Below are a few charts showing heavy volume resistance levels that will most likely cause the broad market & commodities to pullback or trade sideways for a few days as buyers and sellers play tug-o-war.

SLV – Silver Bullion ETF Trading

Silver had a very nice pop last week but if you step back and look the recent price action you can see that it’s still trading below the previous major bounce from back in June. It looks as though silver is a little over extended as large percentage moves tend to give back 25-50% of the mover shortly after.

Take a look at the price by volume bar. It shows there has been heavy volume traded at that $19.00 level and the previous time it was reached sellers stepped back in pulling silver down.

GLD – Gold Bullion ETF Trading

Gold is trading deep into the resistance level and struggling to hold up. Last week we went long GLD after the bullish engulfing candle and took profits near the high two days later on Thursday’s price. Although gold is trading at resistance the intraday price action remains somewhat bullish/neutral for the time being.

USO – Oil ETF Trading

The oil ETF broke down from its large multi-month bear flag and is now bouncing up to test that breakdown/resistance level. This could be a possible kiss good bye. I will keep my eye on this commodity as it could provide us with a great shorting opportunity in the coming days.

SPY – SP500 ETF Trading

The equities market has been tried to bottom all week and Friday’s price action looks strong. While the chart looks strong the market internals are telling me the opposite. Last week we saw a gap down and Friday that gap window was filled. With heavy volume resistance just above the current price the odds are pointing to lower prices.

Weekend Equities and Commodities ETF Trading Report:

In short, it looks as though everything is trading just under or at resistance levels. That means sellers will start to enter the market and cause prices to stall (trade sideways/choppy) and or reverse lower.

That being said, with Friday’s strong close for oil and the sp500 I am expecting a gap higher in the morning because traders will review those charts this weekend and enter the market Monday feeling bullish.

If you would like to get my ETF Trade Alerts for Low Risk Setups checkout my service at:www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com/specialoffer/signup.html

Chris Vermeulen

Last Wednesday I sent out a report covering sector rotation comparing the price performance of these sectors from the January peak with last weeks price action. It was very interesting and it pointed to a sharp sell off Thursday or Friday

Here is last Wednesday’s report if you are interested: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/28-day-sector-rotation-commodity-index-update/

.

GLD Gold ETF Daily & 60 Minute Chart

Last week gold gap higher then traded sideways for a few days. I will admit it was very tempting to buy into the move but I stuck with my trading strategy which is to not chase moves which gap in my direction.

Gaps are known to get filled about 70% of the time. What that means in this situation is that the price will most likely sell back down to fill that gap before trying to move higher.

All that said the problem I see now on the daily chart is the possibility of the mini Head & Shoulders pattern breaking down. If gold moves any lower then I would expect a sharp pullback. The measured move would equal a pullback to the $104 area on the GLD chart and the $1070 level for spot gold.

.

SLV Silver ETF Trading Chart

The silver chart looks much different than gold’s but in reality they are trading in a similar situation. If silver moves any lower then sellers will flood the market and take the price down to the next support level. But if we get a bounce then it should surge and rally almost a $1 per ounce from this point.

Only time will tell as we let this trade unfold with a stop at $16.52.

.

Natural Gas – Weekly Trading Chart

Natural gas has been selling down for almost 2 months. The chart is starting to show a possible buy point if all goes well in the next few weeks.

What I like about this chart is that we saw a break of a support level and heavy selling which tells me the general herd is getting shaken of their long positions. This extended sell off is now entering a support zone and could provide us with a low risk setup in the next 2-3 weeks.

.

Crude Oil – Weekly Trading Chart

Oil is trading similar to gold and silver. It is trading at a key pivot point and could go either way quickly. I will be keeping my eye on the daily and 60 minute charts for a possible low risk entry point.

.

Weekend Stock & Commodity Trading Conclusion:

In short, the overall market is trading at level were there is not much to we can do. Day traders are able to take advantage of this price action but not swing traders.

I feel the major indexes have another 1-2 down day left in them before a bounce, but it’s more difficult to gauge the momentum with a cool down period in the middle of it all (the weekend).

The market is on the edge of some exciting moves as I can feel something brewing. With any luck there could be some great opportunities in the coming days.

If you would like to receive my Free Weekly Trading Reports checkout my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Gold, Silver, Oil and Natural Gas Mid-Week Trading Charts

So far this week has been pretty slow. Large cap stocks continue to lag the market which can be observed by looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Average which still has room to move higher before breaking the January high.

One important thing to note is that volume has picked up this week considerably - particularly on the SP500 and OEX. It’s difficult to say if this volume is a good sign or not.

A lot of stocks and sectors are trading near their January high and this gives traders a reason to unload shares. On the flip side, the several sectors and indexes have broken their January high and this triggers a surge in volume as breakout traders try to take advantage of the new high and momentum. So you can see how the surge of volume is not a useful indicator right now.

Here are some charts of what I think we could see in the coming weeks.

US Dollar Index – Daily Trading Chart

I follow the US dollar index very closely simply because it affects the prices of stocks and commodities. I used a line chart below in order to take out the daily candle stick noise which made it very difficult for our eyes to pick up this pattern.

The chart shows a possible head & shoulders pattern and if that is the case then we should see the dollar start to slide lower.  In turn, this would boost stocks and commodities. This is the fuel that I think could really move the market sharply higher in the coming weeks.

GLD Gold ETF – Daily Trading Chart

The price of gold looks to be setup for a nice bounce off support and the timing could just work out if the US Dollar starts to drop over the next few days. There could be a low risk setup just around the corner.

SLV Silver ETF – Daily Trading Chart

Silver has held up well but today’s reversal candle to the downside scares me a little. The odds are that silver will carry this strong momentum selling down for another 1-2 days. Again, with any luck, it will test support and the US Dollar will start to slide lower.

Crude Oil – Daily Trading Chart

Oil has had a great run the past month but as you can see it’s currently trading at the top of a large trading range. I would like to see a sideways move before it takes another run at the $84 level, but the 7 day bull flag that formed two weeks ago may have been enough to maintain the upward momentum. Again, if the Dollar drops we will see oil rally.

Natural Gas – Daily Trading Chart

This chart is actually very attractive looking. Even if you do not understand how to read charts I think it’s safe to say this one is a no brainer J

I will be closely watching for a potential low risk setup in the coming days.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:

In short, stocks and indexes are trading at resistance levels with many of them making new highs and that is great to see.

A lot of things are trading in limbo waiting to see what the US Dollar is going to do. Several months ago I posted some charts showing that 81 would be a key resistance level for the dollar. If it broke above that then 84 would be the next key level to watch. So we just have to wait and see… the hardest part of trading is the waiting.

Gold, silver, oil and natural gas all look like they could continue higher in the next few days if things unfold that quickly. But the market always finds a way to drag out moves so we could still be a 2-3 weeks away.

I hope this report helps give you an idea of where things are at in the market.

If you would like to receive my Free Trading Reports and Analysis be sure to visit my website: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Gold & SP500’s One Candle Rebound To Riches

It’s been a great year for trading!

So far February, last week and this week have being absolutely amazing for both swing traders and intraday traders.

On February 5^th we had extreme panic selling with nearly 35 sell orders for every 1 buy order on the NYSE. That extreme panic and dumping of shares was the day we jumped into the market and we nailed the bottom.

As my trading buddy David Banister from ActiveTradingPartners would say “Buy When They Cry!” and that is exactly what subscribers did. Since then our gold, silver and the index funds have been moving up nicely.

I would like to note that there were several more technical reasons why we jumped into the market that day but I won’t get into the nitty-gritty cause this mid-week update would be a trading book…

Explanation of What happened Last Week & This Week

Ok this may get a little confusing but try to stick with me here…

If you recall last Wednesday’s mid-week report which was called “Gold, Silver & Stock Indices on the Verge of Rolling Over”, I talked about how I was bearish on the overall market. This report has a bunch of detailed charts explaining what was most likely to happen next and some trading.

Well, the market played out just as we had expected. The market dropped 1.35% in over night trading and the following trading session providing intraday traders using ETF’s, Futures or CFD’s a net profit between 1.35% to over 100% return within 17 hours of entering a trade depending on which trading vehicle you used. Check out how this trade was executed by reading my report titled “How To Use Multiple Time Frames For Setups” which I send out the next day. Understanding how to trade using different time frames is a must for all traders and this report shows you how.

Now here is the part that has thrown a lot of traders off

Just to recap, I posted an extremely bearish report saying the sky is falling on Wednesday. Thursday morning the market moved down as expected, and then late Thursday afternoon I sent out a trade alerts to buy a bunch of precious metal and stock etfs.

I understand why emails flooded my inbox that afternoon…. Everyone wanted to know how I can say the market is falling then turn around and buy the very next day.

It’s actually a really simple answer. “I don’t fall in love with my positions” and “I re-evaluate the market after each new candlestick on the chart”.

Trading is not an easy task, that we all know. The market tests and bends my brain to the limit on a regular basis and if one cannot control their emotions and stick with a set of trading rules, then you will eventually lose all your money.

I have placed thousands of trades in my lifetime and pulling the trigger to get in and out of a position does not phase me anymore. But the problem is most people don’t want to exit a losing trade because then they are proven wrong and most people hate being wrong. If that’s what you are feeling, then you need fix it or get out of trading.

My general rule is “when in doubt, get out”. I would rather watch a trade move without me knowing I had it right, than be stuck in a losing trade, saying to myself, “Why the hell did I get into this trade?”

Re-Evaluating the Market or Your Investment

After each new candle is formed on a chart it is crucial to re-evaluate the charts. In other words if your main focus is to trade the daily chart then you better re-evaluate the strength of the chart each day and also check the 1 hour intraday chart for possible bullish or bearish patterns.

On the other hand, if you are an intraday trader focusing on trading the 1 hour chart, then you better be evaluating things every hour, and also check the 5 or 10 minute charts for patterns to keep an eye on price and volume action.

Below are daily charts of some ETF’s I trade showing how we have been trading the market. You can see February 25^th the market reversed to the upside and that is when we went long again as prices formed an outside reversal candle and these funds have been moving higher ever since.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:

In short, it’s been a great start to the year with the market performing within its regular trading patterns between fear and greed.

I believe 2010 is going to be very tough for individuals who do not fully understand the market and how to manage risk. I figure the market is about to top in the next week or so then start to head lower. 2010 will most likely trade in a large sideways range for 8-10 months and maybe even longer. Being able to spot market reversals and trade them actively is were the money is this year. No grand slams, just a bunch of single base hits.

I would like to see the market rally and makes new highs but I am ready for what ever the market dishes out in the coming months.

I hope this report helped you to understand that trading is an active sport and being able to change directions one day to another is just part of the game.

If you would like to learn and trade at the same time I will be launching a service where I provide all my personal trades and analysis for your to follow along in real-time. Members will receive all my intraday and swing trade alerts for indexes and commodities Futures allowing you to trade which ever vehicle you want whether it’s an ETF, Leveraged ETF, Futures Contract or CFD. This way your timing is accurate and you can trade which ever investment you are comfortable trading with.

There will be a 24/7 chatroom allowing us to trade around the clock when setups arise. Also, members can swap ideas, ask me questions, make new trading buddies etc… There is even a squawk box feature! I can talk live with audio to everyone in the chatroom to the site can hear me for important news or trades alerts.

All trade alerts are instantly posted in the members area, chat-room and sent via email making it one of the most powerful trading services I have seen available online.

If you are interested please fill out the form to be notified for this service which will start the last week of March or the first week of April. It will have limited availability to keep it personal.

If you are interested check our my Trading Alert Services at www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen

Three weeks ago on February 5^th, we saw an extremely high level of fear in the market with selling vs. buying volume at a 9:1 ratio. We note that in 2009 this extreme level of fear occurred at the bottom of each significant pullback.

Since this panic selling low in February 2010 we have seen stocks and commodities work their way higher, which we expected. Overall the broad market looks as though it’s trying to make a move higher.

Below are some ETF charts of gold, silver, oil and the indexes.

GLD Gold ETF – Daily Trading Chart

Gold lead the market higher in 2009 and also lead the market lower in December of 2009. It looks as though gold could be starting a new trend higher.

You can see the clean breakout of the down channel and then a test of the channel at support.  This type of price action also forms an inverse head and shoulders pattern for those who like trading patterns. J This is very bullish price action.

SLV Silver ETF – Daily Trading Chart

Silver has much of the same chart features as gold, but is slightly skewed.  This is not particularly surprising though, as silver virtually always behaves with less defined chart patterns due to its characteristically funky price action.

USO Oil Fund – Daily Trading Chart

As with gold and silver, oil’s trading chart has formed a pivot low also, but the trend line is much steeper than what I am looking for. I prefer a flatter trend line as price growth is more sustainable.

As you can see in on the USO chart, back in December price rallied at almost the same angle as is currently the case, and then notice what happened. Once the momentum died out the price dropped straight back down. I call steep trends like this a Parabolic Rally.

Scroll up and look at the first chart (GLD) and observe the parabolic rally going into December.  It too suffered a sharp drop straight back down when momentum died out.

Stock Indexes – SP500, Dow Jones, Russell 2000

Last week the market sold down the first half of the week, then bounced back up forming a possible pivot low. The daily chart for these indexes look virtually the same as the GLD, SLV and USO charts above for the past 5 trading sessions.

But, one little thing has me concerned….

When looking at the 5 minute intraday charts (posted below) you can see at the very last minute before the market closed HUGE selling volume flooded the ETFs.  The market ended up losing all of its gain for the day.

With any luck this was just end-of-the-month hedge, mutual fund, etc. portfolio rebalancing.  But I am somewhat concerned that more of this selling could step back into the market Monday or Tuesday.

Weekend Trading Conclusion:

Overall, last week started on a negative note but ended strong after forming a reversal pattern.

It looks as though stocks and commodities have formed an ABC retrace pattern and are now ready to move higher.

How much higher you ask?

Well, I believe 2010 is going to be a traders market. I envision an 8-12 month sideways consolidation (large bull flag) forming. If this materializes then buying on over sold dips, as we did on Feb 5^th, and scaling out on strength at resistance levels will be our goal in the coming months.

A bunch of 4-8% trades is what I’m figuring, but with leveraged etfs we can double and triple those type of returns.  Now that is something to anticipate with delighted optimism!

If you would like to receive my free weekly trading reports please visit TheGoldAndOilGuy at: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen

This report is a mix of both current market action and educational material on how stocks and commodities trend (move).

Since mid October I have been on the look out for the market to top or make a multi wave correction. The market did top in January and has formed an ABC retrace (3 wave correction).

The question everyone wants to know is, is this market topping out or just a bull market correction?
Well the brutal truth is no one really knows what is going to happen next. So the only way to make consistent profits in the market is to clearly understand the main technical analysis skills (Chart Patterns, Trend Lines, Support & Resistance, and Volume). You must also understand how to manage your money/trades. I scale in and out of positions during key support and resistance levels to keep downside risk low.

One of the toughest parts of trading is “Trading Discipline”. If you cannot take losses easily then trading is not for you. You must be able to exit a trade when your stop level has been reached or you think the trade is starting to go wrong. Holding onto losers will blow up your account very quickly.

Other than those key skills, all you can do is watch the charts and re-evaluate each time a new bar (candle stick) pops up on the chart. Remember to trade with the larger trend of the chart 2-4 times longer than your actual trading chart.

Example: If you trade the 30 minute chart for entering and exiting trades, then you should be watching the 2 hour chart (120 minute chart) to understand the full picture.

Market Trends and Price Movement
As we all know, when the market is trending up we are seeing a series of higher highs and lows and the reverse for a down trend. We also know there are several different ways a market can top before reversing. The charts below show how the market generally moves on all time frames.

The market will top and bottom in 1 of 4 ways which are shown below:
Sideways Trend – A consolidation or triple top
Head & Shoulders – This is a great trading pattern
Double Top – Lower volume rally and sharp selling once high is reached
Blow Off Top/Bottom – This is when volume spikes and the price moves quickly (great for panic trading)

Silver and NYSE Daily Trading Charts
Take a look at the charts below and you will see exactly how the market moves and where the market is currently trading.

Trading Conclusion:
In short, stocks and commodities have been in rally mode for all of 2009. So far this year prices have started to slide forming some bearish looking charts. But it’s not the end of the world by any means. Depending what happens in the next 1-3 weeks we should know if the market is back in rally mode or still in sell off mode.

I am somewhat neutral at the moment and maybe a little bearish because from a technical stand point there are just as many arguments/technical analysis points for prices to move up as there are to move down. When I get in this situation I just site back and wait for a clearer picture before putting my money to work. When In Doubt, Stay Out!

I will update subscribers tomorrow on our current long positions as we need to tighten our stops to lock in more profits. And thank you everyone for your kind words and support for my new daughter

Get my reports send to your email: www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Understanding market psychology is crucial for a trader’s success. But so many people get caught up in the daily market volatility, media coverage and “noise” of the trading environment, it’s almost impossible to not think and trade in agreement with the majority of traders.

However, effective technical analysis allows us to use trends, patterns and other indicators to evaluate the market’s current psychological state. Fortunately, this analysis can both enable us to independently forecast whether the market is heading in an upward or downward trend and do so against the grain of the majority.

It takes a disciplined trader to be able to watch and listen to the market doing one thing, filter out the noise, then do the opposite – all in a controlled manner. To this day I still find myself fighting the herd mentality at times and that is when I step away from the computer and regroup.

I have a simple rule that has saved me thousands over the years. I would rather miss a trade and learn what caused me to get confused, then to take a loss.

Rule # 1 – When in Doubt, Stay Out!

There are two types of traders:

1. Herd Mentality Trader – Someone who trades off fear and greed buying near tops and panic selling out at the bottom with the masses.
2. Black Sheep Trader – A trader who stand out from the masses and trades opposite to the “herd” during extreme levels.

Last weeks market action really allowed us to see which way the masses were moving. The extremely high selling volume and sharp price decline notified us that the market was trading off FEAR. And, last Thursday we actually saw PANIC which tells us the balance of the market (retail investors, John Doe’s, The “Herd”) were exiting their positions.

When we see this happen, it’s generally a good time to start scaling into long positions, as most of the down side has already happened.

I have been talking about an ABC retrace pattern for the indexes and gold for some time and last week we got just that. An ABC retrace is when we have 3 waves which are, down, small up, then another leg down.
In short this wave breaks the uptrend of higher highs and lows, as it forms a lower low telling novice traders to sell and go short. This is what causes the high volume and sharp sell offs.

Below are a few charts showing the 2009 July lows and where we are now, February 2010:

SP500 – Daily Trading Chart

Gold – Daily Trading Chart

Silver – Daily Trading Chart

Oil – Daily Trading Chart

Intraday Price Action – If you want to see some exciting intraday trading charts check out the setups last week: http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/articles/how-to-trade-intraday-gold-and-sp500/

Market Psychology Trading Conclusion:
Most get involved with the stock market because it looks like something they can quickly learn and start making money from home. But it doesn’t take long before they quickly realize there is more to trading than meets the eye.

While trading looks easy from a glance, in actuality I think its one of the toughest jobs out there.

Why? Well, this is what you are up against:
1. You are trying to predict something that is unpredictable
2. You are trading against millions of other highly skilled traders
3. You are trading against automated computers with complex algorithms
4. You are trading with your hard earned money which causes fear and greed
5. You must accept losing trades as that is part of the business
6. You must trade with a proven trading strategy and follow the system
7. You must understand money management and apply it to every trade
8. You must truly love the market cause it will break you down mentally

I don’t want to say you must be a contrarian, but in reality you must do the opposite of the masses during times of extreme price behavior.

These extremes happen on a daily basis when trading intraday charts and every 4-6 weeks when looking at daily charts. The toughest part is to pull the trigger when emotions are flying high in the market and you are looking to do the opposite. It takes several trades before you even start to get comfortable doing this.

I hope this helps shed some light on market psychology.

If you would like to Receive My Gold Trading Newsletter and Analysis please visit my website:

Chris Vermeulen
www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

The stock indexes have been trading very choppy making it difficult for swing/trend traders. It’s during times like this when seasoned traders rise above the herd of average traders.

If you only trade one strategy like swing trading or trend trading then you are likely finding it difficult to make money right now. On the other hand, day traders are having a blast right now as they take advantage of the powerful intraday rallies and sell offs.

I personally like swing trading but during times like this, when I know it will not work, I have to switch my strategy to day trading and focus on the 60 minute and 5 minute charts.

SP500 Index Fund – Intraday Setup

I posted this chart earlier this week and I want to be sure everyone takes something away from this chart as I believe it shows a perfect low risk setup for shorting the market, or you could buy a reverse fund which goes up as the market moves down.

At first glance this chart is noisy, but if you simply focus on the all the different color analysis separately you will notice how simple trading can be and what you should be looking for.

Red Analysis:

1. Overall market trend is down so we are looking for a short trade, signs of weakness.

2. First we see a light volume test of the previous high set earlier in the day. The low volume indicates there are not many participants in the move up and that is a weak sign.

3. Between 14:30- 15:30 we notice the price start to drift higher on very light volume. Also, the price moved up into a resistance level. This to me is a perfect setup.

4. You would sell short or buy a reverse index fund at this point hoping for the market to start selling. You could also wait until it started to drop before taking a position but when a chart looks this good I try to get in at the highest price possible.

Blue Analysis:

1. The price starts to drop forming several small bear flags going into 14:30 before bouncing. Also note the volume began to rise as more selling was happening. This tells us that trading activity is predominately selling and that we should also focus on shorting when the time is right.

2. Again, the price starts to drop forming several small bear flags going from 15:00 – 15:45 before bouncing. Also note the volume began to rise as more sellers took part in this short term trend.

Black Analysis:

1. This shows more or less the resistance level, area to short the index and the nice trend down.

Gold GLD ETF Trading

Gold has been under selling pressure since early December. That powerful drop and the chart pattern it has formed will generally resolves itself after an ABC retrace pattern. I have drawn this on the chart which is what I think will happen in the near term. This daily chart of GLD ETF has a small 4 day bear flag and bearish reversal candle which is pointing to lower prices in the near term.

Silver SLV ETF Trading

Silver has a funky looking chart. It has formed a large megaphone pattern and possible head & shoulders pattern. Both are bearish and if we use the Head & Shoulders to calculate where silver could end up trading if it continues to break down, then $14.00 would be a level to look for a bounce.

Natural Gas UNG Fund

The natural gas fund UNG has been in a down trend for over a year and the recent drop looks to be the start of another sell off. This could possibly form a reverse head & shoulders pattern with this drop moving UNG down to the $8.75 – $9.00 area. We will have to wait and watch things unfold for now.

Crude Oil USO Fund

USO looks to be trading at support. I am inclined to patiently wait another session before possibly taking a position.

Mid-Week Trading Conclusion:

In short, I feel the overall market could bounce including stocks and possibly commodities, but the selling is not over yet in my opinion. The drop we have seen in the past week is the half way mark. So this bounce would be the starting of an ABC retrace for stock indexes. During choppy times I like to be sitting in cash and or day trading for short term profits.

Precious metals do look oversold and ready for a small bounce or sideways move; I do think they will head lower. Too many traders are still holding on to their gold positions and until a large number of them get scared out of their positions, we will not see gold rocket higher.

Natural gas looks like it’s about to head much lower this week while oil looks ready for a solid bounce off support.

We continue to wait for new low risk setups as different investment scenarios unfold.

Get my Free Weekly ETF Trading Reports at www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Tags: Chris Vermeulen, etf newsletter, gld etf trader, Gold Newsletter, index trader, slv trader