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COT Reports & Weekly Market Calendar – September 18th, 2015

COT Reports: If you are not familiar, the Commitments of Traders (COT) reports provide a breakdown of each Tuesday’s open interest for markets in which 20 or more traders hold positions. In other words, it gives us a preview of what commercial interests are buying or selling. As the theory goes, we want to be on the same side of the trade as the big guys.

While not a good timing tool, currencies, commodities and the stock market (to a lesser extent) tend to move in the direction of the bets made by the commercial players. Not always, but often enough.

Latest data, as of September 15th, 2015

Currencies: 

  • USD:  2K Long Vs. 45K Short – Slight decrease in net short position. Substantial short interest remains.
  • Canadian Dollar: 70K Long Vs. 4K Short – No changes. Significant long interest remains.
  • British Pound: 57K Long Vs. 3K Short – Slight decrease in net long interest. British pound is remains bullish.
  • Japanese Yen70K Long Vs. 5K Short – Substantial decrease in net short interest. Japanese Yen is now bullish
  • Euro: 94K Long Vs. 12K Short – Slight increase in net long exposure. Significant long position remains. No changes.
  • Australian Dollar: 99K Long Vs. 1K Short-  Net decrease in net long position. Significant long position remains.

Conclusion: Based on the information above, commercial interests expect the US Dollar to decline while Canadian Dollar, British Pound, Euro, Japanese Yen and Australian Dollar rally. 

Markets/Commodities/Volatility: 

  • E-Mini S&P 500: 635K Long Vs. 493K Short – Net neutral position remains. No major changes
  • VIX: 49K Long Vs. 104K Short – Substantial increase in net short position.
  • Gold: 71K Long Vs. 57K Short – No major changes. Still neutral.

Conclusion: Based on the information above, commercial interests are now net neutral the S&P and Gold. Please note, commercials have substantially increased their net short position in VIX. That could be due to them expecting a market rally and/or us remaining in a trading range. Considering the fact that S&P is neutral, no definitive conclusion can be ascertained at this time in regards to VIX. Gold is likely to remain within its trading range. 

Next Week’s Market Calendar: 

  • Friday: GDP

Z30

COT Reports & Weekly Market Calendar – September 18th, 2015 Google

Can The Stock Market Crash Due To The FED’s Inability To Raise Interest Rates?

Daily Chart September 18 InvestWithAlex

9/18/2015 – A big down day with the Dow Jones down 292 points (-1.75%) and the Nasdaq down 67 points (-1.36%) 

As you already know by now, the FED has refused to raise interest rates. Further and thus far, most investors and financial expects assume one of two scenarios

  • Due to this loose monetary policy and the possibility of further easing, the stock market will stage a massive rally.
  • We will remain in this range bound market until the Economy improves and the FED is forced to raise rates. The stock market will eventually push higher (there are a number of variations of this scenario).

Yet, there is another possibility that no one is talking about. As far as I know. 

  • The Fed’s refusal to raise interest rates will lead to an outright crash.

Let’s explore this a little bit further. You will certainly find Jim Cramer in the “Massive Market Rally” camp. Cramer: Phew! Fed gets it. Prepare for high prices This is a reasonable view and that is how at least 75% of market participants view today’s environment. I encourage you to at least review this outlook.

And since no one cares about a trading range, let’s explore our last scenario or the possibility of a market crash.

Immediately, a question comes up. Why would the market crash if the FED continues on with their “easy” monetary policy, even suggesting that the rates might go negative if they have to? Plus, there is always QE-4…..

I can give you at least four reasons.

  1. The stock market is massively overpriced. Still. Only 1929 and 2000 Nasdaq tops were higher. I have outlined this notion on this blog a number of times before. Click Here for one of the previous articles.
  2. The US Economy is rolling over into a recession while interest rates are at ZERO. This is the worst possible case for the FED. What are they going to do now since everything has failed? All of their credit cards are already maxed out. Another round of QE? Negative interest rates? Sure, maybe. But don’t expect such steps to have a net positive impact. They have already taken this Ferrari (the US Economy) to its speed limit and any further attempt to go faster might result in an engine blow out. Well, unless the idiots in power go the route of an all out monetization.
  3. The FED is losing credibility.
  4. Investors are beginning to realize all of the above.

Let me put it this way. Today’s stock market is like a 40ft container full of TNT with a lit fuse disappearing inside of it. Will it go off? That is anyone’s guess. Two cases were presented above. One calls for new all time highs while the other explores the possibility of an all out market crash. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between. Perhaps not. That is for you to decide.

This conclusion is further supported by my mathematical and timing work. It clearly shows a severe bear market between 2015-2017. In fact, when it starts it will very quickly retrace most of the gains accrued over the last few years.  If you would be interested in learning when the bear market of 2015-2017 will start (to the day) and its internal composition, please CLICK HERE.

(***Please Note: A bear market might have started already, I am simply not disclosing this information. Due to my obligations to my Subscribers I am unable to provide you with more exact forecasts. In fact, I am being “Wishy Washy” at best with my FREE daily updates here. If you would be interested in exact forecasts, dates, times and precise daily coverage, please Click Here). Daily Stock Market Update. September 18th, 2015  InvestWithAlex.com

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Can The Stock Market Crash Due To The FED’s Inability To Raise Interest Rates?  Google

Will The Market Call Out The Fed?

1-b

While most investors will see the FED’s action as net positive, here is what happened when the FED didn’t raise rates in August. That’s right, a 2,200 point decline we are still trying to recover from. No further commentary is necessary here.

The only remaining question is…..will the history repeat itself here, are we about to embark on even a more sinister decline or will the market push to new highs? I guess we are about to find out.

Z30

Will The Market Call Out The Fed? Google

The FED Blinks. How Will The Market React?

Daily Chart September 17 InvestWithAlex

9/17/2016 – A mixed day with the Dow Jones down 65 points (-0.39%) and the Nasdaq up 5 points (+0.10%) 

Well, the FED has blinked. It appears that things are not as wonderful as most economists and politicians would have you believe. Here is the primary question…….if the FED can’t even raise rates 25 bps, how bad is it?

Thus far, the market is not sure how to react. From one vantage point, we should surge higher in anticipation of remaining in an easy monetary environment. From another, the stocks are overpriced and what kind of an economy are we dealing with here if the FED can’t even raise.

None of the above should come as a surprise to the readers of this blog. I am have been saying that the FED is unlikely to raise rates since about the beginning of this year. But don’t take it as a net positive. Here is a very bearish take on the subject matter Markets in store for huge correction if Fed doesn’t raise rates

Zero interest policies, says Stockman, are leading to the global economic turmoil we are currently experiencing. “In the last 15 years China took its debt from $2 trillion to $28 trillion… it’s a house of cards with an enormous overcapacity and enormous speculation and gambling that is beginning to roll over,” he says. “It’s just the leading edge of a global deflation that I think is underway as a consequence of all this excess credit growth that we’ve had.”

If the Fed raises rates and doesn’t mince words there’s going to be a long-running market correction, says Stockman. If the Fed doesn’t raise rates there will be a short-term relief rally but eventually the markets will lose confidence in the central bank bubble and we’ll be in store for a “huge correction.”

I couldn’t agree more. As for me, I will simply repeat what I have said here two months ago.

I am 75% confident that the FED will not raise interest rates at all and 100% confident that they will not raise it in any meaningful way. What is meaningful? Even 8 separate hikes at 25 bps each would be laughable here.  And while anything above that will matter, I am extremely confident that we will not even get close to that over the next 2-5 years.

Here is why…….

  • China has launched an official currency war by devaluing the Yuan 3 times in a row (thus far). Japan is trying to do the same and the EU is threatening further easing and/or QE. In this ocean of devaluation, the US cannot afford to have a strong currency.
  • Plus, the US Economy is rolling over into a recession. Some of today’s official numbers are starting to reflect that.
  • We are on the verge of a massive down leg in our equity markets. At least based on my mathematical and timing work.
  • Commodities have collapsed.
  • Deflationary forces are reappearing throughout the economy.
  • Etc….

As I have mentioned before, this is the worst case scenario for the FED. They are already TOO LATE. Now they are stuck in a situation where our economy and capital markets collapse while they are rendered powerless. As soon as other investors realize that……well…….watch out below.

This conclusion is further supported by my mathematical and timing work. It clearly shows a severe bear market between 2015-2017. In fact, when it starts it will very quickly retrace most of the gains accrued over the last few years.  If you would be interested in learning when the bear market of 2015-2017 will start (to the day) and its internal composition, please CLICK HERE.

(***Please Note: A bear market might have started already, I am simply not disclosing this information. Due to my obligations to my Subscribers I am unable to provide you with more exact forecasts. In fact, I am being “Wishy Washy” at best with my FREE daily updates here. If you would be interested in exact forecasts, dates, times and precise daily coverage, please Click Here). Daily Stock Market Update. September 16th, 2015  InvestWithAlex.com

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The FED Blinked. How Will The Market React? Google

 

Jim Rogers: Big Crisis Is On The Way

Again, I couldn’t agree more with Jim Rogers. I believe Jim to be one of a very few people investors should listen to. What I found interesting is the fact that he has no long exposure in the US, only short. Plus,he is dead on in terms of the FED and interest rate hikes. Definitely worth 3 minutes of your time.

Z30

Google

The Drum Beat Of Deflation Is Growing Louder

Daily Chart September 16 InvestWithAlex

9/16/2015 – Another positive day with the Dow Jones up 138 points (+0.83%) and the Nasdaq up 29 points (+0.59%) 

I have never deviated from my 2006 call that we are in for 10-20 years of deflation. Well, unless the FED begins to print money outright and triggers hyperinflation and/or various degrees of currency devaluation.

And even though deflation has vanished over the last few years, there is a difference between covering it over with money printing (QE, zero interest rates, etc…) and it going away structurally. Guess which is the case.

Now that the flood of liquidity is vanishing, deflation is once again beginning to rear its ugly head.

Weak U.S. inflation complicates Fed rate decision

Bill Gross tends to agree.

Gross Sees Global Economy Dangerously Close to Deflation

Once there is a “whiff of deflation, things tend to reverse and go badly,” Gross said Friday in a Bloomberg Radio interview with Tom Keene. Gross pointed to how the CRB Commodity Index isn’t just at a cyclical low, but lower than in 2008 when Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. went bankrupt.

Deflation is not bad. Well, unless your economy is leveraged to the hilt and you have to rely on low interest rates and money printing to wiggle your way out of it. As is the case with most, if not all, global economies.

Can anything be done to prevent deflation at this juncture? 

Sure, an outright debt and currency monetization. Something the FED has been trying to do for quite some time. Something that they have failed to do despite introducing a $1 Trillion QE and keeping interest rates at zero for way to long. That is not to say that they won’t be successful in the future, but rather, to suggest that blatant currency destruction is the only viable option they have left.

In other words, there is no possible outcome where this ends well. And while they might be successful at keeping deflation at bay for a little bit longer, eventually it will overwhelm the global economy. Just take a look at Japan and you will have a fairly good idea about how this ends.

This conclusion is further supported by my mathematical and timing work. It clearly shows a severe bear market between 2015-2017. In fact, when it starts it will very quickly retrace most of the gains accrued over the last few years.  If you would be interested in learning when the bear market of 2015-2017 will start (to the day) and its internal composition, please CLICK HERE.

(***Please Note: A bear market might have started already, I am simply not disclosing this information. Due to my obligations to my Subscribers I am unable to provide you with more exact forecasts. In fact, I am being “Wishy Washy” at best with my FREE daily updates here. If you would be interested in exact forecasts, dates, times and precise daily coverage, please Click Here). Daily Stock Market Update. September 16th, 2015  InvestWithAlex.com

Did you enjoy this article? If so, please share our blog with your friends as we try to get traction. Gratitude!!!

The Drum Beat Of Deflation Is Growing Louder Google

Janet Yellen: Are You Ready For Your Baptism By Fire?

Janet yellen printing money investwithalex

Just a friendly reminder from InvestWithAlex as we head into the most important FED interest rate decision in years. Every FED Chairman since Paul Volcker, and to a certain extent before, has been baptized by fire of a large scale market sell-off. Let me give you an example.

  • Paul  (The Iron Will) Volcker: Took office in August of 1979. Last down leg of a 1966-1982 bear market started in April of 1981. Baptized by fire 1.5 years into his tenure.
  • Alan (The Master Printer) Greenspan: Took office in August of 1987. Baptized by fire just two months later, when the crash of 1987 took place.
  • Ben (The Savior) Bernanke: Took office in February of 2006. The 2007-2009 bear leg started in October of 2007. Baptized by fire 1.75 years into his tenure.
  • Janet (Everything is Peachy) Yellen: Took office in February of 2014. Now 1.6 years into her tenure.

I am sorry to tell you this Ms.Yellen, but if the trend above holds true, you are about to get creamed along with every other bull out there. Just saying!!!

z32

Janet Yellen: Are You Ready For Your Baptism By Fire?  Google