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[Lion]

The “Weak”end Trading Report

Jan 22, 2010
It’s been a crazy week for stock and futures traders as the market moved up and down like a yoyo, finally closing down sharply on the week.

Earlier this week I posted a report showing the Volatility Index (VIX) and how it was then trading at an extreme low level which triggered the sharp market corrections. Since that post the VIX has now risen over 30% as traders start selling positions to lock in gains.

Take a quick looks at the Volatility Index chart:


Chart of S&P500 Daily Price Action
Since the low in the volatility index a few days ago we have seen the S&P500 drop over 3.4%. This sharp sell off in equities and ES futures has happened in a very short period of time making the overall market oversold when looking at short time frame of the daily chart. With the market oversold and also trading near a support level I expect we could get a weak bounce lasting 1-5 days before rolling over for another wave of selling.

There are several reasons I feel this will happen:
1.   Experience from seeing setups/patterns like this across many different indexes and investment vehicles leads me to believe distribution of shares are now starting to flood the market.
2.   The market sentiment surveys are still extremely bullish. What does this mean? Well if almost everyone is bullish, then who is left to buy?
3.   As the good old saying goes “Buy the Rumor, Sell the News”. With earning season starting I cannot help but think everyone (smart money) will be selling into the good earnings news as dumb money buys into stocks as they meet or beat earnings. This inflow of dumb money is exactly what the big guys need to unload massive amounts of shares at a premium. Also I would like to point out that earning estimates have been very low that past year which I think has been on purpose for the institutions. This makes it very easy for companies to beat estimates each quarter giving the warm cozy feeling to retail investors (us, the small guys)
4.   Also Chares Biderman on Bloomberg pointed out the other day that the market looks to be manipulated by the feds as virtually all the gains have been produced after hours in the futures market.



Chares Biderman Video
The United States in my opinion is much more corrupt than most people think and I don’t really want to get into this rather large and interesting debate at the moment. But Charles Biderman has some very interesting points which fall in line with my thinking about how much of what is happening is really natural and what is completely manipulated in the past 10 months of rising market prices.

Must Watch 5 Minute Video

Charles Biderman Bloomberg TV January 19, 2010

Quick Technical Chart Update on Gold
I thought this chart may be of interest to some of you as it shows two perfect textbook plays on the 4hr gold futures trading chart.

As you can see the first pattern is a reverse head & shoulders pattern. This is bullish and a breakout above the neckline would signal a buy point. Now if we use basic technical analysis with this pattern we can measure the potential move up by looking reverse head and shoulders pattern. You take the low of the upside down head $1075, and go straight up to the neckline at $1117. That is a total of $42. So if we add that $42 to the breakout point above the neckline then we can have a price target of $1117 + $42 = $1159.

As we can see the price of gold over the next couple days rallied to the $1160 level. Trading is not that easy but that is how it works in general. The hard part is knowing how to manage your trade and I scale out of positions as the price matures reaching short term resistance levels and by adjusting my stops accordingly to lock in maximum gains while minimizing downside risk.

A couple days later the same chart formed a regular Head & Shoulders and has since moved its potential measured move. I m not expecting a weak bounce in gold as with the overall stock market, but I am still not sure that the selling is over.



The “Weak’end Trading Conclusion:
In short, the market was turned upside down this week. Those who follow me should be in cash or mostly in cash as this drop was anticipated a few days ago.

Trading during fast moving markets is much tougher for swing traders as pivot points for indexes and commodities tend to happen during the intraday or during futures trading at night. High volatility like this is fantastic for active traders who focus on shorter time frames like the 4hr and 60minute charts, as opposed to trading just the daily chart and entering and exiting positions at the open and close each day.

I continue to watch the market and plan on providing some of these short term setups on the 4 hr chart using both the GLD etf gold fund and the YG Gold futures mini contract.


If you are interested in trading Gold Futures and other contracts please join my Free Futures Trading Newsletter: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Are Commodities and the Dow Index Dead?

It was a heart pounding week on Wall Street as traders and investors locked in profits during 2010’s first round of earnings season. While it is normal to see selling of shares after good news hits the market, last weeks melt down was over exaggerated and for good reasons.

In short, we expected good earnings and that is why the markets have been crawling higher the past couple months (buy on rumor, sell on news). But what made last weeks sell off so strong was the fact the market was way overbought on the short term time frame and looking ready for a correction already. So we saw twice the selling pressure crammed into one week.

Looking back at a 12 year chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average we can see the market is now trading at a major resistance level. There are two scenarios the market will likely follow in the coming 12 months.  And it could take a year for each of these scenarios to unfold.

Scenario #1 – The market could top then start heading lower to test the 2009 March low. I don’t want this but it could still happen. Topping is a process. Unlike most bottoms which happen very quickly, tops tend to drag out much longer. In this case I figure we are looking at 4-12 month time frame for the market to truly roll over and confirm that we are in a major bear market again.

Scenario #2 – If the market holds up relatively well and forms a bull flag then we can expect to see higher prices in the future. If this happens it will take 4-12 months to unfold also.

Both scenarios have characteristics associated with them, so as the market progresses I will update on the market internals which will help tell us if the underlying market is holding up well or deteriorating. Only time will tell and we will play it one candle at a time.

Dow Jones Industrial Average – What Is Next?


Gold Stocks – Rockets or Rocks?
The gold stock index closed below its support trend line which held up for over a year. This is not a good sign for gold or gold stocks but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Simple technical analysis is telling us to be cautious at these price levels. If we zoom way out on the charts the current price level and chart patterns on these charts scare me. The gold stock/Gold ratio chart is trading under resistance and the HUI (gold stock index) is trading near the 2008 high.  What I do not like is the technical breakdown on the HUI monthly chart. You can see the trend line break on the chart with my small zoomed in picture.

The good news is that everything looks to be extremely over sold on the 60 minute charts so I am expecting a bounce across the entire market for a 1-5 day dead cat bounce. Friday we did see gold stocks move up strong off their lows out performing the price of gold. This is positive for gold and stocks. Depending on how that unfolds we could take a short term momentum play to profit from a possible leg lower.


Precious Metals ETF Daily Charts – Gold & Silver
Gold and silver lost some shine last week as they plunged towards their next support level. A bounce is expected but then I feel we are heading lower and this will likely shake out the majority of traders before starting another rally higher.

On Jan 13th I posted a report indicating gold and silver were headed lower because of the recent price action as silver and gold both had a Pop & Drop chart pattern with heavy selling volume on the 60 minute chart: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/commodity-gold-futures-trading/


Energy Trading – Oil & Nat Gas Funds
I am really starting to like USO for an oversold bounce off support. I would like to see the market reaction on Monday before we do anything. With everything closing near their lows on Friday, panic selling from fear may creep into the minds of traders and investors.

Natural Gas fund looks to be setting up a bull flag. It will be interesting to watch this progress.


Commodity and Stock Market Index Trading Conclusion:
This month looks and feels like last Jan – March, but reversed. The market is now getting choppy as the bulls and bears fight for direction making is difficult to swing trade. Times like these are best for intraday traders, not swing traders. Trading tops is actually much more difficult than trading a bottoming market in my opinion so I will be picky with trade setups. My number one goal is to preserve capital and avoid choppy market conditions as part of managing risk.

Final trading thoughts, I look for the broad market to get a possible bounce this week, but I feel lower prices are still to come. The USO oil fund looks prime for the picking and that could be our next trade.

If you would like to receive my Free ETF Trading Newsletter visit my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Mid-Week Charts: Gold, Silver, Oil, Nat Gas and SP500

The stock indexes have been trading very choppy making it difficult for swing/trend traders.  It’s during times like this when seasoned traders rise above the herd of average traders.

If you only trade one strategy like swing trading or trend trading then you are likely finding it difficult to make money right now. On the other hand, day traders are having a blast right now as they take advantage of the powerful intraday rallies and sell offs.

I personally like swing trading but during times like this, when I know it will not work, I have to switch my strategy to day trading and focus on the 60 minute and 5 minute charts.


SP500 Index Fund – Intraday Setup
I posted this chart earlier this week and I want to be sure everyone takes something away from this chart as I believe it shows a perfect low risk setup for shorting the market, or you could buy a reverse fund which goes up as the market moves down.

At first glance this chart is noisy, but if you simply focus on the all the different color analysis separately you will notice how simple trading can be and what you should be looking for.

Red Analysis:
1.   Overall market trend is down so we are looking for a short trade, signs of weakness.
2.   First we see a light volume test of the previous high set earlier in the day. The low volume indicates there are not many participants in the move up and that is a weak sign.
3.   Between 14:30- 15:30 we notice the price start to drift higher on very light volume. Also, the price moved up into a resistance level. This to me is a perfect setup.
4.   You would sell short or buy a reverse index fund at this point hoping for the market to start selling. You could also wait until it started to drop before taking a position but when a chart looks this good I try to get in at the highest price possible.

Blue Analysis:
1.   The price starts to drop forming several small bear flags going into 14:30 before bouncing. Also note the volume began to rise as more selling was happening. This tells us that trading activity is predominately selling and that we should also focus on shorting when the time is right.
2.   Again, the price starts to drop forming several small bear flags going from 15:00 – 15:45 before bouncing. Also note the volume began to rise as more sellers took part in this short term trend.

Black Analysis:
1. This shows more or less the resistance level, area to short the index and the nice trend down.


Gold GLD ETF Trading
Gold has been under selling pressure since early December. That powerful drop and the chart pattern it has formed will generally resolves itself after an ABC retrace pattern. I have drawn this on the chart which is what I think will happen in the near term. This daily chart of GLD ETF has a small 4 day bear flag and bearish reversal candle which is pointing to lower prices in the near term.


Silver SLV ETF Trading
Silver has a funky looking chart. It has formed a large megaphone pattern and possible head & shoulders pattern. Both are bearish and if we use the Head & Shoulders to calculate where silver could end up trading if it continues to break down, then $14.00 would be a level to look for a bounce.


Natural Gas UNG Fund
The natural gas fund UNG has been in a down trend for over a year and the recent drop looks to be the start of another sell off. This could possibly form a reverse head & shoulders pattern with this drop moving UNG down to the $8.75 - $9.00 area. We will have to wait and watch things unfold for now.


Crude Oil USO Fund
USO looks to be trading at support.  I am inclined to patiently wait another session before possibly taking a position.


Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:
In short, I feel the overall market could bounce including stocks and possibly commodities, but the selling is not over yet in my opinion. The drop we have seen in the past week is the half way mark. So this bounce would be the starting of an ABC retrace for stock indexes. During choppy times I like to be sitting in cash and or day trading for short term profits.

Precious metals do look oversold and ready for a small bounce or sideways move; I do think they will head lower. Too many traders are still holding on to their gold positions and until a large number of them get scared out of their positions, we will not see gold rocket higher.

Natural gas looks like it’s about to head much lower this week while oil looks ready for a solid bounce off support.

We continue to wait for new low risk setups as different investment scenarios unfold.

Get my Free Weekly Trading Reports: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Educational ETF’s, Futures & CFD’s
Low Risk Trading Setups Explained


Jan 29th, 2010
I thought I would put this more detailed report on finding and trading low risk setups for gold, silver, oil indexes etc.... In short it does not matter what time frame you trade with or if you trade exchange traded funds, futures contracts or CFD’s (contract of difference).

This type of trading setup works for virtually every investment but I mainly focus on trading: Gold Futures, Gold ETFs, Gold CFD’s, and the SP500 & Dow 30 futures, ETF’s and CFD’s as I find they are very accurate and profitable.

Obviously swing traders who watch the daily chart will have few trades because it takes weeks and months for these low risk patterns to form. This is the reason I am using short term intraday charts and using a setup from yesterday (Thursday) for demonstrating my trading setups.


My Short Trading Setup - Rough Guideline
1.   Trend on 2hour and 1hour charts are down
2.   Increased volume during sell offs, and light volume on rallies/rising prices
3.   Entry is best at Fibonacci retracement level which is also at a previous resistance level.
4.   Set Stop just above the resistance level you are expecting the current price to stop at. Exit if this top is penetrated and wait for a new opportunity.
5.   Cover half of your position just before the investment reaches the first level of support to lock in gains and reduce overall risk.
6.   Once the price of the investment starts to make a new short term high exit the balance of the position. Shown in the charts below.

DIA – Dow 30 Index Fund
This is a chart I sent to members on Thursday pointing out the market weakness. We had a nice sell off in the morning and the price drifted up on light volume later in the afternoon. This low volume drift is crucial to recognize as it tells you the general public is buying. This is what Big Money likes to see. After they crush the market with their large sell orders in the morning they take a break allowing regular retail traders/investors move the market back up before the big sellers start dumping shares again.

So, I am looking to short at a resistance level in hope the big sellers step back in.



DIA – Dow 30 Index Fund – End of Day
This chart quickly shows the two intraday setups for shorting at resistance levels. Both trades worked out well but wait until you see the results of trading with futures or CFD’s shown later.

Anyways, the first short was a great play but we did not see the big sellers step in, which led to a reversal and the price continued to move higher taking us out for a small profit.

The second short had huge selling volume indicating sellers were back in control. This play we held into the close. The next chart shows how this is done.



DIA – Dow 30 Index Fund – Step By Step Play
The chart is a little small to see but it explains and shows how these low risk setups should have been traded according to my trading strategy to maximize gains while minimizing risk.



Dow 30 Futures & CFD Day Trading Signals/Setups
This is the same Dow 30 index but is zoomed out so we can take advantage of the 24 hour price action which the futures market trades.

Here I show the Fibonacci retracement levels which happen to be at resistance levels from earlier that day.

During regular trading hours the trades were the same as the DIA etf above, but with futures trading you can traded 24 hours a day. So with the last ETF trade I talked about earlier we only made 28 cents profit per share, but with futures we could have held this position until it fully matured netting a total gain of 40 cents per share. This is 42% more profit simply by trading with futures or CFD’s.

To make things more exciting there happened to be another fantastic trade after dinner making us another 45 cent move. These gains may not sound like much but it equals $1000 - $3000 in profits depending on what you are trading ETF’s, Futures contracts, or CFD’s.



End of the Week Trading Education and Wrap Up:
Overall this week was nothing short of awesome!
The overall market is trying to hold up but sellers continue to pull it lower. Unless there is a strong rally into the close on Friday I figure Monday will gap down because the daily charts are very scary looking. This is what makes the general public panic out as it flushes out the remaining sellers, just before the market makes a sizable bounce and possible rally to new highs.

If you are interested in getting more intraday analysis and setups be sure to join my free newsletter for Day Trading: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Are Precious Metals Melting or Firming Up?

The past two months have been tough on the precious metals sector. We saw precious metals lead the market higher all of last year until December 2009 when prices plummeted as the US Dollar started to bounce. The continued rise in stocks indicated an extreme overbought condition and alerted us that a sharp pullback was going to take place.

Many traders including myself were surprised that the broad market did not sell down with the metals. In December the market looked and felt ready for a sharp pullback but new money continued to flow into stocks, pushing the market higher. This slow and steady grind higher was very frustrating to watch because the market was making new highs day after day while obviously needing to take a breather at any time.

It’s this grind higher that sucks in the last retail buyers before prices collapse, unfortunately leaving many holding overpriced securities and commodities for sale another day.

Since gold lead the market up last year it should be the first to correct and also pullback quicker and deeper than its followers (stock market). This is what we are seeing now which I explain below using charts.


HUI – Gold Stock Index – Monthly Gold Trading Chart
I use this exact month chart for helping to time long term trends for gold and gold stocks. It looks as though we have temporarily formed a double top with this current breakdown. It will most likely take several months to repair the damage done to this chart and possibly more than a year.

There are two options for this chart:
1 - It will form a bullish flag or pennant then continue its move higher.

2 - Or will continue to slide, indicating sellers are in control and that we are looking at a multi year trading range as the market digests the 10 year rally in gold.


The HUI:GOLD Ratio – Weekly Gold Trading Chart
This chart goes up if gold stocks are out performing the price of gold and down if they are underperforming. From 2001 – 2006 the chart looked very bullish but as time went on the ratio really started to look weaker and weaker.

The 2008 meltdown crushed precious metal stocks and the recent rally back up to resistance looks very bearish. It looks like a large bear market rally (test of breakdown level). This also goes for the monthly chart above. I cannot say either chart is looking bullish anymore. Things really depend on how strong the next bounce/rally is so we can gauge the strength behind the move (dead cat bounce, or legitimate rally).


Gold GLD ETF – Daily GLD Trading Chart
The next three charts really pull things together in my opinion in terms of how much selling is left in the market on the daily chart time frame.

Here I have drawn on a daily chart showing what I figure will unfold over time. This is the same pattern that I have been talking about since early December. I love trading ABC retrace patterns because of their accuracy and follow through on trend reversals.

In short, if we see gold break this support level then traders are going to panic out of the market sending the GLD fund towards the $101-$103 level. This panic selling is exactly what is needed if we want to see gold continue a sustainable and strong bull market rally higher.


Silver SLV ETF – Silver Trading Chart
Silver has been a little more difficult to trade as the chart clearly shows the choppy price action. I feel that if silver breaks this level of support we should expect to see $14-$14.50 quickly.


US Dollar Trading – Daily Dollar Trading Chart
This chart pulls the above GLD and SLV charts together. Both gold and silver have more room to fall before reaching a major support level. Knowing that and looking at this chart of the Dollar you can see the Dollar has approximately the same amount of room to rally.

So in a perfect trading scenario, the dollar will continue to climb for a few more days to reach resistance and in return that will push gold and silver down for a few more days.


Precious Metals Trading Conclusion:
I think this week will be a pivotal one. I can see the dollar moving higher sending precious metals and stocks down enough to shake traders out of their long positions in gold, silver and stocks. Once the sentiment turns bearish we will begin looking for an oversold speculative trade and possibly a low risk trend trade setup.

As for the energy sector, both crude oil and natural gas look weak and I continue to patiently await a low risk setup for each.

If you would like to get my Gold Newsletter please visit my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Trends for Stocks & Commodities: Gold, Oil & Indexes

Stocks and metals have been on a steady rise this week.  The US Dollar drifting lower has helped to add fuel to the oversold bounce in equities and metals we are seeing.

Stocks - NYSE 65 Minute Chart
Stocks have started to show signs of a possible reversal to the upside. So far this week we have seen the major indices form a higher high and as of today are stuck under the key resistance level shown on the chart below. The rally seen this week has been on light volume indicating there is not much strength behind it at this time.

If buying volume picks up and we see the NYSE break this resistance level then money should start to pour back into the market as the first set up of higher highs and lows will have formed and that is the definition of an up trend.



Gold – 24 Hour Trading Chart Using 8 Hour Bars
This chart allows us to look far enough back to see key support and resistance levels. Today we saw gold sell down with rising volume which is bearish.



Oil – 10 Hour Candle Chart
The Oil fund is currently in the same situation as gold. It had a nice rally/bounce which was expected from the rather large sell off over the past couple weeks.



US Dollar Index – 2 Hour Chart
This chart shows the dollar rally that triggered the recent sell off in gold & silver from Jan 25th to Jan 31st.  So far in February, the dollar has drifted lower into a support level and bounced sharply on Wednesday. This is very bullish price action and points to higher dollar prices in the near future.



Stock & Commodity Trading Conclusion:
In short, stocks and metals rallied on light volume which is a sign of weakness. They are both stuck under a key resistance level and selling volume has started to pickup. To add more logs to the fire, the US Dollar appears to be picking up speed for another surge higher in the next couple days.

All of this leads me to believe this weeks rally is just a dead cat bounce and lower prices are just around the corner. But, because the 60 minute intraday charts have made a higher high, the down trend is now in question. When in doubt, just stay out. During possible tops or bottoms I find it best to stay clear of the market, even for day traders unless there are very strong price and volume surges occurring.

If you would like to receive these free trading reports please visit my website: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Gold & SP500 Psychology:  They Bail, We Buy

Understanding market psychology is crucial for a trader’s success. But so many people get caught up in the daily market volatility, media coverage and “noise” of the trading environment, it’s almost impossible to not think and trade in agreement with the majority of traders.

However, effective technical analysis allows us to use trends, patterns and other indicators to evaluate the market's current psychological state.  Fortunately, this analysis can both enable us to independently forecast whether the market is heading in an upward or downward trend and do so against the grain of the majority.

It takes a disciplined trader to be able to watch and listen to the market doing one thing, filter out the noise, then do the opposite - all in a controlled manor. To this day I still find myself fighting the herd mentality at times and that is when I step away from the computer and regroup.

I have a simple rule that has saved me thousands over the years. I would rather miss a trade and learn what caused me to get confused, then to take a loss. 


Rule # 1 - When in Doubt, Stay Out!


There are two types of traders:

1.   Herd Mentality Trader – Someone who trades off fear and greed buying near tops and panic selling out at the bottom with the masses.
2.   Black Sheep Trader – A trader who stand apart from the masses and trades opposite to the “herd” during extreme levels.


Last weeks market action really allowed us to see which way the masses were moving. The extremely high selling volume and sharp price decline notified us that the market was trading off FEAR. And, last Thursday we actually saw PANIC which tells us the balance of the market (retail investors, John Doe’s, The “Herd”) were exiting their positions.

When we see this happen, it’s generally a good time to start scaling into long positions, as most of the down side has already happened.

I have been talking about an ABC retrace pattern for the indexes and gold for some time and last week we got just that. An ABC retrace is when we have 3 waves which are, down, small up, then another leg down.
In short this wave breaks the uptrend of higher highs and lows, as it forms a lower low telling novice traders to sell and go short. This is what causes the high volume and sharp sell offs.

Below are a few charts showing the 2009 July lows and where we are now, February 2010:

SP500 – Daily Trading Chart


SP500 – Daily Trading Chart


SP500 – Daily Trading Chart


SP500 – Daily Trading Chart


Intraday Price Action – If you want to see some exciting intraday trading charts check out the setups last week: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/how-to-trade-intraday-gold-and-sp500/


Market Psychology Trading Conclusion:
Most get involved with the stock market because it looks like something they can quickly learn and start making money from home. But it doesn’t take long before they quickly realize there is more to trading than meets the eye.

While trading looks easy from a glance, in actuality I think its one of the toughest jobs out there.

Why?  Well, this is what you are up against:
1.   You are trying to predict something that is unpredictable
2.   You are trading against millions of other highly skilled traders
3.   You are trading against automated computers with complex algorithms
4.   You are trading with your hard earned money which causes fear and greed
5.   You must accept losing trades as that is part of the business
6.   You must trade with a proven trading strategy and follow the system
7.   You must understand money management and apply it to every trade
8.   You must truly love the market cause it will break you down mentally


I don’t want to say you must be a contrarian, but in reality you must do the opposite of the masses during times of extreme price behavior.

These extremes happen on a daily basis when trading intraday charts and every 4-6 weeks when looking at daily charts. The toughest part is to pull the trigger when emotions are flying high in the market and you are looking to do the opposite. It takes several trades before you even start to get comfortable doing this.

I hope this helps shed some light on market psychology.

If you would like to receive my Trading Newsletter and Analysis please visit my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

How to Trade Intra-Day Gold & SP500 with Low Risk Setups

Last week was an incredible week for trading the intraday charts. With rising volume and volatility prices began to move up or down for extended periods of time allowing traders to profit from these powerful short term price swings.

During times like these traders using the daily charts for their guide found the market very difficult to time because of the whipsaw action each day. In this case, it is definitely best to stay clear of the market until the dust settles.  But for a trader who watches the intraday charts, this is when serious money is made on a daily and consistent basis.

Most traders avoid using intraday charts because they either:
1.   Think it’s day trading and do not want to sit in front of the computer all day
2.   Do not understand how to trade in these “intraday” time frames.

Intraday trading is one of the most over looked yet most profitable trading strategies, in my opinion. One of the reasons I like/love it so much is the fact that it provides high probability setups on a weekly basis and trades generally last 2 -36 hours. Also, this strategy carries very low risk simply because you are in cash most of the time, putting your money to work only when high probability setups form.

If you are an active trader you should have been making money hand over fist last week. Below are close up shots of my charts:

My eSignal Trading Platform
This is my main trading screen which allows me to see the entire market. This, to me, is like a dashboard of an airplane. Each mini intraday chart is like a gauge hinting to what the plane in doing (horizon indicator, fuel, air speed etc.)  My custom dashboards quickly allow me know if the market is heading up or down, what speed it is moving measured by  volume and momentum, and if all pistons are firing which sector is really moving.

My Custom Dashboard
Quotes for every index and sector
Top Row:  60 minute charts with volume of:  DIA, SPY, QQQQ and NYSE
Second Row: 60 min chart of NYSE TRIN, NYSE Adv/Dec, 60min Gold, 60min Oil
Bottom Row: 120 minute chart of the US Dollar, Interactive Brokers Trade Window

In short, I can see waves of money flowing in and out of each sector.  These views give me a strong sense as to the strength of momentum.  From these observations I determine whether the setup is favorable for shorting into light volume rallies, shorting into resistance levels or buying oversold sell offs in up trends.

Also, the chart patterns on the 60, 240 and 480 minutes charts are so powerful and accurate that you only need 2-3 trades a week in order to make decent money.

I would like to note that I do have 4 larger charts with different time frames allowing me to really get a feel for a trade before I commit money. These charts are Weekly, Daily, 240 minute and the 60 minute chart.

If you want to see some exciting daily charts of gold, sp500, oil and silver check out my weekend report: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/gold-sp500-psychology-they-bail-we-buy/



SP500 Day Trading Futures Signal – 30 Minute Chart
The SP500 ES mini contract, or you could have traded the SPY exchange traded fund, provided an excellent intraday short trade last Wednesday.

All the indexes (NYSE, NASDAQ, SP500, DOW)  drifted higher on light volume. While you can play the long side of these low volume rallies I prefer to stay in cash and wait for another short setup. Trading with the short term trend (240, 480minute charts) is crucial. Counter trend plays tend to be weak and short lived.

In short, the SP500 drifted into a resistance level on light volume and the NYSE TRIN indicator was rising in a very strong way. The combined information of price, volume and the TRIN indicator were screaming - short the market.

When the TRIN is above 1.00 it means the majority of the trades being executed on high volume NYSE stocks are sell orders. You don’t see the TRIN rise this high without the market selling off as it did on Feb 3rd.  But when it does, Bombs Away – time to go short!

The next day the index crashed with panic selling across the board. The NYSE had over 30 sell orders for every 1 buy order. Now that is panic selling and, coincidentally, exactly as has happened at each bottom formed throughout 2009.



Intraday Trading SP500 – 60 Minute Chart
This chart clearly shows the high probability setup which took a few days to form. A short position was taken during the small bear flag pattern. My short position was covered on the break of a new high formed on heavy buying volume.



Intraday Trading Gold Futures – 120 Minute Chart
Gold had virtually the same setup as the SP500.

[ ERROR: SPECIFIED ATTACHMENT MISSING ]

Intraday Trading Gold & SP500 Futures or ETF’s
As you can see intraday trading is nothing like what most people think it is. Trading using the 60, 240 and 480 minute charts really opens one’s eyes, allowing a panoramic view of the price action the market has to offer.

As most of you know, my goal is to trade low-risk, high-probability setups. And, the less time my money has to be in the market, the better.

If you are interested in getting My Intraday Analysis and Setups be sure to join my free newsletter for Trading Futures and ETF’s: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Have Metals and Stocks Bottomed Yet?

Everyone is wondering if gold, silver and the indexes have bottomed after last week’s heavy selling. To put things into perspective there were over 30 sell orders for every 1 buy order at the NYSE. That is pure panic and to confirm extreme fear, several of my broker buddies said last week was crazy with clients demanding to liquidate their positions ASAP to be 100% in cash.

This type of sentiment and price movement warns us of a possible market bottom. I am getting the feeling that traders and investors have been expecting this sharp drop I don’t see or feel a large amount of fear in the marketplace. Last Thursday and Friday war crazy but I think we need one more drop to really shake things up before a bottom is set.

Below are some charts showing where the market currently stands and what the charts are pointing to.

GLD Gold ETF Trading – Daily Chart
Gold is clearly trending down on the daily chart. One more thrust down should shake things up enough to trigger the next rally.


SLV Silver ETF Trading – Daily Chart
Silver has formed a Head & Shoulders pattern and has broken through multiple support levels. A measured move to the down side would be $14 for silver which could happen in the coming days.


SP500, NYSE, GOLD Futures, US Dollar Index – Intraday Charts
These charts clearly show the price action of the past month. As you can see the trend of stocks and gold are down with consolidations (pauses). This is the exact reason why you must trade with the trend and not do counter trend trades. Bounces are more like sideway movements making it very difficult to try and play bounces in a down trend.

If you focus on selling at key resistance levels then moves tend to be much more profitable. That being said, we did go long last Friday because of the extreme oversold market level. I was expecting a follow through Monday or Tuesday which has yet to happen. We have now moved our stops to break even or better to eliminate our down side risk.


Spot Gold 24Hr Trading Chart
This chart says it all. The market and gold is very volatile making it difficult to trade right now. Bulls and bears are battling it out. Only time will tell!


Stocks & Commodity Trading Conclusion:
In short, it’s been a slow week without any real exciting moves. Thursday and Friday could be interesting if traders exit their positions going into the long weekend in order to protect themselves from any surprise economic news.

From the looks of gold, silver and the indexes I sense selling could be just around the corner. We are currently long a few positions with our stops are break even or better in hopes for a pop and rally going into the holiday weekend but only time will tell.

My wife and I have our first child due on Saturday so I may disappear for 1-2 days in the coming week as we welcome our little princess into this new and exciting world.

If you would like to receive my trading reports directly to your inbox please visit my website at: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Disclaimer: I currently do not own any of the investments listed above.

[ysh02]

Hi Lion;
Happy New Year to you & your family
Congratulation to you for upgrading to become father!

Please inform if you have trading ideas to me.


yours sincerly


ysh02

 

[Lion]

Weekend Gold, Silver, Nag Gas & Oil Trading Report

Last week ended on a positive note with stocks and commodities pushing higher into Friday’s close. The market overall is looking very unstable here and this week I figure there will be some big price movement.

Below are the charts on the DIA, GLD, SLV, UNG and USO funds so you can get a feel for the trend and additionally what I am looking for this week with respect to prices.


DIA – Daily & 60 Minute Chart
The Dow, along with the other indexes, has formed a bear flag and can be seen on the daily and 60 minute intraday charts below. This price pattern is a negative one and points to lower prices in the coming week.

If we get one more thrust down I figure it will spook the rest of the weak hands which in turn is a setup for a very nice multi week rally. If this flag turns into a rally then we will simply wait for a pullback and buy when there is a low risk setup.



GLD – Daily Chart
Gold has been doing much the same as the over stock indexes and I feel the same will happen here. We could see price rise for another day or two as it tests our blue resistance level before heading lower.


SLV – Daily Silver Chart
Silver has formed an interesting pattern the past few months and has now broken down. Silver’s chart continues to look weak as it drifts up to test resistance with a bear flag pattern that points to lower prices in the coming days, much the same as gold.


UNG – Daily Natural Gas Chart
Sorry for all the lines on this chart. It looks like a mess, I know, but it does show a possible trend change in UNG.

The trend has been down for over a year but now it looks as though it’s forming a reverse head & shoulders pattern and possible bull flag. These two patterns point to much higher prices in the coming months.

Natural Gas seasonally rallies in mid February into mid April. So this could be something we could catch for a multi month play. I may provide a stock to trade this rally in gas in addition to the ETF fund in the coming days or weeks, when ever this play unfolds.


USO – Daily Crude Oil Chart
Oil has been selling down very strong for the past 6 weeks but it is now trading at a key pivot point. Oil looks as though it’s trying to bottom here and in the next 1-2 weeks I think the energy sector will provide some great trades.


Weekend Trading Conclusion:
Overall, the market and metals bottomed last week or they have another leg down which I expect would happen this week if that’s the case. The charts are pointing to lower prices still. If the market does rally then we will simply watch the breaking and buy the pullback in 1-2 weeks once there is a low risk setup.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and valentines day. My daughter Mirabelle was born this weekend on Feb 14th (Valentines Day). Everyone is healthy and happy!

You can get my weekly trading report sent via email to your inbox if you visit my website: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Stock Market Trends for Indexes and Precious Metals

This report is a mix of both current market action and educational material on how stocks and commodities trend (move). 

Since mid October I have been on the look out for the market to top or make a multi wave correction. The market did top in January and has formed an ABC retrace (3 wave correction).

The question everyone wants to know is, is this market topping out or just a bull market correction?
Well the brutal truth is no one really knows what is going to happen next. So the only way to make consistent profits in the market is to clearly understand the main technical analysis skills (Chart Patterns, Trend Lines, Support & Resistance, and Volume). You must also understand how to manage your money/trades. I scale in and out of positions during key support and resistance levels to keep downside risk low.

One of the toughest parts of trading is “Trading Discipline”. If you cannot take losses easily then trading is not for you. You must be able to exit a trade when your stop level has been reached or you think the trade is starting to go wrong. Holding onto losers will blow up your account very quickly.

Other than those key skills, all you can do is watch the charts and re-evaluate each time a new bar (candle stick) pops up on the chart.  Remember to trade with the larger trend of the chart 2-4 times longer than your actual trading chart.

Example: If you trade the 30 minute chart for entering and exiting trades, then you should be watching the 2 hour chart (120 minute chart) to understand the full picture.

Market Trends and Price Movement
As we all know, when the market is trending up we are seeing a series of higher highs and lows and the reverse for a down trend. We also know there are several different ways a market can top before reversing. The charts below show how the market generally moves on all time frames.

The market will top and bottom in 1 of 4 ways which are shown below:
Sideways Trend – A consolidation or triple top
Head & Shoulders – This is a great trading pattern
Double Top – Lower volume rally and sharp selling once high is reached
Blow Off Top/Bottom – This is when volume spikes and the price moves quickly (great for panic trading)


Silver and NYSE Daily Trading Charts
Take a look at the charts below and you will see exactly how the market moves and where the market is currently trading.





Trading Conclusion:
In short, stocks and commodities have been in rally mode for all of 2009. So far this year prices have started to slide forming some bearish looking charts. But it’s not the end of the world by any means. Depending what happens in the next 1-3 weeks we should know if the market is back in rally mode or still in sell off mode.

I am somewhat neutral at the moment and maybe a little bearish because from a technical stand point there are just as many arguments/technical analysis points for prices to move up as there are to move down. When I get in this situation I just site back and wait for a clearer picture before putting my money to work. When In Doubt, Stay Out!

I will update subscribers tomorrow on our current long positions as we need to tighten our stops to lock in more profits. And thank you everyone for your kind words and support for my new daughter 

Get my reports send to your email: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

The Dollar & Gold – What’s Next?

Feb 21 2010
Last week was strong with stocks and commodities moving up sharply. As nice as it was to see a rally, I still have my doubts whether this move has legs behind it. As prices moved higher throughout the week we saw volume become thinner and thinner.

Basic technical analysis of the recent price action, when looking at the hourly charts is pointing to a sharp pullback. The indexes, gold and silver have both rallied (drifted) higher on declining volume as they near resistance.

Let’s take a quick look at the US Dollar and Gold Charts
The US Dollar has been in a strong rally since the last week of December. The once easy money trade (short the Dollar) has been over for a couple of months but it may be another good trade if gold is rejected here at the 50% retracement level.

The next month or so will be interesting to see whether the dollar will continue to rally or drop like a rock as traders sell Dollars for another easy short trade. There is not much we can do here other than wait for a setup on the daily and hourly charts to form.

US Dollar – Weekly Chart


GLD – Gold Daily Chart
Gold still looks very bullish. Actually, the more gold pulls back the more I like the chart. This daily chart shows a very nice bull flag. The price is currently testing the upper trend channel line and this is what makes me think we are going to see a pop in gold prices or a sharp drop.

I would like to see gold pullback one more time and make a new multi-week low before heading higher. We did see extreme fear in the market 2 weeks ago which is when we took some long positions, but the lighter volume rally is not giving me comfort in adding more positions at this time.


Weekend Trading Conclusion:
In short, we nailed the market bottom on February 5th taking some long positions in US and Canadian ETF’s. I tightened our protective stops for these positions a couple days later making sure to protect our hard earned money. The Canadian trades have performed extremely well for us.

Now we just wait for another low risk entry point which could happen this week depending on what the market does.

If you would like to receive my free weekly gold newsletter, please visit my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Gold, Silver & Stock Indices on the Verge of Rolling Over?

This week has been playing out as we expected. Last week we saw the market rally on light volume into a resistance zone on the daily chart. Light volume rallies are always a warning sign, much like the “Calm before a Storm”.

The way I look at bearish price action:

The First Heavy Selling Volume Day – I see this as large institution selling massive amounts of investments (stocks & commodities) because prices have risen enough for them to book profits OR they know something we don’t and they are getting out before the majority of traders find out.

Light Volume Rally/Drift Higher – After a heavy volume sell off we tend to see prices drift higher on light volume. This is when the institutions stop dumping investments and allow the retail investors (Un-educated Traders) to buy the market back up.

Bear Market Trend – In a down trend we see these two phases enter and exit the market. These patterns happen on every time frame from tick charts to yearly charts. Trends vary in length from 1-2 cycles and sometimes 10-20 cycles and more…

Current Market Conditions

So far this week we have seen the market sell down on increasing volume which is bearish and is pointing to lower prices. On Wednesday we saw prices move up on light volume with volatility rising into the close with a short wave of selling. This was indicating to me that sellers were starting to enter the market again.

The daily chart below clearly shows the heavy selling and drift higher on declining volume. The market is now trading deep into a resistance zone and looking ready to drop.



SP500 Intraday 2 Hour Candle Charts

You can see the same selling patterns repeat themselves. Since the Feb 5th bottom we have been forming a much larger bear flag which makes me think a BIG drop is only days away.



SP500 Trend Trading Conclusion:

Both stocks and precious metals are trading with the same chart patterns and volume levels. So if you are wondering about gold, silver and oil, I am seeing a similar scenario playing out for them also.

The reason I keep bringing these bearish patterns up in my reports is because once you master trading in a down market then you can make money during some of the fasted moving times in the market. I have always preferred shorting the market because prices drop much quicker then they rise. So profits are made quickly.

Also, if the broad market does eventually roll over later this year, and I am not saying it is, but “IF” it does, then you will feel somewhat comfortable with the positions we will be taking.

If you would like to receive these Free Bi-Weekly Trading Reports please visit my website for TheGoldAndOilGuy.com at: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 

Chris Vermeulen

[Lion]

Intraday & Swing Trading Gold and Stocks – How To Use Multiple Time Frames For Setups

A couple months ago I started providing more of my intraday charts in hopes to educate traders on current market conditions so they feel like they are “in the zone” for trading. It’s crucial to understand the intraday moves and volume levels if you want to be consistently profitable trader.  It doesn’t matter whether you are day trading or swing trading, you must be following daily and intraday charts.

I have been getting a few subscribers asking me: “Why I jump around from time frame to time frame so much?”

It’s a great question as some days I’m using the 60 minute charts, another day the 2 hour chart, and another the daily chart etc… well I hope to answer this question within this education report.


Trading Time Frames & Their Characteristics

Length of Trades – The longer the time frame you are trading the longer the trade will last on average. For example, if you are swing trading using the daily chart most trades will last 2-20 days, but if you are trading the 60 minute chart, then a trade may only last a few hours. Knowing this allows you to be more or less active depending on the market conditions or the amount of time you are available to trade.

Risk Levels/Draw Downs – The longer the time frame the more potential risk/draw down you will have. For example, when trading the daily chart you may set your protective stop below the previous days low. Depending on the investment, that could be $1-$50 per share or contract. Now compare this to someone trading the 5 minute intraday chart playing volume breakouts to generate quick gains. This person’s risk/draw down may only be 5-50 cents per share or contract.

This is the main reason why short term intraday traders play with larger amounts of money. Simply because their risk is so much lower, they can put more on the line for quick profits. On the flip side, swing traders should be trading much smaller positions to compensate for the increased risk.


Individual Personalities
Every trader sees the market in a completely different way because each of our brains process chart patterns and time frames differently. This is exactly what creates the market, everyone buy and selling at different times creating liquidity and the random chart movements.

The hardest part about trading in my opinion is figuring out what type of trading personality you have? It took me a few years to actually figure this out, but now I know exactly what type of trading strategies I’m good at and which time frames I prefer trading.

Myself, I like swing trading because it does not require a lot of time to follow the market, and trades last several days and sometimes weeks. But I also like to take advantage of the market when volatility rises and the market becomes choppy because this is when intraday trading becomes most profitable, in my opinion.

Personally I do not want to trade every day because it’s a ton of work and stressful.  Rather, I prefer to sit back and cherry pick, only taking positions when I see a perfect setup. This way my win/loss ratio is very high, and I do not need to worry about finding trades every day or week.

Quick Note: When I am trading the intraday charts my focus is to find setups on the 60 minute, 2 hour, 4 hour an 8 hour charts. The reason behind this is that these longer intraday time frames provide very accurate trades and each trade lasts a few hours and sometimes a few days. Trading shorter time frames like the 5 minute chart is torture because you end up trading all day every day and to be honest that’s a lot of work and not fun at all.


So here are some charts showing you how different time frames show you different patterns, insight and setups:

SP500 Mini Futures contract – Daily Chart
Looking at the past 7-8 days we don’t really see anything exciting to trade as far as chart patterns go. So we sit and wait for something to unfold in a few days if we are lucky.



SP500 Mini Futures – 2 Hour Intraday Trading Chart
What do you see? WOW a big fat head and shoulders pattern which indicates we should see lower prices.

Traders should have been looking to go short when the price was trading at this resistance level and the 5 minute chart confirmed resistance with the long upper candle wicks (reversal candles) shown in the charts below.

Important Note: When entering this trade, we did not know for sure it was going to be a head & shoulders pattern, but there was a high probability of it happening because of the previous couple day’s price action.

Notice how the left shoulder rallied up and got slammed by sellers, then the next rally (the head) also got slammed by sellers. This price action is bearish as institutions, hedge funds etc… dump positions once they have attained their profit goals for certain investments.

The next rally (right shoulder) drifted up slowly to test the previous resistance level. But look at how the price moved higher…. It drifted higher, which is bearish.

So, if buyers were still in control then we would have seen the price shoot straight back to resistance on big volume then form a mini bull flag (drift sideways) as it digests the resistance level before moving higher. It’s this price action here that was screaming at me to go short.



SP500 Mini – 60 Minute Intraday Trading Chart
The 60 minute chart helps me to clearly measure how much potential there is for this trade. If you understand technical analysis you will know how to calculate a measured move. It’s simple really.

Take the previous move and add it to the where you think the price is headed. I’ve shown it in the chart below.


Trading Time Frames Conclusion:
Well there you have it. I hope this report answers some basic trading questions.

If you would like to learn and trade at the same time I will be launching a service where I provide all my personal trades and analysis for your to follow along in real-time. Members will receive all my intraday and swing trade alerts for stocks, indexes and commodities allowing you to trade which ever vehicle you want whether it’s a high beta stock, leveraged etf, futures contract or cfd. This way your timing is accurate and you can trade which ever investment you are comfortable trading with.

There will be a 24/7 chat-room allowing us to trade around the clock when setups arise. Also, members can swap ideas, ask me questions, make new trading buddies etc… There is even a squawk box feature! When I talk everyone logged into the site can hear me  for important news or trades alerts.

All trade alerts are instantly posted in the members area, chat-room and sent via email making it one of the most powerful trading services I have seen available online.

If you are interested please fill out the form at the bottom of my website for My Personal Trading Alerts: http://www.TheTechnicalTraders.com/

Chris Vermeulen

Disclaimer: I currently do not have a position in the ES futures contract.