Anyways, on a more positive tone… today China decided to help provide more liquidity for the financial system along with the central banks. This news triggered a monster rally in overnight trading making the market gap up sharply at the opening bell. This news did hit the US dollar index hard sending it sharply lower but the question remains “Will today’s news be a one week hiccup in the market?” If Euroland starts printing money it will likely send the dollar higher and stocks lower for 6- 12 months.

Just today I was joking with Kerry Lutz of the Financial Survivor Network about how each country should just give each other country a second chance. Wipe the dept clean and start over knowing this time around exactly how each country truly operates at a financial level allowing everyone to avoid a repeat of this BS. Some countries will get off way better than others because they would get so much dept wiped clean but isn’t it better than years of problems and possibly wars over food, gold, guns, oil and Canadian water? – EH

All joking aside, let’s take a look at the weekly long term charts…

Dollar Index Showing Possible Massive Rally If Euro Starts Printing Money:

I’m sure my off the cuff options/thoughts will cause a stir but I am fine with that. Everyone I talk to is thinking the dollar is about to fall off a cliff while I think it’s very possible that it does just the opposite. Either way I will be looking to benefit from which ever move unfolds.

Weekly Gold Chart:

Weekly Silver Chart:

Weekly SP500 Chart:

Long Term Thoughts:

I would first like to say that tonight’s report is out of my norm. Generally I do not focus on the big picture negative stuff and I like to avoid it for a few reasons… One, it’s just downright depressing to talk and think about. And Second I don’t want to be labelled as one of those “The Sky Is Falling” kinds of guys.

So, that being said I think these charts above show a situation what is very possible to happen in the coming 6-12 months. Keep in mind that my focus is on short term time frames as it allows me to avoid and actually profit from major market moves while providing enough information for my followers to learn technical analysis and trade management. And the obvious idea of not looking too far into the future with a negative outlook…

With headline risk changing the market direction on a weekly basis, this negative outlook could easily change in a couple months. I will recap on the big picture as things unfold in January/February.

Talk to you soon,

Chris Vermeulen
www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Subscribers and myself have been short the SP500 for a couple weeks after watching the broad market become overbought and sentiment levels became overly bullish with greedy pigs thinking they could buy stocks after a massive month long rally that had not pullback. Once the selling started you would either get you head handed to you or you were going to make a killing buying leveraged inverse ETFs.

Those who arrived late to the rally are the ones selling out of their positions this week. The interesting thing about this week’s market condition is that I have not seeing any real panic selling in stocks, and I’m not seeing the volatility index spike in value yet.

What does this mean? Well it means we could actually see another big dip in the market which should last 1-2 days and then we get a sharp reversal to the upside.

Take a look at the SP500 & Volatility index below:

This chart allows us to get a feel for fear in the market. Me being a contrarian trader, I focus on market sentiment extremes. When the masses are losing money hand over fist I’m generally on the other side of that trade with open arms. Trading off fear is one of the easiest ways to trade the market. That is because fear is much more powerful than greed and it shows up better on the charts. Spotting panic selloff bottoms is something that can be traded successfully if you know what to look for and how to trade them.

On the chart you can see the pullbacks in the SP500 which triggered a panic selling spike in my green indicator. What I look for is a pullback in the SP500 and for my panic selling indicator to spike over 20. When that happens I start watching the volatility index for a spike also. The good news is that the volatility index typically rises the following day making my panic indicator more of a leading one…

Market Sentiment Trading

I could write a 20 page report going into depth this with topic, but that’s not the point of this report. Just realize that the stock market is likely going to put in a bottom very soon and likely end with a STRONG panic selling washout this week or next. If you want to learn more about how to trade market sentiment and panic selling you can read my strategy which was published in Futures Magazine.

Prepare for a sharp drop in the market which should kick start a holiday rally in the next few trading sessions.

Chris Vermeulen
www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com –Index, Commodity and Currency Trading Alerts

Before I jump into the analysis, I would like to point out to readers that the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has rallied from 1,075 on October 4^th to 1224.50 on October 14^th. The S&P 500 has rallied almost 150 handles or 14% from the lows to Friday’s close in 10 calendar days. As an options trader and a market participant, I trade the market that I see, not the market that I want. With that said, ask yourself this question: Does a healthy financial construct rally 14% in 10 calendar days?

To put the recent price action into perspective, since the beginning of the year 2000 the S&P 500 would have had a poor track record on an annualized basis when compared to the past 10 calendar days’ trough to peak performance. Only in the years 2003, 2006, 2009, & 2010 would an investor have been able to best the previous 10 calendar days’ performance (Performance data courtesy of Wikipedia). The most amazing thing about the recent price action is that the S&P 500 Index is still underwater for the year even after rallying roughly 14%.

At this point two scenarios are likely to play out. One scenario involves a rally on the S&P 500 towards the key 1,250 – 1,270 resistance zone which is outlined on the chart below. The recent price action in the S&P 500 has been volatile and at this point it has gone nearly parabolic. The daily chart of the S&P 500 Index is shown below:

The resistance level shown in the chart above outlines the key 1,250 – 1,270 resistance zone that will be tested if the S&P 500 can breakout above the 1,230 resistance level. However, it is critical for traders to recognize that probabilities are starting to favor the short side. Let me explain.

If the S&P 500 is able to rally into the 1,250 – 1,270 level it would represent a gain of less than 4%. The bears will vigorously defend the S&P 1,250 – 1,270 resistance zone and it is unlikely that price action will be able to take out that resistance zone on the first breakout attempt.

With only 4% upside, the odds of some sort of correction are favorable at this point in time. Whether the correction begins early next week or whether we have to wait until the key resistance zone is tested, sellers will step back into the driver’s seat in the not-so-distant future.

McClellan Oscillator

A few data points that exemplify the overbought status of the S&P 500 are shown below. The first indicator is the McClellan Oscillator that my trading buddy Chris Vermeulen pointed out to me.

50 Period Moving Average Momentum Chart

The momentum chart shown below courtesy of www.barchart.com illustrates the number of domestic equities trading above their key 50 period moving averages:

Both charts above are warning signs that this rally is starting to get a bit overheated. I would point out that the past two times the McClellan Oscillator and the momentum chart peaked a nasty selloff occurred shortly thereafter. The one point that I would like to make clear to readers is that each time both indicators peaked prices eventually went much lower.

The evidence would lead astute traders to believe a top was near. The more arduous details about the future of the S&P 500’s price action revolve around where the topping formation will be. Will the S&P 500 find resistance on a second test of the key 1,230 resistance level?

The other scenario would involve higher prices next week that eventually reach the key 1,260 – 1,270 area on the S&P 500. Will price work roughly 4% higher before confirming a top at the key breakdown level that initiated the selloff back in August?

Conclusion

I am of the opinion that a topping formation or pattern is likely near, but the location of the top is unknown to me presently. More importantly the forthcoming selloff resolution will be very telling about the current trend of the marketplace.

The most constructive price action that we could see would be a selloff that results in a higher low on the daily chart. If that type of price action plays out a new bullish run could begin. However, if we form a top and price action breaks down below recent lows it would not be surprising to see another lower low form which would put the trend squarely in favor of the bears.

The most important aspect of coming weeks will not necessarily be where a top forms, but if and when a selloff begins. Ultimately the depth, momentum, and ferocity of the selloff are more important than where the topping pattern begins.

At this point I have no purely directional trades on the books, but I am developing a laundry list of shorts that make sense. After all, volatility has declined quite a bit and puts are starting to get a whole lot cheaper!

In closing, a top is likely in the cards in the near future. However, the strength and momentum of the forthcoming selloff will tell the real story about the future direction of stock prices. The next few weeks should be quite interesting!!

Subscribers of OTS have pocketed more than 150% return in the past two months. If you’d like to stay ahead of the market using My Low Risk Option Strategies and Trades check out OTS at http://www.optionstradingsignals.com/specials/index.php and take advantage of our free occasional trade ideas or a 66% coupon to sign up for daily market analysis, videos and Option Trades each week.

JW Jones

The fall was triggered by three key factors which caused the powerful move down. The first factor is based on pure technical analysis (price and volume patterns). Because the metals had such a strong run up this summer and prices had moved to far too fast, it is only natural so see price correct back to a normal price level. In general any investment that surges in one direction in a short period of time almost always falls back down shortly after. As I stated in my weekly report on August 31^st, “gold is forming a topping pattern and all investors should take profits or tighten protective stops (exit orders)”.Three days later gold popped to the new high completing the pattern and was quickly sold off which continues to unfolding as we speak from $1920 down to $1532 in only a couple weeks.

The second factor which I think had the most power behind the drop were the margin requirements changes. This new rule literally overnight caused traders and investors holding to much of the metals in their account to liquidate (sell) their positions without having any say in the matter. That is when the most damage was done to the price of gold and silver.

The key factor was the US Dollar which rocketed higher and adding a lot of pressure to the metals. I also covered this in my Aug 31^st report in detail. Overall, past few years we have seen both gold and silver move in opposite direction of the dollar. I don’t expect that to change much going forward. Back in August the US Dollar was coiling (building power) and it was only a matter of time before it would explode to the up side and rallied. This high probability move in the dollar was what triggered me to exit our long gold positions shortly after. I expected the dollar rally to last a month or more and that means we would see a lot of pressure on equities and metals going forward.

Now keep in mind, if Greece or other countries continue to get worse then we could see the dollar and gold move higher together as they are seen as the safe haven at this time. But with the nature of the two I am anticipating a rising dollar and sideways trading range for gold.

Ok, so back to precious metals investor sentiment…

Last Friday and all of this week I have been getting emails from traders and friends saying they are going to sell their gold and silver because they are concerned metals will continue to fall and because many of them are now losing money after chasing prices higher through the summer. The good news is that one of my best indicators for helping to time market tops and bottoms is to just read my emails and answer the phone. During market tops, generally the final month when prices are soaring to new highs every day/week is when everyone contacts me and says they just bought gold or are about to buy more gold cause it’s such a great investment. Once I start getting 2-5 of these messages a day alarms start going off in my head. This works the same with market bottoms. So with everyone now in a panic and selling their positions I feel we are darn close to one if we did not see it already…

Let’s take a look at the charts…

Silver Spot / Futures Price Chart

As you can see on the hard right edge silver is forming a very similar pattern which happened this past spring. I would like to note that this type of pattern is typical with extreme market selloffs as to how they generally bottom. I am anticipating silver trades in this range for a couple months and that we could see lower prices in the near term. But my upside target for silver in the coming few months is the $35-$36 level.

Gold Spot / Futures Price Chart

Gold is doing much the same as silver but I have noticed that when gold falls hard the second dip generally does not make a new low as often. If we do get a new low, all the better for buying on the dip but overall I feel gold should trade sideways for a couple months. My upside target for gold is the $1750-$1775 area.

US Dollar Index Price Chart

The Dollar index is looking ripe for another bounce and possibly another rally to new highs in the coming week. If this happens then we should see the SP500 short position (SDS) which we took Tuesday afternoon (Sept 27^th) to continue rocketing another 5-8% in our favour again.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:

In short, I feel the US dollar is going to continue higher and that will put the most pressure on stocks, oil and silver. Depending how things evolve overseas gold could hold up and possibly rise with the dollar.

So far subscribers have pocketed over 40% gains this month using ETFs on the SP500, Dollar and Oil and are holding another winning trade in the SDS etf taking partial profits today. If you would like learn more about etf trading and receive my daily pre-market videos, intraday updates and detailed trade alerts which even the most novice trader can follow then join my free trading education newsletter and my premium trading service here: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/trade-money-emotions.php

Don’t get me wrong — we are not in the bear market territory yet. At least, not officially.

An “official” bear market begins when the stocks indexes decline 20%. The DJIA’s decline from the May 2, 2011 high to the September 21 low is about 17%. Close, but no cigar.

Add to that the strong rallies we’ve seen over the past few weeks (Sept. 12-20: +685 points in the Dow, for example) — and lots of people conclude that despite the volatility, things aren’t so bad.

But let’s get some perspective. The stock market has been around a while. Only when you look at its history do you realize just how cunning — and fast, and strong — bear markets can be.

Here’s a chart we’ve shown readers before. It’s worth printing out and keeping on the wall above the desk where you open your brokerage statements.

This is the DJIA between 1930 and 1932, one of the worst bear markets in history. Robert Prechter, EWI’s president, took the time to measure the percentage gain of each bear market rally during the 2-year period — you can see them in this chart.

When you routinely see double-digit rallies (11 percent, 18 percent, even 39%) over the course of two or three years, it’s easy to be lulled into thinking that maybe things aren’t so bad.

The reality, of course, is that the bear market’s chokehold grows tighter around your neck with every drop-rally sequence. (Think back to the 2007-2009 collapse, and you’ll remember the same behavior.)

Which brings us to here and now. Rallies and declines of 300-400+ points have been so common since August that we’re kinda getting used to them.

The question is: Are we in a bear market, or is it that “maybe things aren’t so bad”?

You need some perspective to answer that question. The research we do here at EWI can help.

Free Report: Stocks — Buying Opportunity or Another “Free Fall” Ahead? Find out what these market moves mean to your investments with current analysis from Elliott Wave International. Bob Prechter has just released a FREE report — with urgent analysis from his August and September 2011 Elliott Wave Theoristmarket letters, including another video excerpt from the special video issue of the August Theorist. Stocks — Buying Opportunity or Another “Free Fall” Ahead? will help you put these uncertain markets into perspective so that you’ll be better positioned to both protect your investments when needed and prosper when opportunities arise. Access your free report now>>

My most recent update was to simply try to figure out whether the continuing correction in Gold would take the form of an ABC pattern or an ABCDE Triangle Pattern. It is becoming more clear that the official pattern is ABC. In English it means that the first leg down from 1910 to 1702 was the “A” Wave, the rally back up to 1920 was the “B” wave. The C wave is continuing underway and one of my longstanding targets is $1643, which is a Fibonacci fractal relationship to the prior lows and highs, and also conveniently fills in a “Gap” in the Gold chart in the 1650’s.

During these 4th wave consolidation periods, it reduces sentiment back down to normal levels and lets the economics of the move in Gold catch up with the price action that was extended. The first area to watch is the re-test of $1702 spot pricing for a C wave low, but the evidence is for a further drop to $1643 before I would get too interested in trying to game Gold to the upside.

Here is the chart I sent out 9 days ago with Gold at $1837 forecasting a possible C wave continuing lower:

I’ve stayed away from either shorting Gold or going long gold while I watch and confirm the 4th wave pattern. It’s simply the smart way to go knowing that upside will be difficult to obtain and downside risks are high. It does now appear that I am eliminating the Triangle pattern and sticking with the ABC Correction with the C wave still working its way lower. If $1702 breaks, then you should expect to see 1620-1643 as next pivot low ranges.

If you’d like to stay ahead of the SP 500, Silver, and Gold trends, check out TMTF at www.MarketTrendForecast.com and take advantage of our free occasional reports or a 33% 48 hour coupon to sign up for 5-7 updates a week.

David A. Banister – www.MarketTrendForecast.com

Interest rates cannot move much lower in terms of the Federal Funds rate, additional quantitative easing seems redundant since Treasury yields are close to all-time lows, and finally a twisting of maturities will do little to alter the current economic conditions. The Federal Reserve is just repeating practices which have proven over a long term do little to create jobs or get the economy moving in the right direction. A stock market rally does not help a person looking for a job!

It is possible that even if the Federal Reserve proposes additional stimulus the market could sell off. I have been trading less in this environment and have been focusing on looking for trade setups that could work regardless of price action. For now I am sitting predominantly in cash waiting to see how price action reacts to the news flow tomorrow.

S&P 500
If I had to guess, I continue to believe that the S&P 500 will get back to test the key 1,250 – 1,280 price level. While this resistance level is apparent, Mr. Market will be able to tear up traders if price jams into that resistance zone. Mr. Market loves nothing more than to shake people out of positions. If price works higher I would expect the 1,250 – 1,280 price range to offer just enough risk / reward to get investors and traders involved in a choppy trading environment. The key upside levels on the S&P 500 are shown below on the daily chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX):

The flip side of that argument would see the S&P 500 jamming into recent resistance around the 1,230 price level. If prices rolled over and momentum picked up, a test of the recent August lows would likely transpire and could produce a breakdown and a lower low.

When looking at recent price action, the S&P 500 Index has put in a series of higher lows which is a bullish signal, however the S&P 500 has a long road ahead to break out above the 2011 highs. If the S&P 500 carves out a lower high on the S&P 500 Index at 1,230, 1,250, or even 1,280 and subsequently takes out the August lows then the secular bear will be back. The weekly chart of the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) shown below illustrates key support levels:

For now I am just going to sit in cash and wait for Mr. Market to provide me with some better clues. The trading range is pretty wide going from around 1,100 to 1,280. What I will be watching for is a strong move supported with volume that pushes price out of this range. As of the close today, price action was trading around the middle of this range but depending on how price action reacts to the news that comes out Wednesday it is possible that in coming days we could see a breakout in either direction.

Dow Jones Industrial Average
It will likely surprise long time readers that I am actually going to comment on the Dow. I will keep this brief, but I wanted to point it out to readers as I have not heard much mention of this pattern in the main stream financial media.

Over the weekend I was looking at some longer term charts and I accidentally stumbled across this head and shoulders pattern on a weekly chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I rarely pay much attention to the Dow as I monitor the S&P 500 closely. However, I could not ignore what I was seeing. I also noted that a similar pattern also exists on the S&P 500.

I am generally not the kind of trader who tries to predict where price action will arrive in the distant future. However, I am not going to ignore clear chart patterns that I recognize regardless of the time frame I am looking at.

For those not familiar with a head and shoulders pattern, it is a very ominous signal. Head and shoulders patterns are generally topping formations that if triggered result in violent selloffs. On this chart the pattern is obvious and if the pattern were triggered the forthcoming price action would be decisively negative for domestic equities. The long term monthly chart of the Dow is shown below:

If the pattern is triggered on an undercut of the March 2009 lows, the head and shoulders formation would produce selling pressure that would target the 3,800 – 4,000 level on the Dow. Yes, you read that right! I want readers to recognize that this pattern is not a given and it could play out over a long period of time. The pattern would suggest that a test of the 2009 lows is possible, but I will leave the likelihood of that test up to Mr. Market.

I view this pattern as a potential warning signal for long term equity positions. Consequently, it is far too early to jump into a plethora of short positions or sell every equity position owned simply because of this pattern. While I do not know where price goes from here or if this pattern will ever trigger, I think market participants should be aware of its existence.

It would take the perfect concatenation of events to push prices down to the March 2009 lows, but unfortunately the condition of social mood paired with all of the risks facing financial markets is notable. The recent selloff in August came on the heels of a head and shoulders pattern that was triggered. We all know how August played out, but this pattern on the Dow Jones Industrial Average has a long way to go before it can even trigger. Time will tell, but readers should at the very least put this chart pattern on your radar!

U.S. Dollar Index

The U.S. Dollar Index has ripped higher by more than 5% since August 29th. The strength in the Dollar has likely been precipitated by fear based on the European sovereign debt and banking crisis. While the Dollar certainly has long term flaws, it may simply be the best of the worst.

If the situation in Europe begins to break down further based on any number of events it could likely push the U.S. Dollar Index considerably higher. My trading partner Chris Vermeulen has been riding this strong impulse wave with his subscribers Swing trading the UUP etf and thinks there is big potential still if Euro-Land fears continue to rise.

The daily chart of the Dollar Index futures is shown below:

Mid-Week Market Trend Conclusion

Wednesday will be filled with a variety of news and headlines. The Greek government is meeting and a news release regarding the conference will likely come out around the time domestic markets in the United States open. The news has the potential to move markets considerably.

In addition, the Federal Reserve is set to end its September meeting and market participants will be sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear from the Federal Reserve about any stimulus the central bank may provide.

Overall, the news and headlines on Wednesday will certainly impact the current conditions of financial markets. Right now I am pleased to be sitting primarily in cash. I have a few positions open, but for the most part the trades are not directional and are profitable based on time decay.

The one directional trade I have on presently is a remaining sliver of a position I have already taken profits from and stops are in place. While I have been risk averse the past few trading sessions, I am flush with cash and ready to accept new risk if high probability setups emerge.

However, the best trade can sometimes be no trade at all and I intend to remain patient. Risk is extremely high!
Subscribers had over 100% return in August and already up over 50+% for September!

Review my track record and join now at http://www.optionstradingsignals.com/specials/index.php and receive a 24 hour 66% off coupon.

JW Jones