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mcm daily market update 24.Sep.21

September 24, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down

Yeterday (same every day since Tuesday, actually) we were noting that the ST trend was up and the market delivered. We had a BE Xtick right off the cash open, which was broken out, and there was no looking back after that. The FGSI nicely hinted we could get an up squeeze set-up and that played out text book. The market finally peaked in the 2nd part of the day, also text-book for the FGSI up squeeze set-up, only after FGSI turned back up to mark an unconfirmed high.

From the unconfirmed high, the market pulled back pretty strongly, bounced, but the bounce showed buyers were inefficient and after that sellers took control. They broke to new lows and ran price into a ML test. A pullback to ML would be the normal expectation after an up squeeze set up, however it is a bit concerning that ML did not hold cleanly. Buyers had a decently bullish set up going into the ML test. We had bullish EE on both FGSI and IGSI, FGSI was at extreme pessimism (green zone). So they should have held ML more cleanly. But they didn't and this looks more like a breakdown with rejections at the back-test attempts. FGSI is showing buyers are inefficient, so the ST trend is down for now. Price is still in the vicinity of ML, so not all is lost for buyers. They can still stick save this, but they need to win back ML. And whatever they do, they MUST defend the bullish EE lvl on FGSI (it is at the same lvl also on IGSI, so double importance). If that lvl goes, then that would be seriously concerning for the up trend.

mcm daily market update 20.Sep.21

September 20, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down (with potential bottoming attempt)

On Friday we were noting that the ST trend was neutral, as buyers were in the middle of a bounce from bullish EE on FGSI. They failed at the retest of the prior high and then kept painting bearish EE on each bounce, and they all held and pushed price lower. Those were clear indications that sellers are stepping back up. The cash open spike did the same, with a bearish EE forming which held. After that there was no looking back. Sellers sliced through ML and they were in control throughout the session. On Sunday we had continuation to the downside, as a feeble attempt at a bounce saw bearish EE forming and then lower lows.

The o/n session of today continued to show weakness. Bounces were small but leading to large FGSI moves. Danny kept rejecting price. With that being said, we do have a double unconfirmed low on FGSI and IGSI. And we do have MGSI in the green zone. These make the POTENTIAL for a bigger bottom. Potential is the key word. Buyers need to prove themselves by breaking above key lines (momo, danny, 400bar MA and eventually ML) and also break bearish EE levels on FGSI/IGSI. 3 additional things to mention:

This is the same set-up on FGSI/IGSI/MGSI which we had at prior 2 OPEX dates. While "this time could be different", it's worth keeping in mind what happened last time.
We are overshooting the 50DMA on daily and the lower BB. At least a snap-back bounce is probable. Reaction to that, especially if price retest ML, will be key for the trend.
FOMC starts its 2 day meeting tomorrow, with the announcement coming on Wed evening.

mcm daily market update 13.Sep.21

September 13, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

On Friday we were mentioning that the ST trend was neutral as buyers managed to win back ML and sellers were also looking inefficient via FGSI. The cash open saw another BE (buyer exhaustion) early on and price was rejected very strongly there. Buyers lost ML which was the confirmation that the sellers are winning back control. Then the market flushed to new lows. Friday, unusual for a weekly close, ended the cash session at the lows.

We were noting that such a close is usually a bear trap, and it seems the market is confirming this hypothesis. Sunday saw a failed atttempted bounce and Friday's lows were tested again this morning early on. However that set up a 2nd consecutive unconfirmed low on FGSI in the extreme pessimism (green) zone. And buyers stepped in there and bounced hard. Sellers were very inefficient on the 1st pullback and buyers pushed higher again and won back ML. So again the trend is back to neutral. We have bearish EE set up, but also sellers are inefficient. So no confirmation either way. ML is the key level and price is above, so buyers have a slight edge here, but they MUST defend ML. If ML is lost, things can run south quickly, as we saw on Friday.

mcm daily market update 10.Sep.21

September 10, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

The last 2 days we were noting that the trend was down with potential bottoming attempts. Both times sellers took control and broke through those bottoming attempts to make lower lows. We again had an unconfirmed low on FGSI (so potential bottoming attempt) yesterday heading into the cash close and buyers stepped in there with what now looks like more determination vs prior 2 times.

The o/n saw buyers win back ML (a big step towards restoring the up trend) and break the 1st bearish EE lvl set up. What is more important is that sellers are inefficient on pullbacks, setting up bullish EE, which started to hold. That is a chance in character and a warning to sellers that this time the buyers could mean business. Buyers are not out of the woods yet as the trend now is only neutral. They need to continue to hold the bullish EE levels and also to defend ML. If they can hold price above ML and continue to build on bullish EE levels, then they could shift the trend back to up.

mcm daily market update 07.Sep.21

September 7, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

On Friday we were mentioning that the ST trend was up as sellers were inefficient on pullbacks, however did warn that if ML is broken, the bullish trend would come under question. Sellers did manage to break below ML initially and pushed price lower, but once FGSI reached extreme pessimism, buyers stepped back in. They bounced nicely to close about 10 points off the ATH going into the long w/e. On Sunday the market pulled back again, with FGSI reaching once more extreme pessimism and again buyers stepped in to push priceon the holiday Monday close to the ATH.

From the area close to the ATH we saw yet another pullback and FGSI bottomed here at extreme pessimism again. Buyers stepped in to buy this, however FGSI is showing they are inefficient. Additionally price is below ML, so for now, it looks like sellers have the upper hand in the Short Term. We still have bullish EE vs last time FGSI was at extreme pessimism, so if buyers manage to win back ML, then the odds would shift again. ML remains the key for the near term trend.

mcm daily market update 27.Aug.21

August 27, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down with bottoming attempt

Yesterday was the first down trend day in a while. Sellers managed to break below ML, decline stopped on a SE Xtick, but the bounce off there stopped on the ML back-test and price was rejected there. ML acting like that meant the ST trend was down and that's exactly what we got, as the market acted weak and closed at the lows.

The o/n saw price make another low, which was unconfirmed on both FGSI and IGSI. And buyers finally stepped in there and are attempting to bottom this decline. They managed to win back ML and if they can hold above and continue to bounce, the bottom might be in for the ST. There are bearish EE set-ups on both FGSI and IGSI, so holding ML is key. Buyers need to hold aboev and break the bearish EE lvls. Sellers on the other hand need to break below ML and break the unconfirmed lows.

mcm daily market update 23.Aug.21

August 23, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up

On Friday we were noting that the ST trend was neutral as in the o/n (ES was at 4385 at the time), both sides were looking inefficient via FGSI. We did warn however that "A sustained move above ML would reassure that the bottoming attempt from yesterday is playing out and the "OPEX scare" is over". Buyers did exactly that, broke the bearish EE lvl, won back ML and never looked back. We did not expect a large move considering the OPEX Friday, but apparently MMs were satisfied to keep just the big names (AMZN, AAPL) in check and the index ran regardless.

Sunday brought more bullish developments, as buyers continued the up move and broke the unconfirmed high that was registered on Friday on FGSI. They also broke the initial bearish EE lvl set-up on IGSI on the 1st bounce off the big low from last week. The only issues for buyers are the fact that the recent high is unconfirmed on both FGSI and IGSI; and FGSI is showing buyers are also inefficient on this bounce. Those things can still change if buyers continue higher, so they still look to be in decent shape. Ideally they would break the unconfirmed highs before getting a retrace to "cool off" FGSI and IGSI. Depending on whether they can do that or not, we will have more info. A ML test from here would be normal (especially since ML was pulled up by price and is likely not far below). The test should hold if this is to continue immediately higher. If ML breaks, then a deeper retrace could come, but in the larger picture it's hard to see how sellers can avoid new ATHs coming.

mcm daily market update 20.Aug.21

August 20, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

Yesterday we were mentioning that the ST trend was down, with potential bottoming attempt. That played out as expected, as buyers stepped in and pushed prices higher, avoiding the most bearish scenarios for the time being. The market rallied hard, pulled back around mid day, then bounced to close the cash session near the highs.

The o/n saw a pullback from there, with a grind lower. FGSI is showing both sides are inefficient, with large swings in both directions, but on small price movements. So the ST trend is up for grabs. Buyers did manage to keep this decently elevated and comfortably above yesterday's lows, which is a positive for them. However ML is still above as buyers couldn't hold the breakout above it from yesterday's session. As long as ML is overhead and acting as resistance, the buyers are not out of the woods. Yesterday's low is a KEY level for buyers to avoid a potential deeper correction. A sustained move above ML would reassure that the bottoming attempt from yesterday is playing out and the "OPEX scare" is over. Speaking of which, being a Friday OPEX, a large move in either direction is probably not going to happen and the market could whipsaw in both directions, but not really make any real price progress by the close. Just something to be aware of.

mcm daily market update 19.Aug.21

August 19, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down (with potential bottom attempt)

Yesterday we were mentioning that the ST trend was down, as price was still below ML and FGSI was showing both sides were inefficient. The market continues to chop between the bearish and bullish EE on FGSI, and even tried to break above ML after the cash market open, but failed to do so. Once the FED minutes were released it tried again to break above ML, but we got a completing signal on TT, with a Buyer Exhaustion (BE) right at that spike high, which was just above ML. It rejected price strongly and even though buyers stepped in after another TT signal (a SE Xtick), the bounce off there made a lower high and then sellers took complete control.

The o/n saw more downside and even lower lows made, which was to be expected given the big confirmed lows on FGSI and IGSI at the cash close yesterday. However now we do have the potential set-up for a meaningful bottom. Both FGSI and IGSI show unconfirmed lows, while MGSI touched the extreme pessimism area (green zone). That is potentially an explosive set-up for upside. The key to this set-up materializing is ML. If buyers manage to break above ML, then sellers need to be careful as a massive face ripping rally could ensue. If ML rejects price, then we might see more downside. Buyers want to defend those unconfirmed lows and avoid them from turning into confirmed lows. On the other hand, sellers must defend ML at all costs to have a shot at lower lows.

mcm daily market update 16.Aug.21

August 16, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down

On Friday we were mentioning that the ST trend was up, with potential pullback set-up, as FGSI was at extreme optimism. The pullback was small, then the market pushed to new highs in a very choppy session. It also made a new ATH after hours. The Sunday session saw a pullback from there (the ATH was marked as unconfirmed high on FGSI).

The current o/n saw continuing weakness and what is interesting is that for the first time in a while, the buyers were not able to lift prices back to new highs out of FGSI trips to extreme pessimism. What is more worrying for the buyer side is the fact that 2 unconfirmed lows on FGSI were subsequently broken. That usually marks a shift in market character (i.e.to something more bearish in our case), so it's a big warning that buyers are no longer in full control. ML was also broken by price and now appears to be holding as resistance. That also confirms a more bearish ST picture. Going fwd, it is important to see how price acts in relation to danny and ML. For buyers to get back in control, they must break back above ML. if they can do that, this might be another failed breakdown from seller side. However if ML continues to act as resistance and price continues lower, this might be the 1st trend down day we had in a while. This week is OPEX so shake-outs in both directions are to be expected. Considering that markets are so extended, a bigger pullback would not be out of the question (1st target 4408-4415 - large fractals on 60 and 135min cycles. Below that - 2nd target is 4370-4380 and the bottom of the prior trading range).

mcm daily market update 13.Aug.21

August 13, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up (with potential pullback set-up)

Yesterday we were mentioning that the ST trend was up, with a potential topping pattern, as both FGSI and IGSI were showing unconfirmed highs. The market did pullback from there and even overshot ML for a brief period. FGSI reached extreme pessimism and as usual buyers stepped in there with authority. They won back ML and after that there was no looking back, market going straight to new ATHs.

In the o/n price went sideways and unlike the previous sessions, we had almost no pullback. The new unconfirmed high on FGSI from yesterday' session was broken and ES just made a new ATH. FGSI is at extreme optimism again, so a ST pullback is to be expected, however buyers have been extremely strong and the trend is up, so unless danny or 400bar MA fail to hold as support, it is dangerous to try to anticipate a turn. Once these do fail, it is likely we will see another ML test, but until then - the trend is up.

mcm daily market update 10.Aug.21

August 10, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

Yesterday we were mentioning that the ST trend is neutral, as both sides were inefficient via FGSI. Since then we had spikes higher and lower, but price went basically nowhere. Yesterday's cash session did finish higher vs Sunday's o/n, so up grind is still holding.

The o/n brough the "usual" vertical price drop which pushed FGSI to extreme pessimism, where buyers stepped in. Price went then back to where it used to be. In conclusion, it seems to be "steady as she goes" as price keeps grinding higher with the ocasional steep drop. ML is still below price and being defended, so until sellers can break below and sustain a breakdown the ST trend is up.

mcm daily market update 02.Aug.21

August 2, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

On Friday we were noting that the ST trend was down with bottoming attempt. Buyers did manage to hold those unconfirmed lows on FGSI and pushed higher into the cash open, before grinding and giving up some of those gains in the 2nd part of the session.

The o/n from Sunday and today saw buyers stepping in again and pushing prices back to the 4420 area. That zone has been a brick wall of resistance so far, price being rejected every time it got there. Today same thing happened with price dropping abruptly fro mthere right into an ML test. What happens from here is important for the near term. ML is key for the trend, as we keep repeating. Buyers would want to see ML holding and pushing back above danny and 400bar MA to put in a successful ML test. If danny or 400bar MA reject price, then another attack on ML is likely, while an ML breakdown would put sellers in the lead. We do have an unconfirmed high on FGSI at the recent o/n high, so a bigger turn could shape up from here, but it depends on whether ML can be broken on a sustained basis or not.

mcm daily market update 23.Jul.21

July 23, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up (with potential ST pullback)

Yesterday we were noting that the trend was still up, as sellers were inefficient, but were warning that a pullback could be coming to test ML as FGSI was showing an unconfirmed high. That is exactly what happened. The unconfirmed high on FGSI led to a pullback into a ML test. The test held quite comfortably (ES never touched ML, while YM overlapped it briefly) and from there the buyers launched another push higher.

The o/n saw continued upward pressure as buyers kept making higher highs, while sellers were inefficient on pullbacks. The main achievement of the buyers is that now they finally broke the initial bearish EE level on IGSI. They also broke the closer unconfirmed highs on FGSI and turned them into confirmed highs. Price is also very close to the ATH, so the trend is clearly up. For the immediate term, we do have FGSI at extreme optimism, so a pullback could happed anytime from here. However, it depends how price will act on the TT lines (momentum, danny and 400bar MA). As usual, if danny gets broken, then a trip to 400bar MA below would be expected. If that also gets broken, then another ML test might be in the cards. As long as these lines hold, we could continue higher with only shallow pullbacks, depending on how FGSI shapes up. IGSI has a lot of room fwiw.

mcm daily market update 21.Jul.21

July 21, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up (with potential topping pattern)

Yesterday we were noting that the trend was neutral as both sides were showing inefficiency via FGSI. Because of the set up on all ST GSIs (FGSI, IGSI and MGSI) we were mentioning that a bigger low might have formed at Monday's lows and that yesterday's action would be key for the intermediate term. ML being the main line in the sand for the trend. The buyers did everything right after the cash session open. They broke above the opening BE and then simply sliced through ML and never looked back. The breakout was very strong and considering the bigger low potential from Monday, the buyers are now back in control.

The o/n continued to show the buyers are regaining strength. It continued to make new highs and most importanly - the IGSI "reloaded" quickly on a small retrace, triggering a very large bullish EE. With ML below price and continuing to be drawn higher and higher, the sellers need to be careful here and wait for a clear set up before trying to jump back in. We do have FGSI at extreme optimism, so an immediate term pullback could occur from here. Momentum line and danny will be the clues if that will occur, as they would need to give way. So far danny has held support very strongly, so it won't be an easy feat for sellers to pull off. If danny gets broken, an ML test would be expected. That would be the inflection point. There is still a slim chance this face ripping rally off Monday's lows is just a dead cat bounce, but it is getting very slim. Only a break below ML would tilt the odds back towards that bearish scenario. Buyers need to defend ML at all costs, while a green day today would be ideal (follow through to yesterday).

mcm daily market update 20.Jul.21

July 20, 2021/in Chart-Daily, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

Yesterday we were noting that the ST trend was down, with a potential bottoming attempt (as FGSI was showing an unconfirmed low). We did warn that the bottoming attempt was only a potential as if sellers continued to push, that could have been broken. Sellers did just that and continued to break lower almost the entire cash session, until the last 30min when buyers stepped in and staged a larger bounce. The follow through on the downside after Friday's bearish session is a serious warning a larger shift is at hand (from full-on bullish to a bearish stance), so longs do need to be careful here.

The o/n continued higher building on the late bounce from yesterday and a bigger dip showed sellers were inefficient, so the trend went back to neutral. Boths sides are inefficient as shown by FGSI, so the ST trend is up for grabs. A ST bounce after the sell off from the last 2 days should be expected. The only question is if it's just a dead-cat bounce or are buyers ready to step back in with authority. We do have the potential for a big low at yesterday's lows with IGSI and FGSI showing that low to be unconfirmed and MGSI touching extreme pessimism there. So there is a possibility that the correction is done and market runs back higher. However buyers need to prove themselves now, as the last 2 days were showing a change in character with the bounces failing. ML is, as usual, our main line in the sand for the trend. It was decisively broken on Friday and yesterday there was only a feble attempt in the o/n to touch it. So the ST trend was clearly pointing lower. Now this bounce took price right to ML and it's just whipsawing around it. That means the current area is an inflection point. Depending on which side of ML the price will settle will dictate the near term trend. The bullish and bearish EE levels on FGSI will be additional confirmation after that.

mcm daily market update 9.Jul.21

July 9, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up

Yesterday we were noting that the trend was down, but with a potential bottoming attempt as FGSI was showing unconfirmed lows. Turns out the actual low was a few points away on yet another unconfirmed low on FGSI, then market bounced again very strongly from there. However, differently than in the other situations in the last 2 weeks, the bounce was stopped by ML which held as resistance.

The o/n came to the buyers' rescue and after a sideways action both up and down, there was yet another strong bounce which did manage to break back above ML. Now, as I have been repeating like a broken record - ML is key for the near term trend. Buyers winning back ML is a strong statement they are trying to get back in the lead. FGSI is showing an unconfirmed high at the o/n high and market pulled back from there to test ML once more. That triggered a pretty large bullish EE, so now this is where it gets decided. ML is the big inflection point going into today. If buyers manage to defend it and bounce, then the trend is back to up and we could be getting back to the usual up grind. Especially if they can turn the unconfirmed high on FGSI to a confirmed high. However, if price breaks back below ML then that would signal more bearishness ahead.

mcm daily market update 8.Jul.21

July 8, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down (with potential bottoming attempt)

Yesterday we were noting that the ST trend was up, as buyers stepped up and held a bullish EE set up on FGSI and broke a bearish EE one. We did get a bigger head-fake drop after the cash market open, which broke below ML, but that break was again bought right back up. Price broke a BE which triggered right below ML and danny, so once that triple resistance couldn't contain the bounce it was clear that buyers had regained control. Market proceeded then to make new ATHs after that.

The o/n today brings a nasty surprise for buyers. The new ATHs were sold strongly. The market dripped initially back towards another ML test and FGSI showed big bullish EE vs yesterday's low. However what happened next on FGSI was key. Buyers were very inefficient on the bounce off ML and FGSI moved back above the center line with almost no price movement. That was the key signal that something is wrong with the up trend and once ML was broken down there was no looking back. Danny capped price action the whole way down and even if FGSI bottomed in the extreme pessimism zone the market continued to move lower. Right now we do have extreme pessimism on IGSI and FGSI, with FGSI showing an unconfirmed low. So that puts a potential bottoming attempt on the table. However as long as danny (and momentum line) keep capping price action, the market can continue to make new lows. Danny is key in the ST for an attempted bounce.

mcm daily market update 7.Jul.21

July 7, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up

Yesterday we were noting that the ST trend was neutral, but the set up was there for a bigger correction. ML did give way and we did get a decent decline, until the market found a bottom at an unconfirmed low on FGSI (alerted in real time in the mcm chat room). Buyers stepped in strongly there and after breaking an important emotional area with 3 exhaustions (2 BEs and 1 SE), they pushed price directly to ML and broke back above.

The o/n saw a bit of consolidation after the big bounce off yesterday's LOD and for a while the trend was neutral, as both sides were inefficient via FGSI and we had both bullish and bearish EE setting up. However it was again buyers who took the lead, they held the bullish EE and broke through the initial bearish EE level. ML continues to move higher (pushed by price) and is the key for the trend. As long as buyers can keep price above, the trend is (back to) up. Losing ML would be a serious warning that we might get another attempt at more downside, but at the moment yesterday's LOD looks like the end of the near-term correction.

mcm daily market update 06.Jul.21

July 6, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral (with bigger correction potential)

On Friday we were noting that the trend was still up, as ML continued to hold and FGSI continued to paint confirmed highs. That pointed to the usual upward bias going into a long w/e will play out and indeed it has, with the market finishing with a new ATH.

However the up squeeze from the 2nd part of the cash session triggered a bearish pattern in FGSI, namely a 45 degree angle divergence. When these large divergences between FGSI and price happen, they are normally bearish as they indicate determined selling so basically distribution as the price goes up. This type of pattern was followed text-book until now, as price retested the divergent high and was rejected there. Now buyers look inefficient via FGSI. We also have additional warning signs. On the retest of the high (which actually made a minor new high), we had large unconfirmed highs on IGSI, MGSI and also FGSI showed an unconfirmed local high. All pointing to the POTENTIAL for a bigger turn. ML is being tested now and as usual, it is the key for the near term trend. If sellers break below ML, that would be a big warning that the 45 degree angle divergence on FGSI is indeed playing out (pointing to a larger decline). Buyers would need to best the o/n highs and run a bit further to cancel the bearish potential. Right now this looks like lower odds though.

Lessons learned part 4

June 27, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

The past week (21-25th of June) we had a very strong week and a powerful melt-up off Sunday's OPEX lows. Those lows were announced on Monday in the am on the daily blog post with the mention "This set up has the potential to mark an important bottom and trigger an explosive bounce". That came to pass and the market relentlessly pushed higher, with only small pullbacks. Because the short term GSIs (Globex Sentiment Indexes) caught that potential, it is time to look more closely at these kinds of set-ups and see what provides confirmation or non-confirmation.

First, let's look at FGSI, which because it's the fastest will usually trigger the set-up first and will also be the 1st one to confirm. The chart below was the one posted on the blog on Monday, June 21st. As we can see we had a large unconfirmed low, the market rallied right into a bearish EE (excess energy) level, hesitated briefly, then broke through it. That was the confirmation that the unconfirmed low would hold and it is a bullish breakout from there (roughly 4154ish).

Now let's have a closer look at an earlier set-up of an unconfirmed low, which failed, namely the Friday morning low. We had a pretty large unconfirmed low (although the set up was not as ideal as the one from Sunday, as the lows were too close to each other, not to mention the IGSI and MGSI set-ups). And then the ensuing bounce was showing that buyers are inefficient, as price barely bounced 20 points off the lows, but FGSI was already above the centerline and triggered a very large class B bearish EE vs the last time FGSI was in that area. Price then whipsawed from that area back towards the unconfirmed low where buyers made another attempt to stick save that low (where the green arrow points). The bounce triggered a bearish EE which held and then the breakdown happened.

So the main lesson here is - whenever we have an unconfirmed low (or high), that shows the potential for a larger turn. But the key to that potential playing out is how price acts when we have an EE set-up after that. Breakout/down of that EE set up is the confirmation that a larger turn is playing out.

mcm daily market update 18.Jun.21

June 18, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: down, with potential bounce attempt

Yesterday we were noting that the ST trend was neutral as both sides were inefficient, as shown by FGSI (something which is happening quite often in the o/n as of late). The market had a big pop prior to the open, then a few whipsaws before finally dropping hard to retest Wednesday's lows before rallying hard into the close and retest the highs of the day.

The o/n now saw the market moving sideways and then starting to drift lower. FGSI is showing extreme pessimism already, so a bounce might be attempted, but it it also showing confirmed local lows, so the decline might extend. We have a bullish EE lvl vs yesterday's LOD, so that levels becomes important if we do in fact accelerate lower. The biggest problem for buyers is the fact that they lost ML, then tried to win it back but failed.

mcm daily market update 16.Jun.21

June 16, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

Yesterday we were noting that the trend was up, but with a potential reversal pattern, as all GSIs were showing unconfirmed highs at the o/n high. That did prove to be a bad omen for buyers and the market proceeded to then retrace the entire rocket launch move from Monday's last 2 hours cash session.

At LOD we did get an unconfirmed low on FGSI and market tried to bounce, but this time the bounce failed to get above ML, which is a clear indication that the buyers are losing control of the ST trend.

In the o/n session we had only a sideways movement with whipsaws in a tight range. FGSI is showing that both buyers and sellers are inefficient, as small price movements trigger big swings in FGSI. One thing that gives the sellers an edge is ML and the fact that it rejected price action yesterday but also in the o/n. ML continues to be the key for the near term trend, so if buyers want to stage a bigger bounce from here they must break above ML. Today is the conculsion of the FED 2 day meeting, so prices might stall and continue to sideways chop from the o/n until after the FED announcement and then stage a larger move.

Lessons learned part 3

May 16, 2021/in Chart-Intraday, Commentary, Public, Uncategorized /by mcm-Alex

Last week we had fireworks again, with the first 3 days being very bearish, while Thu-Fri provided a vertical V-shape rebound, with up gaps on the cash sessions on both days.

There were quite a lot of great tells from the mcm tools, so let's dive right into the "lessons learned".

IGSI unconfirmed low set-up

Unconfirmed lows on IGSI are very powerful set-ups and are normally good for a lot of points. A great example is the actual move off the Thursday morning low, which was unconfirmed on IGSI. However we actually had 2 unconfirmed lows set-ups, the first of which failed. Let's see the main differences between the two.

On Tuesday we had an unconfirmed low on IGSI, but the initial bounce off that low triggered bearish EE which held and pushed price lower. The unconfirmed low was held initially, but the bounce off there triggered again a bearish EE which also held. The next trip lower broke decisively the unconfirmed low and the market flushed.

On Thursday we again had an unconfirmed low on IGSI, but this time, buyers never hesitated and rocketed off there.

The main take-away is that the confirmation lvl for the upside set-up of the unconfirmed low on IGSI is the peak of the prior IGSI high before the unconfirmed low. If IGSI shows bearish EE vs that lvl, it is best to be cautious and raise stops on positions entered at the unconfirmed low.

2. FGSI up squeeze set-up

Normally when FGSI is at extreme optimism (red zone) it indicates a top and reversal is close. However the "up squeeze" set up happens when FGSI is in the red zone and starts pulling back, while price keeps hovering near the highs or even makes new highs. That indicates that market participants are increasingly pessimistic, but are unable to move prices lower. Ideally this sort of set up is completed by a breakout on Tick Tools (TT), like a breakout over a buyer exhaustion (BE) or an important level, like the maginot line (ML).

We had also 2 up squeeze set ups on FGSI last week, one failing and one playing out well.

The 1st one occured on Thursday. After the big bounce off the unconfirmed low on both FGSI and IGSI, FGSI reached extreme optimism (red zone). But price continued higher, as FGSI started to come lower from there. On TT we had broken out a BE just after the cash open and everything was looking good for the up squeeze set-up. TT even triggered a Seller exhaustion (SE) above the broken BE, but the big warning came immediately after that when a new BE was triggered. That turned out to mark the high for the day and the market retreated quite strongly from that level.

The 2nd one occured on Friday and this time there was no stopping the buying stampede. We had almost the exact set-up. FGSI moved to the red zone, then started pulling back, while price kept climbing. TT had broken a very strong 100% BE Xtick and held the back-test. Then came a SE above the broken BE Xtick (so far exactly like the set-up from Thursday), but this time no BE triggered and the coast was clear for buyers to continue higher. This is exactly what happened as price grinding higher for almost the entire session, with only the last 1h sesing a few whipsaws both down and up, and closed near the highs of the day.

The main take-aways is - the up squeeze on FGSI is a powerful set-up, but must be completed with signals from TT. If a BE hits that caps price and then a SE gets broken, those are strong signals the buyers are not in control any more. If TT signals that the up trend has little resistance, then the up grind can continue unabated for quite a bit. As can be seen, an additional confirmation on Friday was that price held the danny line all the way until the last 1h whipsaw. That is indicative of a strong up trend.

mcm daily market update 24.Mar.21

March 24, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral

Yesterday we were noting that the ST trend was down, as buyers were showing large inefficiency on bounces and FGSI never touched the extreme pessimism (green) zone. That happened close to 6am and FGSI then had an unconfirmed low, which pointed to a potential ST bottom. From there the market ran back towards 3940, with FGSI getting close to extreme optimism, before failing and breaking down to new lows.

The o/n continued to be worrying for buyers, as the price action was more sideways, but FGSI had big spikes to the upside showing they are still very inefficient. However on the last dip, sellers were also inefficient and actually triggered a bullish EE vs the prior low, which held. That puts things in the neutral zone, as both sides are inefficient and trigger bullish and bearish EE on bounces/declines. Once one of those EEs gets broken, that will be a sign that one side is taking the lead.

ML is also a big line in the sand and if price holds above or below will also be important to see. Currently the buyers are attempting a breakout over ML, will be improtant to see if they can hold above.

Lessons Learned Part1

March 7, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

This will be the 1st article of the "Lessons Learned" series. The aim is to discuss the most important set-ups on the mcm tools from the previous week and how they should be approached when they show up again.

First up is Tick Tools, which was amazing on Friday. It nailed the top off the cash open with a big Buyer Exhaustion (BE) Xtick from which the market sold off strongly. And also the low with a strong Seller Exhaustion (SE) Xtick that was overshot and then won back. If shorting the opening BE Xtick was a classic (and easy) play, playing the bounce once such a strong down trend is established (4 SEs broken, one being an Xtick) can be more stressful, however it doesn't need to be. The 1st thing to watch for, when looking for an attempted bottom, is price to break above momentum line (momo) and then for it to change colour to green. The 2nd thing is for the last broken SE level to be won back. Then the attention should be directed to the other important lines - danny, 400bar MA and finally ML.

Friday provides a great example of this set-up, as we had all confirmations one after the other.

As can be seen in the chart, the exact low was on a seller capitulation bar (the 3rd one in the same area). After that, price broke above momo and it turned green. After a few whipsaws just below the SE Xtick level and danny, price broke above both and the next big tell that an important low was in the making was price back-testing danny, which held as support AND turned green. Then followed the breakout above the 400bar MA and ML and then ML was back-tested, it held as support, and then ML turned green. All those signs were just one confirmation after another that the odds were shifting in favor of the buyers. The most bullish scenario played out once the reaction off the 70% BE was held by ML as support, which triggered a breakout. The big 94% BE Xtick might have marked the top, but getting a SE immediately after that at such a high level was a clear sign sellers were caught wrong-footed and were gonna get squeezed as long as the SE lvl held (which it did).

Next up is FGSI. The obvious signals were - extreme optimism (red zone) off the high from the cash open (which added weight to the BE Xtick signal from TT) and extreme pessimism (green zone) at LOD (which was also a sign to look for an attempted bottom). However, it's important to also discuss what happened next. It got to the red zone again pretty quickly on the run up from LOD and then started to move down to sideways, even if price kept moving higher. That is a set-up which indicates a very likely squeeze up, as market participants try to sell (increase in pesimmism), but are totally unable to move price and are getting run over.

mcm daily market update 5.Mar.21

March 5, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: neutral (with bearish risk)

It seems the market stopped tipping its hand in the o/n session and keeps things in suspense until the cash market open. For several days we were noting that the trend was neutral as both sides were showing inefficiency via FGSI in the o/n session. Yesterday the buyers staged an attack over ML to get us back to an uptrend, but failed just above as the markets were disappointed by Powel's remarks. Funny how that works. So just to mention this again: ML is a KEY level for the overall trend. If price is above, we have a bullish bias, while if price is below - bearish.

In the o/n, both buyers and sellers were inefficient, as the market still tries to digest the mini-crash off Powel's statements. We have bearish EE above which held price action and pushed it lower and now bullish EE set up with FGSI bouncing from extreme pessimism. Those levels remain important and a breach would mean one side is getting the upper hand. Buyers want to hold the bullish EE and ideally to break back above ML. That would help them and could trigger a "relief rally". Sellers want to make a stand at (or below) ML and try to attack yesterday's LOD. Breaking the bullish EE level would help them significantly.

mcm daily market update 26.Feb.21

February 26, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up (attempted bottom)

Yesterday we noted that the trend was up, with whipsaw risks, as FGSI showed that also buyers were inefficient. The whipsaw risk turned into full on bear, once buyers continued to be inefficient on all bounces and the Maginot Line (ML) was lost. Just a reminder: the ST trend can change quickly if FGSI and the TT signals (ML is THE line in the sand for up/down trend) change character.

The o/n showed that buyers were up against the ropes several times, as the selling pressure continued and made the first bounce off yesterday's lows fail. However buyers made a big comeback and now we have a serious bottoming attempt. The last low was unconfirmed on FGSI and bulls bounced hard off of it AND broke the 1st bearish EE level. That is a big warning for sellers as it is exactly what should happen when the trend changes. However, buyers still need to win back the ML.

With both FGSI and IGSI showing unconfirmed lows at the o/n lows, the buyers have a great chance at turning this back up. But ML needs to give way, as long as price is below, the buyers are not out of the woods.

mcm daily market update 16.Feb.21

February 16, 2021/in Charts /by mcm-Alex

Summary: all 3 GSIs had unconfirmed highs at Monday's high, which means we are at an important inflection point. Sellers continue to be inefficient, however if FGSI breaks below a bullish EE level that would be a big warning that we might get a bigger correction. If the bullish EE level is defended, then another squeeze into the highs is possible. TT signals (danny, momentum, 400bar MA and ML) will be helpful in identifying early which scenario will play out. Breaking below ML would be a big statement from sellers (which would coincide with breaking the bullish EE too).

ST trend: up, with reversal risk

The late Friday melt-up into the long w/e produced extreme optimism on FGSI and then a series of unconfirmed highs. However Sunday and Monday saw price action continuing to grind up, while FGSI showed that sellers were extremely inefficient on all pullbacks which led to more and more highs. We currently have 2 unconfirmed highs on FGSI, from where the market pulled back, but again sellers were very inefficient and generated bullish excess energy (EE) vs the prior trip here (close to extreme pessimism). That is a 1st important level, if sellers are going to take initiative they would need to break below. If that happens, it would be a sign that at least ST, the character of the market is changing. Buyers are favorites now, so they simply need to defend that level and if so, then another trip to the highs is very likely.

IT trend: up, with reversal risk

We had some interesting developments also on the longer term GSIs, so we will cover them today as well. IGSI moved similarly to FGSI and made a big confirmed high on the open on Sunday, but then pulled back strongly, while price continued to grind higher. Now it dropped to below mid value after it put in an unconfirmed high at Monday's high. That sets up class B bullish EE already and means another squeeze up is possible. However, if FGSI breaks the bullish EE level, then we need to start watching the bullish EE levels on IGSI as breaking those would be more serious.

MGSI peaked and made a confirmed high at extreme optimism levels, which is again a warning this rally is getting very extended. It also started to pullback from there, while price continued highs, which makes Monday's high unconfirmed also on MGSI. A bigger pullback from MGSI extreme optimism is likely, the only question is if we will get one immediately or get another squeeze higher first into a clearer unconfirmed high.

mcm daily market update 10.Feb.21

February 10, 2021/in Charts, Public /by mcm-Alex

ST trend: up with reversal risk

Last 2 days we had an apparent neutral trend in the o/n, with both buyers and sellers showing inefficiency in terms of ability to move price. And in both days it was the buyers that took the lead (back). Today, the trend is up, with sellers being inefficient, however we did have an unconfirmed high at the o/n HOD which could mark a ST reversal. The key word is "could" as for that to happen, the sellers would need to show up and push this lower. If buyers break that level and turn it into a confirmed high, then the up trend will resume.

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