MOVE INDEX BONDS SET TO HAVE CRISIS The chart of the move index aka BOND VIX is showing a high level of Complacency as the bonds are in sharp decline phases The worst is yet to come as the Panic in the debt markets has not been seen. Inflation and deep recession is in my model and forecast for the next 18 plus months .
JNK
Weekly Indicator Panel WARNED last weekend...ALL Red Flags already, as warned by my panel of leading indicators.
You would see that all threshold have been triggered and are clearly red flags IF the week closes at current levels. The week has not ended, but it appears bad enough.
There should be an attempt tp recover somewhat, but overall appears that Santa Claus might crash this rally this year. Furthermore, the year end and year start are keen indicators of the year ahead as well... so watch closely.
Weekly Leading Indicator Panel warns...Reviewing the Weekly charts, especially for the leading indicators, it appears that there is a warning of downside risk imminent.
SG10Y bond yield are about to break out.
JNK TLT and TIP all have bearish engilfing that covers the previous gap up.
Thing is, the coombined US equities chart is somewhat bullish, with a rough bearish harami at the bearish best indication.
Even SOXL appears to be bullish somewhat...
No action needed, but just an early warning given to set the boundaries yet again... looks like the Christmas Rally just fizzled out.
Weekly Leading Indicators: BEARISHManaged to streamline down to these couple of charts for a set of leading indicators. Simple trend analysis and techincals are being used here for Weekly charts and so weekly analysis is appropriate to set the stage for a top down view.
First up (on the top right corner) is the Combined US equities chart that shows a strong marubozu the previous week (from elections outcome). However, the following week was not a confirmation, but instead casts doubt on the sustainability of the spike to rally on.
Point being, the massive breakout is met with a Dark Cloud Cover that breaks back into the Decision Box (purple box) which was previously marked out for the consolidation range boundaries. Typically when a breakout is followed by a breakin, it tends to follow through to the other end... a break down from the box support. Yellow circle is where it should go through or bounce at.
What gives on this is that the following Leading indicators are eluding to...
SG10Y Govt Bond Yields
The uncanny correlation of this to the US Equities Indexes is remarkable and have been a hallmark of my recent posts and analyses. Here we have a breakout of the trendline resistance. Means equity markets are going Bear.
RED Flag
High Yield Bonds ETF (JNK)
JNK looks to break the uptrend trailstop line, with a lower high that now has a Dark Cloud Cover as well.
AMBER Flag
TIPS and TLT
Both have broken uptrend trailstops and are downtrending with a recent low. These are well known market leading indicators.
RED Flags
Semiconductor ETF (SOXL)
Noted, and personal favourite, SOXL is clearly bearish from simple candlestick patterns.
RED Flag
So, overall, we have Leads telling us it is BEARISH again.
Heads up!
Market Leading Indicators - suggests DOWNThis is my most summarized panel of leading indicators which I use to assist in the determination of market projections, over and above technical indicators.
The SG10Y is about to break out
The JNK bonds are breaking down
Both TIPS and TLT have already broken down the uptrend support (bearish trend now)
The SOXL (semicon ETF) and the combined US Equities are just about to keel over.
Leads have turned down or are at the turning point.
Heads up!
Galloping SPYThis chart is frightening. It suggests that SPY can become a modern-day example of Galloping Gertie, the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge which collapsed from nothing more than wind.
I have said it before, 2022 was the year when an Equity Crash didn't actually happen, while we were all talking about it.
It is but a scratch. But with a bleeding chopped-off arm, how long can you last in war?
Instead of an equities being killed, a Bond Crash came, and nobody has talked about its ramifications.
This is the European Bond, one of the most stable, until 2021. Imagine what has happened in corporate bonds. We can never know for sure the sheer extent of the destruction...
In stock market, higher is not necessarily better. Higher is riskier.
SPY is considered to be diamonds. JUNK Bonds are, well, junk.
Imagine the balance shift when this trend breaks. And it very much it will.
It is statistics after all. The more times you get heads repeatedly, the rarer the event.
Think, for how long has SPY been diamond, and JNK junk?
With yield rates peaking problems may arise. The bond market will suddenly revive again.
As a byproduct, dollar will get a massive hit. Some charts suggests that its days are numbered.
This chart calculates dollar strength based on the value of its total supply. If a currency manages to get printed a lot and sustain high strength, then it must be good. Especially if it pays out good yield rates. Rate cuts in US isn't good news for Dixie...
Tread lightly, for you are dead. You just don't know it yet.
-Father Grigori
Final thought:
Rate cuts can be a double-edged sword.
If FED announces rate cuts, this gives two messages.
-- Financial strength has weakened and rate cuts must come to keep the economy afloat. Bad news can trigger Black Swans. The 2008 crisis followed after rate cuts, not rate hikes.
-- Rate cuts will trigger a massive flow of money into bonds, emptying the equity market.
Careful what you wish for, and what you prepare for.
High Yield Corporate Bonds as indicator for Risk AppetiteThis is not something I would use as a trading signal by itself, but it is a good indicator on the weekly chart of how bigger players are viewing risk appetite.
High yield corporate bonds, as seen reflected in ETFs like AMEX:HYG and AMEX:JNK , are an interest data point. High yield implies that these are riskier bonds with a higher chance of default on the debts. Just like as individuals, we have credit scores and when we apply for loans, the interest rate can vary depending on how the bank rates us risk-wise on perceived ability to pay back the debt, those who have a lower score might get a higher interest loan because they are considered higher risk of default. Same basic principle applies to corporate debt.
When liquidity is flowing and the economy overall looks good, large investors/investment banks will feel better about buying riskier high-yield bonds and other debts because we're in an economy paradigm where there's a better chance that not enough of those will default to cause significant harm to the debt holders.
But, when the economy is getting pinched for whatever reason and liquidity starts to dry up, high risk, high yield debts are much less desired due to perceived increased risk of default.
Sometimes the high yield debt moves pretty close in tandem with the market, see for example the dumping that happened during the 2020 COVID panic.
Before and after that, you can often see a bearish divergence in AMEX:HYG and AMEX:JNK many weeks before the S&P finally tops out and begins its decline. The above chart, you can see the decline become more obvious as we wind down 2017 and head into 2018, then also see it again pretty obviously in the second half of 2021 before the sell off for most of 2022 started.
Both AMEX:HYG and AMEX:JNK came online around 2007-8 timeframe, just before the GFC. You can see a pretty steady decline right from the beginning there, and a rapid rebound as things find bottom.
What is interesting is how far both AMEX:HYG and AMEX:JNK came down throughout 2022, and while equities have since had a nice recovery bounce for most of 2023, the high yield bonds have not had such a recovery. It's actually instead slowly condensing price action with slightly higher lows, but also lower highs. We seem to be nearing the end of that wedge and hopefully soon we get an answer on what the risk appetite really is of risky debt, because it will be a solid signal of where equities may be headed next.
Personally, I'm already seeing some indications that as we approach the end of the year, we may see a larger dip in equities. For how long and how large, that remains to be seen. For right now, we're having a recovery rally from selling off most of August and I'm not seeing any indication it's a good time to go against that trend, but that may change in the coming weeks.
Significant Divergence in equity markets and leading indicatorsObservable for weeks now, and recently, the divergence is much more pronounced.
What I am referring to are that the equity markets appear to be more and more bullish, breaking out of trendlines; while the leading indicators (TIP, TLT, JNK and inversely VXX) show an imminent deterioration, about to breakdown of trendlines.
The combined US equity markets and particularly the NASDAQ itself is very bullish, spiking up and hard in the last two weeks, extending further from mean.
So, going forward the next couple of weeks, either one of two needs to happen.
EITHER, the equity indexes continue the upward surge and the leading indicators reverse course to align and exceed (and return to be leading indicators);
OR the equity indexes breakdown really hard to converge with the leading indicators.
Watch for the latter, as the leading indicators break down of the trend line and show commitment. Then the equity markets may give a swift reversion into convergence and confluence.
There are many ways to look at this and many more parameters to add in, but keeping it as simple as I would, perhaps waiting and watching for the next couple of weeks might be better than taking a committed position.
Stay safe, keep a watchful look, be ready...
Good news for stocks, bonds are bottoming $JNKAMEX:JNK is an ETF that tracks rated high-yield bonds or "junk bonds". These are the bonds rated Ba1 & BB+ by Moody's Investors Service, Inc., & Fitch Inc. respectively.
The bullish divergence with the ROC is pointing out that a bottom is near.
Bonds bottoming is a good sign for the market and breakout to the upside should confirm a healthy uptrend for stocks.
This ETF has a high correlation with the AMEX:SPY ; 0.7021 for the last 3 years, so, let's wait and see.
No recessionJNK/TLT explodes. In my opinion this only can be if no recession is seen in the near future.
It could also mean: TLT falls extremly fast because FED and Japan/China sell US T-Bonds at the same time in amounts which the market cannot handle at all.
The cracks in the system became obvious...
Leading Indicators are very BearishThe JNK ETF is heading further down with a big bearish Marubozu that is the YTD low -> Bearish for equities.
The IWM ETF is also heading further down for a lower low with a bearish Marubozu engulfing -> Bearish for equities
The DJT ETF ended on a recent low too -> Bearish for equities
The VALUG has a bearish candle for more downside -> Bearish for equities
The TIPS ETF bearish marubozu ending on a YTD low-> Bearish for equities
The TLT ETF is diving -> no flight to safety, just selling.
The VIX is coiling -> bearish outlook for equities, more volatility incoming when it spikes!
The HG1! copper futures ended on a strong low for the week, and will be attacking support. Expect failure.
Overall, very Bearish bias on equities for the next couple of weeks, and at least until the VIX spikes very hard before retracing (it is only coiling now...)
Have corporate bonds bottomed?The Corporate bond market got extremely oversold and it bounced without the Fed having to pivot. Essentially the market got to 2013-2018 levels, and bounced nicely at the old support. But we still don't know whether the bottom is in or now, as there are more questions that need to be answered, like: Does the market expect the Fed to reverse course soon? Does the market think the bottom is in for bond yields? Does it think inflation has peaked?
In my opinion the market did the tightening itself without the Fed. The Fed did a mistake for not raising rates and ending QE faster, however they were right on their approach to go slowly, as one way or another inflation would slow down. By inflation slowing down down I don't mean that prices will go down, just that prices will go up a lot less than they did over the last 1-2 years. At the same time I do believe that as inflation comes down, it is possible that we get to see the Fed say that they will pause their hikes after raising them to around 2% and will let their balance sheet roll off on its own.
Essentially higher interest rates, lower asset prices, tight fiscal and monetary policy, and already high energy prices are crushing demand. The Fed was/is behind the curve, but as the curve seems to be now moving to the direction of the Fed. To a large extend their objective has been achieved, as this correction was similar to the 2018 correction, only that this time around the correction was welcomed when back then it wasn't.
Now I don't really think the bottom is in for corporate bonds, however I also don't think they are going to roll over very quickly. If the food & energy crisis gets worse, I have no doubt that these will get crushed. It just seems that in the short-medium term things will cool down a bit and part of them Fed's goals have been achieved. The US economy remains fairly strong and its corporations are in a fairly good shape, despite everything that has been going in the world over the last few years.
Having said all that I don't want to be a buyer of HYG at 80. At those levels I think it is better to short and aim for 77-78, and then if the price action looks decent, go long at those levels. The bounce is too sharp for it to have legs to go higher immediately. I'd expect more chop in the 75-81 area before the market decides whether it is going to go higher or lower.
Leading Indicators Reversal Still BearishThe JNK ETF looks like it is heading further down still -> Bearish for equities.
The IWM ETF is likely to follow through after closing at a low -> Bearish for equities
The DJT ETF looks a tad bearish too -> Bearish for equities
The VALUG looking to fail support, with a bearish candle for more downside -> Bearish for equities
The TIPS ETF continue down draft-> Bearish for equities
The TLT ETF is still diving -> still not seeing any flight to safety.
The VIX just broke out above the trendline -> very Bearish for equities
The HG1! copper futures downtrending
Overall, rather Bearish bias on equities