Chris Vermeulen – www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

A few weeks ago I wrote about how gold was starting to top and that everyone should expect a very sharp drop to the low $1600 area. How I came to this conclusion was though the use of inter-market analysis combining price patterns, gold futures volume, the dollar index and market sentiment. This allowed me to understand what the majority of other traders/investors were thinking and feeling. By knowing each of these market variables and crowd behavior I can accurately see into the future a few days with a high probability of success and most importantly with low downside risk.

You can view part-1 on how I properly forecasted that gold would fall sharply in August here: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/dollar%E2%80%99s-on-the-verge-of-a-relief-rally-look-out/

At the time when I forecasted gold to reach the low $1600 area gold was still building the top pattern so I could not say how long a recovering would likely take nor did I know exactly when to re-enter a long position. But now that we have seen how gold arrived at my target price I can form a new forecast.

Spot Gold Price Forecast – Daily Chart:

The gold chart below clearly shows rising volatility along with my topping pattern of three surges to new highs. It was August 31st when I warned subscribers and my followers that gold was about to top and that everyone should be taking profits or at least tightening their stops to lock in gains. Only three days later gold topped and it has not stopped falling since.

On August 8th gold had a large opening gap to the upside. This means the price opened the next day much higher from where it closed the previous session. It’s important to note that gaps especially for gold almost always get filled within a couple months. Seeing this gave me a solid reason to think that gold should pullback to this level during the next big correction in price.

Also during the month of August gold had to pullbacks only to continue to make the third and final high. This told me that when the top is put in place was a very high probability that we see the price of gold drop below both of Augusts’ lows and that would trigger stop orders sending the market sharply lower.

Now that we are seeing the stops being flushed out of the market it means the majority of speculative traders have exited their positions. So speculative traders who caused the large surge in gold to take place are now out. Once all the speculative traders have exited which should take place in the coming weeks or two we can expect some type of bounce or rally. I will keep a close eye on the intraday charts for subscribers as we near a potentially major trade setup.

Where are we in this gold bull market?

Well I feel gold is more fairly priced between $1632- $1660 area. Currently gold is trading at $1660 but if things play out like I have seen in the past we just may get one more dip this week to the $1600 area before gold truly puts in a bottom. Because gold went from a new high all the way down to Friday’s panic selling washout instead of a controlled ABC correction I feel a bottom will be more of a one day event. This type of bottom carries more risk and is more difficult to time and trade. So scaling in with a small position at this level and adding on a drop to $1630 then $1600 could prove to be the safest way into a gold position.

Forward looking I see gold bottoming over the next week or two then a nice relief rally to the $1775 area. Depending on how gold arrives there will alter my next gold forecast so let’s wait and see how things unfold.

Watch my pre-market video analysis to see how prices are unfolding today: http://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/ETF-trading-videos/index.html

Spot Silver Price Forecast – Weekly Chart:

Silver I call the Un-Safe haven because to me it’s not a safe haven in the way everyone’s believes it be. I hear and see everyone including friends and family selling all their stocks and putting their money into silver. To me buying large amounts of silver with your retirement money is just ridiculous. I m sure my statement here will trigger an inbox of silver-perma-bulls (silver bugs) to send me hate mail but that’s fine as my assistant filters my emails so I don’t have to keep being reminded how rude some humans can be over an simple opinion…

Investments that can lose 25% in value within 2 days or lose 40% of it’s value in 5 months should not be traded nor invested in with large portions of anyone’s life savings, especially if you are over the age of 50 and have not proven to be a constantly profitable trader. No one can stomach losing that much of their nest egg.

That being said I do feel silver is in a similar situation as gold. I do feel a bottom is near. Silver has formed an ABC correction and the price and volume patterns seem to be in line with a typical bottoming pattern. After Friday’s massive selloff I feel silver may slide a little lower yet before putting in a bottom.

One thing to keep in mind with silver is that it is very thinly traded; there are a lot of speculative traders involved which push and pull the price to extreme levels on a regular basis. So if the broad stock market continues to sell off sharply then I expect silver to follow suit.

Pre-Week Precious Metals Trend Analysis Trading Conclusion:

The price action we have seen this year for both gold and silver indicate were are just warming up for something really big to happen. It could be a massive parabolic rally to ridiculous new highs in 2012 or it could be a large unwinding of the safe havens as countries sort out their issues and the big money starts moving out of metals and into currencies and stocks.

Only time will tell and that is why I analyze the market multiple times per week to stay on top of both long term and short term trends. So if you want to keep up with current trends and trades for gold, silver, oil, bonds and the stocks market check out TGAOG at: www.thegoldandoilguy.com/trade-money-emotions.php

Chris Vermeulen

What a trading session Wednesday was with the FOMC meeting and the FED coming out leaving the Fed Funds Rate unchanged at 0.25% and saying the economy is looking weak and will not likely to get better any time soon. This wave of negative news triggered a selling spree across the board in stocks, metals, and oil. On the flip side all that money being pulled out of those investments was being dumped into bonds and the dollar currency.

So the question everyone is asking is why almost every asset class sold off after the Federal Reserve’s statement today? The next question is how do we position ourselves to profit?

Understanding how the market moves is not a simple task, if it was that easy everyone would be pulling money out of the market on a daily or monthly basis. With that being said, moves can be anticipated if enough indicators are pointing to the same outcome.

Gold, SP500 and Oil 10 Minute Charts Showing Todays 2:15 FED News
Over the past few weeks we have been seeing stocks, oil, and gold turn bearish with similar price and volume action. Having three major investment vehicles hinting towards a move in the same direction as each other increases the odds for that move to occur. With the Fed coming out with negative news and no quantitative easing on tap, a rally in the dollar was triggered because inflation (printing of money) is not in the picture for some time still.

Bonds and Dollar Index 10 Minute Charts Showing Today’s 2:15 FED News
Now if we look at the safe havens we can see the positive side to today’s news.
Bonds have been trading higher for some time and the key in trading is to trade with the trend. Though it’s easier said than done… In this morning’s pre-market analysis I talked about bond prices and how they are looking toppy but we need one more large surge higher before I will consider looking for a short trade setup. Today’s news sent bonds surging higher which I feel will happen for a few more days. Once the momentum stalls out of bonds, then I may be looking to short bonds using the TBT inverse bond fund.

The fact that there is no quantitative easing planned is bullish for the dollar. Stepping back a few weeks we have seen the dollar index rally very strongly. The move up was an impulse wave meaning a trend reversal from the multi-month down trend. Knowing that the dollar had shifted from a down trend to a strong uptrend prior to the Fed’s announcement today was our tip off to being long the dollar several days ago at a much lower price level.

Mid-Week Market Trend Conclusion:
In short, I feel the intermediate trend (5-20 days) remains firmly down for stocks and crude oil. Silver is more of a wild card because it is more of an industrial metal/speculative investment and it can move at times with gold or down with stocks…

Looking at gold. I am bullish on gold long term but at this time I remain neutral until I see how the next couple trading sessions play out.

Bonds I remain neutral because they have moved a long way without any substantial pause or pullback and I feel one really positive headline news item could send bonds sharply lower.

The dollar index shifted from a strong down trend to a very strong up trend last month and I feel we could see another substantial rally unfold. I have an 80.00 – 81.00 price target on the dollar index at this time.

Consider joining me at TheGoldAndOilGuy for ETF trade ideas on the SP500, Oil, Gold, and Silver with great accuracy. Check it out at http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/free-preview.php

Chris Vermeulen

I hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day weekend. I truly enjoyed myself and was able to have some creativity with my 18 month daughter. I got some new office chairs last week and I finally had time to assemble them during the rainy and windy black Monday here in Canada… Just like a child on their birthday, I tossed the chair parts aside and played with the large boxes with Mirabelle.

With the black clouds rolling overhead, waves pounding the shoreline, rain gushing off the roof, and a pirate book sitting on the coffee table. It was only an hour later which Mirabelle was riding a huge cardboard pirate ship across the room AArrrr’n everything… So I truly enjoyed my day off with the family to say the least ?

Ok back to the market…

So after I built the Brown Pearl I jumped on the computer so see what the futures market was up to. The good news was that our short trade on the equities market was up 10% from our entry point last week. The bad news was that the stock market overseas was selling off big and so were US stocks. It was a black Monday in both the sky and on the screen…

I’m not really sure how many people watch the futures market but I do know the majority of people do not. So Tuesday morning there will be a lot of people in a panic when they see stocks gap down sharply.

Taking a look at the 4 hour charts you can see the recent price action which unfolded today. We have been anticipating this from early last week. So none of this should be a surprise.

Dollar Index 4 Hour Chart:
The dollar index broke out of it falling pattern and has made a run up to the first resistance level of 75.40. I feel we could see it go a little higher on Tuesday but overall it looks ready for a pause or pullback here.


SP500 Futures 4 Hour Chart:

The equities market has fallen sharply in the past week and the green circle is where we shorted the market using the SDS etf. We did take partial profits last week to lock in 7.4% profit in a couple days, but we still hold the balance of the position which is currently up over 10% using today’s futures price.

The SP500 looks to be getting oversold here and is now entering the previous low set a few weeks back. I will be looking to tighten stops and or exit the position early this week before a sharp rebound takes place.

Bond Futures 4 Hour Chart:
Bonds are a safe haven for investors when fear is running high. The past couple trading session’s the price of bonds have shot up. This tells me panic selling in the stocks market has starting and that generally means we are nearing and tradable bottom for stocks…

Gold Futures 4 Hour Chart:
Gold is the other safe haven. Here again we see money flow into gold at a very quick pace… We will need to see some resolutions in Euro-land before gold will trade lower or sideways, but until then I think scared money is going to keep rolling into gold.

Crude Oil Futures 4 Hour Chart:
Oil has drifted its way up into a resistance level as of late last week only to find overhead supply. Once the selling started oil slid lower at a steady rate all the way back down to a short term support zone. Now we are waiting to see if it will make a double bottom at $79 or bounce here

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, Tuesday will be a volatile session judging from today’s sharp price action. Fear is driving prices at the moment and until everyone panics out of stock positions and dumps their money into the save havens we will not see a bottom form. Generally this takes 2-5 days to play out but time will tell.

I hope this quick Labor Day update helps get you back on track for trading this week.
Consider joining me at TheGoldAndOilGuy for ETF trade ideas on the SP500, Oil, Gold, and Silver with great accuracy. Check it out at http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/free-preview.php

Chris Vermeulen

Let’s talk about the dollar for a moment… The US Dollar has been stuck in a very large trading range during the past 4 months. But when the dollar actually breaks out of this pattern in either direction we should see some big price movements across the board in stocks and commodities.

From July through mid-August I was bearish on the dollar. But over the past 2 weeks the price action has become more neutral/bullish in my opinion. Its clear there is still indecision with the dollar value because every surge in price either up or down is quickly followed by a surge in the opposite direction. The key here is that the support level down at the 73.50 area has held more than three times and now I think the downward momentum is about to shift. The UUP bullish dollar etf is a good option.

Dollar Index Chart

Gold Chart:
Looking at the gold chart I see potential for another sharp drop to the low $1600’s. While I like the look of this chart for lower prices there is still a wild card which is the Euro-Land issues… I’m not willing to bet on lower prices because we could wake up any day to some poor news which instantly sends gold higher. Rather I am waiting for things to unfold then look to buy again for another 10-20% gain on the next rally.

Crude Oil Chart:
This chart is straight forward… The trend is down and at this time all bounces are to be looked at as shorting opportunities.


SP500 Index:

The equities market has broken down sharply over the past couple months and now we are seeing a rebound and small cap stocks are making big gains. With the dollar looking bullish and stocks trading up at resistance I have a feeling we may see another downward move within the next week or so to test the lows or make a new low before putting in a real bottom.

Mid-Week Trend Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the market overall is leaning towards lower prices in the coming week or two. After that we will have to re-analyze because it may be a fantastic buying opportunity for stocks and commodities.

Consider joining me at TheGoldAndOilGuy for ETF trade ideas on the SP500, Oil, Gold, and Silver with great accuracy. Check it out at http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/free-preview.php

Chris Vermeulen

JW Jones & Chris Vermeulen – http://www.optionstradingsignals.com/specials/index.php

Now that Mr. Bernanke’s speech is old news, what was the financial media thinking exactly? A significant number of financial writers have been anticipating discussion of QE III or QE III Lite which clearly were never even on the Fed Chief’s radar this week. The focus of the Jackson Hole Summit was how to achieve long-run growth, not conduct discussion of monetary policy.

QE III will not be discussed openly until the next FOMC meeting in September, which noticeably was extended to two days. Besides the extension and the Fed Chairman’s prediction of growth in the back half of the year, the remainder of Mr. Bernanke’s speech was nothing more than a brief synopsis of what he has already said in the recent past.

While Chairman Bernanke focuses on the U.S. economy, I have been more inclined to monitor the action across the pond. Price action in Europe is having a major impact on financial markets here in the United States. Traders are monitoring credit default swap (CDS) spreads on European sovereign debt as well as on domestic and European banks.

Recently U.S. banks have seen the CDS swaps on their debt rising indicating that the marketplace believes their debt is a greater risk to investors. While the price action is nowhere near the 2008 & 2009 levels, current prices are relatively consistent with what was seen during the correction in the late spring of 2010. While there is no reason to panic at this point, this is a trend that I will be monitoring closely going forward.

For now, I continue to believe that equity markets will rally in coming weeks as conditions are extremely oversold. The price action so far today makes sense as the wild price swings helped flush out weak hands that were long. Consequently, the snap back rally pushed shorts into stop levels as well.

A significant move lower does not seem likely at this point, but a retest of the recent lows is possible, if not probable. I would remind readers that stock market crashes generally happen within the context of an oversold market. While the likelihood of a crash is remote, it is still possible and tight risk definition in this environment is warranted regardless of which side of the tape a trader is playing.

One price chart that I have been watching closely is the German DAX. The German DAX is presently a thermometer for traders to monitor the situation in Europe. The reason the German stock market index is so important is due to the financial strength of Germany within the Eurozone. Without Germany, the Eurozone would crumble in on itself and the Euro currency would be in trouble. Recently Germany’s equity markets have been crushed and the daily chart below illustrates the recent carnage:

Another metric I monitor regularly is market momentum. The chart below illustrates the number of domestic stocks trading above their 200 period moving averages. As can be seen below, the U.S. equity market has not been this “oversold” since back in 2009. Chart courtesy of Barchart.com.

In my previous article posted back on August 18th, I discussed the likelihood for stocks to pullback and put in some form of a basing pattern. I wrote the following statement in that article:

“It is entirely plausible that Mr. Market thrusts lower from here to shake out longs. If that scenario plays out it could potentially carve out a double bottom or another basing pattern which would give active traders another entry point to get long.”

Since August 18th, we have seen the S&P 500 push lower and there is a double bottom on the daily chart which is capturing quite a bit of attention in the trading community. I would also draw your attention to the wedge pattern that is also present. A breakout higher or lower out of this wedge pattern will be the clue that will indicate Mr. Market’s short term price direction. I continue to believe we will see a breakout higher, but a retest of the lows is always a possibility. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below:

In the short to intermediate term, I believe we will see higher prices and a test of the key S&P 1,220 area or possibly a re-test of the key S&P 1,250 price level which corresponds with the March 2011 pivot lows. Additional resistance would come in around the 1,260 – 1.270 area which marks the neckline of the recent head and shoulders pattern which triggered the selloff in the S&P 500. The daily chart of the SPX below illustrates the key resistance areas:

Gold Analysis
My most recent article argued that gold prices were going parabolic and that a pullback was likely. We have seen a major pullback in gold prices. Admittedly, I was about $200 an ounce early on my call, but members of my service were able to capitalize on an option trade that captured 32% based on maximum risk through the use of a double calendar spread. While my timing was not precise, the juiced volatility in the GLD options allowed me to roll contracts forward and make additional adjustments to produce a strong gain for the service.

Some traders argue that gold prices are going to rally back sharply in short order, which I find hard to believe. Instead, I am of the opinion that we could see additional downside in the weeks/months ahead in gold prices. There is an ominous pattern starting to form on the gold daily chart which if it is carved out and triggered, it could produce the next leg of this selloff. The daily chart of gold is shown below:

While it is far too early to determine if a head and shoulders pattern will be carved out or if lower prices take place, I am of the opinion that this selloff will offer an attractive entry point for longer term investors. At this point it is a bit too early to get involved, but if my analysis is accurate the next leg of the gold bull market will be potentially extreme.

While I believe stocks will rally in the short to intermediate term, I am of the opinion that we have officially entered the next phase of the bear market. The next wave lower in stocks is going to be just as severe as the likely rally in gold.

The reason I believe gold will rally is primarily due to future weakness in Europe. If European banks have a credit crisis, a sovereign nation unexpectedly defaults, Germany leaves the Eurozone, or a currency crisis transpires gold prices should soar while U.S. equity prices tank.

While it is far too early to make that determination, if the S&P 500 puts in a lower high on this next advance higher and consequently takes out the recent lows on a selloff, the bear will be in full swing and gold prices should take off. The chart below illustrates my expectations for the S&P 500 in the future:

The next few weeks are going to be very telling about the future in domestic markets. Is this just a correction that pushes stocks higher by the end of the year, or is this the beginning of something far worse?

For now I am going with the latter, but price action in coming weeks will offer clues about what lies ahead for U.S. equity markets. Right now this is nothing more than speculation, but the next few months should be very interesting. Risk remains exceedingly high.

Join Now at http://www.optionstradingsignals.com/specials/index.php for a 24 hour 66% off coupon.
JW Jones & Chris Vermeulen

This material should not be considered investment advice. J.W. Jones is not a registered investment advisor. Under no circumstances should any content from this article or the OptionsTradingSignals.com website be used or interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any type of security or commodity contract. This material is not a solicitation for a trading approach to financial markets. Any investment decisions must in all cases be made by the reader or by his or her registered investment advisor. This information is for educational purposes only.

The past month investors have been hit hard from the falling stock market. Those who owned gold and bonds have been rewarded. During times of economic fear which leads to selling of stock shares investors and traders find safety in gold and bonds. It was this surge of money coming out of stocks that propelled the price of gold and bonds sharply higher through-out this selloff.

On Sunday I warned subscribers that any day now gold should start to correct and there is potential for it to drop all the way back down to the $1640 – $1670 area depending how much of the recent buying volume was investment versus speculative money which will quickly sell out if prices began to fall.

Take a look at the intraday charts below to get a visual of how money is moving around the market and how economic fear plays a roll on investment decisions:

Seven Day 10 Minute Chart Pre-Market Selloff This Past July
Here you can see investors became fearful of the stock market/economic environment. Money started to get pulled out of the high risk (Risk On Trade) equities market and put to work in the Low risk (Risk Off Trade) to earn small but steady income and to help fight inflation (Gold & Bonds).

After this shift the stock market sold off very strong for a couple weeks before finding a bottom.

Three Day 10 Minute Chart Post-Market Selloff – Todays Prices
If you compare these two charts you will notice they are both opposites to each other…

Meaning money is now getting pulled out of the risk off (gold & bonds) and put to work in the potentially high yielding stocks (risk on).This could be the start of a big upside move starting to unfold and I will be keeping my eye on some charts for possible entry points like SPY and TBT.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, the overall market seems to be entering another pivot point. It is likely that another big move is brewing… After this type of technical damage on the charts and heightened fear/emotions out there, it may cause prices to trade sideways in a large trading rage for a few weeks still so I’m not getting overly excited just yet.

Consider joining us at TheGoldAndOilGuy for ETF trade ideas on the SP500, Oil, Gold, and Silver with great accuracy. Check us out at www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

The past few weeks have been fast moving with fearful investors clearly in control. As we all know fear is the most powerful force in the financial market and when the hedge funds and the masses get spooked they all dart in one direction like a school of fish. Watching the charts and volume levels it’s clear that money was/is flowing out of stocks and into precious metals as the risk off safe play. This was explained in last week’s report on how the GLD etf can be used as a fear/sentiment indicator (read here).

To make a long story short, I feel as though Euro-Land is going through something similar to what we (the USA) went through in late 2008 and first quarter of 2009. Keeping my analysis simple and to the point it’s very likely that Euro-Land will resolve their financial issues and their stock markets will bottom in the next month or so… If their market bottoms, so will the US market, which will be perfect timing as the market is currently oversold, sentiment is now turning bearish and we have had a sizable pullback in line with normal bull market corrections.

My thinking looking forward 2-6 weeks is that stocks rally, financials rocket higher, bond prices fall, gold falls and oil rises as it will be a risk off trading environment again. Of course all this would happen after Euro-Land resolves some of their key financial issues. I’m being very optimistic here but we could be nearing a major low that could kick start another massive 1 year rally.

Stepping away from that longer term outlook let’s take a peek at the shorter term trends for oil, gold and stocks.

Crude Oil 60 Minute Chart (1 month view)
The recent price action for crude oil remains bearish/neutral in my opinion. We saw a drift higher into resistance with declining volume then a sharp pullback on heavy volume. This tells me oil remains in a down trend. It may be forming a base which would act as a launch pad in the coming weeks for higher prices but only time will tell and I will update as price unfolds.

 

Gold 4 Hour Chart (One Month View)
Gold has been performing very well for our entry point but the recent price action is starting to look toppy. Gold and many commodities regularly form this pattern of three wave pushes to new highs just before a sizable correction takes place. I am bullish on gold long term and for a few more weeks, but I do feel as though there will be a multi month correction in the price of gold (Read More) soon so be sure to tighten your protective stops as price moves higher.

 

SPY ETF Weekly Chart (Two Year View)
The stock market has been hit hard and a lot of damage has also been done to the charts on a technical stand point. The amount of damage and fear that has happening generally takes some time to stabilize and heal before another move takes place. Until Euro-Land resolves some of their major issues the US market will be held hostage and under pressure. So I anticipate several weeks of volatility and wild daily price swings similar to what we saw in July of 2010. This type of trading environment can work very well for options traders (Read More).

 

Weekly Trading Conclusion:
In short, the market price action is favoring very short term traders (day traders). We are seeing complete price swings which can normally be swing traded happen in just hours… Until we get another extreme setup or stabilization (less big headline news) in the market we will be more of a spectator than a trader to preserve capital.

Consider subscribing so that you will be consistently informed, have 24/7 Email access to me with questions, and also get Gold, Silver, SP500 and Oil Trend Analysis on a regular basis. Subscribe now http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/trade-money-emotions.php

Chris Vermeulen

The past few weeks traders and investors have been completely spooked from the surge of negative news and collapsing stock prices. This fear can be seen by looking at the volume on the GLD gold ETF fund. With gold being in the spot light for several years now and the fact that anyone can own gold simply through buying some GLD shares. It only makes sense that reading the volume on this chart gives us a good feel for what the masses are feeling emotionally.

If we step back to trading basics we know that fear is the strongest force in the financial market for moving prices. And that there are a few ways to read fear in the market and the more which line up at the same time means there is a higher probability of trend reversal in the near future.

The first thing I look for is a rising volatility index (VIX). This index rises when investors become fearful of stock prices falling be hedging positions or flat out buying put options to profit from a falling market.

Second, I look for a high selling volume ratio meaning at least 3:1 shares traded are from individuals hitting the sell button in a panic thinking that the market is about to collapse.

And last but not least… I look at the GLD gold etf volume and price action. A surge in GLD volume after a strong move up means everyone is scared and dumping their money into a safe haven.

Let’s take a look at some charts to get a better feel.

GLD Weekly Gold Chart:
As you can see there are sizable price movements which ended with strong volume surges. Those volume surges mean that the majority of investors have reached the same emotional level and bought gold for safety (GLD ETF). Keep in mind that the big money players and market makers can see this taking place and that is when they start selling into that surge of buying volume locking in maximum gains before there are no more buyers left to hold the price up. Tops generally take a few weeks to form so don’t expect a one day collapse.

The recent rally in gold has taken place when stocks have fallen sharply. Money has been pulled out of stocks and pushing into gold but I think that is about to change…

SPY Weekly SPX Chart:
The past month has been a blood bath for stocks. But from looking at the charts, volume and the fear in the market I can’t help but think we are going to see higher stock prices as investors see stocks moving higher, they will pull money out of gold and dump it back into stocks and likely high dividend paying stocks…

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, everyone piled into gold sending it rocketing higher and I feel it has moved to far – to fast and is ready for a pullback (pause lasting 2-12 weeks). In association with gold’s pullback I feel investors are now realizing they sold their stocks at the bottom of this correction because fear took hold of their investing decisions. Now they are starting to think about getting long stocks but it still may be a bumpy ride for a few weeks yet…

Consider subscribing so that you will be consistently informed, have 24/7 Email access to me with questions, and also get Gold, Silver, SP500 and Oil Trend Analysis on a regular basis. Subscribe now http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/trade-money-emotions.php

Chris Vermeulen

Over the past seven trading sessions we have seen stocks plummet in price because of the debt issues in the United States. I think a lot of individuals including myself thought that a bill would have been passed last week and with a plan underway money would flow back into stocks for a relief bounce at minimum. Instead, nothing was passed and that lead to strong selling into Friday’s close.

The next couple weeks are going to be very interesting for stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities as traders and investors process this event as it unfolds.

Let’s step back and take a quick technical look at the chart…

SPY – SP500 Index ETF – 10 Minute Chart
I call this chart my sentiment chart because I use three indicators to get a feel for what the masses are doing. The first indicator which is the green spikes on the price chart is my own custom indicator to measure panic selling in the stock market. Usually I look for strong selling days followed by an exhaustion gap lower within 1-3 days.

As you can see below, the last panic selling spike took place on a large gap down only 2 days after we saw extreme panic selling which actually got stronger as the session grew older. This is a bullish sign in my opinion.

Also if you look at the two other indicators at the bottom we can see the NYSE advance decline line trading down in an oversold zone. And the very bottom indicator is the put/call ratio showing everyone is trading puts and that means they are betting on lower prices.

To sum this chart up quickly I can tell that traders are selling everything they own because they are scared, stocks have moved down to quickly and likely ready for a bounce and also that options traders are expecting lower prices. So if everyone is bearish and has already sold their positions it only makes sense that a bounce or rally should take place in the next few sessions.

Percentage of Stocks Trading Above the 20 Moving Average
This chart helps me get more of an intermediate trend analysis for if stocks are oversold or over bought. This chart tells us the percentage of stocks that are trading above their 20 day moving average.

This is how I use the info:
Example: If we are in a long term bull market which we currently are… then I look at buy during these oversold conditions. Once this chart reaches the 75%+ level I become more aggressive with my positions and actively manage them (Take partial profits, tighten stops).

Example 2: During a major bear market you to the opposite (build short positions on the bounces to 75%+ level and then cover partial positions and tighten stops once stocks are oversold and ready for a dead cat bounce once below the 25% level.

SPY Daily Chart
This chart below allows us to get a longer term view of my panic selling indicator. As we all know the market moves in waves (fear and greed). So with the SP500 traded by individual’s from all around the world it generally takes 5-15 days for everyone to become fearful and or greedy and to take action with their investments. This can be seen from looking at how long it takes for the sellers unload their positions.
If things play out in favor of what the charts are telling me we should have a nice bounce or rally just around the corner. Again this analysis is based strictly on technical analysis and not on economic data. Adding the economic/political data makes things very confusing and interesting to say the least and they do not always to hand-in-hand.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, this coming week the market has a big wild card on the table. Until we know what that is be very cautious with trading positions. Just now/tonight Obama said a deal was reached to end debt issue and urges both parties to do the right thing and support this deal over the next 2 days. This deal will raise the debt limit and will cut $2.5 trillion from the deficit over the next 10 years.

We are seeing a 20 point jump in the SP500 futures from this news just moments ago so this just may be the bounce/rally I am looking for.

Technically I feel higher prices should take place in stocks but we may have a couple volatile sessions with lower prices before a strong jump in price as this news is not set in stone just yet and we have a couple days before we know what the final decision is…

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Chris Vermeulen

It was an exciting trading session Wednesday to say the least… With all the uncertainty floating around it is causing the stock market to be more volatile than normal. It seems like every other day there is some big headline news causing either strong buying of stocks or strong selling to take place. It’s this type of price action which spooks the average investor causing them to panic out of positions at key support areas just before a continued move higher.

I like to focus on the market when I see extreme buying or selling taking place. During times of extreme buying or selling in equities, investors are reacting on emotions rather than logic and that’s when I benefit from everyone rushing to the door trying to get rid of their positions at any price they can get.

Let’s take a look at what the market is telling us right now…

SPY – SP500 Index Exchange Traded Fund – Daily Chart
In this chart you can see my custom green indicator at the bottom. I use this to measure fear in the market. When this indicator is trading above 5 I know the masses are unloading stocks as quick as they can in pure fear that a market collapse is about to take place. But the biggest thing I learned trading over the past 12 years is that when everyone is doing something its best to skip the trade or start looking for technical setups which will get you in against the masses because the move is generally almost over.

What I get from this chart below is:
1. The trend is still up
2. We have not broken the previous pivot low from last week
3. The market is showing extreme panic selling and I anticipate some type of bounce or bottom shortly.

VIX – Volatility Index – Daily Chart
The volatility index measures fear in the market. So with the vix spiking up into a key resistance level, I would not be surprised to see it go a little higher then sharply reverse back down.

Trading off fear and greed can be very profitable but you must understand the two. Greed is a slow driving force in the financial market. As prices rise day after day the greedy continue to buy more and if they see any sharp dip they just look at it as an opportunity to buy even more (even though its a sign of smart money distribution selling) until eventually there is a huge collapse from the big money players unloading their positions and the greedy are left holding the back with a higher cost average price. This is the reason market tops tend to take 3-7 times longer to form than market bottoms.

Fear on the other hand is very quick. Think of it as if you were walking through your house at night down a dark hallway. When all of a sudden your friend jumps out and screams catching you completely off guard. What do you do? You jump, most likely yell and drop everything you were doing, then 30 seconds later you are back to normal. Well this is what happens in the stocks market also…

Traders hold their positions until a piece of news hits the wires or there is a strong selling day and their investments start falling quickly. This sudden news or price movement which they were not anticipating causes traders to panic and sell everything before the investment collapses. Typically a couple days later the price rebounds and after a strong bounce these traders decide to buy back their position and ride the price to new highs. So what if you were to get in near the bottom then let all the traders bought back after you? It generally means big money for you. This is what I look for and what I consider panic selling to be.

Stocks Showing Signs of Being Oversold
This chart below shows the percentage of stocks trading above the 20 day moving average. Over time I have found that when 75% or more of stocks are trading above their 20MA then the market is getting overbought and one should be looking to tighten stops, take partial profits and or look for short setups.

On the flip side when only 25% stocks are trading above the 20 day moving average I find the market usually puts in a bounce or rally which lasts several weeks.

As you can see in this chart after Wednesday’s sharp move lower we are now entering into an oversold market condition. I expect volatile prices for a few days as the market stabilizes then a move to the upside.

Mid-Week Trend Conclusion:
In short, I feel we are in for some choppy price action over the next 2-10 sessions. With the current market trends I do feel that the odds are pointing to higher prices for both stocks and commodities.

If you would like to receive these free weekly updated in your inbox please opt-in to my newsletter here: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/trade-money-emotions.php

Chris Vermeulen