Second Quarter GDP – Reality Check Anyone?

The “advanced estimates” for U.S GDP ( gross domestic product ) are to be released on July 30th, and promise to bring with them a “flurry of market activity”, with traders, economists, analysts and speculators alike clambering to find an edge, and get positioned for the news.

I pose a simple question.

With first quarter GDP coming in with  a devastating contraction of  – 2.9% growth ( consider for a moment that is the worst quarterly GDP report in 5 years….those last 5 years with the Fed printing billions per month ) what on Earth could possibly have occurred in the past 3 months ( the second quarter of 2014 ) to not only make up for the massive loss, but to suggest anything close to “positive growth”?

You’d need to see a headline like ” Second Quarter Growth Sky Rockets! ” a whopping 4% to even consider the United States is “not” heading straight back into recession ( never left actually ).

Impossible.

What “magical changes” could possibly have taken place in the past 90 days to produce a second quarter GDP number that “doesn’t signify recession”?

Answer: None.

With “consumer spending” accounting for more than two-thirds of economic output, how can people making $7.25 per hour ( minimum wage ) or just under 1200.00 per month pre tax  be expected to buy anything other than beans / rice and “hopefully” keep a roof over their heads?

The false sense of wealth created by The Fed and its ponzi / racket in U.S Equities has done absolutely nothing to bolster further growth of the American economy, and soon…..yes soon……..chickens will be coming home to roost.

2nd Quarter GDP disappoints, and “maybe” it’s reality check time.

 

 

 

Central Banks To Pop Bubble – IBS Says Do It

With The Fed minutes being released this afternoon, it’s pretty fair to say we’ll be going “nowhere fast” here this morning. That’s fine – we’re used to that.

But I will be particularly interested in today’s “Fed minutes release” as something “very, very interesting” has developed here just recently.

The Bank of International Settlements ( also considered the “Central Bank of Central Banks” ) has “sounded the alarm” and has now more or less stated to its members to “pop this bubble now” to save yourselves even worse fallout later.

A few quotes from the recent report / statement:

Few are ready to curb financial booms that make everyone feel illusively richer. Or to hold back on quick fixes for output slowdowns, even if such measures threaten to add fuel to unsustainable financial booms,” …

“The road ahead may be a long one. All the more reason, then, to start the journey sooner rather than later.”

Apparently a few “intelligent people” at the IBS who see the clear disconnect in current market valuations and “reality” are now flat our suggesting that the World’s Central Banking Community “just get’s on with it” – and bring forward the downward leg of the cycle.

So…..that being said, I think it warrants “lending an ear” here this afternoon as to even the “smallest hints coming out of Washington” that perhaps The Fed may drop, in order to keep itself on the right side of public opinion, whilst planning the next phase of the inevitable “boom and bust cycle”.

As I’ve suggested to you “countless number’s of times” this cycle being stretched to 5.6 years of upward movement now, with no real evidence of economic recovery – 2 years moving lower is really just standard fair.

Here’s more: http://notquant.com/did-the-bis-just-call-for-a-collapse/

 

 

Correction Time – We've Finally Made The Turn

Do I dare suggest that we’ve finally come to the turn?

As per The Nikkei chart posted ( well…..again here today! ) I do hope the odd “nay sayer” out there has opened their eyes just a “touch further” to put together a clearer picture of what’s been going on these past few months.

Nikkei_Weekly_Forex_KongNikkei_Weekly_Forex_Kong

Nikkei_Weekly_Forex_KongNikkei_Weekly_Forex_Kong

With The Fed’s “supposed taper” ( which hasn’t been a taper at all…only that the money has found its way into markets via “other means” – ie….Belgium ) highly liquid “floating mounds of Japanese Yen” have continued to come ashore in the U.S seeking yield.

The U.S Dollar hasn’t done “jack squat” for The U.S, short of keeping the Wall St bankers coffers “fat” and allowing for even further risk / exposure in investing in emerging markets and NOT AMERICA.

As the Japanese stock market falls and “risk off” takes hold…..Yen is repatriated…( flowing back to Japan ) as U.S Equities are sold ( in U.S Dollar terms ) then “converted back to JPY” in order to come home to bank accounts in Japan.

All you need to watch / worry about these days is the “coming breakout in Yen” and the waterfall effect it will have on U.S Equities and global appetite for risk in general.

If you are interested in actionable trades and solid plans as to how to take advantage of this, via currency trading, options and ETF’s please come join us at the members site for real-time trading, weekly reporting and day time discussion.

www.forexkong.net

What are you gonna do then ? Just sit there and pout?

Future Moves In USD – The Case For Higher

I can’t stand The U.S Dollar.

You know that…..everyone knows that. The actions of The U.S Federal Reserve with it’s complete and total disrespect for the currency and continued abuse of it’s position as the “world’s reserve currency” is enough to make anyone sick.

So when would we start looking for USD to move higher? Why would we even “consider there a chance” for this beaten down piece of junk to go anywhere but down the toilet?

Hmmmm………

What many fail to understand is that “the value of a given” currency can only be deemed in “comparison” to another currency…or another asset. The pieces of paper themselves carry no intrinsic value what so ever.

Consideration of “dollar strength or weakness” as compared to a single thing ( like The Euro for example ) is ridiculous as….it is exactly that – a “comparison” of only two given currencies.

So……..

How’s the U.S Dollar stacking up against The Canadian Dollar?

USD_CAD_June_28

Looks like a fantastic buy opportuntiy as USD has merely “pulled back” vs Cad.

 

USD_CHF_June_28

USD vs CHF looks like a pretty classic reversal over the past few months, making a higher high, breaking the series of lower lows and lower highs. A swing low “somewhere in here” would mark a fantastic entry point long.

What about Crude Oil?

Crude_Oil_June_28

Pretty straight forward. When the price of something “goes down” in can equally be argued that the “value of the money” you are using to purchase such products has “gone up”.

What many just can’t wrap their heads around ( one dumb fellow in particular ) is that “there is no blanket statement” in considering being “long or short” USD as it only depends “against what”?

Another chart “sniffing out” coming USD strength:

CNBC_Josh_Brown_Market_Call

CNBC_Josh_Brown_Market_Call

A good indication of a stonger dollar can be seen when Emerging Markets start to fall.

Imagine all that “free paper money” printed by The Fed and in turn “invested abroad” as to actually get some return ( you don’t actually think the banks invest the money they get from The Fed in “America” do you? – Please.) piling back into U.S bank accounts / converted back to U.S with concern for a possible rise in interest rates.

An absolute “sunami” of USD floods out of Emerging Markets and back into the United States, on even the smallest “hint” that interest rates may rise.

But……Interest rates ARE rising! In fact….( how soon you forget ) that interest rates on the 10 year U.S Treasury have DOUBLED in the past year and a half!

10_Year_Bond__Yield_Forex_Kong_June_22

 

Rising interest rates cramp corporate borrowing and in turn kill bottom lines. A rise in rates pushes USD up, as well equities down.

Rates have already reversed, adding more fuel to the fire if considering a stronger dollar.

The short term squiggles are more or less meaningless at this point as…..The Fed and Central Banks abroad are just doing what they can to grind this thing a little longer before shit hit’s the fan.

How much longer can they keep this propped up? Not much longer if you ask me.

 

Profits Keep Coming – Trading Thru The Chop

A very interesting day here ( so far this morning ) with commodity related currencies running out of steam “just” as equities pop. Hmmmmm……

Short The Canadian Dollar is looking fantastic here via long USD/CAD as well short CAD/JPY at these levels. with the long GBP/AUD ( suggested some days ago ) now several hundred pips in profit.

We’ve exited both long EUR/USD as well short USD/CHF this morning, after taking profits in long GBP/USD ( 200 pip gain there ) some days ago.

Otherwise…..patiently waiting for AUD as well to a certain extent NZD – to make their turns.

Please pull a weekly chart of AUD/USD and have a peak at the “candle” forming as we speak – as well the continued “downward sloping RSI”.

The chop has been tough on many, but continues to provide many profitable trades…..you’ve just got to be willing to do a little extra work….and be very, very patient.

Check us out at: Forex Trading With Kong – Getting Started.

Swing High – On The Old Nikkei

Most of you know that I follow Japan as a leading indicator right?

It’s not at all uncommon to pull prophecy from “Krystal Kong Balls” seeing what happens in Japan overnight spill into U.S equities the following morning.

Would I have told any day trader in U.E Equities that “today” would open lower? Absolutely.

Would I suggest that 15,000 in Nikkei and it’s clear rejection at that level will usher in the coming correction? Absolutely.

Will you take any interest in this, and possibly “learn something” or perhaps consider this in your trading / investing moving forward?

Absolutely not. I highly HIGHLY doubt, that the ramblings of some gorilla as to the peaks and valley’s in “some stock market” far,far away will have any impact on you and your trading what so ever.

Why?

Because you won’t open yourself to change. You “can’t believe” anything like this is relevant, let alone “possible” as you continue to view the world via CNBC and the hordes of “financial bloggers” regurgitating the same nonsense and “predictions” day after day.

I’m buying a bunch of EURO here today and am selling a whole bunch of USD too but I’m sure “that” makes no sense to you either right?

Here’s the symbol for The Nikkei should you crawl decide to crawl outside your hole: $nikk

 

 

 

Trading The Months Ahead – A Plan In Place

I can feel it in my fingertips.

We’ve worked very hard to not only stay “reasonably safe” these past few weeks, but also make a couple winning trades as well. I can assure – that’s a lot more than one can say for the many who’ve likely been “torn to bits” during this difficult time.

It’s time to put together a medium term plan that “should” have us nail the next “two moves ( taking us out as far as early September ) – where we will then find ourselves in an even better position. I plan on nailing “the third move” then.

I’m going to use the SP 500 ( and it’s correlation to USD ) as a “risk barometer” first…then move to the specifics of which currency pairs we will use to execute the plan.

I’m very confident that SP 1950 ( or so ) and Dow 16,950 ( with Nikkei here at 15,000 ) will mark our “top”, and see one important “turn” for us to be very well aware of coming only a few short weeks ahead. You’ll want to be prepared, and you’ll want to be ready as….I plan on nailing this big time.

SP500_Future_Move_2014

SP500_Future_Move_2014

The chart and the arrows say it all, as there is really no point debating the “fundamental reasons”. It’s simple. We are headed lower for all the reasons sighted here over the past few months, but “even at that” these next few months will likely leave both bulls and bears scratching their heads looking for the answers. It will still appear “flat” until the larger “sustained move lower” comes in early Sept.

I believe the global macro fundamentals will “finally” match up with the technicals “after” we get this “final rinse” over with this summer. I believe the U.S is already back in ( in fact never left ) recession, and that whatever other “explination” is found in the media over the coming weeks – it really won’t make a difference. Blame it on E.U. Blame it on slowing China. Blame it on war in Ukraine. It doesn’t matter. What matters is trading it effectively.

$USD_Future_Move_2014

$USD_Future_Move_2014

Short and sweet here.

If you want to get a look at the trades we’re putting on in order to best take advantage over the coming weeks and months – please come join us at Forex Trading With Kong !

The Turn – Draghi And I Can Taste It!

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?

 

Forex Market Solved – Here's What's Next

It’s unfortunate that we’ve been so patient these days, only to now find the odd “profitable trade” finding itself slightly “back in the red” – with the huge ramp up in both The Nikkei as well SP 500 ( our risk barometers ) on absolutely no news “if not” bad news.

So is forex.

The great news however is…..we’ve “still” not missed a thing! and for those who’ve been slightly “wary” of the current trade environment ( wonderful…as you well should be ) a number of trade opportunities are not only “very much in play” but perhaps even “better looking” than some days or even weeks ago.

Let’s take a quick recap.

Short AUD/JPY here “again” at 95.00 or ( as I often suggest ) several pips lower and allow the market “momentum” come to you.

Aud_JPY_June_03_2014

Aud_JPY_June_03_2014

Re short GBP/JPY here at 171.80 area is the exact same entry we took some days ago then banked 200 pips on it! Exact same thing – right here right now.

With over 900 pips banked in the last 30 days, this is setting up pretty sweet for a complete and total “re run” as markets continue to hang at all time highs.

We’ve got piles of trades in the works now, with the “near to medium term analysis” in the bag.

Come trade with us at www.forexkong.net and get the full run down, weekly reports, daily commentary and real time trade alerts.

 

Trade Like The Big Boys – Here's How

Horrible data out of Japan last night has indeed “capped” the recent move higher, but more importantly has “put a stop to further easing” til at least October, if not til early 2015!

The weakened Yen has pushed inflation higher as import costs on food and energy continue to rise. This is absolutely fantastic news for us , as it removes “yet another Central Bank” ( if indeed the Fed has stepped back at all – which I really don’t believe they have ) and opens the window for some  “serious” medium term planning.

No BOJ printing til maybe even 2015? Fed looking to continue tapering? ECB more or less caught like a deer in the headlights? Hello! Contraction time is coming!

Trade wise, this could be a real break as we all know what it feels like “week after week” with markets hanging on every single word from Central Banks. More easing ? Less easing? Ping pong, ping-pong. The message is starting to come clear that the “easy money” is most certainly going to slow.

Strength in JPY has slowing been building since the beginning of the year, as the big boys quietly build for the entire first five months of 2014. Wow.

Yen_2014_Forex_Kong

Yen_2014_Forex_Kong

The market has been an absolute grind the first half of 2014 – and for very good reason. When major shifts in monetary policy loom in the “not so distant future” major market players start making “major market moves”. This takes time. A lot of time. So much time that you’d have to imagine a plan being put in place back in January and “only now” getting closer to a time to see it realized.

Has the “extended down period” in Gold been any different? Absolutely not. Big boys getting into position for the turn. Takes months. Many months, as they can’t move price “to fast” in that they essentially move prices “against themselves” with plans to buy in such quantity that when the time “finally comes” they are “so loaded” it rains money for the following year. This is how it’s done.

When I say patience is required. I don’t mean sitting on your ass waiting for something to happen. I mean working your ass off getting into position “before” something happens.

This is how it’s done. Come check us out at the Members Site…you might actually learn something.  www.forexkong.net