The last week of the year volume tends to be light due to the fact that big money traders are busy enjoying the holidays and waiting for their yearend bonuses.

I was not planning on doing much this week because of the low volume but after reviewing some charts and risk levels on my top 5 trading vehicles I could not help but share my findings with everyone last Friday.

You can see what I talked about on Friday here: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/holiday-short-squeeze-oil-trade-idea/

This Wednesday turned out to be an exciting session with all 5 of my trade ideas moving in our favour right on queue.

Charts of the 5 investments moving in the directions we anticipated …
– Dollar bounced off support

– Stocks are topping and selling off today

– Oil looks to have topped and is selling off

– Gold and Silver are moving lower

– VIX (Volatility Index) just bounced

 

Many of my readers took full advantage of my recent analysis and trade ideas which is great to hear.  All the different ways individuals used to make money from Friday’s analysis is mind blowing…

The most common trade is the oil one with most traders adding more to Tuesday when the price reached its key resistance level on the chart. Also many traders took partial profits Wednesday locking in 3% or more in two days using the SCO ETF.

It’s amazing how many people like to trade the vix using ETFs. The best trade from followers thus far was an 8% gain in TVIX which was bought 4 days ago anticipating the pop in volatility which I had been talking about last week. Keep in mind ETFs for trading the vix are not very good in general. I stay away from them, but TVIX is the best I found so far.

Currently stocks are oversold falling sharply from the pre-market highs. Meaning stocks have fallen too far too fast and a bounce is likely to take place Thursday.

Also we saw some panic selling hit the market today with 14 sellers to 1 buyer. That level tells me that the market needs some time to recover and build up strength for another selloff later this week or next. We will see this pause unfold when the SP500 drifts higher for a session or two with light buying volume. This will confirm sellers are in control and give us another short setup.

In my Wednesday morning video I explained how/where to set stops when using leveraged ETFs because I know 90% of traders using them do not have a clue as to how to do this and they get shaken out of their trades just before a top or bottom. So if you want to learn more about it watch this morning’s video please: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDagN5Vpvys

I hope this helps you understand things more… Over time you will pickup on a lot of new trading tips, tools and techniques with this free newsletter so just give it time and keep trades small until you are comfortable with my analysis.

ONE TIME OFFER for 2012!
Learn to Trade While Making Money
http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/specialoffer/2012TradeIdeas.html

 

 

Typically, the week before Christmas, stocks and commodities drift higher due to the lack of participants.  Light volume favours higher prices, which is why stocks want to rise going into the holiday season.

The big money players, like hedge fund managers, are finished for the year.  They’re sitting on the sidelines enjoying the holiday season while waiting for their year-end bonus checks.

Let’s take a quick look at how the week finished…

Friday was an interesting session as stocks and oil reached some key resistance levels.  Below are my thoughts, charts, and a possible trade idea for next week.

Gold & Silver Thoughts:

Looking at the long term charts of gold and silver, I feel they could head much lower in the first quarter of 2012.  The inverse relationship between the dollar index and gold makes me think this is a high probability scenario.

The weekly dollar index chart remains strong at this point and could start another very strong rally any day. Once the dollar starts heading higher, expect precious metals to move down along with equities.

SP500, Dollar and Volatility Index

Below are three charts stacked on top of each other.  They are marked with my analysis and thoughts for next week.  Personally, I don’t feel shorting stocks is a safe play.  The last week of the year, we can see the volatility index (VIX), and the dollar, rise without putting pressure on stocks.  So be aware of that.

 

 

TRADE IDEA – View Chart:

Crude oil looks like a great low risk opportunity (a real “Christmas” present!) from Mr. Market. SCO would be the ETF for US based traders.  HOD, which is listed on the TSX, is good for Canadians.  I favour this setup because I don’t feel that oil will be as affected from the holiday bulge as will American equities.

Pre-Holiday Trading Conclusion:

I was planning on avoiding the market Friday, but the charts were calling my name…  The session ended with what looked to be a short squeeze. The remaining short positions didn’t get their expected drop in price.  Consequently, when the traders all started to cover their shorts (buy) just before the close, it caused a strong surge higher.

I do not recommend shorting stocks next week because of the light volume.  However, oil looks good to me.

Just thought I would share my end of the week thoughts, and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Cheers!

Chris Vermeulen

– HOLIDAY SPECIAL –
New Subscribers can GET 50% OFF by Joining Today
*Click Here Now*

The past few months have been tough for those holding precious metals stocks, PM futures contracts or physical bullion. With silver is trading down 41%, precious metals stocks down 30% and gold 15%. It has people scratching their head.

The question everyone keeps asking is when can I buy gold and silver?

Unfortunately that is not a simple answer. With what is unfolding across the pond and the bullish outlook for the US Dollar index the next move is a coin toss. That being said, I do feel a large move brewing in the market place so I am preparing for fireworks in the first quarter of 2012.

If you step back and look at the weekly trend charts of the dollar index and the SP500 index you will see the strength in the dollar along with a possible top in equities forming. What these charts are telling is that in the next 3 months we should know if stocks and commodities are going to start another multi-month rally or roll over and start a bear market sell off.

With the holiday season nearing, hedge fund managers sitting on the sidelines just waiting for their year end performance bonuses, I cannot see any large sell off start until January. Sell offs in the market require strong volume and the second half of December is not a time of heavy trading volume.

This leaves us with a light volume holiday season, major issues overseas and no big money players willing to cause waves.

So let’s take a quick look at the charts as to where the line in the sand it for the dollar index, gold and silver.

Dollar Index Daily Chart

This week we have seen a strong shift of money out of risk on assets (Bonds) and into risk off (Stocks). This shift is happening before the dollar has broken down indicating the dollar may be topping and could be an early warning of higher stocks prices going into year end. Also note that light volume market conditions also favour higher prices.

 

Gold Price Daily Chart

Gold could still head lower but at this point it is holding a key support level. If we see the dollar breakdown below its green support trendline then I expect gold to have a firm bounce to the $1675 – $1700.

 

Silver Price Daily Chart

Silver continues to hold a key support level. If the dollar breaks down the silver should bounce to the $31.50 – $32 area. But if the dollar continues to rally then silver and gold may drop sharply.

 

Mid-Week Trend Conclusion:

In short, I think the best thing to do is enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. Trading right now is not that great and with the market giving mixed signals. I am keeping my eyes on the market in case it flashes a low risk setup and I will keep you informed if we get one.

I am still bearish on gold and silver longer term but the next week or so its likely we see higher prices.

Be aware that Monday is a holiday and once January arrives the market could go crazy again. If you want all my swing trades that I personally do be sure to join my alert service www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

Cheers,
Chris Vermeulen

Yet another major market correction has begun to unfold over the past couple of weeks.

I have a much different outlook on the markets than most everyone else. This likely includes you as well. However, before you stop reading what I have to say, hear me out. My outlook and opinions are based strictly on price, volume, inter-market analysis, and crowd behavior. I hope you will consider my ideas and how they might affect your current positions.

My fundamental thinking is contrarian in nature. I feel that gold and silver have risen because of obvious reasons, those mainly being the printing of money. Also, fears that fiat currencies will become obsolete in the next 5 years continue to push the metals higher.

The flaw with that thinking is that most or all of the bad news has come out with European crisis. We know there are still major issues to resolve, however, the end of the world did not happen. Looking forward 5 years, countries will likely have stopped acting like teenagers who spend more money than they have on their credit cards. Hopefully they start creating budgets which they can and will abide by.

Should this happen, it would mean that the global economy as a whole will be stronger than ever before. We may have a few bumps along the way, but I feel countries and individuals will be better positioned than ever a scant 5 years from now.

Two weeks ago, I sent my “big picture” outlook to my subscribers, followers, and financial websites in which I warned of a major pullback. You can take a quick look at what the charts looked like 2 weeks ago: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/the-currency-war-big-picture-analysis-for-gold-silver-socks/

Since my warning we have seen the financial markets fall:
SP500 down 2.6%
Crude Oil down 4.4%
Gold down 9.6%
and Silver down 12.2%

If you had invested in any of the leveraged exchange traded funds of these items, you could have doubled or tripled your returns. The numbers of those who have been cashing in on my advice about these recent pullbacks, have been very gratifying to hear about. The exciting part about trading is the fact that moves like this happen all the time. So if you missed this one, don’t worry because there is another opportunity just around the corner.

While my negative views on stocks and precious metals may rub the gold and silver bugs the wrong way, I just want to point out what is unfolding in an objective way in order for everyone to see both sides of the trade. I also would like to mention that this analysis can, and likely will change on a weekly basis as the financial markets and global economies evolve over time. The point I am trying to get across is that I am not a “Gloom and Doom” kind of guy. I don’t always favor the down side. Rather, I am a technical trader simply providing my analysis and giving odds for what to expect next.

Let’s take a look at some charts and dig right in…

Dollar Index Daily Chart:

 

SP500 Futures Index Daily Chart:

Silver Futures Daily Chart:

Gold Futures Daily Chart:

Crude Oil Futures Daily Chart:

Mid-Week Market Madness Trend Analysis Conclusion:

In short, stocks and commodities are under pressure from the rising dollar. We have already seen a sizable pullback but there may be more to come in the next few trading sessions.

Overall, the charts are starting to look very negative which the majority of traders/investors around the world are starting to notice. With any luck they will fuel the market with more selling pressure pushing positions that my subscribers and I are holding deeper into the money.

Now that the masses are starting to get nervous and are beginning to sell out of their positions, I am on high alert for a panic washout selling day. This occurs when everyone around the world panics at the same time and bails out of their long positions. Prices drop sharply, volume shoots through the roof, and my custom indicators for spotting extreme sentiment levels sends me an alert to start covering my shorts and tightening our stops.

Hold on tight as this could be a crazy few trading sessions….

Get these Free Weekly Reports EVERY WEEK

 

This will be an interesting week as we look for the stock market to pullback.

The US dollar has pullback this morning and that has help lift stocks back up to their Friday’s high. This type of move is normal for the stock market as it tests trader’s emotions and trading skills. As we all know the market knows how to shake out the masses just before a big move. With any luck this morning’s move up will cause a lot of traders to cover their shorts and then the market will roll over and sell down sharply.

The dollar still looks bullish in my opinion and should continue up today/this week. If this happens it will put pressure on both stocks and commodities.

Gold and silver are trading sideways/down slightly this morning, nothing significant.

Oil is trading up near resistance in a rising wedge and my actually start to pullback very soon. I’m keeping my eye on it for a setup as we may go long an inverse oil fund this week looking for a 2-5 day pullback.

In this morning’s video I talk about how the market in generally likes to test high and lows and where we stand with our current position.

Watch Short Video Now: http://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/ETF-trading-videos/

Get these Free Weekly Reports EVERY WEEK

I think you will admit that we are in the middle of one major crazy financial mess.  The part that makes things really crazy is that it’s not just in the United States anymore but rather serious global problem which if not handled properly could change the way we live our lives going forward or possibly even spark some type of war, hopefully things don’t get that crazy… But I do know one thing. Fear is the most powerful force on the planet and people do some crazy things when they are backed into a corner.

Anyways, on a more positive tone… today China decided to help provide more liquidity for the financial system along with the central banks. This news triggered a monster rally in overnight trading making the market gap up sharply at the opening bell. This news did hit the US dollar index hard sending it sharply lower but the question remains “Will today’s news be a one week hiccup in the market?” If Euroland starts printing money it will likely send the dollar higher and stocks lower for 6- 12 months.

Just today I was joking with Kerry Lutz of the Financial Survivor Network about how each country should just give each other country a second chance. Wipe the dept clean and start over knowing this time around exactly how each country truly operates at a financial level allowing everyone to avoid a repeat of this BS. Some countries will get off way better than others because they would get so much dept wiped clean but isn’t it better than years of problems and possibly wars over food, gold, guns, oil and Canadian water? – EH

All joking aside, let’s take a look at the weekly long term charts…

Dollar Index Showing Possible Massive Rally If Euro Starts Printing Money:

I’m sure my off the cuff options/thoughts will cause a stir but I am fine with that. Everyone I talk to is thinking the dollar is about to fall off a cliff while I think it’s very possible that it does just the opposite. Either way I will be looking to benefit from which ever move unfolds.

Weekly Gold Chart:

 

Weekly Silver Chart:

 

Weekly SP500 Chart:

 

Long Term Thoughts:

I would first like to say that tonight’s report is out of my norm. Generally I do not focus on the big picture negative stuff and I like to avoid it for a few reasons… One, it’s just downright depressing to talk and think about. And Second I don’t want to be labelled as one of those “The Sky Is Falling” kinds of guys.

So, that being said I think these charts above show a situation what is very possible to happen in the coming 6-12 months. Keep in mind that my focus is on short term time frames as it allows me to avoid and actually profit from major market moves while providing enough information for my followers to learn technical analysis and trade management. And the obvious idea of not looking too far into the future with a negative outlook…

With headline risk changing the market direction on a weekly basis, this negative outlook could easily change in a couple months. I will recap on the big picture as things unfold in January/February.

Get these Free Weekly Reports EVERY WEEK

Thus far in 2011 the overall stock market movement has been much different from what we had in 2010. This year we have seen nothing but sideways to lower prices with wild price swings on a day to day basis. There just has not been any really solid trends to take advantage of this year. Instead we had to actively trade the oversold dips and sell into the overbought rallies to just pull money out of the market on a monthly basis. Last year we saw 3 major rallies that lasted several months making it easy for anyone who bought into the trend to make money if managed properly.

Looking forward to 2012 it looks as though we are going to see some major changes unfold globally that will change the way we do things live our lives. Unfortunately its a very negative outlook but I do have hope that something will be done to perserve are somewhat normal lifestyles. I’m not one to talk doom and gloom, there are enough of those guys out there already so lets stick with the charts and focus on what is unfolding now in the present and how to take advantage of it…

The charts below show what I feel is likely to happen going into the new year IF we don’t get any major headline news in Europe that triggers another selloff.

Intermarket Analysis:

There are a lot of different things unfolding within stocks, commodities, currencies and bonds right now. And it is imporatnt to know that investments are inter-connected in some way. For example,  if one investment moves sharply in one direction it will have an effect on other investment classes.

My eye is focused on the US Dollar Index which has recently had a strong run up in price. For the past couple years we have seen stocks fall when the dollar moves up. So with the dollar index now trading at a key resistance level we should see the dollar top out for a few weeks and spark a Christmas rally into year end. After that, all bets are off and we re-analyze…

On the flop side of things, if Europe comes out with major negative headline news we could see the dollar index continue its rally and breakthrough this resistance level. If the dollar moves higher from here we could easily see a multi month run up in the dollar. You do not want to be long stocks if this happens, get short stocks and hold on tight.

Dollar ETF Trading

 

Gold Daily Chart Analysis:

Here is my positive out look for gold and what I feel is likely to unfold near term. But keep in mind what I just said about the US dollar index above. If the dollar continues its rally and breaks out it could actually put some pressure on gold. I know gold is a safe haven so I do expect it to hold up, but a strong dollar will neutralize a lot of the buying in gold in my opinion.

Gold Christmas Rally

 

SP500 Daily Charts:

Stocks should have a solid bounce this December if the dollar finds resistance and pulls back in the coming weeks. I am expecting a bounce of 5-10% if all goes as planned.

SP500 Christmas Rally

 

Christmas Holiday Rally Trading Conclusion:

In short, we are entering a tough time to trade the market. Volatility is low, there are a few holidays and typically we see volume thin out as December unfolds. Light volume generally favors higher prices for stocks and commodities which is one of the reasons we get the holiday lift in prices.

The recent selloff in stocks is looking overdone to the down side and ready to bounce any day. So I am looking for signals to get long the SP500. Overall risk remains very high as sellers are still in control of the market and because we are looking to put on a trade against the intermediate trend which is down.

On Friday morning myself and my followers exited our short position on the SP500 at the open locking in 13.5% profit. We exited the position because the intraday charts are showing signs of a potential bottom and we want to avoid the tear your face off short covering rally that I feel is just around the corner. Now we are waiting for a another low risk setup and will take action to go long or short depending how things unfold in Europe.

I hope this report helped shed some light on the current market condition for you. Remember you can Get my daily pre-market trading videos, intraday updates , and trade alerts with my premium newsletter: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Get these Free Weekly Reports EVERY WEEK

By Chris Vermeulen: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

The months of November and December are the second strongest back to back months for the financial markets. Many traders and investors use this time of the year to reap big gains as they close the year out. The fact that most traders and investors are sitting in cash and underweight stocks in their portfolio’s leaves me to believe a Santa Clause rally is just around the corner. Reason being is everyone has cash on hand to buy stocks because they are selling their positions in this pullback we are in right now. I know traders well enough, they will buy back into the market trying to catch the holiday rally in the coming weeks.

Subscribers and myself have been short the SP500 for a couple weeks after watching the broad market become overbought and sentiment levels became overly bullish with greedy pigs thinking they could buy stocks after a massive month long rally that had not pullback. Once the selling started you would either get you head handed to you or you were going to make a killing buying leveraged inverse ETFs.

Those who arrived late to the rally are the ones selling out of their positions this week. The interesting thing about this week’s market condition is that I have not seeing any real panic selling in stocks, and I’m not seeing the volatility index spike in value yet.

What does this mean? Well it means we could actually see another big dip in the market which should last 1-2 days and then we get a sharp reversal to the upside.

 

Take a look at the SP500 & Volatility index below:

This chart allows us to get a feel for fear in the market. Me being a contrarian trader, I focus on market sentiment extremes. When the masses are losing money hand over fist I’m generally on the other side of that trade with open arms. Trading off fear is one of the easiest ways to trade the market. That is because fear is much more powerful than greed and it shows up better on the charts. Spotting panic selloff bottoms is something that can be traded successfully if you know what to look for and how to trade them.

On the chart you can see the pullbacks in the SP500 which triggered a panic selling spike in my green indicator. What I look for is a pullback in the SP500 and for my panic selling indicator to spike over 20. When that happens I start watching the volatility index for a spike also. The good news is that the volatility index typically rises the following day making my panic indicator more of a leading one…

 

Market Sentiment Trading

Market Sentiment Trading

I could write a 20 page report going into depth this with topic, but that’s not the point of this report. Just realize that the stock market is likely going to put in a bottom very soon and likely end with a STRONG panic selling washout this week or next. If you want to learn more about how to trade market sentiment and panic selling you can read my strategy which was published in Futures Magazine.

Prepare for a sharp drop in the market which should kick start a holiday rally in the next few trading sessions.

Get these Free Weekly Reports EVERY WEEK

Over the recent couple months the precious metals charts have made some sizable moves. Most investors and traders were caught off guard by the sharp avalanche type selloff and lost a lot of hard earned capital in just a few trading sessions. Gold dropped over 20% and silver a whopping 40%.

The crazy thing about all this is that these types of moves in precious metals can be avoided and even taken advantage of in certain situations. There is no reason for anyone to continue holding on to those positions after they pullback 6% of more because of the type of price and volume action both gold and silver had been displaying in the past few sessions.

I warned investors on Aug 31st that precious metals were about to top any day and that protective stops should be tightened or taking profits was also a smart move. It was only 2 trading sessions later that precious metals topped and went into a free fall. You can get my detailed analysis if you read my report Dollar’s On the Verge of a Relief Rally Look Out!”.

A couple weeks later once precious metals has found support and the uneducated investor’s were licking their wounds wondering what the heck just happened to their trading accounts… I put out another report but this time with a bullish outlook. Silver was currently trading at $29.96 and I had a $35-$36 price target over the next two months. Gold was trading down at $1611 and I saw it heading back up to $1750-$1775 area before finding resistance and pulling back. Both these forecasts were reached over the next two months. You can quickly review the report called “Precious Metals Charts Point to higher Prices” for more info.

With all that said, what exactly are the charts saying right now?

Current Precious Metals Charts Summary:

The past 6 weeks we have been watching both gold and silver struggle to hold up but they have managed to grind their way to my price targets. After reaching those targets a couple weeks ago sellers have stepped back into the precious metals market and put pressure these metals.

Last week gold and silver started to pullback in a big way with rising volume. This could just be the start of something much larger which I will cover in just a moment.

The wild card for precious metals and for every stock and commodity for that matter is Europe. Every other day there seems to be headline news moving the market and most of takes place in overnight trading for those of us living in North America. It’s this wild card which is keeping me from getting aggressive in the market right now.

Let’s take a look at the charts…

Silver Precious Metals Chart:

Silver is currently in a down trend and may be starting another leg down this week. Long term I am bullish but for the next couple months I am remain neutral to bearish for silver until it forms a base to start a new uptrend from.

Precious Metals Charts

Precious Metals Charts

 

 

Gold Precious Metals Chart:

Currently I am neutral/bearish on gold. If it can trade sideways for a few weeks then I will become bullish.

Precious-Metals-Charts

Precious-Metals-Charts

 

 

Precious Metals Charts Conclusion:

In short, I feel there is a good chance the US dollar will continue higher and if that happens we should see strong selling in North American equities, commodities and likely on the precious metals charts.

Financial markets around the world are at a tipping point meaning something really big is about to take place. The question is which way will investment move. The only thing we can do is trade with the current trends, price patterns and volume.

At this time I still see a higher dollar and that means lower stocks and commodities. This could change at the drop of a hat depending on the news that comes out of Europe so the key to trading right now is to remain cash rich and taking only small positions in the market.

If you would like learn more about etf trading and receive my daily pre-market videos, intraday updates and detailed trade alerts which even the most novice trader can follow then join my FREE trading education newsletter and my premium trading alert service here: http://www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen