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Natural Gas: A look at term structureLast week , we examined Natural Gas from a seasonality perspective. This week, we aim to extend that discussion and explore other ways to implement a similar view. To quickly recap: From a seasonality standpoint, we identified short-term opportunities for a downward move in Natural Gas. Factors such as higher-than-normal storage levels, unseasonably warm weather, and the typical price trends from December to January suggest a potential decline in prices. Additionally, prices have recently broken past initial short-term support, now trading below the $3 handle. Another perspective worth considering is the term structure. Term structure refers to the difference between futures prices of various maturities of commodity futures. It is visualized by plotting the prices of different expiry contracts, forming what we refer to as the term structure curve. The term structure reveals other insight that we can explore, starting with the basic slope, which can be categorized as flat, upward sloping, or downward sloping. Understanding these can reveal potential mispricing or provide a clearer picture of market expectations at different future points. Contango An upward-sloping term structure, known as "Contango", occurs where contracts closer to expiry are priced cheaper relative to those further from expiry. This can be attributed to factors like storage costs where contracts further from expiry might trade at higher prices due to the associated storage expenses. Sellers, therefore, demand higher prices to offset these costs. Backwardation A downward-sloping term structure, termed “Backwardation,” happens when prices in the near months are higher than those further from expiry. This might occur for various reasons such as a benefit to owning the physical material, also known as convenience yield or even just short-term demand pressures. Term Structure With a rough idea of contango and backwardation in mind, we can now look at Natural Gas term structure. The chart above shows the term structure for natural gas 1 year ago, 6 months ago and yesterday. Here we can see the 3 distinct shapes for the term structure, especially when we focus on the front part of the term structure. With the term structure a year ago deeply in backwardation, 6 months ago in contango and current term structure in a generally flat shape. We also observe that term structure shapes can change quite rapidly hence it can be valuable to look at the shape of the curve to place strategies on the term structure. For instance, if we maintain a short-term bearish but long-term bullish view, one strategy could be to short the front part of the curve while going long on the back part. This can be achieved by creating a Jan – Jun 2024 calendar spread, going short on the Jan 2024 contract and long on the Jun 2024 contract. What’s interesting when we look at the Calendar spread vs the outright price moves in the individual leg is that the direction of the outright contract moves generally dictates the direction of the calendar spread. Again, this could happen for a couple of reasons, one being that trading activity often concentrates on the front part of the term structure for liquidity reasons, hence, making the front part of the term structure generally more reactive than the back part of the term structure. But why trade the calendar spread instead of the outright? Reduced Margin Benefits of trading the calendar spread instead of the individual month contract include lowered margin requirements due to margin offsets from CME, reducing the margin needed compared to outright positions. Reduced sensitivity to risk/black swan events Both long and short positions in a spread will react together to risk events, albeit to different magnitudes, mitigating overall exposure. For example, during the Natural Gas rally in 2021, while outright prices increased from $2.5 to $9.5, the Jan – Jun 2023 calendar spread only increased by $1 over the same period. Similarly, on the decline, outright prices fell close to $8, but the calendar spread fell by only $0.74. This relatively controlled price swing allows for more manageable risk compared to outright contracts. Hence to express our short-term bearish but long-term bullish view, we can take a short position on the CME Henry Hub Natural Gas January 2024 Futures and a long position on the CME Henry Hub Natural Gas June 2024 Futures at the current level of 0.11. The same position can also be expressed using the newly launched (on 6 November 2023) CME Micro Natural Gas. At 1/10 the size of the full-sized contract, the margin requirements to set up a position become more manageable. Micro Natural Gas Futures Margin Requirements Alongside the lowered margin requirements, it offers the opportunity to tactically average into a position to achieve a better average entry price for the same amount of capital. Each 0.001 point move in the full-sized Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures is 10 USD while a move in the Micro Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures is 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.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
NYMEX:NGF2024Short
by inspirante
Myth-busting: top 6 misconceptions about commoditiesWisdomTree has long-standing expertise in commodities, and this asset class constitutes a core part of our business. We aim to debunk several myths that surround commodity investing1. Myth 1: Commodities are only a tactical instrument Some believe that commodities trade in a range and do not outperform over the long term. Furthermore, they think commodities only outperform in an ‘up’ phase of a commodity ‘super-cycle’. Physical commodities are the fundamental building blocks of our society. Therefore, it is no surprise that their price movements largely explain inflation and tend to at least match inflation over the long term. Furthermore, commodity investors most often invest in futures contracts, not physical commodities. Futures contracts have been designed as hedging tools to allow commodity producers and miners to hedge their production forward, making their businesses sustainable and allowing them to invest because they are insulated from the commodity prices’ short-term volatility. Producers are willing to pay for this hedge, just as they would pay for insurance. Therefore, investors who provide this hedge by buying futures contracts receive an insurance premium that allows them to beat inflation over the long term. This ‘insurance’ is a permanent feature of commodity futures and doesn’t fall away through economic cycles. Thus, commodity futures are suitable for consideration as a strategic investment, not just tactical investments. Commodities futures provide a positive risk premium, driven by their intrinsic link to inflation and embedded ‘insurance premium’. While upward phases of commodities’ super-cycle are historically advantageous for commodity investors, future-based broad commodity investments can deliver a risk premium in any part of a super-cycle. Myth 2: Losses are guaranteed when commodities are in contango Contango (negative roll yield) and backwardation (positive roll yield)2 are used to describe the state of the futures curve. It describes the relative position of the current spot price and the futures contract price. Drivers of roll yield include storage costs, financing costs, and convenience yield. Backwardation is often associated with demand strength when people are willing to pay more for immediate delivery than lock into a contract for later delivery at a cheaper price. Some believe that, because contango is the opposite state of backwardation, losses are guaranteed as a corollary. The fact that Keynes’ theory is called ‘normal backwardation’ has caused some terminology confusion. However, what is described by Keynes is that futures contracts are generally priced at a discount to the expected spot price at expiry. It has nothing to do with the current spot price. In other words, the curve can be in contango, and the future price can still be at a discount to the expected spot price at maturity, that is, be in normal backwardation as well. Using a numerical example, let’s say that WTI Crude Oil is worth $50 today. The market expects WTI Oil to trade at $55 in a month (expected spot price) because of storage and other costs. Keynes’ theory hypothesis is that the 1-month futures contract will be priced at a discount to $55, let’s say $54, to incentivise speculators to provide the hedge to producers. In this situation, the curve is in contango ($54>$50), and the expected risk premium is still positive at $1. So, a curve in contango and a positive risk premium can coexist. While the shape of the curve has an impact on the performance, it is not a good predictor of future performance. Myth 3: Commodities are riskier and more volatile than equities. There is a common perception that commodities are riskier than equities. Equities and commodities are similar asset classes statistically. Their historic returns and volatility are quite close. Historically, commodities have exhibited higher volatility than equities in 42% of the 3Y periods since 1960. However, in a larger number of periods (58%) equities have shown higher volatility. More importantly, the two assets’ distributions differ from a normal distribution with a significantly higher skew. But commodities have the advantage. They exhibit a positive skew (a tendency for higher-than-expected positive returns), when equities are known for their negative skew (their tendency to surprise on the downside). Commodities have exhibited lower volatility than equities in 58% of the time rolling 3-year periods we studied and benefit from positive skew. Myth 4: Commodities stopped being an effective diversifier after the 2008 Global Financial Crisis presented a structural break in commodity price relationships Markets are becoming more and more efficient. With those changes, assets have become more correlated. It is clear that commodities have been more correlated to equities in the last 10-20 years than before. However, this is true of most asset pairs as well. US equities are more correlated to global equities. Equities are more correlated to high yield bonds. In a globalised world where correlations are more elevated, commodities still stand out for their lower level of correlation. Note, commodities have continued to provide a cushion against equity and other asset crises in recent periods. For example, in 2022, commodities rose 16%, while US equities3 fell 18% and bonds4 fell 16%. While 2008 marked an all-time high for the correlation between equities and commodities, their correlation has always oscillated. There have been earlier spikes of similar magnitude in the 1960s and 1980s. In 2020, we saw a similar spike in correlation, but correlations have more than halved since in 2023. Commodity vs equity correlation tends to oscillate and has remained within normal historical ranges. Myth 5: Inflation linked bonds are better than commodities at inflation-hedging Some assets are often considered good inflation hedges, such as inflation-linked bonds (TIPS) or real estate. However, it is surprising that more people don’t recognise the superior inflation-hedging properties of commodities. The beta to inflation (US Consumer Price Index (CPI)) of inflation-linked bonds and real estate, historically, is significantly lower than that of commodities (2.45): US TIPS (0), US Equity Real Estate Sector (1), House Prices (0.4). Furthermore, while broad commodities’ average monthly performance tends to increase when the CPI increases, this is not the case for other assets. The performance of TIPS appears to be relatively unrelated to the level of CPI. The performance of real estate, being equities or real assets, seems to worsen when the CPI increases. Real estate suffers from the fact that, while rental incomes are linked to inflation (rents are part of the CPI basket, for example), the capital values themselves are not, and yet have a larger impact on the asset's price. Similarly, inflation-linked bonds are linked to inflation, but their price is also tied to real yields changes (through a duration multiplier) which tends to dilute the relationship to inflation itself. Historically, commodities have been a better hedge to inflation than TIPS or real estate assets. Myth 6: Futures are the best way to access gold for institutional investors Futures markets tend to be extremely liquid and offer very low transaction costs. Therefore, investors assume that, if they can, it is always the most efficient way to implement a trade. However, futures markets respond to their own constraints where banks tend to provide most of the hedging. Recently, banks have suffered from increasing regulation and operating costs that they have translated into their pricing of futures contracts, leading to significant tracking differences with the physical asset. Sometimes futures contracts are the only way to access a commodity, but for precious metals this is not the case. For gold, this cost has, historically, represented 0.9%6 per year on average compared to owning gold bullion. Physically backed exchange-traded commodities (ETCs) have many advantages: limited operational burden, reduced tracking difference, cheap and liquid. It is clear that commodities are a frequently misunderstood asset class, and many misconceptions remain today. For a fuller description of the fundamentals of commodity investing, please see The Case for Investing in Broad Commodities. Sources 1 These myths were all addressed in The Case for Investing in Broad Commodities, November 2021, which takes a deep dive into commodity investing. This blog summarises and updates data addressing several of the ‘misconceptions’ listed in the piece. 2 For more information on contango and backwardation, see our educational ETPedia hub (specifically the ‘Costs and Performance’ tab). 3 S&P 500 TR. 4 Bloomberg GlobalAgg Index (government, corporate and securitised bonds, multicurrency across developed and emerging markets). 5 Source: WisdomTree, Bloomberg, S&P, Kenneth French Data Library. From January 1960 to July 2023. Calculations are based on monthly returns in USD. Broad commodities (Bloomberg commodity total return index) data started in Jan 1960. US TIPS (Bloomberg US Treasury Inflation-linked total return bond index – Series L index) data started in March 1997. US Equity Real Estate (S&P 500 Real Estate sector total return index) data started in October 2001. US House Price (S&P Corelogic Case-Schiller US National Home Price seasonally adjusted index) data started in January 1987. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value 6 Source: WisdomTree, Bloomberg. From 4 June 2007 to 31 July 2023. The Performance of the physical Gold was observed at 1.30 PM Eastern Time to match the BCOM sub-index calculation time. You cannot invest in an Index. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value. This material is prepared by WisdomTree and its affiliates and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date of production and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by WisdomTree, nor any affiliate, nor any of their officers, employees or agents. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
CBOT:AW1!
by aneekaguptaWTE
1
Gold is expensive. Don't waste it!Investing physically in most commodities is almost impossible due to operational constraints: they tend to be voluminous, expensive to store, move and insure, and can be very perishable. Most commodities investments are, therefore, made through futures contracts and therefore suffer, most of the time, from negative roll yield. However, this is not true for precious metals. Gold and silver are durable, they carry a high price tag per weight and, therefore, can be stored very cheaply in bank vaults. Overall, physical investments in gold or silver are easy and cost-efficient. When investing in gold or silver, investors have the choice between: Physical holdings using, for example, physically-backed exchange-traded products (ETPs) Futures contracts (which can also be replicated in a synthetic ETP) But which one is the most efficient? When investing physically in gold, the cost of investing is known in advance. For physically-backed gold ETPs, the total expense ratio can be as low as 12 bps per year. On the contrary, when investing in futures contracts, the cost of investing is not known in advance as it is subject to a roll yield linked to the shape of the futures curve, which can change at any time. So, investors need to ask themselves ‘how often is the cost of investing in futures contracts above 12bps and how often is it below 12bps?’ The result is very clear. Over the last 15 years, a futures-based investment in gold has underperformed on average by 0.94%1 per year compared to physical investment. A lot more than 12bps! More importantly, looking at one-year holding periods, physical gold has outperformed futures-based gold 99.1%1 of the time. Even considering the 12bps of costs of a gold ETP, physical gold outperformed 97.8%1 of the time. Even on short investment periods, physical gold outperformed most of the time (89.8%1 of 3-month investment periods). Why is physical gold a more efficient investment? The shape of the futures curve drives the cost of investing in futures-based gold. In contango, investors bleed money through the roll yield. For gold futures investment to outperform physical gold in the medium term, the roll yield needs to be under 12bps per annum. The curve needs to be in a very slight contango or in backwardation. In backwardation, the investor benefits from the roll yield (instead of paying it). Unfortunately for investors in futures contracts, the gold futures curve is driven by very stable factors that lock it in contango most of the time. Looking at the long history, the average roll yield between the first and third futures for gold is -1.5% (that is, the third contract was 1.5% more expensive than the first one). The curve was in backwardation only 79 days over the 12,107 business days between January 1975 and February 2023, that is, only 0.66% of the time. When investing in gold futures, whether it’s a stand-alone gold investment or as part of a broad commodity investment (like in the Bloomberg commodity index), investors are hoping that the gold curve will remain in backwardation for a large portion of their investment period. But, in more than 50 years of history, this has never happened for periods longer than 15 days. What about silver, then? Silver futures' behaviour is very similar to gold futures. The average roll yield between the first and third futures for silver is -2%. The curve was in backwardation only 81 days between January 1975 and February 2023. Over the last 15 years, a futures-based investment in silver has underperformed on average by 1.29%1 per year compared to a physical investment. WisdomTree is the leader in Europe for commodity exposure in exchange-traded products. As such, we aim to offer our investors the most innovative strategies to invest in commodities.
MCX:GOLD1!
by aneekaguptaWTE
Deciphering: Analyzing Leading Diagonal Patterns and Key LevelsThe financial markets are a complex ecosystem where a multitude of factors influence the movement of securities. One of the key aspects of understanding market dynamics is recognizing patterns and monitoring key levels that can indicate possible future trends. In this article, I will discuss the leading diagonal pattern, its importance in technical analysis, and compare the ES futures to the SPX cash index. I will also delve into the significance of key levels and how they are essential for identifying support and resistance. Leading Diagonal: A Brief Overview A leading diagonal is a specific pattern in the Elliott Wave Theory, a form of technical analysis used to predict market trends by identifying recurring wave patterns. The leading diagonal pattern is typically found in the initial wave of a new trend and is characterized by a five-wave structure, with each wave subdividing into three smaller waves. This creates a 5-3-5-3-5 pattern, indicating that the market is likely to experience a significant trend reversal. In my analysis of the ES futures and the SPX cash index, it appears that we have observed a leading diagonal pattern, which may suggest a short-term bottom and a potential upside move in the coming weeks. Comparing ES Futures and SPX Cash Index When analyzing market trends, it is crucial to understand that different instruments may display different chart patterns. In our case, the ES futures and SPX cash index exhibit a disparity due to contango, a situation where the futures price is higher than the spot price. This results in the futures chart looking somewhat different when compared to the cash index. Nevertheless, it is essential to take both into consideration when making predictions about the market's direction. The Importance of Key Levels Key levels in technical analysis are price points that serve as significant support or resistance areas for a financial instrument. They are essential for identifying potential entry and exit points in trades and can help determine if a trend will continue or reverse. In my analysis of the ES futures, we are currently sitting at the 3967 level, which is an important support level. If the market breaks below this level, it could drop down to the next key level around 3925 before making a corrective move up to the 4000-4010 area. Observing these levels allows you to make informed decisions on when to enter or exit positions based on market behavior. In the current scenario, the leading diagonal pattern suggests that we may see a short-term bottom soon, followed by a corrective move up and potential further downside. Keeping an eye on key levels, such as 3967 and 3925, will help us determine potential support and resistance areas, which in turn can guide our trading decisions. Moving forward, it is important to continually monitor the market and adjust your analysis based on new information, always taking into account both the futures and cash indices to get a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics since futures trades ~23/5 and the cash indicies do not. By staying vigilant and utilizing the principles of technical analysis, such as leading diagonal patterns and key levels, you can better navigate the ever-changing landscape of the financial markets. This approach, combined with other fundamental and technical indicators, can provide a solid foundation for making informed decisions and managing risk in an often unpredictable environment.
CME_MINI:ES1!
by bitdoctor
Trading Strategies for Capitalizing on the Volatility of OilAs financial market traders, we are always on the lookout for trading strategies that can help us capitalize on market trends and conditions. One such strategy is to take advantage of the volatility of oil prices. Oil is a valuable commodity that is subject to significant price fluctuations. There are several reasons why oil is volatile, including limited supply, high demand, geopolitical instability, and speculation. These factors can cause the price of oil to fluctuate rapidly and often unpredictably, which can create opportunities for traders who are able to anticipate and capitalize on changes in the price of oil. One way to take advantage of the volatility of oil prices is to use a trading strategy known as "contango trading." Contango trading involves buying oil futures contracts and holding them until they mature. When the price of oil is in contango (i.e. when the futures price is higher than the spot price), traders can profit by buying the futures contracts and holding them until they mature. This allows traders to take advantage of the difference between the spot price and the futures price, and can provide an attractive return on investment if the price of oil rises as expected. Another way to take advantage of the volatility of oil prices is to use a trading strategy known as "spread trading." Spread trading involves buying and selling oil futures contracts with different expiration dates. When the price of oil is volatile, the prices of different futures contracts can diverge, creating opportunities for traders to profit by buying and selling these contracts. For example, if a trader expects the price of oil to rise in the short term but fall in the long term, they may choose to buy a short-term futures contract and sell a long-term contract. If their prediction is correct, they could profit from the difference in the prices of the two contracts. Overall, the volatility of oil prices can create opportunities for traders who are able to anticipate and capitalize on changes in the price of oil. By using strategies such as contango trading and spread trading, traders can potentially profit from the volatility of oil prices and generate attractive returns on their investments. In Depth Contango Trading - This strategy is based on the expectation that the price of oil will rise over time, and it is used by traders who want to capitalize on this expected price increase. When the price of oil is in contango, it means that the futures price is higher than the spot price. For example, if the current spot price of oil is $50 per barrel, and the futures price for oil to be delivered in six months is $55 per barrel, then the price of oil is in contango. In this situation, traders who use contango trading would buy the futures contracts and hold them until they mature, hoping to profit from the expected increase in the price of oil. The profit from contango trading is the difference between the spot price and the futures price. In the example above, a trader who buys the futures contract at $55 per barrel and holds it until it matures would make a profit of $5 per barrel if the price of oil remains at $50 per barrel. If the price of oil increases above $55 per barrel, then the trader's profit would be even greater. Contango trading is a risky strategy, as it is based on the expectation that the price of oil will rise over time. If the price of oil does not rise as expected, or if it falls, then traders who use contango trading could suffer significant losses. Additionally, the volatility of oil prices means that it can be difficult to predict the direction of price changes, which can also create risks for traders who use this strategy.
FX:USOILEducation
by JoelWarby
Term Structure Provides Fundamental CluesLast week, I wrote on processing spreads, a valuable tool that can provide clues about price direction. The price action in products that trade in the futures market like gasoline, heating oil, soybean meal, and soybean oil often tell us a lot about the path of least resistance for the crude oil and soybean futures contracts. This week, I will turn my attention to term structure. Term structure is the price differential between one delivery period and another in the same commodity. Some traders call term structure time spreads, calendar spreads, front-to-back spreads, or switches. They are all the same, reflecting delivery or settlement premiums or discounts based only on time. Backwardation- It’s what it sounds like Contango- It’s not what it sounds like A real-time supply and demand indicator Commodities are unique- A mentor made a mint trading time spreads Time spreads can enhance your commodity trading results- The cure for low and high commodity prices The late Apple founder Steve Jobs once said, “My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” While Steve Jobs was referring to his mortality, time is a critical factor in commodities. Close attention to term structure unlocks clues about fundamental supply and demand factors. Backwardation- It’s what it sounds like Backwardation is a condition where commodity prices for deferred delivery are lower than for nearby delivery. A backwardation suggests that supplies are tight, forcing nearby prices higher. The condition also indicates that producers will increase output in response to a market’s deficit, leading to lower future markets. As of the end of last week, the NYMEX crude oil futures market was in backwardation. The chart of NYMEX WTI crude oil for delivery in December 2022 minus the price for delivery in December 2021 was trading at over a $12 per barrel backwardation or discount. December 2021 futures settled at the $83.57 level on October 29, with the December 2022 futures at the $71.33 level. Robust demand, supply concerns, and other factors have driven the spread into the widest backwardation in years and NYMEX crude oil to the highest price since 2014. Higher crude oil prices tend to support a wider backwardation. Historically, the Middle East’s political volatility has caused supply concerns at higher prices as the region is home to over half the world’s petroleum reserves. Crude oil is one example of a raw material market where the term structure reflects supply concerns. The trend towards a wider backwardation has been bullish for the energy commodity. Contango- It’s not what it sounds like While backwardation is a term that reflects the spread differentials, contango is another story. In the commodities lingo world, contango is backwardation’s opposite as it reflects a market where prices for deferred delivery are higher than for nearby delivery. Backwardation is a sign of supply concerns, whereas contango is present during periods of oversupply or equilibrium where supply and demand balance. The gold futures market is an example of a term structure in contango. The daily chart highlights gold for delivery in December 2022 minus December 2021 is trading at a $10.30 contango or premium at the end of last week. The December 2021 futures were at the $1783.90 level, with the December 2022 contract at the $1794.20 level. Central banks worldwide hold massive gold stocks as part of their foreign exchange reserves. Therefore, supply concerns tend to be low in the gold markets leading to a premium in its term structure. Moreover, gold has a long history as a means of exchange or money. Higher interest rates tend to push gold contangos higher. Gold is one example of a commodity market in contango. A real-time supply and demand indicator A commodity’s term structure can be a helpful tool as it provides insight into supply and demand fundamentals. When a raw material price spikes higher because demand rises or supplies decline, the term structure tends to move into a widening backwardation. Producers respond by increasing output, creating the deferred discount. When markets are in glut or oversupply conditions, producers often cut back on output, causing the chances for future deficits to develop. Thus, a steep contango can reflect the market’s perception that nearby oversupply will lead to eventual shortages. Term structure is one of the puzzle pieces that comprise a market’s structure. The others are processing spreads, location and quality spreads, and substitution spreads. Commodities are unique- A mentor made a mint trading time spreads Commodities are essentials. Agricultural commodities feed and clothe the world and are increasingly providing alternative energy. Industrial commodities, including metals, energy, and minerals, are requirements for shelter, power, and infrastructure. Other raw materials have varying applications in daily life and even the financial system. Shortages or gluts can have significant impacts on the global economy. The current inflationary pressures have roots in commodities, which had experienced price rises since the beginning of the worldwide pandemic when short-term lows gave way to bullish price action. Supply chain bottlenecks and slowdowns or shutdowns at mines and processing facilities have put upward pressure on prices. Perhaps the most dramatic example came in the lumber futures market. The quarterly lumber futures chart shows the price explosion to a record $1711.20 high in May 2021 on the back of slowdowns and shutdown at lumber mills and supply chain bottlenecks bringing wood to consumers during a period of rising demand. When lumber reached its May high, nearby January futures were far lower. The chart shows January futures peaked at $1275 per 1,000 board feet, over $435 lower than the nearby contract at the May high. When I worked at Phibro in the 1990s, my direct boss was Andy Hall, one of the most successful crude oil traders in history. While many market participants believe Mr. Hall churned out profits with long and short positions in the oil market, his greatest success came from what he called “structural risk positions.” He tended to buy the front months in the oil market and sell the deferred contracts when the market moved into contango. I remember the night when Saddam Hussein marched into Kuwait in 1990. The invasion caused the nearby price of crude oil to double in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, deferred oil prices declined, sending the spread to a massive backwardation. Mr. Hall pocketed hundreds of millions in profits on that night. His theory was that the risk of contango was limited over time, and the potential for spikes in backwardation increased the odds of success. Time spreads can enhance your commodity trading results- The cure for low and high commodity prices Commodity prices tend to rise to prices where producers increase output, consumers look for substitutes or limit buying, causing inventories to build. As supply rise to levels above demand, price find tops and reverse. Conversely, prices tend to drop to levels where production becomes uneconomic. At low prices, consumers look to increase buying, and inventories decline, leading to price bottoms and upside reversals. The cure for high or low prices is those high or low prices in the world of commodities. Meanwhile, highs or lows can be moving targets. As we learned in lumber and a host of other markets over the years, highs occur at levels that most analysts believe are illogical, irrational, and unreasonable. We learned the same holds on the downside as nearby NYMEX crude oil futures fell to a low of negative $40.32 per barrel in April 2020. Time spreads can be real-time indicators of changes in a commodity’s supply and demand fundamentals. Understanding and monitoring term structure can only enhance the odds of success in the commodities asset class. --- Register for the Monday Night Call below. You can also sign up to see the full articles for free, and get early access, using the other link below. Trading advice given in this communication, if any, is based on information taken from trades and statistical services and other sources that we believe are reliable. The author does not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects the author’s good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice the author provides will result in profitable trades. There is risk of loss in all futures and options trading. Any investment involves substantial risks, including, but not limited to, pricing volatility, inadequate liquidity, and the potential complete loss of principal. This article does not in any way constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investment, security, or commodity discussed herein, or any security in any jurisdiction in which such an offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
Editors' picks
LEducation
by Andy_Hecht
8
XBTZ19 Data Capture, 6 months of Bitcoin Futures dataIn my experience Tradingview does not keep data of expired Bitmex contracts after expiration. The primary purpose of this post is to keep the valuable data from XBTZ19 contract from being lost forever. My indicator script XBT Contango Calculator Version 3 is used in this example to capture all the data from the December Futures contract. This post should be a historical record of how backwardation and contango affected price action during the last 6 months. I will do this post at each expiration, primarily for my own benefit and analysis, but also as a record other traders in the community can look back on. Please also see below "Links to related Ideas"
BITMEX:XBTEducation
by SchamBTC
5 month repeatable pattern. XBT Backwardation for Christmas?While studying XBT Contango and Backwardation I noticed a repeatable pattern that XBT was going into backwardation every month for the last 5 months around the same time. I don't have an answer for this, but my assumption is it has to do with commercial interests and how they are driving the XBT Futures market. The strategy does not always catch the top/bottom perfectly, but it would have been profitable 5 months in a row if executed properly. I noticed that every month for the last 5 months XBT went in backwardation at the end of every month around the 24th - 28th. Typically backwardation is a great buying opportunity to go long, however since the current trend is bearish i prefer to trade with current trend. Since backwardation was repeatable, and likely driven by commercial interest or other fundamentals, I was curious to see if there was a time each month that would be best time to take a short? So far I have noticed between the 6th and 10th each month would provide a profitable trade to hold until later in the month in hopes of catching backwardation to cover. All this analysis was made possible with my indicator script the XBT Contango Calculator. I have been making improvements to the original code and hope to release Version 3 in the near future.
BITMEX:XBTShort
by SchamBTC
3
XBT Dancing the Contango and Farewell to XBTU19 data?This idea is to expand on my recent observations while trading Basis (spread) of futures contracts for XBT, and how recently Contango and Backwardation have been a good timing indicator for XBTUSD. For more detailed explanation, please check out my indicator script the XBT Contango Calculator in related link. Typically I have noticed that Futures premium/discount primarily flow along with price movements. For example, when price goes up, premium goes up and vis-versa. However, what i found most interesting over the last few weeks is there was a divergence in XBTUSD price and XBTZ19 futures premium (blue line), which i noticed for the first time. Additionally, this happened right before the BREAK See below A primary objective of this post, is to see if publishing this idea in Tradingview will keep the XBTU19 data (orange line) plotted by the XBT Contango Calculator. I have found that charts of expired Bitmex Futures are not available on Tradingview after expiration. Studying XBTU19 September futures has been very useful for trading over the last few months and hope this post will stand as a record on how Contango and Backwardation in XBTU19 contact affected price action (assuming data doesn't disappear after 9/27). If anyone knows a way to plot historical Bitmex data, please help me out. I believe it can be pulled via API from the following link, but I am not able to figure it out. www.bitmex.com THE FOLLOWING ARE TWO REASONS WHY I WANT TO STUDY HISTORICAL DATA FROM PREVIOUS BITMEX FUTURE CURVES. I think both of these scenarios could represent the two directions we have at the current moment. As you will see, if past futures curve data was available from these time periods, it could be helpful in deciding which direction to trade. EXHIBIT A - Mid November 2018, price drop after consolidation triangle EXHIBIT B - Mid July 2017, price pullback and continuation after consolidation triangle Let me know your thoughts?
BITMEX:BTCUSD.PEducation
by SchamBTC
7
What is backwardation?Hello all, I've been doing a lot of educational posts lately, because price has just been static. For your knowledge, I am still long on bitcoin and believe the bottom is in, but I would like to talk about something that was bullish that does not exist today: backwardation. Backwardation is an economic phenomenon proposed by John Maynard Keynes decades ago in his publication, Treatise on Money . Backwardation is when the futures price of some asset is trading lower than the spot price. What are the implications of this? Well, let's put on our thinking caps for a moment and try to understand economics (something I implore you all to try and do). If something is more expensive now than it will be in the future, that simply means it is more demanded NOW than later (or sudden decrease in supply or both). People are not wanting to wait for something, they want it right now. This is very notable in commodities like oil when sometimes there is a short-term shortage that will be gone later. I live in Texas, and we have hurricanes regularly. When this happens, you will always see gas stations filled with people who are trying to fill up cans of oil so they can leave and not stop for gas because it might not be an option in the near future. This would be an example where backwardation is occurring. This is why it is a bullish phenomenon. It's telling you that for some reason, the commodity is in great demand now. This was happening in bitcoin for quite some time, but is not happening today. Is it bearish? Not exactly, we don't have the full scope. Technically, based on the economic theory, it is neutral. The inverse of backwardation would be, you guessed it, "forwardation" or as is usually called "contango." Contango would be a bearish scenario. Perhaps I will write another article on this later in the future. But, to understand it, you simply work in reverse. Instead of a shortage, you have a surplus etc. Logic is the same. I hope you all learned something by reading this! Understanding economics and game theory is the best skillset you can have to be a thoughtful trader or entrepreneur. Hope this resonates with some of you and you become a student of these disciplines like me. Of course, understanding a lot more is good, but if you can understand these things, you can be the best CEO. A CEO does not NEED to know programming. A great CEO DOES need to see the big picture and how to ride the economic sea strategically. Good luck all, thanks for reading. -YoungShkreli
BITFINEX:BTCUSDEducation
by CantorTechnologies
10
Still Bullish on the Corn but will we see a correction before 8kG'Day mate, How are we all today, it is a nice fresh winters day in North Queensland Australia this morning, wonderful weather for sitting with the feet up doing some TA analysis on our favourite cryptocurrency Bitcoin. After closing the week yesterday in great stead for the bulls, we closed the first day just a bullish. We are though sitting firmly underneath a very long-term support/resistance line that has really stopped our momentum in its tracks. I still think a short as a hedge is the right play, I will be adding to it at 7800 7900 while still in my long, I added to the position overnight which has brought up my entry, which is not an issue with the hedge. Remember these hedges will eat at your profits generally but reduce your risk in a big way. If you play it right in a trend you can generally short the pullbacks while long and then close your short at the dip and then ride the dip back up. This can be risky, so keep watch, if the dips start painting lower lows on 4-6hr TF, a reversal may be in progress. December futures are well in Contango currently and are a great short opportunity, if you are looking to hold it for a long period, currently mark price is anywhere around 50-60 dollars above spot price but as we near settlement it will close on spot, so now is a good time to get in, if you are in the belief that we will still be under current price in a couple of months. This price difference can swing in and out of Backwardation and Contango, so make sure you have enough MArgin to cover you in case of swing. Good Luck, I hope you can garner something from my Posts, please like and share and comment, make me feel like this is worth taking the time to do. Come find me on twitter or at bitmex under Roger Rektjet or just look for troybyrneoz, if you are not using Bitmex, click my referral link on my profile to get 10% off and they give me a small bonus too. I don't ask for donations and never will charge. G'day Thanks for dropping by, hopefully you garner something valuable from my post, be it educational or an idea towards a trade of your own. Please share, like and comment and engage with me, I am here to help Trader, Chart analyst and all round larrikin. Reside in NQ Australia, surrounded by Crocodiles, snakes & giant spiders, not to mention the boxing Kangaroos and devilish Drop bears. It makes my job quite hazardous but strewth mate, I love it.
BITFINEX:BTCUSDLong
by TroyByrne
Short crude oil as inventories pile up continues. With crude inventories seemingly increasing week on week since the start of 2017, crude oil price has been trading in a range of $50-55 per barrel. From a technical perspective, the market has rejected price levels from 53s to 55s on 8 different occasions. My view is to stay short on CL while resistance at 55 still holds, key support areas will be 50s to 51s. It's best to watch how the markets react to these levels and adapt to price action accordingly. Key risk: Tensions between US-Iran The Trump administration is moving to impose sanctions after Iran conducted test missiles, with Iran's increasing market presence on oil production, unexpected geopolitical tensions will cut supply on crude oil.
NYMEX:CL1!Short
by RuzainiRashid88