The sluggish uptrend begun in mid-December appeared to pick up steam as 2017 got under way.  The even better news is that the intraday swings have been easily tradable and targetable. (Check out Tuesday’s chat room discussion for reports from subscribers who actually made hay. If you don’t already subscribe, click here for a free two-week trial period that will get you into the room immediately and allow you to view a trading ‘Scoreboard’ updated 24/7 with actionable ideas.)  One such trade was a ‘counterintuitive’ long entry, noted by an alert subscriber, at the green line (see inset).  Although the trade initially went against buyers, subscribers who applied a simple rule avoided getting stopped out and subsequently got a ride to the 1165.50 target — precisely — for a quick gain of as much as $1400 per contract. Although the futures retraced moderately before the regular session ended, they looked poised for another leap to as high as 1174.20. That target will remain viable as long as the recent low at 1156.70 holds. Thereupon, if the rally pushes decisively past 1165.50, a further move to 1174.20 would in my estimation become an odds-on bet. _______ UPDATE (Jan 4, 9:58 p.m. ET): Late Tuesday night, the futures were within an inch of the 1174.20 target proffered above. If they can smash through it on the first attempt, that would add to the evidence that this rally is more than just a flash-in-the-pan. _______ UPDATE (Jan 5, 9:53 a.m.): The rally easily surpassed the target, hitting 1179.90 before pulling back. Bulls are now working on an 1189.70 target that would become an odds-on bet to be reached if the futures can push decisively past a related, ‘midpoint’ resistance at 1180.40. Please note that, despite the encouraging overnight performance, the yellow flag is out, since the rally failed by an inch to exceed some obvious ‘external’ peaks recorded in mid-December.