With that macro backdrop in mind, let\u2019s update three areas, US Stocks, Commodities, and Gold.<\/p>\n
US Stock Market<\/strong><\/p>\n As noted on Monday,\u00a0volatility is at risk<\/a>. VIX spiked impulsively and the fear is probably unsustainable. A pullback is likely, and from that pullback, decisions will be made about shorting stocks on a coming bounce and\/or positioning for a continuing bull market. During Friday\u2019s trading hours we find VIX looking like it is realizing it is overdone.<\/p>\n However, as you can see above the trend in VIX may be changing (to up). Try to filter out the spikes and watch the trends, best tracked by the 50 and 200 day moving averages. SMA 50 is already turning up and the SMA 200 is thinking about it.<\/p>\n Here is a view of VIX vs. Inverse SPX that we have used on several previous occasions to warn against coming market corrections, large and small. There is the VIX spike. If it does indeed pull back it could well retain its fledgling uptrend after\u00a0diverging inverse SPX since October<\/strong>. A sharp VIX pullback could be an opportunity to get bearish. It\u2019s late-cycle, after all, and that means every market correction should be respected as a potential gateway to a real bear market.<\/p>\n Below is a chart we use often in\u00a0NFTRH<\/a>\u00a0to gauge the US indexes. When SPX rolled below the daily SMA 50 (blue) a test of the SMA 200 was very likely. When it made the lower low to October, it opened up the prospect of a major top, gap fill or not. A bounce could well be a shorting opportunity, although bears have seen this movie before, especially during Goldilocks flavored yield curve flatteners. So, caveat.<\/p>\n All indexes but the SOX have made similar lower lows. As for the Semis, the sector was overbought, over-loved, and indicated for correction when richly valued and sexy leaders like NVDA and AMD started to look ugly back in December. All in all, I expect a bounce, but also warn that three of the four indexes now have markers (lower lows) that represent some technical damage. A sentiment event like this could well inspire new highs to come, but the lower lows could also win out. Hence, contrary sentiment positives short-term, caution beyond that.<\/p>\n Another warning is that sometimes over-bearish sentiment becomes self-reinforcing, especially when the margin man calls. So, no assumptions, just gauging probabilities. If the market were to take out the lows at the red arrows, a crash could even be indicated. Okay, easy now\u2026<\/p>\n Since the US stock market has been the (contrary) sentiment star of the last few weeks I wanted to get a little more detailed with it. As for commodities and gold, not much has changed for the\u00a0NFTRH<\/a>\u00a0view, so let\u2019s generalize some points that fit with the current macro.<\/p>\n Commodities<\/strong><\/p>\n The long-standing target for the CRB index has been resistance at 270+. We have been targeting that area since 2020\u2019s resumption of the inflation trades. With many lesser and outlier commodities losing momentum or outright declining, CRB is left with crude oil as its primary driver. Oil in turn is driven by more than inflation, with war drums beating, pricing manipulations always a factor and yes, the economic recovery\u2019s heretofore supply\/demand pressures as well.<\/p>\n Filing all we think we know away, let\u2019s consider the CRB index at rising risk, the higher the index goes. While oil may grab some headlines if it hits $100\/barrel, it would signal a big caution point for the complex, considering that\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026CRB and inflation expectations travel similar roads and the latter is weakening while the former follows its oil component higher.<\/p>\n Gold<\/strong><\/p>\n Gold will need to see its real\u2019 (commodity adjusted) prices start to rise before a negative macro is definitively indicated. Today we are in a transitional phase from the inflation the Fed created to the dis-inflation the Fed would now like to see. When this becomes economically untenable, gold should strengthen in relation to economically cyclical commodities.<\/p>\n This monthly (big picture) chart shows two things\u2026<\/p>\n Thing 1:<\/strong>\u00a0Gold is bearish in relation to cyclical commodities, as it has been since mid-2020.<\/p>\n Thing 2:<\/strong> Gold\u2019s risk vs. reward in relation to commodities is excellent and coming back on-trend.<\/p>\n The gold mining industry will leverage that situation when gold\u2019s commodity (and stock market) adjusted prices start to rise out of the positive risk vs. reward situation setting up. It\u2019s a patience play.<\/p>\n The chart of Gold\/Oil tells the story from the standpoint of the gold mining product vs. a key gold mining cost input. This fundamental consideration is and has been bearish since mid-2020. Risk\/reward? That\u2019s a whole different story and if you\u2019re positioned to be a capitalist and not a victim, the reward side should show itself in the coming months. First, more inflationist gold bugs may need to be emotionally forced to sell due to the failing inflation. It\u2019s not logical, but it\u2019s how most gold stock traders appear to play it.<\/p>\n Bottom Line<\/strong><\/p>\n Among the options open to a macro in motion, don\u2019t be surprised by a possibly sharp short-term rebound in stocks, a coming top in the CRB index (to join some outlier commodities already topped out), and a firm low in gold. Along with that last thing, a bottom in gold mining fundamentals is expected if the cyclical macro tops out in tandem with a gold low.<\/p>\n I still expect\u00a02022 to be a golden year<\/a>. Especially for those positioned to be able to capitalize. Cash is a position.<\/p>\n Best, For \u201cbest of breed\u201d top-down analysis of all major markets, subscribe to NFTRH Pre<\/strong>mium<\/strong><\/a>, which includes an in-depth weekly\u00a0market report<\/strong>, detailed\u00a0market updates,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0NFTRH+\u00a0<\/strong>dynamic updates and chart\/trade setup ideas. Subscribe by\u00a0PayPal<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0credit card<\/strong>\u00a0using a button on the right sidebar (if using a mobile device you may need to scroll down). Keep up to date with actionable public content at\u00a0NFTRH.com<\/a>\u00a0by using the\u00a0email form on the right sidebar<\/strong>. Follow via\u00a0Twitter<\/strong>\u00a0@NFTRHgt<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Final rally for stocks, commodities to top, and a final down leg for gold? This is one man asking one question among several I could be asking, given the volatility of macro indicators on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis. But as FOMC rides off into the sunset it is the scenario that I think is most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":56242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6920],"tags":[6153,3438,1481,2192,15598,2194,14810,102],"class_list":["post-56241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ino-com-contributors","tag-cboe-volatility-index-vix","tag-chart-analysis","tag-crb-index","tag-dow-dji","tag-gold-xauusdo","tag-nasdaq-comp","tag-sp-500-sp500","tag-technical-analysis"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/vix-1.png?resize=840%2C588&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/vix2.png?resize=840%2C350&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/contraryindicators-copy.png?resize=155%2C155&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Other sentiment indicators show investors in full fear mode, which is contrary bullish. For example, Ma & Pa (AAII) are nowhere to be found. Newsletters (Investors Intelligence) have flipped quite bearish, smart money indicators are now buying the market and dumb ones are busy selling the fear. This does not mean a bear market is not beginning, but it probably does mean that even if so, this leg of it is losing downside momentum and a bounce to mess with the newly knee-jerked bearish would be appropriate.<\/p>\n![\"us](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/spx-4.png?resize=840%2C980&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/crb.png?resize=840%2C420&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/rinf-1.png?resize=840%2C420&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/goldcrb2.png?resize=840%2C420&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nftrh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/gor.png?resize=840%2C420&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nGary Tanashian<\/a><\/p>\n