ETH struggling to break the 4-hour 100 MA; possible DistributionETH/USD is entering into a tightening range as we have strong resistance at the 4-hour 100 MA and support from the 50/200 4-hour MA's. With that said, I am leaning bearish in part due to LTC (see my other post for context on this.) Going along with that, the current side-ways range looks a lot like distribution to me; and that could indicate an eventual drop/dump. This is also a contrarian trade as most of the sentiment right now is bullish across the board, and when everyone thinks the same, it means someone isn't thinking.
Strong resistance: 4-hour 100 MA.
Potential zones for the price to drop if it does break down:
-4 hour 50 MA.
-4 hour 200 MA.
-Prior support zone around $125-126.
Moving average guide (All 4-hour moving averages for this post):
10 MA in Orange
20 MA in Pink
50 MA in Green
100 MA in Yellow
200 MA in Red
-This is not financial advice. Always do your own research and own due-diligence before investing and trading, as for investing and trading comes with high amounts of risk.
T-distribution
JSE:KIO Kumba Being DistributedThe resources sector has been strong but Kumba has been a laggard in the sector. The Trading Range (TR) that was formed seems to have the characteristics of distribution with increased volatility. The volatility to the downside is seen by increased spreads, gaps and increase volume. Pullbacks have been on lower volume. After the recent pullback, Kumba is ready to be marked down out of the TR.
JSE:RMI Rand Merchant Investments Markdown to start?Last year I followed the distribution pattern on RMI (See post below) which now seems to be completing. Price had found support at the at the bottom of the Trading Range (TR) but was unable to rally back the top of the TR. After some consolidation, we see a change of character bar (Significant reversal bar). RMI could now be ready to break out and start the markdown.
KO Earnings: Dark Pool Rotation vs. BuybacksCoca Cola has been in a major buyback mode for its stock in an attempt to move the price up. The buybacks have faced heavier than normal Dark Pool rotation (large lot selling) against the automated buyback orders. Recently the buybacks have increased, creating some interesting anomalies in the large lot indicators as well as in price patterns. Retail traders, who trade this stock heavily, are often fooled by buyback candlestick patterns. Institutional holdings has declined, which is unusual during a buyback mode.
JSE:AVI Lining up for a poor start to 2019AVI has been ranging since the beginning of the year. However, this looks like a distribution range. The declines with in the range have wider bars and sharper declines than any previous declines since listing. The last decline was on high volume and the attempted rally seems to be failing at the Yearly Pivot Point. Will be watching for price action and if the oversold trend line will be broken decisively for the markdown to start.
JSE:PGR Peregrine Holdings DistributionAfter a distribution trading range (TR) Peregrine Holdings was marked down. A re-distribution range formed and there was some effort to push the stock higher but without response indicating continued supply. The demand has dried up and the stock is being pushed lower after a retest.
JSE:J200 JSE Looking Like DistributionThe range in the JSE Top40 index that started in April 2015 seems to be a distribution range. Following the Wyckoff logic, we could have seen an Upthrust After Distribution (UTAD) and test at the highs at the end of 2017 / beginning of 2018. Now we see an increase in the spread to the downside of 8 to 11 to 12 to 19% indicating a bearish Change of Character (CoC)Using the total sum of volume for Top 40 stocks there is also an increase in volume during these moves to the downside indicating that stocks have been transferred from strong to week hands. Since the last down move, we have seen a week attempt to rally. My bias for 2019 is that the Top 40 could see a resolution of the trading range to the downside. How the current potential Last Point of Supply acts (LPSY) in the new year will clarify if a markdown is about to begin. If the distribution is confirmed I will be looking for laggards in the Industrial sector which is currently the weakest sector to trade (see the previous comparison of sectors in the links below).
JSE:TKG Telkom Great Wykoff StudyIt is not a good time to buy Telkom but it makes a good study of the Wyckoff principles. The first thing to notice is the pattern: Markdown - Accumulation - Markup - Distribution - Markdown - Accumulation - Markup and now potentially forming a range again. The next notice the two ways that markups and markdowns en: 1) The first Markup and Markdown ended by an inability to move to the oversold or overbought trend line, 2) The second two had over throws of the lines. Both these setup resulted in a trading range forming. The next thing is to notice how the trading range forms. Only the main labels are added to have less clutter. Volume increases on the Preliminary Supply (PSY) or Support (PS) and it is possible to even be the highest volume for the range as is the case in the Distribution Range. Next a Selling (SC) or Buying (BC) Climax is formed on volume stopping the trend (Phase A). After a Aromatic Rally (AR) or Automatic Reaction (AR) (Still Phase A) a period of low volume in the TR forms where the Composite Operator (CO) is carefully either Distribution or Accumulating stock (Phase B). Once this is done the TR ends in a Spring; Upthrust after Distribution (UTAD) or Last Point of Supply (LPSY) / Support (LPS) Before breaking the TR (Phase C). Once it has been marked out of the TR a backup to the trading range first takes place (Phase D) before the Markup or Markdown can begin (Phase E). Also notice how the Volume RSI can assist in providing a clue if an accumulation or distribution is forming.
$SPX - Monthly DistributionEveryone very focused on the the daily chart need to zoom out and look at weekly, similar to how traders look at the 15 min / 1hr / daily for swing trades. Monthly showing clear distribution on increasing volume. Vol sell signal triggered and would need a close above 2935 to be bullish. Vol stop signal has been extremely accurate on the monthly. Look at the green and red dots. Short the rally's until then.
I am long $SPY Dec 2019 $150 puts at .65 avg px
JSE:GLN Glencore Stock Being DistributedGlencore has broken the upward stride that was in place since 2016. After breaking the stride there was a decline on volume and wide spread bars indicating Signs of Weakness (SOW). The subsequent rally bars has smaller spread with declining volume indicating the demand has dried up and the distribution is nearly complete. Once the trend line for the current correction is broken the markdown could start. The Volume RSI also indicates weakness with volumes on green bars being lower than for red bars.
JSE:RMI Rand Merchant Investments DistributionRMI has been looking week since April 2015. After the Buying Climax (BC) and Automatic Rally (AR) was formed the stock has been week and kept moving below the trading range. After some last effort to move to the top of the trading range we see volume drying up indicating that the large players have completed the distribution after the initial increase in volume. The OBV has shown divergence with the price. After breaking the 200 Week MA was broken and retested it looks like the stock is ready to be marked down. The next significant points of interest could be as low as 2662 or even 2257 which is about a 30% decrease in price.
USDZAR: Wyckoff Distribution: Rand is strengtheningUSDZAR seems to be going through a typical Wyckoff distribution after an uptrend. A Buying Climax (BC) occurred on high volume and a throw over of the overbought line. We see low volumes on advances and higher volumes on declines. Volumes at the top of the range has been high but decreasing on subsequent tests of the highs. A Upthrust after Distribution (UTAD) has occurred and a lower volume Last point of Supply (LPSY). Divergence with the OBV is also seen. Using a Point and Figure count (see below comment) a target between 12.3 and 13.6 can be set.
Bitccoin's higher lows suggest continued upward movementGood morning, traders. We've made it to another Friday and Bitcoin hasn't died yet, which is always a good sign. Novice traders seem to hold as truth a complete misunderstanding of the market -- that things in the market happen randomly. This kind of thinking leads to emotional trading which results most often in a loss. Market moves are measured and purposeful by the composite operator, and are driven by accumulation and distribution which are the result of supply and demand. The retail herd, itself, is nothing more than a price chaser -- a lagging indicator. With enough supply off the table, all CO has to do is suppress or inflate price and the herd will take off chasing after it causing it to move further in the intended direction. When novice traders learn and understand this, they become less likely to be "surprised" by the drops and pops that occur in the market.
So where are we at this morning? After yesterday's drop (possibly a Spring on the larger TF), price has stabilized and is currently trading at the top of the local TR. We can see price printing higher lows on the 15 minute TF which suggests price is more likely to move up than down. As such, I am looking for an initial target of $6358 on Bitstamp and $6461 on Bitfinex as the latter's premium has risen to $120 at this time. A breach of the descending red dashed lines on either chart should indicate the movement toward those targets. Don't forget, Bitfinex has a gap at $6360 that is looking to be filled and Bitstamp has one at $6486 and another at $6528 that are as well. Beyond those, we have all the gaps to fill on the way to $6900 also, so my bias remains upward until $6900 at the least before we even consider any extended period below $6000. OBV has continued to rise confirming the upward trend in price on this TF. MACD is bullish, having just completed a bullish cross above centerline. RSI is bullishly above 50.
The 4H TF is just exiting oversold and MACD is curled up and targeting a bullish cross of the signal line. OBV continues rising as well. It appears that a pennant may be forming, and if so then the target of $6350-$6360 based on the flagpole would validate the Bitstamp target mentioned above. The 1D TF appears to be printing a possible descending broadening wedge since September 22nd. If so, we should expect a target of the R1 pivot at $7300 upon breach of the resistance of that pattern. I am not convinced of this pattern just yet, however, as there isn't clean strong movement between support and resistance within the pattern. OBV is printing a descending broadening wedge inside of a descending wedge suggesting that OBV will be rising on this larger TF. The 3D OBV continues to rise since its low on June 21st and the weekly continues to rise since its March 26th low. As always, when in doubt, zoom out to get a better idea of what's likely going on. Currently, the weekly candle is showing a growing lower wick which is indicative of absorption which means someone is buying up all the selling at these levels. As a reminder, $6622 remains the point we need price to breach and remain above. It is the general level that has worked as support and resistance throughout this corrective cycle and is the equilibrium of the November 6, 2017 weekly candle.
In the broader financial market, stocks should see a rebound today after the $1500 drop over the past two days. The 1D is oversold and the recent gap at $25599 will likely be filled. Gold hit our 1D R2 target of $1226 yesterday and broke out of the descending channel as well as the horizontal TR its been trading in since August 23rd. The dollar is getting a bounce against the majors as the DXY bounces off the daily pivot, so we are short the EUR against the USD this morning. These should be short-lived however as we see continued downside overall for stocks and USD, and upside for gold.
Bitcoin shakeout has bears saying "I told you so."Good morning, traders. Everyone is freaking out because of last night's drop, but in the grand scheme of things it was only about 4%. So why the fuss? Because traders are scared that price will go down and remain down. However, if you are a trader then whether price is going up or down should make no difference, only that it's moving so that you can profit. If you are an investor, then your TF is necessarily much longer, so the drop shouldn't have been of any concern to you either, nor whether or not price drops below $4000 and remains there for 6 months. But most people in the crypto market have not taken the time to define who they are as a trader or investor, nor have they learned how and why markets move like the do, and, therefore, become emotional when price moves. I am extremely proud of the individuals in our Discord trade and research group as they showed complete calmness during last night's price drop event. This morning now shows well-oversold 4H RSI which means that sooner, rather than later, we should see a move up. That doesn't mean price can't drop a bit further first, only that ultimately we should expect a nice move upward.
It's important to understand that last night's event was manufactured to elicit a response. It wasn't something that just happened randomly. If you watched the orderbook on the exchange, or at least on TensorCharts.com, then you saw heavy sell pressure appear and continue moving down with price as support was pulled. This caused the herd to sell and/or get liquidated as price dropped. However, for every sell there must be a buy, which means someone's longs were getting filled on the way down. If those longs belonged to C.O., then you should expect price to move up overall. That doesn't mean it must move up right this minute. Novice traders tend to think that there must be a strong rebound after a shakeout. But that isn't always the case. Many times we see price gradually work its way back up and out. That does not signal low-quality demand as many big talkers in CT are stating.
Once again, I am providing Bitfinex and Bitstamp charts as they show the two general price levels being found in the market. Bitfinex retains a $100 premium. We can see that the Bitstamp chart shows a pennant forming along the S3 pivot which means we should expect a break to the upside to the $6390/$6400 level which was the bottom of the previous TR, and is denoted by the horizontal blue line, as well as the S1 pivot on this TF. What we want to see is OBV breaching its descending resistance line as price moves up. This will signal that the move up is true.
I have labeled a mini-accumulation on the Bitfinex chart. A gap remains at $6359.50 on Bitfinex which will most likely be filled. If so, then price will be moving out of the TR of this mini-accumulation and we can expect it to go into markup which means that it should continue upward. The bottom of the previous TR spoken about in the Bitstamp chart is labeled at $6526 on Bitfinex, so that would be the expected target area for now. There is also a gap at $6527.74 on Bitstamp that will likely be filled which would put price above the pivot on the 15 minute TF on Bitfinex which would be a bullish signal on this short TF.
When looking at volume and price action, we can note that the drop on the 4H Bitfinex chart was similar to the drop on September 5th in, both, size and volume. In other words, nothing significantly note-worthy. However, if we zoom in to the 15 minute TF, it tells another story. We can clearly see two larger volume spikes with the first drop of $220 being the smaller of the two. The second drop of $115 had heavier volume. The second 15 minute candle took more effort for significantly less result. This tells us that absorption was happening in that $6250-$6350 range.
Returning to September 5th, we can see the two largest candles printed the opposite result. The first was a drop of $130 and the second was $345 with the volume being greater on the second candle than the first. Because of this, we can see price dropping further just a few days later, rather than increasing. Finally, we can also see that this recent large 15 minute volume candle was less than the September 19th candle which was buy volume. Put another way, the strongest volume recently has come on the buyside, not sellside, even taking into consideration last night's candle. Furthermore, the volume on the September 5th candle, which was more than the September 19th candle, is less than the previous buy volume on the August 21st candle. As a matter of fact, the largest volume 15 minute candles overall since June have been buyside candles and they have been attached to large upward movements. Volume cannot be understood in a vacuum. It must have context which means it is always relative. So, while there are no guarantees about price direction, if you are dogmatically holding onto the belief that price MUST drop below $4000, then you are not paying attention to what is being said on the chart. Can we drop that far? Sure we can and it is a possibility I have discussed multiple times this year, but this dogmatic belief that it absolutely must do so is pure emotion.
In the broader financial world, yesterday's route of the U.S. stock markets sent expected reverberations throughout Asia as stock markets in the east also saw sharp sell-offs. As I have mentioned numerous times before, the cryptocurrency market is extremely risky and during times of market sell-offs we can likely expect to see the same thing happening in the crypto market as fiat heads for safety. This does not mean money will leave the crypto market and stay out of it, only that sudden sell-offs cause knee-jerk reactions resulting in movements toward safety. Gold, as a result, is sharply higher this morning as expected. In terms of the USD, after a strong drubbing recently during which we were long EUR against the USD, long GBP against the USD, and short USD against the JPY, the expected bounce is currently happening and we are now long USD against the JPY for just a bit.
head and shoulder breakdown?had given breakout from rectangle formation but currently has given breakdown from head and shoulder pattern. . . keep watch
Bitcoin and the descending wedgeGood morning, traders. Bitcoin is doing what Bitcoin does lately -- continuing to consolidate. We are getting a good rally from last night's reactionary low near $6400. This morning we can see buying pressure pushing price back up toward $6500. Bitfinex has been carrying a bit of a premium and continues to do so this morning as it is sitting about $50 higher than the other exchanges. This presents arbitrage opportunities for traders with access to the exchange as they are able to buy Bitcoin at a cheaper rate on another exchange and sell it for the premium on Bitfinex. Traders doing so must be careful, however, since transfer times may take their tole as the premium disappears before they are able to sell their Bitcoin on Bitfinex.
Currently, we can see price printing a flag suggesting a target of $6500/$6515 upon successful breach of the flag's resistance. This upward progression should bring price to the longer-term descending resistance noted, which began on September 28. Price movement for the past week has printed the large descending wedge seen in the chart and suggests that price may ultimately be more likely to head up and out, than down. The 1H MACD is attempting to complete a bullish cross and RSI has moved out of oversold after last night's sell pressure. We can also see that volume has continued to drop as price dropped, signalling a weakening of the momentum. As noted during our live streams, there are various price gaps on the 15 minute chart up to $6900 that remain unfilled. Therefore, the bias should remain bullish toward $7000. At that point, traders need to carefully watch what unfolds.
DXY continues to print a large ascending broadening wedge on the 1D suggesting that we can expect downward progression sooner rather than later. The daily pivot sits at $94.89, and a drop through it would be bearish for the index. The R1 pivot sits at $95.97, and a close above it would be bullish for the index. While the dollar has received some support from the rising interest rate, there are indicators in the economy suggesting a recession is on the horizon. These include the stock market's appearance of distribution and bearish divergences over longer periods of time. As that materializes, generally we can expect the currency to fare worse because there is less attraction to invest in the country. But what does that mean for Bitcoin? It depends on how it continues to react to what is going on in the economy. An interesting short read on this was presented in Bloomberg a couple of months ago (www.bloomberg.com). Generally, the narrative continues to be Bitcoin as digital gold, but traders cannot ignore the reality that it is a very risky asset and money looks for safe havens in times of uncertainty, not increased risk. However, Bitcoin has many things going for it including the fact that it appears to have been in accumulation throughout 2018, OTC continues to grow exponentially, and Bakkt will be coming online next month, as well as the likelihood of a BTC ETF approval before the end of 2019.
PANIC - AMD Initiates Fibonacci Retracement Phase 2AMD -7.03% has formed a sharp downward triangle on the 1h chart (looks like the beginning of a Gartley). Lots of sell strength, only people buying are the ones who missed the pump and think they are buying the dip - BIG MISTAKE. Proof? Check out the Accumulation/Distribution , and you will find the beginning of a new peak, a new era if you will...
AMD -7.03% historically initiates a pump and dump ritual every decade or so. What is interesting this go around is that AMD -7.03% did not make it quite as high, which in my opinion is a good thing for the stock overall (shows that people's expectations for AMD -7.03% , although overblown, are factoring in irrational exuberance). If this thing follows the historical trend (confirmation bias has a tendency to instantiate the past) we could go down as much as half value from here, to around $15. I would like to see AMD -7.03% stabilize around the $20 mark, which would be a first for the stock, and a very healthy sign long-term.
Bitcoin's bias remains up, but sideways through tomorrowGood morning, traders. We are nearing the end of the week which means CME Bitcoin futures expire in just over 24 hours (10 a.m. CST on 9/28/2018). Bitcoin continues to move sideways as we suggested might likely happen, but it did finally break through the resistance at the descending blue line. The resistance combined with the ascending support created a pennant which gives price a target of almost $6695 based on the flagpole leading to it. But first price has to hit the $6614 target. This gets it back into the yellow box. Don't forget that the largest target of $6763 is now triggered and is based on the DBW. The swing high at $6540 remains the key to those targets. Successful breach of that swing high should send price on its way. Failure to breach it suggests supply is greater than demand and we may see price dipping below $6300. There are gaps up to $6973 on the 15 minute chart from the last run up to $7400, suggesting the most likely move is up to fill those gaps.
Price remains within the descending channel/bull flag on the 1D chart. A breach of this flag's resistance should send price targeting $7290 at this time, which puts it at the bottom of the blue box. At that point, price is just a skip away from breaching the $7430 swing high that marks the top of the right shoulder. Doing so confirms the compound fulcrum and should mark the reversal. It also takes price through the resistance of the February descending wedge as well as the June symmetrical triangle thereby providing a target of just over $11,200. A higher high above $8500 confirms a bullish trend on the larger TF as it would give us higher lows and highs for the first time this year, and it does so over the course of 3+ months.
The DJI printed a three black crows candlestick pattern which is a sign of a reversal. It did so after printing the evening star which is also a reversal sign. The recent Zero Hedge article (www.zerohedge.com) noting that insider selling has soared and is showing the fastest pace of September sales in the past decade, while the average continues to rise, confirms what I noticed about Friday's $90 TR but >2x average volume -- retail is being distributed to. FOMC raised interest rates 25 basis points as expected yesterday and we can see the DXY rising as a result. Again, this was expected as a response to the interest rate hike. FOMC stated they planned to raise the rate once more this year and 3x in 2019. If stocks are in distribution as they appear, then we will be lucky if we see another raise any time soon. Gold is dropping as a response to the rise in the DXY but currently remains within the month-long TR though I'm not sure it will be able to remain within it.
BTC'S compound fulcrum signifying a bullish reversal?Good Wednesday morning, traders. Bitcoin followed the red-outlined likely movement, hit our targets that we discussed on last night's live stream, and is looking to exit the DBW that it has been in for the past 2-3 days. Before it does, we should see some consolidation right below support. A breach should provide a target of $6780, based on the widest area of the pattern. That also takes price to the top of the yellow zone. This is all no surprise, however, because as we discussed last night there was a 4H bullish divergence building at that time. Currently, the 4H MACD is attempting to print a bullish cross. Both, RSI and MACD, are about to become bullish on this TF as well. Additionally, a breach of $6600 should take price out of the 1D flag it has been printing which would then provide a target, based on the flagpole, of $7350 at this time. Many people are calling this whole upward movement from September 5th a bear flag, but it is most likely the completion of a compound fulcrum.
If you've been following Peter Brandt on the other social media platform, then you know he mentioned a pattern called a compound fulcrum this morning. It is a reversal pattern and is pretty rare. Basically, it is what appears to be a head and shoulders pattern at the bottom of an extended downward movement. It indicates that a bottom is likely forming. A breach of the September 4th swing high at around $7405 would confirm this pattern. This, of course, would also pull price out of the large descending triangle/wedge that price has been printing since February as well as the symmetrical triangle that it has been printing since June. In other words, all these patterns are lining up as likely bullish reversals at the same general exit point. Furthermore, this is all happening as Bakkt is nearing launch, and as I've mentioned numerous times before Bakkt is huge for the market but retail traders are too caught up in the sub-$5000, 2 year long bear winter narrative to understand how significant it really is. BTC/USD longs continue to grow and shorts have dropped a bit overnight, however the ratio remains greater than 1:1 in favor of shorts.
DXY is attempting to breach the descending channel's resistance, most likely a result of expected interest rate hike today. Again, this isn't anything surprising and has been what we've been suggesting would likely happen today. However, if the FOMC doesn't raise interest rates, we can expect a strong drop in the DXY. Gold is dropping just a bit, but remains well within the TR it established over a month ago. DJI continues to drop as expected as well while the S&P is printing bearish divergence on the 1M chart with RSI in overbought territory. We saw the S&P do the same thing the DJI did last Friday which is print a small-range candle at a new ATH with volume that doubled the recent average. Again, this signifies C.O. selling into retail euphoria - distribution.