7 years ago
Friday, June 4, 2010
Update
The move in the market and especially the QQQQ (look for a bounce soon intraday), has changed the outlook on everything. In 3 hours the charts have taken a dramatic turn for the worse.
Click on the chart to expand the view
Featured Trade: UNG Natural Gas
One of the nice features of TeleChart is the ability to send yourself an email when an event occurs, such as a breakout above a certain level. Unfortunately, I didn't do that. David from Trading to Win picked this one out a few months ago and asked me to look at the 3C chart. I concluded that it looked bullish, but it would be a bit before it was ready-at that point I should have put in an alert or threw it on a watchlist.
Lucky for us, UNG didn't get away, it just got started. Here are the charts:
Without even looking at 3C I could tell something bullish was happening even though prices continued to sink. What was it? Those two red trendlines form a "Descending Wedge" which despite consecutively lower prices into the formation, it's actually a bullish chart pattern.
One of my finer moments (calls) was the end of the uptrend in oil. We had 5+ years of appreciating prices, lets call it five years, that gives us 260 weeks, I had nailed that one within a week and even greater pride and joy was the same week Cramer was all over his audience to buy oil! What gave me that insight? The exact opposite of what we see here, an Ascending Wedge (bearish) confirmed by 3C.
Ascending Wedge in oil. Some of the ways to confirm include declining volume, divergent MACD and the actual pattern being drawn objectively. I also use 3C as it is a topping pattern I expect to see distribution.
Back to UNG:
Here we see declining volume right to the Apex, MACD isn't too insightful until late April. Also note the Head and Shoulders or inverse H&S bottom-very nice base. This stock broke out today on great volume.
Typically these patterns retrace their base, which means there's at least a 40% gain in the trend, it could be significantly more.
Here's a great crossover system that will dramatically reduce your whip-saws and false signals. The yellow line is a 10 day moving average. The blue line is a 22-day moving average. In the middle window in yellow is a custom indicator (if you have TeleChart I can give you the code). This custom indicator has a moving average of 22 bars (in Blue). Lastly I have Wilder's RSI, period 30 (note it's double the length of the typical RSI setting). MACD is there purely out of ease of use, it does not figure into the system at all.
OK, that seems like a lot, but it's very simple. When in doubt, keep it automated and as simple as possible. There were 5 rallies and any one could have potentially been the breakout, however this indicator only gave one buy signal and that was today. All that needs to happen is the yellow lines (m/a and custom indicator) need to cross above their moving averages in blue. The last requisite is that RSI needs to be above the middle line or "50". During all of those crossovers in the bottom formation, only the real breakout was signaled.
How to play this... Typically after a strong day on INCREASED VOLUME on the breakout, we'll see a second day or two called follow through. If you like the trade, make sure you correctly asses and manage your risk and go ahead and buy some at market right off the open. If there's strong momentum this won't come back for a pullback anytime soon so you want to get your foot in the door. On average, the first pullback of a new uptrend will pullback to the 10-day price moving average, usually intraday so if you can't watch it every moment, each day estimate the level of the 10-day m/a and put in a limit order for the other half of the position. This could be at higher prices, it's a sacrifice you make for confirmation that the trade is moving in your direction. Typically the next pullback will occur at the 22 day moving average. You can use the cross-downs as a signal (2 out of 3 is a sell signal) or a break of the 22 day moving average on the close (ideally on volume).
Out target is the base of the formation around $11, it's nearly a 40% gain. It may go significantly further then that. You can also use my Trend Channel as an effective stop if you have TeleChart, if not click on the TeleChart link at the top of the site and check it out.
Note the dashed red line, that is a VWAP or Volume Weighted Moving Average and Wall Street uses it to gauge the effectiveness of the market maker/specialist that filled the order to accumulate. If the average price filled at, is above the WVAP, that market maker won't be seeing anymore business from the institution. If they filled below the VWAP, then they did a good job (depending on the extent). So you can roughly figure out what Wall Street's average price is and you'll want a stop below that. I use my Trend Channel which accounts for volatility and the current stop would be $7.10 and the VWAP is at $7.20. If you want to trade tight, then a stop (on a closing basis ) of $7.77 would be decent. Personally with all the volatility, I'd go with $7.10.
This is a fantastic setup and you should study it, the descending wedge, the inverse H&S bottom/accumulation in stage 1, a breakout moving into stage 2 mark-up. It's really a beautiful chart and not an easy one to manipulate for too long.
UNG is your Featured Trade. As always, RISK MANAGEMENT FIRST (see last night's post about it if you are new to the site). As always, any questions you can email me.
As for the rest of the market, make sure you understand and are aware of the post below, those are all fairly non-correlated ETFs that we are using as the basis of our short position (we are buying them long).
The Markets
Tuesday was an impressive down day that carried expected negative breadth readings. Wednesday was nearly the mirror opposite in all ways except the negative breadth reading remained (look at the last few posts on Trade-Guild). Today was a virtual wash, with another day of negative breadth readings. Today only 4 stocks on the Dow 30 closed bullishly (not to say that only 4 stocks closed up, but did it on rising volume as well).
By contrast, the much better acting NASDAQ 100 had 43, which is not surprising as it is only the NASDAQ 100 and Composite that actually managed to break out of the lateral movement-the DOW and S&P flirted several times, but buyers backed off at resistance.
3C (orange) detects accumulation and distribution through divergences, both negative and positive. I've added a blue arrow where there was a small positive divergence, the white box following is the reversal that 3C picked up on. The red arrows mark relative negative divergences and the white box shows the reversal. The largest red arrow that stretches from the morning highs until the end of day represents the SPY attempting once again to break through resistance, but this time we see major distribution considering the chart's timeframe of a minute. This is a key development. As I said last night at Trade Guild,
"As far as 3C goes, I don't have any consistency among the 3 versions or the averages I track . The only thing I see is some positive looking longer term action which could be just late to turn as those charts take a while or it could be warning of a right shoulder in a Head and Shoulders pattern that could develop from here. Other than that, I do not see organized accumulation or distribution, so right now there's no edge there."
Today was a strong development for the bears.
This is 3c v.III (blue) on a 10-min chart. The first red arrow on top shows a relative negative divergence and most probably the reason the retest of the highs failed so badly. The second lower arrow shows a LEADING NEGATIVE DIVERGENCE between the morning and the close, this is a significant development.
3C V.I shows several negative divergences to the left that led to lower prices. There were nearly an equal number of positive divergences that led to price appreciation. The bad news for the bulls here is 3C's leading negative divergence into today's close. The 10 min chart is fairly significant as it borders between market maker activity and institutional actions.
Finally the index that has shown the most recent strength, the NASDAQ 100 / QQQQ.
You can see, just like all the other averages, we are seeing a negative divergence brewing at the end of the day as the Q's make higher prices. I think we may be close to a reversal here. If the S&P and Dow can't break out soon, then I believe it will drag the NASDAQ down. It seems Wall Street may be preparing for that possibility.
So it seems we are moving into an area of distribution. There a a lot of leading divergences, which suggests to me that we will see downside. I think we will see early morning downside, although it would be typical of Wall Street to launch an expedition on the S&P and DOW above the consolidation zone, (a false breakout) and then we'd see downside from there. I have no strong evidence of this, I just have seen Wall Street's new normal and volatility. It would be a perfect situation for all of them, from market makers to institutions.
For the new comers, the list of core ETF's we are using to rough out a position was posted earlier today. The basic plan (unless we see a right shoulder and a head and shoulders top develop instead of the Broadening top that I favor) is to be about 50% in these stocks at this point. For those of you who are new, it would be fairly ideal time to start those positions. You must absolutely use risk management, the 2% rule, proper position sizing and non-correlated equities.
We'll hold about 25% of the portfolio in Cash which can be used to take advantage of swings, opportunities and to hedge if need be. The final 25% of the portfolio (on the short side-and these are rough numbers, you must do what works for you) will be added when we have confirmation of our current bearish analysis and that will come with a breakdown below $104.35 on the SPY, at which point you should see volume increase dramatically.
*For a detailed view of my analysis, check the recent two videos I posted here and on Trade-Guild.net
Remember, I posted a lot of shorts (real shorts, not long inverse ETFs) and real shorts have the ability to allow you to use your profits before you close out the trade, unlike long positions, including the long Bear/2-3x leveraged ETFs. The ETFs have broad exposure, especially the core we have chosen. They also are not news specific like a stock. I'd suggest blending a mix of the two, with a few select longs like tonight's UNG.
Most of all, be patient, understand there's a lot of volatility in this market, 1) because it's the new Wall Street dynamic and 2) because of this being a top formation-volatility is inherent in a top. And before you enter any trade, make sure you understand the comprehensive risk management plan we use, last night's post covered some of it and there's more available at Trade Guild under "Resources and Concepts" on the left side.
As always, email me with any questions.
Areas of interest-Bearish
- the Q's breaking below $46.25
-The SPY's inability to close above $110.80
-SPY moves above $110.80 and falls back down on increased volume
-The Dow's inability to close above $10264.20
-or an intraday move above that level and a move below it gain on increasing volume
-the Composite falling below $2281.07
-XLF breaking above $15.02 on the close
-The dollar index breaking out-around $87.50
Areas of Bullish interest
-The SPY breaking above $110.80 on the close, especially on rising volume
-The Dow closing above $10264.20, especially on heavy volume
-The Q's making a new closing high on increased volume and a wide candle body
-Q's filling $47.74
-The composite making a new closing high on volume.
Strong closes with dominant P/V relationships of Close Up/ Volume Up
Lucky for us, UNG didn't get away, it just got started. Here are the charts:
One of my finer moments (calls) was the end of the uptrend in oil. We had 5+ years of appreciating prices, lets call it five years, that gives us 260 weeks, I had nailed that one within a week and even greater pride and joy was the same week Cramer was all over his audience to buy oil! What gave me that insight? The exact opposite of what we see here, an Ascending Wedge (bearish) confirmed by 3C.
Back to UNG:
Typically these patterns retrace their base, which means there's at least a 40% gain in the trend, it could be significantly more.
Here's a great crossover system that will dramatically reduce your whip-saws and false signals. The yellow line is a 10 day moving average. The blue line is a 22-day moving average. In the middle window in yellow is a custom indicator (if you have TeleChart I can give you the code). This custom indicator has a moving average of 22 bars (in Blue). Lastly I have Wilder's RSI, period 30 (note it's double the length of the typical RSI setting). MACD is there purely out of ease of use, it does not figure into the system at all.
OK, that seems like a lot, but it's very simple. When in doubt, keep it automated and as simple as possible. There were 5 rallies and any one could have potentially been the breakout, however this indicator only gave one buy signal and that was today. All that needs to happen is the yellow lines (m/a and custom indicator) need to cross above their moving averages in blue. The last requisite is that RSI needs to be above the middle line or "50". During all of those crossovers in the bottom formation, only the real breakout was signaled.
How to play this... Typically after a strong day on INCREASED VOLUME on the breakout, we'll see a second day or two called follow through. If you like the trade, make sure you correctly asses and manage your risk and go ahead and buy some at market right off the open. If there's strong momentum this won't come back for a pullback anytime soon so you want to get your foot in the door. On average, the first pullback of a new uptrend will pullback to the 10-day price moving average, usually intraday so if you can't watch it every moment, each day estimate the level of the 10-day m/a and put in a limit order for the other half of the position. This could be at higher prices, it's a sacrifice you make for confirmation that the trade is moving in your direction. Typically the next pullback will occur at the 22 day moving average. You can use the cross-downs as a signal (2 out of 3 is a sell signal) or a break of the 22 day moving average on the close (ideally on volume).
Out target is the base of the formation around $11, it's nearly a 40% gain. It may go significantly further then that. You can also use my Trend Channel as an effective stop if you have TeleChart, if not click on the TeleChart link at the top of the site and check it out.
Note the dashed red line, that is a VWAP or Volume Weighted Moving Average and Wall Street uses it to gauge the effectiveness of the market maker/specialist that filled the order to accumulate. If the average price filled at, is above the WVAP, that market maker won't be seeing anymore business from the institution. If they filled below the VWAP, then they did a good job (depending on the extent). So you can roughly figure out what Wall Street's average price is and you'll want a stop below that. I use my Trend Channel which accounts for volatility and the current stop would be $7.10 and the VWAP is at $7.20. If you want to trade tight, then a stop (on a closing basis ) of $7.77 would be decent. Personally with all the volatility, I'd go with $7.10.
This is a fantastic setup and you should study it, the descending wedge, the inverse H&S bottom/accumulation in stage 1, a breakout moving into stage 2 mark-up. It's really a beautiful chart and not an easy one to manipulate for too long.
UNG is your Featured Trade. As always, RISK MANAGEMENT FIRST (see last night's post about it if you are new to the site). As always, any questions you can email me.
As for the rest of the market, make sure you understand and are aware of the post below, those are all fairly non-correlated ETFs that we are using as the basis of our short position (we are buying them long).
The Markets
Tuesday was an impressive down day that carried expected negative breadth readings. Wednesday was nearly the mirror opposite in all ways except the negative breadth reading remained (look at the last few posts on Trade-Guild). Today was a virtual wash, with another day of negative breadth readings. Today only 4 stocks on the Dow 30 closed bullishly (not to say that only 4 stocks closed up, but did it on rising volume as well).
By contrast, the much better acting NASDAQ 100 had 43, which is not surprising as it is only the NASDAQ 100 and Composite that actually managed to break out of the lateral movement-the DOW and S&P flirted several times, but buyers backed off at resistance.
3C (orange) detects accumulation and distribution through divergences, both negative and positive. I've added a blue arrow where there was a small positive divergence, the white box following is the reversal that 3C picked up on. The red arrows mark relative negative divergences and the white box shows the reversal. The largest red arrow that stretches from the morning highs until the end of day represents the SPY attempting once again to break through resistance, but this time we see major distribution considering the chart's timeframe of a minute. This is a key development. As I said last night at Trade Guild,
"As far as 3C goes, I don't have any consistency among the 3 versions or the averages I track . The only thing I see is some positive looking longer term action which could be just late to turn as those charts take a while or it could be warning of a right shoulder in a Head and Shoulders pattern that could develop from here. Other than that, I do not see organized accumulation or distribution, so right now there's no edge there."
Today was a strong development for the bears.
This is 3c v.III (blue) on a 10-min chart. The first red arrow on top shows a relative negative divergence and most probably the reason the retest of the highs failed so badly. The second lower arrow shows a LEADING NEGATIVE DIVERGENCE between the morning and the close, this is a significant development.
You can see, just like all the other averages, we are seeing a negative divergence brewing at the end of the day as the Q's make higher prices. I think we may be close to a reversal here. If the S&P and Dow can't break out soon, then I believe it will drag the NASDAQ down. It seems Wall Street may be preparing for that possibility.
So it seems we are moving into an area of distribution. There a a lot of leading divergences, which suggests to me that we will see downside. I think we will see early morning downside, although it would be typical of Wall Street to launch an expedition on the S&P and DOW above the consolidation zone, (a false breakout) and then we'd see downside from there. I have no strong evidence of this, I just have seen Wall Street's new normal and volatility. It would be a perfect situation for all of them, from market makers to institutions.
For the new comers, the list of core ETF's we are using to rough out a position was posted earlier today. The basic plan (unless we see a right shoulder and a head and shoulders top develop instead of the Broadening top that I favor) is to be about 50% in these stocks at this point. For those of you who are new, it would be fairly ideal time to start those positions. You must absolutely use risk management, the 2% rule, proper position sizing and non-correlated equities.
We'll hold about 25% of the portfolio in Cash which can be used to take advantage of swings, opportunities and to hedge if need be. The final 25% of the portfolio (on the short side-and these are rough numbers, you must do what works for you) will be added when we have confirmation of our current bearish analysis and that will come with a breakdown below $104.35 on the SPY, at which point you should see volume increase dramatically.
*For a detailed view of my analysis, check the recent two videos I posted here and on Trade-Guild.net
Remember, I posted a lot of shorts (real shorts, not long inverse ETFs) and real shorts have the ability to allow you to use your profits before you close out the trade, unlike long positions, including the long Bear/2-3x leveraged ETFs. The ETFs have broad exposure, especially the core we have chosen. They also are not news specific like a stock. I'd suggest blending a mix of the two, with a few select longs like tonight's UNG.
Most of all, be patient, understand there's a lot of volatility in this market, 1) because it's the new Wall Street dynamic and 2) because of this being a top formation-volatility is inherent in a top. And before you enter any trade, make sure you understand the comprehensive risk management plan we use, last night's post covered some of it and there's more available at Trade Guild under "Resources and Concepts" on the left side.
As always, email me with any questions.
Areas of interest-Bearish
- the Q's breaking below $46.25
-The SPY's inability to close above $110.80
-SPY moves above $110.80 and falls back down on increased volume
-The Dow's inability to close above $10264.20
-or an intraday move above that level and a move below it gain on increasing volume
-the Composite falling below $2281.07
-XLF breaking above $15.02 on the close
-The dollar index breaking out-around $87.50
Areas of Bullish interest
-The SPY breaking above $110.80 on the close, especially on rising volume
-The Dow closing above $10264.20, especially on heavy volume
-The Q's making a new closing high on increased volume and a wide candle body
-Q's filling $47.74
-The composite making a new closing high on volume.
Strong closes with dominant P/V relationships of Close Up/ Volume Up
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Core Positions
Incase you forgot, here are the core ETFs we are buying: FAZ, TWM, EDZ, SRS, EEV, FXP, ERY, SSG, SMN
Resistance
The SPY has dealt with a resistance area for around $110.80 and a bit higher several times today. Upon successive retests, certain key 3C charts are breaking down. We are not adding here but not hedging or closing either.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
VOLATILITY
I think a lot of traders will grow weary of this market. Not only are the super-computers causing absurd volatility, but it's inherent anyway in any top formation. Traders are being shaken out left and right. This is why I suggest you use an indicator like my trend channel.
There is no discernible direction I can see for tomorrow, see tonight's post at Trade guild, but today wasn't all roses either, but the level of authority to which the markets shook was nearly the same yesterday as today. The breadth readings today were not good either. However, that doesn't mean that we won't see a big bounce to make a right shoulder and form a H&S top.
Right now since I don't see a strong direction, I'd suggest laying low for a day or so and lets see how this plays out. Of course I want you to follow your risk management rules/stops, but make sure it's on a closing basis only, not an intraday break of your stop.
I listed a bunch of very speculative long trades that look like they could crack anytime. I'd suggest limiting your risk to half that of a normal position as these are highly speculative. also if you get a 15+% gift in a day or two, take it, or take most of it. These aren't meant to be trend trades, but quick pops.
As far as accumulating shorts, if you have not already done so, if you have no short position, you might want to scroll down several posts to about a week ago when I listed the core inverse leveraged ETFs we are using as a core position. You may want to build about 25% of your intended position, even if it is into higher prices (which is better for you), but don't forget about your risk management. NEVER LOSE MORE THAN 2% IN A TRADE, NVER INVEST MORE THAN 15% OF YOUR PORTFOLIO IN ANY ONE STOCK OR MULTIPLE STOCS THAT ARE CORRELATED AND READ "THE 2% RULE" AND "POSITION SIZING" AS WELL AS THE VIDEO UNDER "RESOURCES AND CONCEPTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF TRADE GUILD. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE YOUR INTENDED NUMBER OF POSITIONS AND DIVIDE THEM INTO 2% FOR A MORE CONSERVATIVE RISK PLAN. (ex: you intend to trade 10 positions, you have $100,000 in your portfolio. Your maximum risk for the entire portfolio is 2%-divide 10 into 2% which leaves you with .002 or $200 risk money per position) THIS IS NOT $200 in the TRADE! It means if you have $.50 risk in the trade between your entry and your stop then you can buy 400 shares @ $10 or a $4,000 position.
Make sure you understand the above before you enter trades. If you have questions, please email me.
Tactically, if the SPY moves above $111, you may want to hedge out your short position with a few ETFs like FAS or UWM. A move on the SPY below $108.50 should trigger downside, certainly below $107.30. Just be patient right now. Nothing much has changed yet.
There is no discernible direction I can see for tomorrow, see tonight's post at Trade guild, but today wasn't all roses either, but the level of authority to which the markets shook was nearly the same yesterday as today. The breadth readings today were not good either. However, that doesn't mean that we won't see a big bounce to make a right shoulder and form a H&S top.
Right now since I don't see a strong direction, I'd suggest laying low for a day or so and lets see how this plays out. Of course I want you to follow your risk management rules/stops, but make sure it's on a closing basis only, not an intraday break of your stop.
I listed a bunch of very speculative long trades that look like they could crack anytime. I'd suggest limiting your risk to half that of a normal position as these are highly speculative. also if you get a 15+% gift in a day or two, take it, or take most of it. These aren't meant to be trend trades, but quick pops.
As far as accumulating shorts, if you have not already done so, if you have no short position, you might want to scroll down several posts to about a week ago when I listed the core inverse leveraged ETFs we are using as a core position. You may want to build about 25% of your intended position, even if it is into higher prices (which is better for you), but don't forget about your risk management. NEVER LOSE MORE THAN 2% IN A TRADE, NVER INVEST MORE THAN 15% OF YOUR PORTFOLIO IN ANY ONE STOCK OR MULTIPLE STOCS THAT ARE CORRELATED AND READ "THE 2% RULE" AND "POSITION SIZING" AS WELL AS THE VIDEO UNDER "RESOURCES AND CONCEPTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF TRADE GUILD. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE YOUR INTENDED NUMBER OF POSITIONS AND DIVIDE THEM INTO 2% FOR A MORE CONSERVATIVE RISK PLAN. (ex: you intend to trade 10 positions, you have $100,000 in your portfolio. Your maximum risk for the entire portfolio is 2%-divide 10 into 2% which leaves you with .002 or $200 risk money per position) THIS IS NOT $200 in the TRADE! It means if you have $.50 risk in the trade between your entry and your stop then you can buy 400 shares @ $10 or a $4,000 position.
Make sure you understand the above before you enter trades. If you have questions, please email me.
Tactically, if the SPY moves above $111, you may want to hedge out your short position with a few ETFs like FAS or UWM. A move on the SPY below $108.50 should trigger downside, certainly below $107.30. Just be patient right now. Nothing much has changed yet.
GOOG Short
The GOOG chart is a good indication of the market. It is also setting up at least a short term short position. A break below $492 is a short.
Reversal
We now have fairly solid negative divergences, I'd be looking for a downside reversal soon.
Possible Falling 3 Methods
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Pretty Good Start to the Week.
Please read my general market analysis at www.Trade-Guild.net
Tonight we learn to fish with some charts....
NTAP-this is a possible false breakout. We'll use a limit order to be sure. False breakouts typically go in the opposite direction of the breakout, far and fast.
KO's chart is a great setup for a high probability/low risk short. It's formed a massive top, broke down and retested resistance and failed.
PBR is another great setup, A massive Head and Shoulders top, a high volume breakdown and an attempt to break resistance which has thus far failed. The target can be established by counting from the neckline in red to the top of the pattern, deduct that from the red line and that is your target.
CEDC is showing a variation of a Broadening top, there is no volume pattern to these tops so don't bother trying to confirm with volume. Again, it broke support, retested resistance and has failed. There are so many owners above the red line, they all want out so any rally they become sellers and it fails, it's called "overhead volume" or supply.
ENCO is another long shot countertrend long position in a nice consolidation, volume confirms it. It's also near the breakout point. Set a wide stop, don't take on a big position as it is highly speculative and understand that the probabilities are that the market maker will break it down before letting it go p to shake out longs and get shares on the cheap-thus the wide stop.
RDY looks to be a false breakout, this could fall very fast as longs were suckered in above $29, any move down they are at a loss and become sellers which creates an imbalance in supply and demand with more supply on the market, thus creating lower prices and fast.
Large triangles like this after a prolonged uptrend tend to be tops, the high volume breakdown below support lends credit to the idea of a top, the recent failed rally gives you a decent entry on a high probability trade.
This is a similar situation, high volume break of support and a weak attempt to rally in GS
WDC has created a massive top that has broken down on volume, tried to break resistance and failed. It's a high probability trade to the downside.
I hope you study these charts. I don't want to just give you fish, but help you learn to fish. If you have questions, please email me. These trades are going to be on the spread sheet shortly. check my stops and see if you can figure out why I use those stops and why I use the entry setups I use. LEARN, but RISK MANAGEMENT.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CORE SHORT/LEVERAGED ETFS-THESE ARE THE CORE OF OUR POSITION
Update 3
The only index to fill the gap has been XLF-financials. It does appear, although it's very early, that we will see some attempt to fill the gap at least partially, but again, it is very early. This is based on the 5-min 3C charts.
