Crude oil looks cheap, doesn't it?
Just because something looks inexpensive doesn't mean that it's necessarily a buy. It's very possible for crude oil (NYMEX_CL) to rally up into the low 70s, but you have to remember that it would still be in a bear market. We have seen very few counter trend rallies in this market since it began its amazing fall from grace. The liquidation of the hedge funds and speculators from this market pushed crude down so much that OPEC had to have an emergency meeting. During that meeting, they agreed to cut production by a total of 1.5 million barrels a day. I don't believe for a second that they are going to follow through with that plan. I don't think its every going to happen.
OPEC is now between a rock and a hard place, and is being forced to continue pumping oil because of other financial commitments. Most if not all of the OPEC countries have recently put economic programs in place, all of which require further funding. These economic programs are now having to be financed from a lower income stream. I doubt seriously, giving the players in OPEC, that they will live up to their word to cut output levels. They need the money much like a drug addict needs a fix.
I expect certain countries (Venezuela and Russia) to continue pumping as much crude as they can, so that their socioeconomic infrastructure does not come to a screeching halt. As I have said before, trading this market with a technical program and a game plan far exceeds just looking at the fundamentals. The fundamentals always come in late and after the fact. Market action, and market action alone, determines the trend for not only crude oil, but also for all of the other markets.
Remember, when you are trading against the major trend you should always use positions smaller than if you are trading with the major trend. I believe that the conservative play would be to allow crude oil to rally, and then sell the rally when you have a technical signal to do so.
Every success,
Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-creator, MarketClub
