Feb 23 – No Change?

The Fed Minutes were released on Wednesday at 2 P.M..  Was there any change?

 

SPX – No change here. We could use a pause if we are going to reach a target of 2400+.

 

 

USD – Guess what.  No change in our expectations here either  (So far) , but it was a CLOSE ONE! I did not want the USD to rise above the peak of 101.75 and as the minutes were released, the USD dropped.  I think that downside follow through would push Gold higher.

 

 

WTIC – Yeah, No real change here either.

NATGAS –  And no real change here either.  It is possible that this small day that reached a new low eases the parameters for a swing low to be put in place. Unconfirmed swing lows have fooled traders a few times over the past few days. It may be best to wait for a move above the 10sma.

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GOLD, SILVER, MINERS

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This is where we really wonder, do we have any change?

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GOLD – Let’s keep this simple for Gold, Silver , & the Miners.

1. Looking at the run that took it from the Dec lows to the February highs, Gold has not dropped very much during this consolidation.

 

SILVER  is strong, hugging the upper channel and consolidating at the 200sma. It also hasn’t dropped from the February highs.   Even heavy volume over the past 2 days has not dropped price.

GDX – Yet the Miners are dropping from the highs during their consolidation, but Wednesdays drop reversed after the Fed minutes discussed ‘inflation’.

 

GDXJ  also starting to lose the highs, but reversed after the Fed Minutes were released.

GDXJ –  At this point, GDXJ is a bullish chart.  GDXJ ran up and regained over 62% of the 4.5 month sell off in 2 months, and also regained the 200sma.

 

So basically, still ‘Keeping it simple,  Gold , Silver and Miners still look bullish at this point.  The USD does look like it is cooperating and should roll over.    I had to leave my desk Wednesday afternoon before the FED MINUTES were to be released, so I lightened up on Leverage  (Sold my JNUG) and a few miners that didn’t seem to be acting correctly  ( TRX slipped below the 50sma, so I sold it, for example).

 

 So when I got back in front of my computer, the markets were in the final trading hour.  I wanted to take a closer look at what had happened as the Fed minutes were released. I captured this GDXJ chart below,  where I saw a sharp pop with volume right at 2p.m.  Price stopped right at resistance and formed a bull flag, so I took a chance and re-entered my leveraged position before it even broke out ( with a mental stop RIGHT below the flag) . Basically I had a bullish set up that enabled me to at least re-enter JNUG as a ‘trade’ attempt, and I can ride it if it continues higher. If GDXJ drops below the flag Thursday – I am out. If it gaps lower, I take a loss.

 

 

 

SO after the markets closed, I wanted to take a look at Miners and couldn’t help but notice that some are looking quite weak or even sick, right after releasing earnings.  I read the earnings reports and they seem to be improving quarter over quarter and Y.O.Y., so it was puzzling.  Let’s take a look at a few Miners and see what we have.

 

BTG –  I see some Miners are holding up well, like BTG, EGO, GPL, GSS, and more for example.

EGO – This put in a reversal after the minutes too.

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Others are not so healthy looking.

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AUY –  Look at this ugly specimen.  After releasing earnings, some Miners like CDE, PAAS, AUY took a dive. I wanted to dig a bit deeper.

AUY EARNINGS-  There were plenty of improvements, but looking at the chart above, you would think that they announced that they were going to close all of their mines. Read what I underlined below, and you’ll see the improvements.

So that didn’t look bad.

Then I found their forward guidance and they expect some of their current mines to produce quite a bit less.  I really think that if GOLD & SILVER are at a higher price next year, they will  beat this years earnings, but this guidance is likely killing their current valuation here and now. Notice the drop in production.

So at this point, I have to say that there has been no real change from the past reports and expectations when it comes to the USD, GOLD, SILVER, and the Miners.  Some individual Miners are being punished after releasing earnings however. We’ll have to see what Thursday, the day after the Fed does for us.   We would like to see the USD drop and Gold, Silver, and the Miners  run higher.  If this happens, I will explain what I think I see happening in the total big picture. I did a little extra research and am trying to get a clearer picture of what we are seeing in these areas. That means that I will have a brief Friday report to explain my findings if we do get the follow through that we have been anticipating.  If not, it will be back to the drawing board.  Enjoy your Thursday & Friday trading and your weekend!

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~ALEX

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NAK –  Choices , choices!  NAK is up 30% in after hrs.  Maybe US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology will have rose colored glasses too?  lol.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE NAK STORY

So how will all of those law firms continue with their lawsuits against NAK now? Most of us were stopped out around $2.80 -$3.00  NAK now jumped 30% in pre-market and is still only $1.80. You must decide if you want to ride the NAK roller coaster  again. Will it go straight back up with FUND buying again?  Will it bounce and form a complex bottom through consolidation?  I cannot say for sure. I saw a reader named JEFF admit in real time in the comments yesterday that he was going to take a try at NAK, and he bought it yesterday during normal trading hours.  Perfect timing at this point! A few others may have purchased it too- Congrats on that trade.  I thought that it would get to the 200sma, but with that news in the link above, you may have caught the next low in NAK. 🙂

 

 

Also I sold my URRE as it broke the 50sma Wednesday.  I was going to be away for the afternoon, so that is the way it goes.  It is up 10% after hours too, on good news.  I am the victim of a shake out!!   : (

I’ve got some Cash to deploy and some decisions to make

 

131 replies
  1. Ralph Wiederzane
    Ralph Wiederzane says:

    Thanks Alex, appreciate the analysis, and the honesty above all else. We are still having a great ride here at CF. Congratulations to those that snagged NAK yesterday, it was on my list to buy later this morning if it stabilized a little lower in the 1.35 range, so I missed it. On to the next one.

  2. Shermo
    Shermo says:

    Thanks for the $spx update…..I totally agree….looking at past years when January was a strong up month means this year the market could go on to produce a 20% + return….I would buy all dips if it makes sense….If we get a dip into early March I am a buyer on XIV using 20 hour charts and selling puts that expire a few weeks later.

    • chartfreak1
      chartfreak1 says:

      At least you didnt sell it. And I thought that I saw that you own NAK 🙂

      I sold URRE yesterday ( Almost at the lows of the day – haha)

      I sold my JNUG and had to buy it a bit higher than I sold it at. Ugh- I hate when I have to leave for the day and its a FED day.

        • nancytheartist
          nancytheartist says:

          Lucky girl! I almost bought it back but was afraid they would be mired down in legal attacks. by the way, is that a doxie by tour name? I grew up with one.

          • Ann
            Ann says:

            The legal stuff seems unfounded unless they were hiding something but I don’t think they are. Seemed like it was a place for a bounce, but the close was awful, so it is really dumb luck for me : )

        • zig-zag
          zig-zag says:

          Hi Ann,
          I know yesterday shortly after 2 you thanked Janet.
          Based on the NAK news I think NAK holders should also be thanking the new administration.
          There’s a new sheriff in town and he’s not afraid of the EPA!

  3. Crawdaddy
    Crawdaddy says:

    Alex;, NO CHANGE; Really? Alex you are a damn good researcher and letter writer,but you sir are sick and wrong and you need to seek out some ” professional ‘ help. I suggest soon!
    BTW. Nice report again. Yesterday’s ‘buying on weakness’ number might have been predictive ( this time ) with GDX atop of the list with $453mil

  4. chartfreak1
    chartfreak1 says:

    Well, I didn’t get the fire sale price of yesterdays close, but $1.63 avg is good enough for me to start a NAK position again.

    Welcome home Nak 🙂 Please just leave that gap behind.

    • Ken
      Ken says:

      I am back in also this morning….premarket….I just think I need this “ground” in my Miner portfolio. 🙂

      • chartfreak1
        chartfreak1 says:

        Me too, and I can’t complain about buying higher than yesterdays lows, since much of it was sold around the $3 area.

        I’m wondering if funds bailed out with the negative report, and now will slowly start finding their way back in with the ‘prospect’ of future mining.

      • Chad
        Chad says:

        With a new high this late in the cycle it is extremely RT, correct? With it this late in the cycle, do we seek a DCL now? I sold my JNUG yesterday and fear a cycle top here.. if I’m wrong please tell me to get back onboard!

        • chartfreak1
          chartfreak1 says:

          It is somewhat impossible to know at this point in time. As a trader, I trade what I see each day and my reports reflect that, but each day adds to the picture, so I stay flexible and think of the possibilities.

          1. I took a JNUG trade based on GDXJ & JNUG bull flagging after the Fed Minute release- Now I ride it as I see fit. I expect GDXJ $47, but will itgett there in the 2nd or 3rd daily cycle? I do not know .

          2. Gold broke to a day 18 high , Miners aren’t really breaking to new highs at this time, so Gold could begin to dip down into the next dcl gradually and Miners could have been leading the way down

          3. I have seen Gold top on day 25 , so Gold could go higher, Miners may catch up

          4. With a R.T. daily cycle likely, Gold should make a new high in the 3rd daily cycle, so my GDXJ $47 price projection could fulfill in the 3rd daily cycle.

  5. Ken
    Ken says:

    Since you are “in the office” question from yesterday:
    GDX had 6 DCL’s in it”s last IC, how abnormal would it be to have 6 in this current IC ?

  6. Ralph Wiederzane
    Ralph Wiederzane says:

    Bought some URRE this morning and have orders below the market to bring up to full position if they get filled. Alex, are you inclined to buy back what he sold yesterday, or do you see the damage as too great at this point?

  7. The Seer
    The Seer says:

    Doing better holding physical than my miners . . . . miners slow slow slow creep zig zag back up to their highs again.

  8. JT
    JT says:

    Sold CLF for profit. Was hoping the consolidation would lead to another pop, but I’m not liking it this morning.

    • chartfreak1
      chartfreak1 says:

      Wow, check out CLF, VALE, CLD, X, AKS, …it’s like a bearish engulfing landslide.

      Nice trade, good exit. looks like something is happening in the metals sector

  9. ChartApprentice
    ChartApprentice says:

    Anyone else feeling confused? We are seeing a break out in physical yet miners are still well off of their highs. I see CF reentered leveraged positions yesterday afternoon and is expecting juniors to climb higher, but this could also happen after a daily cycle low. We are in no mans land with sentiment and it seems like the miners may be indicating this is a daily cycle high versus the start of another move up.

    • Evan
      Evan says:

      Agreed. I’m keeping an eye on trend lines here for GDX and GDXJ to help inform my 3X trades but it seems the market has no direction at the moment. Or maybe I’m just not subtle enough yet to see it. That’s why I asked Alex to keep us posted on what he sees on the 3Xers. Options expiry and gold futures tomorrow might help do something in miners one way or the other.

      NAK is slowing sliding throughout the day. I figured it might once the euphoria died down a bit from this morning so still waiting for further decline later today to get back in. We’ll see.

      • nancytheartist
        nancytheartist says:

        I am back in NAK…had left an order in this morning and it hit my price just before I got back from lunch. I still like their story and I have done SO well trading in/out 6 times over a year, I wanted back in. Also, with new admin. EPA less likely to roadblock them….I think they should sue the organizers of the “hit” from last week. I was afraid they would be entangled in legal stuff so held off yesterday, but if they announced they were fighting back…I think this might move up well again.

        • Evan
          Evan says:

          yes, good points nancy. I did well with them too and the potential on that mine site is SOOOOO huge. They were talking that mine life was measured in decades in something I was reading last week – like 8 decades. I agree with you that the new admin will temper the EPA.

        • Evan
          Evan says:

          That’s great zig-zag, I was able to link to your charts, thanks much. I’ve had a love hate thing with GFI for the last 14 months or so. Made some good money with them and then later last year when everything was hanging i to some extent GFI took a nose dive, for no good reason that I could see. So I’m a bit wary of them. Sold my last bit of them on the rise in this cycle, breaking even… but it’s looking pretty good today, Thanks for pointing it out.

        • Evan
          Evan says:

          Ok, so I’m relatively new to cycle theory but I’ve been looking at the charts and it still seems to me that we are in the 2nd daily cycle in miners. I know some feel that we just finished a stretched first cycle. Daz, Alex, or anyone else, any thoughts on this? I’m still seeing day 19 of cycle 2… but happy to ponder other ideas.

          Beautiful day here today, snow has all melted – was just out in a forest for an hour. Awesome…

  10. The Seer
    The Seer says:

    Peter Boockvar today:
    “The
    14 day RSI in the NDX yesterday closed at 84.7, the highest since
    January 1992. It was 84.2 in January 2000. The index is up 11 out of 12
    days and that down day totaled 1.7 pts. The technology sector within the
    S&P 500 is up 14 days in a row.”

    When the margin calls hit .. . . . . can effect mining stocks too . . . – Seer

  11. Steve Tytler
    Steve Tytler says:

    Several days ago I warned traders not to be in a hurry to short the stock indices because they were still bullish on my charts. Just wanted to pop in today and say that as of right NOW, I’m starting to see some bearish “sell” signals (downward price trend) on my daily chart of TQQQ (the only stock EFT I trade). But TQQQ is bouncing back and is currently a “buy” (up trend) on my intraday 15 min chart. So take that for what it’s worth.

    • The Seer
      The Seer says:

      Yes – John Murphy just posted this at stockcharts:

      TRANSPORTS DIVERGE FROM INDUSTRIALS WHICH IS A SHORT-TERM
      WARNING

      — UTILITY SURGE MAY ALSO SIGNAL DEFENSIVE SHIFT

      — UTILITY/TRANSPORTATION RATIO TURNS UP

      — CONSUMER STAPLES SPDR NEARS NEW RECORD

      — THAT MAY ALSO SIGNAL A MORE DEFENSIVE TONE IN AN OVERBOUGHT
      MARKET

    • Steve Tytler
      Steve Tytler says:

      FYI I’m very bullish on stocks this year. Unlike some traders I don’t expect a massive “crash” but there will be a pullback. I would love to see a dip under the 20 day SMA as a “buying opp” but that may be a long way off.

  12. pankef
    pankef says:

    Still interested in TAHO but not biting yet. Stock gaped above yesterday’s highs and has maintained its gains in spite of sector weakness today.

  13. Evan
    Evan says:

    Just thought I’d point this out in case people here missed it.

    I’ve been following various parts of the economy for the last number of years (I’m more of a macro and trend guy) and one of the things I check in on once in a while is the US debt clock data. I noticed last spring that price of gold and silver per oz were added out of nowhere – and they were completely different from the spot prices. I had to do some quick calculations to figure out that the price posted there on the debt clock was determined by the amount of US currency units (dollars) in existence divided by the ounces of available metal above ground. Blew me away as gold was around $8000/oz and silver around $900/oz then, which is roughly what the clock read at that point.

    Like I said, these boxes with these prices just magically appeared one day. So today I just checked it again and now instead of price per/ounce they’ve actually done the conversion of units to read ‘dollar to silver ratio’ and ‘dollar to gold ratio’ to save us from doing the calculation that I had to do last year.

    Interesting that they’ve suddenly and quietly started advertising this. Conspiracy and manipulation theorists can have a hay day…

    Check out the bottom right hand corner boxes… http://www.usdebtclock.org

  14. deshy
    deshy says:

    boy that was an ugly finish! looked ok before I left work. Seems the subway ride home wasn’t the only thing that went underground around 330p. 🙁

    • deshy
      deshy says:

      interesting that while the gold miners took a whack at eod the silver miners held up pretty well. would think both would have sank down if the whole miner category was going to hell in a hand basket. we’ll just have to see…

    • Steve Tytler
      Steve Tytler says:

      I’m hanging in there with GDXJ (mainly in JNUG) because the juniors have been outperforming the major miners for quite awhile. On a positive note, GDXJ/JNUG are both currently a “buy” (up trend) in the AH on my 15 min charts so I’m holding strong, but it’s been a rough ride this week. My WEEKLY chart still looks bullish, which is what is keeping me on the miner train despite bearish signals on my daily charts for the past few days. It’s nail-biting time waiting for miners to rally.

      • Cason
        Cason says:

        Now, that I could do! But I’m about done with “retracement”. Today’s price action sucked. Period. Chance we close the gap, reset short term indicators (I was watching hourly this afternoon) and then move higher. If we don’t, I’ll be significantly increasing my cash by cutting back hard.

  15. Tammie
    Tammie says:

    Just read that they are filing for registration of an ETF that will be a marijuana ETF…focused on the medical marijuana companies…..still researching to get more info on it…

    • Cason
      Cason says:

      That would make it easier for folks like me that can’t possibly research 10-12 firms. All my MJ stocks went up in smoke today. Puff, puff, give!!

      • Tammie
        Tammie says:

        Yeah, today was a down day for many of them…I sold several when I saw things going south…had one small loss mixed with some gains….I keep them on a tight rope….I will be happy to have an etf! On the flip side, I think there might be some good buys now. 🙂 I am wondering if the marijuana stocks are shaping up into their own “cycles” and if the end of the month is shaping up to be cycle lows…….so maybe a 30 days cycle or so…….I’m going to do some chart looking and see if I can come up with anything…hahaha…but I am no EW person….so….

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