Thursday, January 29, 2015

Dow Theory Update for January 29: Stocks have dodged the bullet…at least for now





Trends remain unchanged in spite of rising volatility.


Last Friday January 23rd, stocks set up for a primary bear market signal, as explained here.


The SPY, Industrials and Transports closed up. Yesterday, the Industrials violated their secondary reaction lows (which puts us very near to a primary bear market signal). However, lack of confirmation (as neither the SPY nor the Transports violated their respective secondary reaction lows) prevent us from declaring a primary bear market. Today’s action has, for the time being, eloigned such a peril. So we have to further observe the market. Here you have an updated chart. The red horizontal lines (secondary reaction lows) should not be jointly penetrated:

 
Neither the SPY (bottom), nor the Transports (middle) have violated their secondary reacton lows



While not strict Dow Theory there is something, I don't like: Even though (as will later be explained in a future Dow Theory post) Schannep's Dow Theory tends to signal more secondary reactions than the "Rhea/Classical" one (which is advantageous, as shown empirically, and also looking forward to avoiding our worst future drawdown), in just one month two secondary reactions have been signaled. Too many secondary reactions in too short a time, which seems to suggest that the market is running out of steam.

Furthermore, if I were to look at the US stock market with "Rhea/classical" Dow Theory glasses, I'd see something closely resembling a "line" (narrow range), as stocks have been meandering nowhere. So the US stock market seems to be setting up for a strong move. The breaking of the narrow range will tell us in which direction.

The primary trend remains bullish, as explained here and here.

The secondary trend is bearish as explained here.

Gold and Silver

SLV and GLD closed down, strongly down. The primary trend is bullish as explained here. The secondary trend is bullish too (no secondary reaction in sight). So in spite of today’s action, not even the secondary trend has been changed if we are to look at the markets through Dow Theory lens.

Last weekend I posted some thoughts concerning the primary bull market signal for SLV and GLD. As you will read, I particularly like this specific signal in terms of risk reward and chart structure (which makes it easy to attain handsome rewards).


Gold and Silver miners ETFs (GDX and SIL)


As to the gold and silver miners ETFs, SIL closed and GDX closed down.

On January 12, 2015, a primary bull market was signaled. More information as to the details of such a signal here.


The primary and secondary trend is bullish.

Sincerely,
The Dow Theorist

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Dow Theory Update for January 28: Industrials violate secondary reaction lows unconfirmed





We are very near to a primary bear market signal for stocks


Last Friday 23rd, stocks set up for a primary bear market signal, as explained here.


The SPY, Industrials and Transports closed down. The Industrials violated their secondary reaction lows (which puts us very near to a primary bear market signal). However, lack of confirmation (as neither the SPY nor the Transports violated their respective secondary reaction lows) prevent us from declaring a primary bear market. Tomorrow’s action may prove to be decisive.

The primary trend remains bullish, as explained here and here.

The secondary trend is bearish as explained here.

Gold and Silver

SLV and GLD closed down. The primary trend is bullish as explained here. The secondary trend is bullish too (no secondary reaction in sight).

Last weekend I posted some thoughts concerning the primary bull market signal for SLV and GLD. As you will read, I particularly like this specific signal in terms of risk reward and chart structure (which makes it easy to attain handsome rewards).


Gold and Silver miners ETFs (GDX and SIL)


As to the gold and silver miners ETFs, SIL closed and GDX closed down.

On January 12, 2015, a primary bull market was signaled. More information as to the details of such a signal here.


The primary and secondary trend is bullish..

Sincerely,
The Dow Theorist

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Dow Theory Special Issue: Digging deeper into the primary bull market signal for gold and silver




I promised you that this weekend I was going to give you my take on the brand new primary bull market signal for SLV and GLD.

I’d like to say I find a compelling risk/reward ratio for GLD. The primary bull market was signaled on 1/16/2015 and GLD closed at 122.52. The primary bear market lows (11/5/2014) which are our Dow Theory initial stop are at 109.79 (more about the Dow Theory stop here). This means that our likely exit point lays -10.39% below the hypothetical entry level. Given gold’s daily volatility, which on occasion almost doubles that of the SPY (as of this writing GLD’s 30 days average of the daily volatility is merely 20% higher than that of the SPY, which is unusual), I feel that a stop that lies nearly 10% below our entry point is a very narrow stop (which would be the equivalent for stocks of a stop lying 5-6% below the entry point, which is a narrow stop by Dow Theory standards). Given gold’s volatility and current technical picture, I find that a position in gold offers a good risk reward ratio. We risk ca. 10%, and a gain of 30% is not an outlandish target if we are too judge according to past bull markets in gold.

Similar considerations apply to SLV, although with an even better technical picture:

1)     SLV’s stop (primary bear market lows), lie slightly below percetangewise than those of gold (entry point at 16.95 –close of 1/16/2015, primary bear market lows at 14.66) at ca. -13.51%. However, given SLV higher volatility, it is a narrow stop.

2)     The upside target (though fuzzy targets are) looks even better than for GLD. Why? Because the latest decline (primary bear market swing) was so deep, that merely reaching the last completed secondary reaction highs of 8/27/2013 at 23.59 would imply a +39.17% from our entry point. Of course, if this is not a failed bull market signal (a ca. 30% probability), it is safe to assume that at least the last recorded secondary reaction highs against the now defunct primary bear market are to be touched. Furthermore, and back to Rhea, this is the alternative primary bull market signal (break up/down of the high/lows of last completed secondary reaction). So technically the closing highs of the last secondary reaction against the primary bear market is a very important level, which should act like a magnet (if the primary bull market is a real one). I cannot thing of a real bull market that cannot manage to break up such technical level.

All in all, in this very specific instance, I like the risk reward for both SLV and GLD and the specific chart structure (location of the highs of the last completed secondary reaction, which should be an easy target) confirms me that a 30% price appreciation from the entry point (especially for SLV) is within easy reach.

Here you have a chart displaying price action for SLV (top) and GLD (bottom) since April 2013. There you can see on the left side (blue rectangle) the last secondary reaction against the primary bear market. The blue horizontal lines display the closing highs of such a secondary reaction, which is a very modest target, if we are talking of a “good” (ca. 70% probability) signal. Of course, if the new bull market is for real, then the blue lines should be exceeded with ease.

Nice primary bull market signal: Stops (primary bear market lows) near entry point and "easy" upside target


So while I don’t have a crystal ball, my Dow Theory tools tell me that the looks of this trade are certainly good. A gain of 30% or more is probable, while losses are well contained (primary bear market lows) as explained above.

Have a nice weekend.

The Dow Theorist.