More position squaring in play

FOR WEDNESDAY: (12/28) The Brits and Canadians are back from Boxer Day on Wednesday so volume should increase a bit on Wednesday. The world seemed to survive terrorist threats over the weekend and that may still allow a last-week final bounce. Still may not get much of anything this week but year-end book-squaring and we’re starting to think a lot of sideways action going nowhere in all the markets until volume returns after vacation. We are inclined to expect end-of-the-week position squaring and then completions of key patterns in early January.Continue reading

OK buying pullbacks on grains

FOR WEDNESDAY: (12/28) We had higher grains this week but never like to play the first day of three-day weekends although funds do and they got a bit crazy. Grain cycles look higher into the New Year and we’re OK buying pullbacks and exiting by Friday or near the open of next Tuesday. Cattle may hold up on Wednesday but look lower into the end of the year and hogs look higher all week.Continue reading

Year-end bounce possible

FOR TUESDAY: (12/27) Post-holiday markets are hard to trade because of the release of pent-up energy from lack of trading. Given closed European markets, that may not be an issue this week. The Brits and Canadians take an extra day off for Boxers Day so that keeps volume lighter. The world seemed to survive terrorist threats over the weekend and that may still allow a last-week final bounce. Still may not get much of anything this week but year-end book-squaring.Continue reading

May get short-covering on grains into Tuesday’s low

FOR TUESDAY: (12/27) Grains may be done to the downside by Tuesday and recover next week. We usually like to favor shorts into the end of the year but it may be that we get short-covering from oversold conditions into Tuesday’s low. The Dec. 1 cattle on-feed report looked neutral to a bit negative: on feed, 99%; placed in November, 115%; marketed in November, 117%. The Dec. 1 Hogs & Pigs report was a bearish surprise: total hogs, 104%; kept for breeding, 101%; kept for market, 104%. Cattle look lower all week and hogs may have a wash-out day on Tuesday and then have nowhere to go the rest of the week.Continue reading

Tuesday may be the best trading day of next week

FOR MONDAY NIGHT: (12/26-27) We’re flat going into the holiday weekend. Will send additional technical comments in the event of some major volatile event. Otherwise, next update will be Monday afternoon. We would expect that Tuesday may be the best trading day of next week.

MARCH E-MINI S & P 500
TRADING RECOMMENDATION: Stand aside.

S&P ANALYSIS FOR MONDAY: (12/26-27) Market has still done nothing but continue in a 4th-wave congestion pattern, and that will remain the case unless 2040 comes out. That leaves two more new highs to 2295 and 2330 into the New Year. We originally had cycles lower for next week but would feel better if the pattern completion came in on a post-holiday spurt. We’re still dealing with end of the year profit-taking next week, as the market has had a 250 point run-up since the election lows. We will advise on next week’s trading after we get through holiday tensions.

OVERALL: We do see 2295-2300 and then congestion next week or have a surprise pullback if any major terrorist attempts happen and upset the trade. So far they are confined to Europe. Any surprises and a break below 2240 might start leading to 2230 and then 2219.

BIG PICTURE: Patterns suggest two new highs to 2300 and 2330 into early January before we really have to worry about a 100-point pullback that may happen into the spring. Unless there’s something really wild coming, our focus for swing trades will be to buy a pullbacks.

WEEKLY CHART: Market has to hold 2240 and probably the market will not get close to that level. We still would expect a new high by Dec. 22 toward 2296 with additional resistance at 2330. It would seem that 5-wave up from the election low would be complete at 2330 and set up larger fall. Eventually we might get a 110-point correction from 2330 to 2220 and could take a few months which we need to confirm in the cycles. That means that much of the fun of the current rally will be over soon. Daily cash charts starting to project 2300 and weekly charts 2335. We have a bias for higher prices from FOMC into Dec. 22 but we’re not clear how long it will take to do the last push up to 2330. Could be as late as Jan. 7.

MONTHLY CHART PATTERNS: 2420 or 2520 isn’t out of the question before this bull market ends and it takes a long time to turn an ocean liner around in so V-tops and crashes are not to be looked for and publications that steer you that direction are being too sensational.

CYCLES OVERVIEW: Higher into Dec. 26; profit-taking into Jan. 2.

Grains may be done to the downside by Tuesday

FOR TUESDAY: (12/27) Grains may be done to the downside by Tuesday and recover next week. We usually like to favor shorts into the end of the year but it may be that we get short-covering from oversold conditions into Tuesday’s low. The Dec. 1 cattle on-feed report looked neutral to a bit negative: on feed, 99%; placed in November, 115%; marketed in November, 117%. The Dec. 1 Hogs & Pigs report was a bearish surprise: total hogs, 104%; kept for breeding, 101%; kept for market, 104%.

MARCH SOYBEANS (electronic ok)
TODAY’S COMMENTS: (12/27) We took partial profits at 1001 on Friday. To get the full 985 target you would have to hold over the weekend and deal with the possibility of a shift in Brazilian weather forecasts. There is a way to manage that with trailing stops and gaps up shouldn’t be indefensible.
OVERALL: The 29-day cycles are weak the next few days and we have a bias toward lower prices into the New Year. South American weather continues to turn bearish Risk is up to 1030 so we may have to put something on.
CYCLES OVERVIEW: Generally lower into Tuesday; recovering into Jan. 3.

Continue to look for pattern completions

FOR THURSDAY: (12/22) Holiday slop continuing as players head for the exits and markets continue to be thin. Most markets are only open a ½ day on Friday and are closed on Monday, Dec. 26. Thursday is one of the better days of the week for upward action but the trade is nervous about European terrorism as we go into the holiday. We’re not inclined to take any positions home over the long weekend in the event of a surprise and we’ll continue to look for pattern completions that often come in after thin holiday trading is over. We would expect that Tuesday may be the best trading day of next week.

We have published our monthly Financial Visions report which also features Part 1 of our outlook for next year Contact us at 800-788-2796 or email support@fortucast.com if you want to take advantage of our 20% holiday discount on a subscription

Continue to sell grain bounces

FOR THURSDAY: (12/22) Thin holiday conditions make trading difficult and we can never remember winning before Christmas as stops and big ranges seem to take everyone out so we will stay out of meats–particularly because of a 11 am COF report on Friday toward the end of the trading day. We do favor short grains and will continue to sell bounces. It’s now looking like grains may be done to the downside by Tuesday and recover next week. We usually like to favor shorts into the end of the year but it may be that we get short-covering from oversold conditions into Tuesday’s low.Continue reading

Congestion and position squaring ahead

FOR WEDNESDAY: (12/21) Trade waiting on GDP on Thursday for something interesting so we may have a lot of congestion and then a lot of position squaring on Thursday. Friday is a ½ day of trading. Winter officially begins on Wednesday but temperatures are warming into Christmas for many part of the country so all the wonderful white of the past week may melt. We’re concerned that sickly holiday trading will force patterns to take their sweet time to complete and we have had to learn patience. Usually the patterns will complete if you wade through the mud of holiday trading. We have published our monthly Financial Visions report which also features Part 1 of our outlook for next year Contact us at 800-788-2796 or email support@fortucast.com if you want to take advantage of our 20% holiday discount on a subscription.Continue reading

Beans broke key levels today

FOR WEDNESDAY: (12/21) Holiday doldrums are hitting already. Beans broke key levels today and we have to sell minor retracements, and the same is probably true for corn. Wheat seems too oversold and with the warm weather, we have to wonder what happens when the next arctic cold front hits. If we get bounces on cattle and hogs for a day or day and ½ we’ll be ready to be short into next week.Continue reading