Was Friday’s Price Action in Gold Signaling a Top in the S&P 500?

Friday morning traders and market participants awaited the key January employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The reaction to the supposedly wonderful report was a surge in the S&P 500 E-Mini futures contracts as well as several other key equity index futures.

The overall tenor among the financial punditry was predictable as wildly bullish predictions permeated the morning session on CNBC and in the financial blogosphere. However, after the report had been out for several hours notable independent voices such as Lee Adler of the Wall Street Examiner came out with information that suggested the numbers were an apparition of manipulated statistics.

I am not going to spend a great deal of time discussing the report, but the reaction to the news was decisively bullish on Friday. The question I want to know is whether Friday was a blow off top? In the recent past the S&P 500 has seen several key inflection points and intermediate-term tops form on non-farm payroll monthly announcements.

I follow a variety of indicators to help me decipher more accurately when the market is getting overbought or oversold. For nearly two weeks the market has been extremely overbought, but now we are reaching truly astonishing levels. The following charts represent just a few signals that the market is due for a pullback and a top is likely approaching.

Percentage of NYSE Stocks Trading Above Their 50 Period Moving Average

The chart above clearly illustrates that as of Friday’s closing bell (02/03) over 89% of stocks were trading above their 50 period moving averages. Consequently that reading is one of the highest levels that we have seen in the past 3 years. In addition, over 73% of stocks that trade on the NYSE are currently priced above their longer term 200 period moving averages. Another extremely overbought signal.

S&P 500 Bullish Percent Index Weekly Chart

The S&P 500 Bullish Percent Index is another great tool for measuring the overall position of the S&P 500. It is without question that the longer term time frame is reaching the highest level of overbought conditions in the past 3 years.

McClellan Oscillator Divergence with S&P 500 Price Action

The two charts shown above present an interesting situation regarding the divergence in the McClellan Oscillator and the price action in the S&P 500. The most recent example of this type of divergence occurred in October of 2011 and prices immediately reversed to the upside after several months of selling pressure. In fact, this correlation between reversals in the S&P 500 and divergences in the McClellan Oscillator works relatively well historically.

Clearly there are bullish voices arguing for the 2011 S&P 500 Index high of 1,370.58 to be taken out to the upside in the near future. Additionally, several market technicians in the blogospere have been pointing to the key resistance range between 1,350 and 1,370 on the S&P 500 as a likely price target. Obviously if those price levels are met strong resistance is likely to present itself. However, as a contrarian trader I have found that the more obvious price levels are the more likely it is that they either will not be tested or they will not offer significant resistance.

It is obvious that Chairman Bernanke and the Federal Reserve have embarked on a massive fiat currency printing campaign which has helped buoy risk assets to the upside. Through a combination of reducing interest rates on safety haven investments like Treasury’s and CD’s, the Federal Reserve has forced conservative investors and those living on a fixed income into riskier assets in search of yield.

This process helps elevate stock prices and creates the desired outcome for the Federal Reserve which involves the perception by average individuals that they are wealthier. The Fed calls this the “wealth effect” and they seem poised to insure that U.S. financial markets continue to ride upon a see of cheap money and liquidity.

Ultimately the Federal Reserve’s most recent announcements have served to help flatten the short end of the yield curve further while providing a launching pad for equities and precious metals. However, issues persisting in Europe could have an adverse impact on the short to intermediate term price action of the U.S. Dollar.

Right now everywhere I look I hear market prognosticators commenting on how hated the U.S. Dollar is and how Chairman Bernanke will not allow the Dollar to appreciate markedly in order to protect U.S. exports and financial markets. I think that the Dollar has the potential to rally in the short to intermediate term. Right now the U.S. Dollar Index appears to be trying to form a bottom.

U.S. Dollar Index Daily Chart

Obviously there is good reason to believe that the U.S. Dollar Index could reverse to the upside here. Whether it would have the strength to take out recent highs is unclear, but a correction to the upside not only seems unexpected by most market participants, but it seems plausible based on the weekend news coming out of Greece.

Monday morning the Greek government is set to determine if they will agree to the demands of the Troika in exchange for the next tranche of bailout funds. If the Greek government and the Troika do not come to an agreement, the Euro could sell-off violently.

Additionally there are already concerns about the next LTRO offering from the European Central Bank. The measure is to help provide European banks with additional liquidity, but there are growing concerns that the size and scope of the LTRO could have a dramatic impact on the Euro’s valuation against other currencies. Time will tell, but there are certainly catalysts which could help drive the U.S. Dollar higher.

Another potential indicator that the Dollar could see higher prices in coming days was the largely unnoticed bearish price action on Friday of precious metals. Both gold and silver have been on a tear higher over the past several weeks. Both precious metals have surged since the Federal Reserve announced that interest rates would remain near zero on the short end of the curve through 2014.

However, on Friday gold and silver were both under extreme selling pressure. The move did not get much attention by the financial media. The price action in gold and silver on Friday could be another indication that the U.S. Dollar is set to rally. The daily chart of gold is shown below.

Gold Futures Daily Chart

Obviously the reversal on Friday in gold futures was sharp. The move represented nearly a 2% decline for the session on the price of gold. However, as long term readers know I am a gold bull. I just do not see how gold and silver do not rally in the intermediate to longer term based on the insane levels of fiat currency printing going on at all of the major central banks around the world. The macro case for gold is very strong, but the short term time frame could reveal a brief pullback.

At this point, I suspect a pullback will present a good buying opportunity for those that are patient. However, I think it is critical to point out that this move in gold on Friday could be a signal that the U.S. Dollar is going to find some short to intermediate term strength. If the Dollar does start to push higher, it will likely put downward pressure on risk assets like equities and oil.

While Friday’s price action may not mark a top, nearly every indicator that I follow is screaming that stocks are overbought across all time frames. Pair that with the Greece uncertainty and LTRO considerations and suddenly the Dollar starts to look a bit more attractive. Ultimately I am not going to try to pick a top, but the evidence suggests that it might not be too many days/weeks away.

By: Chris Vermeulen – Get Chris' Free Weekly ETF Reports & Analysis
Co-Author: JW Jones – Get J.W.' Free Weekly Options Reports & Analysis

Are Stocks & Commodities About To Start Another Rally?

Over the past couple months everyone seems to have been preparing for a sharp market correction. Crazy part is that the SP500 dropped about 10% from the high and that is a typical bull market correction. The thing is… the stock market has a way of slowly unfolding making it look and feel minor, then before you know it, the correction is over and it’s back to an uptrend. That is kind of how this one unfolded.

The good news is that we caught the low risk portion of the correction locking in a 4.5% drop, and we are now in a long trade and in the money by 2.5% with very little down side risk at this point. Time will tell if this up trend is sustainable or not…

Now, let’s take a look at the charts…

Dollar 60 minute intraday chart
As you can see below the dollar looks to have started a breakdown today. If there is continued selling pressure in the next couple days then expect to stocks and commodities to move higher as the US Dollar drops. It is important to know that when a bullish pattern fails we typically see a very strong reaction in the opposite direction (down) catching the majority off guard and they rush to the door.

SPY Broad Market ETF – Daily Chart
A couple weeks ago we watched the market go into a free fall creating a washout bottom. From there we saw prices bounce back and retake my key moving averages. This gave us a bullish bias and dips should be looked at as buying opportunities. I will admit that stocks still have a long way to go before the masses are convinced. I feel we need to see the February and March highs get taken out first. Once they get taken out there should be strong buying as short covering (protective stops from traders who are short) causes a surge in buying pressure sending stocks sharply higher yet again.

My trading buddy David Banister at Active Trading Partners is starting to see small cap stocks come back to life. Money is starting to flow into these lucrative areas of the market and he is on top of things… This week’s trade is up 20% in less than 24 hours which is very exciting.

Gold Daily Chart
Gold has been moving up this year but the current price action is not really getting me excited to buy just yet. Recently we have seen strong selling volume and very light buying volume. My bias still favors higher prices but there is still a good chance we get another dip in the coming sessions.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel as though the dollar will trigger the next wave of buying in stocks and commodities for the next week or two… We should see the dollar make a clean moving in either direction shortly and that will help guide my analysis, positions and setups. I hope this analysis helps you to see the market from a different perspective.

Just click here if you would like to get Chris Vermeulens mid-week reports and his free newsletter.

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Precious Metals and the Dollar's Next Big Move

There is a potentially big setup in precious metals sector along with the dollar which looks like its about to unfold. Since mid-October of last year gold started to show signs of distribution selling. Only a month later in November silver started warning us that some big players were taking some profits off the table also. Distribution selling is easy to spot on the charts. In short you will see heavy volume selling accompanied with strong moves to the downside.

Now if we look at the US Dollar chart we see the exact opposite price action. We see sharp rallies during October and November of last year. It’s normal to say that gold and silver move inverse to the Dollar so this price action makes perfect sense.

The interesting thing with the US Dollar is that in Nov-December it rallied breaking through a key resistance level and has been consolidating above support ever since. If this bullish pattern (bull flag) plays out, then it’s just a matter of time before the dollar makes another strong rally upwards, which will put downward pressure on stocks and commodities.

Take a look at the charts below.....

US Dollar Daily Chart
The 50 period moving average has provided key support/resistance levels for the previous trends and if it holds true going forward then we are not far from another rally in the dollar.

Gold Futures Daily Chart
Gold moves inverse to the dollar so if we get a higher dollar then look for gold to have a stair step pattern lower.

Silver Futures Daily Chart
Silver looks about ready to do the same thing as gold.

Precious Metals and Dollar Trading Conclusion:
In short, we could see a major shift in momentum from up to down in both precious metals and the equities market. Keep in mind the market has a way of dragging out patterns/moves so while the chart looks bearish and I think a reversal is near, things could just chop around for another month or so before a definitive breakout is made. Choppy market conditions are great for trading options but no short term trend traders like myself. This is why you don’t want to anticipate moves (pick a top). Currently I am neutral on metals and the dollar waiting for a setup which must have clear risk/reward characteristics.

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SPX's Running Correction, Gold's Setup, Crude Oil Explodes!

The financial markets continue to climb the wall of worry on the back of more Fed Quantitative Easing. Those trying to pick a top in this choppy bull market may prove to be correct for a couple hours but over time the shorts continue to get clobbered.

Quantitative easing was enough to turn gold back up and gave oil just enough of a nudge to breakout of its cup and handle pattern explained later.

The past few weeks the number of emails I receive on a daily basis about what individuals should do about short positions they took on their own has growing quickly. Usually when my inbox starts to fill up with traders holding heavy losses trying to pick a top I know something big is about to happen and its not going to be in the favor of the herd (everyone shorting). In the past couple week there have been some great entry points for the broad market whether its to buy the SP500, Dow, NASDAQ or Russell 2K. I focus on trading with the trend and entering on extreme sentiment readings as shown in the chart below.

Extreme Trend Trading Analysis
Below are my main market sentiment indicators for helping to time short term tops and bottoms. That being said I don’t pick short term tops in hopes to profit on the down side. Rather I wait for a extreme sentiment bottom to be put in place, then enter long with the up trend (Buy Low).

Once there is a 1-2% surge in price and sentiment indicators are showing a short term top I like to pull a little money off the table to lock in some profits while still holding a core position (Sell High). This is exactly what I/subscribers have done over the last couple weeks. This is a simple yet highly effective strategy and works just as well in a down trend except I focus on shorting extreme sentiment bounces. Subscribers know what these indicators are as I cover them each week in my daily pre-market trading videos as we prepare for the day ahead.

SPX Running Correction
Since early September the equities market has been on fire. In late September the market was extremely toppy looking and trading at key resistance levels from prior highs convincing a lot of traders to take a short position. But instead of a correction the market surged and has since continued to grind its way up week after week.

This rising choppy price action can be seen two ways:
1. As a rising wedge with a blow off top (Bearish)
2. Or as a Running Consolidation (Bullish)

The running consolidation happens when buyers are abundant picking up more shares on every little dip. Overall looking at the intraday price action you will see market shakeouts as it tries to buck traders out before it continues higher. This choppy looking market action if not read correctly looks extremely bearish to the novice trader and the fact the market is so overbought it easily convinces them to take short positions. This choppy action is just enough to wash the market of weak positions before starting another run up.

All that said, both a blow off rising wedge and a running correction are very bullish patterns for a period of time. Again I cannot state it enough, trade with the trend and the key moving averages.

Gold Shines On The Daily Chart
The gold story is straight forward really… Trend is up, quantitative easing is back in action and that is helping to list gold and silver prices. Key moving averages have turned back up and gold closed at a new high which shows strength.

Golden Rocket
With another round of quantitative easing just starting and gold making another new high last week there is a very good chance gold stocks will rocket higher in the coming 8 months. I have been following Millrock Resources Inc. because of the team involved with this company. A breakout to the upside here could post some exciting gains if you take a look at the chart and see where the majority of volume has traded over the years along with the bullish chart patterns (Cup & Handle/Rising Wedge) with strong confirming volume. From 84 cents to the $3.50 area there should not be many sellers other than traders slowing taking profits on the way up.

Crude Oil Breaks Out Of Cup
Crude oil has been dormant the past few weeks even though the US Dollar has plummeted. But last week’s news on more QE was enough to send oil higher. The surge took oil prices straight to the 2010 highs as expected and blew past my first target of $86.00 per barrel. I figure it will consolidate here for a while until we see if the dollar bottomed last week or is just testing the breakdown level.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, the market has played out exactly as we planned and all four of our positions are deep in the money. As we all know the market goes in waves in both price and for trade setups. The past couple weeks were great for getting into trades and now the market is running in our direction. It will take a few days for the market to stabilize (pullback or pause) before we could get anther round of trade setups. Keep position sizes small as the market remains overbought and a sharp correction could happen at any time. Until then, keep trading with the trend.

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Disclaimer: Chris owns shares of SPY and MRO.V
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Gold Stocks, SP500 & the U.S. Dollar – What’s Next?

From Chris Vermeulen, The Gold and Oil Guy......

Investors around the globe are concerned with the economic outlook, not only with the United States but with virtually every country. This has caused not only investors but banks and countries to start buying gold & silver in order to be protected incase of a currency melt down in the coming years.

While the majority is concerned about the eroding economy, we have seen the opposite in the financial market. Gold and equities have risen… That being said the volume in the market remains light simply because the average investor is no longer putting money into the market for long term growth. Instead individuals are now focusing on saving and paying down debt.

That being said we all know light volume market conditions allow Wall Street powerhouses to bid the market up. Not to mention with quantitative easing taking place I’m sure that has also helped the market of late. While we don’t know for sure that QE is taking place as we speak, the sharp drop in the dollar and strong move up in gold are pricing this into the market.

Let’s take a look at some charts....

HUI – Gold Stock Index
This long term monthly chart of the HUI index provides valuable trading signals for both gold stocks and gold bullion. As you can see below this index is trading at a key resistance level after forming a bullish 3 year Cup & Handle pattern. The next 1-2 months for the precious metals sector will be interesting as it tries to break above key resistance. I would really like to see the HUI:GLD ratio break to the upside to confirm if the breakout occurs.

SPY – Daily Long Term Trend
The broad market looks to be forming a short term topping wedge. If this is to occurI expect it to take several weeks to play out. Looking at the chart if we use Fibonacci retracements along with trend line support we can get a feel for where this pullback should correct to.

That being said the broad market breadth and internals seem to be holding up indicating higher prices over the long run. While the short term price action is overbought and I expect a pullback to form, my analysis is pointing to higher prices as we go into year end.

UUP – US Dollar Daily Price Action
Although the majority of investors have a bearish outlook on the economy, we have seen a large price appreciation in equities and precious metals. This is largely due to the fact that the US dollar is quickly getting devalued. Simply put, as the dollar drops, it helps boost commodities and stock prices.

While a rising stock market is great to see, at some point the dollar will become so cheap that it will start to have a very negative affect on the US economy, commodities and stocks. Being from Canada it has always been more expensive to take holidays in the United States, and I remember paying $1.50-$1.70 for every $1 green back. But now the dollar is almost at par making holidays very affordable. The big question/concern is when will they ease off on the printing? At the rate which they are printing the greenback will be at par with peso… well not that extreme but you get the point Eh!

Weekend Market Conclusion:
As we all know the market has a way of making sure the majority of traders miss major turning points. The saying is, “If the market doesn’t shake you out, it will wear you out” and it seems we are getting the later…

The never ending grind higher in precious metals has not had any big shakeouts, rather its wearing out any short positions before rolling over to take a breather. As for the stock market, we are getting much of the same thing as the market grinds higher day after wearing out the shorts before rolling over.

That being said, there is more at work here than just regular market movements. With the light volume in the market we know there is price manipulation and QE (quantitative Easing) which is helping to boost prices and exaggerate market movements.

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Let the volatility and volume return!
Chris Vermeulen



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SP500 Internals, Dollar & Gold Pre-Week Analysis

From Chris Vermuelen.....The Gold and Oil Guy

After a fierce equities rally on Friday, which I figured would happen, just not that strong; I have to wonder if there is some event or major decision in the works we don’t know about?

Friday’s rally could be something simpler like window dressing by the funds. This is when the funds buy up all the top performing stocks for month end reporting. They do this so that their investors think they are on the ball and know what they are doing. Window dressing will end Monday and from there we could see some profit taking (selling) start. But for all we know Obama could be extending the tax cuts for everyone or cutting payroll taxes etc…

It would only take one of these events to trigger a sharp up move in the market and that could be what Friday’s move was anticipating. That being said volume has remained light and during low volume session the market has a tendency to move higher. Sell offs in the market require strong volume to pull the market down, so until volume picks up there could still be higher prices just around the corner.

Let’s take a look at some charts…

SPY – SP500 60 Minute Intraday Chart
Last week we saw the market reverse to the down side with a strong end of say sell off. That set the tone for some follow through selling and for any bounces to be sold into. That being said, the market always has a way of surprising traders and it did just that on Friday gapping above Thursday’s reversal high causing shorts to cover and the typical end of week light volume drift to help hold prices up.

NYSE Market Internals – 15 Minute Chart
I like to follow some market internals to help understand if investors are becoming fearful or greedy. It also helps me gauge if the market is over bought or oversold on any given day.

These three charts below show some interesting data.
Top Chart – This indicator shows me if the majority of shares traded are bought or sold. When the red line spikes up and trades above 5 then I know the majority of traders are buying over covering their shorts. I call this panic buying because traders are buying in fear that the market will continue higher and they will miss the train. When everyone is buying you know a pullback is most likely to occur.

Middle Chart – This is the NYSE advance/decline line. When this indicator is below -1500 then the market is over sold and bottom pickers/value buyers will step in and nibble at stocks. But when this indicator is trading over 1500 then you know the market is overbought and there should be some profit taking starting any time soon.

Bottom Chart – This is the put/call ratio and this tells us how many people are buying calls vs put options. When this indicator is below 0.80 level more traders are bullish and buying leverage. My theory is if they are buying leverage for higher prices, then they have already bought all their stocks and now want to add some leverage for more profits. When I see the majority of traders bullish then I an sure to tighten my stops (if long) as top my be forming.

Putting the charts together – When each of these charts are trading in the red zone know I must be cautious for any long positions because the market just may be starting to top. Or a short term correction may occur.

UUP – US Dollar Daily Chart
The US dollar has been under some serious pressure with all the talk about quantitative easing (printing money). Obviously the more the Fed’s print the less value the dollar will have. The chart below shows a green gap window which I think once it is filled should put the dollar in a oversold condition for a short term swing trade bounce before heading back down. A bounce in the dollar will put pressure on equities, gold and oil.

GLD – Gold Daily Chart
Gold continues to grind its way up. This move is looking very long in the teeth and pullback will most likely be sharp.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, equities and gold continue to grind their way higher while the US dollar continues its grind lower. When I say the market is grinding I am implying the market is over extended and a reversal any day should occur.

Financial stocks like Goldman (GS) which typically leads the market has been strongly underperforming over the past week. Insiders were selling GS very strongly which is strange and makes me wonder what’s up there? With the financial stocks underperforming it sure looks like a market reversal is just around the corner.

If Friday’s rally was simply window dressing by the funds then it should end on Monday and with any luck we will see a sharp reversal to the down side early this week.

You can get my ETF and Commodity Trading Signals if you become a subscriber of my newsletter. These free reports will continue to come on a weekly basis; however, instead of covering 3-5 investments at a time, I’ll be covering only 1. Newsletter subscribers will be getting more analysis that’s actionable. I’ve also decided to add video analysis as it allows me toe get more into across to you quicker and is more educational, and I’ll be covering more of the market to include currencies, bonds and sectors. Before everyone’s emails were answered personally, but now my focus is on building a strong group of traders and they will receive direct personal responses regarding trade ideas and analysis going forward.

Let the volatility and volume return!

Chris Vermeulen
The Gold and Oil Guy .com

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How to Find Market Tops for Gold & the Dow

Last week the general market continued to grind its way higher for yet another week. Overall I feel the market is very much over bought. We all know the market can stay in extreme overbought levels for extended periods of time making it very difficult to pick tops.

This is the reason I do not try to pick tops, but rather wait for a top to form before putting my money to work. While a bottom can be made in 1 day, tops tend to take days and some times months to complete.

A few things really stood out to me when looking back on last week’s price action.

1. Gold (GLD Fund) was only up 0.29% for the week while the gold mining stocks (GDX Fund) was down over 3.5%. This strong divergence really has me concerned about the price of gold in the near term. Gold stocks generally lead gold and if they are down 10x more than gold last week, we better watch out....

2. The US Dollar broke out and started to rally posting a gain of 1% for the week. It is definitely weird to see gold move higher when the US dollar is rising…

Gold GLD Daily Chart

Gold has been trading sideways/down since December. I see this large 5 month pullback as a bull flag and expect to see much higher prices for gold long term. But I don’t count my eggs before they hatch, so I continue to focus on the daily and intraday chart patterns for low risk trading opportunities.

Friday we saw gold close very strong for the day. It looks very much like a reversal candle but with the price trading under the mini head & shoulders neck line and with the US Dollar in rally mode again, I don’t think the stars are aligned enough for me to put money to work just yet.

Gold is currently trading in a major congestion zone. Until there is a breakout of this zone, I think setups will not be very accurate.



Dow Jones Industrial Average vs. NYSE New Highs Divergence – JANUARY

This chart shows the January 2010 peak in the stock market. As you can see prices became choppy with strong up and down movements before we saw the sharp drop.

Also note the NYSE new highs line. As the market became choppy new highs began to drop quickly. This indicated the market internals were weakening and led to an 8% drop over the next couple weeks.



Dow Jones Industrial Average vs. NYSE New Highs Divergence – MARCH

This chart in my opinion looks much the same as January. You can see the Reversal candle from the February lows and the strong rally to the current price, as of Friday.

Notice how the market is getting choppy. Also last Thursday the Dow gave us a reversal candle. But this time the reversal candle is to the down side.

Also note the NYSE New Highs line. It has dropped sharply indicating the market internals are weakening once again.

This is what trading is all about… finding things that are out of whack and waiting for a low risk setup in order to make a profit.



Weekend Trading Conclusion:

In short, the stock market is over bought and about to roll over. I do understand that this grind higher could last another week or so, which is why I am focusing on short/quick intraday movements like Friday’s SP500 Intraday Low Risk Setup, and not buying etf funds to hold for a few weeks. Most of you know I do not chase prices higher simply because down side risk increased when buying into an over extended rally.

I feel gold, silver and oil will move together and at this time, I don’t like their charts for trading. With any luck we could get some setups this week, but not counting anything just yet.

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