market analysis

Long Trades Sink – Kong Waits On Private Island

Forex Kong 1 Comment

If you’ve heard me say it once – I’ve said it a million times. A strong U.S Dollar will not be tolerated, as it represents a “red-hot poker to the eye” of both the corporate American “and” The U.S Fed.

You can fire up with all the fancy economic bullshit you can rustle from the countless “pro risk/pro USD/pro economic recovery loser blogs” out there ( and I hope you do ) and it won’t make a stitch of difference.

This thing will be cut off at the knees as U.S earnings plummet to the depth of an ocean.

Lets just call it the “Sea of Recession”.

You’ve heard of it but have no f*^*king clue where it is…..perhaps try looking in your backyard.

Short USD trades are once again “up and running” as we prepare to snap up all those long trades – soon going overboard.

I’d take a look at U.S Equities as well and consider that when BOTH the U.S Dollar AND Stocks start dropping like a rock….the big boys will have already taken the life rafts to shore.

I’ll already be on my private island – scanning my beaches for washed up traders and radio shack suits.

Do you think New Yorker’s can even swim?

I doubt it.

I Could Lose 10K – USD Shorts Start Today

Forex Kong 22 Comments

One of the most entertaining parts about “financial blogging” truly lies within the “immediacy of it all” as….unlike “posting a recipe” (where people may choose to “give it a try or not”) here in the financial space – real money is at stake.

Traders on both sides of the fence get an opportunity to “compare as they dare” when fellows like myself ( and all you other guys with the balls to do so ) put it out there for all. You write it down…you make your move, and regardless of whether you fail or succeed – people really get a charge out of “watching you burn” – or “watching you earn”.

Oddly….or perhaps not so ( considering humanity in general ) I think the majority of people (as sick as it is ) rather “enjoy” watching others fail. Perhaps it makes then feel better about themselves – I can’t say for certain but…..I guess if I lived in a lean-to behind my grandmother’s trailer park and ate spam each day for breakfast, maybe I wouldn’t “mind so much” hearing that the guy eating lobster on a Caribbean beach took a hit or two.

I dunno….its small, it’s petty but for the most part – sounds pretty “human” to me.

In any case….by close today I will initiate the “first of three” planned trades ( as I always spread my total allocation to a given trade idea over 3 separate entries – over time ) short The U.S Dollar against a number of other currencies.

I assume the trade will pan out late January / early February ( or perhaps earlier ) with a total allocation / risk of 10K – spread over 3 separate entries over the coming days / weeks.

I have fully factored that the entire 10k could be lost….so for “lovers and haters alike” I invite you to follow along and comment ( uncensored ).

You can see what kind of “gorilla I can be” so……………….let’s see how “human” you can be.

Good luck to all.

 

 

 

Stay In The Trade – Or Re Enter On Momentum

Forex Kong Got something to say?

When you are actively trading a given asset or currency pair, you often run the risk of “missing out” on large movements in price, as you’ve taken profits and then try to find the best way to get “back into the trade”.

Obviously I would generally “look for a bounce” in order to re-enter the trade at higher prices when shorting, but what if that “bounce” doesn’t come? You’ve booked profits on only a small portion of the move, and now run the risk of “missing the crash” as you sit on the sidelines “hoping for the ultimate level” to re-enter the trade.

It’s always a tough spot. And I can’t tell you how many points I’ve missed over the years, exiting a trade then watching it go “much further” without me. You can’t catch every single one, and you can never go wrong taking profits.

I employ a simple strategy of “getting under the asset” – placing orders several pips “below current price” when shorting ( and obviously “above” current price when getting long ) with hopes that my orders will get picked up on “further momentum” in said direction. It’s really all you can do.

If you just sit patiently waiting for a bounce, there are times ( such as these last few days with our general position long JPY ) that you may just miss the bigger ride lower, so having a couple of orders in the system “below or above” the current price “should” allow you to participate further, should the move continue.

It’s always tricky looking to “actively trade” as opposed to looking at larger time frames and holding trades longer, and it’s really a matter of preference, but I can say from experience – It’s almost “always” more profitable if you are able to just “stay in the trade”.

 

Selling The Rip – Earnings To Disappoint

Forex Kong 2 Comments

The SP 500 has now broken below a critical area, suggesting that further losses ( over the next several weeks ) will be seen. But of course, right around the time you figure that out – markets also look set to bounce.

This “bounce” ( however great or small ) will only provide greater opportunity to continue shorting – just at higher prices.

Dip buyers will unfortunately be met with “the dip that turned into a dive”.

Regardless of near term price action over the next couple of days, what people need to understand is that we’ve turned a corner, and that as per The Nikkei in Japan ( leading us lower for several days prior to The SP finally rolling over ) any idea of a “new string of higher highs and higher lows” is very likely out of the question.

I don’t expect higher prices in Japanese stocks period so……as nearly every single index globally has now broken below significant lines of support it’s fair to say that indeed – a significant top has finally been reached.

“Selling the rips” now, not “buying the dips”. That’s the road we’re on.

Sinking below 1904 has solidified a much larger and more serious correction ahead, so investors / traders need to be aware that we’re on the other side of the mountain now. This earnings season is also expected to bring disappointement so look ahead to lower stock prices in coming weeks.

 

JPY Center Stage – Reversal Complete

Forex Kong 6 Comments

The near term bottom in Japanese Yen ( JPY ) marks the top in Japanese Equities, and subsequent fall in “global risk for appetite”.

Wouldn’t you say?

Down -420 points in Japan,with U.S Equities falling past “any idea of near term support”, and fast.

This would only make today “Day 1” in a new investors cycle in JPY ( generally playing out over many weeks ) so one can only imagine the trade implications here.

You can get under just about anything JPY related and short.

 

Risk moves lower from here.

Taking Stock Of Summer – What Comes Next?

Forex Kong 5 Comments

These past summer months had to have been the “absolute worst trading environment” I’ve experienced in my entire life.

A virtual “dead zone” with many currency pairs barely fluxtuating in tiny ranges, extremely low volume and a continued stream of “every conflicting data” flying directly in the face of any realistic fundamental analysis. Many a trader threw their charts out months ago, choosing to either sit on the sidelines until volume returned or possibly adopt the attitude of “oh to hell with it – let’s just buy stocks and everything is going to be fine”.

I haven’t really heard much from many “perma bulls” since the correction back in July wiped an entire 6 months worth of profits in a matter of 10 days, and wonder how the “let’s just buy” strategy has really worked out. Hats off to those nimble traders who may have not only sold at the correct time, but possibly even caught the next leg up. Fantastic trading.

So September is now upon us, and it finally appears that markets are starting to come alive once again, only that “volume” seems to be returning on the “down days” and not so much on “the up”.

  • Both gold and silver have been taken down to test the near term lows made back in June, with silver in particular testing the “ultimate low” around 18.00.
  • The Japanese Yen ( which trades in tandem with Gold as they both generate “safe haven flows” ) has now reached it’s most oversold level of the past 2 years.
  • The U.S Dollar ( inversely ) has now reached the most “overbought levels” of the past few years.
  • U.S Equities as seen via The SP 500 have recently made “all time highs” around 2011 level.

Call me crazy but, would one not agree that each of these correlated assets are just about as stretched to extremes as we’ve seen them in a very long while?

Does it not make complete and total sense that “this would be the case” just prior to a sizeable move being made in the opposite direction? Of course it does….as this is how markets function.

Get the boat as “loaded to one side” as you possibly can – “just” before tipping it.

We’ve seen it over and over, and over again and this time it will be no different.

Amber lights flashing ahead.

 

Forex, Stocks And Gold – Trading The Week Ahead

Forex Kong Got something to say?

The updates trade table offers little in the way of “new trades” here as of this morning, as last Thursday’s “drop” and in turn Friday’s “pop” has left the higher time frames unchanged, and more or less “yellowed the waters” shorter term.

Weekly_Forex_Overview_Sunday_July_20_2014

Weekly_Forex_Overview_Sunday_July_20_2014

 

What may be of particular interest to you this week will be USD, and “yes once again” the debate as to which way she’ll go ( with conviction and follow through ) should we see this distribution environment “flip” to something with a little more trend / conviction either way.

We’ve got JPY and its related pairs under the thumb, with eyes on Nikkei if considering to “beef up / add ” to any positions under our current framework. Ideally we’ll want to see JPY “breakout” from it’s ascending triangle moving higher…as “appetite for risk” moves inversely lower.

NZD in particular remains weak here this morning, but Thursday brings with it “another possible rate hike” out of New Zealand. It’s my thinking perhaps they “hold off” on an additional hike here and perhaps markets have already suspected as much but….that’s just speculation.

Still no aggressive trades in EUR, GBP vs USD as I want to give it another day or so to see if  USD turns lower here as I expect it to.

A weak open here as Japan was weak overnight as well EU stocks so…..it remains to be seen of “the machine’s that be” will again step in at the U.S open and work their “usual magic” to keep this thing flying a little longer.

Comments from both The BIS ( Bank of International Settlements) as well the IMF “AND” even The Fed suggesting that it’s getting a little out of hand here – with public perception and the underlying fundamentals now clearly out of touch with reality.

Gold miners entries as of a few days ago remain strong, and the final “short SP 500” added at 1956.00 ( via Sept 191 puts ) appears to be holding its own.

 

Want to see what other irons we’ve got in the fire? Come join us in the members area for weekly reports, daily strategies, real-time chat and trading of “anything and everything under the sun” at: www.forexkong.net

The Turn – Draghi And I Can Taste It!

Forex Kong 19 Comments

You can almost taste it can’t you?

Every single chart you view / analyze sitting “right on the cusp” – with just a “tiny push needed” to put this thing into the “golden zone”.

Draghi should provide that for us on Thursday when markets “finally understand” that Mario Draghi and the European Central Bank will not participate in the ridiculous “currency devaluation practices” put in motion by both Japan and The United States.

If a piddly “interest rate cut” is actually in the cards….it’s more than already priced in, and the idea of “massive dilution / bond buying” etc is completely and totally absurd.

Germany runs the show in the E.U, as the only country with an economy worth a damn.

Draghi can’t “act” on behalf of a dozen countries, as there “is” no European bond….and he “can’t legally” devaluate the Euro.

Christ…..imagine if Canada and Mexico where ever foolish enough to allow / agree to a “North American unified currency” with the U.S Fed at the helm?? He he he…..impossible. Speaking on behalf of “both” countries….. I know for certain – the people are much smarter than that.

Wait til U.S stocks are literally “chopped in half” and then imagine what that money printing solved. Bahhh! Nada.Zip.

So we sit patiently for yet another 24 hours. I’m cool with that.

Draghi is “once again” getting ready to to do what he does best.

Absolutely nothing.

The pool of saliva on my trade terminal widens as it’s getting difficult now to even touch the keys without gloves on.

Gross I know but……..isn’t this market just disgusting anyway?

 

The ECB’s Structural Limitations Are About to Be Exposed

While traders salivate over potential ECB action, they’re missing the fundamental architecture that makes aggressive monetary easing impossible for Draghi. The European Central Bank isn’t the Fed or the Bank of Japan — it’s a committee representing nineteen sovereign nations with wildly different economic realities. Germany’s industrial machine humming along while Greece struggles with basic fiscal stability creates an impossible mandate for uniform policy.

This structural weakness becomes Draghi’s strength when markets expect miracles. He literally cannot deliver what Japan and the US have served up because the legal framework doesn’t exist. No European Treasury bonds to buy in massive quantities. No single government deficit to monetize. Just a collection of sovereign debt instruments that the ECB can barely touch without triggering constitutional challenges from Frankfurt to Rome.

The Currency War Mirage

Everyone’s calling this a currency war, but wars require weapons that actually work. Japan can destroy the Yen because they control every lever of monetary policy in a homogeneous economy. The Fed can obliterate the dollar’s purchasing power because Congress will keep issuing debt until the cows come home. But Draghi? He’s got a water pistol in a gunfight.

The Euro’s design flaws become features when it comes to resisting debasement. Those same structural problems that nearly killed the currency during the sovereign debt crisis now prevent the kind of coordinated money printing that’s turned dollars and yen into confetti. Germany won’t allow it. The Bundesbank won’t tolerate it. And Draghi knows it.

This is why USD weakness becomes inevitable when the ECB disappoints. Markets have priced in European capitulation to the debasement game, but they’re about to discover that Europe can’t play even if it wanted to.

The German Economic Firewall

Germany’s economic dominance within the EU creates an unbreachable firewall against currency destruction. While peripheral nations might welcome cheaper euros for their tourism industries, German exporters and manufacturers operate on completely different fundamentals. They compete on quality and innovation, not price manipulation through monetary debasement.

This creates a permanent constituency for sound money within the European framework. Every major ECB policy decision gets filtered through Berlin’s preferences, and those preferences run directly counter to the Fed’s money printing playbook. German industrial policy depends on stable input costs, predictable supply chains, and currency reliability — not the boom-bust cycles that come with aggressive monetary intervention.

When Draghi steps to the microphone Thursday, he’s not just speaking for the ECB. He’s representing a German economic philosophy that views currency stability as the foundation of long-term prosperity. That philosophy doesn’t bend to short-term market pressures or speculative positioning.

Market Positioning for the Inevitable

Smart money understands what’s coming. While retail traders chase headlines about potential rate cuts and bond buying programs, institutional players are positioning for European monetary restraint. The EUR/USD carry trade unwind becomes a bloodbath when markets realize that Europe won’t join the debasement party.

This setup mirrors every major central bank disappointment of the past decade. Markets price in maximum accommodation, central bankers deliver political theater instead of substance, and currencies reverse violently against the consensus positioning. The difference this time is that Draghi’s constraints are structural, not temporary.

The rally ahead won’t just be about European strength — it’ll expose the fundamental weakness of economies that depend on monetary drugs to maintain the illusion of growth. When printing money becomes the only policy tool available, you’re not running an economy anymore. You’re managing a Ponzi scheme.

The Coming Recognition

Thursday’s ECB meeting represents more than just another central bank event. It’s the moment when markets finally understand that not every central bank can or will participate in the global race to zero. The Euro’s structural advantages, disguised as weaknesses for the past five years, become obvious when other currencies lose credibility through overuse of the printing press.

Draghi’s masterstroke isn’t what he’ll do — it’s what he can’t do. And in a world where central bankers have forgotten the difference between temporary accommodation and permanent debasement, that inability becomes the Euro’s greatest strength. The anticipation ends Thursday. The recognition begins immediately after.

Selling At The Close? – So We'll See

Forex Kong 5 Comments

The usual “Monday morning ramp job” on no news, and in fact “bad news” as far as the boys in Washington would be concerned. Let’s see if this get’s sold – particularly in the afternoon.

The referendum results in Easter Ukraine stand to suggest “overwhelming support” to indeed separate / seek independence  from the “Washington agenda” in Kiev. If you still don’t quite see the significance and importance of Ukraine from a geopolitical / economical / standpoint I’d do a little poking around and read up a bit. It’s all very interesting.

Washington’s plans to take the country – now thwarted, as the people of Eastern Ukraine have now made it very, very clear. No thanks Washington…..you can take your war mongering somewhere else.

The “long USD” trade suggested some days ago has been treating us very well, perhaps surprising a number of “non believers”, with thought in mind that USD is toast, and that “Russia and China” are currently “selling USD” as means to retaliate against sanctions.

Ridiculous. If Russia and/or China wanted to do anything to hurt The United States why not “buy USD” and sell Equities? Killing The U.S from both sides of the current “ponzi pond”.

Upward pressure in USD ( as we’ll be seeing over the medium term ) crushes The U.S Government under that huge pile of debt, slams interest rates higher, kills corporate borrowing and drives equity values lower.

I’m looking for significant moves higher in USD in the medium term.

Trades long USD obviously already in great shape here, with lots of room to run.

The USD Squeeze Play: When Debt Becomes a Weapon

The market’s obsession with “dollar weakness” narratives has completely missed the real game being played. While everyone’s looking for the next dollar collapse story, they’re ignoring the fundamental mechanics that make a strong USD the most devastating weapon against overleveraged systems. This isn’t about patriotism or flag-waving – it’s about cold, hard mathematics.

The Debt Trap Springs Shut

Here’s what the textbooks don’t teach you: when you’re sitting on a mountain of debt denominated in your own currency, the last thing you want is that currency getting stronger. The U.S. government’s debt-to-GDP ratio has exploded beyond sustainable levels, and every percentage point higher in the dollar index tightens the noose. Corporate America, addicted to cheap money and buyback schemes, suddenly finds itself choking on refinancing costs when USD strength forces real interest rates higher.

This is why the “flight to safety” narrative is pure theater. Smart money knows that buying USD while simultaneously shorting equities creates a feedback loop that Washington can’t escape. The stronger the dollar gets, the more painful the debt service becomes. The more painful the debt service, the higher rates climb. The higher rates climb, the more corporate balance sheets implode. It’s financial jujitsu – using the system’s own weight against itself.

Eastern Europe: The First Domino

The Ukraine situation isn’t just about territorial disputes – it’s about currency hegemony and who controls the global financial architecture. Eastern Ukraine’s referendum results signal something much larger: the rejection of Western financial colonization. When regions start saying “no thanks” to dollar-denominated debt packages and IMF restructuring programs, that’s when you know the empire’s overextended.

But here’s the twist nobody saw coming: this rejection actually strengthens the dollar in the short to medium term. Fewer places willing to hold dollars means less supply dilution. Less supply dilution means higher prices. Higher dollar prices mean more pressure on everyone still trapped in the system. The irony is beautiful – attempts to escape dollar dependency actually make the remaining participants more vulnerable to dollar strength.

The China-Russia Miscalculation

The idea that China and Russia are going to “sell dollars” to punish America shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how currency warfare actually works. These aren’t amateurs running central banks in Beijing and Moscow – they know exactly what would happen if they really wanted to inflict maximum damage on the U.S. financial system.

Real economic warfare would involve coordinated dollar buying combined with systematic equity market pressure. Drive the currency higher while simultaneously collapsing asset values. Force the Fed into an impossible choice: crash the economy to defend the currency, or debase the currency to save the stock market. Either choice destroys the system’s credibility. The fact that we’re not seeing this coordinated assault tells you everything about the current geopolitical chess game.

Positioning for the Inevitable

The medium-term USD trajectory is clear for anyone willing to look past the noise. Every “dollar weakness” call from the mainstream analysts is another contrarian signal. Every prediction of imminent dollar collapse is another reason to stay long. The structural factors supporting dollar strength haven’t changed – they’ve intensified.

Corporate earnings are about to get crushed by higher borrowing costs. The government’s fiscal position becomes more untenable with each tick higher in the DXY. Housing markets built on cheap credit start showing cracks. But instead of leading to dollar weakness, these factors accelerate the dollar strength paradox.

The trade remains simple: long USD across multiple timeframes, with particular focus on EUR/USD and GBP/USD shorts. The European situation is even more precarious than the American one, and the British pound has become a proxy for “risk off” sentiment. When the next wave of deleveraging hits, these crosses are going to move violently higher in dollar terms.

This isn’t a prediction – it’s a mathematical certainty. The only question is timing, and the market setup suggests we’re closer to acceleration than most realize.

Stocks Up And USD Down – You Can't Have Both

Forex Kong 3 Comments

This is what I’ve been getting at for some time – with respect to the never-ending “money printing” and “phony elevation” of U.S stock prices.

You can’t have high stock prices and a weak currency forever, as “at some point” the scales will tip back, and the currency will rise as assets priced in USD are sold.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too….or at least – not forever.

The Fed “needs” a weak dollar, in order to satisfy a number of its sinister plans.

  • A weak dollar helps “dramatically” when considering the amount of debt the U.S has. Paying out with “freshly minted funny money” has been quite a strategy indeed.
  • A weak dollar helps promote exports and encourages investors abroad to “buy U.S.A” cuz – with respect to your their own currency, everything looks cheap cheap!
  • A weak dollar translating into low-interest rates allows big corporations to “borrow cheap” ( too bad they then just go an invest the money in other countries though eh?)
  • Low interest rates force seniors ( who can’t make a return on savings ) into higher risk assets like the stock market, where they can then be completely and totally fleeced by the Fed’s big bankster buddies.
  • A weak dollar translates into inflated stock prices which deceives the general public believing  that “everything is ok” as long as the stock market remains elevated.

And  on and on and on and on and on…….

As of today….we are FINALLY seeing the inverse correlation of “a stronger USD and weaker stocks” start to take shape..as it well should!

A stronger US Dollar is a complete and total disaster for the U.S economy as along with it comes rising interest rates –  at a time where the U.S is already “practically” in recession.

The Fed has printed America into a deep deep corner as the ship finally starts to turn, with a rising dollar and falling equity prices finally putting the “fundamental balances” back in place.

The Fed’s Impossible Trinity: When Physics Meets Finance

Here’s what the central banking textbooks don’t tell you — there’s an economic law as rigid as gravity itself. You cannot simultaneously maintain artificially high asset prices, suppress your currency indefinitely, and control inflation without eventual catastrophic unwinding. The Fed thought they were magicians. Turns out they were just kicking the can down a very short road.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just a market correction. It’s the reassertion of fundamental economic forces that have been artificially suppressed for over a decade. The dollar’s recent strength isn’t coincidental — it’s the market’s way of saying the jig is finally up.

The Debt Trap Springs Shut

Every strategy has an expiration date, and the Fed’s debt monetization scheme just hit its wall. When you’ve printed your way to a $33 trillion national debt, a strengthening currency becomes your worst nightmare. Each percentage point the dollar rises makes that debt mountain exponentially more expensive to service.

But here’s the cruel irony — the Fed can’t stop the dollar’s rise without triggering the very inflation monster they’re supposedly fighting. They’re trapped between two catastrophic outcomes: let the dollar strengthen and watch the debt burden explode, or weaken it and watch inflation devour what’s left of American purchasing power.

The corporate sector is about to get steamrolled. These companies gorged themselves on cheap debt for years, assuming the free money party would never end. Now they’re facing a double squeeze: rising borrowing costs and a strengthening dollar that makes their international revenues look pathetic when converted back to USD.

The Stock Market’s False Foundation Crumbles

Stock prices built on monetary manipulation rather than genuine economic growth are about as stable as a house of cards in a hurricane. We’re watching the unwinding of the greatest financial engineering experiment in human history, and it’s not going to be pretty.

The relationship between currency strength and asset prices isn’t just correlation — it’s causation. A strong dollar sucks liquidity out of risk assets faster than a black hole consumes light. Every uptick in the DXY is a nail in the coffin of inflated equity valuations.

Investors who bought into the “stocks only go up” narrative are about to get a harsh lesson in market reality. When dollar strength meets overleveraged portfolios, the result isn’t just a correction — it’s a complete reset of market expectations.

The International Reckoning

Foreign investors aren’t stupid. They’ve been watching the Fed’s shell game for years, and many are positioning for the inevitable unwinding. When international capital decides American assets are overpriced relative to currency risk, the exodus becomes self-reinforcing.

Emerging markets that borrowed heavily in dollars are already feeling the squeeze. But don’t think developed economies are immune. European and Asian investors who loaded up on dollar-denominated assets during the weak-dollar era are now facing massive currency headwinds on their returns.

The global carry trade built on dollar weakness is reversing with brutal efficiency. Every hedge fund and institutional investor who borrowed cheap dollars to buy expensive assets is now trapped in a liquidation spiral they can’t escape.

What Comes Next: The Controlled Demolition

The Fed will attempt damage control, but their options are severely limited. They can’t restart massive money printing without triggering hyperinflation. They can’t maintain high rates without crushing an already fragile economy. They’re playing a game where every move leads to checkmate.

Smart money is already positioning for this reality. While retail investors chase yesterday’s winners, institutions are quietly rotating into assets that benefit from dollar strength and economic uncertainty. The metal moves we’ve been anticipating aren’t speculation — they’re mathematical certainties.

This isn’t the end of American financial dominance, but it’s the end of the artificial suppression of market forces. The dollar’s rise and stock market’s fall aren’t separate events — they’re two sides of the same economic rebalancing that was always inevitable. The only question was timing. That question just got answered.