Saturday, August 9, 2008

60m 'Buy' Anti - image

Sorry gang...here is the chart for the comments below.

60m 'Buy' Anti

Here is an example of a picture perfect 'Buy' Anti IMHO. It includes all the components mentioned in the Street Smarts book and the LBR trade setup library. It is rare to seem them form this beautifully - especially on a HTF. Now imagine this being a 3m, 5m, 800t, 1600t etc. chart...what fun you could have!

Friday, August 8, 2008

THE OPTION STRATEGISTWEEKLY UPDATER
08/08/08
by McMillan Analysis Corp.
Stock Market

This is a market that has had plenty of opportunity to rise strongly, but has really been unable to do so. Even so, the current trend is mildly bullish. $SPX has carved out a series of higher lows -- at 1234 and 1247 -- which, when connected with the July bottom at 1200, form a rising trend line. As long as that trend line exists, the situation is positive. However, considering that nearly all of our indicators have simultaneously been on buy signals, the current rise is a weak one. It is perhaps most reminiscent of what happened just a few months ago -- in January (see Figure 1). At that time, the marked bottomed in mid- January, after a massive oversold condition arose (partly as a result of Societe Generale dumping the positions of a rogue trader). That oversold rally generated only meek gains but lasted until the end of February, before another bout of selling (surrounding the run on Bear Stearns) took the market to new lows amidst another oversold condition.
The equity-only put-call ratios are both still bullish, and as such they represent perhaps the most positive thing about this market right now. These buy signals came from fairly high levels on their charts, and that should be helpful. They will remain bullish until they roll over and begin to trend higher once again.
Market breadth (advances minus declines) has been lackluster on this rally. Typically, if this rally were the start of a new, truly bullish leg of the stock market, breadth would quickly register overbought conditions and remain overbought for quite some time during the initial phase of the rally. That has not happened.
Volatility indices ($VIX and $VXO) have acted more bullish than most of the other indicators. $VIX has fallen sharply from the July highs, and that is bullish. Furthermore, it clearly made new relative lows (in contrast to $SPX, which has not clearly made new relative highs). Thus this down trend in $VIX is bullish. $VIX will remain bullish as long as it remains below 24.
In summary, we don't have any sell signals from our indicators. In fact, most of our indicators are bullish -- although some are rather tepid. As a result, we are retaining a bullish attitude -- an attitude, I might add, that has gone from enthusiastic to reluctant -- as long as $SPX remains above its bullish trend line. A close below 1247 would be negative, and a close below 1200 could be significantly bearish.

charts:
http://www.optionstrategist.com/products/advisories/hotline/charts.asp

Thursday, August 7, 2008

An Index As Big as S&P's

note: the MSCI EAFE index is the gold standard in index investing with an estimated $3 trillion indexed to it. This is the index international funds (that are based in US) watch for relative performance (just as S&P's are the benchmark for domestic funds).

This is the rationale for the EAFE index as an important barometer. I have noticed how the S&P's and this index have an interesting relationship that tends to get resolved with one playing catch-up to the other. These indices are highly correlated on longer-timeframes due to globalization. Attached chart shows a breakdown of the worlds total market value by country. The red box is what is included in the EAFE (symbol EFA) -- note that this index has as much market value within it as the entire US market does -- so this is the ultimate in global coverage. The US and EAFE together make up ~85% of the worlds total market value.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Market Profile – ES and NQ


Chart 1: ES MP shows signs of underlying higher time frame buying


Chart 2: NQ from the gap down on June 26 to date. The MP shows a well formed bell shape curve = balance. Just a different view of the 120-min coil that everyone has been watching.

SRS