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Elliott’s theory is based on the Dow theory in that stock prices move in waves. Because of the “fractal” nature of markets, I have broken them down so that you can trade a daily complete wave count. Fractals are mathematical structures, which on an ever-smaller scale infinitely repeat themselves. Elliott discovered stock-trading patterns were structured in the same way.

This week will be very interesting in the markets. You need to understand what the markets are telling you. The markets are at anextreme”. I trade the most profitable waves, which are impulsive waves 1,3 and 5. It takes time to develop these great trades, but it is worth the wait as you observe the profits rolling in. Do not get caught up on the wrong side of the trade. Timing the waves correctly is a critical factor for creating these profitable 1trades.

The Corrective Waves are not as easy to identify as the Impulse Waves because the Corrective Waves have more variations as compared to the Impulse Waves. Corrective Waves of any trading pattern are broadly termed as the “ABC Corrections”. Corrective Waves are always the three wave patterns that unfold in the direction opposite of the larger trend.

“ABC Corrections” is the broad name given to the Corrective Waves. The corrective patterns formed by the Corrective Waves are against the direction of the trend. Wave 1 is corrected by the Wave 2 and Wave 3 is corrected by the Wave 4. After wave 5, the wave pattern finishes and the entire move which will be corrected. This correction will occur a multiple wave move. ABC” numbered waves are also the Corrective Waves.

Based on research that I have just completed, when the January and February months are both bullish, the equity markets moved much higher for the rest of the year! (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/still-room-for-stock-bulls-to-run-as-historic-breakouts-take-shape-analysts-say-2017-02-23/email).

The SPY Fund Flow represents the weekly flows in and out. This is a ‘Contrary Indicator’. When it becomes extremely pessimistic, I then look for a reversal to the upside. When fund flows are very high, I become concerned about a correction as expectations may have become too optimistic.

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The total put/call ratio is the volume of puts divided by the volume of calls traded on individual equities on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, on any given day.  Generally speaking, heavy volume in put contracts shows large-scale fear by options traders, while heavy call volume is usually a reflection of increased investor optimism in regards to rising prices.  When there is heavy put buying and low call buying, the put/call ratio will be high. When an extreme is reached, this becomes a bullish contrarian indicator and we should expect higher market prices ahead of us. When option traders are optimistic and there is low put volume in relation to call volume, then the put/call ratio will be low and we may be nearing a market high.  The interpretation of this indicator is the same as the equity put/call ratio itself – high readings show fear and are generally bullish for the market. Low readings, show excessive optimism as the market typically declines after they are seen.

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The GLD Fund Flow Weekly Indicator represents the daily flows into and out of GLD: (http://www.wikinvest.com/wikinvest/api.php?action=viewNews&aid=8343471&page=Stock%3ASPDR_Gold_Trust_%28GLD%29&comments=0&format=html).

Contrary Indicators are measuring the fund flows. When it becomes extremely pessimistic, then I begin to look for a possible reversal to the upside. When fund flows are very high, then I become concerned about a correction as expectations have become too optimistic. Why gold is great again: (https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2017/02/25/president-trump-replace-the-dollar-with-gold-as-the-global-currency-to-make-america-great-again/#23cdf01f4d54)

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The Commitment of Traders (COT) Indicator gives you the overall picture of what is happening behind the scenes. It tells you who is buying and who is selling!  This information is an important key for your trading success!

The commercial traders are considered the “Smart Money”. The chart below displays, as of February 21st, 2017, that the commercial traders have taken new long positions.  This matches up perfectly with my long-term Elliot Wave forecast of 2550, in the SPX.

 

Red Bars: The Commercial Traders
(i.e.: Farmers, Hedgers, Producers, and Factories)

Blue Bars: The Large Speculators
(i.e.: Banks and Large Financial Money Managers)

Green Bars: The Small Speculators
(i.e.: You and me)

Yellow Line: The overall open interest in the market.

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The next setup for going long on Natural Gas.

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The U.S. dollar: Waiting for trend confirmation.

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Learn how to build wealth during 2017!

Every week, there are new actionable trade ideas. Avoid what I refer to as “Herd Mentality” which will put you on the losing side of the trades more often than not.

Our most recent trade was UGAZ:( http://etfdb.com/etf/UGAZ/) on February 21st, 2017. We sold half of this position to lock in a quick 10+% profit in two days. Previous trades generated a 112% profit within 25 days (NUGT), and 7.7% profit (ERX) within 24 hours.

 

Stock Market bulls will continue their historic breakouts!

The Trump Administration’s promises of tax cuts and regulatory easing is the catalyst for the markets’ recent strong advance. Mr. David Dodd’s timeless classic saying: “The market in the short term is a voting machine, but in the long run it is a weighing machine”. This is the second most bullish market, after an election, since President Kennedy took office.

The Research Investment Committee commented “Monetary, fiscal and regulatory policies could be key drivers in 2017, but the timing of those actions could cause volatility”.  New regulatory action will favor many stocks in the financial and energy sectors. Repatriation will occur under President Trump’s new corporate tax plans. The U.S. currently operates under a tax system in which the domestic earnings of U.S. corporations are taxed at the federal U.S. corporate rate (35%) and any overseas earnings that are repatriated are taxed at this rate less a credit for foreign taxes paid on those same earnings. Foreign earnings have been parked offshore, allowing corporations to avoid the taxes associated with bringing them back to the U.S. These U.S. Companies would be granted an eight-year period to pay their tax liability. President Trump’s plan calls for a one -time deemed repatriation of overseas corporate profits at a 10% tax rate.

 

Conclusion:

In short, the US stock market is back in full blown bull market with truck reenergizing things. While I feel a short-term correction is due any day, it is just that, a short-term pullback followed by higher prices into June/July.

Tuned For More Analysis and Trades at: www.ActiveTradingPartners.com

Chris Vermeulen

 

 

Previously, I authored a “Part 1” of this article regarding my analysis of the VIX cycles.  I sincerely hope my readers enjoyed the analysis and I hope it opened up a few questions regarding the potential moves in the US and global markets.  Today, we will delve deeper into the concept of the VIX cycle patterns that I’ve identified and use common technical analysis concepts to attempt to identify price target levels as well as support and resistance that may become important in the immediate future.

 

For those of you that missed “VIX Cycles set to explode in March/April 2017 – Part 1”, please click on this link to review my earlier analysis.  When you are ready, the rest of this article continues my analysis.

 

As we had been discussing in “Part 1”, my hypothesis that a 5 month VIX cycle pattern exists and has been driving market volatility since 2015 appears to be substantiated by historical chart evidence.  The other interesting facet of this 5 month pattern is that it appears to be quickening in relation to recent activity.  I stated earlier that I believe this pattern to be a 18~22 week cycle event, but more recent VIX chart activity shows the current range may be more like 16~20 weeks.  My understanding of cycles and patterns is that within extreme, potentially violently, volatile periods, price cycles may become more frequent and velocity may become more volatile.  An example of this can be found in my long-term US major market cycle analysis below.

 

This image maps a major market cycle rotation process that has been in place for over 60 years.  This image starts in the late 1970s and maps TOP and BOTTOM cycling events and well as potential early and late stage cycle ranges.  When the GREEN and YELLOW levels, near the top, move above the 80% range, this starts the “Topping cycle event”.  When both of these levels fall below the 80% range, this ends the “Topping cycle event”.  The opposite is true for the BLUE and RED levels.  When both of them fall below the 20% level, this starts a “Bottoming cycle event”.  When they both leave the 20% level, this ends the “Bottoming cycle event”.  Actual price tops and bottoms can, and often do, occur within these event ranges.

 

US Cycle Chart

TopBottom2

Price and event cycles have been in place for centuries and correlate with other traditional forms of technical analysis easily.  For example, Elliot Wave, Fibonacci, Price Channeling and Price Patterns all relate to cycles very well.  Within this article, I’m using Price Patterns as well as Fibonacci to attempt to project and identify key target, support and resistance levels based on my understanding of the proposed VIX cycles.

 

Recent price expansion from the lows at $868.47, January 2016, prompted a rally to $1194.60, on April 25, 2016.  This range, $326.13, represents an expansion cycle and a Fibonacci range that we can use to determine Fibonacci cycle frequency – which may help us determine future price objectives.  After this peak, price dropped 25% of this range (a common Fibonacci level that is correlated to a real Fib value of 0.272) equaling $81.53.  Because of this narrow retracement, we should expect a potential future price move equaling 1.272%, 1.618% or 1.768% of the existing range.  XOI rallied to $1259.56 on December 12, 2016 – equating the expected 1.272% price expansion we projected and setting up for a 0.768% total range retracement.

 

Let’s take a look at one example – OIL (XOI)

XOI_Weekly

 

Last week followers, subscribers and I got long 3x long energy fund – ERX.

call

 

In 24 hours we locked in a 7.7% partial profit, and are now sitting with 10+% gain on the balance. This special setup I call the Momentum Reversal Method (MRM) continues to be in play and we could experience another 20-35% gain from here.

 

What does all this technical stuff mean? After this bounce we should expect XOI to fall back to near $976.00 before attempting any further price moves.  All of this type of Fibonacci work is conducted by understanding how Fibonacci price relationships correlate to time/price/cycle frequency functions.  Many of the best analysts of the past had detailed understandings of how these correlations work and how price would react based on larger and longer term time/price/cycle events.

 

Stay Tuned For Gold & Silver Forecast Next – Part 3

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When the SPX breaks out above its’ current resistance level, it will be the next leg up in this bull market. We are currently in a consolidation period. The SPX seems to be resting for now!  The “Bollinger Bands Squeeze” is now taking hold and will result in a powerful move in either direction once broken.  I do have a new BULLISH trigger for members to enter into during this amazing “melt up” that will only be shared with my ‘elite members’.   I can assure you that you will want to be invested in this next BULLISH leg of the SPX!

 

The Next Move UP!

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‘Bollinger Bands’ are one of my most preferred tools of technical indicators:

The “Squeeze”,(http://www.investopedia.com/articles/technical/04/030304.asp?lgl=bt1tn-baseline-below-textnote)  occurs during low levels of volatility as the ‘Bollinger Bands’ narrow. These periods of low volatility are followed by periods of high volatility. Therefore, a volatility contraction of the bands can foreshadow a significant advance or decline.  This is one of my best kept secrets of technical analysis, until now!

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Financial markets are now awaiting what the new Trump Administration has in store. These markets do not like “uncertainty”. So far, President-elect Trump has announced a direction of deregulation and lowering the tax bracket for corporations and repatriation of all corporate money (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/repatriation.asp) that is held overseas in foreign bank accounts.

The ‘ISI Research Study’ revealed that the “U.S. S&P 500 companies now have $1.9 trillion parked outside the country”.  Most likely, said funds will be applied so as to continue the stock buyback program thereby pushing the SPX to new levels that are ridiculously overpriced. Hot money ‘continues to be supporting the rise in equity markets. I share some of these hot money sectors and stock on my StockCharts.com public list!

 

Trump’s Victory Speech on November 9th, 2016:

“We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it. We will also finally take care of our great veterans”.

 

Chart of the SPX “melt-up’:

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Are there too many happy investors?

The U.S. stock markets have been on a run since the U.S. Presidential election last November 9th, 2016.

U.S. stocks continue to see signs of “optimistic extremes”. The risk of buying on emotional decisions is still currently high.

There is no interest in shorting. The number of shares sold short, in hopes of buying them back at a lower price, has collapsed. The SPY fund (https://us.spdrs.com/en/product/fund.seam?ticker=SPY), short interest is the lowest since the summer of 2007.  Individual stocks are also showing a lack of short sales which, in turn, removes a pool of potential buying interest. A “de-trended” version of the short interest ratio has dropped to a level that has led to negative returns for stocks which will happen, but likely not for many month yet. The market is likely to grinding higher before a big correction takes place.

A new high presented itself on a day that the jobs report missed expectations. On January 6th, 2017, the jobs report came in less than what economists’ expectations were.  However, the SPX powered to a new high of 2276.06.  This may seem like good news, but during prior times that this occurred, stocks usually pulled back over the following weeks.

Stocks have drifted higher even after optimism reached an extreme. ‘Dumb Money Confidence’ exceeded 80% but the SPX has added on more gains without any kind of pullback. This type of buying pressure, after an extreme optimism sentiment, has previously occurred only a handful of times. It has usually led to losses as the late buyers became “exhausted”.

 

Investor confidence is so High they see no need to hedge their positions:

The Equity Hedging Index has declined to its’ lowest level in nearly two years, showing a lack of interest in the various ways that investors use to protect themselves from possible market declines.

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This chart is a contrary indicator. The higher the Equity Hedging Index, the more likely it is that stocks will rally going forward.  The lower the Equity Hedging Index, the less likely that stocks will rally.

 

 

                                                                                                              Conclusion:

Hopefully, Trump’s business experience will translate well into his new position. It is certainly my hope that he is as successful as possible. Even during the campaign Trump spoke about how stocks were in a giant ‘bubble’.  This euphoria that we have felt, since his election victory, has made that ‘bubble’ even larger. Throughout U.S. history, every ‘giant financial bubble’ has always ended very badly, and this time around will not be an exception. Trump may get the blame for it when it bursts, but the truth is that the conditions for the coming crisis have been building for a very, very long time.

I expect the stock market to stall out mid way this year in June/July at which point things could turn south. If you want to follow me live at StockTwits.com

Join my free trading newsletter at www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

This year has been a very exiting time for traders and investors. We have seen a steady climb in prices with controlled pullbacks in the broad market and gold.

Using technical analysis we are able to quickly and accurately make informed decisions just from looking at the charts. In the charts below you will see how simple chart patterns along with support & resistance levels can provide excellent low risk entry points. Also you will see how candle stick charts can be an early indicator for prices to reverse direction.

DIA ETF – Daily
The DIA (Dow Jones Index Fund) is trending higher. By applying some basic technical analysis you are able to time your entry points having the odds in your favor.

In this chart I use two simple forms of analysis. The broadening formation (red trend lines), and horizontal support zones shown in blue.

Broadening Formations: This is when the price becomes more volatile making higher highs and lower lows. I think of it as one of those Megaphones for talking to large groups of people. So when a chart has this pattern it’s virtually yelling at me and I start taking profits or tightening my stops.

Horizontal Support Zones:
I like to focus on support or resistance zones which are a little different than most traders. I do not use the top and bottoms of previous waves for these levels. Instead I take the average price then expect the support level to be penetrated somewhat as the level is tested. This is how the market keeps you out of the good trades. I cover this in great detail in my Stock Market Trading Education Course available in January.

Analysis:
The DIA ETF looks ready for a pullback to the $99- 100 level.

DIA ETF

DIA ETF

GLD Exchange Traded Fund – Weekly
Gold has been on fire and riding this wave up has been very profitable thus far. Last week a doji candle was formed on the chart and this can signal a change in short term price action.

This chart shows some of the past doji candles and what happened to the price of gold soon after. What this candle is telling us is that the buying and selling pressure is equal. So we know momentum is slowing and we should expect a consolidation or correction.

Because gold has rocketed higher, indeed going almost straight up in the recent weeks, I expect a pullback to be very quick. A drop to the $110 or even the $100 level in the coming weeks is not out of the question, but we all know commodities can go parabolic for several months (straight up). This is why we continue to tighten our stops and keep holding out long positions.

Gold Exchange Traded Fund

Gold Exchange Traded Fund

US Dollar – Weekly
The US dollar has been up and down like a yo-yo in the past 15 months. The chart below clearly shows what has been happening with this currency and what I think we could see very soon.

The blue support zone (73-74) is a key pivot point for the dollar. That being said lets take a look at the chart.

During the time when the price is trending higher July 2008 – Feb 2009 we see lower wicks appear more often. This tells me that sellers pushed the price down early in the week but were then overcome by buyers nearer the end of the week. This is bullish price action. Also the broadening patterns during this timeframe’s tops indicate increased volatility and we know that is a sign of weakness.

From March 2009 – Sept 2009 the trend was down and there are longer upper wicks telling us buyers became over powered by sellers each time the price rallied.

In the recent 3 months we observe lower wicks meaning buyers are moving into the US dollar again. Knowing that there is major support below the current price I have to think the dollar could start to bottom around this level.

US Dollar Trading

US Dollar Trading

Trading Conclusion:
The broad market is becoming unstable and looks like it could have more of a pullback this week. I would not be adding to any long positions until we see the market trading near support. Three out of four stocks move with the market so it is crucial to understand the overall market direction when buying and selling stocks and commodities.

Gold is trading at a level which is fuzzy. The weekly chart is neutral and the daily chart is still on fire as it moves up. All we can do is ride our positions and keep raising our stop prices.

The US dollar could start to bottom over the next few weeks. Depending what happens with Dubai this week we could be in for a big bounce in the dollar as investors flock to safety as the US dollar is still the currency of choice if/when other countries start to have a financial melt down again.

If you would like to receive my free weekly trading reports join my newsletter:

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com