JohnKicklighter

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The day is finally upon us that the Federal Reserve has announced it decision to taper that begins the slow process of turning off the tap of heavy stimulus infusions into the financial system. Rate hikes will be the next move after the QE program is capped (according to the Fed itself), but it is still some ways off that interest rates will move meaningfully...

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USDMXN is up nearly 1.5% today - the biggest single-day charge in four and a half months - and working on a sixth straight session's gain. There have been other 6-day rallies over the months, but we haven't seen any more 'productive' advances since the height of the pandemic back in March 2020. With a large descending wedge's resistance coming into view after...

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The ratio between the Nasdaq 100 and and Dow Jones Industrial Average is hovering near its highest level since the Dot-Com boom peak in May 2000. Given that these two indices enjoy an incredibly high, positive correlation between them, the relative aspect here speaks to something more speculative in nature. I believe risk taking has been driven by artificial...

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For many, a break like the one we've seen from the Dow (here the $DIA ETF) is a 'break' and has set expectations for a productive follow through. However, I think it is clear that general market conditions are not conducive to trend development. I would categorize the Dow's break from its tight wedge this past session as a 'break of necessity' where the market...

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One of the most liquid Emerging Market currency crosses, $USDBRL, is advancing for an eight straight trading session through Thursday. This is the longest unbroken bull run for the exchange rate since September 2014. It's impressive that it is advancing in today's session given the Dollar is under pressure of its own, but it seems general risk aversion is the...

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Though much of the attention in the FX market automatically goes to the majors, there are some remarkable technical pictures among the Dollar-based EM pairs. In particular, I am impressed by the pattern shaped by USDZAR through the past year. The post-pandemic recovery trendline resistance is still guiding the exchange rate lower, but we are starting to come upon...

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Top event risk for the week is tomorrow in the US CPI release. No guarantee that it can unseat the market's inertia, but inflation taps into one of the few themes that seems to strike a nerve with global investors: the beginning of the end of stimulus. There are a lot of very interesting markets exposed to this event risk like the S&P 500, US 10-Year Yield and...

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While there was heavy interest in the meme-stocks this past session, the emerging market FX space generated remarkable volatility on its own. Some of the most liquid BRICS member currencies were posting impressive rallies - like the Brazilian Real (USDBRL) and South African Rand (USDZAR). However not all EM was outpacing the Greenback. The Turkish Lira was one...

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Gold is working today on its 8th consecutive trading sessions' advance. If we close in the green, it would notch the longest series of gains for the commodity since July of last year. The pacing on the other hand is lackluster. Over an 8-day ROC, we are not even at the highs of the month. What does that mean? It will be difficult to keep progressing as significant...

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The Dollar is rallying across the board after the significant CPI beat. The 'market's favorite inflation reading' has accelerated to the fastest pace on the headline read since 2008 and fastest for the 'core' figure since Dec 1995. Going to be hard for the Fed deny the price pressures - but I wouldn't count out their commitment just yet. While there are a bunch...

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The Nasdaq 100 is a better concentration of tech companies and has been one of the driving forces of speculative appetite over the past five years - and particularly in the period post pandemic. Yet, that outperformance seems on the verge of capsizing when looking at the NDX relative to the Dow (the value index). This wouldn't necessarily suggest a full scale risk...

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The five-week rally for the SPX that we just concluded with a down week on Thursday's close was the largest since the climb that ended at the beginning of November. Looking back, it seems the duration of rallies are growing shorter - albeit modestly. I won't write off the possibility of a new record high over the next month; but I do believe that medium-term, we...

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There was considerable capitulation across 'risk' assets this past week. The question is how far the towel is thrown. Merely a pause for liquidity or the snap from reality that spurs full profit taking?

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...which makes it that much more interesting that we are testing a round psychological level like 1,200 as a channel top.

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We have been watching the volatility for the Yuan/Renminbi as a signal of the market pressure levied on Chinese officials. However, that is only one stress point for the financial-economic balance the government is trying to strike. Another FX outlet is the HKD which is the gateway for much of the capital flow into and out of China. And, where USDCNY may have...

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USDCAD was already driving to multi-year highs and as of this week running a remarkably consistent advance. Now, that run is 9 straight days. There are only two other climbs of this magnitude since the turn of the millennium. If Friday closes green (bumping it to 10 days), it will be the first such move since 1999.

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Like most Yen crosses, the GBPJPY has dove hard these past few weeks - though this is one of the more attractive technical pictures among the group. After marking a strong break of its bull trend, now facing the next major level of support around 169.50. This is a moderate tech floor. Meanwhile spot is the furthers from the 200-day MA since October 2011 - so...

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Like GBPNZD, NZDJPY is a pair that is meeting considerable Kiwi resistance. Here, the combination of a frequented pivot (played support and resistance), 200-day moving average and 50% Fib set a ceiling between 83.50 and 84. The RBNZ will have a big say in whether this upswing stalls or extends to a lasting break. I spoke about this setup and others in my...