Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF Rejected Again

Posted on by Matt Thalman

In March of 2017 the Winklevoss twins had their first Bitcoin ETF proposal rejected and now the second Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF proposal was dismissed in July of 2018 by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The reason all of this matter is because the Winklevoss twins where the first to have the SEC rule on a Bitcoin ETF back in 2017, and now that their proposal has been rejected for a second time things are starting to look a little bleak for investors who want a Bitcoin ETF.

First and foremost, the Securities and Exchange Commission that made the ruling expressed concern about Bitcoin’s trading reliability and security; two significant issues which don’t appear to be easy fixes anytime soon. The commission went on to say “The record before the commission indicates that a substantial majority of bitcoin trading occurs on unregulated venues overseas that are relatively new and that, generally, appear to trade only digital assets.” The commission stated that more then 75% of Bitcoin trading happens on unregulated foreign exchanges.

But, the commission did note that regulated Bitcoin markets are in their early stages of development and that if they further grow, the commission would then review the idea of allowing a Bitcoin ETF based on SEC requirements. Continue reading "Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF Rejected Again" →

Trade Tensions Overshadow Apple Earnings

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Hello traders everywhere. The stock market started out the day in positive territory mostly due to positive earnings for Apple Inc. (AAPL), which hit an all-time high of $201.32 and still trading +5% higher on the day. However, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have taken control of the market action and pushed stocks lower.

The Trump administration's unpredictability on trade has been in the spotlight in the last 24 hours after reports that talks between Washington D.C. and Beijing were set to resume were quickly overtaken by a threat to raise tariffs by 25%, instead of the initially proposed 10%, on $200 billion worth of imported Chinese goods. Of course, China vowed to retaliate if the United States slapped further tariffs.

Trade Tensions Overshadow Apple Earnings

The Fed decision, which is due at 2 pm EDT today is also weighing on traders minds. While a rise in interest rates is not expected today, discussion on trade or where the Fed is thinking of heading could be on the table and might provide clues as to their future moves. Will they still act on the two remaining rate hikes that they had mentioned earlier in the year? Continue reading "Trade Tensions Overshadow Apple Earnings" →

Hedging Energy Sector Oil Price Risk

Posted on by Robert Boslego

Volatility in oil prices makes investing in the energy sector a risky proposition. The collapse in oil prices following the OPEC meeting in November 2014, at which Saudi Arabia announced its intent to flood the market to put American shale oil producers out-of-business, resulted in a rout in energy equities prices.

The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) fell by 37 percent from November 26, 2014, to January 20, 2016. For many investors, the drop had become too large to sustain, and they closed their positions, locking-in a substantial loss.

XLE has recovered its loss, and as of July 27th, the price was nearly identical to its value on November 26th, 2014. But the recovery in oil prices, due to heightened geopolitical risks, also makes them vulnerable to another downward correction.

Citicorp, for example, issued a forecast proclaiming that “the bull argument is based on a faulty analysis,” and that oil prices “will fall back into a band between US$45 and US$65 in just over a year.”This raises the question of whether investing in the energy sector represents an attractive risk-reward opportunity. Continue reading "Hedging Energy Sector Oil Price Risk" →

NASDAQ Breaks Through Key Technical Support

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Hello traders everywhere. The NASDAQ has broken through a key technical support level at $7649.58 where the 50-day moving average stands trading -1.3% lower on the day. The fall lower comes on the heels of a lackluster Friday trade where we saw the NASDAQ fall -1.5% to close out the week. We'll have to watch and see if the index continues lower or if it will bounce off support and head higher having tested the 50-day MA twice in the last two months before bouncing off it and heading higher. Will the third time prove to be different?

Key Technical Support

The reason for the sharp sell-off can be directly attributed to the FAANG stocks as they continue to be put under selling pressure. The leader of the tech sell-off continues to be Facebook Inc (FB) as it sheds another -3.7% on the day continuing its historic three-day drop. Not to be outdone though Netflix Inc. (NFLX) is down -4.7%, Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) -1.6%, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) -1.5% and Apple Inc. (AAPL) -.6%. Continue reading "NASDAQ Breaks Through Key Technical Support" →

Weekly Futures Recap With Mike Seery

Posted on by The INO.com Team

We've asked Michael Seery of SEERYFUTURES.COM to give our INO readers a weekly recap of the Futures market. He has been Senior Analyst for close to 15 years and has extensive knowledge of all of the commodity and option markets.

Michael frequently appears on multiple business networks including Bloomberg news, Fox Business, CNBC Worldwide, CNN Business, and Bloomberg TV. He is also a guest on First Business, which is a national and internationally syndicated business show.

Gold Futures

Gold futures in the August contract settled last Friday in New York at 1,231 an ounce while currently trading at 1,222 lower for the 2nd consecutive session continuing its bearish momentum as it looks to retest the July 19th contract low of 1,210 next week. If you are short a futures contract, continue to place the stop loss above the 10-day high. However, the chart structure will improve tremendously come next week; therefore, the monetary risk will also be lowered. I still see no reason to own gold at present. The GDP report was announced this morning as the U.S economy grew by 4.1% which is outstanding in my opinion coupled with the fact that the 10-year note is now yielding 2.97% as both of those fundamental indicators are bearish towards gold prices. The U.S. stock market continues to move higher on a monthly basis as the NASDAQ 100, and the Russell 2000 hit all-time highs as the money flows continue to go into the equity markets & out of the precious metals as I am currently recommending a bullish S&P 500 trade as that market is higher once again today. Gold is trading under their 20 and 100-day moving average as the short-term trend is to the downside as the volatility remains relatively low as I think we could crack the 1,200 level in next weeks trade so stay short as I'm certainly not recommending any bullish position as the trend is strong to the downside.
TREND: LOWER
CHART STRUCTURE: IMPROVING
VOLATILITY: LOW
Continue reading "Weekly Futures Recap With Mike Seery" →