Slope of Hope Blog Posts
Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.
All About Shorts Today
Wobbling Bulls (by Springheel Jack)
The market hasn't moved down much overnight, but three things have happened that have shaken my confidence that we're going to bounce soon. Firstly ES has broken down through the strong support level at 1305 that held yesterday and Tuesday. I have a declining channel on ES that may now take it down well below 1300 and there is a possible H&S forming as well:
Secondly copper dropped to my 426 target that I posted yesterday morning and has dropped below it to 424.55. That isn't a big overshoot, but it may well be a significant one, and copper is on the verge of a major support break here. If copper futures go below 420 and close there then my next target would be in the 360-70 area, which is a long way down and would augur very badly for equities over the next few weeks. Here's the big picture on copper on the five year daily chart:
The importance of this level is a bit clearer on the one year chart:
Thirdly, of the other key indicators I'm also concerned about what I'm seeing on EURUSD, which broke above the rising wedge on the daily chart the other day. I said last week that this was either a break up or an overthrow, and EURUSD had held the broken trendline as support until last night. Overnight however it has broken back down into the wedge, increasing the probability that the break up was an overthrow. There is good resistance turned support at 1.428 and wedge support is at 1.423. A break of wedge support would be very bearish:
I'm watching bonds to see whether TLT can break declining resistance from the high last August. There's no cause for alarm yet but resistance isn't far above:
If copper and EURUSD break down, and bonds break up, the outlook on the bull side will start to look very doubtful. There are however some very good support levels on SPX that the bears will have to get through before the outlook turns very bearish and the first is at 1300 SPX. After that there is also very good support at 1285 SPX with the lower trendline of the main SPX rising channel in the 1280 – 1285 area as well. If we see a close below that, then we would then be likely to see the March lows broken in my view:
Looking at the NQ daily chart a diamond top may be forming. If this continues to form then I'd expect to chop around for a few more days into the end of the diamond, but a break down from a diamond top would point to the 2000 NQ area. Definitely one to watch:
I was looking through a lot of individual stocks yesterday and saw quite a number of leading stocks, AAPL particularly, that are at key support levels. I'll post some of those tomorrow if I have space on the post. This does underline however the importance of this area for the bull case. A failure here would be extremely significant. I'm leaning long for today, but without much conviction.
SPY Update … (by Leaf_West)
So far today the tape is pretty disappointing for the bulls considering that JP Morgan "manufactured" really good earnings. When I look at the daily chart I think we are at a pivotal time right here at the $131 level … as you can see bulls really need to lift the price if the current wave count of a 5 wave bounce higher is going to pan out.
As you can see on this chart, the RSI(2) indicator is oversold and is indicating that a potential daily bottom could be near. That is also hinted at by my favorite bottom fishing indicator, the McClellan Oscillator.
The Oscillator is not fully into the oversold zone as indicated by the yellow highlighted area but is right at the top of that range. My favorite level is that -75 zone and it is currently at -52ish.
Other indicators are far from bullish so I am looking for any bounce to be short lived and will look to get short at that time. Drawing a wave 5 target based on 5 = 1 draws a potential top at $135.72.
If you look at fibonacci time targets, the most logical spot for a top would be in 10 trading days which would put the date at April 28th as I believe there is 1 trading day holiday between now and the target date.
I would find it difficult to be short the market here …. any break lower should be marginal. I'm starting to sound like Bernanke back in 2007/08 when he was talking about sub-prime …. I think that is my cue to finish the blog post.
Cheers
Visit me at my blog
Read This Before Paying Your Taxes
{Preamble: I am going to be driving for many hours, heading home, so I wanted to put this post up for prime-time viewing. I'll be back in the saddle late tonight with a comment-cleaner. Godspeed………}
I urge you to read the latest by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone. Read the whole article about how two wives of rich Wall Street executives got over $220 million in risk-free, non-recourse "loans" from you and me – – the hapless, pathetic taxpayers – – to do with whatever they please. It's this kind of bullsh*t that has funded this entire rally. And I will celebrate with my fellow Slopers when this entire charade collapses in a burning heap.
When I write my checks to the IRS and the State of California, I will keep in mind the truth……..
+ The money is going to completely go to waste;
+ The governments being funded are not going to survive;
+ Social Security and Medicare are a cruel joke; I'll never benefit from these programs one iota;
+ No government has ever done me one bit of good; the millions I've given these clowns has gone one direction – away from me – and I will never benefit. It's just cash that's been thrown away. Yeah, yeah, taxes are what you pay to live in a society. I'd be happy to pay a flat, universal, 10% tax to provide the required services. That's all it would take to keep a well-run country humming.
People pay taxes today for one reason and one reason only: because they fear the government and its power to punish. So the relationship is entirely adversarial. Were it not for that, no one would pay.
So I'm sure you'll enjoy throwing your cash away every bit as much as I do. Read the article. Please! It'll piss you off, but at least it's the truth. To ignore such information is a willful act of ignorance.
As for Obama and his change you could believe it – – what a crock of crap. He's a wimp, pure and simple. Limpy, wimpy, and with respect to backbone, far too skimpy.
My hope for the future of this once-great nation of ours…….pray for rain.







