

My trading is nothing extreme or crazy exciting because I’m not an adrenaline trading junky. I only want to grow my entire portfolio 2-4% a month with a couple of conservative ETF trades. Making 22%-48% return on my capital every year without the stress of being caught up in this type of market, feeling like I always need to be in a trad, and knowing I have a proven bear market trading strategy incase this market continues to fall is crucial for capital preservation, and my health.

As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for short-term swing traders.

Visit my ETF Wealth Building Newsletter and if you like what I offer, and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com