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Is The Technology Sector Setting Up For A Crash? Part IV

As we continue to get more and more information related to the Coronavirus spreading across Asia and Europe, the one thing we really must consider is the longer-term possibility that major global economies may contract in some manner as the Chinese economy is currently doing.  The news suggests over 700+ million people in China are quarantined.  This is a staggering number of people – nearly double the total population of the entire United States.

If the numbers presented by the Chinese are accurate, the Coronavirus has a very high infection rate, yet a moderately small mortality rate (2~3%).  Still, if this virus continues to spread throughout the world and infects more and more people, there is a very real potential that 20 to 50 million people may be killed because of this event.  It may become one of the biggest Black Swan events in recent history.

We really won’t know the total scope of the damage to the Chinese and Asian economies for another 35+ days – possibly longer.  The information we have been able to pull from available news sources and from the Chinese press is that hundreds of millions are quarantined, the Chinese Central Bank is pouring capital into their markets in order to support their frail economy and, just recently, President Xi suggested stimulus will not be enough – austerity measure will have to be put into place to protect China from creating a massive debt-trap because of this virus.

Austerity is a process of central bank planners cutting expenses, cutting expansion plans, cutting everything that is not necessary and planning for longer-term economic contraction.  It means the Chinese are preparing for a long battle and are attempting to protect their wealth and future from an extreme collapse event.

From an investor standpoint, FANG stocks have outperformed the S&P, NASDAQ and DOW JONES indexes by many multiples over the past 5~6 years.  The chart below highlights the rally in the markets that originated in late 2016 (think 2016 US Presidential Election) and the fact that foreign capital poured into the US stock market chasing expected returns promised by future President Trump.

It becomes very clear that the FANG stocks rallied very quickly after the elections were completed and continued to pull away from valuation levels of the S&P, NASDAQ and DOW JONES US indexes.  How far has the FANG index rallied above the other US major indexes? At some points, the FANG index was 30~40% higher than the biggest, most mature industries within the US.  In late 2018, everything contracted a bit – including the FANG index.

As or right now, the FANG index has risen nearly 274% from October 2014.  The S&P has risen nearly 60% over that same time.  The NASDAQ has risen 140% and the S&P 500 Info Tech Index rose 180%.  The reality is that capital has poured into the technology sector, FANG stocks and various other US stock market indexes chasing this incredible rally event.

(source: https://www.theice.com/fangplus)

This Netflix Weekly chart highlights what we believe are some of the early signs of weakness in the FANG sector.  The sideways FLAG formation suggests NFLX has reached a peak in early 2018 and investors have shied away from pouring more capital into this symbol while the Technology index and FANG index have continued to rally over the past 8+ months.

This Weekly Custom FANG Index chart highlights the rally that took place after October 2018 and continues to drive new highs today.  This move on our Custom FANG index shows a very clear breakout rally taking place which is why we believe more foreign capital poured into the US markets as the US/China trade deal continued to plague the global markets and as BREXIT and other economic issues started to weigh on economic outputs.  What did investors do to avoid these risks?  Pour their capital into the hot US technology sector.

Another chart we like to review is our Custom Technology Index Weekly chart.  This chart shows a similar pattern to the FANG chart above, yet it presents a very clear picture of the excessive price rally and rotation that has taken place over the past 5+ months.  The real risk with this trend is that investors may start to believe “it will go on forever” and “there is no risk in these trades”.  There is a very high degree of risk in these trades.  Once the bubble bursts, the downside move may become very violent and shocking.

A reversion event, bubble burst event, in the technology sector as a result of the economic collapse in China and throughout other areas of the world may break this rally in the technology sector at some point and may push investors to re-evaluate their trading plans.  Until investors understand the risks setting up because of the Coronavirus and the potential for a 20%, 30%, even 40% decrease in economic activity and consumer spending may finally push global investors to really think about the true valuations within the FANG/Technology sector.

We writing this article to alert you to the very real fact that “what goes up – must come down” at some point.  Pay attention to how this plays out and what may cause global investors to suddenly change their opinion of the Technology sector.   A pullback in this sector may result in a -40% to -50% price reversion.

We believe the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in China may be enough to put a massive dent in future expectations for 2020 and 2021.  You simply can’t have a major global economic collapse in this manner without having some type of cross-over event.  As we learned in 2008-09 with the US credit crisis – when a major economy collapses its assets and financial markets, the ripples spread across the globe.  China may become the next financial crisis event for the new decade.

Join my Swing Trading ETF Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Is The Technology Sector Setting Up For A Crash? Part III

FANG stocks seem uniquely positioned for some extreme rotation over the next 6+ months.  The continued capital shift that has taken place over the past 5+ years has driven investment and capital into the Technology sector – much like the DOT COM rally.  The euphoric rally in the late 1990s seems quite similar to today.

The biggest difference this time is that global central banks have pushed an easy-money monetary policy since just after 2000.  The policies and rallies that took place after 9/11 were a result of policies put in place by George W. Bush and Alan Greenspan.  Our research team believes these policies set up a  process where foreign markets gorged on cheap US Dollars to expand industry and manufacturing throughout the late 1990s and most of the early 2000s.  This process sets up a scenario where the US pumped US Dollars into the global markets after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and foreign markets gobbled this capital up knowing they could expand infrastructure, industry, and manufacturing, then sell these products back to the US and other markets for profits.  Multiple QE attempts by the US Fed continued to fuel this capital shift.

It wasn’t until after 2008-09 when the US Fed entered a period of extreme easy money policy.  This easy money policy populated an extensive borrow-spend process throughout most of the foreign world.  Remember, as much as the US was attempting to support the US markets, the foreign markets were actively gorging even more on this easy money from the US and didn’t believe anything would change in the near future.  China/Asia and most of the rest of the world continued to suck up US Dollars while pouring more and more capital into industry, manufacturing and finance/banking.

This process of borrowing from the US while tapping into the expanding US markets created a wealth creation process throughout much of Asia/China that, in turn, poured newly created wealth back into the US stock and real estate markets over the past 7+ years.  It is easy to understand how the trillions pushed into the markets by the US Fed created opportunity and wealth throughout the globe, then turned into investments into US assets and the US stock market.  Foreign investors wanted a piece of the biggest and most diverse economy on the planet.

This foreign investment propelled a new rally in the Technology sector, which aligned with a massive build-out of technology throughout the world and within China.  Remember, in the late 1990s, China was just starting to develop large manufacturing and industry.  By the mid-2000s, China had already started building huge city-wide industry and manufacturing.  But in the late-2000s, China went all-in on the industry and manufacturing build-out.  This created a massive “beast” in China that depends on this industry to support finance and capital markets.  This lead to the recent rise in the global and US markets as all of this capital rushed around the globe looking for the best returns and safest locations for investment.

FANG stocks have taken center stage and the recent rally reminds of us the DOT COM rally from the 1990s.  Could the Coronavirus break this trend and collapse future expectations within the global markets?  Is it possible that we are setting up another DOT COM-like bubble that is about to break?

THE WEEKLY CHART OF APPLE (AAPL)

This first Weekly chart of Apple (AAPL) shows just how inflated price has rallied since August 2019.  The share price of AAPL has risen from $220 to almost $320 in the last 6 months – an incredible +49%.  We attribute almost all of this incredible rise to the Capital Shift that took place in the midst of the US/China trade war.  Foreign capital needed to find a place to protect itself from currency devaluation and to generate ROI.  What better place than the US Technology Sector.

THE WEEKLY CHART OF FACEBOOK (FB)

Facebook has also seen a nice appreciation in value from the lows in late 2018.  From the August 2019 date, though, Facebook has seen share prices rise about +25% – from the $180 level to the $225 level.  Although many traders may not recognize the Double Top pattern set up near the $220 level, we believe this setup may be an early warning that Technology may be starting to “rollover” as capital may begin searching for a safer environment and begin exiting the Technology sector.

THE WEEKLY CHART OF GOOGLE (GOOG)

Google (Alphabet), GOOG, is another high-flier with share prices rising from $1200 to $1500 from August 2019 till now – a +28% price increase.  We can clearly see that GOOG is well above the historic price channel set up by the rotation in late 2018.  We believe resistance near $1525 will act as a price boundary and may prompt a downside price rotation associated with the rotation away from risk within the Technology sector.  Any downside move, if it happens, could prompt a price decline targeting $1350 or lower.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

Remember, we are warning of a change in how capital operates within the markets.  The Capital Shift that has continued to drive advancing share prices in Technology may be nearing an end.  It does not mean the capital shift will end, it just means this capital may rotate into other sectors in an attempt to avoid risks and seek out returns.  We believe this is a real possibility because we believe the Coronavirus in China is disrupting the markets (supply/manufacturing and consumer spending) by such a large factor that we believe capital will be forced to identify new targets for returns.  In other words, we believe the Technology Sector may be at very high risk for a price reversion event if this “black swan” event continues to disrupt the global markets.

Let’s face it, a very large portion of our technology originates and is manufactured in China.  In fact, a very large portion of almost everything we consume is manufactured in China.  Heck, the cat food I buy every week is made in China.  If this Coronavirus continues to force China to shut down large sections of their nation and manufacturing while it continues to spread, then the only real outcome for the rest of the world is that “China manufacturing capabilities will be only 10~20% of previous levels” (if that).

Once supply runs out for most items originating from China, then we are going to have to deal with a new reality of “what are the real future expectations going to really look like” and that is why we are preparing our followers and friends the Technology sector may be one of the biggest rotating sectors in the near future.

Join my Swing Trading ETF Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

NOTICE: Our free research does not constitute a trade recommendation or solicitation for our readers to take any action regarding this research.  It is provided for educational purposes only.  Our research team produces these research articles to share information with our followers/readers in an effort to try to keep you well informed.  Visit our web site (www.thetechnicaltraders.com) to learn how to take advantage of our members-only research and trading signals.

Technology Sector Setting Up For A Crash? Part II

In the first section of this article, we highlighted three key components/charts illustrating why the “rally to the peak” is very likely a result of a continued Capital Shift away from risk and into the US stock market as an attempt to avoid foreign market growth concerns.  This method of pouring capital into the US stock market is a process that is driving incredible asset rallies in the US technology sector.  Already the US technology sector (FANG and our Custom Technology Index charts) are up almost 15% in 2020.  How long will it last and when will it end?

Recently, China has revised the Coronavirus data with a sharp increase in infection cases – now over 40,000.  We believe the true number of infections in China are currently well above 250,000 from video content and other data we’ve researched.  We believe economic data originating from China for January and February 2020 will show a dramatic 60% to 80%+ decrease in activity for many of the major cities.  Satellite technology suggests manufacturing and consumer activity in most major Chinese cities is only a fraction of what would be considered normal – 10% to 20% or normal levels.

This means the manufacturing capacities in China have collapsed and that supply to the rest of the world will collapse as well.  This means major electronics manufacturers and suppliers will suddenly quickly experience shortages and outages very shortly.  This is why we believe the technology sector may come under severe pressure over the next 6+ months and why we believe the “high-flying” technology sector may be one of the biggest sector rotations of 2020.

Just how much of a “collapse” are we talking about?  How can anyone attempt to quantify the true scope of this potential “black swan” event and how it may result in sector rotation?

Let’s start with some of the basics.  First, the global economy has been focused on Chinese manufacturing and production of goods for more than the past 20+ years.  Over the past 10 to 15+ years, the Chinese economy has become the central hub of manufacturing and supply for some of the largest economies on the planet.  At this point in time, nearly every nation on the planet relies on China in some form for some essential goods that support their local economies.

This image showing the size and scope of global economies may highlight just how interconnected we really are.  The Chinese economy is 15.4% of the total global economy when taken as a whole compared to other global economies.  Yet, China supplies a very large number of these other nations with cheap goods, essential components for industry and manufacturing as well as a very large number of everyday essential items for consumers.  So, when we attempt to consider a “shut-down” of the Chinese economy as they attempt to deal with this virus, try to think about how long it would take for the supply chain to dry up and then what?

Source: visualcapitalist.com

Try to take a moment and think about the total scope of what we’re dealing with in regards to this Corona Virus outbreak.  Take a minute to review this graphic from InvestmentWatchBlog.com showing some of the “Best” US firms and how many rely on China for manufacturing/supply of critical components or generate a large portion of their revenues from China.

Source: investmentwatchblog.com

It has been over 45 days since the end of 2019.  China knew about this virus fairly early in December 2019.  So, in reality, it has been over 75 days since this outbreak first started. The data accumulated by Johns Hopkins CSSE started on January 20, 2020.  Since that time, China has experienced a more than 4000% increase in new Corona Virus cases – that is only about 21 days.  The number of infected has risen to well over 64,000 and we believe that number (reported by the Chinese government) may be only a fraction (1/8th to 1/6th) of the real infected rate.

Source: gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com

Not all technology companies rely on China to supply products and software.  Many technology companies have strong core business enterprises that are independent of Chinese manufacturing.  Yet we continue to believe the disruption in manufacturing and supply from China will disrupt forward earnings data enough to potentially send the technology sector much lower than current levels.  Additionally, if capital rushes out of technology in search of a more suitable opportunity – where will that capital find a new home?

What happens if this “shut down” of the Chinese economy lasts for more than 6+ months and what happens to the world economy as a result of this virus outbreak?  In Part III of this research article, we’ll try to share our insight a bit further and attempt to show you where real opportunity exists as this rotation plays out.

Join my Swing Trading ETF Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

NOTICE: Our free research does not constitute a trade recommendation or solicitation for our readers to take any action regarding this research.  It is provided for educational purposes only.  Our research team produces these research articles to share information with our followers/readers in an effort to try to keep you well informed.  Visit our web site (www.thetechnicaltraders.com) to learn how to take advantage of our members-only research and trading signals.

Is The Technology Sector Setting Up For A Crash? Part I

One thing that continues to amaze our research team is the total scale and scope of the Capital Shift which is taking place across the globe.  For almost 5+ years, foreign investors have been piling into the US stock market chasing the stronger US dollar and continued advancement of US share prices.  It is almost like there is no other place on the planet that will allow investors to pool capital into such a variety of strong assets while protecting against foreign capital risks.  Yet the one big question remains – when will a price reversion event hit the US stock market?

So many researchers, even our team of researchers, believe we have found the keys to unlocking when the price reversion event will take place.  Time-honored technical analysis techniques have set up very clear triggers that were negated by higher prices and continued upside trending.  What is certain at this point is that the Capital Shift is going to continue until it stops – at some point in the future.

Our research team decided to take a look at the FANG index and the individual symbols that make up that sector to see where the real strength and weakness exist.  Our goal was to attempt to understand how and when a potential price reversion event may take place and how this event may be correlated to the global contraction event related to the Coronavirus spreading across the planed while paralyzing certain economies.  Could the Coronavirus event be the catalyst that sets off a breakdown in the technology sector?

There are three components we want to start our focus on in this, Part I, of this research article.  First, the very real possibility that we are “rallying to a peak” at some point in the near future.  Second, the Custom Volatility Index highlighting continued overbought price action and the very real potential for a breakdown in price from these inflated levels.  Lastly, the FANG index itself suggesting we are very near to upper price boundaries after capital has poured back into the US markets in early 2020.

These three components suggest a market that is full of over-enthusiastic optimism and capital that has poured into the US stock market chasing gains that were clearly expected as 2019 came to a close.  Yet, in early 2020, a new risk suddenly became known, the Coronavirus, and this risk has already begun to devastate China’s economy and economic activity.  What happens if this sudden collapse in economic activity spreads over the next 30+ days and how will it change future expectations in the US stock markets?

CUSTOM TECHNOLOGY INDEX WEEKLY CHART

This Custom Technology Index Weekly chart highlights what we clearly believe is the “rally to the peak” type of price action related to the continued Capital Shift taking place in the global markets.  The breakout to the upside in November 2019 prompted a concentrated pooling of capital into the US markets.  After the end of the year, when institutional investors started engaging in the markets again, it was rumored that more than multiple-billions reentered the markets in early January 2020.  It is obvious when you look at this chart.

By the second week of the new year, capital continued to pour into the technology sector – pushing it higher by nearly 15% in less than 45 days.  That is an amazing rally to start off 2020 and could possibly be the “rally to the peak” process we’ve been hinting about.

CUSTOM VOLATILITY INDEX WEEKLY CHART

This Custom Volatility Index Weekly Chart is something we use to determine how overbought or oversold the US stock market is in relation to historical VIX weighted price ranges.  When this index is above the GREEN middle range, the US stock market is reaching into extremely bullish trending and overbought territory.  When this index is below the GREEN middle range, the US stock market is reaching extreme bearish trending and oversold territory.  The GREEN middle range is a neutral zone for trading.

Obviously, as VIX spikes and price levels collapse, we can see this Custom Volatility Index falling to levels below 6.0.  As price trends higher with moderately low VIX levels, we continue to see this Custom Volatility Index hover above 12~14.  The downside rotation in the US stock market (the -600 pt Dow day) pushed this Custom Volatility Index from near 22 to 14 – a big reversion event on this chart.  Now, the current level is back above 18 and pushing higher – the rally to the peak is setting up.

FANG WEEKLY CHART

Lastly, this FANG Weekly chart highlights the concentration of capital that has pushed the technology sector, and particularly the FANG stocks, much higher in 2020.  The reality of the situation is that until forward expectations, guidance or global economic functions change, this rally will likely continue for some time.  Our concern is that global market expectations could change very quickly in relative terms because of global economic functions and contractions related to the Corona Virus.

We recently authored an article suggesting that the entire Belt Road sector could become a risk factor if China is pushed into a very deep economic crisis.  China’s banking sector recently underwent a stress test where China’s economy dipped below expected GDP levels.  Nearly 15% of China’s banks will become insolvent if GDP drops below 5.5%.  Nearly 50% of China’s banks will become insolvent if GDP drops below 4.5%.  What happens if China’s GDP drops to 0.5% for a 4 to a 6-month span of time and the Chinese economy sputters in recovery after this Coronavirus event settles?

What happens to the Belt Road Initiative and the projects/relationships China has with those nations if, all a sudden, China enters a “Credit Crisis” in excess of $5 to $6 trillion US dollars.  Bloomberg recently reported that China Home Sales plunged 90% in the first week of February.  You don’t have to be a genius to understand the risks associated with that type of plunge in a key economic growth component.

If our research team is correct, this “rally to the peak” will continue in the US for as long as risk factors stay mildly calm for the US.  Once risk levels elevate across to a point where the US investors and economy may become threatened, then traders will likely begin to bail out of overvalued sectors, like Technology, and into safe-haven investments.  It is critical that skilled traders be prepared for this move because when it happened, it may happen very quickly and violently.

Join my Market Timing Signals Alert Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

NOTICE: Our free research does not constitute a trade recommendation or solicitation for our readers to take any action regarding this research.  It is provided for educational purposes only.  Our research team produces these research articles to share information with our followers/readers in an effort to try to keep you well informed.  Visit our web site to learn how to take advantage of our members-only research and trading signals.

Transportation Sector Crashed Hard and What it Means

The Transportation Index, a common measure of economic optimism or pessimism, collapsed very early in trading after the Martin Luther King holiday (January 20, 22020).  We found this very informative because a rotation like this suggests optimism may be waning by global investors and future expectations of growing economic activity may be reverting to more realistic expectations headed into a US election year on top of the US political circus.

When we take a look at these TRAN charts, below, pay very special attention to the historical upper range of price activity over the past 20+ months and you’ll see why we believe a top formation/setup near these current levels in the TRAN could be a very strong topping pattern for the US and Global markets.

DAILY TRANSPORTATION CHART

This Daily Transportation chart highlights the immediate rotation that is setting up a sideways price channel.  The range between 11,250 and 10,450 has established a moderately strong sideways price channel going back well over 3+ months in the Transportation Index.  The broader price channel, between 11,250 and 9,700, extends well over 8+ months.  Beyond that, we have a rotation going all the way back into 2018, between 11,600 and 8,650, that establishes a very broad sideways price channel.

The Transportation Index has been trading within this sideways price channel over the past 20+ months as global investors attempt to determine the future expectations for the US and global economies.  If global investors believe the economy will accelerate as consumers become more active, then the Transportation Index will rise above the 11,800 level on an upside breakout move.  If global investors believe the US and global economies will contract before experiencing any further advance, then the Transportation Index will likely fall to levels below 10,400 – possibly lower.

The recent downside rotation in the TRAN suggests global investors and skilled traders are not expecting the economy to continue as it has over the past 6 to 12+ months – as the US stock market.  The melt-up in the US stock market was a result of global capital attempting to take advantage of a stronger US Dollar and continued price appreciation in the NASDAQ and various US stock sectors.  Even though the underlying economic data and fundamentals may not have changed, it was still advantageous for global investors/traders to play the “melt-up” because it provided the opportunity to gain on two fronts – US Dollar gains and US share price gains.

If this massive “capital shift” trade is unwinding, in part or in full, then we will start to see weakness in the Transportation Index and likely the Mid-Caps as global investors try to pull away from risks in the US stock market.  If the Transportation Index falls below 10,450, then we need to get ready for a potentially bigger downside price move across the global markets.

WEEKLY TRANSPORTATION CHART

This Weekly TRAN chart highlights our Adaptive Fibonacci price modeling system which has drawn the GREEN and RED “trigger levels” above and below the current price action.  It is doing this because the TRAN price action has not defined any real price trends recently – staying within the sideways price channel.  The price must either rally above 11,450 to begin a new bullish price trend or fall below 8,990 to initiate a new bearish price trend.  That means a downside price rotation may support a -2000 point decline from current levels before initiating a continued downside Bearish global market trend.

It is time to really start paying attention to what happens with the Transportation Index.  First, we have to watch the 10,400 level.  Then we have to watch the 9,700 level.  If both of those fail, then we have to watch the 8,990 level as the final “trigger level” for a new global market bearish trend. We are a long way away from that moment right now, but it appears the Transportation Index has started to revert back to the downside and we are alerting our friends and followers to be aware this rotation may be a very timely warning of a new global market top in the making.

UTILITY SECTOR WARNS OF BIG MONEY
IS EXITING THE MARKET

Utility stocks have been on fire ripping to the upside and they tend to lead precious metals and then bonds so I am starting to get excited for our portfolio.

We locked in 10% the 3rd quarter of our SSO position today, we still have 25% of that initial position left but our exposure to equities is now very small. All the other asset classes like high yield bonds, gold, and utilities are pointing to a correction in the stock market.

You can see which markets do well at various stages of risk in the market using our custom market gauge we have been developing. This is one of the new trading tools have been working on.

This gauge will automatically update live with the markets using all of our analyses. Its a really exciting new tool we plan to make available in the next 30 days for our subscribers.

BIG MONEY FLOW GAUGE
20-40 DAY MARKET PRICE CYCLE

TheTechnicalTraders.com Market Gauge

Join my Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

What Does The Global Stock Market Contraction After The Missile Strike Mean?

The US Stock Market contracted in early morning trading on Friday, January 3, by more than 1% after news of the missile attack in Baghdad targeting a top-level Iranian military General and others.  After the attack on the US Embassy in Iraq last week, President Trump issued a strong warning that the US would act to protect its people throughout the world and Iran scoffed at this message.  It would certainly appear President Trump means business and won’t hesitate to stop terrorists from acting against the US – no matter where they are in the world.

This news, overnight, pushed Oil, Gold, Silver and most precious metals higher.  The fear factor associated with the unknowns of what may come from these actions shot through the roof over the past 24 hours.  The global stock markets contracted by a fairly strong amount in Friday’s trading.  Most global markets were off by 0.75% to levels well over 1%.

GLOBAL MARKET SELLOFF AFTER MISSLE STRIKE – CANADA, BRAZIL, CHINA, UK…

The real question skilled technical traders must ask themselves is this “will this turn of events prompt a change in investor expectations/thinking over the next 12+ months”?

I can remember what happened in the markets and the US economy in 1991 when Desert Storm happened.  Because this was one of the first US military efforts that were televised almost 24/7, almost immediately people were suddenly distracted by these war images and videos.  They were entranced by the actions taking place half-way around the world.  Local economies slowed because of this change in consumer sentiment and certain businesses struggled as their customers stayed home and watched TV.

A similar type of event happened after 9/11.  The United States was in shock.  People still attempted to conduct life as normal, yet our objectives changed.  We lost a bit of that care-free American attitude that we had in place before the 9/11 event.  We were more solemn, more conservative, more reserved in our daily lives.  Could something like this happen if Iran (and neighbors) attempt to retaliate against the US for this missile attack?  Could this change the thinking of consumers and investors as concerns about re-engaging in a Middle East conflict arise?

US MARKET SOLD OFF ON MISSILE ATTACK

The US stock market contracted fairly strongly in early trading on Friday, January 3, 2020.  Yet, by afternoon trading, support had pushed most prices off the lows.  We authored a research article recently that suggested traders were very emotional near the end of 2019.  We believe these emotions could continue to haunt the markets in various ways over the next 10 to 25+ trading days.  One thing we are concerned with is a change in price trend sometime between January 13 and January 25.  We believe these dates could prompt a major change in price trend and direction in the near future.

December 20, 2019: WHO SAID TRADERS AND INVESTOR ARE EMOTIONAL RIGHT NOW?

We don’t have a confirmation, as of yet, that any major trend change is taking place – but we feel it would be unprofessional to not warn traders that an event like this could dramatically change the way traders view future expectations.  We really have to understand one key factor about investing and trading – trends are the results of investors/traders believing the future revenues and results of a company, stock or economy will product greater or weaker returns.  If investors believe the returns will be greater, then the trend tends to move higher.  If investors believe the returns will be weaker, then the trend tends to move lower.

EVENT COULD CHANGE EQUITIES MARKET OUTLOOK – DOW JONES INDEX

Could this new event change future expectations for traders and investors?  How will extended uncertainty or military engagement alter trader’s expectations over the next 12+ months?

Right now, we want to urge our followers to protect their open long positions and watch carefully as this event unfolds.  We don’t have any confirmation that a trend change is taking place.  If the YM price fell to levels below $28,000, then we would consider recent support near $28,350 breached and begin to take a look at other price modeling systems.

We suggest our followers read the following research post from the end of 2019.  This will give you a better understanding of what is really happening right now and what would be needed to push the markets into a new bearish trend in early 2020.

December 31, 2019: WHAT TO EXPECT IN EARLY 2020

As we warned throughout most of 2019, we believe 2020 will be an incredible year for traders with extended volatility and returns.  You really don’t want to miss these bigger price moves when they happen.  Our precious metals calls throughout all of 2019 were nearly perfect and our recent Gold calls have nailed this big move.  Get ready – 2020 is going to be a great year for skilled technical traders.

With over 55 years of technical trading experience, we have been through a few bull/bear market cycles, I have a good pulse on the market, timing key turning points and what to buy and sell for both short-term swing trading and long-term investment capital. The opportunities are financially life-changing if handled properly.

I urge you visit my Wealth Building Newsletter and if you like what I offer, join me with the 1 or 2-year subscription to lock in the lowest rate possible and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen
Founder of Technical Traders Ltd.

NOTICE: Our free research does not constitute a trade recommendation or solicitation for our readers to take any action regarding this research.  It is provided for educational purposes only.  Our research team produces these research articles to share information with our followers/readers in an effort to try to keep you well informed.  Visit our web site www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn how to take advantage of our members-only research and trading signals.

About To Relive The 2007 Real Estate Crash Again?

Does history repeat itself?  Are price patterns and chart patterns reliable enough to suggest that a global Real Estate market collapse may be set up?  What would it take for another Real Estate collapse to take place in today’s global market?

First, let’s start with this simple chart highlighting the “Bear Flag” setup from 2007 and the current 2019 Bear Flag setup.  This price pattern was enough of an early warning sign for our research team to run into our offices and tell us of the exciting pattern they just identified regarding Real Estate and what they thought could happen.  We listened to them share their ideas and concepts of how we have 11 months to go before the 2020 US Presidential election takes place and how higher risk delinquencies and foreclosures are starting to spike.  They suggested the political theater of the global markets and US election cycle will likely distract from the weakening economic cycle which could present enough “smoke and mirrors” to keep investors’ attention away from this potential collapse in the housing market.

Much like a magician attempts to distract you just long enough to pull of their new trick, could the political theater, global economic news cycles and the never-ending battle in Washington DC be just enough of a distraction that skilled traders miss this critical setup?  We hope not.

The peak that occurred in 2007 setup about 19 months before the 2008 Presidential election took place.  The 2019 peak occurs about 13 months before the 2020 Presidential election.  In both instances, a highly contentious political battle is taking place which may distract traders and investors from really paying attention to the underlying factors of the global markets.

A real estate crash is no something to dismiss. For most of the people, their home is the nest egg, or their largest investment and watching this asset tumble in value 10, 20, 30% or more is serious. Before you continue, take a couple of seconds and join our free trend signals email list.

2007 VS 2019 REAL ESTATE MARKET TOPPING FORMATIONS

Recent economic data suggests that builders and permits experienced an increase over the past 60 days – which is vastly different than what happened in 2006-2007.  By the time the Bear Flag had setup in IYR in 2007, new building permits had already started to fall dramatically – for at least 12+ months prior to March 2007.  Currently, the number of building permits on record is sitting near 50% of the range established between 2000 and 2009.

We authored a number of research articles this year that more clearly highlight our expectations:
– PART II – Is The Fed Too Late To Prevent A Housing Market Crash?
– Are Real Estate ETFs the Next Big Trade?

The recent increase in building permits could indicate a euphoric level of buying/flipping by builders and speculators thinking “its easy to make profits flipping these homes in this market”.  Much like the euphoric activity before the 2007 crash.

The collapse that happened after the Bear Flag setup in IYR in 2007 resulted in a dramatic -73% decline in value over a very short 24 month period.  Could something like this happen again in today’s market?

Our research team raised a couple of interesting points relating to the potential for a “rollover” type of event taking place over the next 12+ months.

First, the US Presidential election cycle could setup a very real fear that a new president could attempt to derail/damage the marketplace with new policies, taxes and other unknowns.

Second, the current Real Estate market has experienced real price growth for almost 10+ years since the 2009-2010 bottom and wage earners may already be priced out of certain markets – reducing overall demand at current price levels.

Third, a lot of recent news has been published showing massive amounts of people moving away from larger cities/states like New York, California, New Jersey, Chicago, and other locations.  These people are moving away from higher taxes and housing costs and trying to move to areas that are cheaper and quieter.

Forth, there are an estimated 40+ million “baby boomer” homes that must be liquidated over the next 10+ years as these people/families transition into elderly status.

The reality is that unless price levels revert to levels that make housing more affordable or earnings levels dramatically increase over the next 3+ years, the price level for homes in the US and Canada is already historically high.

2007 REAL ESTATE HOUSING SELLOFF

REAL ESTATE PRICES/VALUATION TESTING 2007 EXTREME HIGHS

How high?  Take a look at this last chart of IYR and pay attention to the fact that current price levels are already at the historic high price levels from 2007.  This should tell you almost all you need to know.

Unless earning levels somehow rise dramatically over the next 24 to 36+ months, housing prices are already at or near peak levels for most consumers – even if the US Fed decreases interest rates another 25 to 50 bp.

The other thing to consider is what type of new policies, taxes, costs would a new US president do to the housing market and global stock market?  What would happen in Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren were to suddenly take the lead in the polls wanting to raise taxes on everyone and install new trillion-dollar policies while attacking America’s millionaires and billionaires?  Think that may have some pull on the markets?

Our researchers believe we should cautiously watch IYR for further signs of weakness over the next few weeks and months.  Yes, there is a very real potential that the US and global housing markets could collapse over the next few years – but right now we are looking at a Bear Flag pattern that may be an early warning sign of a potential price selloff.  Nothing is confirmed yet but any week now could spark the start of something ugly for home prices.

Yes, housing market economic data show some weakening while building permits and construction ramped up last month.  Housing has certainly reached a mature economic state and we believe any collapse in the global stock market could send a wave of fear throughout the housing market as people attempt to get out before prices start to collapse. We’ll keep you updated as we continue to watch the Real Estate market and our researchers pour over the data.

As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for both short-term swing trading and long-term investment capital. The opportunities are massive/life-changing if handled properly.

We’ll keep you informed as this plays out with Wealth Building & Global Financial Reset Newsletter if you like what I offer, join me with the 1 or 2-year subscription to lock in the lowest rate possible and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial market and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis. Join Now and Get a Free 1oz Silver Round or Gold Bar Shipped To You!

Chris Vermeulen
Founder of Technical Traders Ltd.

Market Fears and Flash Crashes

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Chris Vermeulen
Technical Traders Ltd.

Oil Begins To Move Lower – Will Our Predictions Come True?

Recently, we posted a multi-part research post suggesting a collapse in Crude Oil could be setting up and how we believe this decline in energy prices may lead to a broader market collapse in the near future.  Crude oil fell more than 3% on November 19 in what appears to be a major price reversal.  On November 20, inventory levels and other key economic data will be presented – could the price of oil collapse even further over the next 60+ days?

Here is a link to our most recent multi-part article about Crude Oil from November 13 (just a week ago): https://www.thetechnicaltraders.com/what-happens-to-the-global-economy-if-oil-collapses-below-40-part-i/

OUR ORIGINAL RESEARCH CHART FROM JULY 2019

Our original research post, from July 2019, included this chart showing our Adaptive Dynamic Learning (ADL) price modeling system and where it believed the price of oil would go in the future.  This chart highlights expected price ranges and directions all the way into April 2020 with a low price level near $25 somewhere between February and April 2020.  Is Oil really going to reach a low price near $25 ppb in the near future?

On July 10, 2019, we authored a research article using our ADL predictive modeling for Oil.  At that time, we predicted Oil would fall in August, recover in September and October, then collapse to near $42 (or lower) in November and December.  You can read our followup to this article here.

In order for these predictions to continue to hold true, Crude Oil will have to fall below $47 ppb over the next 30+ days and then consolidate through December and January into a fairly tight price range between $42 and $49.  If this happens as we predicted back in July, then there would be a much higher probability that the February, March and April price targets are valid going forward.

On November 19, Crude oil reversed quite extensively to the downside after weeks of upward price pressure.  We believe this downside price rotation may be setting up a bigger, deeper price move that is aligned with our ADL predictive modeling systems results from July 2019 – eventually targeting the sub $50 price level near the end of November or early December. You can get all of my trade ideas by opting into my free market trend signals newsletter.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

This potential move in Crude Oil is setting up a potentially great trade for active traders if you know how to profit from falling prices and I even talked about how to trade this move in my member’s only trading newsletter service. Remember, if our ADL research is correct, December and January will see very mild price action in Oil.  The bigger breakdown move happens in late January or early February.

On Monday another commodity gave us another trade and it popped 3.4% in our favor within the first trading session. Big moves in stocks, metals, and energy are ready for big price swings here, get ready!

As a trader, you need to be aware of the greater implications for the global markets if Crude Oil falls below $45 ppb (eventually, possibly falling below $30 ppb).  A large portion of the global market depends on oil prices being relatively stable above $50 ppb.  A decrease in oil prices will place extreme pressures on certain nations to maintain oil production and to generate essential revenues.  Depending on how this plays out in the future, falling oil prices could translate into far greater risks for the global stock markets and global economics.

Chris Vermeulen
Technical Trader Ltd.

Vix Warns Of Imminent Market Correction

The VIX is warning that a market peak may be setting up in the global markets and that investors should be cautious of the extremely low price in the VIX.  These extremely low prices in the VIX are typically followed by some type of increased volatility in the markets.

The US Federal Reserve continues to push an easy money policy and has recently begun acquiring more dept allowing a deeper move towards a Quantitative Easing stance.  This move, along with investor confidence in the US markets, has prompted early warning signs that the market has reached near extreme levels/peaks. You can get all of my trade ideas by opting into my free market trend signals newsletter.

VIX VALUE DROPS BEFORE MONTHLY EXPIRATION

When the VIX falls to levels below 12~13, this typically very low level is usually associated with an extreme peak in price.  Throughout history, after the VIX has collapsed to these types of low price levels, the markets have a tendency to revert/correct in ranges that are typically in excess of 3.5% to 5.5%. In some cases, these corrections have been as large as 11% to 18% or more.

CURRENT CONTINOUS VIX PRICE CHART

The current VIX level, near 12, is near the lowest historical levels of the past 12 months.  Every time the VIX has fallen to near these levels, a peak in price has set up within just a few days potentially.  Each time this setup has occurred, the price has rotated/corrected downward by at least 5.5%.  Is that about to happen again in the US markets?

CUSTOM MARKET CAP INDEX

Our custom Market Cap Index is also suggesting a market peak has setup and that price may likely revert to lower levels. Historically, when the price reaches these extreme price ranges, a rotation/reversion price event takes place.  We believe a price reversion may be setting up in the US/Global markets that traders may not be prepared for.  The current rally in the US stock market suggests a broader market rotation may take place.  This suggests a deeper reversion event may be setting up.

Last week I talked about the 3-year record high outflows in the GLD gold bullion ETF and how it’s warning us that investors are not fearful of falling stock prices. This along with the vix, and our custom index paint a clear contrarian signal that a top is near!

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

As we near the end of 2019, the current bullish price trend may come to a dramatic end as the VIX charts and our custom Index charts suggest the US/Global markets may have reached levels that support a price rotation/reversion event may be setting up.  Traders need to be prepared for the risks associated with such an event and plan for extended risks.

If you find this type of analysis interesting be sure to video my website to learn more about how you take full advantage of this analysis every week at www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen
Technical Traders Ltd.