Silver Is In Fashion But Not For Investors

Posted on by Aibek Burabayev

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


This week I have prepared a Silver macro data analysis with diagrams and added a technical outlook for "dessert".

Supply and Demand

Silver Supply and Demand

Chart: Aibek Burabayev; Data source: GFMS, Thomson Reuters / The Silver institute

Back in 2005, both supply and demand for Silver were below 1 billion ounces (Boz) and were well balanced with a small deficit of 7.3 million ounces (Moz). Since then they have risen with different speed and in 2014 both broke up that level. As seen on the chart above, the supply of Silver is quite stable with a narrow 889-1073 Moz range in past 10 years. 2010 (growth in mining and scrap supply) and 2014 (10 year record mining production) are the highest years of supply. Continue reading "Silver Is In Fashion But Not For Investors" →

Game On, Both The NASDAQ And S&P 500 Flash Buy Signals

Posted on by The INO.com Team

While most economists and governments are focusing on the looming disaster known as Greece, the markets have been going their merry way and yesterday was no exception. Both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ flashed important buy signals and appear to want to move higher.

What was particularly impressive yesterday was the fact that the NASDAQ made a new high with the move. Should the NASDAQ close above 5,092.04, that would represent a new weekly high close for this index. The S&P 500 must close over 2,126.06 to record a new high weekly closing record price. With the current mood of the market right now, I expect this to happen unless there is some extraordinary news that comes out that nobody can foresee at this moment.

This will be a great weekend to take advantage of the "52-week highs on a Friday rules". New highs are outnumbering new lows by 3 to 1, indicating that the investors are still very confident about equity prices.

The only laggard in the triad is the Dow. This index only represents a microcosm of all stocks traded, but is still viewed as a viable and important index. A move over 18,230 today will push the Dow in the plus column and turn all of the Trade Triangles green and positive. Continue reading "Game On, Both The NASDAQ And S&P 500 Flash Buy Signals" →

Coming Back From a Loss

Posted on by The INO.com Team

If you follow our blog, then you are definitely familiar with trader Larry Levin, President of Trading Advantage LLC. We have gotten such a great response from some of his past posts that he has agreed to share one more of his favorite trading tips as a special treat to our viewers. Determining the direction of the market can be tricky and just plain confusing at times, but Larry’s expert opinion keeps it simple.

If you like this article, Larry’s also agreed to give you free access to his award winning book.

A friend of mine in the pit had been having a rough time of late when he asked me a typical question among us traders - How do I come back from a loss? Since he had been having a "rough patch" and not just one bad trade, I gave him the following advice that is to be used over a period of time.

First I asked him, "What does your trading journal look like - or maybe you don't have one?"

He didn't think it was necessary, which was his first mistake. It is critical to keep a trading journal.

In my journal I ask myself everyday "Did I follow my trading plan properly? Did I do anything wrong and if so, why?" If I did follow my plan correctly but I lost money, I am not hard on myself. Sometimes this happens! If I didn't follow my rules but still made money, however, that's a problem.

I highlight these days so I never repeat this fatal flaw. One of the worst things you can do is ignore your rules and make money, because then you feel that "winging it" is a good plan. It is not.

If this happens, you have to ask yourself; "Why didn't I follow my rules?" Was it lack of confidence in the system? Fear? Or did my ego want to be the hero that sold the high?" Continue reading "Coming Back From a Loss" →

Bingo, Stocks in the "Buy Zone"

Posted on by The INO.com Team

What's with these crazy markets? For the past several months, the stock indexes have been moving sideways without any clear trend. This has proven to be very frustrating for many traders. However, there are many markets that are trending right now that can be traded profitably.

Have you looked at the bank stocks lately? Almost all of the financial stocks are moving higher and have been for quite some time. Stocks like: Continue reading "Bingo, Stocks in the "Buy Zone"" →

Yen Spike: An Opportunity in the Making?

Posted on by Lior Alkalay

Lior Alkalay - INO.com Contributor - Forex


The BOJ Governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, never disappoints when it comes to producing a juicy headline for the newswires. Last time, if you will recall, it was the surprise addition of new stimulus. This time around, in his speech to the Shūgiin, Japan's House of Representatives last week, Governor Kuroda exclaimed that "the Yen is fairly valued." He then continued to outline how the merits of monetary policy have limits.

And what was investors take on Kuroda's message? Clearly fearful. That was evident by the avalanche of investors who failed to consider the underlying message and quickly switched to crowded Yen buying. The USD/JPY move was brutal, with the pair taking a nose dive of 300 pips. Of course, soon after, analysts and experts provided their own take. Opinions ran from "The remarkable rise of the USD/JPY has finally come to an abrupt end" to "the BOJ will not add more stimulus." In fact, big bets on more and more stimulus are now well off the table. But, before you decide to follow the crowd, take a moment to stop, ponder and try to see this for what it very well may be. Simply put, perhaps the spike in the Yen's value is actually an opportunity to sell it high.

Kuroda Vs Bernanke

Markets are looking at Kuroda's speech as the BOJ saying, essentially, that shorting the Yen from here on out might not be such a good idea. It might also suggest that if the BOJ is pleased with the current value of the Yen, that they might then be less accommodative. Of course, no one knows what exactly goes through the governor's head except Kuroda himself, yet we can speculate. Before I do that, let me first draw a comparison to another central banker, Ben Bernanke, the now retired chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Continue reading "Yen Spike: An Opportunity in the Making?" →