Will ETH Fill Its CME Futures Gap at $3,000?ETH CME futures gap between the $3,000 and $3,150 levels is expected to be filled before a potential upward movement. Historically, 95% of CME futures gaps have been filled, suggesting that this pattern may repeat. The $3,000 level serves as a strong psychological support for ETH, and once the gap is filled, a significant bounce from the $3,000 level can be anticipated.
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What’s Putting Crude Oil Prices Under Pressure?At a Glance
With vehicle efficiency up and China's economy slowing, WTI crude oil prices experienced late summer lows, though they have since started to rebound
Driving would need to increase by nearly 2% each year to keep fuel demand stable
Crude oil prices fell sharply in late August and early September. Does this mean that oil is a bargain?
The answer is complex. For starters, OPEC+ has taken 3.6 million barrels per day off of the market over the past two years. Secondly, geopolitical tensions remain high. What explains oil’s weakness despite these factors that ordinarily might have supported prices?
Vehicle Efficiency
The average car in model year 2024 will likely be able to drive as much as 24% further on the same amount of fuel as a similar car from model year 2012. Since a car typically lasts about 12 years, this means that each year drivers around the world need to drive about 2% further than the year before just to keep demand stable.
In the U.S., drivers aren’t driving any further than they were back in 2019.
Demand From China
Last year, 35% of new cars sold in China were EVs, and this year that could grow to over 50%. China’s economy is also growing more slowly than in the past. Since 2005, oil prices have often peaked about one year after peaks in China’s pace of growth. China’s growth rate last crested in 2021, and oil prices peaked a year later in 2022.
Moreover, China’s economy decelerated sharply over the summer which might deprive oil of a critical source of demand growth going into late 2024 and into next year.
Finally, watch for OPEC+ decisions later this year, which could potentially boost output.
If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out CME Group data plans available on TradingView to suit your trading needs: tradingview.com/cme/
By Erik Norland, Executive Director and Senior Economist, CME Group
*CME Group futures are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of loss. Copyright © 2023 CME Group Inc.
**All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience.
BTC CME 2 Day Points of interest $49K low coming?!?I have back tested this and there are 4 downward points of interest, all the wat down to 32K!! Don't think 32 will happen , but never retested. The white circles are where I have buys in, I do think that the low will be a kiss down to the circle between the 6.18 and the 7.86, the previous high before this run has never been tested either. when the market runs up fast and high then its has a long way down for a retest, otheise the yop will come too early look at 200 & 50 MA also
Nasdaq 100 - Futures Day Trading - 15min HypoYesterday we took the all-time high with a liquidity sweep creating a market structure shift on the 15min timeframe. Asia/London session is now in a range market. 8.30 Am we have Canadian CPI news. Careful for manipulation. I will be looking for clear indications and confirmation to trade in direction of the American market open. The overall value migration is up for long term investors, however with this temporary market structure shift model I will be looking for an intraday short when sweeping Asia/London highs.
WTI. Expecting and Suggestions about it.Good day.
WTI. Last month showed interesting upward and downward movements; in anticipation, everything closed for an upward movement. Due to the instability in the Middle East and lower Africa, and indeed in the world, these factors influence more likely the Growth of Oil, but let's move on to the Technical Picture.
Since the beginning of the year it is trading above 10% growth. The 10% level is the closing price of the year - 71.65 = 78.81. Next we have the expected levels of 15 and 20% growth - 82.39 and 85.98.
Looking at the 1Month Charts, we see a picture of the absorption of December trade into January. Moving on to Weekly - We see that since the week of January 29 it has been trading in this range (Inside Bar itself is a very strong combination) and it is breaking through upwards. That's why she says growth. The support level remains at 78.81, if suddenly there is a false breakout.
Next, we see that Exponential Averages say that the price passes the Annual from bottom to top, and the Quarterly and Monthly are lined up at an Angle in growth. Further, using Donchian, building a corridor of Highs and Lows for the period, and we look at the quarterly range, which breaks through at the Highs level at 79.62. Therefore, the Course for this month is clear. For the most part, 80% expect growth, depending on the Situation.
Thank you all. Goodness and Peace to all
Gold Futures [GC1] - ShortGold has been trading lower consecutively for the past 3 days. We are expecting one more push to the downside during the NY session.
The trade is supported by HTF bias as bearish. Currently we have a decent retracement already above 50% since the last liquidity grab which is placing our trade in Premium range.
Entry: 2017-2022
SL: Determine once we have a valid entry trigger.
TP: Open
Goodluck!
As Inflation Retreats, How Will Equities Perform in 2024?During the 1990s and again in the 2010s, equity and bond investors celebrated a goldilocks economy. GDP and employment growth were solid and core inflation remained comfortably around 2% per year despite increasingly tight labor markets. That scenario was occasionally interrupted, notably by the tech wreck recession in 2001, the 2008 global financial crisis, and most recently by the pandemic-era surge in inflation. But by late 2023, inflation appeared to be coming down globally. Comparing the annualized inflation rates during the six months from December 2022 to May 2023, and the six months from June to November 2023, inflation rates have fallen sharply in every major economy (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Core inflation rates are falling rapidly worldwide
Source: Bloomberg Professional (CPI XYOY, CACPTYOY, UKHCA9IC, CPIEXEMUY, JPCNEFEY, ACPMXVLY, NOCPULLY, CPEXSEYY, SZEXIYOY, NZCPIYOY)
Granted, things still don’t feel great for consumers, who appear to be less sensitive to the rate of change in prices than they are to level of prices which remain high and are still climbing, albeit at a slower pace than before.
Nevertheless, it appears that the main drivers of inflation -- supply chain disruptions (Figure 2) and surging government spending (Figure 3) -- subsided long ago. Supply chain disruptions sent the prices of manufactured goods soaring beginning in late 2020. Depressed pandemic-era services prices initially masked the surge in inflation, but services prices began soaring as the world reopened in 2021 and 2022 driven by surging government spending, which created new demand but no new supply of goods and services.
Since then, however, supply chain disruptions have faded despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and with little impact thus far from the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Moreover, government spending has rapidly contracted as pandemic-era support programs have expired despite some increases in spending related to infrastructure and the military. As such, not even the low levels of unemployment prevailing in Europe, U.S. and elsewhere appear to be sustaining the rates of inflation witnessed in 2021 and 2022.
Figure 2: Supply chain disruptions drove inflation in manufactured goods in 2020 and 2021.
Source: Bloomberg Professional (WCIDLASH and WDCISHLA)
Figure 3: U.S. government spending has fallen from 35% to 22.6% of GDP
Source: Bloomberg Professional (FFSTCORP, FFSTIND, FFSTEMPL, FFSTEXC, FFSTEST, FFSTCUST, FFSTOTHR, GDP CUR$, FDSSD), CME Group Economic Research Calculations
U.S. core CPI is still running at 4% year on year but its annualized pace slowed to 2.9%. What’s more is that in the U.S. most of the increase in CPI has come from one component: owners’ equivalent rent, which imputes a rent that homeowners theoretically pay themselves based off actual rents on nearby properties. Outside of owners’ equivalent rent, inflation in the U.S. is back to 2%, its pre-pandemic norm (Figure 4).
Figure 4: U.S. inflation is much lower when excluding home rental
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg Professional (CPI YoY and CPI XYOY)
Moreover, inflation in China has been running close to zero in recent months and has sometimes even shown year-on-year declines. In China, real estate grew to be as much as 28% of GDP, and the sector is now rapidly contracting. China’s year-on-year pace of growth for 2023 looks solid at around 5%, but that’s not too impressive given than the year-on-year growth rate compares to 2022, when the country spent much of the year in COVID lockdowns. By the end of 2023, China’s manufacturing and services sectors were both in a mild contraction, according to the country’s purchasing manager index data. If growth doesn’t improve in 2024, China may export deflationary pressures to the rest of the world.
That doesn’t mean that the are no upward risks to prices. If the Israel-Hamas war broadens and interrupts oil supplies through the Suez Canal, that could reignite inflation. Moreover, green infrastructure spending, rising military spending, near-shoring as well as demographic trends in places like South Korea, Japan, China and Europe that limit the number of new entrants in the global labor market could potentially keep upward pressure on inflation. For the moment, however, any inflationary impacts from geopolitical or demographic factors appear to be overwhelmed by the usual set of factors keeping inflation contained including technological advancement and large labor cost differentials among nations.
So, what does this mean for investors? As we begin 2024, fixed income investors are pricing about 200 basis points (bps) of rate cuts by the Federal Reserve over the next 24 months, and the S&P 500 is trading close to a record high. Be warned, however, interest rate expectations have been extremely volatile over the past 12 months, oscillating between expecting rate hikes to rate cuts by as many as 200 bps or more (Figure 5). If we continue to see strong employment and consumer spending numbers combined with weakening inflation numbers, this may keep rate expectations caught in a volatile crosscurrent.
Figure 5: Investors price steep Fed cuts but rate expectations are extremely volatile
Source: Bloomberg Professional (FDTRMID, FFZ15...FFZ25), CME Economic Research Calculations
Moreover, while equities did well in 2023, their rally was narrow, driven by only a handful of large tech and consumer discretionary stocks, while most other stocks including small caps were largely left behind. Finally, the stock market itself isn’t cheap. The S&P 500 is trading at 23.37x earnings and the Nasdaq 100 at 59x earnings. As a percentage of GDP, the S&P 500’s market is still close to historic highs. Finally, even with 2023’s rally, the indexes are trading at basically the same levels at which they ended 2021 (Figure 6). Part of the reason stocks did so well in the 1990s and 2010s is that they started out those decades cheap. The same cannot be said of the starting values for 2024 (Figure 7).
Figure 6: Nasdaq and S&P 500 are near end of 2021 levels but the Russell 2000 lags behind
Source: Bloomberg Professional (SPX, NDX and RTY)
Figure 7: Going into 2024, equities aren’t cheap like they were in 1994 or 2014
Source: Bloomberg Professional (SPX, GDP CUR$, USGG10YR).
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
By Erik Norland, Executive Director and Senior Economist, CME Group
*CME Group futures are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of loss. Copyright © 2023 CME Group Inc.
**All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience.
Economic Lessons From 2023We entered 2023 with a pessimistic consensus outlook for U.S. economic performance and for how rapidly inflation might recede. As it happened, there was no recession, and personal consumption posted sustained strength. Inflation, except shelter, declined dramatically from its 2022 peak.
The big economic driver in 2023 was job growth. Jobs had recovered all their pandemic losses by mid-2022 and continued to post strong growth in 2023, partly due to many people returning to the labor force.
When the economy is adding jobs, people are willing to spend money. The key for real GDP in 2023 was the strong job growth that led to robust personal consumption spending. For 2024, labor force growth and job growth are anticipated by many to slow down from the unexpectedly strong pace of 2023, leading to slower real GDP growth in 2024.
And there is still plenty of debate about whether a slowdown in 2024 could turn into a recession. Followers of the inverted yield curve will point out that it was only in Q4 2023 that the yield curve decisively inverted (meaning short-term rates are higher than long-term yields). It is often cited that it takes 12 to 18 months after a yield curve inversion for a recession to commence. Using that math, Q2 2024 would be the time for economic weakness to appear based on this theory. Only time will tell.
The rapid pace of inflation receding in the first half of 2023 was a very pleasant surprise. Indeed, inflation is coming under control by virtually every measure except one: shelter. The calculation of shelter inflation is highly controversial for its use of owners’ equivalent rent, which assumes the homeowner rents his house to himself and receives the income. This is an economic fiction that many argue dramatically distorts headline CPI, given that owners’ equivalent rent is 25% of the price index.
Once one removes owners’ equivalent rent from the inflation calculation, inflation is only 2%, and one can better appreciate why the Federal Reserve has chosen to pause its rate hikes, even as it keeps its options open to raise rates if inflation were to unexpectedly rise again.
The bottom line is that monetary policy reached a restrictive stance in late 2022 and was tightened a little more in 2023. For a data dependent Fed, inflation and jobs data for 2024 will guide us as to what might happen next. Good numbers on inflation or a recession might mean rate cuts. Otherwise, the Fed might just keep rates higher for longer.
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
By Bluford Putnam, Managing Director & Chief Economist, CME Group
*Various CME Group affiliates are regulated entities with corresponding obligations and rights pursuant to financial services regulations in a number of jurisdictions. Further details of CME Group's regulatory status and full disclaimer of liability in accordance with applicable law are available below.
**All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience.
Quantitative Tightening Effects on the Markets This video tutorial discussion:
• What is QE and QT?
• Each impact to the stock market
• The latest QT, how will the stock market into 2024?
Dow Jones Futures & Its Minimum Fluctuation
E-mini Dow Jones Futures
1.0 index point = $5.00
Code: YM
Micro E-mini Dow Jones Futures
1.0 index point = $0.50
Code: MYM
Disclaimer:
• What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker.
• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. 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
Primer on Crude Oil Crack SpreadEver dreamt of being an oil refiner? Fret not. You can operate a virtual refinery using a combination of energy derivatives that replicates oil refiner returns.
Crude oil is the world’s most traded commodity. Oil consumption fuels the global economy. Crude is refined into gasoline and distillates.
Refining is the process of cracking crude into its usable by-products. Gross Processing Margin (GPM) guides refineries to modulate their output. Crack spread defines GPM in oil refining.
This primer provides an overview of factors affecting the crack spread. It delves into the mechanics of harnessing refining spread gains using CME suite of energy products.
UNPACKING THE CRACK SPREAD
Crack spread is the difference between price of outputs (gasoline & distillate prices) and the inputs (crude oil price). Cracking is an industry term pointing to breaking apart crude oil into its component products.
Portfolio managers can use CME energy futures to gain exposure to the GPM for US refiners. CME offers contracts that provide exposure to WTI Crude Oil ( CL ) as well as the most liquid refined product contracts namely NY Harbor ULSD ( HO ) and RBOB Gasoline ( RB ).
Crude Prices
Crude oil prices play a significant role in determining the crack spread. Refining profitability is directly impacted by crude oil price volatility which is influenced by geopolitics, supply-demand dynamics, and macroeconomic conditions.
Higher oil prices lead to a narrowing crack spread. Lower crude prices result in wider margins.
Expectedly, one leg of the crack spread comprises of crude oil.
Gasoline Prices
Gasoline is arguably the most important refined product of crude oil. Gasoline is not a direct byproduct of the distillation process. It is a blend of distilled products that provides the most consistent motor fuel.
Gasoline prices at the pump in the US vary by region. Price differs due to differences in state taxes, distance from supply sources, competition among gasoline retailers, operating costs in the region, and state-specific regulations.
CME’s RBOB Gasoline contract provides exposure to Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending (RBOB). It is procured by local retailers, who blend in their own additives and sell the final product at pumps.
RBOB is blended with ethanol to create reformulated gasoline. It produces less smog than other blends. Consequently, it is mandated by about 30% of the US market. RBOB price is thus representative of US gasoline demand.
Each CME RBOB Gasoline contract provides exposure to 42,000 gallons. It is quoted in gallons instead of barrels. The contract size is equivalent to one thousand barrels like the crude oil contract.
Distillate Prices
Distillate or Heating Oil is another important refined product of crude oil. Distillate is used to make jet fuel and diesel. Demand for distillate products is distinct from gasoline demand.
A substantial portion of the North-East US lack adequate connection to natural gas. Hence, the region depends on HO for energy during winters making HO sensitive to weather.
CME NY Harbor ULSD contract ("ULSD”) provides exposure to 42,000 gallons of Ultra-low sulphur diesel which is a type of HO. ULSD contract is also equivalent to one thousand barrels.
Chart: ULSD Price Performance Over the Last Twenty Years.
TRADING THE CRACK SPREAD
The crack spread can be expressed using the above contracts in three distinct ways:
1) 1:1 SPREAD
This spread consists of a single contract of CL on one leg and a single contract of one of the refined products on the other. This spread helps traders to express their view on the relationship between single type of refined product against crude oil. It is useful when price of one of the refined products diverges from crude oil prices.
1:1 spread is also useful when there are distinct conditions affecting each of the refined products.
2) 3:2:1 SPREAD
This spread consists of (3 contracts of CL) on one leg and (2 contracts RBOB + 1 contract of ULSD) on the other leg. The entire position thus consists of six contracts. It assumes that three barrels of crude can be used to create two barrels of RBOB and one barrel of HO.
This trade is better at capturing the actual refining margin. It is commonly used by refiners to hedge their market exposure to crude and refined products.
3:2:1 spread is used by investors to express views on conditions affecting refineries.
3) 5:3:2 SPREAD
Spread consists of (5 contracts of CL) on one leg and (3 contracts of RBOB + 2 contracts of heating oil) on the other leg. This spread captures the actual proportions from the refining process. However, it is much more capital-intensive.
FACTORS IMPACTING CRACK SPREAD
Seasonality, supply-demand dynamics, and inventory levels collectively impact crack spreads.
Seasonality
Mint Finance covered seasonal factors affecting crude oil prices in a previous paper . In that paper, we described that crude seasonality is influenced by variation in refined products demand.
In summer, gasoline demand is higher, and, in the winter, distillate demand is higher.
Seasonal price performance of the three contracts is distinct leading to a unique seasonal variation in various crack spreads. Summary performance of the three spreads is provided below.
Chart: Seasonal price performance of Crude, its refined products, and their spread (excluding years 2008, 2009 and 2020 in which extreme price moves were observed)
Refiners strategically time their operations based on seasonal trends, ramping up refinery capacity ahead of peak demand in summer and winter. This involves building up inventories to meet anticipated high demand.
However, this preparation often results in a narrowed spread just before peak utilization. As the spread reaches its lowest point, refiners take capacity offline for maintenance.
Subsequently, crack margins begin to expand as refined product supplies dwindle, aligning with decreased crude oil consumption. This results in a gradually increasing spread through high consumption periods.
Supply/Inventories
Supply and inventories of crude oil and refined products influence crack spreads. When inventories of refined products remain elevated, their prices decline narrowing the spread.
When the production and inventory of crude oil is elevated, its price declines leading to a widening spread.
On the contrary, low inventories of refined products can lead to a wider crack spread and low inventories of crude oil leads to a narrower crack spread.
Demand
Refinery demand has a self-balancing effect as higher refining requires higher consumption of crude which acts to increase crude oil prices.
Demand for crude oil and refined products is broadly correlated. However, there are often periods when demand diverges on a short-term scale.
Economic activity and available supplies drive demand for refined products. During periods of high economic growth, refined product consumption is robust pushing their price higher.
Demand for refined products can precede or lag demand for crude oil from seasonal as well as trend-based factors. This lag can be identified using the crack spread. Sharp moves in crack spread pre-empt moves in the underlying which act to normalize the spread.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
There are two trends defining the crack spread currently:
1) Divergence in demand & inventories of gasoline and distillates: Low demand for gasoline is evident due to expectations of an economic slowdown while gasoline inventories remain elevated. Though, distillate consumption remains high as inventories are declining and lower than the 5-year average range.
Chart: Divergence in inventories of distillate and gasoline (Source – EIA 1 , 2 ).
Moreover, inventories of gasoline and distillates are higher than usual. Both factors together have led to a gloomy outlook for refined product demand. Gasoline stocks have started to increase while distillate stocks are still declining.
When refined product inventories are elevated investors can position short on the crack spread in anticipation of ample supply. Conversely, if refined product inventories are low, investors can position long on the crack spread.
Chart: Divergence in refined product inventories in US (gasoline rising and distillate declining).
2) Declining crude price and tight supplies: In September, Saudi Arabia and Russia announced supply cuts extending into January. Globally, this led to a supply deficit of crude oil. Supplies of crude in the US was particularly stressed as refiners increased utilization to build up inventories while margins were high and exacerbated by a pipeline outage.
Chart: Crude Oil inventories in US have stabilized in September and October.
Following increase in oil prices, refining activity has slowed, and supplies have become more stable.
When inventories of crude are stable or elevated, it indicates less demand from refiners. Investors can opt to position long on the crack spread anticipating ample crude supply.
Chart: US Refinery Utilization and Crude Inputs have slowed in October.
Although, crude oil supply cuts from Saudi are going to continue until January 2024, there is no longer a deficit as consumption has slowed down.
Together, both trends have caused a sharp collapse in the crack spread. Value of the 3:2:1 crack spread has declined by 50% over the past month.
Prices of refined products have been affected more negatively by low demand than crude oil. Inventories and supply situation for refined products is more secure than crude oil. Still, seasonal trends suggest an expansion in crack spread once refined product inventories start to be depleted.
HARNESSING GAINS FROM CHANGES IN CRACK SPREAD
Two hypothetical trade setups are described below which can be used to take positions on the crack spread based on assessment of current conditions.
LONG 3:2:1 SPREAD
Based on (a) sharp decline in crack spread which is likely to revert, and (b) seasonal trend pointing to increase in the crack spread, investors can take a long position in the crack spread. This consists of:
• Long position in 2 x RBF2024 and 1 x HOF2024
• Short position in 3 x CLF2024
The position profits when:
1) Price of RBOB and ULSD rise faster than Crude.
2) Price of Crude declines faster than RBOB and ULSD.
The position looses when:
1) Price of Crude rises faster than RBOB and ULSD.
2) Price of RBOB and ULSD declines faster than Crude.
• Entry: 63.81
• Target: 79.12
• Stop Loss: 55.73
• Profit at Target: USD 45,930 ((Target-Entry) x 1000 x 3)
• Loss at Stop: USD 24,240 ((Stop-Entry) x 1000 x 3)
• Reward/Risk: 1.89x
LONG 1:1 HEATING OIL SPREAD
Based on relative bullishness in distillate inventories plus stronger seasonal demand for distillates during winter, margins for refining heating oil will likely rise faster than gasoline refining margins. Focusing the expanding crack margin on a 1:1 heating oil margin spread can lead to a stronger payoff.
This position consists of Long 1 x HOF2024 and Short 1 x CLF2024 .
The position profits when:
1) Price of ULSD rises faster than Crude.
2) Price of Crude declines faster than ULSD.
The position will endure losses when:
1) Price of Crude rises faster than ULSD.
2) Price of ULSD declines faster than Crude.
• Entry: 36.15
• Target: 42.79
• Stop Loss: 32.3
• Profit at Target: USD 6,640 ((Target-Entry) x 1000)
• Loss at Stop: USD 3,850 ((Stop-Entry) x 1000)
• Reward/Risk: 1.72x
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Crack spread refers to the gross processing margin of refining (“cracking”) crude oil into its by-products.
Refined products RBOB and ULSD can be traded on the CME as separate commodities. Both are representative of demand for crude oil from distinct sources.
There are three types of crack spread: 1:1, 3:2:1, and 5:3:2.
a. 1:1 can be used to express views on the relationship between one of the refined products and crude.
b. 3:2:1 can be used to express views on the refining margin of refineries.
c. 5:4:3 can give a more granular view of proportions of refined products produced at refineries but is far more capital-intensive.
Crack spreads are affected by seasonality, supply, and inventory levels of crude and refined products, as well as demand for each refined product.
A low-demand outlook for refined products of crude is prevalent due to expectations of an economic slowdown.
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.
Trading or investment ideas cited here are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management or trading under the market scenarios being discussed. Please read the FULL DISCLAIMER the link to which is provided in our profile description.
Why Is Gold Outpacing the Stock Market?Looking back to 1928, when the time series for the S&P 500 began, U.S. equities have had an average annual price return of 5.9%. But gold isn’t far behind with an average yearly gain of 4.9%.
It can be instructive to reprice equities in gold terms by dividing the S&P 500 index by the dollar price of gold.
The S&P 500 to gold ratio has been through broad swings over the past century, with stocks falling by 86% in gold terms between 1929 and 1942; rising by 1165% versus gold from 1942 to 1967; falling by 95% versus gold from 1967 to 1980; soaring 4000% versus gold between 1980 and 2000; and then falling by 89% between 2000 and 2011.
More recently, the S&P 500 rose by 350% versus gold between 2011 and 2021 but has since dropped back by around 15%.
Gold tends to outperform stocks during periods of fiscal and monetary expansion, price instability, and periods of geopolitical conflict and uncertainty. As such, one might wonder if gold might be the outperformer for the remainder of the 2020s.
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
By Erik Norland, Executive Director and Senior Economist, CME Group
*CME Group futures are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of loss. Copyright © 2023 CME Group Inc.
**All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience.
Bitcoin Futures : Gap filledCME Bitcoin Futures : Gap filled
......................................................................................................................
We are not registered or licensed in any jurisdiction whatsoever to provide investing advice or anything of an advisory or consultancy nature.
and are therefore are unqualified to give investment recommendations.
Always do your own research and consult with a licensed investment professional before investing.
This communication is never to be used as the basis of making investment decisions, and it is for entertainment purposes only.
Could AI Help Dampen Inflation?Will the 2020s look like the 1970s with unstable inflation and soaring prices? Or will we return to the 2010s with low stable inflation rates of around 2%? There is a case to be made both ways.
Those who worry about the possibility of durably higher inflation argue that the quarter century of low, stable inflation rates was a consequence of the end of the Cold War, globalization and just-in-time supply lines.
Now, many of those factors have reversed. Military spending is on the rise worldwide as global tensions mount. Nearshoring and friendshoring are moving production out of China and into places like Vietnam and Mexico but at an increased cost. Finally, just-in-time-delivery has proven to be fragile and creates a strong potential for supply chain disruptions.
These factors, combined with shrinking workforces in China, Korea, Japan and much of Europe, could put upward pressure on wages and inflation.
But there is a counter argument: technology continues to advance rapidly, and generative AI could pose a threat to many middle-class service professions. And inflation has begun coming down in many countries, led by the United States.
In the U.S., core inflation has fallen from 6.6% YoY to just 4.1%, and most of the remaining increase has come from one component: owners’ equivalent rent. Outside of owners’ equivalent rent, U.S. inflation is running at just 2.1% year-on-year. After a massive global tightening of rates, economies may also slow significantly, reducing inflationary pressures.
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
By Erik Norland, Executive Director and Senior Economist, CME Group
*Various CME Group affiliates are regulated entities with corresponding obligations and rights pursuant to financial services regulations in a number of jurisdictions. Further details of CME Group's regulatory status and full disclaimer of liability in accordance with applicable law are available below.
**All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience.
#bitcoin #btc has closed a historical #CME #GAPAs you see on the chart, there was very important #CMEFUTURES gap at 35 - 36K area which was opened in #luna collapse times. Now, #btcusdt price has CLOSED this historical gap and what now?
It' s too early to say #btcprice will go on through the #bullrun or " BTC will directly go to close the OTHER historical GAP at 20 - 21K region!.."
Now, just relax and watch the #market and especially #BTCdominance. #BTCD will reveal the direction of the market. I will update my thoughts.
As you see on the chart, there only 1 #CME #FUTURES #GAP left at 20 - 21K region. Don' t underestimate this and also don' t be pessimistic, just carefully watch #bitcoin moves.
NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE. Dyor.
Harnessing Gains from Yield Curve NormalisationNot too long ago, watching interest rates was as boring as looking at wet paint dry. Not anymore. Interest rates and currencies are as interesting as they get. The US dollar has been clocking moves more akin to an EM currency.
The greenback has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past three months in line with market expectations of Fed’s interest rate policy path. This paper is set in three parts. First, the background to rising rates and spiking yields leads to a brutal bond sell off. Then, the paper evaluates the case for further Fed rate hikes. In the third and final part, it dwells into factors that support a rate pause.
It is not just the rates but also the term structure of rates that’s gone off-the-chart. This paper posits a hypothetical spread trade inspired by the divergence in 30Y and 10Y treasuries with an entry at 13 bps and a target at 40 bps hedged by a stop at 5 bps delivering a reward-to-risk of 1.5x.
RISING RATES AND SPIKING YIELDS
Fed’s commitment to taming inflation with a higher-for-longer stance leads to a surging dollar. Spiking bond yields help reign in inflation through tightening monetary conditions.
The US 10Y Treasury Bond Yields surged to their highest level since 2007, by 20% or 0.8 percentage points since July 17th.
Chart 1: US 10Y and US 2Y Treasury Yields
Yield and Bond prices are inversely related. Surging yields have hammered bond prices lower resulting in a staggering record sell-off. Leveraged funds hold a record net short positioning in US 2-year and 10-year Treasury Futures.
Chart 2: Record Net Short Positioning by Leverage Funds
This brutal selloff has pushed yields to their highest levels in more than 15 years. Among others, portfolio managers and traders can position themselves one of the two ways:
Risk Hedged Yield Harvesting: Harvest risk hedged treasury yield using cash treasury positions and Treasury futures to generate income over a long horizon, or,
Gain from Yield Curve Normalisation: Deploy CME Micro Treasury Futures to engineer a spread trade to realise gains from a normalising yield curve.
In a previous paper , Mint Finance illustrated the first. Distinctly, this paper covers spread trade using CME Micro Treasury Futures.
THE CASE FOR HIKING
The September FOMC meeting re-affirmed a higher-for-longer rate regime. Though there was no rate hike, the updated Fed’s dot plot signalled very different expectations for the rates ahead.
The dot plot was updated to show a final rate hike in 2023 and fewer rate cuts in 2024.
Chart 3: Contrasting US Fed’s Dot Plot between 14/June versus 20/September ( Federal Reserve )
The Fed has adequate grounds to crank up rates even more as highlighted in a previous paper . These include (a) American exceptionalism where the US Economy has been remarkably resilient, (b) Expensive Oil due to geopolitics & receding base level effects, and (c) Brutal Lessons from past on the folly of premature easing.
THE CASE FOR PAUSE
Factors described above have led markets to price another rate hike at Fed meetings later this year. Those views have started to tilt further towards a pause since the start of October as per CME FedWatch tool.
Chart 4: Target Rate Probabilities For 13/Dec Fed Meeting ( CME FedWatch Tool )
Bond yields have surged, helping the Fed with their fight against inflation. Yields on US Treasuries surged to their highest since 2007. As yields are inversely proportional to bond prices, this is the equivalent of a major selloff in the bond market.
Three reasons behind the selloff:
1. Steepening Yield Curve:
Yields are finally catching up to market rates, especially for long-term treasuries; yield curve is steepening
Chart 5: Yield Curve is Steepening
2. Rising Sovereign Risk Premia: The US national debt passed USD 33 trillion and is set to reach USD 52 trillion within the next 10 years. Investors are demanding higher risk premia as compensation for default risk by a heavy borrower.
Chart 6: US Debt to GDP Ratio
3. Higher Yield to Compensate for Scorching Inflation: Investors are demanding higher real rates amid a high-inflation environment.
Chart 7: Real Yields are marginally above zero
Bond yields seem to be peaking. Solita Marcelli of UBS Global Wealth Management opines that the recent upward momentum in yields has been spurred largely by technical factors and is likely to be reversed given the overhang of uncertainty over underlying forces guiding the Treasury market.
Higher bond yields support a case for a Fed pause. This is because rising treasury yields do part of the Fed’s job. Higher treasury yields tighten financial conditions in addition to being a drag on the economy.
The Fed officials shared similar sentiments over the past week:
San Francisco Fed President Daly noted the moves in markets “could be equivalent to another rate hike”.
The Atlanta Fed chief opined that he doesn’t see the need for any more rate hikes.
The Dallas Fed President remarked that such a surge in bond markets may mean less need for additional rate increases.
The Fed has made it amply clear many times that it is data dependent. The data about the economy is positive. And that is concerning. Jobs data last week, and a sticky CPI print raise concerns that the Fed’s hand might be forced to hike despite US inflation being low among G7.
Chart 8: US Inflation is among the lowest within G7s
HYPOTHETICAL TRADE SETUP
Are we witnessing peak rates? In anticipation of the peak, investors can use CME Micro Treasury Futures to harness gains in a margin efficient manner. Micro Treasury Futures are intuitive as they are quoted in yields and are fully cash settled. They are settled daily to BrokerTec US Treasury benchmarks for price integrity and consistency.
As highlighted in a previous paper , each basis point change in yield represents a USD 10 change in notional value across all tenors, making spread trading seamless.
Setting up a position on yield inversion between 2Y and 10Y Treasuries is exposed to significant downside risks from near-term rate uncertainty.
Instead, a prudent alternative is for investors to establish a spread with a short position in 10Y rates and a long position in 30Y rates. The 30Y treasury rates demand a higher term premium due to their longer maturity.
Presently, this premium is just 0.15%. In the past, this premium has reached as high as 1% during periods of monetary policy shifts with yield curve steepening.
Chart 9: US Treasury Inverted Spreads
Furthermore, downside on this spread is limited as the 30Y-10Y premium scarcely falls below 0% unlike the 10Y-2Y premium which has been in deep inversion for the past year. A long position in 30Y Treasury and a short position in 10Y Treasury with:
Entry: 0.130 (13 basis points)
Target: 0.4 (40 basis points)
Stop Loss: -0.05 (5 basis points)
Profit at Target: USD 270 (27 basis points x USD 10)
Loss at Stop: USD 180 (18 basis points x USD 10)
Reward to Risk: 1.5x
Chart 10: Hypothetical Spread (Long 30Y & Short 10Y) Trade Set Up
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
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GC1! Gold Futures Short setup I present to you a possible scenario going into the weeks ahead .
Gold finished Friday 13 Oct very strong with a move that no doubt destroyed many whom were taken by surprise with the aggressive move out of 1880 back up to 1945 in one trading session .
The question is what's next? Well no one has the exact answer but here is a possible scenario which could be on the cards . I would not be surprised to see a small pull back and all the shorts to pile in trying to sell the top before getting trapped/destroyed with another move up towards $1970 taking out the sept 20 high/liquidity before a much bigger move to the downside.
To give my chart the uncongested cleanest look , I have removed some of the levels inside of the Fib Channel to make it easier on the eye .
Above we have a High volume Node+ Liquidity and the golden pocket + Fib Channel as confluences .
I will be expecting a reaction at this region and will act accordingly .
More data will be required to determine if this is to be another LH on the HTF or a deep RT and continuation to the upside .
Set alerts at the given region and manage your SL in accordance with your trading plan and appetite for risk.
Like and follow for more setups like this and check out my previous analysis on Gold