The Real Cost of Fed Rate HikesCBOT_MINI:10Y1! CBOT_MINI:2YY1!
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is scheduled to meet on July 26-27. Market widely expects a 75-basis-points (bps) Fed Funds rate increase, from current target of 1.50%-1.75% to 2.25%-2.50%. The call for a 100-point hike, while still feasible, is weakened after U.S. gasoline price dropped 70 cents per gallon in the past month. New data hints that the runaway inflation may be contained.
Federal funds Rate is the interest rate that banks charge each other to borrow or lend excess reserves overnight. It is the most important global interest rate benchmark, as it directly or indirectly influences the borrowing cost for governments, corporations, and households. By the end of July, Fed Funds would have gone up by 2.25% (assuming 75 bps hike in July) from zero before March. The Fed is not afraid of raising rate even higher until inflation moves back to its 2% policy target.
How much will a higher interest rate cost for government, business, or household? I will illustrate the impact of 100bps rate increase in this analysis. All data comes from either the Fed or USdebtclock.org, unless otherwise noted.
Total Debt : By the end of Q1 2022, the total debt outstanding in the U.S. by both public and private sectors is $90.1 trillion. Mind-boggling. What does the number mean?
• U.S. GDP was $23.0 trillion in 2021. Debt-to-GDP ratio is 3.92. It would take all Americans four years to pay off their debt, without spending or paying interest.
• US population is 332,403,650 as of January 2022 per US Census Bureau. Debt per capita is $270,949. Each time a baby is born, he or she already owes more than a quarter million dollar.
US National Debt : $30.6 trillion based on USdebtclock.org real-time calculation. This is just the debt owed by Federal government and various federal agencies.
• National Debt to GDP ratio: 133%.
• Federal tax revenue is estimated at $4.4 trillion in 2022. If our government just levies taxes and does nothing else, it will take seven years to pay off the debt.
• Federal budget is $6.0 trillion in 2022, with budget deficit running at $1.6 trillion. Interest on debt is $440 billion, the fourth largest budget item. If interest rate goes up 100 bps across the yield curve, federal government will have to come up with $306 billion extra to service the debt.
• Federal budget in 2022: $6.0 trillion
o budget deficit $1.6 trillion
o Interest on debt $440 billion (4th largest budget item)
o Remark: $306 billion extra to service the debt, if interest rate goes up by 100bps
• When all the rate hikes are over, annual debt interest payment could be over $1.0 trillion. It would become the 3rd largest budget item, behind Medicare ($1.4 trillion), Social Security ($1.0 trillion) and ahead of Defense ($751 billion)!
State and Local Government debt : $3.3 trillion, of which $2.1 trillion from state governments and $1.2 trillion from local governments.
• If interest rate goes up by 100 bps, state and local governments will have to come up with $33 billion extra to service their debt.
• We may expect tax hikes from state and local governments, while public services may be cut back at the same time.
US Corporate Debt : $11 trillion, which includes all debt issued by non-financial corporations domiciled in the U.S.
• If interest rate goes up by 100 bps, American businesses will have to come up with $110 billion extra to service their debt.
• We may expect higher prices for goods and services, as businesses pass on the interest cost to consumers.
• Companies with high debt ratio may increase the chance of delinquency.
US Household Debt : $23.5 trillion. This includes mortgage, auto loan, credit card loan and student loan, etc.
• Personal debt per citizen is $70,304. If interest rate goes up by 100 bps, each person will have to come up with $703 extra a year to service their debt.
• American families are fighting with a higher cost-of-living on multiple fronts. If the U.S. falls into a recession, their financial situation will worsen significantly.
• Mortgage delinquency is expected to rise significantly.
The remainder, approximately $21 trillion, is outstanding balance of credit instruments issued by banks and other financial institutions.
Believe it or not, we have only just scrubbed the surface of our mounting debt problem. Most government liabilities are unfunded or underfunded. Each year, the Federal Government borrows new money to pay off the maturing debt.
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are pay-as-you-go programs. Government taxes current workers to pay for the benefits of retirees, without any money saving up for current workers. No one has a crystal ball if the benefits are still there when they reach retirement.
With such a depressing future ahead of us, are there any trading opportunities? The answer is yes. I am counting on the inverted yield curve to return to historical normal.
Yield curve plots the interest rates on government bonds with different maturity dates, notably three-month Treasury Bills, two-year and 10-year Treasury Notes, 15-year and 30-year Treasury Bonds. Bond investors expect to be paid more for locking up their money for a long stretch, so interest rates on long-term debt are higher than those on short-term. Plotted out on a chart, the various yields for bonds create an upward sloping line.
Sometimes short-term rates rise above long-term ones. That negative relationship is called yield curve inversion. An inversion has preceded every U.S. recession for the past half century, so it’s seen as a leading indicator of economic downturn.
On July 21st, the yield on two-year Treasury notes stood at 3.00 percent, above the 2.91 percent yield on 10-year notes. By comparison, two-year yields were one percentage point lower than the 10-year yields a year ago.
Why are we seeing yield curve inversion now? Short-term yield directly responded to Fed rate hikes. It has gone up 225 bps in five months. Longer term yields are determined by credit market supply and demand. The prospect of an upcoming recession held off lending by businesses and households alike, keeping the yields relatively stable.
In my opinion, yield curve inversion could not sustain for long. Borrowers would flock to lower rate debt, pushing up demand for longer term credit. Market force would revert the yield curve to a normal one with interest rates on long-term debts higher than those on short-term ones.
Are there any instruments we could leverage to trade the reversal of yield curve inversion? Long the Spread of CBOT Micro 10-Year Yield (10Y) and 2-Year Yield (2YY) .
Traditional Treasury Futures are quoted in Treasury Notes price, which can be viewed as the present value of future payments that bondholder will receive – interest payment every six months and the return of principal at par value at maturity.
Micro Yield Futures are more intuitive. They are quoted in yield directly. On July 22nd, August 10Y Yield Futures (10YQ2) was settled at 2.819. August 2Y Yield Futures (2YYQ2) was settled at 3.06. The 10Y-2Y spread is -0.241.
The 10Y-2Y spread has been positive in recent years. It turned negative in the beginning of July as we experienced the inverted yield curve. I expect the spread to return to historic normal - a positive number, in the coming months.
To trade Micro Yield futures, margins are $240 for 10Y and $330 for 2YY. A long spread can be constructed by a Long 10Y and a Short 2YY positions.
The great thing about a spread trade lies with the fact that you don’t have to be right in predicting the direction of interest rates. Spread will be widened if 10Y rises faster than 2YY. Even in a falling rate environment, if 10Y fell less than 2YY, the spread will be enlarged too.
Happy Trading.
Disclaimers
*Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services.
Federalreserve
AUDUSD REMAINS UNDER PRESSURE Currently the Australian Dollar is trading below 0.6950 area.
Another leg higher is at doubt as price is in a downtrend on the daily timeframe as shown by the trendline.
Price is forming lower highs and lower lows.
The stochastic oscillator with 5 2 2 as the setting is also indicating downward pressure as it is trading below 50.
If the bears continue mounting pressure we expect a drop in price towards 0.6800 or 0.6700
Major currencies retreat ahead of another Fed rate hikeEUR/USD 🔽
GBP/USD ▶️
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USD/CAD 🔼
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WTI 🔽
After a week of rallying, greenback peers have weakened towards the US currency, mostly due to disappointing domestic economic data, recession fears, and the imminent 75 bps rate hike from the Federal Reserve, while some even predicted a full percentage increase. The S&P Global manufacturing PMI for the Eurozone, Germany, and France all missed market estimates, signaling a slowing economy,
EUR/USD thus went on a continuous decline to 1.021.
Despite trading with considerable fluctuations, GBP/USD closed at 1.1996 with negligible gains. Although the British Pound did breach the 1.2000 level against the US dollar, the currency pair soon lost support and went below it again. Meanwhile, AUD/USD fell to 0.6925, and USD/CAD was at 1.2914 last Friday, now edging towards 1.3000 level, with a high of 1.2944.
Gold price climbed to $1,727 an ounce, WTI crude futures experienced an oscillation between $94 to $96, to a closing price of $94.7 a barrel. Other than the Fed interest rate decision, multiple GDP readings will be available from Canada, the Eurozone, Germany, and the US this week.
In US stocks, Social media firm Snap (SNAP) was one of the worst performers, dipping over 39% as its recent results were less than satisfying.
More information on the Mitrade website.
Bitcoin Trend Analytics July 21st - still needs confirmationAfter pulling back around the turning point, BTC rallied up against the next key resistance yesterday and failed. Today the key resistance is at $24698.83.
BTC will come back again and test $22700. If it holds the line, $24698.83 will be the next target.
If it breaks down into the box again, the short-term supports are $21382.70; $20825.47. The key support of the month is $18659.72.
Monitoring Fed’s decision from July 27-28. It will generate a heavy impact on the market. Previous stats: 1.75%; expected target rate: 2.5%-2.75%.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST - SHORT POSITIONUsing a 20-day ranged Fibonacci, investors can see that SPY-S&P-500 has closed yesterday 18/07/22 at $381. Using a 20-day ranged Fibonacci, investors can see that this price is closer to its resistance level of $397 whereas it’s support is equal to $363. This is a bareish signal, investors should expect a correction closer to it’s support.
For further accuracy, using standard deviation; Bollinger bands have been applied using a 20-day range. The Bollinger’s lower bound is equal to $369, it’s upper bound is equal to $392. This Bollinger further supports the bareish signals presented by the Fibonacci given that it’s currently priced closer to the Bollinger’s upper bound. Therefore, it presents an additional bareish signal with a smaller and more accurate range in comparison to the Fibonacci.
A MACD indicator is a 9-day EMA, it is used to identify turns. The blue MACD line appears to be running parallel to the red signal line. This suggests neither a bearish nor a bullish sentiment. Based on the MACD DEMA it would be reasonable to anticipate a steady momentum of price movement.
All things considered; I would anticipate steady, bearish underlying movements of the SPY-S&P-500. The buyer should set a strike price in line with the Fibonacci’s $397 resistance. I anticipate the stock to reach it’s lower bound Bollinger level of $369 by the end of the week.
Greenback softens from cooled 100 bps Fed rate hike betsEUR/USD 🔼
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XAU 🔼
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Previous comments from Federal Reserve officials have shifted market bets from a 100 bps rate hike to 75, pushing the US dollar to retreat against its peers, with the British Pound gaining 99 pips to 1.1954 towards the greenback as the leading currency pair. Later today, the UK Unemployment Rate and Average Earnings will be announced, and investors expect the latest readings to have little to no change from last month.
Forecasts for the Eurozone Consumer Price Index also stayed the same at 8.6%, still high enough to prompt a possible 25 bps interest rate increase from the European Central Bank on Thursday. Meanwhile, EUR/USD rose to 1.0141 with a week-high of 1.0193, as Bitcoin rallied over 7% to $22,300.
Fresh meeting minutes for July revealed the Reserve Bank of Australia's perspective for the 50 bps rate hike, the document addressed increased savings, a tight labor market, and overall resilience as key components for its economy to combat inflation. AUD/USD closed with minor gains at 0.6811, USD/CAD slumped to 1.2902 and rebounded to 1.2978.
Gold futures retreated from a high of $1,721.0 to $1,710.2, now trading at $1,704.8 an ounce. Though the annual maintenance is still underway, Gazprom has warned Europe that the Nord Stream 1 gas supply may not resume on time. As a result, oil prices climbed and met resistance at $99 level, finally closing at $99.42 a barrel.
More information on Mitrade website.
US30 Intra-Week Analysis July 18th 2022Last week price pushed lower to test the key level 30200 due to the scares for a potential 100 bps FED rate hike and USD hitting highs not traded since September 2002. Price then rejected that level ending the week above 30500. This week price has already continued bullish to retest the 31500 level creating a doubled top and continuing back down to 31k. As price is slightly above this key level if we begin to trade below 31k we can expect sells to at least 30200 respecting that double top. But if this bearish move is short lived and we fail to break below 31k we can expect buys to 31500 then potentially even higher to 32500.
Bearish market is not overWe are not at the bottom of a bearish trend because the bottom does not allow you to buy and trade.as i predicted btc is now dependent on fundamental news !If you want to predict BTC price you just have to follow war news and federal reserve! my advice is just trade in this area but make your own decision on every move
Aussie edges up after strong US retail salesThe week wrapped up on a high note, as June US retail sales beat expectations. The headline and core readings both accelerated in June, with solid gains of 1.0%. This indicates that US consumers are still spending despite the toll that higher inflation and higher rates are taking on disposable income. The strong retail sales report will raise expectations that the Fed will be content to raise rates "only" by 0.75%, rather than a full 1.00% at the next meeting. When the markets have a chance to digest the numbers on Monday, risk appetite will likely rise, which could push the US dollar lower.
China's economy slowed down in the second quarter, which is no real surprise given the Covid-zero policy which resulted in mass lockdowns. The economy posted a small gain of 0.4% YoY, missing the estimate of 1.0% (4.8% prior). On an annualized basis, GDP contracted by 2.6%, worse than the forecast of -1.5% (+1.4% prior). These weak numbers were offset by a strong bounce in retail sales, which jumped 3.10% in June, crushing the estimate of -0.3% (-6.7% prior). If China can avoid further lockdowns in key cities such as Shanghai, we can expect GDP to rebound in Q3. The health of China's economy is critical for Australia, as China is its biggest trading partner.
An excellent employment report earlier this week on Thursday has raised concerns that the RBA may need to accelerate its rate-tightening cycle and consider larger rate increases. The economy gained 88.8 thousand new jobs, blowing the estimate of 30.0 thousand out of the water. As well, the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, down from 3.9% and below the 3.8% estimate. The RBA has been raising rates aggressively, but even so, the cash rate is still at a low 1.35%, and clearly the RBA will have to hike sharply to make a dent in inflation, which is running at 5.1%. We'll get a look at CPI for the second quarter at the end of July.
AUD/USD is putting pressure on resistance at 0.6782. Next, there is resistance at 0.6839
There is support at 0.6706 and 0.6649
Fears of a 100 bps US rate hike cool downEUR/USD ▶️
GBP/USD 🔽
AUD/USD 🔽
USD/CAD 🔼
USD/JPY 🔼
XAU 🔽
WTI ▶️
Assuring Federal Reserve officials' comments have calmed investors' concerns for a historical 100 basis points (bps) interest rate increase, as the 9.1% headline inflation could persuade the Fed for more aggressive measures.
The latest initial jobless claims rose to 244,000 over a 238,000 forecast. The Retail Sales and Consumer Sentiment readings tonight are expected to indicate a slightly contracted economy as inflation rages on.
Meanwhile, the greenback retained its strength against other major currencies. USD/CAD reached 1.3223 before closing at 1.3117. USD/JPY even surged 154 pips to 138.93, a 24-year high.
The EUR/USD pair broke parity levels to a two-decade low, after recovering from 0.9950, it closed at 1.0016 with little change. The British Pound lost 66 pips to 1.1822. AUD/USD slid to 0.6745, giving up 15 pips.
Gold prices also took a hit from the dominant US dollar, gold futures briefly broke $1,700 support, managing to return to 1,705.8 with a $30 deficit. Recession fear still haunts the oil market, crude oil futures traded flat at 95.78 as they recouped from a low of 91.03.
More information on Mitrade website.
Bitcoin continues to fall?😪July 26, the next Federal Reserve meeting
We all know that US interest rates will rise again.
Also we are in a very reliable support. Now the main question is, in the next 12 days, will this support be broken or not?? Most of the time, 5 days before the Fed meeting, the price of Bitcoin will drop, so be careful with your long trades. Next week will be very important.
But I still hope that Bitcoin will continue to hold its core support. If you have a long transaction, message me for advice and management.
Sterling pares losses after US CPI jumpsThe British pound has taken investors for a ride today, as GBP/USD dropped sharply but has since recovered. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.1856, down 0.28%. It has been a busy day on the economic calendar, with a host of UK releases and the US inflation report.
In the US, the long-sought-after inflation peak remains as elusive as ever. The June inflation report showed headline inflation rising to 9.1% YoY, up from 8.6% and above the 8.8% estimate. Core CPI ticked lower to 5.9%, down from 6.0%. Still, this was higher than the forecast of 5.7%. With inflation remaining at high levels, the path is clear for the Fed to fire at will in order to curb inflation. Just a few days ago, CME's FedWatch pegged a 75bp hike at 93%, with a 7% chance of a 100bp move. The June inflation release has dramatically changed the FedWatch assessment, with a 53.6% of a 75bp move and 46.3% likelihood of a 100bp hike.
The British pound took a tumble immediately after the US inflation release, falling 0.76%. The pound has managed to claw back most of these losses, but the risk of the US dollar moving higher remains elevated, as a massive 100bp increase has become a very real possibility at the Fed meeting in late July.
Overshadowed by the dramatic US inflation report, UK indicators enjoyed a good day. GDP for May rose 0.5% MoM, bouncing back from a -0.2% reading in April and beating the estimate of 0.1%. Industrial Production and Manufacturing Production both ended a 3-month skid with monthly gains of 1.4% and 0.9%, respectively. Still, the bigger picture for the UK economy is not a rosy one, as a Bloomberg poll of economists indicated a 45% likelihood of the UK economy tipping into a recession in the next 12 months.
GBP/USD tested support at 1.1876 earlier in the North American session. Below, there is support at 1.1736
GBP/USD faces resistance at 1.2025 and 1.2175
US30 Intra-Week Analysis July 13th 2022Last week we got the bullish closure above 31k giving us the conformation for price to clear the range to 31400, reject, then continue to range between 31k and 31400 for the remainder of the week. This week as recession scares and FED rate increases continue to bring FUD to the markets we saw price breakout below this HTF consolidation zone and to now test 30500. Likely what we could see in the short term is for price to pull back slightly to 31k before continuing this bearish momentum to pre-pandemic lows. Otherwise closures above 31k expect further bullish moves. BUYS ABOVE 31K & SELLS BELOW 30500.
Euro teasingly flirts with parityFor those following the euro's close encounters with parity, the currency played a game of tease earlier today. In the European session, EUR/USD dropped to parity with the US dollar, a line of psychological importance. However, the euro would not budge any lower, and is currently at 1.0068 in the North American session, up 0.28% today. I would not be surprised if EUR/USD does break below parity in the coming days, for the first time in some twenty years.
Germany's ZEW Economic Sentiment has been stuck in negative territory for months, indicative of strong pessimism about the economic outlook. The July release earlier today fell to -53.8, down sharply from -28.0 in June and missing the consensus of -38.3. The eurozone economy is grappling with soaring inflation and the war in Ukraine shows every indication of dragging on. The Nordstream 1 pipeline, the main channel for Russian oil to Germany, closed for maintenance on Monday and there are fears that Moscow could decide to keep the pipeline closed. This would prove a nightmarish scenario for Germany, with winter only a few months away.
The US dollar stormed out of the gates on Monday, buoyed by a stronger than expected non-farm payroll report on Friday. The economy produced 372 thousand jobs in June, well above the estimate of 268 thousand and close to the May release of 384 thousand (revised from 390 thousand). The unemployment rate remained at 3.9% and wages rose by 0.3%, which means that the Fed has a clear path to move ahead with a second straight 75bp hike at the July meeting. The Fed is not taking any prisoners in its battle against inflation and is clearly willing to deliver 75bp salvos until inflation eases. It wasn't long ago that a 50bp hike was considered a massive move; now such an increase would barely raise an eyebrow.
The US releases inflation on Wednesday, a key release that could move the US dollar. Headline CPI is expected to rise from 8.6% to 8.8%, and if inflation does move higher, it would likely cement a 75bp move from the Fed and send the dollar higher. Conversely, a surprise drop in inflation would raise hopes that inflation has peaked and the Fed might resort to a 50bp increase, sending the dollar lower.
EUR/USD tested support at 1.0018 in the European session. Below, there is support at 0.9889
There is resistance at 1.0124 and 1.0242
Euro above parity by a threadIt is looking like July 2022 could be a memorable month for the euro, but unfortunately not for the right reasons. EUR/USD is within a whisker of dropping below parity with the US dollar for the first time since 2002 and the risk of a break below parity below in the coming days remains high. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.008, down 1.00%.
The euro, along with all the other majors, is seeing red against the US dollar today. The markets have reacted to the surprisingly strong non-farm payroll report on Friday, as the June gain of 381 thousand surpassed the May reading of 336 thousand and easily beat the consensus of 240 thousand. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6%, while wage growth grew by 0.3%. The solid employment report has raised expectations of another 75bp hike by the Fed at the end of July. A 75bp move will substantially widen the Europe/US rate differential, which is contributing to the euro's sharp descent today.
The ECB holds its policy meeting six days ahead of the Federal Reserve, on July 21st. This meeting will likely mark the lift-off for ECB rate hikes, with another increase expected in September. The ECB has been scrambling to catch up to the inflation curve, as it badly misjudged the staying power of high inflation. ECB interest rates are in negative territory, and a modest 0.25% hike, the most likely scenario at the July meeting, may not do much to boost the euro, although perhaps the perception that the ECB is finally tightening will provide some support to the ailing currency.
On Tuesday, Germany releases ZEW Economic Sentiment. The index has been mired in negative territory for months, indicative of strong pessimism about the economic outlook. In June, the index came in at -28.0 and this is expected to worsen to -40.0 in July.
EUR/USD is putting strong pressure on support at 1.001, just above parity. Below, there is support at 0.9849
There is resistance at 1.0124 and 1.0221
US 10-year rate. Elliott wave possibilitiesThe US 10-year yield has pulled back from 3.50% to 2.75%, which is a sizeable drop by any stretch of imagination. The Fed has clearly said its current focus is on price stability and with yesterday's employment numbers, there is still little reason to believe that fears of a so-called slowdown, or even worse - a recession, are showing up in high frequency data that the central bank is using, atleast for now (or they have the data, but because of political pressures, continue to focus on containing inflation).
The vertical drop in commodities has been puzzling no doubt; in fact the descent has been so quick that most people are aligning towards the fact that Fed forward guidance of more hikes (it remains to be seen whether existing measures of tightening policy are having the desired effect) are showing signs of demand destruction. I think for the Fed to acknowledge that a recession is a bigger worry than growth (at a certain point of time in the future), they would like to see a consistently southward CPI print which shows credible signs of not being sticky on the downside. For now, I believe they are simply taking back all that they made available in terms of additional QE to pull the world economy out of the Covid led crash.
Tactically, the visit to 2.75% was fleeting -- that was a key support level, so the market comfortably vaulted past 3% on employment gains that were more than expected. These moves have now resulted in the market dangling at a critical juncture which I will try to address via the three best Elliott wave counts I have conjured up (the right to be wrong is exclusively mine, and so is the right to adapt quickly to what the market might be doing regardless of what I think it should do) given the presently available evidence. All three counts start from the July 2021 lows -- the count from the 2020 crash lows of 0.34% has not been used for the sake of this analysis (which suggests the bull market in yields has much longer and higher to go) but that's a separate discussion altogether.
Primary Count: Long term trend in yields higher and is very much intact, but more sideways churn is expected within a RUNNING TRIANGLE before a surge:
Requirement: 2.75% must hold for this to be valid labelling
Alternate count #1: Long term higher, but one dip below 2.75% is needed to meet the minimum requirements for w((4)) to end
Requirement: One more dip before a larger degree 5th wave targets 3.50% and higher; 2.75% can be broken or at the least, retested
Link:
Alternate count # 2: More aggressive count that suggests higher immediately, longer-term higher yields play
Requirement: 2.75% cannot be broken from here, not even by a tick as per the rules of the wave principle for an impulse
Link:
Conclusion: Regardless of which wave count is in play - we will know that as we have more information appearing from the right of the chart, the impulse up in yields is anything but done. Perhaps, inflation will remain sticky longer than the consensus view is.
-- Guest Contributor at the @CMTAssociation
XAUUSD - KOG REPORT - NFP!KOG Report NFP:
This is our view for NFP today, please do your own research and analysis to make an informed decision on the markets. It is not recommended you try to trade the event if you have less than 6 months trading experience and have a trusted risk strategy in place. The markets are extremely volatile and can cause aggressive swings in price.
After the bearish pressure we’ve seen on Gold this week we’re not seeing the price range tight and start to accumulate orders in this range. We can see the price needing to go up but being supressed so we suggest caution with this NFP. The levels above are limited if there is to be more downside on this but shorting the market here isn’t a great idea! We’re in the same level as the previous short squeeze which has been used to propel the price in either direction. For that reason we would say wait out the NFP move, don’t get involved in trying to trade it unless you see the extreme levels targeted. They will take the price to where they want to buy or sell, so control the FOMO and look for the extreme high or lows on the chart. We’re going to illustrate the immediate moves but we’re not likely to be trading this event.
Levels below:
1730-25 below that 1705
Levels above:
1745-55 above that 1775-80
Its a short on today, no scenarios as we've still got the FOMC report layout in play so please use that as reference if you need more clarification.
Hope this helps in preparation for NFP, we will update you as we go along as we usually do. Please do support us by hitting the like button, leaving a comment, and giving us a follow. We’ve been doing this for a long time now providing traders with in-depth free analysis on Gold, so your likes and comments are very much appreciated.
As always, trade safe.
KOG
GOLD Daily TA Cautiously BearishGOLD Daily cautiously bearish. Recommended ratio: 25% Gold, 75% Cash. *The Head and Shoulders formation is currently completing as the 50 MA crosses under the 200 MA (Death Cross). Gold, Oil, USD, Treasuries, Crypto and Equities are all either up or flat; this is indicative of a broader reversal in market sentiment regarding recessionary fears. Both Fed Governor Christopher Waller and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said they expect a 75bps rate hike in July followed by at least 50bps in September and then potentially 25bps thereafter because financial markets and the economy are both responding to the rates hikes appropriately thus far; they also both suggested that recession fears are overblown, which prompted almost all markets to rally. Considering that the Fed largely operates off of lagging data, it would be prudent to assume that inflation may not have peaked quite yet; that said, it's advised to continue to be vigilant as the bottom continues to be found.* Price is currently completing a H&S breakdown and is testing $1742 minor support after also breaking down out of the uptrend line from April 2020 (~$1800). Volume remains Moderate (high) and is currently on track to favor buyers for a second consecutive session if it can close today's session in the green. Parabolic SAR flips bullish at $1800, this margin is mildly bullish. RSI is currently trending up at 28 while testing 27 support; the next resistance is the uptrend line from April 2013 at 36. Stochastic is currently resisting a test of max bottom as it crosses over bullish at 25. MACD broke down below -11 support and is currently trending down at -25 with no signs of trough formation; the next support is at -39. ADX is currently trending up at 21 as Price continues to break down, this is mildly bullish. If Price is able to bounce here at $1742 and continue up, it will likely test $1784 resistance . However, if Price continues to break down here then it will likely retest $1684 major support . Mental Stop Loss: (two consecutive closes above) $1748.
XAUUSD - KOG REPORT - FOMC!KOG Report FOMC:
This is our view for FOMC today, please do your own research and analysis to make an informed decision on the markets. It is not recommended you try to trade the event if you have less than 6 months trading experience and have a trusted risk strategy in place. The markets are extremely volatile and can cause aggressive swings in price.
What a great time we’re having on Gold at the moment with the moves playing out nearly to perfection into all our levels. We’ve done well on this and we’re not interested in giving anything back so we will wait for the levels shown to give us strong support or resistance before we attempt to take a trade, even then it will be with a small lot and a tight stop in place. Please don’t mess around with Gold when its like this, if you’re in the wrong way Gold can really cause you sleepless nights!
So, moving forward we’re going to trade this with two scenarios in mind, looking at only the highs and the lows of the present range.
Scenario 1:
We have a target below which is sitting around 1720, this is also the weekly support level so potentially this can be a short term stop on the selling pressure we’re witnessing. If price spikes into that level during FOMC or in the coming sessions we feel an opportunity to long the market exists. We’re not looking for huge captures, simply the 1775 and 1785 levels initially. After this, take partials, stop to entry and let it run. Breaking the level to the downside and you can see what's next!!
Scenario 2:
They push the price up, the first level we’re looking for is 1775 and above that 1785-90. If we see resistance there we feel an opportunity to short the market back down in to the 1750 and below that 1735 and 1720 levels could be on the cards. Breaking above the 1795 level and holding above it then its likely we will see this go a little higher before then attempting to come back down
It’s a dangerous market to trade and its not for the faint hearted. Please be sensible and don’t try to get rich quick, it won’t happen! Have a risk model in place and make sure your lots sizes are in accordance with your account size.
Hope this helps in preparation for FOMC, we will update you as we go along as we usually do. Please do support us by hitting the like button, leaving a comment, and giving us a follow. We’ve been doing this for a long time now providing traders with in-depth free analysis on Gold, so your likes and comments are very much appreciated.
As always, trade safe.
KOG
Nasdaq-100 May Have Signs of a Bullish TurnA painful half is finished for the Nasdaq-100. Now there could be signs of a turn.
The first pattern on today’s chart is the 11,069 level. NDX peaked in that area in July 2020 and bounced there 3-1/2 months later. The index returned to hold the same support in mid-June 2022.
Second, notice how prices held about 2.6 percent above that low in the past week. Could it be a higher low , after six miserable months of lower lows ? Some technicians may view that as a potential sign of the bearish trend fading.
Third, NDX probed below Friday’s low yesterday before rallying back above its high. That kind of outside candle is a potential bullish reversal pattern.
Next, this chart includes two of our custom scripts: Distance from MA and MA streak . Both are plotted using the 10-day simple moving average (SMA).
The line chart shows how last month’s low was the lowest versus the 10-day SMA since the nadir of the coronavirus crash in March 2020.
The histogram illustrates how the 10-day SMA has frequently shifted direction since that oversold condition. It could be another sign of the trend running its course and losing cohesion.
Earnings season is around the corner, bond yields are slipping and commodities are falling. Those macro changes could also be potentially favorable for the Nasdaq -- especially considering the pain caused by inflation earlier this year.
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UPDATE: MEDIUM TERM OUTLOOK ON THE DOLLARWhat's up trading world! Hope you have been well & taking care of yourself in these uncertain economic times! I am back with another DOLLAR INDEX update, now I did say I would update at the end of June however, with 1st July being a Friday, I wanted to observe how the market plays out so I could give a move comprehensive update!
UPDATE:
1. Bearing my previous post in mind, we saw the dollar shoot upwards and this was due to the biggest interest rate hike by the Fed since 1994. Monkeypox cases have also remained small in number which has only boosted the dollar even more.
2. As a result of the above, we saw pattern ABC play out in June (see previous post) where point 'B' illustrated opportunities for optimal buy-entries and these signals were shared with my private community and we were able to have a lovely 1:4 risk-reward trade (+420pips) that smashed through relevant targets!
MOVING FORWARD:
1. The dollar doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon, we will definitely be expecting a rate hike again in July, it is the only way to crumb the inflation and do a hard reset on the debt the US has accumulated.
2. Barring covid & monkeypox cases remaining below 10K per/day, the dollar will continue to soar as commodities continue their much-needed reset.
3. Unemployment (NFP) numbers coming this week will also be a key indicator and although we expect it to be higher than last month, should there be a drop, I don't believe the drop will be extensive enough to stop the dollar's rally.
Technical analysis:
1. For optimal BUY-entry opportunities moving forward, wait for pattern ABC to play out, with point-B signalling entry point for buy-trades however, given the strength of the dollar, it might not even retest our daily support but rather continue going up due to strong fundamentals & key institutional traders trade-positions that are pushing the market right now.
2. Whether there is a RETEST or not of our daily-support zone, should the above 'moving forward' conditions happen, expect the DOLLAR index to make its way to $108, a price level it hasn't reached in almost 20 years!!
Thanks for reading! Let's take advantage of the markets together! These are generational wealth times that we are living in, don't let them pass you by! :))
Has Gasoline Price Already Peaked?NYMEX:RB1!
While the U.S. stock market performed miserably lately, energy commodities have a banner year. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average gasoline price reached an all-time high of $5.016 a gallon on June 14th. Diesel logged its own record on June 19th, at $5.816 a gallon.
Crude oil price hike is certainly a major contributing factor. However, refined products have been rising a lot faster. AAA gasoline was at record high $4.114 in July 2008 when WTI crude oil made history at $147 a barrel. Last month, WTI peaked at $123, at 16% below the 2008 high. However, gasoline broke $5, a whopping 22% above its 2008 record.
Since mid-June, WTI lost steam and entered a downturn. It trades below $110 today. Meanwhile, gasoline price barely moved and still stands above $4.80 per AAA data.
In my view, the gasoline market has already peaked, and a downtrend would follow. RBOB gasoline wholesale price, currently at $3.68 a gallon, could fall 30% or more in the next year. I came to this assessment based on two key factors:
Firstly, refining margins could decrease significantly due to mean reversion.
Refinery is the process to turn crude oil into gasoline, diesel, heavy fuel oil and other petrochemical byproducts. Refining margin measures the revenue from selling refined products, subtracting the cost of crude oil and natural gas going into the process. Below is a simple formula:
Refining margin = revenue (94% of crude processed) - costs (crude oil + natural gas used)
Whereas refining revenue = 23% gasoline + 63% diesel oil + 8% heavy fuel oil
A barrel of 42-gallon crude oil is processed into 40 gallons of refined. For each barrel, you would get approximately 25 gallons of gasoline, 9 gallons of diesel, and 3 gallons of heavy fuel oil.
According to Polish oil refiner LOTOS Group, the latest daily model refining margin is $59.06 per barrel of crude oil. Before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, refining margin was below $10 in February. Margins were in single digits throughout 2021 and sometimes even turned negative.
Crack Spread is a “quick and dirty” way to measure profit margin of a U.S. refinery. To calculate the 3:2:1 crack spread for a Gulf Coast refinery that processes Louisiana Light Sweet (LLS) crude oil, add the spot price for two barrels of Gulf Coast conventional gasoline to the spot price for one barrel of Gulf Coast ultra-low sulfur diesel. Then subtract the spot price for three barrels of LLS crude oil. Finally, divide the result by 3 to produce a crack spread in dollars per barrel.
Once the summer driving season is over, I expect crack spread to go down due to a combination of market force (reduced demand) and political pressure.
Secondly, gasoline demand could decline significantly in a U.S. economic recession.
In the past 15 years, gasoline market has crashed three times. The first was in 2008, following the subprime crisis. The second time in 2014, driven by a 60% crude oil price fall. The latest was in March 2020 when COVID-19 broke out in the U.S., leading most states to travel restrictions, lock-down or social distancing.
Today, a Federal Reserve tracker suggests that the U.S. has already entered a recession. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow, which tracks economic data in real time, sees second-quarter GDP contracting by 1%. Coupled with the first-quarter’s 1.6% decline, two consecutive quarters of negative GDP fits the technical definition of a recession.
Gasoline market is very sensitive to changes in consumer spending. Automobile driving, which shows clear “seasonal patterns”, is the dominant demand factor. In my view, this is the defining price driver in RBOB. For viewers who read my previous writings, you would understand why I prefer RBOB over WTI in forming a trading strategy – it’s more straight-forward with fewer moving parts.
A short position in NYMEX RBOB Gasoline Futures (RB) is a way to express this bearish view. The January (RBF3) contract is quoted at $2.779 on July 1st. RBOB futures is based on wholesale gasoline price. We could add $1 to RBF3 to get to a ballpark estimate of retail price in January. For the month after the Christmas holiday seasons, $3.80 a gallon seems to be overpriced.
RBOB futures is quoted at USD per gallon. Each contract has a notional value of 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels), equivalent to $116,760 in current market value. To place an order, $8,500 margin is required per contract. A move of 1 cent in gas price will result in $420 gain or loss to your account.
Alternatively, if you are uncertain of which direction gasoline price would go, but agree that refining margin could revert to mean, we could Short the Crack Spread . A 3-2-1 short crack spread can be constructed by placing 3 Short WTI, 2 Long RB and 1 Long HO contracts.
We can also monitor the following data points to be released to test the validity of these two trade set-ups:
• Holiday driving data (July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
• Q2 and Q3 earnings releases from the retail sector (Walmart, Target, Dollar General, etc.)
• Q2 and Q3 GDP data
• Monthly CPI data
• Fed rate decisions (JUL 26-27, SEP 20-21, NOV 1-2, and DEC 13-14)
Russia-Ukraine conflict poses the biggest risk to our trade. If the contagion risk intensifies and ripples through Europe, energy prices could hike sharply again.
Happy Trading.
Disclaimers
*Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services.