Articles of Interest

Sunday, January 22, 2012

SPX and BKX Updates: Rare Top Indicator Triggered on Friday

Before I get to the indicators and market charts, I want to do a quick update about domestic mutual fund flows, with some new data that has come to my attention.

Last week, we discussed the high number of mutual fund outflows which have been ongoing for several months.  Let's take a look at the updated mutual fund flow chart, courtesy of Lee Adler at the Wall Street Examiner, and then the new data I want to discuss.  Here are Lee's comments regarding the chart which follows:

Domestic equity mutual funds had $0.7 billion of net inflows in the week ended 1/1/12, up from $7.1 billion in net outflows the week before, which was the highest level of weekly outflows since August.  This was the first week of inflows since last April, which was nearly coincident with the top of the market at that time.  Total outflows for November were $14.3 billion and for December are estimated at $18.2 billion based on the weekly data. The projection for January based on the first two weeks is for outflows of $13-14 billion. That would continue a bearish signal on the chart.  A continuation of heavy outflows could eventually take a toll on stock prices.



Some analysts are taking the large outflows as a sign that the public is bearish.  I have a different theory, and feel that the recent outflows have little to do with sentiment.  Before I outline my theory, let's first look at some facts:

1)  The personal savings rate in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level since December 2007 (the early stages of the last bear).

2)  Loans taken against individual retirement savings accounts rose 20% in 2011.

3)  According to Aon Hewitt, nearly one-third of all people with retirement savings accounts have outstanding loans against those accounts.

These facts underpin why I don't think the huge mutual outflows are primarily due to a bearish public, although certainly some are.  Based on the above statistics, it seems to me that a good chunk of these outflows are happening because people actually need the money.  Certainly, demographics are at play as well, since the over-sized baby-boomer generation is gradually retiring and turning from net savers to net spenders; but that's akin to "needing the money."  In any case, I think to just write off the outflows as being symptomatic of a "bearish public" ignores the supporting facts.  The public outflows appear to be a sign that the economy is still quite sick.

That said, we still have the ongoing flood of cash fleeing Europe to give the bulls more firepower.  I'm not going to re-hash this point, as it was already covered in last Wednesday's update, but Europe remains the X-factor in this market, and could be the reason that numerous top signal indicators have failed. 

Speaking of, there was another topping signal triggered late last week.  This is a pretty rare signal, which has only occurred three times in the prior 4 years.  The signal triggers when VIX:TNX closes outside its lower Bollinger band concurrent with a major index closing outside its upper band.  It's a sign the market has become quite overbought and over-confident (complacent).  Compare the current market position with the last two times this signal triggered on the chart below.  The S&P 500 is shown in the top panel.

 
Can Europe blow-up this indicator too?  We'll find out soon enough, I suppose.

The next chart is another top indicator, which has fallen just shy of where I like to place the signal line.  However, last week it reached levels which also frequently coincide with tops.  The indicator compares the volume on the Nasdaq as a ratio of volume to the New York Stock Exchange.  When the ratio meets or exceeds 2.6, it indicates excessive speculation in the "riskier" Nasdaq stocks, complacency, and "rally chasing" by investors.  The ratio recently fell just shy of the 2.6 level, which still indicates a high degree of optimism and complacency.


Again, I ask:  Can Europe blow-up this indicator too?  

In case they do, I have spent some time looking for alternate long-term counts.  Elliotticians seem to be mainly divided down the middle as to what's happening next for the market: some are expecting a top soon, as I am -- others are expecting a massive nose-bleed rally to new all-time highs.  I don't view that as likely, but I suppose if the flood of money from Europe intensifies, it might become conceivable. However, I wanted to see if there was something in-between these two extremes which might be viable, and I think there is.

Now, keep in mind that this chart below is my alternate count, not my preferred view of the long-term -- largely because I continue to believe that the wave off the 2011 highs is an impulse wave, which means new lows are still needed.  However, depending on what happens over the next week or two, the market may give new input that requires me to shift my viewpoint.

This chart also adds another, slightly humorous, top indicator (or bottom indicator, for that matter) to the dozen other ones: 8 out of 10 times when I start giving serious consideration to an count that is markedly more bullish or bearish than my preferred big picture count, a reversal is very nearby.  A little more anecdotal than objective, but maybe publishing this chart will finally trigger the reversal. 


The next chart is the short term SPX wave count.  I can see two likely possibilities in this chart, and I'm pretty torn as to which I'm favoring.  The first is the same count that was shown on Friday, which suggests this wave up still wants to head a little higher, into the 1320's. 

The second (black alternate) has some appealing characteristics, however.  Readers will recall that I previously believed the rally to be part of an ending diagonal;  this black count explains the a-b-c appearance of the rally as being part of a leading diagonal first wave.  This would account for the overall form of the structure, and the fact that the rally has continued despite its presumed completion.


The last chart is the Philadelphia Banking Index (BKX), which also shows a wave structure that appears to be nearing completion. 


In conclusion, there are many indicators, both common and esoteric, which are suggesting that the rally is massively overbought and due for a correction at the minimum -- or a serious decline if my long-term view is correct.  The caveat, of course, is that past performance is never a guarantee of future results, and maybe the goings-on in Europe are temporarily distorting the accuracy of these indicators and wave structures.  Is this time really different after all?  We simply have no way of knowing, so I have to continue to give the benefit of the doubt to the odds... and the odds still favor a top very soon.  Trade safe.

The original article, and many more, can be found at http://PretzelCharts.blogspot.com 

319 comments:

  1. Here is the gap fill attempt

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  2. Hawaii earthquake was a 2.5, amazing how many of these happen every day, very common.

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  3. Great post PL, I agree with you about the impulse down  count... we will see what category it falls into very soon imo. . .

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  4. Well, stopped out of that last trade while I was afk.  Just as well.

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  5. What do I mean with "riding the little waves"? 

    Here an example from today. 
    Ok, that was a nice one, if it killed my stop you would not get to see it. But most of the time it is working...


    Why entry: http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/1894/forexchartsfreeforexchak.jpg
    That's what followed: http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4672/forexchartsfreeforexcha.jpg

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  6. Tops are a process, not an event. I expect, from the character of this mrkt for there to be a number of doji forms (up 3 days worth?) up here before any down, if down is next. Could also be a double top, down for a couple of days, then up again, then down.

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  7. Oh, I fully agree that it's a process.  That's why I take little stabs and exit if nothing. 

    This is world wide web contrarian indicator?  :D

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  8. Europe is about to reach a great agreement: Europe do not agree on the Fiscal Compact, Europe no not agree to increase the ESM (IMF Fund to svae states) and Europe do not still agree on how to save Greece. But Goldman Sachs is optimistic, GS agrees and the worst European banks today are jumping 9%. Are we on a Top?

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  9. Never!  The market will go up forever, stocks have reached a permanently high plateau and all that.  :)

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  10. I heart sarcasm LOL...GOOOOOOOOD Morning :)
    Futures being up reminds me of a smitten teenager..."Do ya love me PSI?"..."Yes Ms. Market I really love you. Now let's get into something more comfortable."

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  11. punny...break....(no comment) ;D

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  12. Some past comments ~ $VIX (regarding DAY chart) "Remember, $VIX could get inside the BBs, then go back outside as a good
    head fake or double tap, action is not always immediate."

    "Unsustainable spike to 1313 ES in Globex or RTH Monday then major sell
    off" 

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  13. Hi PL,

    thanks for the update and as always great work.

    Wtf is going on with Dollar Index?

    Your latest update had red (i) to 79,84
    Im not a EW expert, so the question - is your favorable count still in play although dollar went below 79,84 today.
    Or should I say - anything in EW rules that just took your preferable count out of play? Is a "feakout breakout" (or what you call it) down possible?

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  14. C-S Now that's a parabola! (great illustration)...I missed buying at the top by just 3 months. The good thing is that due to historically gently sloping craptastic housing prices in the area, we have only been hit about 5-10% for existing homes. I'd hate to have been a new McMansion buyer.

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  15. The good thing about EW is, you can use it on a lot of underlyings in nearly every time frame. So sometimes I wonder, why people get stuck in one ugly looking chart (underlying and time frame) and need to trade that beast. If you see a nice move, in any time frame in any liquid market, e.g. a toilet manufacturing company, go for it. Why bother trading unclear situations. Thats mostly just a waste of money and time. The setup rules. 
    But I guess, thats not news to you... :)

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  16. PL, several months ago you posted a chart, I think from the WSE that showed the amount of money be shoved out by the FED to primary dealers, can you do that again in tommorows update.

    Also, you keep mentioning money from Eurpe, I doubt that the source of these Euros are individuals or even hedge funds and more likely the dollar swaps for the Euros printed and given thru their ESF that are filtering into our equity market and will remain here until they have to start really buying bonds in the omming months.

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  17. im not too sure on AAPL. They might have amazing earnings due to their iphone sales alone.

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  18. That'd be a once a lifetime view I'd say. Not to understate the notion of all the people that would  be harmed, just saying I find nature has a tendency to be beautiful and dangerous at the same time

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  19. Thanx PL, donation coming soon,put it towards a new pc. ;•)

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  20. There is pretty good supporting info that a great deal of it is individuals fleeing the European banking system en masse.

    As far as the Fed goes, they're actually quietly trying to contract the money supply because of the flood from Europe.

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  21. Dollar looks to be in a much more complex correction.

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  22. another day climbing the wall of worry...

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  23. ps- the market doesn't care if money inflow is domestic or foreign, it'll take any money

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  24. Obviously.

    Not seeing the wall of worry, though -- with bear in the 20% range, that's not "wall of worry," -- that's wall of no fear.  ;)

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  25. LOL...just like a troll under a bridge...Time to get back under the bridge for you :)

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  26. What worry ?  The Dow is obviously headed to infinity.  Has there been a decent red print since, um, October ?

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  27. USDINDEX looks like main culprit here for SPX to climb the wall (as they have inverse relation). USDINDEX has clear impulse wave downside and getting into 5th wave now, expected to stop at 79.43. As this is 5 wave move, it expects 3 wave upmove and taken another 5 wave move downside to the levels of 78.75 to 78.0. So seems like SPX topping doesnt seems like in near future (seems like 1350) inverse h&s pattern target ????

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  28. 2 things MUST be closely watched, TODAY, all day long, as I already said several times, last week.  For IF they break: bear TROUBLE.

    1. MAJOR gold price resistance at $1680, resistance establish for MANY powerful reasons, must NOT be broken, and, right NOW, it is very close to breaking, there was a stab up close to it earlier today, to $1678, and if it breaks $1680, next stop is $1760, in a 'nosebleed' gold rally, to match the spx, going way above, the next major point I will make:

    2. DOW INDUSTRIALS MUST hold below prior may 2011 top of 12810, which it is also, like gold, very close to BREAKING above it, at 12745 as I write this, and IF it breaks above prior high, just like gold, the chances of a 'nosebleed' further bull rally increase tremendously.

    MY opinion, for today:  IMO, both WILL break, they are TOO CLOSE to their max targets, both gold and DJI, because both have strong momentum today, to just stop all of a sudden, and turnaround.  Therefore, I give it right now, 1015am et, an 80% chance, that that 'unlikely' 'nosebleed' rally, will soon be here.

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  29. To infinity and beyond!

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  30. Good morning Anon. Thanks for your input.

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  31. Nice. I keep thinking that based on my admittedly limited observations, EWP seems to work most reliably on time frames of one minute or one week, and anything in between can start getting dodgy very quickly.

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  32. WORRY ABOUT MISSING OUT ON THE RALLY!

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  33. oh boy, people like this make me worry we're going to keep going up- way to confident in the bear case -  he need to be stopped out before the market can turn

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  34. Is business slow at the bridge today?...Don't cry...It's just part of the business cycle. It'll get better. :((((

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  35. All cash...like I told Anon...just waiting for the top with a confirmed down. Learned my lesson awhile ago. Thanks for caring...

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  36. Check out this article forecasting market top on Jan 23, 2012.  The interesting thing is that this was written on Nov 29, 2011.

    http://www.financialsense.com/contributors/ed-carlson/2011/11/29/top-of-the-bear-market-rally-january-23-2012

    If the market actions leading to Fed's announcement on Wednesday are similar to what happened on Sep 19/20/21 (Fed's disappointment on Sep 21, 2011), then this article may turn out to be correct.

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  37. your first post was better

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  38. Something to watch:  AAPL broke through recent trendline support on Friday and is back-testing that line this morning. Not a recommendation but it is set up nicely as a short.  Could play out well to the downside with earnings tomorrow after the bell.

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  39. What I am doing is ST trading, long when W%R on the 120 ES  hits is low, cover and short when it hits it's high. Doing real well today, way above my quota of 8 points per day.

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  40. It was a pretty impressive downturn. Like a ballistic missile hitting apogee. It looked like the real deal.

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  41. es on my 5 min seemed to make a slight impulse down move..........but weve seen this occur over last 3 or so weeks to move back up......so....will wait n see.......me thinking state of union address will be negative and will be hard for me to watch without screaming at him.....fed news too.....sure to be fire works one way on another.   ..........sure felt some max pain this morning......

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  42. I have never heard of Lindsay, but it is an interesting read.

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  43. you check your email?

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  44. es just rejected VWAP and now probing friday high again.......if she sells here it may be start of something of a correction?

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  45. VIX above 19 , finally.

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  46. yes....thanks for that link.....financial sense folks are good.......theyve been pretty bullish for a while i believe

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  47. 30 yr bond yield hit 3.18% n 10 year hit 2.09%....................euro high i saw was 1.3042............looks to me that money ready to flow back into bonds n USD and out of equities??????????????

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  48. sorry for all the ???????  dont mean to spark emotions!!...haha

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  49. hey katz07   ur 1305 may be here soon

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  50. Wow, it's quiet in here today.Noticed that S&P bounced off the trendline at 1322.28...

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  51. huge money comin into VIX, VXX, TVIX..  good for Bears..

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  52. Very close to an outside reversal day ....

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  53. I tried posting this half hour ago, but this site's mb uploading and script is so huge, it now often crashes MY fucking connection.
    phead MUST reduce the upload asap to ONLY ONE DAY, only his last post, and not an entire fucking week of posts.

    here is what I TRIED to write over halfhour ago herein---



    I am going to add something else,
    because ALL markets are on RAZOR'S edge, right NOW.

    IF, by some miracle (due to REALIZATION, of a FULL 100% greek haircut, TODAY)
    the EXTREMELY close potential-breakages of the UBER important gold and DJI resistances, DO HOLD,
    THEN, TODAY intraday could whipsaw (just like oct. 4): or if not today, TOMORROW before market open, HUGE spx drop.

    ALSO, I have right now gone back to gold charts, to look for some EXACT breaking point in gold price (since it is so CLOSE now),
    and guess what, it's a bit higher than $1680, its $1681area, and PERFECT trendline down from all 3 prior tops, since $1923 mania top,
    is NOW touching the current rise to $1679, looks like a GREAT time for a BIG HUGE turnaround, IMO, today is a GREAT market day.

    SO, IF 12810 DJI HOLDS TODAY, THE BEARS FINALLY WIN-----BIGTIME.

    MY OPINION.

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  54. GC 1680 has been taking a beating since 11:15am, but now starting to ease. Katz, what’s your take on GC and SI (or GLD and SLV if you can’t see the futures)?

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  55. Silver still following big brother gold in your opinion?

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  56. Whip_sawed; The calm before the storm...
    Anons20; Gold made it to 1681... Do ya have any margin or are we about to goldrally..

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  57. SPX racing down to LOD of Friday, too.

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  58. anon......the 1680 on gold resisted so far

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  59. that should be a ST bottom, gradual up into mid aft, then more down me thinks...

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  60. not THAT looks toppy- spike to new high with immediate selloff

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  61. thanks anon....good info

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  62. retrace tgt 1308-10 but EW on the 5 min. is very short, dunno

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  63. Thanks for posting this, t_winn.  Interesting article.  Let's remember that the target dates (per the article) have a 3 to 5 day margin of error.  Only in hindsight will we know if this is/was correct. 

    The method seems a bit like hocus pocus, though.  One could pick a minor bottom or top every few weeks to measure from that would "fit" the target one is trying to prove or add weight to.  Just saying...

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  64. Agreed on the ST bottom and gradual up into mid aft.  The day's end is the big ????? 

    AAPL's upcoming earnings after Tuesday's close provides a lot of bullish hope (right or wrong) for the market.  Tuesday's close or Wednesday's open could be the ST,MT, or LT top we are all looking out for.

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  65. correctamundo.  silver is just a baby gold proxy, almost always is.  however, 33-35 dollar area was range for some time, so it should NOT enter it.  today, it was rejected at 32.60, however, IF gold breaks 1681 area, THEN silver will surely follow, back into 33-35 trading range.

    BUT the BIG one to follow RIGHT NOW, is th 12810 dji TOP from may 2011.  IF THAT BREAKS, foggehtabou it, this is a 'nosebleed' bull run.  Yet that seems to be holding up well now, as I wrote yesterday, HUMAN SELLERS stepped in, right before the 2011 top.

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  66. At some point, there may be more ETF's than stocks. According to SEC, 900+ new ones are under registration. :)

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  67. You guys send me the most amazing TA articles, like this one! Can't thank you enough.

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  68. FORGET obssessing on the spx, for NOW.
    FOLLOW the 120 year old DOW INDUSTRIALS,

    THEY are the TRUE SENTIMENT, of 'amerika the ugly.'
    DJI will tell all today, THE true TRUTH, about this 'bull rally.'

    12810.54 closing price.  will it HOLD STRONG, or break like a bitch?
    SO FAR, IT'S HOLDING STRONG.  So, this COULD BE IT, END of GSC5.

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  69. tgt hit ES 1308.75, might be a strong down in afternoon by the look of charts.

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  70. Flux timing says 1.5 hour downmove to start at 13:53 (new york time).

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  71. while you can do what you want, I would not go near this on the long side. . . 

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  72. The method doesn't make sense to me either. I was wondering if they count these days around the FED's schedule.  It is not difficult to pick FED meeting dates, make a bet which way the FED will go, and position a top or bottom around these dates.   Given that the market has been on the QE drug since 2008, this has a good chance of being right...

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  73. As a cohort to counting EW with price, I like to count waves of breadth.
    At the present, I'll proffer that we are in a wave 4 down (of 5 of C), with 'A' down completed, working on 'B' up.
    If wave 4 is to be completed by the close, then net advance/declines should be less than -958.
    If wave 4 spills into Tuesday AM, the calculation will differ.

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  74. VIX  call/put update:  fresh updated video from CBOE..  for those who want to know, Feb 19 Puts back on.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fya-B99dASs&feature=plcp&context=C33df8f9UDOEgsToPDskI34taj0Z9dAhnClITeAwyO

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  75. I have set my clock for the fireworks...Thanks DD

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  76. DJI got up to 12,760.6 earlier, then turned around FAST. 
    IS this THE TOP of GSC5, before MASSIVE ew 3-leg drop?

    THIS is a GREAT market day, to watch like a ghoul.
    GREAT to see, FINALLY, amerika's DESTRUCTIVE drama.

    'This is the way the world ends: This is the way the world ends:
    This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang but a whimper.'

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  77. thnx for the info sFL

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  78. No kidding. We've been round that prickly pear too many times.

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  79. Hellz to the no. Just looking at $RUT weeklies...It's ready to roll over probably 70 pts from just an eyeballin'. Just a theory.

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  80. The SPX got to within 6 points of the down trend line from the '07 high and then retreated.

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  81. Well it's nice to see you happy.

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  82.  that should be it for the upside it did hit 1310

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  83. Maybe a H&S forming on the spx 15-min chart projecting to 1298ish or so (1294 ES).

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  84. bears not following through. Needs to get around 1300 IMHO

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  85.  it cannot go above 1311 ES for more down today

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  86. This is another reason that I think that the market has to go down. The ETFs (like all derivatives), are just another form of leverage of some trading instrument. If you think about it in the simplest way, the more availability that is created like ETFs, ETNs, 2x, 3x, inverses, etc. (increasing supply in a paper way), the lower the price must go. Just a thought…and another reason that recent and current markets are different than historical; new trading “products”.

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  87. hi katz - how did you calculate 1311?

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  88. EW4 retrace, if it goes above it breaks the next EW5 and turns this into a up move

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  89. OKAY this is what I think. look at the 120 ES  (SPX will do) think we are putting in a retrace just under ES 1311, any higher as i said and the down will prolly be broken. w
    e have some work to do up on this shoulder

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  90. if it breaks below it then no

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  91. Electromagnetic burst arrives tomorrow.  Could be nothing.  Could be something.
    http://www.space.com/14319-huge-solar-eruption-sparks-radiation-storm.html 

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  92. timing bands closing, something is gunna happen, but timing bands do not give direction, watch oil for clue PMs detaching from mrkt direction

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  93. Still looks like an impulse down starting at 11:30am EST on the 10min. Maybe in wave 2 now.

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  94. yes,thought we would see above 1320 and then down move.  lets see how she reacts next trip up  to resistance. direction is up and has been up for 3 years now. there s your sign

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  95.  appears ES 11 held, this could be a real rout

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  96. Yep, looking like PMs are about to roll over too.

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  97. EUR/USD also turning over.

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  98. First hit Uranus square Pluto exact June 24, 2012.
    Second hit September 19, 2012.

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  99. haha spx green, what a joke this market is- a spike right through the bear heart

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  100. Interesting.  How would you interpret that square?

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  101. ps i am short, just laughing at how easy this market is controlled

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  102. stop grabbing, this is the work in the right shoulder we have to do

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  103. SPX retrace up to 1317.5 then back down to close even for the day

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  104. lots of HTF selling up here

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  105. VXX near its LOD, VXZ making new lows... points to a higher close from here.  No guarantees...

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  106. Precious Metals

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  107. I saw that and went long. Will ride the sucker till 1350.

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  108.  the 20/50 MAs just crossed on the 15, that should act to keep a lid on any up, who knows. . .

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  109. I think 1308 was tested and held.

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  110. another day, another selloff an rally into close... we'll see what appl does for the market

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  111. Just in ....
    Iran just hoist their white flag. Oil will tank. :)

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  112. TXN tonite.....MCD in am before open........AAPL after close tomorrow me thinks

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  113. I wouldn't go long except for very short term.  The market is poised for a drop.  VXX and VXZ are just letting us know that the direction is unlikely to change right now, but that could change very quickly.

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  114. is this thing struggling to go higher or lower right now? i have no freaking clue...my brain is mush watching this.

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  115. Are the any rules for A head and shoulders structure?

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  116. A large downside gap is very possible on any bad news.

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  117. I read it as investors are not nervous. VIX and VXX will probably continue to drop to historical norm., Which is around 15 for VIX. Certainly, it may change. But that seems to be the trajectory, for now.

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  118. That's their goal... confuse, confuse, confuse.  Then, BAM!  ...and then we'll all be saying:  "I knew that was going to happen!" (whatever it is up or down) - That's human nature.

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  119. While the method seems a little hokey, there are many who find Elliott Wave Theory, Fibonacci Retracement, and even trendlines a little hokey.  If this ends up being correct, it will certainly warrant a deeper look.

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  120. That is certainly possible.

    But the VIX is saying that all the risks are already on the table. Greece, contrary to popular opinions, is no longer an unknown. Either outcome will not unnerve the market.

    Portugal is now the outlier. But it will be be in play for a while.

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  121.   I took a long postion on Friday, was nicely profitable this AM, watched it drop some and move back up in the PM.  Got out for what amounted to a scalp.  I have zero confidence in SPX making HOD now, which is why I exited. I have to say that I wont be going long again, because the upward momentum looked weaker to me.  

    My view is that if the market is to move higher, it will be on one final gap up tomorrow and then down from there.  I've seen so many technnical indicators and timing models that point to a top right now, that we have peaked. 

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  122. Is nobody going to respond to Uranus being squared? 

    ...or is it MYanus?

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  123. I never go naked, long or short.
    My long position is hedged - just in case. :)

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  124. Basically, your favorite strategy is option spread?

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  125. I saw the original Rukeyser show back in 1981 and remember how incredulous Rukeyser was when Lindsay made his prediction. I calendared the prediction and noted it came to be but had lost track of who it was that made the prediction by then and was unsuccessful in tracking it down. I was a happy person to see this post. Watch Rukeyser's rehash from the link posted on Carlson's site when you have a chance: http://www.georgelindsay.com/george_lindsay/wall_street_week_with_louis_rukeyser. It makes me want to know more about the man and his system.

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  126. "Something's gotta give" :)

    Okay, more technical.  These two planets were within 1-2 degrees of this square last week of July 2011- first week of August 2011. If you look at that time frame you'll find issues regarding:  USA debt ceiling, USA downgrade by S&P, etc.   

    I expect the issues to be around Change/Revolution/Innovation versus Debt/Taxes/Entrenched Power.

    In an individual corporate chart, I have witnessed this as a "Debt Explosion."  The company, unable to find a route to IPO, instead leveraged their situation for a special dividend payout to the benefit of the founders and the detriment of the company's long term financial prosperity and employee satisfaction.

    For all squares - Energy builds into the exact timing of the square and requires release.  Imagine taking a stick and applying pressure from both ends to break it in half - the pressure builds until the stick snaps - you have the resolution but you have to account for the release of the energy.

    From a market standpoint, squares can be significant reversal zones.

    If people are interested, I will go into more detail over one of the weekend discussions.

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  127. Yep. Time/Price spread, strangle, etc.
    I don't like to trade on margin. Option gives me the leverage I need - on cash. :)

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  128. I don't like to enter a position, unless I know what is the max. amount that I'll lose if my bet is wrong. That is quantifying risk.

    Option gives you that ability.

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  129. I vote my interest.

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  130. Problem for my IRA account is, I don't have margin, and so I can't write options, which is 1/2 of a spread.

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  131. One more last pulse UP driven by Greece settlement news  &&  then the DN start with FED statement tomorrow which will not announce QE3, so market disappointed.

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  132. It is dangerous to write naked option. Because your downside is unlimited. A better way is to write a price spread. That should be possible, even in an IRA a/c.

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  133. That is amazing. How did you figured that out? :)

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  134. TXN beat top and bottom. Sandbagging on outlook. Stock is flat.

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  135. And if AAPL disappoints the market, that will be a great help to the bears.

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  136. Thank you much! I will look into it.

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  137.  Amazing day, DJIA closed red. Here is the triangle on the DAY ES I mentioned, a bigger picture. The shoulder area that I said it was involved in building is visible on the 120, more work to do there, this chart does not show off that should area. Also something th does not show on this chart is the gold/oil/ES relationship that I look at for intraday charting. $VIX closed outside BB on Frida but said it could take up to three days for that to start moving. This top is the most brutal I have ever seen, best to keep trades very short term or stand aside. It broke my ES 1311, then came right back down. Amazing.

    http://www.screencast.com/users/katzo7/folders/Jing/media/75b010f3-5776-485a-91f5-1f3822597ae9

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  138. Thanks Furr. 

    BTW, this link is a longer explanation of the timing method and includes another projected high May 17, 2014.  Of course these projections would presumably be refined as they go along.

    http://od.mta.org/video-archives/educational-web-series/george-lindsey-and-the-art-of-technical-analysis/

    I never heard of G Lindsay until today, so the links represent my research into it today, and t_winn deserves credit for bringing him to our attention.

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  139. YES, TOO MANY times around, BUT THAT is what is totally required, for GSC5's ENDING, so odds are EXTREMELY high, that it it will beheaded KILL ALL of the few megabears left, BEFORE it squatch splat kills, ALL imbecilic mentally retarded amerikan bull 'money managers'. 

    AND I CANNOT WAIT, TO SEE THEM ON INTL. CNBC JUMPING OFF HIGH NEW YORK BUILDINGS, JUST LIKE IN 1929, and seeing the lovely blood bone splats they make, on the new york street concrete sidewalks.  "WATCH OUT BELOW!!!!!!!  ANOTHER STOCKMARKET MONEYMANAGER COMING DOWN FAST!!!!!"
    JAJAJAJA!!!!! FANFUCKINGTASTIC. 

    3rdworld TVannouncer:  "repeated slowmo video, at 10pm your time, of another EX-rich amerikan jumping off building.  NOT for your children to watch, send them to bed, EX-rich amerikans are so crazy..."  JAJAJAJA.

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  140.  I understand the fact that it is a manipulated, fraudulent market. Probably best to save your energy for afterward, because that's when you will need it. This is just a numbers game.

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  141. NOAA site with current solar data - you can also install a monitor on your website.

    http://www.n3kl.org/sun/index.html

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  142. TY.

    Today, my problem was how to read the darn thing (EW wise) intraday. There seemed to be endless number of possibilities. :)

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  143. 'This top is the most brutal I have ever seen...'  says super verbose ktz 07.

    for once, you and I agree.  for I also have never seen, anything like this, in 30 years.

    BUT, REMEMBER, THIS IS GSC5 ENDING, 300 YEARS OF USA DOMINANCE---E N D I N G.

    hey, roman empire lasted about 1000 years, greek dominance about 500, egyptians, atilla, et al---it ENDS.


     

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  144. Nice chart Katzy. It's amazing how much "assistance" this top must be getting.

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  145. But you fail to understand that Amerika has a secret weapon you are unaware of that will save us all and allow us to remain in power for another 600 years. I am not at liberty to say what it is but this item is better than pez; better than Coke, better than MickieDs that has permeated the entire globe. Yes better than hoola hoops, better than Walmart, better than twinkies, Apple computer, iPhone, M&Ms, marshmallow fluff, Slim Jims, VCRs, Beta Max, vinyl albums, Ring Dings, 45 records. . . . . . .

    For only 99$ a month I will provide the name of this item. It is a penny stock, guaranteed to multi-quadripple in a day. Yes, that is only 99$ to acheive wealth beyond your wildest dreams. Hurry today.... rotf. . . .

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  146. I Love My Country But Fear My Government!!

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  147. Not to mention, Amerika has something socked away in Area 51. Very top secret. And remember the Philadelphia Experiment? Don't forget that.

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  148. thnx.
    pretty soon this pattern will change, pattern now is to drop it o/n and in the morning, then build it back mid to late day. Soon it will down in morning, be trying to rally mid-day and fall EOD. Have to be patient. check your email?

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  149. Options trading gen require a margin acct, and IRA's can't be marginable.  That's what I recall.  I'd be interested if you found that changed or is wrong. 

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  150. A government should fear its people. 

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  151. CalD 
    your reply further down (don't scroll, too much hatred...) 
    if you are looking at a chart without time and price in a pretty liquid market, how do you see, which time frame it is? Besides from gaps, I have real problems identifying. 

    Check out the samples: 
    http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3186/forexchartsfreeforexchax.jpg
    http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8562/forexchartsfreeforexchau.jpg
    http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/4672/forexchartsfreeforexcha.jpg
    http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/4672/forexchartsfreeforexcha.jpg
    http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3319/forexchartsfreeforexchag.jpg

    they are all 5m, 10m, 30m, 60m, 5h and d. But I don't know anymore, what is what, sorry :). I see some pretty nice moves and some pretty awful charts. No matter what time frame. Personally I feel most comfortable in the 1m chart with the cavalry charts up to 1h helping. But 5m or 1h is also nice, only takes so long. 

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  152. Interesting video.  Linsay's call for market bottom in Aug 1982 was very impressive.  Only off by a few days, but given that he made his prediction a year ahead of time, that was amazing.

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  153. katz,

    All ST and IT moving averages are still pointing northwards. How can you be so sure that the buy-on-dip mode will change soon? Just curious. :)

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  154. After you enter a time or price spread, do you usually just let it play out until quite close to expiration since you know your max loss?  I ask because the slippage and bid/ask spread (on spreads and options) makes it very expensive to get whipsawed.  What's your strategy on these?  What underlying asset do you usually play with your spreads? 

    Also, what's your strategy if you suspect volatility is likely to spike all of a sudden?  Would you still choose a spread strategy?  I had on a good size call spread on SDS (30 strike long, 34 strike short) right before the flash crash (late April, May 2010), and I was completely dismayed as I saw SDS take off, but the value of the spread did not take off because the implied volatility became so huge on the options as the market crashed.  I profited, but I was kicking myself because my profit was about 1/5 what it could have been if I had not hedged at that time.

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  155. Wait... better than Ring Dings?  BETTER THAN BETAMAX???  Oh man, this sounds like a steal for only $99/month!

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  156. MACD, MA, timing analysis on all charts. I look at the 3, 5,10,15, 60, 120, 240, 480, D. It is like a stop action film, action on one time frame turns the gears on the next. BTW, twin pipes on the 120 chart, nice ones. It appears than the break of my 1311 level WAS just a stop grabbing move.

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  157. Seeking Alpha posted "See E-Mini S&P500: Double Top or Pop" on 1/20 when it closed at 1310.75 after 1/19 close of 1308.36.  Make sense to incorporate as additional indicator? Author is a bull seeking to hold 1308 with a KO of 1285.50.

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  158.  Day traders, this is pretty much a sure thing if there ever was such a thing in trading. A BBB. It works both ways but shorting seems to be a more direct route most of the time than going long.

    http://www.screencast.com/users/katzo7/folders/Jing/media/a840763d-ceab-4c43-ab7d-6b68d5c11f3f

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  159. Spots are goin fast. lol

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  160. It depends on the trajectory of the price action. If I think there is a reasonable chance that my bet is paying off, then I'll let it run. If I think that I made a wrong bet, then I'll close the spread and reduce my cost.

    The best way to take advantage of volatility is to use time spread. I make a lot of money a while ago on silver. The front end months were very volatile but not the back end months. So I bought back end month puts and sold the front end weeklies.

    But you have to have a good handle on the alphas, gamas, etc. and knows how to read time-values.

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  161. Sine up 4 my Penny Stalk Newsledder!  EYE wil halp ewe too pic ownly the best STALKS 4 the KNEW BULL MARRKET.  

    Rite NOW, az we SPEKE, EYE no of un AMAZING stalk that can currantly BEE bowt FORE ownly 27 SENSE. 

    THIS STALK CUD MAKE EWE A MILLYUNARE! 

    Don't weight!  Do'nt deelay!  A KNEW BULL MARRKET IS STARDING, end this stalk wo'nt weight!  Remembur, stalks always go UPP, espeshully BEAN stalks.  Uh oh... eye think eye just gave away meye SECRET STALK.

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  162. Sir,
    I  am  most internested you offer Do you accept Pay Ppal?

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  163. I would reply with the famous Thomas Jefferson quote about a government that's big enough to give you everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... but Jefferson didn't actually say it.  It was more likely Gerald Ford -- and while it's a great quote, nobody wants to run around quoting Gerry Ford...

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  164. Anecdotally, when MegaBear Anon20 capitulates to 80% bull... if that doesn't mark some kind of top, then nothing will.

    Nice spinning top on SPX today, maybe this will finally mark a turn...

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  165. That's a good thing that Tom did actually said it. He tripled the size of the USA via a liberal interpretation of the constitution. He established the US Marine. So much for no standing army. :)

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  166. I agree with both of you.  This market has been a bitch and a half lately.  I'm mainly just taking little stabs here and there... picking up a decent # of points at times, and losing a couple/few points other times.  Happy to be patient as long as I need to -- been too tired lately to stay up and play all the intra-day squiggles.

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  167. Patience is the key with this thing.

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  168. You know, FWIW, we did get the reversal in the 1320-1325 zone I suggested Friday and today, based on the ST wave counts...

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  169. Obviously you fixed the computer but not the spell-checker. Glad your sense of bumour is following the markets higher PL. Very funny, thanks.

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  170. i can sure use some Volume and an order of Volatility about now.... (before the 900 new ETF's dillute it even more)

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  171. Penny stock...screw that...I thought you were talking about Britney Spears or Gwen Stefani...I'd go $99 a month for that.

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  172.  I concur...The answer is definitely yes...or possibly maybe.

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  173. Is it possible to include that as an ultra-reliable indicator?

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  174. How do you intend to backtest it?

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  175. how's the futures looking for you PL? 

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  176. Well if you had been around all day you could've pointed it out at the time :D

    Fortunately Katzy kept me from using bad words towards any untoward trollish types. LOL

    Tomorrow will be exquisite after the Fed speaks from on high.

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  177. VIX has dropped to 18.28, the lowest reading since July 22, 2011. The S&P lost nearly 250 points the 12 trading days following the July 22 VIX low..

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  178.  ROFLMAO...I just saw your new check off box....That is friggin funny. Apparently you have one respondent.

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  179. LOL...Whatever I say will probably elicit strong words. 

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  180. Weird, right after I read this comment, I saw this on the MarketWatch homepage...

    http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2012/01/23/no-fed-hike-till-july-2014/

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  181. Yeah, I noticed one repondent too.  lmao

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  182. shaking the magic 8 ball..."ask your mother"

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