Category: INO.com Contributors

Gold Ratios: One Is Free, The Other Is Next!

Posted on by Aibek Burabayev

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


Gold/WTI Ratio: Free To Fly!

Gold/WTI
Chart courtesy of Tradingview.com

Today for the first time I will analyze this crazy ratio. Just look at the monthly chart above, compared to the dead market in the direct Gold/US dollar cross it is so wildly volatile. It jumps to either side easily like a bullet ricocheting.

This ratio is contained within a very wide range between 6 and 29 WTI barrels per troy ounce of Gold, highlighted in two blue parallel lines. For 12 years, Gold had been weakening compared to WTI Oil (highlighted by falling orange trendline). In between, only once in 1998, we can see a false break up of the downtrend which quickly lost its momentum and the ratio fell back below the line. Gold was falling despite the growing Gold/USD price. The metal almost doubled its price, but at the same time it appeared at the bottom of the ratio and what is more surprising is that when Gold tripled its USD price, it again touched the bottom at 6 barrels per troy ounce. Indeed, it was an Oil boom, not a Gold boom. Continue reading "Gold Ratios: One Is Free, The Other Is Next!" →

JPY Set For An Abrupt Move

Posted on by Lior Alkalay

Lior Alkalay - INO.com Contributor - Forex


Over the past few weeks, the Yen has been softer against its European peers, e.g. the Euro and the Pound Sterling, as risk appetite gradually made a comeback. Yet against its American peer, the US Dollar, trade has been rather subdued. The Dollar and Yen, the world's most sought after safe haven currencies, move generally in tandem. Because investors have had some difficulty choosing the front runner between the two, it has resulted in a sideways moving USD/JPY pair. The combination of a soft patch in the US economy and uncertainty over Japan's economic future has also made it difficult for some market movers to assess the next trajectory for the Yen. Yet, in either case, that is still a mere projection with no tangible evidence (yet) to tilt sentiment either way, in favour of the Yen or in favour of the Dollar. However, that might soon change; moreover, the reaction in the USD/JPY could be abrupt, swift and for some, devastating. Continue reading "JPY Set For An Abrupt Move" →

Continued Weak Jobs Numbers Allow the Fed to Sit Tight

Posted on by George Yacik

George Yacik - INO.com Contributor - Fed & Interest Rates


Was Friday's April jobs number good enough to get the Federal Reserve to start normalizing interest rates soon?

Based on the reaction of both the stock and bond markets, the answer is no. The increase was likely way too small to convince the data-paralyzed Fed that the economy has recovered enough to let it stand on its own feet. The sharp downward revision in the already lousy March figure only added to the case.

The jobs report – nonfarm payrolls rose 223,000 in April – was a lot better than March's report – which isn't saying a whole lot – but certainly not strong enough to worry investors that the Fed might see a reason to raise interest rates sooner than most now expect, which is either late this year or early 2016. Continue reading "Continued Weak Jobs Numbers Allow the Fed to Sit Tight" →

Recent Insider Buying Could Be A Clue This Stock Is About To Take Off

Posted on by Daniel Cross

Daniel Cross - INO.com Contributor - Equities


When directors of a company start buying shares, it's a sign to investors that they think the stock is about to go up. That's because they usually have knowledge in excess of Wall Street professionals that isn't ubiquitously known. For investors, it's a sign that the stock could be ready for a break out.

Insider selling could be due to any number of reasons, but insider buying can only be attributed to a positive outlook by management. In the last three months, this stock has seen 35 open market buys for a total of 468,358 shares and in the last six months, there have been 113 buys for 528,361 shares.

A stock that's down, but not out

Terex Corporation (TEX) is a $3 billion farm and construction machinery manufacturer with operations around the globe. The company posted a first quarter loss of $0.02 per share on April 29th – far short of the expected gain of $0.18 per share by analysts covering the stock. Revenues fell 9.6% year-over-year as well. The miss added to the stocks disappointing performance with a total drop of 30% in the past year. However, there are reasons investors should take a second look. Continue reading "Recent Insider Buying Could Be A Clue This Stock Is About To Take Off" →

Yellen's Gaffe

Posted on by George Yacik

George Yacik - INO.com Contributor - Fed & Interest Rates


Is Janet Yellen suddenly signaling an imminent rise in U.S. interest rates?

At a conference in Washington Wednesday sponsored by the Institute for New Economic Thinking, in an answer to a question from co-panelist Christine Lagarde, Yellen said:

"I would highlight that equity-market valuations at this point generally are quite high. Now, they're not so high when you compare the returns on equities to the returns on safe assets like bonds, which are also very low, but there are potential dangers there."

The Federal Reserve chair also had something to say about interest rates. "We could see a sharp jump in long-term rates" after the Fed starts to normalize – i.e., raise – interest rates, she said.

Her words had the desired effect, if indeed that was her desire. Stock prices dropped around the globe, as did bond prices, driving yields sharply higher. The yield on the 10-year German government bund jumped as high as 0.78%, its highest level in more than five months and up from just 0.08% only three weeks ago. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose above 2.20%, its highest level in two months and up more than 35 basis points in the past month. Continue reading "Yellen's Gaffe" →