1-VIX
A Round Trip, 11 Apr 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ Equities recovered (again) from an ugly start on Easter Monday. While half of the world were still on holidays, equities gradually fell prior to US market open only for the Bulls to come in to support the price at the critical levels. By the end of days' trade, the S&P500 made a round trip back to where it settled prior to the holidays.
➤ So what was all that price action about? Perhaps it is the jittery signs of the earning seasons proper and inflation data on Wednesday. It could be action to shake out the weak hands on the long and short side. Firstly, a drop to weed out the weak Bull and second to sucker in the Bears only to smack them in the face. Overall, the price action wasn't all that meaningful other than to point out that there is strong Bullish support at these levels. We shall see very shortly if this continues to hold true.
➤ I'm currently long with maximum position.
➤ Conclusion: 🐆 I've pounced on my prey. Will I succeed or fail on this hunt?
EQUITY TREND:
⦿ Short-term (weeks) - NEUTRAL
⦿ Medium-term (< 6 months) - UP
⦿ Long-term (>6 months) - DOWN
4/10/2023 (Monday) SPY Analysis and Market Macro Deep DiveIn this Video I discuss The technical analysis of the SPY ETF which is a proxy the S&P500 that is often a tell on general market movements. I also discuss broader market Macros I have been watching including last week's and next weeks economic events. We also discuss some recession indicators, and other charts that show headwinds and tailwinds to equities.
In the Trading View App, You can use the links below and hit play, so you can see the action from the dates the charts were published. I will keep this going so we can follow outcomes to analysis.
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See you Next Monday for the next Market analysis!
Bouhmidi-Bands - Update: Check it out!Many Thanks for the feedback and following - Here are some updates that you wanted:
- update includes from now on the possibility to use not only the first standard deviation of the Bouhmidi-Bands, from now on you can also use the 2 standard deviation or an individual one like e.g. 1.6
- From default Bouhmidi-Bands a pinned to the right scale and are fixed now, so that you can just plot them with no adjust
Prey in Sight, 6 Apr 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ S&P500 has found it's footing once again at the minor support level at the 6 March high after threatening to fall off the edge. It was a clear case of risk-off mode today with DJIA blue chips supported and NASDAQ, RUSSELL 2000 sold-off. Still, there wasn't really much damage done to the bullish narrative.
➤ A lot is happening in other asset classes. Gold has broken out big time, USD is threatening weaken to new lows, Oil rebounded aggressively and NATGAS continues to fall apart. All this you can see in my previous posts. Oh yes, don't forget about bond prices too. I should take a good look at the charts there too. With all this commotion, equities is relatively calm. It probably won't be that way for long.
➤ With the current price action, I'm getting a clearer picture. I have the prey in my sight. Now I just need to find the right timing to pounce.
➤ Conclusion: Hunt is on.
EQUITY TREND:
⦿ Short-term (weeks) - NEUTRAL
⦿ Medium-term (< 6 months) - UP
⦿ Long-term (>6 months) - DOWN
Big Picture: S&P 500 (SPY) Over a Simple Risk/RewardI like to follow the course of 'risk appetite' but there are many definitions of sentiment from the perception of confidence in a particular asset up to an assessment of the entire financial system as a whole. I like the top down approach in this case as much of what happens in individual assets on a regular basis roles up to an industry/region/asset class or the broader financial system. For me, gauging 'risk appetite' answers much of the market activity currently unfolding in the market.
For measures of market-wide sentiment, I have made very simple to very complicated. This is very simple. Going by the standard 'risk/reward' perspective: a singular (but imperfect) 'risk' measure is the $VIX and a similar 'reward' metric is the US 10-year yield. Of course, there are many issues with the VIX and it is derived from US markets (S&P 500 specifically). However, the US equity index is one fo the most ubiquitous gauges of investor activity in the world. As for the US 10-year, there is certainly better yielding assets, but most of it is based on a 'prime-plus' and this benchmark is treated as the prime.
All that said, this risk/reward gauge seems to have just recently rounded off as the rate regime starts to taper off and volatility start to stir. Longer-term relationship has skewed - a sign of equities ($SPY S&P 500 here) inflating over time and the lack of return in a traditional portfolio one makes in zero rate environments. You can rise the SPY wave or FAANG or meme stocks or crypto to try and get greater return; but it invites ever greater risk relative to the expected returns.
Are there any other good 'risk/reward' measures that are both indicative of the global market and simple?
VXX (VIX ETN) showing bullish divergence for volatility comebackJust noted that the VXX (the VIX ETN) is showing a bullish divergence in both the MACD and the VolDiv as it returns to the consolidation zone and bounces near the support.
Breaking out above 46 and then 47 should trigger another bout of volatility... question is IF 58 will be a good resistance or is it to break beyond that level the next round?
IMHO, expecting a massive breakout...
Close Call, 5 Apr 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ Equities reversed course on Tuesday trade, however two aspects remain unchanged: 1) Nasdaq outperformed Russell 2000 2) Late buying into the close.
➤ Without that late buying, I would have taken a small short position to test out the waters, jumping straight back into the action. It was a close call. As it is, I will have wait to see how tomorrow's price action unfolds. The price action will dictate the potential directional trade I will take. Although a short position is favoured, it could also just as easily trigger a buy/long position too! Price could remain ambiguous in which case I take no action.
➤ We should note that the price bounced off the 6th March high that acted as minor support and it is trapped above by the resistance zone as labelled in my chart. Ideally I would like the price to break free from this area. That would remove some if not all of the ambiguity.
➤ Conclusion: Hunt is on.
The curious case for a $28 VIX trip... FUD about to hit markets?FUD FUD FUD, Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. The 3 letters every trader on the street should know. No matter if you are dealing with Cryptocurrencies, Stocks or Forex, no one wants to wake up to an overnight position hit by FUD.
The VIX has long been known as the leading indicator as to the sentiment of the markets. It is known as the fear index and right now it is unreasonably low compared to recent history and current events. I mean we did just arrest our previous President and current candidate for President. Away from politics we also found ourselves in a currency war with the BLOC using the Chinese Yuan for settlements over the US Dollar. Well aside from economics, we still are funding our ongoing proxy war in Ukraine with the only other 2 superpowers on the planet. Well, Away from politics, economics, and war.... Oh wait, yeah the data on our economy came in pretty meh (not impressive).
So why in the world would the VIX be representing so much strength? Careful, you are starting to think for yourself and our TV overlords don't like that so much. But you are starting down the right track.
The VIX should be easily in the low to mid 20's but instead its flexing at 19.01?!? For reference the 50 Moving Average is 20.63 and the midline of the current Bollinger Bands is 22.04 with the low band being 16.83 and the high band being 27.25. If I was thinking about the next few weeks I would probably think that our world right now is providing significant enough risk to justify a trip northward towards the midline @ 22.04 but actually even higher to the high band of 27.25. Recently we touched 29 multiple times in recent weeks but immediately rejected and shot down to the 19.01 where we sit currently. Rejecting off a ceiling once, twice and even sometimes three times is common but I probably wouldn't need very many fingers to count the times an Index pegged a ceiling 4 times and didnt break through it significantly.
The market has stayed propped up on hopium for long enough and now its time to start pricing in reality. All is NOT well. I don't view this as a doomsday scenario at all but we need to move closer to reality. I see 28 as a start, it would signify the markets beginning to accept reality and no longer rely on the Buy the Dip hopium that retail investors bankrupted themselves on over the last 2 years.
$28 Vix is what i see coming.
Just documenting my own thoughts from my own charts. Dont mind me. Most likely not a human anyway.
NASDQ losing momentumReaching the top of the volume shelf profile and weekly expected move. VIX 2hr and 4hr changing momentum on MACD to bullish for VIX while QQQ is turning to negative momentum. 320 on QQQ seems to be a resistance level that will hold. Expecting a pull back in preparation for the March CPI print with a large rally a few days before as we have seen at the previous CPI prints.
Not financial advice just my personal thoughts
$VIX @ lower level & indices closing in to MAJOR RESISTANCEApril has been the most profitable month over the last 2 decades for #stocks.
The SP 500 has been positive 80% of the time with a 2.5% return.
Posted on this yesterday, but not here.
ATM we're @ the lower end of the $VIX & close to resistance levels for indices; $DJI $NDX $SPX $VIX
Head & Shoulders, 4 Apr 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ Equities continued their advance although it was the DJIA large caps that led the way. We haven't seen that for a while.
➤ S&P500 has hit the first resistance zone. I also got the exit signal to my long position. I guess that's a pretty good place to part from a solid profitable trade.
➤ If we observe some chart patterns, noticeably people have been calling out the head and shoulders formation for a bearish outlook. The right shoulder is being formed. This will be easily discounted if prices moves above the head (2nd Feb high). One could also argue we are in the midst of a bullish double bottom formation with the Dec 2022 and March lows being the bottoms. That will be affirmed also with a move above Feb 2.
➤ Conclusion: I don't rely on chart formations as they are a bit of a hit and miss but it's always beautiful to see one work out.
EQUITY TREND:
⦿ Short-term (weeks) - NEUTRAL
⦿ Medium-term (< 6 months) - UP
⦿ Long-term (>6 months) - DOWN
Neutral, 3 Apr 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ The mid-March march in equities has neutralised the short-term down-trend. A higher high as been set. To move from neutral to an uptrend we need to see a subsequent higher low. That potential higher low could come swiftly.
➤ S&P500 is at key levels with 410 and 417 acting as resistance on the SPY. A correction in the price should close the unfilled price gaps at 404 and 397. The latter target is where the 200-day moving average hovers.
➤ We should also expect some profit-taking especially in the mega cap tech names after a massive near +18.6% quarter gain in the Nasdaq. This too will help to fulfill the above scenario.
➤ Conclusion: I remain positioned long with a moderately-sized position. Just waiting for an exit signal.
EQUITY TREND:
⦿ Short-term (weeks) - NEUTRAL
⦿ Medium-term (< 6 months) - UP
⦿ Long-term (>6 months) - DOWN
Navigating The Illusion of SafetyFalse security is dangerous. Wall Street's fear gauge is muted. Is the VIX cruising for a bruising?
As mentioned in our previous papers, current times are unprecedented, from geo-politics tensions, restrictive monetary policies, fractured corporate earnings, to sticky inflation. the VIX should be anything but sanguine. Any mild escalation could send equities tanking or soaring at the sight of relief.
When the road ahead is that uncertain, straddle saves the day. This case study argues for a long straddle in CME’s Micro E-Mini S&P 500 Options to gain from price action and from rising volatility.
Low VIX plus narrow spread between VIX & realised volatility reduces straddle cost. Large price action plus volatility expansion will deliver a compelling 1.25x reward to risk ratio.
DEMYSTIFYING VIX
Volatility Index ("VIX") is also known as the Fear Index. Higher the fear, greater the VIX. Typically, VIX above 30 points to elevated uncertainty. VIX below 20 describes stable markets.
VIX is market’s expectations of S&P 500 Index (SPX) volatility over the next 30 days. It is computed by using the weighted prices of SPX options across a range of strikes expiring within the next 23 to 37 days. It is an annualised quantifiable measure of market uncertainty.
Volatility is inversely proportional to the square root of time. A year comprises of 252 trading days. Dividing VIX by the square root of 252 (~16) provides daily expected moves. Current VIX at 20.7% implies ~1.3% daily move.
IS THE VIX BROKEN?
Several threats loom yet VIX remains subdued. Is it broken?
In a recent FT Alpha Ville column, journalist Robin Wigglesworth postulated that the VIX may not be broken. Instead, it has been diluted by product innovation resulting in risk pricing windows shifting away from VIX’s target expiry range.
Growth in short-dated options (including zero days-to-expiry or 0DTE options) has shrunk the demand for those expiring in 23 to 37 DTE which VIX is based on. Contracting demand while keeping supply same silences the VIX.
THE VIX AND REALISED VOLATILITY
In theory, realised & implied volatility (VIX) should be at similar levels and move in tandem. However, in practice where greed & fear trump rationality, VIX overshoots realised volatility.
Over the last ten years, VIX on average is 307 bps higher than 30-day rolling realised volatility. The spread between the two at 40 bps is narrow as of this writing, making options buying relatively cheap.
MACROFORCES BUT MICRO IMPACT ON VIX AND OUTLOOK FOR 2023
How does VIX respond to rising rates, contracting Fed Balance Sheet, and geo-political shocks?
VIX should be sensitive to rate changes & Fed Balance Sheet shifts given tight interdependencies. However, it turns out that it is not as sensitive to these macro metrics.
The chart below shows that VIX spiked nearly 400% in March 2020 when Fed hammered rates to zero while massively expanding its balance sheet to fend off pandemic-linked economic collapse. A similar trend was observed in 2008.
Notably, VIX did not spike when Fed started to hike rates in 2022. Steady shifts have much lesser impact on it when compared to radical shifts that shocks the system. Chart below highlights key events that sent VIX soaring.
Large VIX moves are driven by shocks. Periods of high volatility as observed last year are caused by market uncertainty over a longer period.
A radical shift in monetary policy – like the one in 2018 – will send VIX higher. Back then, it jumped on fears of Fed hiking rates. Now, a change in the rate regime could push up the index.
A tailwind to VIX is the on-going conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Any escalation could bump it up to levels unseen in the recent past.
TECHNICALS POINT TO A REBOUND IN VIX
Mean-reversion is common in financial markets. It is the tendency of asset prices to revert to its longer-term average.
Since last November, VIX has been trading below its 200-day moving average (200 DMA). It could rise beyond the 200 DMA as it reverts to the mean.
EXPLOITING VIX MEAN-REVERSION WITH CME MICRO E-MINI S&P 500 OPTIONS
Bullish VIX? Long VIX futures? Perhaps not. Why?
Given rising growth in shorter dated options, VIX remains bottled-up. Jumps in extremely shorter-term volatilities fail to show up in it.
Therefore, instead of VIX futures, this case study features a long straddle using CME’s Micro E-Mini S&P 500 Options to deliver a compelling and comprehensive return profile gaining from both volatility expansion and price action.
The long straddle is designed to deliver profits when the index makes a sharp move either up or down while also gaining from volatility expansion.
Straddles are usually considered expensive as it requires two upfront premiums. However, with VIX below its 200 DMA and near the 30-day-rolling historical volatility, these premiums are relatively cheaper.
Leg 1: Long 4150 Call on MESM3 (expiring in June 23); premium of 171.25 index points
Leg 2: Long 4150 Put on MESM3 (expiring in June 23); premium of 185.50 index points
Premium: $1,800 ((171.25 + 185.50) * $5 = 356.75 * 5 = 1,783.75; ~$1,800)
*Note: 1 point move in MESM3 = $5
Break-even points: S&P 500 futures at either 3790 or 4510
Target: S&P 500 futures at either 4600 or 3700
Profit at Target: $450
Stop-loss: At 20% of the drop in options premium
Loss at Stop-loss: $360
A long straddle generates returns when (a) underlying futures trade past break-even points, and (b) volatility expands. As expiry inches closer, the straddle loses value which requires close monitoring.
CME offers a wide range of options on deeply liquid S&P 500 futures. To meet growing demand for shorter-dated expiries, CME is expanding the listing cycle of Micro E-mini Options on Micro E-mini NASDAQ and Micro E-mini S&P with expiries available throughout the week, on every business day.
These ultra-short, or same-day expiries can be used to reduce straddle cost further enriching returns from this strategy.
Also, investors can fine tune their hedging & trading with shorter expiries and smaller notional values. At 1/10th the size of the E-Mini contracts, Micro E-mini Options require less capital to enter the market with more approachable margins for short positions.
MARKET DATA
CME Real-time Market Data helps identify trading set-ups and express market views better. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
DISCLAIMER
This case study is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services.
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REFERENCES
www.cmegroup.com
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Room for MOAR? 31 Mar 2023🖼 Daily Technical Picture 📈
➤ Once again equities gapped higher. Depsite some "gap filling" action, price recovered to finish some distance from the lows. All is not equal of course, Nasdaq still leads the way and Russell2000 small cap woefully lagging. Long big tech and and short the weaker small caps would have been a wonderful trade.
➤ So is there MOAR upside to come? From a technical standpoint, yes, perhaps a bit more. Immediate resistance at 405 on the SPY followed by 410 and 417 areas. It will require VIX to remain low for the higher targets to be achieved. That is certainly plausible. Note that a print above 407.45 (6th March high) would void the short-term down trend due to a higher high.
➤ Keep in mind the sizable lower price gap that is unfilled from Wednesday trade.
➤ Conclusion: Still holding on to my moderate long position. An exit shouldn't be too far away especially if there is a sizable down turn in price.
EQUITY TREND:
⦿ Short-term (weeks) - DOWN
⦿ Medium-term (< 6 months) - UP
⦿ Long-term (>6 months) - DOWN
Low volatility will lead to high volatility Mean reversion of volatility is almost a guaranteed phenomenon in markets. In this video I've shown that volatility has been coiling up past month and is ready for a breakout within 1-2 weeks. As always, charts predict the news so if and when this break happens it'll be a pretty big deal in the news.
The way I'm playing this is by buying VIX calls.
$VIX close to lower level, time for breather soon?Excuse my absolutely HORRIBLE art skills😄
$VIX USUALLY stays close to a "bottom" for few days
Kind of an exception = yellow
We're closing in to lower end of the symmetrical triangle
#VIX tends to bounce there
$SPX has had issues in this area, it does look better than before
Weekly volume on $SPX, see that?
#stocks
VIX - is the sell 20, buy 30 strategy done?Throughout 2022 you would have done VERY well taking profit when the TVC:VIX hit 20 and accumulating when the VIX hit 30. But has this trend concluded? This movement and profit/accumulation opportunity is consistent with the most recent tightening from 2017 to 2018 where fed funds were rising, and the yield for 2 year treasuries in the bond market exceeded fed funds. When the yield for 2 year treasuries fell below fed funds the VIX remained below 20 until covid hit. The VIX spiked during covid and consistently descended while the market expanded. This pattern is only observed in the most recent cycle and not something that we see consistently repeated historically. If the 2 year remains below fed funds, should not expect the VIX to range between 20 to 30 or will 20 to become the ceiling?