Rick Ackerman

Christmas greetings from the tropics! South Florida, where I am spending the winter, is warm, humid and eternally snowless, but this seems not to have diminished the enthusiasm and holiday spirit that have welcomed the 2017 Yuletide. Here is a snapshot of Delray's very tall, very bright Christmas tree, which is made entirely from LED bulbs. The lighting ceremony drew more than 50,000.  I wish all of you the the happiest of holidays. May the joy of the season permeate your lives!

Elsewhere on the page, I've noted some slippage in Boeing shares that has begun from a record-high on Wednesday that nonetheless fell a tad shy of our expectations. Is this that ominous cough in the second reel? We should know soon enough. The weakness is worth watching in any case because just a little bit more of it would start breaching prior lows on the intraday charts that are lined up like ducks in a row. That would be bearish, at least for the short-term, and a potential drag on the broad averages.

Feb Gold's feeble rally achieved more than it may have seemed, narrowly exceeding an important 'external' peak at 1271.80 recorded December 6 on the way down. This refreshed the bullish impulsiveness of the hourly chart, creating a possible 'camouflage' entry opportunity in the process. I've sketched it hypothetically in the accompanying chart (click on inset) and would encourage any night owl who understands the opportunity this set-up would create to exploit it with a 'conventional' entry at 'x'. At press time, the tentative point 'C' low was 1269.90, implying a long entry would trigger at 1270.60. If the futures ease lower, particularly if this generates a new point 'C' low falling within 0.50 or so of A= 1266.00 (1221.00 at 9:00 a.m.), you can fashion a 'counterintuitive' entry trigger. _______ UPDATE (Dec 22, 9:25 a.m.): The trade triggered at 1270.00 (1:00 a.m.) and is targeted on a minimum 1274.90. As always, we should want to see a pop through a Hidden Pivot resistance if we're going to continue to give bulls the benefit of the doubt. The next important resistance,  from a 12/4 peak, lies at 1280.50, and a move past it would be most encouraging.

Treasurys have taken a shellacking on expectations that the GOP's tax package will cause the economy to boom and inflation to leap. I have serious doubts about this but am keeping an open mind. Regardless, the chart shown makes a strong case that rates on the 10-Year Note are headed up to at least 2.57%, or possible even 3.11%, in 2018. That would be the sharpest increase we've seen since the bull market in stocks began in 2009. It would still be well within the limits of a corrective move in a bond bull-market that has been running for nearly four decades. If the crucial 'midpoint' resistance at 2.57% were to be exceeded by two consecutive weekly bars, I would infer more upside is coming to the 3.11% target. _______ UPDATE (Dec 27, 5:49 p.m. EST): If 2.27% were to be touched before 2.57%, it would damage the bond bears' case while suggesting interest rates have peaked.

The stock market has turned comatose even as bitcoin's breathtaking swings wax increasingly violent. We added to a profitable paper position in bitcoin an hour ago (see $BRTI tout below) using a limit bid and a wide stop-loss designed to cushion the trade against a pretty nasty squall. The purpose of these trades, which are being disseminated to FXStreet.com, is to demonstrate the suitability of Rick's Picks' proprietary 'mechanical' entry technique for getting aboard bitcoin even when it is out to kill, cripple and maim.

We went off the beaten path during this session, setting up an option calendar spread in DIA designed to leverage a compelling rally target at 251.01. I described this tactic in an article I wrote years ago for Stocks, Futures & Options magazine, but this recording summarizes the material visually in just a few minutes. We also looked for day-trading opportunities in the E-Mini S&Ps, Boeing, Bitcoin and Amazon.

Several of the trading vehicles tracked below are within 2-3 days' distance of important Hidden Pivot targets, although they could all get there today if the stock market goes on a wilding spree. The target for bull-market superstar Boeing is particularly clear, so I've provided explicit details for anyone wanting to short the stock with a tight stop-loss. If you don't subscribe but would like access to this information, click here for a two-week trial subscription that will give you free access to all of the services and features of Ricks Picks for two weeks.

We've held a 194.77 rally target in mind for quite a while, but let me offer an alternative target at 184.10 based on the pattern shown. This Hidden Pivot resistance does not invalidate the higher one, but I am proffering it simply because it looks like it is almost certain to be achieved. This is mostly because of the way buyers impaled the red-line midpoint pivot at 163.16 in late October.  A pullback to that number would be a back-up-the-truck 'mechanical' buy, although I don't foresee any selloff being quite so brutal. Alternatively, a 'camouflage' entry at the pink line, a 'secondary' Hidden Pivot, will probably work best for getting aboard from near these levels. If you are interested in the trade, let me know in the chat room and I will provide timely guidance. ______ UPDATE (Dec 27, 6:15 p.m.): AAPL has gotten shaken down yet again by the same brazen dirtballs who have always called the shots in the stock.  Their rationale for temporarily pulling their bids was the overly familiar story that iPhone sales will fall short of expectations. Does anyone still fall for this line? In any event, it will have no bearing on my bullish outlook for the stock. That would change only if AAPL falls below 165.28.________ UPDATE (Jan 2, 8:46 p.m.): AAPL has entered its third straight month of tedious ups and downs. I would call them gratuitous but for the fact that it has all been preparation for a move to the rally targets noted above. Bored half to death, we have almost no chance of getting aboard at just the right time, which for all I know is...now.  Even so, I'll continue to track and forecast the stock because of its bellwether status and the fact that AAPL by capitalization is

We hold a position consisting of two round lots with a cost basis that has been reduced by profit-taking to 14022. Entry came on December 8 via an explicit recommendation to get long at 16042. This paper-trade was offered mainly to demonstrate the ease and effectiveness of a tactic known by Rick's Picks subscribers as a 'mechanical' entry. The set-up is designed to hold risk and reward constant at 1:3 from entry to exit.  Currently, my price target is 22,101, a 'Hidden Pivot' resistance that is also my minimum upside projection for $BRTI, a non-trading CME symbol that aggregates the order books of some the most popular bitcoin exchanges. I am now recommending that traders exit a third round lot (from an original four) at 20616. I will also recommend bidding 15671 for two round lots, stop 14021, good through Friday. This would double the size of our position. An attempt to do so on Tuesday morning at 17319 got timed out because I'd advised a noon expiration. Please note that these trades are being offered on this site and at FXStreet.com to help allay skepticism that bitcoin can be tamed for trading purposes. As more such trades are proffered in the future, I would suggest that you keep score of profits and losses based on whether my recommendations would have worked for you personally. In general, my instructions will be detailed, explicit and timely, and entry will almost invariably be by way of limit bids. _______ UPDATE (Dec 20, 5:34 p.m. EST): The 15671 bid filled moments ago. I'll be interested to see whether the increasingly violent swings in this vehicle can take out our very wide stop-loss at 14021.  If so, it will have been bitcoin's most spectacular dive so far -- $5685, or 29%, in just a