Sunday, May 4, 2014

New Blog Site: TradeCharting

Sunday 4th May 2014


I have finally rolled over to an updated blog site and there has been a slight name change. The new site is called TradeCharting and this will be abbreviated as TC.

The address of this updated site is: www.tradecharting.com.

The updated Twitter handle is: #tradecharting. Please connect to this new Twitter handle.

The updated e-mail address is: mary@tradecharting.com

Please log on to this new site to keep following my trend trading system.

My latest Trade Week Analysis for 05/05/14 is posted there.

Please let me know if there are any problems with making these new connections.

Thank you.

Mary

Saturday, May 3, 2014

FX Indices Review for 05/05/14

USDX
Monthly: Trend ranging. I’m still seeing a possible bearish ‘double top’ formation. The April monthly candle closed as a bearish, almost engulfing, candle. The new May candle is currently printing a barely visible 'Doji'.


Monthly Ichimoku: The April candle closed trading within the monthly Cloud.


Weekly: Trend chopping/sideways. The weekly candle closed as a bearish candle AND below the weekly 200 EMA.


Weekly Ichimoku: Price is still trading below the weekly Cloud.


Daily: Trend choppy/sideways.Price chopped downwards last week. The daily chart continues to show how price has essentially chopped sideways since last September in a range bound by the 79 and 81.50 levels. Check out Friday’s ‘Long Legged Doji’, almost ‘Gravestone Doji’ candle, following NFP.


Daily Ichimoku Cloud chart: Price traded below the Cloud for most of the week. The daily Ichimoku chart shows how price has chopped within or near the Cloud since last November. The index has still not managed to make a clean and decisive break away from this zone, either up or down! I remain on the lookout to see which way the USDX will head following this period of being ‘Cloud bound’. A bullish break and hold above the Cloud might signal continued upwards momentum but a sustained failure would be a rather bearish signal.


4hr: Trend choppy. Price chopped up and down for most of last week. The 4 hr 200 EMA and the monthly pivot continued to be too much resistance for this index. NFP data gave the index a boost on Friday but this gain quickly evaporated. Price action reversed once the monthly pivot and 4hr 200 EMA were again reached.


4hr Ichimoku Cloud chart: Price chopped up and down and within the Cloud for much of the week but the USDX closed the week below the 4 hr Cloud. This chart is aligned with the daily chart and suggests short USD.


EURX
Monthly: Trend down overall. Price closed for November and December with bullish candles above the monthly 200 EMA. November was the first monthly close above this huge S/R level for 2 ½ years! The January candle closed as a bearish candle and below this level but the February and March monthly candles closed as a bullish candles above this key support. The April candle closed as a bullish coloured, indecision style, ‘spinning top’ candle BUT above the monthly 200 EMA. The new May candle is currently printing an even smaller bullish coloured ‘Doji’ candle.


Monthly Ichimoku: Price had been held back by the monthly Cloud for most of 2013 but has been attempting to push up through this resistance zone for the past few months. The April candle closed within the Cloud.


Weekly: Trend up, overall. The weekly candle closed as a bullish coloured ‘Doji’ candle. This reflects ‘indecision’ BUT the index is still trading above the monthly 200 EMA and the support trend line, although it is only trading just above the support trend line.


Weekly Ichimoku: Price is still trading above the weekly Cloud.


Daily: Trend choppy. The EURX chopped sideways and towards the apex of the triangle pattern all of last week. I’m still watching for any breakout here; either up or down.


Daily Ichimoku Cloud chart: Price chopped sideways in the top edge of the Cloud for most of the week. It closed the week sitting just above the daily Cloud.



4 hr: Trend choppy:  Price chopped up and down last week and only closed slightly higher than where it opened. I had though last week might be interesting as the index traded closer towards the apex of this triangle but no breakout move has evolved as yet. Perhaps next week may offer some development here. The index closed the week, again, sitting just above the monthly pivot and above the support of the monthly 200 EMA and right on top of the monthly support tend line.


4 hr Ichimoku Cloud chart: A narrow band of horizontal Cloud continued to form a backdrop for the sideways action of the index last week. Price closed the week just above the Cloud. This chart is aligned with the daily chart and, whilst not terribly convincing, suggests long EUR.


Comments:
For yet another week, not a lot has changed on either index and, as noted over the last few weeks, not much has changed now for a number of weeks. The USDX keeps chopping along between the 81.50 and 79 boundary and has done so since last September. Although it is getting a bit more interesting as it tests the lower region of this range. The EURX is still coiling along within a triangle that is now of 8 weeks duration! Hence, the technical descriptions remain much the same! I still consider that a big move is brewing and the behaviour of the indices still contributes to this thinking.

USDX: the USDX again closed lower for the week AND still below the weekly 200 EMA key S/R level. Positive NFP data gave the USD a big boost but this enthusiasm was short lived though. Friday’s ‘long legged Doji’, which was almost a ‘Gravestone Doji’, bears witness to this reversal. Whilst NFP was a big surprise the even bigger surprise was this reversal with the USD. I see others have noted reasons for the USD slump as being due to reduced labor force participation and that this has undermined the value of this supposedly strong NFP print.

However, I continue to watch this weekly 200 EMA level for guidance as I believe that any hold above this would support bullish continuation but that a sustained breach would be rather bearish. The USDX can’t seem to make a clean break away from this zone though and has essentially traded in a range between the 81.50 and 79 levels since last September!

EURX: the EURX again closed slightly higher for the week. Price temporarily breached the support of the bull triangle trend line from the monthly chart but this was short lived. A sustained breach of this support trend line, and of the monthly 200 EMA, could trigger the start of a significant bearish move. A continued hold above these levels is bullish though. I’ll continue watching these levels closely in the coming weeks. The Ukraine situation has the potential to topple this index from this vulnerable position; a position where it has been teetering now for some weeks.

Ichimoku Alignment:The USDX is trading slightly below the Cloud on the 4hr and daily time frame charts. The EURX is trading slightly above the Cloud on the 4hr and daily charts. This is a technical alignment of the index charts towards 'risk on' but it is hardly convincing. I'll be watching to see if this alignment holds and develops though.

Note: The analysis provided above is based purely on technical analysis of the current chart set ups. As always, Fundamental-style events, by way of any Ukraine, Euro zone or Middle East events and/or news announcements, continue to be unpredictable triggers for price movement on the indices.  These events will always have the potential to undermine any technical analysis.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Trading Week: 2nd May: Quiet before NFP

Fri 2nd May (8.30 pm)
U/J: this has tried to give a new TS signal off my 7 pm candle BUT price is currently stuck in the daily Ichimoku Cloud:

U/J 4 hr:

U/J daily Cloud:

I consider it safest to wait until after NFP and to see if the U/J can break above the daily Ichimoku Cloud and the monthly 200 EMA.

Fri 2nd May (5.25 pm)
U/J: this looks like it is starting to wake up a bit with a new signal starting to build:


GBP/JPY: the triangle break looks to be starting here. GBP Construction PMI data is due out in an hour:


Fri 2nd May (3.45 pm)

S&P500
I've been looking over the chart of this index today and adjusted the trend lines here. The reason for this is that I consider there are two main areas or levels to watch here.

The first level is the daily support trend line and this has not changed. 

The second level is the 'Triple Top', or rather now 'Quadruple Top', region. This is the trend line I have amended. I have drawn in a horizontal trend line at 1,900 and this is just above the previous high. This is still giving a bullish pattern but this is now a 'bullish ascending triangle' rather than the previous 'Bull Flag'. This is only a subtle difference but I consider the battle here will be fought at either one of these two levels:






Fri 2nd May (6.50 am)
US Stocks chopped sideways ahead of Friday's NFP. The indices have done much the same and Thursday's USDX and EURX candles both printed a 'Doji' style of candle:

USDX: Will this index put in a bounce again as it nears the bottom of its recent trading range? NFP might dictate movement here:


EURX: getting very congested at the apex of the triangle pattern:


EURX daily Cloud: this is still Cloud-bound and, thus, the Ichimoku Alignment for 'risk on' has not formed up as yet: 

S&P500: choppy as the 30 min chart shows:


S&P500 daily chart: This chart shows that there is still no new direction here as yet as there is no clear breakout, either up or down, from the triangle pattern:


S&P500 Ichimoku: I had missed noting the bullish Tenkan/Kijun cross BUT this is deemed a weak signal, as it formed within the Cloud AND is not really valid as the Kijun-sen (pink) line is flat denoting no clear trend. 


Forex: A bit of a move on the E/U and cable BUT, for the most, it has essentially just more consolidation. NFP might get things moving.

E/U: has paused up under the major triangle trend line:


E/J: chopping, albeit upwards, within the triangle: 


A/U: seems to have resumed its channel trading. There is AUD PPI data today that might get this moving: 


A/J: has basically chopped sideways all week:


G/U: a bit higher after recent GBP data BUT hanging just below the 'whole number' resistance of the 1.69 level. There is GBP Construction PMI data tonight, as well as NFP, and these might get this pair moving:


Kiwi: a bit higher and hanging out near the monthly pivot:


U/J: chopping along within the triangle and under the monthly 200 EMA:


EUR/AUD: chopping sideways:


GBP/AUD: this has not triggered a new TS signal BUT it has broken up, ever so slightly, through the channel trend line. This may suggest continuation here, based on the weekly chart patterns. Watch out near GBP data tonight:

G/A 4 hr: 

G/A weekly:

GBP/JPY: no new TS signal here yet either but price is pushing up at the triangle trend line and is currently above the monthly 200 EMA. Watch this near GBP data tonight as well:


AUD/NZD: this has continued to fall and is now back below the support of the 1.075 level. Watch near AUD PPI data later this morning. 

A/N 4 hr:

A/N daily:

Silver: still below the monthly support trend line:


Gold: has chopped lower but seems to be finding support:

Gold 4hr:

Gold daily: the inverse H&S looks less likely BUT is not voided just yet:


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Trading Week: E/U + Ichimoku Alignment.

Thurs 1st May (4.15 pm)
Indices: The USDX and EURX Index charts are very close to being aligned again for 'risk on' across both the 4hr and daily time frames. Watch for any developing trend momentum from any new alignment.

USDX: The index is below the Cloud on both the 4 hr and daily time frame:

USDX 4hr:

 USDX daily:

EURX: Price is above the Cloud on the 4hr chart and trying to free the Cloud on the daily chart. Success here would complete the bullish 'risk on' alignment:

EURX 4hr: 

EURX daily: 


The conventional charts show the USDX heading towards the lower range of the recent trading channel and the EURX yet to affect a triangle breakout:

USDX:
EURX:

Forex: there is the start of a shift to 'risk on' evident but many European markets are closed so caution is needed.


E/U: with this shift to 'risk on' on the EURX and USDX it is no surprise then to see the E/U moving higher. Price is getting up close to the monthly triangle trend line and may attempt for a breakout here if this sentiment continues. This major S/R region should trigger some reaction from this pair, if nothing else. I don't have any TS signal but a technical trend line break may offer a trade entry opportunity if bullish sentiment continues:

E/U 4 hr:

E/U monthly: I have been writing about a potential major triangle breakout of the E/U from its monthly chart for some weeks now. The trend line bears watching given this latest bullish movement. This trend line corresponds with the upper region of the monthly Ichimoku Cloud (see below):



E/U Ichimoku Charts: The E/U is trading above the Cloud on the 4 hr, daily and weekly charts which is bullish. A break of the monthly trend line would correspond, fairly closely, to a break up and out of the monthly Ichimoku Cloud. This would be a significant bullish development:

E/U 4 hr:

E/U daily:
E/U weekly:
E/U monthly:

Kiwi: this TS signal wasn't valid due to the Bollinger band but it continues in the right direction at least:



Aussie: this is starting to drift towards the upper boundary of the trading channel. A break of this channel may offer a trade entry opportunity:


Cable: continuing higher from the 1.68 breakout: