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Spain is in Pain – US Dollar & Gold Are Safe Havens

01 May

It’s been an interesting week with Spain being downgraded as Europe debt crisis widens. This has investors looking at the US dollar in a new light thinking that maybe it?s not that bad of an investment after all. This sent the US Dollar higher along with the price of gold so far this week.

The past 7 days we have seen both the US Dollar and Gold rise together which is not something that happens often. With financial crisis?s popping up around the world I think the US dollar and gold will continue to strengthen (with corrections along the way). I think it will take another 12-24 months before another wave if issues arise in the financial markets and until then we just continue to focus mainly on buying the dips and corrections with the occasional short play in the larger corrections.

SP500 Daily Chart

On April 14th we saw an extreme level of selling which sent the broad market sharply lower. This sell off was followed by value buyers pushing the prices back up to new 2010 highs.

Well this week we have seen the same extreme selling volume and the question we all want to know is will there be buyers this time around?

2SPX

ETF & Futures Trading Conclusion:

Gold is in a bull market but it was setup for another round of selling but this Spain issue has been a pain. If we had another downward word move on gold to the $1115 1120 area it would have washed out the majority of gold bulls resetting it’s self up for a big rally.

The Europe debt crisis has thrown a twist into the picture helping boost the price of gold. Gold could still head lower washing out the weak positions but the picture is fuzzy. Silver did not react much to this news as it’s not really seen as the safe haven gold or the US Dollar are.

As for stock picks and the broad market, it looks and feels like we are about to start a correction. But this week we saw fear in the market again with the VIX and selling volume surging higher to levels which have triggered temporary bottoms in the past. The problem I see here is that some key price levels have been taken out, so the odds are pointing to lower prices in the near future. But Tuesdays panic selling has pushed the market into an oversold condition so we should see a drift upwards for 1-4 days before sellers get active again as they want to sell and short the market at premium prices.

In short, precious metals are not giving any clear price action to take advantage of yet, and the SP500 looks like it’s on its last legs before heading lower for a meaningful correction which should provide a short setup and then a nice long setup once it bottoms out.

Original Articles: http://howestreet.com/articles/index.php?article_id=13254

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The 5% rule, persistence and the Financial Markets

19 Apr

This may come as a surprise – but it’s no coincidence that those who achieve great things are few in number. In fact this number is known to be about 5% and the one common trait of these people is that they have persistence – this is without exception. To quote Napoleon Hill “One cannot enjoy extraordinary achievement without passing the persistence test.” That being said one should evaluate one’s likes and dislikes and decide what of those hobbies can earn the person a living because persistence comes easier if doing something one at least finds enjoyable. If it’s the financial markets that one choose to attempt a living at then you’re in good company.

In fact, Frank Henry said it best  “Speculation. How to take risks and win. A boy growing up in America without knowing how to speculate — why, that’s like being in a gold mine without a shovel!”. Who was Frank Henry? He was the head of the New York branch of Schweizerbankverein, Zurich’s financial colossus – so yes his opinion on financial matters does hold weight. He said this over 30 years ago – well before the advent of online forex trading. One no longer has to live in a land of With the tech bust of 2000 the persistence of many market participants were put to the test. Many people that were formerly active traders, left the financial markets after this experience. However if they were more like Niederhoffer, rather than letting this isolated event define their future financial condition, they would have seen it as nothing more than a mere setback. In fact Niederhoffer had such a belief in himself that he mortgaged his home to begin trading his own account. Four years later he was again managing money for offshore clients with funds amounting to $300 million dollars.

When Jesse Livermore was asked whether a career in the financial markets was with it’s ups and downs and whether it was worth the worry – his response was simply “Well, now,kid, I’ll tell you,” Livermore said. “Every occupation has its aches and pains. If you keep bees, you get stung. Me, I get worried. It’s either that or stay poor. If I’ve got a choice between worried and poor, I’ll take worried anytime.”

Successful Trading,

Start Trading

***Please be advised that Trading the foreign exchange (Forex) carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information, please read the Risk Disclaimer

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Tips to Become a Better Trader

13 Apr

My first time hearing of keeping a journal of your trades was from the book “Come into My Trading Room” by Dr. Elders – its Importance can’t be emphasized enough. There are many ways to keep records – here are  is a good list of the information that should be included in your journal.

  • Currency pair
  • Amount of lots
  • Entry price
  • Reason for placing the trade
  • Close price
  • Number of pips +/-
  • Good decision/Bad decision

If this is done religiously – expect to see a remarkable improvement in your trading. Instead of blindly making trades – your forex trading will become more of an exercise in making good decisions rather than an exercise in making emotional decisions. The famed speculator Jesse Livermore says it well that “the only way you get a real education in the market is to invest cash, track your trade, and study your mistakes!

Happy Trading!

Start Trading

***Please be advised that Trading the foreign exchange (Forex) carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information, please read the Risk Disclaimer

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Global Markets Giving Three More Warning Signals for the Euro

12 Apr

It’s been two weeks since the bailout speculation surrounding the Achilles’ heel of the euro zone, Greece, has had some closure.

European officials kept the balls in the air as long as they could in an attempt to distract speculators … to manage fears of a Greek and euro-zone crisis. It was a carefully orchestrated game of confusion.

The objective of the game: Tamp down negative sentiment toward Greece’s debt problems and the potential knock-on effect of other weak euro nations, and the resulting selling pressure against the shared currency of those nations — the euro.

As I discussed in my Money and Markets column last week, this game culminated when the political weaponry had been exhausted. The final answer given to the markets: An alleged safety-net for Greece, to be provided in coordination between the euro-zone countries and the IMF.

No surprise, the plan got an obligatory vote of confidence from the heavy hitter politicos in Europe.

Now, for the more meaningful votes, let’s take a look at how the global investment community is receiving this plan …

So far the price activity is sending three, clear warning signals for Greece, for euro-zone countries and for the euro currency. As a result, more impetus is being given to believe the sovereign debt contagion is building.

Read full article at: http://howestreet.com/articles/index.php?article_id=13044

Start Trading

***Please be advised that Trading the foreign exchange (Forex) carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information, please read the Risk Disclaimer

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