US Real Estate Slowdown Casts a Long ShadowLast week, U.S. housing starts, a key economic measure of new residential construction, dropped to their lowest level since 2020, with single-family housing starts hitting a 16-month low. Meanwhile, overall housing inventory has climbed to its highest point since 2020, and new housing inventory has reached levels not seen since 2008. Despite a moderating mortgage rate, high prices continue to deter buyers, failing to stimulate housing sales. Combined with the ongoing slowdown in commercial real estate, the sector may face prolonged challenges.
While the Real Estate Select Sector could see short-term gains from declining interest rates, a significant slowdown in the sector may dampen these benefits. A long position in Utilities Select Sector Index futures (XAU) to capitalize on lower rates, paired with a short position in Real Estate Select Sector Index futures (XLR) to hedge the real estate downturn, offers a balanced approach against XLR's short-term gains.
US HOUSING STARTS TUMBLE, INVENTORY SURGES
U.S. housing starts fell to 1.238 million as of July 29, a 6.8% decline from the previous week and well below analyst expectations of 1.340 million. Single-family housing starts dropped by 14.1% to 851,000, marking a sixteen-month low. Although Hurricane Beryl likely contributed to this sharp decline, the real estate sector faces a more significant, underlying challenge.
The U.S. housing market is grappling with a surge in inventory. According to Realtor.com, overall housing inventory stands at 884,000, the highest level since 2020. Similarly, data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows inventories at 1.32 million, also the highest since 2020.
The situation is even more concerning for new housing inventory, which has reached its highest level since 2008. At July's sales pace, it would take 9.3 months to clear the backlog of new homes.
Notably, the slowdown in housing starts has intensified, even as mortgage rates have moderated from their peak in May. Despite a 10% decline in mortgage rates since early May, housing starts have fallen by 8%, indicating that easing rates are not driving a meaningful rebound in housing sales.
In addition to the struggles in the residential real estate market, the commercial real estate market continues to struggle with elevated vacancies and mark-downs. Last Month, Deutsche Bank stated that the commercial real estate market would be further pressured during H2 2024 as the recovery they had anticipated was not materializing.
INTEREST RATE CUT WILL PROVIDE SHORT-TERM BOOST
Despite the challenges facing the real estate sector, upcoming interest rate cuts are expected to provide a boost through further declines in mortgage rates. However, this near-term support may not be enough to offset a potentially prolonged downturn. Rising inventory levels are not being matched by significant price reductions, and with a weakening labor market, homebuyers' purchasing power is likely to remain constrained.
The real estate sector is not the only beneficiary of lower rates. As noted by Mint Finance in a previous analysis, the utilities sector also stands to gain from declining rates.
Therefore, hedging a short position in Real Estate Select Sector Index futures (XAR) with a long position in Utilities Select Sector Index futures (XAU) mitigates downside risk.
The XAU/XAR spread has outperformed an outright short in XAR as well as the SPX/XAR spread during rate cut driven rallies in the XAR this year and remained resilient during the recent rally in XAR.
HYPOTHETICAL TRADE SETUP
The U.S. real estate sector is burdened by a surplus of inventory, as home buying remains sluggish despite moderating mortgage rates. High prices, combined with financial strain in a weakening labor market, are likely to keep sales low for the foreseeable future. Additionally, ongoing challenges in commercial real estate add to the sector's difficulties.
Despite this negative outlook, the real estate sector may still see some benefit from upcoming interest rate cuts. Historically, the spread between Utilities Select Sector Index futures (XAU) and Real Estate Select Sector Index futures (XAR) has shown resilience during such periods, offering an improved reward/risk profile.
CME Select Sector Futures serve as a capital efficient instrument to implement spread trades between different sectors. A position consisting of short 3 x E-mini Real Estate Select Sector Futures (XARU2024) and long 2 x E-mini Utilities Select Sector Futures (XAUU2024) balances notional values on both legs. CME provides a 60% margin offset for this trade, reducing the margin requirements to USD 11,940 as of 19/Aug.
The hypothetical trade setup described below offers a reward/risk ratio of 1.4x
MARKET DATA
CME Real-time Market Data helps identify trading set-ups and express market views better. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs tradingview.com/cme.
DISCLAIMER
This case study is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services.
Trading or investment ideas cited here are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management or trading under the market scenarios being discussed. Please read the FULL DISCLAIMER the link to which is provided in our profile description.
Ratecuts
Will Gold Hit $3,000 with Fed Rate Cuts and Geopolitical Risks?Gold has outperformed the broader U.S. stock market this year, with analysts predicting further gains as the Federal Reserve nears rate cuts. Gold surged to a new record high of over $2,500 per ounce, and some experts forecast it could reach $3,000 next year. Key drivers include potential Fed easing, geopolitical uncertainties, and increased demand from central banks diversifying away from the U.S. dollar. As interest rates decline, gold’s appeal as a safe-haven asset continues to grow.
Bitcoin Fortune Teller Update After the market bloodbath this weekend,
CRYPTOCAP:BTC closed liquidity at GETTEX:54K giving us a bullish setup for the short-time being.
Barring war breaking out between Iran / Israel, I expect a rally to ~$59,5 to be rejected where we then make our way down to close liquidity and form a double bottom ~$50,5 going into RATE CUTS on September 18th.
Does the Market Rally When the Fed Begins to Cut Rates?The relationship between rate cuts and the stock market, as illustrated in the provided graph, shows that major market declines often occur after the Federal Reserve pivots to lower interest rates. This pattern is evident in historical instances where the Fed's rate cuts were followed by significant drops in the S&P 500. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon, which are crucial for investors to understand.
Economic Weakness:
Rate cuts typically respond to economic slowdown or anticipated recession.
Each instance of the Fed pivoting to lower rates (1969, 1973, 1981, 2000, 2007, 2019) corresponds to significant market declines soon after.
Rate cuts signal concerns about economic health, causing investors to lose confidence, as reflected in the graph.
Delayed Impact:
Rate cuts do not immediately stimulate the economy; it takes time for their effects to propagate.
The graph shows that the majority of the market decline occurs after the Fed's pivot, indicating that initial rate cuts were insufficient to halt the downturn.
During this lag period, the market may continue to decline as economic data reflects ongoing weakness.
Investor Sentiment:
Rate cuts can trigger fear among investors, who interpret the move as an indication of severe economic issues.
The graph shows substantial percentage drops in the S&P 500 following each pivot, demonstrating how negative sentiment can exacerbate declines.
The fear of a worsening economy leads to a sell-off in stocks, contributing to further market drops.
Credit Conditions:
During economic stress, banks may tighten lending standards, reducing the effectiveness of rate cuts.
Post-rate cut periods in the graph align with times of economic stress, where credit conditions likely tightened.
Businesses and consumers may not be able to take advantage of lower borrowing costs, limiting economic recovery and impacting the market negatively.
Historical examples such as the crises in 2000 and 2007 highlight substantial market drops after rate cuts, as seen in the graph. In both cases, the rate cuts responded to bursting bubbles (tech bubble in 2000, housing bubble in 2007), and the economic fallout was too severe for rate cuts to provide immediate relief. The graph underscores that while rate cuts aim to stimulate the economy, they often follow significant economic downturns. Investors should be cautious, recognizing that initial market reactions to rate cuts can be negative due to perceived economic weakness, delayed policy impact, and deteriorating sentiment.
Double Bottom w/ Break of Confirmation!! - EGHere I have EUR/GBP on the Daily chart!
The Lows @ .83972 & .83827 seem to have found enough Support in this Zone since its last visit back in the summer of 2022!
After BOE decided to cut their Interest Rates to 5% on Thursday, we see the end of the week gave us quite a Bullish close above the Lower High @ .8490 CONFIRMING the Double Bottom Reversal Pattern!!
With the:
-Divergence of Price vs RSI @ Level of Support
-Break of Structure from LL to HH
-and Price on RSI Above 50
*All that's left is to wait for Price to retrace back down to the .8490 area where the Break of Confirmation of Pattern happened for some potential Buy Opportunities!!
ZW: Wheat to Rebound with Fed Rate Cuts and Dollar DevaluationCBOT: Wheat Futures ( CBOT:ZW1! )
On Friday, July 12th, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE).
(Note: The WASDE report is published monthly and provides annual forecasts for global supply and use of wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds and cotton, as well as the U.S. supply and use of sugar, meat, poultry eggs and milk. Today’s analysis will focus on wheat.)
USDA’s balance sheet update for the 2023/24 US wheat crop showed a carryout of 702 million bushels (mbu), as exports were taken to 707 mbu. For the new crop, USDA raises the wheat stocks by 98 mbu to 856 mbu. Some of the increases was a larger carryover, but most came in the form of higher production.
USDA raised the wheat crop by 133 mbu to 2.008 billion bushels (bbu). Harvested acres was raised from 38.0 to 38.8 million acres. Yield per harvested acres was raised by 2.4 bushels per acre (bpa) to 51.8 bpa. Winter wheat was up 46 mbu to 1.341 bbu, as the Hard Red Wheat (HRW) total was projected at 763 mbu (+37 mbu), with Soft Red Wheat (SRW) at 344 mbu (+2 mbu) and white winter at 234 mbu (+8 mbu). The initial other spring wheat figure was tallied at 577.8 mbu, more than 56 mbu above market estimate.
Global wheat stocks were raised by 4.97 million metric tons (MMT) to 257.24 MMT, with a bulk from the US, as both Canadian and Argentine wheat production were raised.
Wheat Futures drop across three futures markets, CBOT, KCBT and MGEX, after WASDE shows higher production.
• Jul 24 CBOT Wheat closed at $5.38, down 16 1/4 cents,
• Sep 24 CBOT Wheat closed at $5.50 3/4, down 20 1/2 cents,
• Jul 24 KCBT Wheat closed at $6.04, up 12 3/4 cents,
• Sep 24 KCBT Wheat closed at $5.67 3/4, down 16 cents,
• Jul 24 MGEX Wheat closed at $6.21, unchanged,
• Sep 24 MGEX Wheat closed at $5.97 1/2, down 21 1/4 cents
The weekly CFTC Commitment of Traders report showed CBOT wheat speculative traders net short 69,137 contracts as of July 9th, a reduction of 4,837-contract on the week. In KC wheat, they were trimming 2,292 contracts to 40,811 contracts by July 9th.
In my opinion, the futures market has quickly absorbed the bearish WASDE report. With wheat trading at historical low levels, a rebound may be brewing in the next few months.
Traditionally, August is the time to hedge weather risks in agricultural commodities. If summer weather in the Midwest and Great Plain regions turns out to be less than ideal, the previously expected higher yield will have to be adjusted downward, reducing total production.
In today’s market, how could the expected Fed rate cuts impact commodities?
Last Tuesday, July 9th, Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared in a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
The Fed Chair expressed concern that holding interest rates too high for too long could jeopardize economic growth. “Reducing policy restraint too late or too little could unduly weaken economic activity and employment.”
“At the same time, in light of the progress made both in lowering inflation and in cooling the labor market over the past two years, elevated inflation is not the only risk we face,” he said in prepared remarks. “Reducing policy restraint too late or too little could unduly weaken economic activity and employment.”.
The prospect for quicker rate cuts increased immediately after these dovish remarks. According to CME Group FedWatch Tool, the probability of a 25bp rate cut in September is now 90.3%. Futures traders look for 3-4 rate cuts by the end of the year, with a 53.8% probability for the Fed Funds rate lowering to the 4.25%-4.75% range.
(www.cmegroup.com)
Would the lower interest rates be bullish for commodities like wheat?
Firstly, lower interest rates will reduce borrowing costs. This will help business grow, with more jobs, income and consumption coming along the way. At the end, it will help increase the demand for commodities such as wheat.
Secondly, as a major agricultural commodity, wheat is priced in the US dollar and traded in the global market. In previous writings I explained that lower interest rates would result in currency depreciation, as prescribed by the Interest Rate Parity theory (IRP).
For foreign buyers, dollar depreciation means an appreciation of their local currency. The cost of importing wheat will be lowered when converted in local currency. Lower costs help increase the demand for wheat.
Trading with CBOT Wheat Futures
The 3-year price chart for CBOT wheat futures shows three distinguished patterns:
• From February to April 2022, wheat prices nearly doubled from about $7 to $13. This was driven by geopolitical crisis and the fear of global supply shortage.
• From May 2022 to July 2023, the Fed implemented 11 consecutive hikes, which helped cut wheat prices by half to about $6.
• From August 2023 to present, as the Fed kept interest rates unchanged in seven FOMC meetings, wheat prices moved sideways in the $5.50-$7.00 range.
As we can see here, Fed policy and geopolitical crisis have an outsized impact on wheat prices, as compared with fundamental supply and demand.
In my opinion, the supply and demand factors are already priced in the market. However, the impacts from Fed rate cuts and outcome of the upcoming presidential election are not yet fully grasped by the market. The expected Fed loosening cycle would have the opposite effect of the Fed hikes. Wheat prices could potentially move up the $7.00-$9.00 by 2025.
On July 12th, the March 2025 contract of CBOT wheat futures (ZWH5) settled at $5.975 per bushel. Each contract has a notional value of 5,000 bushels, or $29,875 at market prices. Buying (long) or selling (short) one contract requires an initial margin of $2,000 at the time of writing.
CBOT lists 15 monthly contracts of Mar, May, Jul, Sep, and Dec. Wheat traders could take up positions two years from now, for the month of July 2026. Trading on the 3rd or 4th contract month would satisfy the liquidity requirements while allowing time for market-impacting variables to change, based on my experience.
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
An Uncharted Landscape of Prolonged Yield Curve InversionCBOT: Micro 2-Year Yield ( CBOT_MINI:2YY1! ) and Micro 10-Year Yield ( CBOT_MINI:10Y1! )
The recent US inflation cycle started in June 2020. As the global pandemic interrupted the global supply chain, the prices of goods began to rise rapidly. In the following two years, the headline CPI shot up nearly nine percent to a 40-year high.
The Federal Reserve initially judged inflation to be transitionary and sat on the sideline for almost two years. However, when it finally came into action, it did so decisively with a campaign of aggressive interest rate increases. The hikes started in March 2022 and went on for ten more times, pushing the Fed Funds rate up 525 bps, from 0-25 bps to 5.25-5.50%.
Has the Fed tightening policy been successful? Yes and No. On the one hand, inflation rate dropped nearly 2/3 from the peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.5% in March 2024. We are not yet back to the 2% policy target but are on the right track.
On the other hand, price levels remain stickily high. According to the “CPI Inflation Calculator” by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the purchasing power of $1.22 in March 2024 equals that of $1.00 in December 2019. This means that the average price in the US has gone up 22% since the start of the pandemic. Even though the inflation rate is moving down, price levels continue to move up.
After hiking interest rates 11 times and pausing 6 times, the Fed now has a dilemma. “To cut, or Not to cut”, this is a trillion-dollar question. Adding to the complexity of the situation is that we have been in a negative yield curve environment for two years.
The Persistent Yield Curve Inversion
Yield Curve shows how interest rates on government bonds compare, notably three-month Treasury Bills, two-year and 10-year Treasury Notes, 15-year and 30-year Treasury Bonds. Bond investors expect to be paid more for locking up their money for a long stretch, so interest rates on long-term debt are higher than those on short-term. Plotted out on a chart, the various yields for bonds create an upward sloping line.
Sometimes short-term rates rise above long-term ones. That negative relationship is called yield curve inversion. An inversion has preceded every U.S. recession for the past half century, so it’s seen as a leading indicator of economic downturn.
The chart above shows a downward slopping Treasury yield curve on May 12th. We observe that 3MO Bill currently yields 5.391%, while the 10Y Note yields just 4.5%, which is 89 bps lower.
Financial markets use the yield spread of 10Y and 2Y Notes as a benchmark for yield curve relationship. In a normal interest rate environment, the 10-2 yield spread is a positive number. On July 21st, 2022, 2Y yield stood at 3.00%, above the 2.91% on 10Y yield. This was the first time in ten years that the 10-2 spread turned negative (-9 bps).
Almost two years later, the yield curve inversion remains in effect. On May 12th, the 10Y yield, the 2Y yield, and the 10-2 spread are 4.50%, 4.87% and -37 bps, respectively.
Under an unprecedented period of negative yield curve, how the shifting of Fed policy would impact interest cost of long- and short-duration remains to be seen.
Trading with CBOT Micro Yield Futures
The complexity of yield curve inversion makes analyzing interest rates extremely difficult. We could narrow down the analysis on the two key points of the yield curve, the 2Y and the 10Y. The underlying Treasury bonds are among the most liquid financial instruments in the world. The 10-2 spread trades are also very popular for interest rate investors.
We could simplify our analysis into the following:
• To formulate a viewpoint on the future direction of the 2Y yield;
• To formulate a viewpoint on the future direction of the 10Y yield;
• To formulate a viewpoint on whether the 10-2 spread will be widened or tightened.
From a trading perspective, if you have confidence in any one of the three, you could develop a trading strategy by using CBOT Micro Treasury Yield Futures.
Last Friday, the June contract of Micro 2Y Yield futures (2YYM4) were settled at 4.722%. Each contract has a notional value of 1,000 index points, or $4,722 at current price. To buy (long) or sell (short) 1 contract, a trader is required to deposit an initial margin of $340.
The June Micro 10Y Yield (10YM4) was settled at 4.489%. Notional value is 1,000 index points or $4,489. Initial margin is $320.
The 10Y-2YY yield spread for June contract is -23.3 bps (= 4.489 - 4.722). A long (short) spread trade involves buying (selling) one 10Y futures and shorting (buying) one 2YY futures simultaneously. It requires an initial margin of $660 (= 340 + 320).
My thought below is for your information only. First, on the 2YY:
• You could decompose the 2Y yield into 24 consecutive 1M rates over a 2-year period. The negative 37 bps between the Fed Funds rate and 2Y yield may be considered the weighted average of these 1M rates, with the expectations of Fed cutting rates.
• The Fed is unlikely to raise rates again. But it remains highly uncertain when it will start cutting rates and how often it will do.
• Consequently, the 2YY could fluctuate in the short-term, but would decline over time.
• To express this view, a short 2YY futures rollover strategy may be appropriate.
• My last idea on May 6th includes a detailed explanation on futures rollover strategy. Let’s recap the long futures rollover here:
o In April, buy (going long) a June contract.
o In June, short the June contract to close the existing position. Buy an August contract and reestablish a long position.
o The trader would repeat the above steps, so far as he holds a bullish view.
o A short futures rollover will be the exact opposite of the above.
My thought on the 10Y:
• The Fed rate hikes had a lagging effect on longer term rates. While mortgage rate, auto financing, business loan and credit card rate have all risen substantially, 10Y yield is still priced at 1 full percentage point below the Fed Funds rate. Due to the cumulative effect of past interest rate hikes, mortgage rates and auto loan rates are still rising, even though the Fed has paused.
• Would the Fed rate cuts, applied on the overnight rate only, bring down the long-term interest rates? In my view, it takes a series of cuts to reverse the negative yield curve. In a presidential election year, the Fed is unlikely to make abrupt policy shifts.
• The uncertainty with long-term yield makes it risky to do an outright directional trade.
My thought on the 10Y-2Y spread:
• We have been in a negative yield environment for nearly two years, without having experienced an economic recession. This is an uncharted territory.
• In my opinion, the US economy is very resilient. Growth may be slowed, but a recession is unlikely. Massive government deficit spending would continue to pour money into the system, supporting business growth, full employment and robust consumer spending.
• The 2Y yield is affected directly by the Fed. It would decline in the next two years due to the expected Fed rate cuts.
• The 10Y yield is both impacted by the Fed actions and the market demand for long-term debt. It has been rising while the Fed kept the rates unchanged. Future rate cuts would slow the rise but may not be sufficient to push it downward.
• On balance, 2YY would likely fall faster than 10Y. Mathematically, it would translate into a wider 10Y-2YY spread.
• To express this view, a long 10Y-2YY spread trade may be appropriate.
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
BULLISH TRI BREAK to Finish ABC Move for +2500 PIPS?! - UJHere I have USDJPY on the Weekly Chart!
Price has been meeting all the criteria since its LOWEST LOW recorded @ 75.565 in Oct. 2011 to have then started what looks to be a Correction Wave (ABC).
*This Low also seems to have been the completion of the 5th Wave of the Impulse Wave since UJ hit markets in Jan. 1971!!
On the chart you will see that we have continued to make HIGHER HIGHS & LOWS since our Low of 2011 and price after making its HIGHS, finding support at the Target Fib'd Retracement Levels!
This month of April has been a remarkable month for USD in the UJ pair:
-April has been nothing but overall BULLISH for UJ
-The past 2 weeks has not only given us a Break up out of the Resistance Zone of ( 151.944 - 149.710) that has contained our Highs since Oct. '22 but has CONTINUED to reach even HIGHER giving us a BULLISH BREAK of the BULLISH TRIANGLE that price has formed with our Resistance Zone and Rising Support created by our LOWS in Jan. of 2023 & 2024!
Fundamentally what really pushes this move is the fact that the USD is now looking to keep rates still "Higher For Longer" with potentially only 2 Rate Cuts this year!! This can really feed favorability from investors towards the USD!
What does this all mean??
Firstly, we want to see if this CURRENT HIGH price is moving on is VALID!!
*I would like to see Price retrace to test these HIGHS in the Resistance Zone of ( 151.944 - 149.710) to see if this level changes to SUPPORT!!
-If so, we will be looking to be BUYERS!!
Potential Range Target - ( 178.097 - 196.821 )
JPM a financial rockstar in stampede mode LONGJPM on the daily chart has plain and obvious consistent momentum albeit with corrections.
The markets are expected to thrive in this lection year and three rate cuts are projected
in the net 8 months. The best time to buy JPM was both March 22 and October 23. I suggest
the next best time is now before the forecasted rate cuts are factored into price ahead of
the cuts. I just got notified of unusual options volumes for a price of 220 for the July 24
expiration which is not a surprise and is the month of the presidential nominating conventions.
That is 10% above current price and suggests the options buyers are expecting price to be
in that money by July meaning maybe a target for price is 225-250. No matter, I am getting
mine now before the prices rise.
Undervalued Dollar? Democrats' Influence on Rate Cut PlansUndervalued Dollar? Democrats' Influence on Powell's Rate Cut Plans
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to present his semi-annual monetary policy testimony to the House and Senate starting this Wednesday. The market will be looking for Powell to provide a more specific timeline for interest rate cuts.
Currently, the market is pricing in three interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve this year, with the first expected in June. However, the market is likely to be disappointed, with Powell keeping tight-lipped and echoing the sentiments of other Fed officials, suggesting that the first rate cut may occur "later this year."
Although the market might be disappointed by the lack of a clear timeline, it will likely take no news as good news though and have no reason to amend their forecast to any time later than June. This could be undervaluing the US dollar, as the market overlooks “higher for even longer”. When the market finally comes to terms with this, targets for a stronger USD could include those levels designated on the chart.
What could break Powell's tight lips is pressure from Democrats, who could advocate for interest rate cuts to support the strength of the economy in an election year.
USD opportunity? Market overestimating March rate cut? USD opportunity? Market overestimating March rate cut?
The market is only pricing in a 30% chance of a rate cut from the US Fed in March now. Is this probability too high still? Jerome Powell spoke after the latest FOMC decision yesterday and noted that it was unlikely that the Fed would be cutting rates in March.
Why is the market still pricing in a 30% chance? Should it not be closer to 10% or less? So, according to this hypothesis, might there be an opportunity to go long on the US dollar until at least March?
And then, thinking a little further past March: When the Fed does finally cut its rate, is there a play to make by anticipating how large of a cut they will enact? The Fed is known for acting a little late, so a 50bps cut, rather than a 25bps cut, is not entirely unlikely as they rush to loosen their grip on the economy if it begins overshooting their target (constricts too much).
Will stock market crash in 2024?Hello everyone i want share my idea bout NAS100 price action at higher timeframe, here i will tell some reasons why stock market will stop moving up and change it will change trend.
First we had at stock market pretty good bullish movement in 2023. If we look economy of America they are in trouble, last few months of 2023 we had pretty bearish movement at US20 bond and DXY (Dollar index) but this year Dollar started positive trend with positive fundamentally news, Interest rates are high and it need correction, everyone in 2024 waiting for interest rate cuts but we don't have yet any indicative new which will approve rate cuts.
In last of autumn i published my idea about US20 bond and dollar index where i was bearish ( I will share that idea in this post) i was thinking bearish trend for high interest rates, after autumn us economy and dollar start fall until 2024 January.
If this price movement of dollar will continue that trend and the fundamentally will help then we will get new rates which will be lower. if we look NAS100 with technical analysis we have new all time high and big weekly divergence, if that divergence will work we will get lower rates and new opportunity for invest in stock market.
In second post i will talk my idea about stock SunPower corporation, which price will follow lower rate and it is perfect investment if rates will cut.
10Y: Inflation Could Creep Back Up as Seaborne Trade InterruptedCBOT: Micro 10-Year Yield Futures ( CBOT_MINI:10Y1! )
Maritime transport is the backbone of international trade and the global economy. Over 80% of the global trade volume in goods is carried by sea, according to the UN. Therefore, whenever a major trade route is blocked, shipping time would be lengthened, which pushes up freight cost, and ultimately, the prices of merchandise.
Suez Canal Blockage, March 2021
Traffic jams at sea are not rare. On March 23rd, 2021, a 400-metre-long container vessel, MV Ever Given, got diagonally stuck inside Egypt’s Suez Canal. Transport was completely blocked in the all-important 193-km narrow waterway for six days.
Suez Canal is one of the world's busiest shipping channels for oil, refined fuels, grain, and other trades linking East to West. It moves about 12% of the global trade. Holding up traffic there could cost $9 billion per day, according to data from Lloyd’s list.
Direct impact: The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), a benchmark for the cost of shipping goods worldwide, traded around 2350 before the blockage. It shot up to 3170 (+35%) by May and peaked at 5530 (+135%) by October. While canal blockage was not the only cause, it exposed weaknesses in global trade and triggered a chain reaction in price hikes.
Influence: In February 2021, US CPI was well under control at a 1.7% annual rate. It jumped to 2.6% in March. By the time BDI peaked, CPI was at 6.2% in October. But it did not stop there, US CPI topped 9.1% in June 2022, 15 months after the blockage.
Panama Canal Drought, August 2023 to Present
The 65-kilometer-long Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is a key shipping hub for trade between North and South America to Asia and Europe. It links about 5% of global trade. In 2022, more than 14,000 ships passed through the canal.
The Panama Canal is experiencing a severe drought now, resulting in a shortage of fresh water for the operation of the locks. This forced officials to slash the number of vessels they allow through and has created expensive headaches for shipping companies. Before the crisis, 38 ships a day moved through the canal. It’s now down to only 22.
Canal authority now hosts special auctions to allow winner to cut in line and move his ship ahead in the queue. It is reported that shipping companies paid up to $2 million for this privilege, which is on top of the regular canal fees they paid.
Direct impact: Unlike the Suez fiasco, drought would last for months. It’s estimated that daily passage could move up to 24 by January 2024. The canal would still be running at 65% capacity. This means that global trade could be slowed by as much as 2%.
Red Sea Under Houthi Attacks, October 2023 to Present
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. This waterway is used by container ships and exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf. Approximately 12% of the world’s trade, which includes 30% of all global containers, move through the Suez Canal. That then feeds through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
The Yemen-based Houthi militants have threatened to attack any vessels that have ownership ties to Israel or do business there. Overall, 13 vessels have been attacked at Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in early October.
On Saturday, MSC, the world’s largest shipping carrier, said that its ships will not transit the Suez Canal due to security risks. Shipping giants Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk also paused travel through the Red Sea a day earlier.
Direct impact: The collective vessel market share of MSC, Hapag Lloyd, and Maersk is approximately 40% of global trade. The decrease in vessel transits by these three giant ocean carriers will be a financial hit to Egypt, which owns, operates, and maintains the Suez Canal. Egypt has already seen a hit in tourism due to the conflict.
Impacts from Panama Canal and Red Sea Crisis
The combined trade volume passing through Suez and Panama canals accounts for 17% of global trade. Any interruption, either man-made or by nature force, could reduce global goods supply and add to the price tag on store shelves.
The long wait time at the canal and the extra weeks it takes for using alternative route both increase overall fuel consumption and other expenses. Even though crude oil price has been falling, freight shipping cost are now on the way up. This is like a tax on the economy. The impact on such a global scale could reverse the trend of cooling inflation.
If recent history repeats itself, we could see US CPI creeping back up in the coming months, following a surge in the BDI.
Trading Opportunity with CBOT Micro Yield Futures
Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve decided to keep the Fed Funds rate unchanged in the 5.25-5.50% range. While Fed officials put out inconsistent statements about what they would do next, investors overwhelmingly concluded that rate cuts are coming soon.
On Thursday, both S&P and Nasdaq made 52-week high, of 4,738.57 and 14,855.62, respectively. The Dow reached a new all-time-high record of 37,347.60 on Friday.
According to CME FedWatch Tool, the first rate-cut could occur in March, with a 69% probability. By the end of 2024, there is a 98% probability that the Fed Funds rate would be 4.25-4.50% or lower, indicating investor expectations of 4-7 cuts of 25 bps each.
(Link: www.cmegroup.com)
In the Treasury spot market, 10-Year yield was quoted 3.928% on Friday. This represents 132 bps below Fed Funds, and a 10Y-2Y spread at -51 bps. In the futures market, CBOT Micro Yield futures ($10Y) January 2024 contract (10YF4) was settled at 3.927 last Friday, in line with the spot market.
If our analysis on pending inflation rebound is proven to be correct, the Fed would start cutting rates later than the market expected, and not as much as the Treasury market priced in at the moment.
Each Micro 10Y Yield contract has a notional value of 1,000 index points, or $3,927 at current price. To acquire 1 contract, a trader is required to deposit an initial margin of $320.
If the resurgence of inflation spurred by global supply chain disruption makes the Fed to maintain its hawkish stance and continue tighten the monetary policy, the rates will stay elevated. A trader with a long position will gain if 10Y yield rises.
While a rate hike raises Treasury yield, the postponement of an expected rate cut also has similar effect. The forecasted low yield would now be revised up. As a result, the futures price, which is the 10Y yield, would go up, rendering a profit for the long position.
On the other hand, if 10Y yield continues to fall, the trader would incur a loss of $250 for each 25bps cut.
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
Rate Cut 1930 - Pattern Recognition: 30s vs Today In 1930, when the Fed cut interest rates, the market crashed further. In today's tutorial, we will be comparing the 30s and today’s market to identify some of their similarities.
Where exactly are interest rates’ direction pointing us?
As we may have read, many analysts are forecasting that there will be a few rate cuts in 2024. Is this the best option?
My work in this channel, as always, is to study behavioral science in finance, discover correlations between different markets, and uncover potential opportunities.
Micro Treasury Yields & Its Minimum Fluctuation
Micro 2-Year Yield Futures
Ticker: 2YY
0.001 Index points (1/10th basis point per annum) = $1.00
Micro 5-Year Yield Futures
Ticker: 5YY
0.001 Index points (1/10th basis point per annum) = $1.00
Micro 10-Year Yield Futures
Ticker: 10Y
0.001 Index points (1/10th basis point per annum) = $1.00
Micro 30-Year Yield Futures
Ticker: 30Y
0.01 Index points (1/10th basis point per annum) = $1.00
Disclaimer:
• What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker.
• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time 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
GC: Gold Reaches Record High on Hope of Fed Rate CutsCOMEX: Gold Options ( COMEX:GC1! )
Gold prices rallied to an all-time high on Friday.
Spot gold climbed 1.6% to $2,069 per ounce, up 3.4% for the week. Gold price rose to $2,075 mid-session to beat the previous record of $2,072 reached in 2020.
U.S. gold futures also broke new ground. The February 2024 contract of COMEX gold futures settled at a record high of $2,089.7, up 1.6% for the week. On Friday, gold futures trade volume was 259,889 lots, with open interest standing at 498,685 contracts.
Options on the COMEX gold futures also attracted investor attention. On Friday, total options volume was 92,906, up 112% from the prior day. Open interest was 806,297 lots.
For the lead February 2024 contracts, investors bought 19,565 call options and 6,894 put options. A call-to-put ratio of 2.83:1 indicates that investors are very bullish on gold.
Gold prices have been pumped up on investor hype that the Federal Reserve may have completed its monetary tightening policy and could start cutting rates as early as March. How high could gold price go?
Since last year, I have written extensively about gold on TradingView. Let’s revisit the fundamental drivers of the global gold market.
Gold as an Inflation Hedge
Gold has historically been an excellent hedge against inflation because its price tends to rise when the cost-of-living increases.
The US CPI Index has a base value of 100 set at 1982-1984. Its latest reading in October is 307.7. Over the last 40 years, the cost of US goods and services has tripled on average.
The year-end gold price between 1982 and 1984 averaged $378. As of Friday, the bullion gained 447% for the same period. Over the long run, investing in gold does beat inflation.
Gold as a Precious Metal
As a commodity, gold is negatively correlated to the US dollar. Since gold is priced in dollar, a strong dollar raises the cost for foreign investors who must pay more with weakened foreign currency. This reduces the demand for gold. “Strong Dollar, Weak Commodities” is the general theme in global commodities market, gold included.
A closely related theme is “Higher Rates, Lower Prices”. Higher interest rates and Treasury bond yields raise the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold. Unlike other commodities, gold is not consumed or used up every year. Therefore, gold mining output is not a major factor in the pricing of gold.
Gold as a Safe Haven Investment
Gold retains its value in times of both financial chaos and geopolitical crises. People flee to its relative safety when world tensions rise. During such times, gold often outperforms other investments. In the past two decades, gold price peaked during the 2008 financial crisis, the 2010 European debt crisis, the 2018-19 US-China trade conflict, the outbreak of COVID pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the March 2023 U.S. bank run.
Gold as an Investment Class
As an investment class, gold competes for investor money along with stocks, bonds, cryptos and money-market funds. Even at record high, gold gained only 13.2% year-to-date, underperforming S&P 500 (+19.6%), Nasdaq 100 (+46.4%) and Bitcoin (+136.0%).
A False Narrative on Monetary Easing
The recent rise in the stocks and gold is largely shaped by the changes in market sentiment. Investors believe that the Fed is shifting gears from restricted to easing policy.
Looking back in the past two years, market sentiment might not be the most reliable gauge of the Fed’s next step of action. The market has called for the Fed Pivot prematurely and incorrectly multiple times. We will need to wait and see what’s happening next.
In his speech at Spelman College in Atlanta on Friday, the Fed Chair said that “the risks of under- and over-tightening are becoming more balanced,” but the Fed is not thinking about lowering rates right now.
Investors focus on the current rate well into restrictive territory, but pointedly ignore the warning that it was premature to speculate on easing rates. The confirmation bias is at work here. They hear what they want to hear and create a new narrative that rate cuts will come sooner.
Pricing in 5-6 rate cuts in a year is very aggressive. The Fed Chair has been accused of being too late to act, seeing inflation transitory earlier on. When it comes to cutting rates, the Fed would be very cautious, and at a very slow and measured pace.
Trading Opportunities with Gold Options
Market fundamentals haven’t changed. Market sentiment, however, has shifted.
The aggressive rate-cut assumption has the effect of lowering the expected interest rates. This helps raise the present value of future cash flows. Hence, stock value goes up.
Lower bond yield reduces the disadvantage of holding the non-yielding gold, and the US dollar weakening makes gold more attractive to foreign buyers.
This bull market is vulnerable. If investors adjust their rate-cut assumptions from 5-6 to 2-3 times, the market could turn nosediving.
However, investors set their sight on rate cuts and will not abandon it until the fact rejects the false narrative. Gold has a so-called “Santa Claus rally” and could continue for a while.
The Fed Chair’s statement could become more convincing if:
• Nonfarm payroll stays strong (December 8th)
• CPI stops falling (December 12th)
• The Fed keeps rate unchanged and emphasizes on fighting inflation (December 13th)
Options on COMEX Gold Futures (GC) could be a cost-efficient and risk-mitigated way to express one’s opinion on how quickly the Fed would cut rates.
Each options contract is based on 1 futures contract and has a notional value of 100 troy ounces of gold. At $2,089.7, each contract is worth $208,970.
For illustration purpose: For the February 2024 contract, an out-of-the-money (OTM) call at 2190 ($100 above futures price) is quoted at 18.80. To acquire 1 call options requires an upfront premium of $1,880 (= 18.80 x 100 ounces). An OTM put at 1990 ($100 below futures price) is quoted at 9.00. To acquire 1 put requires an upfront premium of $900 (= 9.00 x 100 ounces).
Options premium is significantly lower than futures margin, which stands at $7,800 per contract. It’s a fraction of the cost if you were to buy 100 ounces of gold in the spot market.
If the trader buys a call and gold futures goes up, his account will increase in value. Unlike investing in spot gold or gold futures, the payoff in options is nonlinear, determining by the Black-Scholes option model. Similarly, when the trader buys a put and gold futures declines, he would also make a profit.
On the flip side, the trader could lose money if the market moves against him. But the maximum loss is capped at the upfront premium.
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
0% interest rate = Short Bonds! I may be jumping the gun here, but with the emergency rate cut.
we are going to have to cut the rates some more next fomc meeting, and as the situation progress and with the way trump is whining about fed rate cuts.
there a high chance of certainty that they will eventually cut the rate to 0%, especially as corona cases get serious and hits 1 million. it's currently at 90k right now but there's without a doubt it will suppress 1 million.
i am looking to buy puts for 2021 and continue to double down if it keeps going up. Kinda like Michael Burry from "The Big Short" i will borrow money to keep doubling down if i have to! ITS A BOND BUBBLE!!!!! lolz
Corona virus reference
nypost.com
multimedia.scmp.com
Dxy Insane Opening. Last Stop around.....The Saudi price war was a flashpoint for today's action but it's really all about coronavirus. The news on the weekend worsened with too many cases and outbreaks to count.
The conditions for a panic were evident the moment markets opened plunged heavily lower. Japanese market participants invest abroad massively but when uncertainty hits, they bring their money home. No one wants to be the last one to the exit and now the building is on fire and it's a stampede. Oil Price Declines Roil Global Markets, Virus Containment Efforts Escalate, Supply Crunch Ripples Past China, Treasury Yields Fall Further As Investors Expect More Rate Cuts and there are a lot of issue going around the world so basically 94.26 would be a potential area for dxy which is pivot weekly s3 or even the past lowest low around 93.87 (The last destination where price may head and halt if this pandemic eats global market for a certain while).
SPX500 Plan for the Upcoming Week — H1 speculation during CovidContext & Navigating markets during COVID-19
Due to COVID-19 outbreak happening on top of an uptight bond market and weak economic fundamentals, the OANDA:SPX500USD — along with other major indexes — has tanked from its 3396 historical high in a straight line untill it found a yet to confirm or break H1 support on the 2855 area which happens to be the 50% fibonacci retracement of the December 24th 2018 to Febuary 20th 2020 rise fueled by the series of Federal Reserve's interest's rate cuts.
Since then the market has demonstrated extreme volatility on lower timeframes, thus highlighting profilic opportunities for speculators. After confused reaction to the FED's emergency 50 basic points rate cut on Tuesday, the market ended up rejecting twice the 50% retracement at 3130$, a fib level that usually isn't supposed to show much reaction, displaying how weak the buyers were by not being able to push throught 61.8% (much more attractive for short sellers risk management). The market was then vowed to retest, if not break its support. The bulls showed very low interest on the range support area of 2960 - 2920 (highlighted by fib retracement and fib extension) only a few hours before the weekly close, which led me to believe that we were going to break the support either before closure or at the next opening. MACD and RSI were not showing any kind of bullish signals anyway therefore i decided not to buy the support as i previously planed to. However volumes sudently rised up and printed a 3 min range which broke to the upside the 3min bearish trendline and closed the week with a 1 hour green engulfing candle, thus quickly sending a whole bunch of bullish signals :
Trade
As a result, i intend to buy any retracement of the aforementioned engulfing candle with an invalidation level under the 2830 level. Regarding the objectives of that trade, i wouldn't target anything higher than 3191 - 3270$ which are respectively the 61.8 & 76.4 retracement of the "corona" bearish wave; i'll even go so far as look to reinforce my daily shorts on that very atractive area. Average risk ratio of the trade is 1/4 (2.5 stop for 10% gains) but that might change slightly given the price you enter at. Targeting new historical highs from there seem completly unrealistic and that is especially considering the underlying context and daily technical structure which seems to be a bearish trend that may drag us to as low as 2700$ if not way lower (see my future long term analysis on the stock market).
Hope this idea will inspire some of you !
Go easy on leverage and don't forget to hit the like/follow button if you feel like this post deserves it ;)
Kindly,
J.M.K
GBPCHF what if reports are better then forecast/previous...??!!Sterling could be in for additional volatility as the U.K. jobs figures are due and might set the tone for BOE policy expectations. If the actual figures beat expectations, however, it could spark a strong bounce for pound pairs as this would likely dampen BOE rate cut hopes. The pair is floating around 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level, which coincides with an area of interest, weekly pivot level, and the 100 SMA dynamic inflection point. In my opinion, we may not see a further deep or retracement around 50-61.80% Fibonacci if we have a surprise better than the expected report where consensus is better then what it is hoped by the economist. The faster-moving MA is above the 200 SMA to indicate that support is more likely to hold than to break at the moment and also, stochastic is indicating oversold conditions or exhaustion among sellers, so buyers might take over soon but as we said everything depends on the upcoming outlook from the UK and global risk sentiment. The average daily volatility of GBP/CHF is around 82 pips a day so decide wisely entries and exit levels after knowing the reports. Stay careful friends!
NZDUSD - Long #Forex #ForexTrader #ForexTrading #ForexChartNZDUSD - Long opportunity
I managed to catch a small inverted H&S pattern and it got my attention that there is another one that is much larger forming.
I'm still currently short due to the fact it is still short overall on the daily TF
However..
With a strong possibility of Fed rate cuts coming i believe that this could be a great opportunity to go long.
Any questions feel free to ask
GOLD end of 2019|DEC RATE CUT|TRADE WAR|ECON FUNDAMENTALSKeeping it short but precise, few fundamental bullet points on factors that will affect gold until the end of 2019:
1. Once US/China deal gets finalized, Gold should have a bearish consolidation to 1410, eventually to 1360 by the start of 2020.
2. GOLD is currently in a horizontal range due to two factors: Global monetary policy dovishness continues for October(bullish) , but at the same time higher likelihood of a good US/China deal outcome(bullish), and then there's Brexit.
3. On the point of monetary policy; OCT 31st meeting already priced in , everyone is focusing now on Dec 11th FOMC (Ref#1) . The issue for the Dec 11th FOMC, is that it will depend massively on the US/China deal outcome, that'll be decided sometime mid November.
4. Expecting yields on the US 10Y to recover if a deal goes through . Yields in a range, above the critical 1.5% support, and
at the moment are looking for a breakout. Of course, this would have a very bearish effect on gold.
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On the technical side, you can see the developments on the chart. On the daily looks very indecisive, but leaning bearish.
In fact, I think that after the FED rate cut next week, on Friday the 1st of November there should be a sell-off in gold. Earnings season is going okay-ish well, and by the end of it we should know how it will affect gold. Have to reiterate that Trump has to get a deal done with China; that'll basically guarantee him another mandate from 2020 . This is the main factor, that makes me bearish on gold for now.
This is it for Gold, it was just a short, but precise update.
-Step_ahead_ofthemarket-
>>I do not share my ideas for the likes or the views. This channel is only dedicated to well informed research and other noteworthy and interesting market stories.>>
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References and disclosure:
1. www.cmegroup.com
Full Disclosure: This is just an opinion, you decide what to do with your own money. For any further references or use of my content for private or corporate purposes- contact me through any of my social media channels.
This short update is just a continuation from a previous chart on gold: