Category: Commodities

Friday Roundup

Posted on Posted in Commodities, Currencies, Indicators, Macro, Stocks7 Comments

1. Chinese stocks are making another attempt at bottoming, and this one has promise. A falling wedge, positive RSI divergence and a potential fakeout beneath support as stocks rallied strongly yesterday and again today (today’s rise not shown), taking us towards 2100.

Underlying Source: Cobra/Stockcharts

2. The German Dax bounced yesterday at rising support. The technical situation is shown below – for my bullish case, the most important is to hold above the March 2012 highs – a previous resistance that should now be support. If the Dax can hold that rising support line then the next target is the cyclical bull highs to date of mid-2011.

3. The US SP500 index is already at new cyclical bull highs and so holding above that s/r line is again the priority for my bullish case. Again, it will be interesting to see if the index can hold the rising support and after a little small range consolidation around this weekend’s full moon, resume bullishly with that angle of trajectory. Recall that Presidential seasonality supports further gains all the way to the November elections, and whilst I wouldn’t specifically trade that phenomenon, it has been fairly reliable historically.

4. The Dow Transports continue to languish, but a little indecision at the bottom of the range could spell another reversal back into the range. It’s an important one to continue to watch.

Source: TSP Talk

Here is Ryan Puplava’s assessment of whether stocks are likely in a topping process here or not, and the Transports divergence is the only flag currently, he suggests:

  • A shift out of risk assets and into defensive sectors. (false)
  • Leading economic numbers and Fed surveys roll over (false)
  • Transport or Industrial indexes not confirming each other in new highs (true)
  • A lower high, or at least a break, in the market trend (false)
  • Momentum failure (false)
    • Flat/sideways market from support to break (false)
    • Momentum divergence at a higher high (false)
  • Distribution with 2400 or more declining issues on the NYSE in a given day (false)

Source: Ryan Puplava

5. Gold is also climbing a rising support and if about to face resistance close to 1800. It arrives here on fairly frothy sentiment, however, given its preceding 9 month range coiling and its peak seasonality period currently, I don’t place too much weight on the frothy sentiment. I rather suspect it will have a run where sentiment remains elevated. But let’s see how it deals with that horizontal resistance.

6. Euro-USD pulled back having reached overbought/overbullish, and could pull back a little further to rising resistance. The key question is whether it has made a medium term trend change given the renewed confidence in Euroland and the dollar-debasing US QE-without-end. We know that QE1 and QE2 announcements made for enduring rallies into pro-risk (after the initial spike and correction couple of weeks), which would suggest Euro-dollar, commodities and equities all rallying. There are no guarantees third time round, but market participants may lean more pro-risk, aware of that history.

7. The correction in pro-risk this week has done a reasonable job of deflating other overbullish/overbought indicators, in equities and crude oil amongst others. As previously noted, equities typically flirt with extremes for a period before rolling over, as opposed to hitting once and then collapsing, and we are generally looking at first touches.  Indicators such as stocks above 50MA and bullish percent over call/put have reset sufficiently to enable stocks to rally again, if that’s the will of the market. The two US equity sentiment surveys of II and AAII both continue to show fairly neutral readings, and as I am looking for the next market top to be a cyclical bull market top, we really should see these reach extremes.

Source: Schaeffers Research / Investors Intelligence

Source: Bespoke / AAII

8. Natural Gas has been the stealth hit of 2012. Below is a weekly chart as of the end of last week and this week it has risen to 3.3. If you bought at the bottom in April, you would be up 75%. Well, my story is this: I was one to buy in long in 2010 and 2011 as it dipped several times below 4 (at what appeared excellent historic value and historic extreme cheapness versus oil), only to see dire performance continue and even worsen. Hence my aggregate position is still underwater but as the excess gas inventories have been declining it looks like it may eventually turn a profit. I consider this asset to really have been a good example of ‘the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent’. My exposure was never that significant in my account, but it has taken a lot of patience to see a turnaround.

Source: TradingCharts

9.  On the macro front, we saw a couple of bad US data reports this week, the worst being durable goods orders. As a result, US Economic Surprises has taken a sharp fall and although still positive, needs watching closely in case of a trend change. Due to aggregate leading indicators trending up, I don’t expect that to be the case, but let’s see ECRI’s latest reading later today.

Source: Sober Look / Citigroup

As can be seen from the Dhort chart (hat tip Antonio), there is a relationship between the durable good orders and the SP500 performance that makes the data dip alarming:

Source: Dshort

There is a history of volatility in the durable goods number but that dip is one of the most dramatic. It’s a flag, but not on its own enough to make me want to take profits on stock indices longs at this point. With the improvement in aggregate leading indicators, the positive technical picture for equities, the renewed global stimulus, and the Presidential seasonality, the balance is still bullish. But for that to remain, other forthcoming data (of a leading style) needs to return better. Something to watch next week.

10. US earnings season starts the week after next and there is a fairly compelling relationship between the ISM PMI and SP500 earnings year over year (hat tip Gary). As can be seen below, the latest data for August was just below 50, i.e. around zero growth. The expectations for this earnings season are for earnings growth over the same quarter last year of -3.4%, i.e. a drop. That does potentially set us up for earnings to come in between zero and -3.4, i.e. to be bad but to beat expectations, which would normally be enough to rally equities. Clearly, both the ISM PMI and the analyst expectations are only guides, but there is a potential scenario there to fulfil the technically bullish picture for stocks, in October.

Source: Calculated Risk

Have a great weekend everyone.

Addendum to Forecast 2013 series

Posted on Posted in Commodities, Solar Cycles, Stocks26 Comments

Two great charts from readers, worthy of a few more comments.

Firstly, from Robert Bowden, a long term chart of the Dow and the lunisolar 33-year cycle. Great work from Robert, I would just repeat my 1930s tweak, that the secular bear sideways range contraction would take place after 1937 rather than after 1929. Regardless, in each instance the market coiled into the solar peak in red and there was a great buying point for equities following.

Source: Robert Bowden

The second chart was provided by Mike, and is from NowandFutures. This long term chart for commodities fits very well with the long term equities chart above, showing the inverse secular relationship between the two. Nowandfutures have identified a ~30 years cycle in commodity peaks and by including their Elliott Wave count we already peaked.

Source: NowandFutures

Bring together this chart with the above equities chart, and multiple charts from my Forecast 2013 series, the evidence is pretty compelling that we are at a secular inflection point, in the long term view. If I was a very long term investor, I could sell out of commodities and bonds and buy equities and not look again for 10 years, and only a new paradigm would prevent that from returning handsomely. As I have argued, I don’t believe we have a new paradigm at this point in human history. We have thus far seen typical secular development and indicators suggest we are in the area of what should be a typical secular inversion.

However, as a secular inversion is a messy affair over a window of a few years, and I am a medium term trader whose main focus is to make a strong return each calendar year, getting the timing of when to enter and exit which asset class is crucial. So, my arguments for a commodities peak ahead next year, rather than already achieved in 2011, can be summarised like this:

1. Solar cycles are the underlying. The ~30 year cycle NowandFutures have identified is in fact 3 solar cycles or one lunisolar cycle. Maximum human excitability occurs around solar maximums which is revealed in my own charts by secular stocks peaks and secular commodities peaks all occurring close to solar maximums, as well as inflation peaks i.e. peak speculation and buying. The solar maximum ahead next year therefore suggests 2013 for a commodities peak rather than 2011.

2. Previous secular commodities peaks have all occurred with a subsequent shadow peak, or bounce, around 3 years later (as the demand-supply balance is not transformed overnight). 1980s secular peak, 1983 bounce (all lower highs). 1947 secular peak, 1950 bounce (just oil made a higher high). 1917 secular peak, 1920 bounce (just oil made a higher high). In each case, when the economy gained some momentum after the secular peak, commodities joined in the pro-risk party for a last push, but by that point, the best investment was equities, which were already in new secular bull momentum. Exrapolating, we should see a secular commodities peak in 2013, and a shadow bounce around 2016.

3. Secular asset peaks normally end with a parabolic mania, a blow-off top. In this K-winter since 2000, the leading asset has been gold, and gold has yet to make such a parabolic. Furthermore, the technical shaping of gold suggests that it has just broken upwards out of a 9-month coiling from 2011 to 2012, which should power it to new highs. Could it do so alone, without other commodities? It’s not impossible, but as I showed in my forecast series, there is feedback looping between commodities and normally close correlations in performance. Commodities:stocks and commodities:bonds ratios are supportive for a final mania in oil and gold, and Goldmans have just upped their forecast for commodities for the next 12 months for an 18% collective rise.

4. Grains have made new secular highs in mid-2012. That is supportive of a secular commodities bull still in tact. However, until we see other commodities at new secular highs, then the possibility of a 2011 peak remains open, with grains an anomaly.

5. I’m not a big fan of Elliott Waves because a variety of interpretations can be applied to any chart under consideration. Of all the market disciplines (and I have been open to all) I find them one of the least predictive. However, I generally subscribe to the idea that markets move in waves and that there is some logic to a 5-wave or 3-wave count. I can see a 5-wave count on the CCI commodities index since 2000. I think the 1970s 5-wave count above is less compelling and more of a retrofit. In short, I accept the 5 waves since 2000 to 2011 is a warning, but it would not be alien for commodities to make a new high next year and an alternative count applied. It comes down to weightings. I give more weighting to solar cycles, gold technicals, asset ratios, real interest rate trends, food price inflation, central bank reflationary actions and so on, than to Elliott Wave counts.

In summary, more evidence in the above charts that we are at a secular inversion point in history. I believe the Nowandfutures chart needs a little tweaking to make accurate, and as it is a long term chart, that tweaking makes all the difference, namely from 2011 to 2013 for a commodities peak. A prudent investor might choose to sit out what is a messy, tricky period to time in terms of which assets when. However, if there is a commodities parabolic ahead, that is a great opportunity for a trader, and I believe there is. Drawing together multiple disciplines, I believe the probability lies with the peak ahead. If I am wrong, then nearer term clues will start to appear in favour of the alternative, and my approach as always is to keep analysing day by day to see if this is so. In recent months however, the nearer term clues have grown more in favour of a peak ahead, than in the past, thanks to renewed QE and Chinese infrastructure programmes, grains making new highs feeding into food price inflation ahead, bullish technicals in precious metals, renewed US dollar weakness, and improving leading indicators.

Update: extra charts from Tiho, Shortsideoflong:

I’ve just added the solar peaks.

Forecast 2013 Part 2: Secular Commodities Peak

Posted on Posted in Commodities, Solar Cycles13 Comments

Forecasting a secular commodities bull market peak is two-part: why commodities should make a blow-off price acceleration and why commodities should then fall out of favour in an enduring way.

Let me start by showing that commodities have been a particularly poor-performing asset class over time:

In real terms, commodities have gone nowhere in almost 150 years, whilst the best performing asset class has been equities. In short, the large difference between the two is the value-add of humans, real economic growth through technological evolution. On closer inspection, the chart reveals that commodities have enjoyed short periods of real price surges around 30 years apart, and the latest such secular commodities bull market has been underway since around 2000. We can see this clearer in the chart below.

Commodities follow a sine wave over time, and the next peak is projected to be 2013.

Here is the equally weighted CCI commodities index chart, showing a secular bull trend still in tact.

Source: Stockcharts / Niels Orskov

The previous secular commodities bull markets ran roughly 1906-1918, 1938-1948 and 1968-1980, all around 12 years in duration. Based on these historical precedents (current bull 12 years old), plus the longer term trend in real commodities, we have reasons to expect that the secular commodities bull market should be coming to an end imminently, UNLESS there has been a paradigm shift. That paradigm shift would be fossil fuel exhaustion and natural resources depletion, i.e. that humans have spent their natural resource heritage in order to fuel economic growth, and commodities are now being repriced permanently upwards as they start to run out. Indeed, historic projections put peak oil around now. However, the picture for future energy supply has improved due to large gas finds and expansion of renewables – see chart below.

Source: BP 

Considering gas, water, copper and others, the crunch point shouldn’t occur until beyond 2030, based on current trends.

In addition, new mines and new energy fields are coming on stream, typically taking up to 10 years to reach production from initial plans, and adding to supply. Once commodity prices take off in a new secular bull, there is a lag in new supply coming in stream. Below we see copper production projections ramping up ahead, particularly in 2014.

Next we see OPEC crude oil production stretching back to the 1970s. Note how the oil secular bulls of then and now correspond to declining or flat production, whereas the oil secular bear was set against steadily rising production. Looking forward, some new supply is coming on stream from non-OPEC countries.

Here is gold mining in the long term view. Here you can see that secular bull markets in gold typically occurred in the face of declining production, until new supply caught up. Note that gold production has been on the rise again in the last 3-4 years of the current secular bull, suggestive of an imminent new secular bear.

The precious metal’s appeal, despite increasing supply, is in part due to a persistent environment of negative real (inflation-adjusted) interest rates. Gold has no yield, so comes into favour when cash and bonds are paying negative real yields. The chart below shows how the last two secular gold bulls have been set in that kind of environment, and the 1940s bull was also.

The 1940s secular commodities bull perhaps shares the greatest similarities with our current one, in that interest rates were kept negligible despite inflation, due to excessive debt. The chart below shows US inflation versus interest rates, including both periods. Note that the secular commodities bull of the 1940s topped out in 1947 (measured by the CCI index) just as a trend reversal in interest rates began. In other words, although real interest rates at that time were still negative and remained so into the 1950s, it was enough for a programme of rate rises to BEGIN to end the secular commodities bull market, as the focus turned in favour of yielding assets.

As well as yield, relative value has also been a key factor in marking the beginnings and ends of secular asset bull and bear markets. First we see a long term view of UK house prices measured in gold, i.e. a real estate to gold ratio, and this chart reveals that we are into the zone of extreme expensiveness for gold versus UK housing.

Source: Approximity

Secondly we see gold versus US real estate, and a similar picture of extreme cheapness in real estate compared to gold. These charts are suggestive of an imminent secular reversal between the two assets.

Thirdly, we see gold versus equities, as measured by the DJIA stock index. Here we can see that the ratio has fallen from 43 in 2000 to single digits today i.e. from stocks being expensive and gold cheap to the opposite. Based on the long term trend lines, this ratio could fall further to around 4 (or even lower, per 1980) before signalling an imminent reversal.

Source: IntelligentBear/Sharelynx

If we consider the Dow Jones stock index relative pricing to Brent crude oil, we see something similar, namely that oil is historically expensive versus equities, but that the ratio could well move further to the extreme before signalling a reversal.

Source: Approximity

Several such ratios are united in the chart below, which provides a useful overall view of where we stand. I have marked the secular commodities bull market peaks with  a C, and have added the black horizontal line, which I suggest is the level over which the ratio lines ought to reach before this secular commodities bull reverses.

Source: Nowandfutures

But should could real estate and equities drop in price, rather than commodities rising in price, to achieve the ratio extremes?

Considering global real estate against rents and income, we can see that in several countries house prices have currently reached extremes of historic undervaluation, whilst in others not yet.

Source: The Economist

And likewise equities have reached extreme undervaluation – sub CAPE 10 – in certain countries, whilst in others not yet.

Source: Megane Faber

Meanwhile, the most widely held global government bonds are typically paying negative real returns, as is cash.

In summary, certain countries’ stock indices and real estate markets have reached secular extreme cheapness and should rise rather than fall in price, which puts some support under both asset classes globally, particularly as we see that real estate and equities are into the zone of historical relative major value to bonds and commodities. With bonds and cash paying negative returns, but money parked there through fear, there is the potential for large money flows into pro-risk assets if confidence grows. Real estate is the second best long term returner after equities.

If pro-risk rallies, then commodities outperform in relation to equities before reaching major secular expensiveness extremes, but any parabolic rise in commodities from here would likely be the last of their secular bull, as precious metals in particular would reach expensiveness extremes and investors would begin to abandon gold with its lack of yield or usefulness and long term poor real performance.

So, if we consider there is the potential for just one more major ascent for commodities, secular history suggests that this should indeed occur. Secular bull markets typically end with a blow-off finale, a mania. In previous secular commodities bull markets, commodity prices have accelerated roughly 6 months prior to the ultimate peak, and gone crazy with roughly 6 weeks to go. So, we can look for a combination of a parabolic unsustainable price rise together with extremes in overbought and overbullish indicators, lining up with true extremes in the relative asset value ratios above. They would be the clues to exit commodities.

Secular history reveals that prices should fall hard following the peak, and then gradually recover to make a smaller shadow bounce a couple of years later, before settling into a long term sideways secular bear market.

We can have a stab at timing the secular commodities peak, through solar cycles. Bearing in mind that solar maximums occur only roughly every 11 years, previous secular commodities peaks, and associated inflation peaks, have fallen close to the solar maximums.

Drawing together the last 3 secular commodities bulls shown, we could anticipate that commodities and inflation should peak in 2013, as the solar maximum is currently forecast between Spring and Fall/Autumn 2013. If the solar peak occurs at the latter or later, there is the potential for the ultimate peak in commodities to stretch into early 2014, but otherwise it could occur in 2013.

Not only have secular commodities bull market peaks fallen close to solar maximums, but secular equities bull market peaks have all done likewise. The reason is that solar activity maximums cause maximum human exciteability (Alexander Chizhevsky) which translates into speculation and risk-taking in the economy and markets. The asset class in a secular bull market is excitably speculated to a peak of excessive valuation.

In support of a peak next year, we see current extreme climate issues and forthcoming food price inflation, commodity and social conflict feedback looping, global central bank inflationary stimulus and currency devaluation all converging. This is all covered in Forecast 2013 Part 1: Inflation.

The biggest threat to a commodities peak next year is weakness in global economic leading indicators, particularly in China. China is the biggest consumer of commodities with its breakneck economic expansion over the last 2 decades. History reveals that economies that developed at such a pace historically invariably derailed at some point. The inbalances in China in its real estate market and export/domestic economies as well as the demographic challenges (chart below) put the country at such risk. A de-railing of China would provide a suitable backdrop for a secular commodities bear market over the next decade, were it to occur.

Source: Barry Bannister

The question is whether China and the global economy can reflate sufficiently into 2013 to enable commodities to make their secular finale, before any more serious Chinese slowdown comes to pass (if it does). I expect the last six months of global interest rate cuts, together with renewed US and Japanese QE, to provide that reflation, and perhaps most importantly, the new programme of infrastructure projects in China, that not only should support their economy, but also plays into a secular commodities finale, drawing on both energy and natural resources in its fulfillment. There is some tentative evidence in global leading indicators that the reflation is coming.

The last chart is my projection for how the price action will unfold into 2013. I have drawn together price action for stocks and commodities into the last secular commodities bull market peak, from the shadow inflation peak of 2008 (boxed) and used estimated solar maximum timing. Commodities should start to outperform equities but with both performing bullishly in a pro-risk environment into the end of 2012. Then as commodities start to go parabolic, stocks should top out their cyclical bull and disconnect. The commodities price peak should be around or following the official solar maximum, which is currently predicted between Spring and Fall/Autumn 2013.

Using the 1940s as our guide, with its similar environment of secular commodities bull, negligible interest rates and high government debt, a mild recession should follow in 2014, partially brought on by the excessive price rises in commodities preceding it. The 1948-9 US recession was only a shallow economic downturn lasting less than a year, as ultra low rates supported the economy. The combination of an economic recession together with a preceding price blow-off to extreme valuation, should ensure commodities tumble.

In conclusion, by asset ratios we are into the mature end of the valuation spectrum for the commodities secular bull, and by both secular and solar history, we are into the mature end of the timeline for the secular commodities bull. History suggests we should see a parabolic finale, and we might therefore expect that to come soon, and indeed be final. Commodities should outperform equities from here and at some point equities should diverge and top out, before commodities make their real blow-off top. Thereafter, we might expect a combination of extreme valuation and a tipping into recession to bring about sharp falls, and then a combination of increased supply, a trend reversal in interest rates, and a potential de-railing of China to provide the backdrop to a new secular commodities bear.

Coming Next: Forecast 2013 Part 3: Equities Wind Out Of Secular Bear

Forecast 2013 Part 1: Inflationary Peak

Posted on Posted in Commodities, Inflation, Solar Cycles14 Comments

Agricultural commodities prices resumed upward trends in June 2012, largely due to drought conditions in key global farming areas on top of existing low inventories. Extreme global conditions continue, with the period June-August of 2012 the hottest such period historically on record.

Source: NOAA

Taking a broad agricultural commodities ETC (ETF), we can see that softs are now back up into the price range experienced in 2011, and not far from 2008’s peaks.

Agricultural commodity price rises typically feed through to retail food prices 4-6 months later, which means we could expect food prices to really escalate as of the final quarter 2012. Here is the UN food price index up to the end of August 2012:

Source: Food And Agriculture Organisation Of The United Nations

Now take a look at how the 2008 and 2011 episodes of rising food prices brought about social unrest and political upheaval in poorer countries across the world:

Source: NECSI

The chart shows when outbreaks of violence erupted in different countries. As food prices escalate towards those levels again as we reach into 2013, the likelihood is of renewed protest and conflict.

We can cross-reference this with solar cycle studies. 2013 is the year of the forecasted solar maximum. Alexander Chizhevsky’s analysis of 2500 years of human history and solar cycles revealed that the period into and around solar maximums (4 years) was historically one of protest, revolution and war. Last year’s North African and Middle Eastern revolts fit with this, as does the prospect of food-price based protest and conflict into 2013.

The Arab Spring revolutions and protests in 2011 brought about oil supply disruption, both real and perceived, which in turn rallied oil prices. Rising oil prices feed back into food prices through processing and distribution. Precious metals in turn benefit as inflation hedges.  A price feedback loop develops between these different commodities, and a feedback loop also occurs between commodity price rises and social conflict.

These two charts confirm the close inter-relations of food prices with oil and gold:

Source: Prudent Investor

Source: Casey Research

As we stand in September 2012, energy and metals are lagging soft commodities as supportive evidence for an inflationary spike in 2013. Global economic weakness is the reason, whilst grains have accelerated largely on extreme weather conditions. In response to the economic slowdown, central banks have cut interest rates and renewed stimulus (such as China’s infrastucture programme and US Quantitative Easing (QE) 3). This in turn should be reflationary, which should lift commodities as a class. In reponse to the US Fed’s announcement of renewed QE, five year inflation breakeven expectations surged, as shown in the chart below. Official inflation, CPI, has historically followed this indicator with a lag, suggesting inflation should accelerate as we enter 2013.

Source: Zerohedge

There is a feedback loop here too, as rising inflation inspires more money into hard assets as inflation hedges, which lifts commodity prices, which in turn brings about higher inflation.

With renewed QE, the US Fed continues its policy of massive money supply expansion, although this is not as potent as it might be, due to a weak money multiplier. However, the money multiplier shows evidence of having bottomed out and dollar circulation in the economy is beginning to gather pace, which can be inflationary.

Source: St Louis Fed

Renewed QE also devalues the currency. As the US dollar is the world’s reserve currency, to which many nations peg their currencies, a US dollar devaluation acts as a global devaluation. As commodities are priced in US dollars, this global currency devaluation typically brings about a commodities revaluation (hard assets rising in value versus paper).

The first chart below shows that the US dollar is labouring at secular lows in real terms, whilst the second chart shows that it is gradually making a rounded base around these levels. Its recent technical behaviour post QE announcement, namely the loss of a key support, in addition to its languishing near secular lows, suggests that it can provide the backdrop for an inflationary finale into 2013, before a new secular dollar bull gradually emerges.

Source: Scott Grannis

Source: Stockcharts / James Craig

Inflationary monetary policy has become the norm, not just in the US but throughout indebted nations globally. Official US CPI inflation calculations have been gradually changed since the 1980s, but John Williams’ Shadowstats data provides a more consistent picture of inflation over time and reveals that the Federal Reserve has been successful in restoring price inflation since 2008’s deflationary panic. I have used official US stats until 1980, then Shadowstats, to maintain a continuous picture of real US inflation:

This chart also show the compelling historic relationship with solar cycles.

2013 is forecast to be the solar maximum, and if history repeats, we should see an inflationary peak close to the solar peak. As the chart shows, peaks in inflation correspond to solar maximums and troughs in inflation to solar minimums, historically. The biggest peaks in inflation corresponded to secular commodities peaks, as we might expect due to commodity prices fuelling inflation. These secular commodities peaks all occurred close to the solar maximums, with one luni-solar cycle between each, which is around 33 years. These ultimate peaks in inflation / commodity prices were preceded by a shadow peak 5 years prior.

The last secular commodities peak was 1980. One luni-solar cycle later is 2013. The solar maximum for solar cycle 24 is forecast for 2013, 5 years later than 2008, when we experienced a (shadow) inflation/commodities peak. Drawing together secular, solar and inflation history, I can therefore forecast a secular commodities peak and an inflation peak in 2013. Regular readers know this is a forecast that I have held for some time, and as we close in on the end of 2012, we see increasingly supportive evidence for its fulfillment, as documented above: forthcoming food price inflation from current soft commodity price rises; social conflict from food price inflation; central bank policies of reflation and paper/hard asset revaluations.

This table shows how close the inflation peaks were in relation to the official solar peaks: between 2 months before and 4 months after.

Currently NASA forecast the solar maximum for around September 2013, whilst SIDC project around March 2013. I expect the difference to be resolved one way or the other as we end 2012, as the sunspot data gradually gives more clues.

From a fundamental perspective, an inflationary peak in 2013 could be justified by a three-way feedback looping between commodities and other commodities, between commodities and conflict, and between commodities and inflation, supported by inflationary monetary policies. From a solar studies perspective, maximum solar activity brings about maximum human biological and behavioural excitability, which manifests as buying, speculation and risk-taking in the markets and economy, and the feedback loops are therefore between solar peaking, secular asset peaking (in this case commodities) and inflationary peaking (speculation into commodities and buying/risk-taking mania). From this alternative perspective, it is the solar maximum of 2013 which is the key driver. Either way, evidence is building towards a fulfillment of an inflationary peak in 2013, and I am positioned accordingly, with my biggest weighting long commodities.

Next: Forecast 2013 Part 2: Secular Commodities Peak

Saturday Update

Posted on Posted in Bonds, Commodities, Indicators, Stocks14 Comments

1. 10 year treasury yields continue to make an inverse head and shoulders pattern targetting yields of 2.2:

Source: Stockcharts

2. Both the Euro and the Dollar are at S/R that could make for a near term reversal:

Source: Chris Kimble

3. New highs / new lows for the US stock market hit a record high. This could signal a near term reversal, but the implied rally breadth has historically meant continued bullishness subsequent to that, more often than not.

Source: Stockcharts / Greg Schnell

4. SP500 stocks above the 50MA have reached +1 standard deviation, but historically this indicator has usually oscillated in that range for a period before stocks topped.

Source: Index Indicators

5. SP500 bullish percent over put/call ratio has reached the 110+ extreme zone. Again, this indicator has usually gone on to oscillate in this zone for a period before stocks topped.

Source: Stockcharts

Sentimentrader’s indicators now show 40% in the extreme (bearish for stocks) – the highest percentage since January 2011. However, in their own words, with price at new highs this would be a concern if price action became toppy. It is a sign of a strong uptrend, but with near term reversal potential if price signals.

I don’t see price at this point looking toppy. Friday’s session was mixed for stocks, making a gain that finished in the middle of the day’s range. That’s fairly normal after a big up day on Thursday. The Nasdaq and SP500 have spent a week above their breakout, having successfully backtested it, which is bullish. The Hang Seng and Russell 2000 just broke out on Thursday/Friday. Unless price is reversed Monday/Tuesday then this is also bullish. Dow Transports have held above their triangle breakout, having a reversed a fakeout out of the bottom. Stocks breadth has led price, which is bullish. Chinese stocks are attempting a bottoming formation after reaching a Demark selling exhaustion count.

Demark’s last quoted price target for the SP500 is 1478. We didn’t get there yet. I believe stocks can push up a little higher early this coming week, giving a bit more room for the latest breaking out indices to subsequently consolidate above their breakout S/Rs. I respect the overbought/overbullish indicators that we are seeing and am alert to a correction soon, particularly when drawing in the Euro and dollar S/R positions and precious metals overbought/overbullish readings, but currently the evidence is for a consolidation in a continued bullish uptrend. So my approach is to maintain long positions through any correction, until evidence changes.

6. Coffee has a speculator net short position at a 7 year high. Here is the monthly price chart, and the weekly chart which shows a dynamic W bottom is being made. I am going to consider adding to my coffee position on Monday:

Source: Tradingcharts

Post FOMC

Posted on Posted in Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Indicators, Stocks10 Comments

The Fed delivered more than expected, with the big gains in pro-risk evidence that it wasn’t all priced in. Some key differences to prior: (i) QE delivered at market highs rather than lows (ii) Fed commitment to be accomodative even after recovery is entrenched (iii) specific targetting of improving jobs situation (iv) open ended (v) negligible rates out to 2015. With ECB bond buying and Fed QE, pro-risk has some key support going forward.

The RUT, Hang Seng and silver all broke out, and the dollar broke down. The Nas, SP500, Dow and junk bonds all broke further free. Treasury bonds had a mixed session, but that’s to be expected. Initial support for bonds, as the Fed will be a direct buyer again, should give way to a sustained move against bonds, per previous QE:

Source: Scott Grannis

Stock market breadth improved. Corporate insider buying/selling is at a level more consistent with market bottoms than tops.

Source: Istockanalyst

But today we do find various assets into both overbought and overbullish indicator extremes, such as precious metals and the Euro. The SP500 new highs/lows indicator also suggests overbought:

Source: Cobra / Stockcharts

Sentimentrader’s research post yesterday’s session suggests a consolidation may come to pass over the next couple of weeks before further gains. This fits with my own take. Technical breakouts in assets together with double QE (Europe and USA) are bullish, but overbought and overbullish indicators are to be respected. A consolidation over the next 2 weeks, the period into the next full moon, to relieve those indicators whilst maintaining the technical breakouts, would make sense.

My account is currently 30% up for the year, now on track for my 40% target. Clearly I am delighted with that and don’t want to jeopardise the gains, particularly as the bulk of the positions are open. But I don’t find reasons to pare back positions currently. The biggest risk remains global leading indicators. Yesterday CB produced the latest data for Korea which came in at zero, a 3 month high (which Japan and UK also managed). Today Spain came in at -0.6 (following -0.3 last month and -0.6 the month before). So Spain still weak, but some potential positive trends elsewhere. We need more data, over more time, to assess. But with regard to my forecasts of an overthrow in stocks to end their cyclical bear (accompanied by increasing inflation and treasury yields), and then a parabolic finale in commodities and inflation, I see an increasingly supportive picture. Euro debt settling down, economic surprises repaired, 6 months of rate cuts across the world by central banks, US and ECB QE, technical breakouts in stocks and precious metals, inverse H&S on treasury yields and probability of fulfillment, US dollar breakdown, and recent new highs in grains to deliver food price inflation as of Q4 2012. Weakness in leading indicators does not offset all this.

Technicals Into The FOMC

Posted on Posted in Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Indicators, Macro, Stocks7 Comments

This has been the story of my 2012. Took profits on stock indices longs from 2011 in the first couple of months of 2012, whilst retaining my secular commodities longs. Endured some pain as commodities fell into May. Bought stocks and commodities aggressively around 9-18 May as oversold and overbearish indicators aligned. Both then bottomed out and have since rallied. I took maybe 10% off in profits and have retained the rest.

I use the CCI commodities index above as it is equally weighted.

So, as things stand, all is well and I’ve got some very profitable positions (thanks to a little leverage), but with continued significant exposure. Do I want to cut some exposure, to mitigate a reversal in either class, or do I want to hold firm and play for continued upside in pro-risk for the remainder of the year? Here’s how things stand technically.

The Dow has broken above quadruple resistance and joined the SP500 and Nasdaq at new highs.

The Dow Transports appear to have completed a text book fake-out move, now breaking out the other way.

Source: TSP Talk

The Russell 2000 is at resistance.

The Hang Seng is also at resistance.

The Dax is challenging cyclical bull market highs.

10 year treasury bond yields continue to make an inverse H&S formation, which is bullish for pro-risk.

Source: Stockcharts

Junk Bonds have just broken above resistance.

Source: Bespoke

Silver is at resistance.

Source: Chris Kimble

The US dollar has reached levels of overbearishness.

Source: Sentimentrader

Equities sentiment is overly bullish by NAAIM (shown below), but not so by AAII (36% bulls, versus historic extreme zone 45+) or by Investors Intelligence (shown below).

Source: Sentimentrader

Source: Schaeffersresearch

In summary, it’s finely poised into today’s FOMC action (or non-action). The bullish breakouts in the Nas, SP500, Dow and Junk bonds are reversible at this point, as they are  only just at new highs. The bullish reversal in the Trans is positive. I suggest the edge is for a breakout in the Hang Seng triangle, rather than a breakdown, due to the Shanghai index having made a Demark seller exhaustion count, but continued ranging in the triangle’s nose is possible. Silver sentiment, silver resistance and dollar sentiment are suggestive of a forthcoming counter-trend move, i.e. a pullback in silver whilst the dollar pulls up.

Turning to leading indicators, CB produced the latest data for Japan and the UK this week. Japan came in at -0.8, still negative but a 3 month high. UK came in at +0.1, also a 3 month high. So a little encouraging, but I need to see more global LIs trending positively. The OECD’s latest global indicators come out today.

PIIGS CDSs and bond yields continue to ease. The German legal approval of ECB bond buying an important step.

So, to today’s FOMC. High expectation of QE, though unlikely fully priced in if delivered. If we get QE, I expect the US indices to pull away, and the indices at resistance to breakout. Furthermore, I believe it would seal the deal for my secular/solar projections into 2013 of inflation, dollar decline and commodity acceleration to a peak.

On the other hand, the Fed may choose to stop short of a new QE programme, acting to extend low rates, making an open-ended commitment to regular purchases of securities (Robin Harding), or choosing something unorthodox to tackle its main problem, jobs. Something stimulative but short of full QE could lead to a short term sell off which is then reversed on digestion.

Lastly, the Fed may choose to bide its time, carefully choosing words rather than concrete action. US leading indicators are on the rise and recent commodity price rises are likely to increase inflation down the line. If no action if forthcoming, I would expect a significant sell-off, and that sell-off would likely reverse US indices and junk bonds back  beneath their breakouts, making for bearish fakeouts.

Of the three scenarios, I rate the last (no action) as the slimmest likelihood. The Fed’s last two communications have been more heavily-hinted towards action. Plus I view things a little unorthodox: I expect the secular/solar projections to come good – I expect market participants, economists and central banks to unwittingly fulfill them (in this instance that rising sunspots make humans more speculative and pro-risk – QE is both).

There is room in equities sentiment for a push higher, and to reach Demark’s 1478 level on the Sp500. We are also in a bullish window heading into this weekend’s new moon, with negligible current geomagnetism.

I believe probability is on my side, and so am going to retain all my pro-risk positions into the FOMC (subject to OECD leading indicators not having deteriorated significantly – due noon UK time). This is the bears’ last stand. Not the bulls. A retreat in stocks and commodities would put us back into the  trading range. Whereas, a jump today in equities and precious metals and junk bonds would seal the breakouts and put pro-risk into clear air.

Markets Update

Posted on Posted in Commodities, Currencies, Indicators, Stocks9 Comments

Commodities have made a bullish breakout, with copper the latest to join.

Source: Chris Kimble

As we stand, soybeans, wheat, gold and silver have all reached levels of overbullish sentiment. A consolidation may therefore be ahead.

The US dollar broke down beneath rising support, and the Euro broke up. That’s supportive for commodities.

Source: Seeitmarket (plus my dollar support line)

10 year Treasury yields continue to make an inverse Head and Shoulders pattern.

Gas and crude oil inventories continue to fall back towards their longer term averages. Although both are still out of their historical ranges, the trend in both is of a shrinking of stocks.

Sources: IEA and Bespoke

That perhaps reflects an improving US economy, as evidenced by ECRI leading indicators and Citigroup economic surprises both moving into the positive:

Source: ECRI

US economic surprises – source: SoberLook

The key question is, is the US about to roll over and join countries such as China, Germany and Japan in economic weakness (coincident and leading) or are the latter about to turn up and make for a global reflation? Conference Board and OECD data later this week will provide more clues on that, but the trends in certain key stock indices, commodities and currencies are currently pointing to reflation. Also, by solar cycles, growthflation is the norm into the solar peak – both growth and inflation – therefore a reflation would also fit.

The improvement in the USA does not prevent the Fed from delivering stimulus this Thursday. It has a dual mandate and they are clearly not happy with the jobs part. The markets are anticipating QE3 (likelihood from Bloomberg indicator now 99%) and this is because the last two Fed communications have more heavily hinted towards it.

I believe that QE anticipation, together with the upward pressure into the new moon, and the technical breakouts of late last week, all should support pro-risk leading into this Thursday’s FOMC outputs. What I am looking to see is, do we arrive there overbought and overbullish. If we reach those levels in stocks pre-FOMC-outputs, I will be looking to take some profits.

Looking at sentiment, bullish percent over put/call ratio has a little room to move higher, compared to previous peaks, and to oscillate in that kind of region for longer.

Source: Stockcharts

SP500 stocks above 50MA can also push a little higher, and oscillate there for a period.

Source: IndexIndicators

Sentimentrader indicators at a bullish extreme could also rise a little higher yet.

Source: Sentimentrader

All three show stocks at bullish sentiment levels, but not quite at extremes that would signify a reversal. Tom De Mark’s target for the SP500 is now 1478. I suspect that by that kind of level we would see these sentiment readings at historic extremes, and combined that would make a strong case for profit-taking.

Whilst the SP500 broke out, the Dow and the Russ 2k are still flirting with quadruple tops, so it is not a done deal that stocks accelerate upwards here. Whilst the Dow Transports showed continued bullishness yesterday…

Source TSP Talk

…the Nasdaq reversed most of its breakout gains and is delicately poised, suggestive of either a successful backtest of the breakout or a breakdown back into the range, leaving a bearish fakeout that is the opposite of the Tran fakeout shown above.

To sum it up, I am sat on my long commodities, long stocks indices and short treasuries positions, with no compelling reason to exit any of them currently. Of the three, I am still looking to exit long stock indices as priority, as per my secular/solar projections. I believe stocks will be supported into this thursday’s FOMC, and I believe the greater likelihood is of Fed stimulus at that meeting. However, given the high levels of expectation, there is the risk of disappointment and a sell-off. I am watching to see how pro-risk fares the next couple of days, and waiting for the latest global leading indicators and will then judge whether to take any profits into the FOMC. If the Nasdaq were to break down today/tomorrow, back below the yearly highs and making for a failed breakout or fakeout, I would judge that as significant, and may trim back. If on the other hand stocks push higher, the remaining US indices break up, and we hit the Demark price and sentiment extremes zones pre-FOMC, I would also be looking to take some profits.

Roundup into the ECB

Posted on Posted in Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks13 Comments

1. Copper has popped above resistance, in a similar manner that gold did:

Underlying Source: Trading Charts

2. The Chinese stock market has reached a Demark buy set up:

Source: Market Studies (hat tip Gary)

3. The Dow Transports broke down yesterday. Ed Yardeni rationalises the relative weakness of the Transports to the Dow (Industrials) as it has two main components, Railroads and Air Freight. The railroads index broke to a new high, reflecting the stronger US economy, whereas the Air Freight is what’s dragging down the Transports due to the weakness elsewhere in the world.

Source: TSP Talk

4. Meanwhile, the small caps index has caught up and is displaying a bullish cup and handle formation:

Source: TSP Talk

5. The latest global country P/Es reveal that much of Europe is at secular bottom valuations, whilst USA remains one of the most expensive markets in the world:

Source: Megane Faber (valuations as at end of August)

6. The US dollar is at support. Today’s ECB meeting outputs and next week’s FOMC outputs could either generate a dollar bounce or a breakdown.

Source: Stockcharts

7. The bigger picture for the US dollar shows a currency still very much languishing near the lows.

Source: Stockcharts

8. The easing of European debt concerns continues and is supportive for the Euro.

Source: Scott Grannis

9. Treasury yields still show potential for a H&S bullish break up, having pulled up the last couple of sessions:

Underlying Source: Stockcharts

10. The bigger picture for treasuries reveals that the recent run up echoes previous important peaks that led to sharp falls over the next 12 months for treasuries back to the lower support.

Underlying Source: Stockcharts / James Craig

In summary, a bottom for Chinese stocks and a breakup in copper would perhaps foretell improvement in that part of the world, which in turn could resolve the Tran issue. Euro debt has settled down, making the number 1 issue the weakness in the non-Western economies and particularly China. Despite that, US and European stocks have consolidated just beneath new 2012 highs, and technically look ripe for a breakout. Treasuries could potentially fall over the next 12 months, providing the backdrop for the secular commodities finale that I project. Gold and silver have broken out and are into the positive period of seasonality for the year. The dollar is at a cross roads. If the Fed announces QE3, or some other currency diluting initiative, which appears increasingly likely, then I expect it to breakdown and also help fulfil the commodities finale. There remains the potential for disappointment, both by the ECB and Fed, and in turn for these assets at important junctions to resolve the other way, but I maintain the weight of evidence is pro-risk currently. Lastly, various European country stock indices are at secular low valuations. For the long term investor, buy and hold of these indices should return handsomely with a 10 year view.