February 12th, 2012
Published Daily
COMMENTARY for Wednesday

Jubilant Traders Miss Another Ominous Sign

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT · 7 comments

Yesterday morning, an hour into the new trading week, we covered a small short position in the Diamonds, booking a loss of $92 on some September put options. This speculative bet, initiated on the closing bell Friday, was inspired by a hunch that if Mr. Market really wanted to catch investors with their pants down, the Tuesday after Labor Day would be a perfect time to do it. Alas, even with news that should have been helpful in catalyzing a stock-market plunge, stocks trudged higher. The news concerned consumer credit, and it could have left no doubt about the dire condition of  the American consumer. He in fact » Read the full article


TODAY'S ACTION for Wednesday

Hanging in the Balance

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT

 Member-only content. Please Login or get a free trial of Rick's Picks to view.


Rick's Picks for Wednesday
$ = Actionable Advice + = Open Position
Hidden Pivot Calculator   Education Page
All Picks By Issue:

ESU09 – E-Mini S&P (Last:1023.25)

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT

The 1053.00 target given here yesterday remains valid, but the bullish case for the near term was weakened by the fact that all of yesterday’s action took place below a 1027.75 peak recorded on the way down a week ago. Because the plunge from that peak would have trapped many bulls, we should regard it as daunting if not impermeable.  If the futures take a stab at it today, the effort should be considered ineffectual unless it exceeds the look-to-the-left peak  at 1031.00 recorded on August 30.

DXY – NYBOT Dollar Index (Last:77.28)

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT

Yesterday’s breakdown was serious, although I’d stipulated that DXY close for two consecutive days below 77.54 before we assume the worst. Tentatively, however, we’ll look for a quick drop to at least 76.05, or to 75.57, the Hidden Pivot given here originally, if any lower. My worst case number for the period preceeding the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh at month’s end is 72.93. My hunch is that such pronounced weakness in the dollar is unlikely ahead of the meeting, but if it comes, stocks are going to fall too, and steeply.

SIZ09 – Comex December Silver (Last:16.690)

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT

Silver’s most recent peak at 16.860 fell 8 cents shy of a clear Hidden Pivot at 16.940, so we should assume the December contract has at least a little further to go before it hits something solid. Position traders should consider lightening up, with the goal of replacing on the pullback any shares sold near the target.  If the futures close above 16.940 for two consecutive days, or trade more than 10 cents above it intraday, that would be a very bullish sign going forward.

GCZ09 – Comex December Gold (Last:1001.10)

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:01 am GMT

Yesterday’s patently spurious plunge should look more like a swoon by Wednesday mid-morning, when I expect gold will have recovered. The sell-off was very obviously caused by the nasty bull trap that ran stops placed slightly above a 1008.80 high made shortly after 4 a.m.  In a bigger picture, the 1074.50 target given here earlier remains valid, although I should introduce another, lesser one at 1016.60 that looks capable of showing some stopping power.  The less stopping power it displays, the more quickly and powerfully the next thrust is likely to develop.

$SLW – Silver Wheaton (Last:35.93)

by Rick Ackerman on February 9, 2012 4:24 am GMT

 Member-only content. Please Login or get a free trial of Rick's Picks to view.

$GS – Goldman Sachs (Last:116.29)

by Rick Ackerman on February 8, 2012 3:36 am GMT

 Member-only content. Please Login or get a free trial of Rick's Picks to view.

Dow Industrial Average (DJIA) price chart with targetsTake any dozen good reasons for being bearish right now and they still don’t equal the bullishness of the chart shown. The undeniably compelling rally objective is 13085, a 4.8% move from current levels, and one can only surmise that the dusting the 12158 midpoint received on the last pullback (12/28) all but clinched a finishing stroke to the higher number. Moreover, it implies that bears shouldn’t get their hopes too high even if, in the next few days, the Dow plummets 324 points to retest the midpoint support. As of now, that would signal not weakness, but a screaming opportunity to get long.  Hard to believe, really, but that’s what the charts say. 


SIDE BETS for Wednesday

UNG – U.S. Natural Gas Fund (Last: 10.28)

by Rick Ackerman on September 9, 2009 12:43 am GMT

A minor Hidden Pivot resistance at 10.57 is the nearest impediment, but if UNG gets past it and a peak at 10.75 made in late August on the way down, it would be clearing the path for yet more upside. The implications will not affect the daily chart, however, until 16.27 is touched.


Hidden Pivot Webinar & Tutorials
The next Hidden Pivot Webinar will be held on Feb. 29th - Mar. 1st. This two-day event is designed to teach you the risk-averse trading strategies Rick has taken to his seminars around the world. Once you have learned his proprietary secrets, you will approach trading and investing with enough confidence to make your own decisions without having to rely on the advice of others. For more information, or to register, click here.