Gold

The pattern shown looks too pretty not to work, and that means the futures are likely to fall to at least p=3276.40 (the midpoint Hidden Pivot support, shown as a red line) before they can attempt to surpass C=3389.30. True, the pattern lacks a one-off-point 'A'. But the well-formed A-B impulse leg, which exceeded two prior 'external' lows, more than compensates for this flaw.  Assuming the correction resumes in earnest this week, 3276.40 will be an opportune spot to try bottom-fishing with as tight a stop-loss as you can abide. Alternatively, if bullion's canny handlers gut my bearish pattern by popping the futures above C=3389.30, I wouldn't get too excited, since gold's rallies have gone nowhere since April.

Gold's tedious consolidation for a shot at 3681.60 is now well into its third month, sapping my enthusiasm for pretending there is something interesting to talk about. The August contract has tripped several profitable 'mechanical' buy signals since mid-May, but each required close tending to produce a win.  For the time being, the best opportunity we are likely to see would entail buying at the 'd' target of a reverse pattern on the chart shown, or perhaps the 60-minute. I will signal this if warranted.

The pattern shown in the inset sucks for trading because the 'a' and 'c' highs are nearly equal, and because the a-b leg did not surpass any prior 'external' lows. That's why I'll suggest paper trading this one unless you know how to craft a small-pattern trigger (aka 'camouflage') that can reduce the $8200 entry risk to $270 or less per contract. However, merely spectating should help us determine with greater confidence whether the soul-crushing tedium of the last two months is more likely to give way to a breakout, or a breakdown. Regardless, if the August contract touches the green line (x=3394.70), that would trigger a theoretical 'mechanical' short, stop 3477. If the hypothetical trade produces a profit, that will imply that bears have at least a small edge at the moment. ______ UPDATE (Jul 7, 1:45 a.m. EDT): The futures will fall to at least 3301.80 before they can find a foothold. Bottom-fish there with a tight rABC trigger if you are familiar with the tactic. Otherwise, I'd suggest spectating.

Sellers savaged the 3313.20 midpoint support with such ease last week that the futures are likely to continue down to at least p2=3231.60. And if they fail to get a strong bounce from that Hidden Pivot, expect the correction to hit D=3150.00. An additional possibility is that the turn will come from near the middle of the gap between p and p2, or between p2 and D. Unfortunately, the only way one can trade that scenario with risk tightly controlled is to watch for the turn on a chart of every small (i.e., one- or two-minute) bar chart. And here's one more possible bottom-fishing opportunity for Pivoteers who know how to craft a low-risk trigger: 3253.30, a voodoo number. ________ UPDATE (Jul 2, 1:19 a.m.) The futures opened on a gap down to 3250.50 on Sunday afternoon, triggering a long entry at 3257.60. (The 'reverse' used to fashion the trigger can be found on the 30-min chart, where a=3266.50 on 6/27 at 9:00 a.m.) The pattern, the only one available, could not have produced a losing trade, but it triggered at a time of day when relatively few would have been watching. I have not established a tracking position because no one reported getting long.

I've masked the proprietary origins of the 3326.40 target shown, but suffice it to say it is the 'd' Hidden Pivot target of a big 'reverse' pattern. However you slice it, it looks like a promising spot to try bottom-fishing with a stop-loss as tight as 1.50-2.00 points. It can also be used as a minimum downside objective, since the 'd' target of a smaller reverse pattern was exceeded on Friday. The overshoot was just a point or two, but that is enough for us to infer that more weakness is coming.  We used a similarly derived target last week to get aboard a $33 upthrust within $2 of the low.  Gold has been equally nasty toward bulls and bears alike over the last two weeks, but if it breaks the 3326.40 support easily, it is bulls who are likely to get flayed -- all the way down to as low as 3251.40, or even 3176.40. I'm not saying much about the bullish case because gold has been such a little sonofabitch lately, but if it surprises by heading higher Sunday evening, look for a run-up to at least 3437.80, the midpoint Hidden Pivot resistance of a conventional pattern on the hourly chart (A= 3313.10 on 6/8). A close above that number would indicate still more upside to at least 3519.40. My longer-term projection is quite bullish and calls for a rally to 3695.30. _______ UPDATE Jun 24, 10:12 a.m. EDT): The futures have breached a would-be concrete midpoint support at 3326.40, and that means they are likely to fall to at least 3251.40; or, if that Hidden Pivot support fails, to a worst-case 3176.40. Either number can be bottom-fished aggressively, provided you have the chops to limit entry risk to no more than $250 per contract.  Here's the chart.

Bulls finally broke through a crucial midpoint Hidden Pivot resistance at 3423.20 after weeks of pumping and priming, clearing the way for more upside to at least p2=3559.20, the pattern's secondary pivot. As always, its decisive breach would portend a likely finishing stroke to D=3695.30. We are unlikely to see a swoon back to the green line (x=3281.10), but if this should occur, plan on bottom-fishing there 'mechanically' with a 3151.00 stop-loss. More immediately, if the future haven't exceeded 3467.00, you can try bottom-fishing around 3356.80. That number could be expected to work exactly but for the fact that it coincides with a previous low at 3358.50 recorded on June 12 that is going to attract too many eyeballs. _______ UPDATE (Jun 16, 2:59 p.m. EDT): With Wall Street celebrating “risk-off” like there will be a million bright tomorrows, bullion is getting hit especially hard. Just remember, the selling is being orchestrated by agents who are eager to buy the stuff. I expect the fake carnage to continue down to 3361.70 [modified] before the futures turn around. August Gold is currently trading around 3407.90. _______ UPDATE (Jun 19, 9:12 a.m. EDT):  My revised correction target for August Gold (see above) came within $2.10 of nailing the v-shaped low of a so-far $33 rally. It's too early to tell whether this will mark an important bottom, but if you got aboard near the low, you should be out of a third to half of the position with a partial profit of as much as $3,000 per contract. Assuming the bounce continues, the closest target is 3419.00. Here's a graph that shows it all. _______ UPDATE (Jun 20, 1:22 a.m. EDT):  The futures have relapsed after rallying sharply from within an inch of my 3361.70 correction target (see above). I recommend playing for

The strong rally materialized on schedule, then stalled almost precisely at the 3423.20 midpoint Hidden Pivot resistance that I'd flagged. Bulls will need to exceed this impediment decisively to clear a path for more upside to the 3559.20 'secondary' pivot, and thence D=3695.30. I'd said that last target would take 5-7 weeks to reach, but there can be no guarantees it will be reached at all until such time as p=3423.20 is left choking on prop wash. More immediately, plan on bottom-fishing if the futures pull back to x=3287.10. A 3150.00 stop-loss would be appropriate, but you'll need to employ your own risk-reduction strategy to pare the theoretical entry risk of $13,700 per contract down to something closer to $300.  I do this by using a much smaller 'trigger' pattern to get me aboard, a somewhat labor-intensive tactic called 'camouflage'

Gold's bull market remains solidly intact, but it is in no hurry at the moment to push up to the $5000 level as its handlers presumably intend. In the meantime, expect the futures to mark time with a drift down into the $3000-$3100 range, where they could cruise effortlessly for months until it's time to stretch the bullish imagination yet again. Alternatively, a decisive push above $3400 would imply that the sovereign entities that have been doing most of the buying sense a further escalation of geopolitical trouble on the horizon. The 'D' rally target associated with a 3393.10 midpoint resistance lies at 3662.80, the highest target I could foresee over the next 5-7 weeks. (Please note that 3423.20 is the equivalent midpoint resistance for the August Comex contract. It is tied to a 'D' target at 3695.30.) ______ UPDATE (June 3, 12:12 a.m.): An explosive overnight rally has pushed the August contract to a so-far high at 3417.80 that lies just an inch from the 3423.20 midpoint resistance I'd said was key. A decisive move past it will clinch more upside to at least p2=3559.20, and thence to the 3695.30 'D' target given above as my maximum upside objective for the next 5-7 weeks.

A 3360.50 rally target kept us confidently on board last week, even though DaBoyz tried their hardest to shake bulls loose on Thursday. Notice that the futures slightly exceeded the target by $6.  The 0.17% overshoot may not seem significant, but it has bullish implications in this case because the target, a Hidden Pivot resistance, should have worked precisely.  The next rally target lies at 3393.10, the midpoint resistance of a bigger, conventional pattern going back to April 7's 2970.40 low. It is tied to a 'D' target at 3662.80 that lies $153 above the previous record.