FuturesTechs Blog

2012 has started well for equity investors as January has seen gains across the board. A standout performer is the Dax which has gained 10.9% YTD as of the close on the 26^th January. Mainstream financial media would have you believe that the ESM, EFSF, ECB’s SMP, QE 1 and 2 (3? around the corner) and various other three letter acronyms (TLAs) created by the establishment have rescued capitalism and the financial system from sure disaster. Undoubtedly an exceptional amount of liquidity has been made available to financial markets and as a result asset classes have been boosted, but as a Technical Analyst there are signs that particular markets may be due for a pause.

Yesterdays blog post included the FTSE Index approaching a significant Fibonacci retracement and testing a trend resistance line as shown below (Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Today we highlight a similar situation in the DAX (Click on picture to enlarge it)

The chart shown is the Dax Future and highlights the recent rally approaching resistance. An old trend line which has proven both resistance and support, and the 61.8% Fibonacci Retracement level of the July ’11 to September ’11 bear move are both being tested during this weeks price action.

The Dax has a particular relationship with the 61.8% retracement and often provides critical points of consolidation and often reversals. In September ’11 the Dax consolidated around the 61.8% retracement of the 2009 -2011 bull market and whilst the popular press and general consensus continued to call for lower prices the Technicals indicated a reversal was due, which I highlighted vehemently in our reports and in a special webcast. Another worrying sign is the lack of volume attributable to the gains seen so far this year suggesting the weight of ‘Real Money’ is unwilling to partake in higher prices, making them less sustainable.

So while the general consensus is for higher prices supported by unlimited liquidity from Central Banks worldwide, the Technical Outlook suggests the bigger picture Risk/Reward doesn’t favour the bulls.

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Liam Roberts MSTA

This is the hot topic of the moment, with massive moves seen in recent days. Clive appeared on CNBC on April 27th talking about the “Long Legged Doji” reversal that we’d seen on the 25th, and how this might be a “top in place” if we subsequently broke $41. You can check this out on our “Media” page here: http://www.futurestechs.co.uk/media.html

Below is today’s Commentary to our clients, which makes interesting reading:

From yesterday: “So we look good for further weakness in the short term targeting 37.565 next. We could even head back to 34.000, the 38.2% retrace of the rally since October 2008’s low of 8.40!!”

Erm…. Wow!!!

34.000 target hit, give or take the odd quarter of a dollar! What now?

Dip buyers should be buying NOW, looking for $34 to hold, as this is such a big Fibonacci level, but a safer trade would be to wait for a move back through 37.720 as this is our first bold resistance. Even then I would only “call” a move to 40.100, where the sellers could return.

Keep a tight stop on any long trades though, because below $34 we’d look for further liquidation similar to recent sessions, targeting 31.275 next, then 29.110.

Weekly Chart:

This morning’s support and resistance levels in the Eurostoxx 50 Futures included 2957 as an important reference above and 2925 as our first support below. It is Midday now (in the UK) and the range has been 2926-2958. This is the kind of reliability our customers depend on us for.

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Today’s Comment and Chart for the Eurostoxx 50 Futures:

Stoxx opened towards Mondays low at 2940, tested higher at 2952 and then drifted to 2925 into midday. A rally into the cash close up to 2950 wasn’t sustained after hours, and the close at 2936 confirmed the previous days Bearish Engulfing candle.

Although there was an uptick in volume the confirming candle didn’t breach any support levels so we’re bearish, but somewhat  tentatively.

Marabuzo resistance remains at 2957. The 76.4% retracement of the February - March bear move remains at 2983.  Horizontal and Marabuzo support stands at 2918 and 2912 respectively.

After a strong session on Thursday that saw us back into positive territory we had a weak day on Friday, but we held above the 130.67 level that has now become our reference point to stay with the bulls.

So this looks like a buying opportunity in a market that is embarking on a resumption of an uptrend, a market that has just seen a pullback within the uptrend, and a market that should now be thinking about retesting the highs at 133.26.

If 130.65 fails to hold the bulls have one more opportunity to salvage things, a gap at 130.25.

Below are the short term support and resistance levels, the important ones highlighted in bold type.

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We are often asked how we use Fibonacci retracements, and what time frames they are best used on.

Let’s look at the FTSE Futures chart right now to try and give a flavour of how they can help us.

Since last Tuesday (as we suspected, and as was flagged to our clients) we have seen a recovery rally in the FTSE from the lows just above 3450 set at the start of March.

There have been many commentators who are calling this a “bear market rally”, and are waiting for the first signs of weakness to pounce upon and use as a selling opportunity. As our customers know we’re not quite in this camp, but there you go. We have an article recently written in our members area that expands on our thoughts as to whether this is a market bottom or not.

Anyway, back to our magic Fibonacci numbers.

The Fibonacci retracements commonly watched are 38.2% and 61.8%. If a market has been selling off then we always call off the hounds on the down-leg if we can retake the 38.2% level, at which point we target a move to the 61.8% level. In this instance, as the market started rallying off the lows we looked up to see where the market would have taken back 38.2% of the weakness seen since the start of the year (see chart 1). This level was 3904. We got to here this morning… and promptly fell over.

Chart 1: FTSE Futures Daily Candlestick chart since the start of 2009

So does that mean we’re right back in bed with the bears and looking for a fresh test of the lows? It could well be, but the slightly more cautious can use Fibonacci levels on a shorter term chart to help them with that one as well, because it could be argued that unless we give back 38.2% of the recovery, then maybe the recovery is still going on!

So we start at the low and measure up to the high and find the 38.2% retrace of that move. This is 3738 (and coincides with Friday’s low) so we are using this level as a reference now to see what the market wants to do next. A break below here and sure, the bears are back in charge, and we’ll look to head back down, targeting 3625 (the short term 61.8% retracement) first, then 3443 (the year’s lows), as per the second chart, below.

Chart 2: FTSE Futures, Hourly Candlestick Chart, 9th - 18th March

So you can see we use Fibonacci levels on lots of different time-scales, and they can all have a use in telling us where we are, and what the market’s thinking.

Be safe,

Cheers,

Clive.