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MES1! trade ideas

ES/SPX Morning Update Jan 20th.... *Futures Closes At 1PM ET*NYSE is closed today, and ES will close early at 1pm—so tread lightly and no overtrading. Most professionals are not trading today. At 6pm on Thursday, a Failed Breakdown at 5974, triggering a long that took us all the way to 6043. As of now: • Hold runners; expect 6043-6016 to be a chop zone, with 6033 as the midpoint pivot • Reclaiming 6033 could target 6043, 6049, and 6066+ • If 6016 fails, look to sell down to 6004
CME_MINI:ESH2025
by ESMorg
MES: Ice and Fire Could Blow the U.S. Economy Off its CourseCME: Micro E-Mini S&P 500 Futures ( CME_MINI:MES1! ) #Microfutures In “A Song of Ice and Fire”, American author George Martin painted a mystical land where dragons spit out flame to destroy a whole city and a winter that last one hundred years. Game of Thrones, the popular HBO TV series, was adapted from Martin’s book. In 2025, we seem to be reliving these moments. California wildfires have claimed dozens of lives, burnt down thousands of homes, and caused an estimated $250 billion in damage. Meanwhile, Winter Storm Blair raged coast-to-coast, bringing heavy snow across the Great Plain to Mid-Atlantic. The storms shut down interstate highways, caused thousands of airport delays and racked up 350,000 power outages. At the time of this writing, Polar Vortex is bringing freezing temperature back to the lower 48 states. These weather perils are very destructive. In my opinion, the forces of nature could cause real damage to the entire U.S. economy. Firstly, we could see a rebound in inflation The Bureau of Statistics (BLS) reported that US CPI increased 0.4% in December and went up 2.9% year-over-year (YoY). Of which, the energy index decreased 0.5% YoY with energy commodities gasoline and fuel oil falling 3.4% and 13.1%, respectively. In contrast, energy services such as electricity increased 2.8% and natural gas (piped) rose 4.9% YoY. The chart shows a correlation between CPI and natural gas prices. The underlying logic is the U.S. economic reliance on natural gas. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), about 43.1% of the electricity in the country was generated by natural gas. In “Nat Gas: Trading the Weather”, I explained how cold temperatures increase natural gas demand for generating electricity and heating up homes. Higher natural gas prices affect not just the storm-hit regions, the entire country also bears a higher cost for energy services. Larger utility bills raise the cost of producing and distributing all goods and services. A leading indicator: When natural gas prices rise, inflation will likely go up. Conclusion: As natural gas went up sharply, we could expect a higher CPI for January. Secondly, we could see economic slowdown and higher unemployment Many businesses in the passage of winter storms suffered loss of sales. People in parts of Los Angles were evacuated. The total cost for insurance payout, loss of revenue, debris cleanup and rebuilding amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. Total US GDP was $28 trillion last year, or about $2.3 trillion per month. A quick calculation shows that the weather perils could shave off 1/10th of the US national output for the month of January! Many S&P 500 companies are based in California or in the storm-hit regions. The actual damage to them will be revealed when they report quarterly earnings in April and May. The Bureau of Economic Analysis will report Q1 GDP on April 30th. US unemployment has been on the rise since mid-2023. In my opinion, the A.I. driven technological revolution is responsible for many High-Tech layoffs. On January 10th, the BLS released its nonfarm payroll report and showed that unemployment in the Information sector was 98,000 in December 2024, up from 86,000 a year ago. December is the busiest month for the Retail sector. However, retailers report total unemployment of 897,000 for the month, up 87,000 or 11% from December 2023. When the BLS updates its payroll report in January, I expect to see higher unemployment data. The month-to-month data could be even worse, as January is usually a slow month after the December holiday season. In addition, winter storms and wildfires would push more businesses to shut down and lay off employees. Finally, the uncertainty around economic policies under the new administration I expect President Trump to raise “ice and fire” on his own. If his first term is any guide, we would see plenty of drastic policy changes impacting various industries. Uncertainties are not well embraced in the world of investment. Any new policy initiative could bring the market to chaos when the news breaks, regardless of its long-term effect. During the first term, important policies (such as new tariff) were usually announced from Twitter tweets. This time around, they would likely come out of Truth Social tweets. Trading with Micro E-Mini S&P 500 Futures In my opinion, the U.S. stock market will face more volatility in the coming months. Key economic data could be disappointing for investors. • When the January nonfarm payroll report is released on February 7th, monthly employment data could trend lower, while unemployment rate ticks up. Signals of economic weakness could send the stock market lower. • When the January CPI data is released on February 12th, the headline inflation could move higher. If this is the case, the Fed is less likely to lower interest rates. The stock market will face downward pressure. • The Fed will meet on January 29th. According to CME Group FedWatch Tool, the futures market prices a Fed decision of no-change at 97.9%. However, the market consensus shows that Fed Funds rates could drop to 3.25-4.00% by December, indicating 1-4 rate cuts in 2025. The Fed has not committed to any further rate cut. www.cmegroup.com Given these scenarios, a trader could explore short-term opportunities by shorting the S&P 500 prior to the Big Report Dates. The CFTC Commitment of Traders report provides further support to this thinking. The latest data shows that, as of January 14th, Leverage Funds hold 151,543 long positions and 448,908 short positions for E-Mini S&P 500 futures. Despite the S&P nearing its all-time high, “Smart Money” already turns bearish. Shorts outweigh longs by a 3-to-1 ratio. • They are also bearish on Nasdaq 100, by a 1:2 long-short ratio (43,254 vs. 82,724) • This contrasts with the Dow contracts sharply. Leverage funds own Micro Dow by a 3:2 long-short ratio (17,591 vs. 10,051) during the same period. The MES contracts offer smaller-sized versions of CME Group’s benchmark S&P 500 futures (ES) contracts. Micro futures have a contract size of $5 times the S&P 500 index, which is 1/10th of the E-Mini contract. Micro contracts are very liquid. CME Group data shows that 1,095,979 contracts were traded on Thursday, January 16th. Open Interest at the end of the day was 129,228. Buying or selling 1 MES contract requires an initial margin of $1,525. With Friday closing price of 6,040, each March contract (MESH5) has a notional value of $30,200. Compared with investing in stocks, the futures contracts offer a built-in leverage of about 20 times (=30200/1525). Hypothetically, if S&P futures price falls 10% to 5,436, the price change of 604 points (6,040-5,436) will translate into $3,020 in profit for a short position, given each index point equal to $5 for the Micro contract. Using the initial margin of $1,525 as a cost base, the trade would produce a theoretical return of 198% (=3020/1525). The risk to short Micro S&P is that the US stock market continues its spectacular rally. To limit the downside risk, a trader could set up a stop-loss when entering a short position. For illustration, a short trade executed at 6,040 could be combined with a 6,200 stop. If the S&P goes up to 6,500, the trader’s position would be liquidated well before that. The maximum loss would be $800 (= (6200-6040) * $5). 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. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME_MINI:MES1!Short
by JimHuangChicago
2
#ES_F Day Trading Prep Week 1.20 - 1.24Market closed outside of Value after failing under 6074 - 54 HTF Edge. We are set to open inside 6064 - 23 Intraday Range unless market gaps under/over after Mondays Holiday but if we open inside it then that tells us we are over Value and there are two thing we can do here, continue grinding/balancing inside the Intraday Range and try to push towards/into above Edge ? Or do we find more selling over Value that would bring us back into/under VAH, if we get under VAH we would be under Daily Stops so that could trigger moves towards the Mean/VAL of the range. If we do get back inside the Value we could find support and holds around it BUT careful if we take out out and get under Value, that can bring in more weakness for lower targets where we would watch for any continuation. IF the strength from last week stays, for us to see any bigger prices out of this HTF Range we would need to hold over VAH and have a strong push into or over the above Edge that would stay over, until then we have December supply trapped over 6050 - 74 so we may stay under this area and most of December Supply is valued over 930 - 70s and we have January month end approaching which means if more size needs to lighten the bag that could trigger some lower destinations.
CME_MINI:ES1!
by HollowMn
MES!/ES1! Day Trade Plan for 01/17/25MES!/ES1! Day Trade Plan for 01/17/25 📈 6047.25 (NEXT LEVELS: 6066, 6075.5, 6084.75) 📉 5969.75 (CLOSER LEVELS: 6018, 6008.5, 6000) 1/2 way mark 📈 6027.75 & 📉 5989.25 Like and share for more daily ES/NQ levels 🤓📈📉💰 *These levels are derived from comprehensive backtesting and research, demonstrating over 90% accuracy. This statistical foundation suggests that price movements are likely to exceed initial estimates.*
CME_MINI:ES1!Long
by J3Trad3s
20250117 ESThere was a jigsaw for the AMS. The LOD was made at 4pm. This LOD created the REL. I do not anticipate these REL are to be raided this week. I would like one more upside subdivision with first d bs level raid. TGIF to start either during AMS sb or PMS Sb. I would like to see ORG as well. I anticipate some more upside, ideally to see bs raid. Though my main narrative is TGIF. The reversal to the downside is anticipated during AMS SB or PMS SB. I would like to see a clear 2022 model first before making any further judgments. Nevertheless the Wednesday ORG CE level is my -DOL if not for today but for the start of the next week.
CME_MINI:ESH2025
by Yoo_Cool
ES/SPX Morning Update Jan 17thAt first glance, the market’s final hour yesterday looked bearish. However, for those who dont trade with retail..but trade against retail, things were simple. Just wait for retail to get trapped..aka failed breakdown setups (highlighted in plan for today), it was a clear long opportunity. We dipped below the 5974 and 5966 major zones, trapped shorts as usual, and triggered longs for buyers. Now, just hold runners—no further action needed, approaching our 6016 target. Remember, most professional traders dont trade on Fridays, and i rarely do as well. It's usually just managing runners from Thursday…if i have any. Capital preservation should be your main goal every Friday, with the only set ups being took are textbook failed breakdowns.
CME_MINI:ESH2025
by ESMorg
Market Outlook for Next Week (US):The upcoming week features key economic data and events that could influence market sentiment and asset prices. Below are the highlights and their potential market implications: Key Economic Events & Data Releases Flash PMIs for January (Tuesday, January 23, 2025) Time: 9:45 AM EST Expected Data: Manufacturing PMI: 49.8 (Previous: 49.5) Services PMI: 51.3 (Previous: 50.9) If the Manufacturing PMI remains below 50, it will confirm ongoing contraction in the sector. However, an improvement in Services PMI could suggest resilience in the broader economy. Positive surprises in both PMIs may lead to a rally in equities, particularly in cyclical sectors, while disappointing data could weigh on sentiment. Initial Jobless Claims (Thursday, January 25, 2025) Time: 8:30 AM EST Expected Data: Approximately 215,000 (Previous: 212,000) A low reading would signal continued strength in the labor market, likely reinforcing expectations for the Federal Reserve to maintain higher interest rates for an extended period. This could put downward pressure on equities while supporting bond yields and the US dollar. Conversely, a higher-than-expected figure may ease rate hike fears and support risk assets. Q4 2024 GDP Advance Estimate (Thursday, January 25, 2025) Time: 8:30 AM EST Expected Growth: 2.2% annualized (Previous: 2.5%) This release will provide insight into the economy’s performance during the final quarter of 2024. A weaker-than-expected GDP figure could fuel concerns about slowing growth and lead to a rally in bonds, while stronger growth may boost risk appetite but could reignite concerns about further Federal Reserve tightening. Core PCE Price Index (Friday, January 26, 2025) Time: 8:30 AM EST Expected Data: +0.2% month-over-month, 3.6% year-over-year (Previous: 3.8%) As the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, this report will be closely monitored. A decline in the year-over-year figure may reduce pressure on the Fed to hike rates further, which could support equity markets and weaken the US dollar. Conversely, persistently high inflation could trigger renewed concerns about policy tightening, potentially weighing on equities. Consumer Sentiment Index – Final Reading for January (Friday, January 26, 2025) Time: 10:00 AM EST Expected Data: 64.8 (Previous: 64.6 preliminary) Consumer sentiment is a key indicator of household confidence and spending outlooks. An improvement could support consumer-related stocks, while any downward revision might weigh on the market. Overall Market Implications Equity markets will likely remain sensitive to any data hinting at changes in economic growth, inflation, or labor market conditions. Positive surprises in growth or inflation cooling could drive risk-on sentiment, while signs of a slowing economy or stubborn inflation might increase market volatility. Bond markets may see notable movement depending on the GDP and Core PCE figures, while the US dollar’s trajectory will largely depend on labor market and inflation data. Investors should prepare for potential volatility across sectors, particularly in interest rate-sensitive areas like technology and real estate.
CME_MINI:ES1!
by EdgeTools