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How to position for yield curve un-inversions!It has been some time since we delved into the intricate world of interest rates and their prospective trajectories. With the yield curve experiencing significant movement in recent weeks, it's high time we reassess our stance. Following a staggering 500 basis points increase, we now find ourselves potentially nearer to the end of the rate hike cycle than ever before. The recent hawkish pause announced in the last meeting has left market participants on tenterhooks, pondering the future course of action in the ongoing battle against inflation. Given the downward trend in inflation and the possibility of at least one more rate hike, 'real' yields have ascended beyond the 0% level, as depicted in the chart above. Since the 2010s, real yields have consistently struggled to surpass the 1.2% level. However, the recent lower inflation prints place the 'real' yield at a new decade high of 1.25%. So, how does the yield curve inversion behave during periods of real yields? Interestingly, in three of the past four instances, the curve 'un-inverted' once real yields exceeded 0. Of greater significance is the yield curve's response after the Fed cuts rates. Since 1989, this has been a key signal of the yield curve un-inversion. Given this event's proximity and the current 2Y-10Y yield curve, we contemplate the optimal strategy to capitalize on this likely un-inversion. One approach is to examine all possible inversion combinations between the 2, 5, 10, and 30-year yields. All these combinations present an inverted curve, except for the 10Y-30Y segment. Upon dissecting the analysis to focus solely on 2-year inversions, we observe the following: The 2-year inversion is generally the steepest, with the 2Y-10Y ranking as the most inverted segment of the yield curve. All inversions anchored with the 2Y are at their all-time highs, plunging us into uncharted waters. In contrast, the 5-year and 10-year yields exhibit more subdued movements. Their inversions have yet to reach all-time highs, and the overall range of movement is relatively restrained. Therefore, to maximize returns on the un-inversion move, one could position to short either the most inverted section of the curve, the 2Y-10Y, or the 2Y-30Y, which typically experiences the largest movement upon un-inversion. Handily, CME has the Micro Treasury Yield Futures, quoted in yield terms, which allows us to express this view in a straightforward manner allaying the complications with DV01 calculation. By creating a short yield spread position, we are not merely speculating on the direction of individual yields but rather on the relative movement between them. Trading the yield spread instead of just an outright position in a single part of the curve also protects us from parallel shifts in the yield curve, especially in volatile times like these. This strategy takes advantage of the yield curve dynamics, particularly the inversion trend we've been observing. We create the short yield spread position by taking a short position in the Micro 2-Yr Yield Futures and a long position in the Micro 10-Yr Yield Futures or Micro 30-Yr Yield Futures to express the curve un-inversion view, with 1 basis point move equal to 10 USD. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
TVC:US02YShort
by inspirante
We’ve been here before. 2000’s Nasdaq vs Today.The Nasdaq's formidable recovery from the October 2022 bottom resulted in an impressive 42% surge, a rare feat for a major index. However, as it grapples with resistance at the 15250 level this past week, we are compelled to question if this upward momentum is running out of steam. Notably, historical instances where the Relative Strength Index (RSI) soared past the 70 level have often been followed by a downward shift for the index. We diligently monitor the Nasdaq's ratio against other major indices to gauge its relative value. At its current level, the Nasdaq seems to be trading at a premium compared to several other major indices. When we consider this ratio, the Nasdaq appears to be near its all-time highs. In fact, it's trading close to or above the levels seen during the dot-com bubble of the 2000s in all comparisons. When juxtaposed with the S&P and Dow, we find that this level is not unprecedented; each time the ratio has previously reached this level, it was swiftly corrected. Drawing a parallel between the economic conditions of the 2000s and now, it seems that we are in familiar territory, or as they say, ‘we’ve been here before’. To illustrate the similarities, let's consider the dot-com peak in March 2000 as a reference point. The current economic indicators closely mirror those from the 2000s, as reflected in measures such as Dollar strength, inflation, unemployment, and interest rates. In particular, the US 2Y-10Y spread indicates an inversion of the yield curve that surpasses even the extent seen during the 2000s. Simultaneously, the other indicators nearly align with their respective levels from that period. This begs the question: What has been propelling the Nasdaq higher? Could it be the hype surrounding AI and technology, or is it the liquidity in the market? We posit that it's a combination of both factors, as the tech rally and increased reserve balance seem to coincide with the ratio’s upward movement. Although we don't foresee a tech bubble bursting as it did in the 2000s, there's undeniable enthusiasm for the Nasdaq. Given the current setup's striking resemblance to the 2000s, we can glean lessons from that period to position ourselves optimally. One potential strategy could be to short the Nasdaq 100 Futures on CME outright at the current level of 15086, with the take profit at 13900 and a stop loss at 15600. Alternatively, investors expressing a bearish view on the Nasdaq 100 ratio could consider shorting 2 Nasdaq 100 Futures and going long on 3 S&P500 Futures. In the second setup, the dollar value of the position is equal, as the contract value of the Nasdaq 100 Futures and the S&P500 Futures is approximately the same, at roughly 600,000 USD for the full-sized contract at the current price level for both index. The same setup can be replicated using the micro Nasdaq 100 and S&P500 futures at the same ratio, where the position value is now roughly 60,000 USD. For each 1 point move in the standard size E-MINI S&P 500 Futures contract, the equivalent value is 50 USD and 5 USD for the Micro contract. Similarly, each 1 point move in the standard-sized E-MINI Nasdaq 100 Futures contract equates to 20 USD, and 2 USD for the micro contract. Trading this spread could potentially benefit from a margin offset of up to 70%, meaning that the capital required to initiate this trade is significantly reduced. This setup could be particularly attractive for traders seeking to optimize their capital usage while gaining exposure to these major indices. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
NASDAQ:NDXShort
by inspirante
Is It Time to Follow the Oracle's Lead?You may have heard of a certain Warren Buffett, and it seems like he might be onto something... Buffett, known as the "Oracle of Omaha," has demonstrated remarkable investment timing, or perhaps an innate ability to steer investment flows. This was clearly illustrated by his investment in Japan, which triggered a rally in the Nikkei to decade-long highs. While that window may have closed, Buffett has been discreetly bolstering his stake in another entity - Occidental Petroleum (OXY). If we scrutinize the timing of his purchases, it's apparent that Buffett likely had a price floor in mind. Intriguingly, his first purchase occurred when Crude was trading at a 15-year high! This leads us to examine Oil, which has been trading nearly 40% lower since mid-2022. Since our last discussion about oil, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has been further depleted, reaching its lowest level since 1983. The result of this drawdown is a diminished impact on energy costs as evidenced by the energy inflation index, which has not only passed its peak but has now turned negative. Interestingly, the Canadian dollar and the Norwegian Krone, currencies of major oil-exporting countries, have been outpacing the commodity typically correlated with them, Crude Oil. On the whole, it seems the energy commodity sector may have bottomed out, with all types of Oil and natural gas trading on an upward trajectory. In consideration of these factors, the outlook for oil leans towards the bullish side. The scarcity of oil in the SPR and the absence of energy inflation as a significant contributor to overall CPI make it unlikely for the U.S. to release more oil to depress energy prices. Coupled with the buoyant trend in the energy commodity space and the recent outperformance of major oil-exporting countries' currencies, it appears to be an opportune moment to consider a long position on oil. At the current price level of 72.33, risk managed trade points to setting the stops at the previous support of 66 and take profit level at 85. Each Crude Oil Future contract is equal to 1000 barrels of crude oil. Each 0.01 point increment in Crude Oil Futures is equal to 10 USD . The same view can also be expressed with greater precision using the Micro WTI Crude Oil, where each Micro contract is equal to 100 barrels of crude oil and each 0.01 point increment is equal to 1 USD. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com www.eia.gov tradingeconomics.com
NYMEX:CL1!Long
by inspirante
Decoding Bitcoin's Latest CME Gap: An Insightful AnalysisOver the past weekend, Bitcoin experienced a significant sell-off, causing a price discrepancy to form, commonly referred to as a 'gap'. This gap is discernible between the present Bitcoin market price and the closing price from last Friday (as per New York time). Notably, these gaps, often identified in futures markets such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), can serve as potential signals for traders. It's currently anticipated that this gap could be filled in the near future. The phenomenon of 'filling the gap' refers to the price retracing its steps back to the level before the gap was formed, thus restoring market equilibrium. The market's response to this development will be closely watched by traders and investors alike.
Long
by p3nchan
1
Debt ceiling aside, watch the dollar and central bank meetings!As the debt ceiling discussions draw to a close, the dollar's rally indicates that markets have largely priced in this event. The focus now returns to the Federal Reserve (Fed) and its notably hawkish stance. Fed officials' recent statements and fed fund futures, which are pricing in another rate hike in the upcoming meeting, suggest it might be the right time to reassess the dollar pairs. Two weeks ago, we discussed the USDCNH pair, which made a swift upward move. Interestingly, the correlation between USDCNH and USDAUD has been increasing, and USDCNH has been a leading indicator for the last few moves, with USDAUD following its trend shortly after. To understand why, let's look at the AUDCNH as well as the USD. The moves in these pairs seem to be largely driven by the USD, as the AUDCNH has remained range-bound since 2022. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is scheduled to meet on June 6th and is expected to maintain its policy, while the Fed will meet on June 13th and is expected to hike rates. This divergence in monetary policies could further strengthen the case for a USDAUD rally. Current yield differentials continue to favour the USD carry trade and this trend appears set to continue as the Fed is expected to raise rates while the RBA remains on hold, widening the yield differentials. With the Fed poised for another rate hike and the RBA expected to maintain its policy stance, along with the dollar's strengthening and the USDCNH leading the AUDUSD pair, we could express our market views via a risk-managed trade long on the USD and short on the AUD. To set up this position, we can take a short position on the Micro AUD/USD futures, with stop-loss orders placed at 0.673 and take-profit orders at 0.627. A Micro AUD/USD futures contract represents 10,000 AUD, with each point move in AUD equalling USD 10,000. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
Short
by inspirante
3
The case for a Weaker Yuan The most recent Caixin Manufacturing PMI dipped below 50, landing back in contraction territory after two prints above the 50-mark. As the world's top exporter, China is acutely sensitive to fluctuations in both exports and manufacturing numbers. Historically, we've seen periods of Yuan devaluation during times of contracting Manufacturing PMI and exports as China works to invigorate export demand. With the latest PMI number trending lower, it's worth pondering whether this signals a movement toward a weaker Yuan. A more detailed examination of Chinese economic data presents some reasons for concern. Chinese export-related economic data has collectively taken a downward turn. This could stimulate further Yuan weakening as the government strives to reinvigorate exports. Moreover, as the world's second-largest oil importer, lower oil prices gives China additional leeway in weakening its currency, as the ripple effects of higher oil prices are tempered. From a technical perspective, the CNH is teetering on the edge of the 200-day moving average, and prices have once more nudged above the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement level. Meanwhile, in a shorter timeframe, we notice price action breaking out of the ascending triangle and nearing the top of the wedge pattern. With the USD breaking to the upside coupled with the potential for a weakening Yuan, we think this makes the case for a higher USDCNH. Taking a risk-managed long at the current level of 6.9520, a prudent stop 6.8930 and take profit level at 7.0900. A Standard Size USD/Offshore RMB (CNH) Futures represents 100,000 USD. Prices are quoted in RMB per USD, each 0.0001 per USD increment equal to 10 CNH. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com
CME:CNH1!Long
by inspirante
8
Natural Gas: Has it Found a Bottom?Natural gas made a stunning rally to an all-time high, only to come crashing back down again. It's been a while since we last covered natural gas, so let's take a look at what's happened since then. The previous technical & seasonality setup played out perfectly with the RSI bouncing off the low and the rally into the winter season, hitting our profit target and extending further. This time, we're seeing a similar setup on a different timescale. Zooming out, natural gas has retraced the entire move it made in the past three years and is now back to pre-COVID levels. The question is, has natural gas found a bottom here? Looking at the weekly chart for natural gas over the past 20 years, we see an interesting picture. The weekly RSI has only broken past the 30 level five times over this two-decade period, and each time marked the rough bottom for natural gas. Fortunately, we're seeing this exact setup now, with prices seeming to find resistance at the $2 handle, which has also proven to be a reliable resistance level. Comparing the Henry Hub natural gas against the Dutch TTF natural gas, we can see the spread back to the lows when adjusting for the same unit measurement of MMBtu and in USD. On the fundamental side, this excerpt from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) sums up the outlook for Natural Gas vs Coal: “Natural gas-fired generation capacity in the United States has grown in recent years, although coal-fired generation has continued to decline. Lower coal-fired generation is due to a long-term trend of coal power plant retirements and increased competition with natural gas-fired combined-cycle plants when natural gas prices are low. A total of 11.5 gigawatts (GW) of U.S. coal-fired electricity generating capacity retired in 2022. No new coal-fired capacity has come online since 2013, and developers have not reported any plans to build new U.S. coal-fired capacity in the future. In contrast, nearly 6.1 GW of natural gas-fired capacity was added in 2022, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory.” Natural Gas saw a record high for the winter heating season. Additionally, close to 23% of US coal plants have plans to retire by 2029, and the last new coal plant that came online in the US was in 2013, 10 years ago. With coal plants being the second-largest source of electricity in the US and supply being cut, energy has to come from somewhere else. While the push for renewable energy continues, natural gas remains the main source of energy production. The dissipation of supply from retiring coal plants will likely be filled by natural gas. The reason being? Natural Gas currently remains most reliable form of energy source, while nuclear faces political pushbacks and Wind, Hydro & Solar have unpredictable/intermittent generation capacity. Lastly, the Dollar sits on a key level now. If broken, the weakening dollar could drive commodities prices higher en masse. All in all, the case to long natural gas from here seems reasonable, with the fundamental outlook for Natural gas still positive and the technical set-up pointing to a low. Taking a long position at the current levels of 2.186 and setting our stops at 1.85 and our first take profit level at 3.1 gives us a reasonable halfway point while setting our next take profit level at 3.8 gives us a higher profit potential if prices continue to rise. CME’s Henry Hub Natural gas is quoted in U.S. dollars and cents per MMBtu. Each 0.001 increment equal to 10$. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.eia.gov www.eia.gov blogs.worldbank.org
NYMEX:NG1!Long
by inspirante
4
BTCUSD PLAN Hello to all small and big traders, today I was checking all the empty spaces of CME when I noticed 3 gaps that have not been filled yet, one is in the area of 34000 to 34800, one is in the area of 21000 to 20000 and the other is in the area of 9500 to 10600. It doesn't matter if it is filled, but it must be filled. This plan is for a long-term view. Now or first, we will pay 34,000 dollars, and then the drop and the new floor, and then we will move right at the time of halving for the new ATH, or it will be filled later, whatever the case may be. be careful .
CME:BTC1!
by hamidhsh
4
A Beefy Premium.Live cattle recently hit an all-time high, leaving us wondering if the rally has gone too far. The front month contract reached 177 on April 13, surpassing the previous record set in November 2014. Meanwhile, lean hogs have been trading lower since last year. One way to assess this trend is to look at the spread between the two livestock markets. Both the absolute price difference and the Live Cattle/Lean Hog ratio are currently at highs. The absolute price difference is at its second-highest level ever, with only March 2015 having a higher reading. The ratio spread, meanwhile, is trading at the higher end of the range since 2015. So, what's driving this trend? Well, we could start by looking at what caused the surge in 2015. A mix of live cattle rising and lean hog prices falling contributed to the surge in the spread as cattle inventories bottomed in 2014. Looking at the current supply dynamics, we see the smallest cattle herd in eight years, with the previous low marked by the 2014 episode and hog supplies on a downtrend but still above the previous decade’s average. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, they may prefer pork over beef due to the former’s lower environmental impact per calorie. Additionally, with the price gap between beef and pork increasing, price-sensitive consumers may switch to other protein sources as inflation continues to weigh on their mind. In the longer term, consumer preferences could flip to favour hogs over cattle. Seasonality effects are also pointing towards an unusual year. Historically, May marks the low point for the spread as hog prices run up towards the middle of the year. However, with May already underway, the spread is not close to any lows and lean hogs are still trading down. This suggests that the current year’s spread is trading abnormally high compared to past trends. Given that both Lean Hog & Live Cattle Futures have the same contract unit of 40,000 pounds and price quotation of US cents per pound, we can trade the spread of the two contracts using a 1:1 ratio. To express our bearish bias on the spread we can sell one contract of the Live Cattle Futures and buy one contract of the Lean Hog Futures. Keeping in mind the 2015 run took close to 1.5 years to bottom, we will place our stops further out at 110 and take profit at 45, giving the spread a longer horizon and more room to play out. Each 0.00025 increment equal to 10$. So, will you be switching from steaks to pork chops anytime soon? The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: usda.library.cornell.edu usda.library.cornell.edu www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com ourworldindata.org
CME:LE1!Short
by inspirante
EUR/USD's hidden clues & key levels? Here’s an interesting chart: the inflation differential of the US and the EU plotted against the EUR/USD pair. If we approximate the range of the inflation differential with an upper bound of 1.5 and a lower bound of -0.5, we get a compelling signal for trading the EUR/USD pair. Buying EUR/USD when the inflation differential bottoms has resulted in success 4 out of the 5 times this signal was triggered. Repeating the analysis using the preferred inflation measures for both central banks – PCE for the Federal Reserve (Fed) and EU HICP for the European Central Bank (ECB) – yields similar results. Is this spurious correlation or is there more to this? Our guess is that the inflation differential drives expectations of one central bank’s move versus the other which affects the currency pair. The upcoming US PCE release on 28th April will provide insight into whether the inflation differential between the US and EU will continue to narrow. The validity of this data remains to be seen, but it's certainly an intriguing observation to consider! The rather eventful economic calendar over the next two weeks offers opportunities for this pair. Starting with the PCE Price Index released on April 28th, it is followed by the Fed meeting on Wednesday, May 3rd and the ECB meeting on Thursday, May 4th. With these events in mind, we want to position ourselves for the flurry of announcements coming out, which could play into EUR/USD strength. The long-term price action still seems to point towards an uptrend, with the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) crossing the 200-day SMA and clearly marking previous swings. The current price is also consolidating at the 1.1000 psychological level, with parity and 1.2000 levels roughly marking the EUR/USD range for the decade. Zooming in, the EURUSD has been trading in an uptrend. An attempt to break above the 1.11 level was quickly rejected, with prices trading back to the trend support shortly after. We are currently witnessing another attempt to break this same level once again. Hence, a risk-managed trade could yield opportunities here with the upcoming onslaught of announcements. Setting up a long position at the current level of 1.1074 with a tight stop just below the trend support at 1.0945 and take profit level of 1.1400 would give us a risk-reward ratio of roughly 2.5. Each 0.00005 increment per EUR in the EURUSD futures contract equal to 6.25$. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com
CME:6E1!Long
by inspirante
The end of an era.This week, the Bank of Japan governor’s Kuroda’s decade long term comes to an end. As such we would like to take some time to review what this means for the Yen and in particular, the AUDJPY. Firstly, central bank timings. In case you missed it, last Tuesday the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) snapped its consecutive 10 rate hikes, being the second major central bank in developed markets to pause after the Bank of Canada. On the other hand, the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) inaction thus far, is in stark contrast to the rest of the world. Kuroda officially ends his second 5-year term. With the new Governor Ueda at the helm, we think a move away from the current policy stance is very likely for BOJ as inflation remains uncharacteristically high for Japan and unemployment still relatively contained. A shift in the BOJ’s policies could mean the end of the largely debatable Yield Curve Control (YCC) policies, either in the form of abandonment or yet another change to the policy band or target yield as it repeatedly trades close to the upper limit of the currently allowed range. In fact, the OIS Implied rates for the 10-year Japanese gov yields show a huge disparity from the BOJ’s policy ceiling of 0.5%. While it has corrected from the high, it still trades north of the 0.5% cap by a clear margin, indicating market participants’ expectations that the yield cap is likely to be abandoned or shifted higher again. Coincidentally, the BOJ can take a page out of the RBA’s book, where RBA faced an almost identical situation, when in 2021 it was forced to abandon its three-year yield target. Once it lost control, yield quickly shot up there after. If or when the BOJ lose control of its YCC program, this warrants a peek into what might happen to Japanese Yields. Market expectations of forward rates are completely opposite for these two countries, with participants expecting the RBA to execute multiple rates cut through 2023, while Japan is expected to hike rates. So what does this mean for the currency pair? Well one way to look at this is the real yield differential between Japan (JP) and Australia (AU). When the AU – JP yield differential collapses, the AUDJPY tends to follow suit. If RBA is to hold rates, while the BOJ is to raise, we could see this yield differential collapse from here, paving the path for the next downward move in the currency pair. On the technical front, the AUDJPY is trading near its upper resistance of a four decade long descending triangle. On a daily timeframe, although the pair's first attempt to break below the 88 handle was short-lived, it now sits just above this support, which could lead to a second coming. Of course, such a trade might take a while to play out given the decade long chart pattern as well as fundamental factors such as central banks’ policy shifts. Looking ahead, the next potential catalyst could be the Bank of Japan’s first meeting under a new leadership on the 27/28th of April, while the RBA’s next meeting is scheduled for 2nd of May. To express this view, one option is to use the CME AUDJPY currency pair, which allows you to short the currency pair directly. Alternatively, if liquidity and contract size are of concern, the same view can be expressed by selling one Micro USDJPY Futures and buying two Micro AUDUSD Futures to construct a synthetic AUDJPY pair. Setting up the AUDJPY currency pair this way allows a more palatable trade as the notional amount is on roughly 20,000 AUD or 10,000 USD. This synthetic set-up allows us to access a more liquid market in both contracts compared with the full sized one. Using the descending triangle structure as a guide, we set our stops at 94, close to the previous resistance and our take profit at 70. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
Short
by inspirante
A Crude Awakening!The surprise production cut announcement from OPEC+ on Sunday caught us off guard! With oil prices surging close to 7%, the question arises: will this trend persist? To put the production cut into perspective, the unexpected 1.16 million barrels per day reduction is a continuation of the cuts announced last October. In total, these cuts will represent roughly 3.7% of global demand. Since it has been some time since we covered oil, let's revisit some of the factors we see affecting oil now. Strategic Petroleum Reserve First, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is currently at its lowest level since 1983. The remarkable depletion of the reserve to combat energy inflation finally ended in December. How has crude oil performed since then? It has been trading relatively flat, with the recent news pushing crude back to its December peak levels. We view this as a potential positive for crude oil, as the current low SPR levels indicate that supplies cannot be easily smoothed out by artificial market forces to suppress oil prices. Furthermore, the SPR will eventually require a refill at some point, adding buying pressure. Dollar weakness As crude oil is quoted in USD, the dollar's performance greatly influences oil prices. The chart above depicts the dollar (inverted) against crude oil. Over the past 20 years, periods of dollar weakening have been associated with higher oil prices. With the recent dollar decline, we have yet to see a significant response from crude. COT Positioning Another interesting note about oil is the reduction of non-commercial long positions over the past year as oil rallied from the depths of negative prices in 2020. As long positions close, net positioning (blue) has returned to 2016 lows. The current positioning landscape presents opportunities for a renewed surge in Crude Oil if market participants re-establish their longs. Term Structure The term structure of Crude Oil remains significantly in backwardation, indicating possible demand pressures, as measured by the Dec 2023 – Dec 2024 spread as well as the Jun 2023 – Jun 2024 spreads. The news on OPEC production cut resulted in a spike in the steepness of the term structure, further emphasizing the presence of price pressures. Political Gamesmanship Last but not least, as global powerhouses China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia jockey for positions on the world stage, it's undeniable that oil plays a pivotal role in their strategic arsenal. By leveraging their influence over this vital commodity, these nations may attempt to exert pressure on the US, seeking to tip the geopolitical balance in their favor and assert their dominance in the energy market. Looking at the charts, we see crude oil struggling to break lower after completing a descending triangle. The recent gap up has now positioned Crude Oil just above the 200-day moving average and descending triangle. Combined, the stage seems set for oil’s next leg higher as the low SPR levels, dollar weakness, term structure & net positioning act as potential tailwinds to propel Crude Oil higher. We set our stops at the previous support level of 73.15 and take-profit levels at 92. Each Crude Oil Future contract is equal to 1000 barrels of crude oil. Each 0.01 point increment in Crude Oil Futures is equal to 10 USD. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.reuters.com
NYMEX:CL1!Long
by inspirante
16
What’s next for Gold & S&P 500?Having covered Gold & the Equity Index last week, this week we will look at how we could leverage both to trade on the move we’re watching! Quite a happening market we first covered Gold two weeks ago. Firstly, the interest rates market had a sizeable correction, with the 10Y-2Y yield now trading at close to -0.45% instead of the -1% range just 3 weeks ago. Secondly, with FOMC out of the way, we have some clarity on what the Fed thinks of the current bank contagion episode as well as how markets reacted to the Fed’s statement. With all these in mind, one thing we want to point out is the relationship between yield curve inversions across the different tenures of the curve. Comparing the past 2 episodes of yield curve inversion on the shorter and longer end of the curve, we note a few things here. Firstly, the 10Y-2Y inversion generally leads the 2Y-3M inversion. Secondly, the past 2 times when both sections of the curve were inverted, we saw a significant sell-off in equities happening soon after. Thirdly, the inversions also marked the start of the next leg up for gold. With peak inversion likely to pass for the 10Y-2Y curve and 2Y-3M inversion at the all-time low now, we see some potential to buy Gold and sell Equity Indices, as we’re raised over the past 2 articles! When we use the S&P500 Futures Contract and the Gold Futures contract to view the ratio of the S&P500 / Gold, this ‘Selling’ point becomes clearer! With the past 2 periods falling 59% and 69% respectively and lasting more than 700 days, this trade could take a while to play out, but the risk to reward seems attractive. As to the hypotheses of why this relationship might exist, it could reside in the idea that abrupt rate cuts likely merely take place in a time of financial distress, hence the selloff in equities and flight to safe-haven assets like gold. When rates fall off, the non-yielding assets like Gold would start to look more attractive to yield-hunting investors, which could have added fuel to the Gold rally, too. Taking a conservative target of 35% lower from the current ratio level of 2, we position a short in the S&P 500 / Gold ratio by selling 1 S&P 500 Futures and buying 1 Gold Futures, at the current price of 1980 for CME April 2023Gold Futures (GCJ3) and 4010 for the CME June 2023 (ESM3 ) S&P 500 Futures, the notional value of the position for the long & short leg is almost equal at; Long GCJ3: 1980*100 = 198,000 Short ESM3: 4010 * 50 = 200,500 Setting up such a spread trade requires some monitoring of the difference in notional value to ensure that the position is properly hedged. Each 0.25-point move in the ESM3 contract is equal to 12.5 USD while a 0.1-point move in the GCJ3 contract is equal to 10 USD. Trading this spread would be eligible for a margin offset of up to 70%, meaning that the capital required to set up this trade is much lower. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. 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: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
TVC:US02YShort
by inspirante