metals

Podcast 2022-02-08 10:00 20 minutes to read Summary:  Today, we break down another shaky session for equities as yields continue to surge higher ahead of a series of important US treasury auctions today through Thursday and ahead of Thursday's US January CPI print. We also focus on EU peripheral spreads blowing wider as the market wonders who will replace the ECB's bid if the central bank stops expanding its balance sheet. A look at drivers for the crude oil and metals markets, earnings overview for today and more also on today's pod, which features Althea Spinozzi on fixed income, Ole Hansen on commodities, and John J. Hardy hosting and on FX. Listen to today’s podcast and have a look at today’s slide deck. Follow Saxo Market Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple Spotify Podbean Sticher If you are not able to find the podcast on your favourite podcast app when searching for Saxo Market Call, please drop us an email at marketcall@saxobank.com and we'll look into it.   Questions and comments, please! We invite you to send any questions and comments you might have for the podcast team. Whether feedback on the show's content, questions about specific topics, or requests for more focus on a given market area in an upcoming podcast, please get in touch at marketcall@saxobank.com.

S&P 500 bulls missed the opportunity, but credit markets didn‘t turn down. Yesterday‘s pause is indicative of more chop ahead – the risk-on rally can‘t be declared yet as having run out of steam, no matter the crypto reversal of today. Bonds are in the driver‘s seat, and the dollar is also cautious – unless these move profoundly either way, the yesterday described S&P 500 reprieve can still play out even if: (…) The bottom isn‘t in, but I‘m looking for a little reprieve next. The degree to which bonds were sold off vs. stocks, hints that we would have lower to go still, ultimately bottoming around late Feb, perhaps even early Mar. Increasingly more Fed hikes are being priced in, and Friday‘s good non-farm payrolls figure is reinforcing these expectations. As for the immediate plan for Monday‘s session, I think the 4460s would hold on any retest, should we get there at all. The bulls have a very short-term advantage, then as mentioned above, selling would resume, and around May or June we could get the answer as to whether we‘ve been just consolidating or topping out. The 4,460s are still holding while commodities look to be consolidating today. As the dollar is up somewhat, bonds would have to face opening headwinds – the effect upon tech would be telling. I‘m still looking for downswing rejection in stocks while precious metals would hold up better than commodities today. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook As stated yesterday, S&P 500 bulls aren‘t yet winning, but have a good chance to suck in those who believe the tech bottom is in – tech bears would get another opportunity in the not too distant future. Credit Markets HYG gave up the opening strength, and the bulls are likely to get under pressure soon – it‘s that yesterday‘s session lacked volume, thus interest of the buyers. The clock is ticking. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals keep refusing to make lower lows – that‘s the most important aspect of their tempered ascent. And price gains would accelerate later in 2022, which would come on the Fed‘s abrupt U-turn. Crude Oil Now, crude oil bulls did pause, but the dip isn‘t likely to reach too far – I still wouldn‘t count on pullback towards $88 or lower really – oil stocks would have to turn decidedly down first. Copper Copper is getting cautious, and would probably decline should the commodities pause continue – no matter what other base metals would do at the same time. Still, that‘s internal strength in the waiting, similarly to the precious metals strength. Bitcoin and Ethereum The crypto break higher ran out of steam, warning of a rickety ride ahead – not just in cryptos. Things can still get volatile. Summary S&P 500 bulls haven‘t lost the opportunity to force higher prices, but need to repel the upcoming intraday flush that can come today, and possibly even continue tomorrow. Yes, instead of seizing upon the chance, bonds have merely paused, creating a perfect environment for whipsawish trading today – I‘m still expecting Friday‘s lows to hold on a closing basis, but I‘m not ruling out a fake breakdown first. The very short-term outlook is simply choppy until the bond market upswing kicks in in earnest. And that would provide more fuel to precious metals and commodities while pressuring the dollar – seems though we would have to wait for a while to see that happen. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Stacking bitcoins winning edges It is not the number of edges that get it low risk. And again, there are no hidden magic formulas. What works well is covering multiple aspects in stacking one’s edges: Market behavior Time of day Oscillators for ranging markets Indicators for trending markets Supply/demand zone identification (VWAP=volume weighted average price, in addition to support and resistance lines) Inter-market relationships Leading/lagging (relative strength within a sector or group) Candlestick pattern Volume Time frame relationships Action-reaction principle News Day of the week Swing leg count MAE (=maximum adverse excursion) Mathematical/statistical edges like standard deviation Your list might look vastly different but should include tools that cover the principal variants of market behavior (ranging, trending, slow/fast price action, liquidity, time, volume, transactions). Investopedia is a good research tool for finding definitions and explanations of the various available technical tools. BTC in US-Dollar, daily chart, how we stack odds in our favor: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 8th, 2022. Our previous chart book release described fundamental reasons for being bullish on bitcoin, which we stack in a similar principled fashion. We pointed out that we were looking for low-risk entry points to build up a long-term position for bitcoin. Such a low-risk opportunity arose on February 3rd, last week. We had the following edges stacked at the time of entry (green arrow): General price strength (directional yellow line channel) Previous day retracement (action-reaction principle) Small range Doji for tight stop and possible reversal indication VWAP (blue histogram to the right of the chart) indicating a supply zone Scheduled ECB news item out of the way Time of week Time of day (we entered near the close of the daily candle) Extended from the mean (blue line, standard deviation) Commodity Channel Index (CCI). A momentum-based oscillator useful in congested sideways channels, gave the prior day to execution indication of a long entry (yellow arrow) We posted our entry in real-time in our free Telegram channel. Within a 24-hour period, we could profit on half of the position size for a gain of 8.73%. We also posted this first profit-taking target in real-time in our free Telegram channel. Our quad exit strategy provides income-producing revenues like this but, even more, eliminates risk. Consequently, this approach supports trading the remaining position with psychological ease for the intended long-term holding period. Hence, even starting out as a a short-term trade, the last 25% of the initial position can become a long-term invest. BTC in US-Dollar, weekly chart, well-positioned: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 8th, 2022. With previous entries at recent lows established in much the same manner, we are now exposed to the market with seven remaining rest positions at zero risk. Such an approach can afford to negate whether this will be the long-term turning point or not. Profits have been made. Should our plan pan out, then the remaining exposed capital will lead to further profits. Otherwise, this remaining position size will stop out at breakeven entry level. The weekly chart shows now a confirmed situation of a weekly bar takeout. For most traders this is an entry signal while we were already well established. We are playing with the market’s money and profits banked. With this time frame alignment more money is expected to join the long side. The chart also illustrates the favorable risk/reward-ratio to the right of the chart.   BTC in US-Dollar, monthly chart, early bird: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of February 8th, 2022. A glance at the monthly chart shows we are positioned very early and aggressively for this time frame. Nevertheless, as soon as prices might reach US$48,000, we will find ourselves here as well time frame aligned with a bar takeout. Green numbers show our entry prices for January with two entries and February with five entries. Should prices move upwards in our favor, we would take again partial profits near the red horizontal trend line slightly below all-time highs. The remaining positions stays in place for a possible breakout to all-time new highs. Too late if you are not positioned yet? No! This continuous flow of adding low-risk entry trades followed by partial profit-taking allows participating at all stages of market swings. Stacking bitcoins winning edges: In short, you want to have a clear instruction sheet on what to do in whatever market condition bitcoin throws at you. With a set of tools broadly covering all these variants and measuring them, you will be able to act without hesitancy. Then you can hope for the best, since you planned for the worst. Risk control is the core of each advanced trading approach! We aim to keep it simple, like a card counter, which supports executing high probability winning trades. At the same time, the crowd is confronted by surprising news or fast-moving markets. They use reactionary, inappropriate execution, which in turn creates losing trades. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|February 6th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

S&P 500 bulls took the opportunity yesterday amid mild credit market support. Looks like more fireworks are to come – the risk-on turn is merely starting. Not only financials, but also tech welcomed higher yields – it seems that the positive seasonality of 2nd to 3rd week of Feb, is working. We have quite a way to go still on the upside – 4,600s are waiting, and it remains to be seen how far in the 4,600 – 4,700 range stocks make it. Consumer discretionaries are outperforming staples, and energy isn‘t cratering – the brief commodities reprieve (don‘t look though at copper, which seems preparing a nice upside move, or crude oil‘s shallow dip) supports the stock market advance. Precious metals are rising strongly – both thanks to inflation expectations not budging much, and the expected copper upturn. Not even cryptos are plunging. The open S&P 500 and oil profits can keep on rising. Looks like the markets are slowly positioning for yet another hot inflation number tomorrow. How many times lately have there been expectations that high CPI data would sink stocks – but these rallied instead? Thursday is likely to turn out similarly – I‘m not looking for the stock market rally to top out tomorrow. The Mar FOMC is still quite a few weeks away, 50bp rate hike fears notwithstanding. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls have made the opening step, and look ready to extend gains. Even volume has returned a little, but importantly, sellers were nowhere to be seen – and that‘ll likely be the case today as well. Credit Markets HYG couldn‘t keep the opening gains, but junk bonds still did better than their quality counterparts. Anyway, the HYG weakness looks likely to be reversed (to some degree) today. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are firmly on another upleg – and miners strength is confirming that. When inflation turns out more stubborn than generally appreciated, and bond yields don‘t catch up nearly enough, precious metals would like that. Love that. Crude Oil Now, crude oil bulls did pause, but the dip isn‘t likely to reach too far – I still wouldn‘t count on pullback towards $88 or lower really – this correction is more likely to be in time than in price. Copper Copper is clearly refusing to decline – its upswing looks to be a question of shortening time only. Likewise the commodities reprieve would be reversed shortly. The red metal‘s price action coupled with precious metals one, is very nice to see – for the fruits it would bring. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos aren‘t weakening – they look to be pausing in the upswing only. How long would they need to consolidate before continuing the attempt to go higher? Summary S&P 500 bulls have a firm grip on higher prices – we‘re looking at another green day today. And if it‘s accompanied by the turning bonds, then all the better. Tech has risen, oil is a little down while sectoral breadth improves – the conditions are in place for S&P 500 to overcome 4,600. The risk-on rally hasn‘t yet run out of time, and the Mar FOMC is still far away. Upgraded rate hike prospects are being increasingly absorbed by the markets, and stocks don‘t look spooked at the moment. The bears‘ time would still come though, but let‘s first enjoy the gains our timely positioning is bringing. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

S&P 500 upswing continued amid increasing credit market support. Risk-on, finally – and commodities are on fire again, with precious metals awaiting their time in the spotlight. That‘s the big picture view as markets keep digesting the recently upgraded hawkish talk of the Fed. Or more precisely in my view, they‘re sniffing out the inevitability of the Fed having to make a U-turn later this year. Meanwhile, any temporary hint of lower Treasury yields – the reprieve is arriving – is eagerly embraced by the tech while value is disregarding that. As a result, S&P 500 market breadth is improving, and as stated yesterday, the positive seasonality of 2nd to 3rd week of Feb, is working. Today‘s CPI data would show inflation isn‘t relenting – even White House warned about hot year on year figure coming. Coupled with the tightening job market, the question is now what remains of the budding S&P 500 upswing and bond market reprieve. It‘s becoming increasingly clear that the Fed would have to really move, and that inflation is biting and not exactly sinking input costs. That‘s where we have the cost-push inflation I talked relentlessly over many quarters last year, and wage pressures joining at the hip. It‘s really about letting copper and oil profits keep growing now, while taking off S&P 500 long ones off the table. Done, and PMs are to join next. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls had a great day, and need a solid close today against the poor inflation data. This isn‘t though likely to happen unless bonds hold up well during the regular session. Mission impossible, almost. Credit Markets HYG extended gains yesterday, and would need to defend them today. What remains of the risk-on posture, is key to determining the stock market rally longevity vs. waning power. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are firmly on another upleg – I‘m not looking for setbacks during the opening selling pressure to last. The direction is firmly up. Crude Oil Crude oil is still pausing, but at the same time the bulls are readying a response. I‘m looking for continued trading in the recent range, followed by a break higher. Copper Copper is finally on the move, and the high volume speaks plenty about the buying pressure. I‘m looking for dips to be bought – I‘m not expecting a stampede of the bears taking advantage of a „shorting opportunity“. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos aren‘t plunging, but the test of the bullish resolve is arriving today – let‘s see what kind of reversal it turns into. The volume looks solid, so I count on more than a daily setback as a minimum. Summary S&P 500 meets unpleasantly high inflation, which is forcing the hand of the Fed. Stocks are going to have a hard time recovering, and the bullish window of opportunity may be drastically shortened. Good to have taken profits off the table automatically through the trailing stop-loss – commodities would be more resilient. That‘s where real gains are – in real assets, as inflation is returning to the spotlight. Rightfully so as the Fed is desperately behind the curve, and precious metals need to fully get that. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  The market was up, but mining stocks chose to reverse. Meanwhile, gold sent a clear signal to investors. So, when everyone buys, what happens? The gold mining stocks and silver mining stocks have reversed, even though gold didn’t. The top for the former is likely in. Most developments regarding the precious metals and their immediate surroundings were a continuation of what we had seen in the previous days, but one thing was different. That one thing is particularly informative. It has trading implications, too. Without further ado, let’s jump into mining stocks. Gold miners fell. Even though they declined by just $0.06, it was profound. The miners were following gold higher during the early part of yesterday’s (Feb. 9) session, but they lost strength close to the middle thereof and were back down before the closing bell. If the gold price reversed and then declined during the day, that would have been normal. However, gold stayed up. It’s fairer to compare GDX to GLD than to compare GDX to gold continuous futures contracts, as the former have the same closing hours, so let’s take a look at what GLD did yesterday. There was no reversal. GLD simply stopped at its declining medium-term resistance line. Also, the general stock market was up yesterday. Consequently, gold mining stocks had no good reason to decline. In fact, they “should have” rallied. They didn’t – they reversed instead. This tells us that the buying power has either dried up or is drying up. When everyone who wanted to get into the market is already in it, the price can do only one thing (regardless of bullish factors) – fall. Those who are already in can then sell. Monitoring the markets for this kind of cross-sector performance is one of the more important gold trading tips. Look, I’m not saying that declines now are “guaranteed”. There are no guarantees in the markets. There might be buyers that haven’t considered mining stocks that would now enter the market, but history tells us that this is unlikely. Instead, declines are very likely to follow. Let’s focus on the GLD ETF chart one more time. As I wrote earlier, it approached its declining medium-term resistance line. Any small breakout here is likely to be invalidated just like what we saw previously in November 2021 and January 2022. This time, however, the volume is low, so gold might not have enough strength for a breakout, and it could decline right away. Junior mining stocks provide us with a perfect confirmation of the bearish narrative. I emphasized before that juniors hadn’t moved above their 50-day moving average, and that they stayed below their rising blue resistance line. Consequently – I wrote – the downtrend in them remained clearly intact. Yesterday’s reversal served as a perfect confirmation of the above. The previous breakdowns were verified in one of the most classic ways. The silver price has been quite strong recently, which is also something that we see close to the local tops. The reversals in mining stocks, the situation in gold, AND the situation in the USD Index together paint a very bearish picture for the precious metals market in the short and medium term. By “the situation in the USD Index”, I’m referring to the fact that it’s after its early-month reversal and right above its rising medium-term support line that was not successfully broken. Since the USD Index remains above its rising medium-term support line, the trend remains up. Therefore, higher – not lower – USD Index values are to be expected. All in all, it seems that gold, silver, and mining stocks are going to decline in the coming weeks (quite possibly days) and that we won’t have to wait too long for the next big decline to start. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 upswing was rejected – the intraday comeback didn‘t succeed. Risk-off posture won the day, and the dust is settling. Day 4-5 of the rally‘s window of opportunity that I talked on Monday, is proving as a milestone. Hot CPI data has increased the bets on Mar 50bp rate hike to a virtual certainty, and asset prices didn‘t like that. Not just stocks across the board, but commodities likewise (to a modest degree only) gave up intraday gains, turning a little red. Cryptos too ended down – it had been a good decision to cash in solid open long profits in S&P 500, oil and copper. Fresh portfolio highs reached over this 12+ months period (details on my homepage): What‘s the game plan for today? As the dollar closed flat while yields rose, I‘m not ruling out a reflexive intraday rebound attempt – after all, the bears should rule in the 2nd half of Feb most clearly. As time passes, the rips would be sold into unless bonds and tech can catch a solid bid. With focus on inflation, that‘s unlikely. Medium-term S&P 500 bias continues being short while commodity dips are to be cautiously bought. Crude oil looks to need to spend a bit more time around $90 while copper defending the low $4.50 is equally important. While silver didn‘t rise by nearly as much as the red metal did, it is down approximately as much in today‘s premarket – the white metal would recover on a less headline heavy day. Remember that PMs are trading sideways to up, with decreasing sensitivity to rising 10-year yield, and have done historically well when rate hikes finally start. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 momentum has sharply shifted to the downside, and today‘s recovery attempts are likely to be sold into. I‘m keeping a keen eye on bonds, tech and risk-on in general – not expecting miracles. Credit Markets HYG keeps showing the way, resolutely down as of yesterday. With rising yields not propelling even financials, the bears have returned a few days earlier than they could – in a show of strength. Gold, Silver and Miners Miners issued a warning to gold and silver – yesterday brought a classic short-term top sign. I‘m though not ascribing great significance to it, for it isnt‘a turning point. Gold would be relatively unmoved while silver recovers however deep setback it suffers today. Crude Oil Crude oil appears to need more time to base – while the upside is being rejected for now, the selling attempts aren‘t materializing at all. Higher volume adds to short-term indecision, but strong (long) hands are to win. Copper Copper is running into selling pressure, and looks in need of consolidation in order to overcome $4.60. The red metal remains true to its reputation for volatility. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are taking their time, and the bulls need to act. Given that volume isn‘t disappearing, the bears have a short-term advantage. Summary S&P 500 looks to be getting under pressure soon again, today. There is no support from bonds, unless these stage an intraday risk-on reversal. The momentum is with the sellers, and rips are likely to be sold as markets digest yet more hawkish Fed action slated for March. Digest and slated are the key words – the Fed‘s hand is being forced here. Commodities and precious metals are likely to do best in what‘s coming – the 5-10 day window of bullish S&P 500 price action, is slowly closing down. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  In line with bearish bets, miners have thrown a match. Gold, however, doesn’t want to leave the ring without a fight. How long will it stay high? While gold remains relatively firm despite stock market turbulence, rising real yields, and bearish technical indicators, even a confluence of headwinds hasn’t been able to knock the yellow metal off its lofty perch. However, mining stocks haven’t been so lucky. With my short position in the GDXJ ETF offering a great risk-reward proposition, the junior gold miners’ underperformance has played out exactly as I expected. Moreover, with major spikes in volume preceding predictable sell-offs (follow the vertical dashed lines below), I’ve warned on several occasions that the GDX ETF is prone to tipping its hand – we saw this volume spike in January, which was the 2022 top (as of today). In addition, with mining investors’ power drying up by the day, the medium-term looks equally unkind. Please see below: On Wednesday, gold miners fell. Even though they declined by just $0.06, it was profound. The miners were following gold higher during the early part of Wednesday’s (Feb. 9) session, but they lost strength close to the middle thereof and were back down before the closing bell. If the gold price reversed and then declined during the day, that would have been normal. However, gold stayed up. This tells us that the buying power has either dried up or is drying up. When everyone who wanted to get into the market is already in it, the price can do only one thing (regardless of bullish factors) – fall. Those who are already in can then sell. Monitoring the markets for this kind of cross-sector performance is one of the more important gold trading tips. Look, I’m not saying that declines now are “guaranteed”. There are no guarantees in the markets. There might be buyers that haven’t considered mining stocks that would now enter the market, but history tells us that this is unlikely. Instead, declines are very likely to follow. Yesterday’s big daily decline confirmed my above comments. Gold miners declined much more than gold did, and they did so at above-average volume. The latter indicates that “down” is the true direction in which the precious metals market is heading. To that point, the HUI Index provides clues from a longer-term perspective. When we analyze the weekly chart, it highlights investors’ anxiety. For example, after hitting an intraweek high of roughly 260, the HUI Index ended the Feb. 10 session at roughly 250 – just 3.99 up from last Friday – that’s an intraweek reversal. Furthermore, with the index still in a medium-term downtrend, shades of 2013 still profoundly bearish, and sharp declines often preceded by broad head and shoulders patterns (marked with green), there are several negatives confronting the HUI Index. As such, a sharp drawdown will likely materialize sooner rather than later. Please see below: Finally, the GDXJ ETF is the gift that keeps on giving. For example, with lower highs and lower lows being part of the junior miners’ roughly one-and-a-half-year journey, false breakouts have confused many investors. However, while I’ve been warning about the weakness for some time, more downside is likely on the horizon. To explain, I wrote on Feb. 10: I emphasized before that juniors hadn’t moved above their 50-day moving average, and that they stayed below their rising blue resistance line. Consequently – I wrote – the downtrend in them remained clearly intact. Yesterday’s reversal served as a perfect confirmation of the above. The previous breakdowns were verified in one of the most classic ways. The silver price has been quite strong recently, which is also something that we see close to the local tops. The reversals in mining stocks, the situation in gold, outperformance of silver, AND the situation in the USD Index (the medium-term support held) together paint a very bearish picture for the precious metals market in the short and medium term. All in all, if the weakness continues, I expect the GDXJ ETF to challenge the $32 to $34 range. However, please note that this is my expectation for a short-term bottom. While the GDXJ ETF may record a corrective upswing at this level, the downtrend should continue thereafter, and the junior miners should fall further over the medium term. In conclusion, gold showcased its steady hand throughout the recent volatility. However, mining stocks have cracked under the pressure. With the latter’s underperformance often a bearish omen for the former, the yellow metal’s mettle may be tested over the medium term. As such, while the long-term outlooks for gold, silver, and mining stocks remain profoundly bullish, a final climax will likely unfold before their secular uptrends continue. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 8th 2022 and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent uptrend in the Copper futures bets. The speculative net position in the Copper futures has risen for three out of the past four weeks and in five out of the past seven weeks. Copper bets had been in a very strong and rising bullish position throughout the second half of 2020 and maintained their bullishness in 2021 but to a lesser degree. The bullish bets started to falter recently in December and dropped to an eighty-one week low on December 21st at a bullish position of just +4,437 contracts. Since then, speculator’s Copper bets have started to trend higher and this week hold a position of +18,855 net contracts. The metals this week with higher speculator bets were Gold (14,564 contracts) and Copper (2,700 contracts) while the markets with lower speculator contracts were Silver (-2,819 contracts), Platinum (-2,822 contracts) and Palladium (-238 contracts). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Feb-08-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 2,170,681 46 363,383 18 -412,144 69 48,761 84 Gold 512,842 23 186,706 47 -211,434 53 24,728 34 Silver 147,379 14 19,299 42 -32,571 67 13,272 20 Copper 201,860 28 18,855 56 -25,523 42 6,668 64 Palladium 7,497 5 -1,230 14 1,035 83 195 56 Platinum 58,766 20 11,759 19 -16,638 85 4,879 30 Natural Gas 1,133,934 6 -115,089 44 85,151 58 29,938 55 Brent 208,578 46 -26,323 73 22,725 27 3,598 58 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 832,618 52 209,730 82 -176,080 24 -33,650 14 Corn 1,575,318 34 419,602 84 -382,874 17 -36,728 22 Coffee 273,102 39 66,867 97 -72,255 3 5,388 26 Sugar 931,602 25 79,090 53 -96,963 50 17,873 30 Wheat 385,172 26 -3,578 44 7,972 49 -4,394 81   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 186,706 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 14,564 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 172,142 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 47.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 53.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 34.3 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 54.5 24.6 8.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.1 65.9 3.9 – Net Position: 186,706 -211,434 24,728 – Gross Longs: 279,559 126,328 44,869 – Gross Shorts: 92,853 337,762 20,141 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.0 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 47.2 53.1 34.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.4 10.4 -22.1   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 19,299 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -2,819 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 22,118 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 41.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 66.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.1 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 38.6 35.9 17.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.5 58.0 8.8 – Net Position: 19,299 -32,571 13,272 – Gross Longs: 56,905 52,943 26,231 – Gross Shorts: 37,606 85,514 12,959 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.6 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 41.6 66.9 20.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.1 9.2 -12.8   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 18,855 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 2,700 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 16,155 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 55.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 41.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.8 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 36.8 41.2 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.5 53.9 5.7 – Net Position: 18,855 -25,523 6,668 – Gross Longs: 74,302 83,203 18,191 – Gross Shorts: 55,447 108,726 11,523 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 55.9 41.9 63.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 3.2 -4.0 7.9   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 11,759 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -2,822 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,581 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.0 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 47.9 35.4 13.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.9 63.7 5.4 – Net Position: 11,759 -16,638 4,879 – Gross Longs: 28,134 20,817 8,032 – Gross Shorts: 16,375 37,455 3,153 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.7 to 1 0.6 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 18.7 85.3 30.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 10.6 -8.6 -18.3   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,230 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -238 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -992 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.1 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 25.5 51.0 18.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.9 37.2 15.8 – Net Position: -1,230 1,035 195 – Gross Longs: 1,911 3,824 1,377 – Gross Shorts: 3,141 2,789 1,182 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 13.9 83.5 56.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 10.3 -11.7 18.6   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Given last week’s strong price action and gold’s intraday resilience, it is now very likely that gold indeed is breaking out of the multi-month consolidation triangle. Actually, this large and symmetrical triangle had been building for more than a year, at least. However, the correction in gold began on August 7th, 2020. Now it looks like the breakout is in process. Typically, traders tend to aggressively buy into such a breakout. And given Friday’s sharp spike higher, it actually looks exactly like this. Hence, expect more volatility and a sharp move higher as the direction of gold’s next move has become more obvious. Please note, that it is rather challenging to draw and determine the correct triangle, because gold has been in a tricky sideways market for such a long time and many trend-lines have been invalidated during this messy period. But at the latest, a weekly close above US$1,875 should confirm the breakout. This should unleash enough energy to push gold prices quickly towards US$1,900 and even US$1,950 within a few weeks. Obviously, that would fit very well with gold’s seasonal cycle, which is bullish until the end of February at least, but often saw gold rallying into mid of march, too. Consumer sentiment at 10-year low but Fed wants to hike and taper From a fundamental perspective, it leaves us speechless how the Fed can go on a hiking rampage while consumer sentiment is at a 10-year low. While the confidence in governments worldwide is collapsing and inflation is spiking higher, raising rates will have zero impact upon supply shortages. Instead, it will make these shortages only worse and bankrupt more companies in the supply chain. Also, it will bankrupt emerging markets, as the strong dollar has already been putting so much pressure on dollar indebted nations and creditors. It’s all a big mess, and we believe there is no way out. That’s why the warmongering industrial and military complex of the US is desperately trying to push Russia into an attack on Ukraine! Without showing any proof, the Biden administration and their mouthpiece “the mainstream media” have been pushing people’s focus on fears that Russia will soon invade Ukraine. Another noteworthy fundamental observation: Gold’s correction began in earnest when Pfizer & Biontech announced their vaccine on November 9th, 2020. In a first reaction, gold immediately sold off $150 on that same day. Many more similar large red daily candles followed over the last 16 months, destroying the confidence of the gold bugs and shifting millions of dollars to the short sellers. Now that more and more very serious questions about the vaccines are debated in the news, it would make sense for gold to run back to US$1,950. This was the level where gold was trading back on November 9th, 2020. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 13th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 13th, 2022. On the weekly chart, gold has been slowly but surely progressing into the apex of the triangle over the last few months. It now looks like Gold is breaking out with vengeance. Theoretically, the resistance zone between US$1,850 and US$1,875 could still stop the bullish train. The weekly Bollinger Bands (US$1,864) sits right in this zone and should at least challenge the bulls for some days. However, the weekly stochastic has just given a new buy signal. On top, the oscillator has been making higher lows since March 2021. A measured move out of this triangle could take gold to around US$1,950 to US$1.975 until spring. The monthly Bollinger Band ($1,975) could become the logical target! Overall, the weekly chart is becoming more and more bullish, suggesting that gold can at least move around US$80 to US$100 higher. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 13th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 13th, 2022. On the daily chart, gold has been struggling with the upper triangle resistance in November and January. Each time, the bears managed to push back. Now it looks like the bulls are finally successful. The fierce and sharp pullback two and half weeks ago had created a nice oversold setup which became the launching pad for the ongoing attack. Since then, the slow stochastic has been nicely turning around. This buy signal is still active and has not yet reached the overbought zone. Thanks to Friday’s big green candle, the bulls are now bending the upper Bollinger Band (US$1,858) to the upside. To conclude, the daily chart is bullish, and gold should have more upside. If the bulls continue their attack, we could see prices directly exploding for four to seven days. More likely would be a consolidation. Only with prices below US$1,835 the breakout would have failed. In that rather unlikely case, the picture could quickly turn ugly again. Conclusion: Gold is breaking out! In mid of December, gold made an important low around US$1,752. Back then, most gold bugs had enough and did throw in the towel after a very difficult and messy 16-month correction. Gold, silver and the mining stock had become the most hated asset. But actually, all that gold might have been doing was building an epic base and a launch pad to start the next leg higher within its bull market. Overall, we expect that Gold is breaking out after a short consolidation! The successful breakout above resistance between US$1,850 and US$1,875 should happen within the next few days or weeks. This should then lead to higher prices and gold will likely run towards US$1,950, at least. However, we are not sure yet whether this will also bring an attack towards the round number resistance at US$2,000. Given the fact, that gold usually starts to struggle somewhere in spring, the ongoing rally could still be just a counter-trend move within the larger ongoing consolidation/correction. Hence, we are short-term very bullish, mid-term neutral and long-term very bullish for gold. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Florian Grummes|February 13th, 2022|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, gold fundamentals, precious metals, Reyna Gold, US-Dollar About the Author: Florian Grummes Florian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.

The news from US intelligence that the Russian aggression on Ukraine was a done deal spooked markets on Friday. While Russia denied it, the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. How will markets react to further developments? Prepare for various options Markets are reacting and investors should prepare for potentially turbulent times. This is why we present 3 potential scenarios of the Ukrainian conflict and highlight key markets that may be affected. Watch these markets: Stocks – Russian banks, RTS and… Nasdaq VTB and Sberbank – the names of these institutions are nearly synonymous with sanctions on Russia. Little wonder these stocks are among top choices on the equity side. Investors may also focus on the diversified RTS Index where Sberbank has 14% share – the index has plenty of energy stocks as well and is down 30% from late 2021 highs. A less obvious choice is Nasdaq (US100). Why would US tech stocks react to the conflict in Europe? Well, since this market has its own share of problems (mainly Fed tightening), other bad news could impact investor sentiment even further. Commodities – Oil, Gold, Platinum, Palladium and Wheat Russia is the second largest exporter of Oil and the commodity is also a substitute for natural gas which has already been in tight supply in Europe. Gold has traditionally been a "top pick”for times of geopolitical uncertainty but we'd like to turn your attention to Palladium and Platinum – these are also precious metals but Russia is way more important here being the number 1 and 2 exporter respectively. Finally, both Russia and Ukraine are important producers of Wheat. FX – focus on USDRUB FX is fairly obvious – any conflict is detrimental for the Russian ruble even despite high oil prices and significant interest rate increases in Russia. On the other hand, USD attracts liquidity in times of distress so USDRUB could be the choice for investors here. 3 scenarios – invasion, tension and compromise The worst case scenario is the one of invasion – the one already hinted at by the US intelligence. Invasion means sanctions but actually the lack of sanctions is the key to reactions here (as the largest guns – like cutting off Russia from SWIFT – are supposedly off the table). Markets know that if Russia invades, forcing it to withdraw will be costly and that will feed uncertainty and fear. Critically negative for Russian stocks, negative for global stocks, positive for oil and precious metals and USDRUB. The most likely scenario could be the one of prolonged tension – Moscow can pose threats for as long as it achieves certain results (there’s a talk of autonomy or even referendums in Eastern parts of Ukraine). While politically complicated, this scenario can actually be a relief for the markets. For as long as invasion risk declines, this scenario is positive for stocks while being negative for oil, precious metals and USDRUB. Finally a scenario most would prefer – there's a sound compromise and Russian troops are ordered away from the Ukrainian border. This would be extremely positive for stocks (especially Russian banks and the Russian index) while negative for oil, precious metals and USDRUB. Unfortunately, this scenario also seems to be the least likely. XTB Research

S&P 500 opening range gave way to heavy selling as 4,470s didn‘t hold. Risk-on was overpowered, and the flight to Treasuries didn‘t support tech. And that‘s most medium-term worrying – stocks don‘t look to have found a floor, and gave up the opportunity for a tight range trading on Friday all too easily. The prospects of war were that formidable opponent, against which the S&P 500 didn‘t really stand a chance. So, the downtrend has reasserted itself, and HYG doesn‘t look to have found a floor – junk bonds are leading to the downside, with energy, materials and financials standing out, which isn‘t exactly a bullish constellation. The other key beneficiaries of the safe haven bid were gold, miners and oil. Silver lagged as copper retreated all too easily, but I‘m looking for that to change. As for Monday‘s session in stocks, the odds of a countertrend move to the upside, at least intraday, are good. Just a quick glance at the dollar, gold, oil and Bitcoin would reveal the extent of possible stabilization. Stabilization, not a reversal, because HYG is unlikely to turn up, and I‘m not looking for stocks to start moving up again. Thursday marked a high point in the countertrend rally, which was cut short after some 5 days only. Sideways to a little up is the best the bulls can hope for on Monday. Funny though how with all eyes on Eastern Europe, the inflation and steep rate hike bets receded? What a Super Bowl! Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Whatever backing and filling there could have been, the S&P 500 didn‘t hesitate, and is pointing to the downside. The bears are back, and aren‘t yielding. Credit Markets Credit markets went decidedly risk-off, and a little sideways reprieve wouldn‘t be surprising. But it would change nothing as the bets on rising rates, are on, and the 2-year Treasury is forcing the Fed‘s hand. Gold, Silver and Miners Miners and gold came alive on the tensions escalation news – the uptrend is alive and well indeed, even without these geopolitical developments. The upswing wasn‘t really sold into. Crude Oil Crude oil correction came to an abrupt close, and it‘s unlikely black gold would dip in the current environment. The upcoming corrections would be bought as much as the previous one, and given the oil stocks performance, wouldn‘t likely reach far to the downside. Copper Copper is under pressure, and not holding up as well as other commodities. Base metals though are breaking higher, which is why I‘m looking at Friday‘s red metal trading as a temporary setback only. Bitcoin and Ethereum The floor in cryptos is heralding a tight range day – it‘s good for risk-on that Friday‘s downswing isn‘t immediately continuing, it‘s buying some time. Summary S&P 500 bears are back in the driver‘s seat, and the rush to Treasuries took the spotlight off rate hikes – to a small degree. Not that the Fed would be changing course on geopolitics, we aren‘t there yet. To the contrary, credit markets are pressuring the central bank to move – as decisively as possible in the overleveraged system – and Powell would find it hard not to deliver. Come autumn latest, the strain on the real economy would be hard to ignore – real estate is feeling the pinch already. Stock bulls can‘t expect higher prices unless tech recovers, and we look to be still far from that moment. Real assets with safe haven appeal are likely to do best, and the same goes for the dollar temporarily too. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  Gold continues to benefit from the market turmoil and has apparently forgotten about medium-term problems. Meanwhile, the rising USD and a hawkish Fed await confrontation. With financial markets whipsawing after every Russia-Ukraine headline, volatility has risen materially in recent days. With whispers of a Russian invasion on Feb. 16 (which I doubt will be realized), the game of hot potato has uplifted the precious metals market. However, as I noted on Feb. 14, while the developments are short-term bullish, the PMs’ medium-term fundamentals continue to decelerate. For example, while the general stock market remains concerned about a Russian invasion, U.S. Treasury yields rallied on Feb. 14. With risk-off sentiment often born in the bond market, the safety trade benefiting the PMs didn’t materialize in U.S. Treasuries. As a result, bond traders aren’t demonstrating the same level of fear. Please see below: Source: Investing.com Furthermore, while the potential conflict garners all of the attention, the fundamental issues that upended the PMs in 2021 remain unresolved. For example, with inflation surging, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Feb. 14 that “the last four [Consumer Price Index] reports taken in tandem have indicated that inflation is broadening and possibly accelerating in the U.S. economy.” “The inflation that we’re seeing is very bad for low- and moderate-income households,” he said. “People are unhappy, consumer confidence is declining. This is not a good situation. We have to reassure people that we’re going to defend our inflation target and we’re going to get back to 2%.” As a result, Bullard wants a 50 basis point rate hike in March, and four rate hikes by July. Please see below: Source: CNBC Likewise, while San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly is much less hawkish than Bullard, she also supports a rate hike in March. Source: CNBC As a result, while the PMs can hide behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the short term, their medium-term fundamental outlooks are profoundly bearish. As mentioned, Bullard highlighted inflation’s impact on consumer confidence, and for a good reason. With the University of Michigan releasing its Consumer Sentiment Index on Feb. 11, the report revealed that Americans’ optimism sank to “its worst level in a decade, falling a stunning 8.2% from last month and 19.7% from last February.” Chief Economist, Richard Curtin said: “The recent declines have been driven by weakening personal financial prospects, largely due to rising inflation, less confidence in the government's economic policies, and the least favorable long term economic outlook in a decade.” “The impact of higher inflation on personal finances was spontaneously cited by one-third of all consumers, with nearly half of all consumers expecting declines in their inflation adjusted incomes during the year ahead.” Please see below: To that point, I’ve highlighted on numerous occasions that U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election prospects often move inversely to inflation. With the dynamic still on full display, immediate action is needed to maintain his political survival. Please see below: To explain, the light blue line above tracks the year-over-year (YoY) percentage change in inflation, while the dark blue line above tracks Biden’s approval rating. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the U.S. President remains in a highly perilous position. Moreover, with U.S. midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 8, the Democrats can’t wait nine to 12 months for inflation to calm down. As a result, there is a lot at stake politically in the coming months. As further evidence, as inflation reduces real incomes and depresses consumer confidence, the Misery Index also hovers near crisis levels. Please see below: To explain, the blue line above tracks the Misery Index. For context, the index is calculated by subtracting the unemployment rate from the YoY percentage change in the headline CPI. In a nutshell, when inflation outperforms the unemployment rate (the blue line rises), it creates a stagflationary environment in America. To that point, if you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the Misery Index is approaching a level that coincided with the global financial crisis (GFC). As a result, reversing the trend is essential to avoid a U.S. recession. As such, with inflation still problematic and the writing largely on the wall, the market-implied probability of seven rate hikes by the Fed in 2022 is nearly 93% (as of Feb. 10). Please see below: Ironically, while consumers and the bond market fret over inflation, U.S. economic growth remains resilient. While I’ve been warning for months that a bullish U.S. economy is bearish for the PMs, continued strength should turn hawkish expectations into hawkish realities. To that point, the chart above shows that futures traders expect the U.S. Federal Funds Rate to hit 1.75% in 2022 (versus 0.08% now). However, Michael Darda, Chief Economist at MKM Partners, expects the Fed’s overnight lending rate to hit 3.5% before it’s all said and done. “We have this booming economy with high inflation and a rapid recovery in the labor market – much different relative to the last cycle,” he said. “The Fed is behind the curve this time. They are going to have to do more.”  Singing a similar tune, John Thorndike, co-head of asset allocation at GMO, told clients that “inflation is now here, [but] the narrative is that inflation goes away and markets tend to struggle with change. It is more likely than not that real yields and policy rates need to move above inflation during this cycle.” The bottom line? While the Russia-Ukraine drama distracts the PMs from the fundamental realities that confront them over the medium term, their outlooks remain profoundly bearish. Moreover, while I’ve noted on numerous occasions that the algorithms will enhance momentum in either direction, their influence wanes materially as time passes. As such, while headline risk is material in the short-term, history shows that technicals and fundamentals reign supreme over longer time horizons. Thus, while the recent flare-up is an unfortunate event that hurts our short position, the medium-term developments that led to our bearish outlook continue to strengthen. In conclusion, the PMs rallied on Feb. 14, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is the primary driver moving the financial markets. However, while the PMs will ride the wave as far as it takes them, they ignored that the USD Index and U.S. Treasury yields also rallied. Moreover, with Fed officials ramping up the hawkish rhetoric, the PMs' fundamental outlook is more bearish now than it was in 2021 (if we exclude the Russia-Ukraine implications). As a result, while the timeline may have been delayed, lower lows should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks in the coming months. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 refused further downside yesterday, and while credit markets didn‘t move much, rebound looks approaching as stocks might lead bonds in the risk appetite. When the East European tensions get dialed down, S&P 500 can be counted on to lead, probably more so when it comes to value than tech. That‘s why the tech participation is key as it would make up for the evaporating risk premium in energy. Or precious metals – these are likely to rise once again when the spotlight shifts to the inadequacy of Fed‘s tightening in the inflation fight. For now, the war drums took the limelight away, but don‘t count on gold, silver or oil correcting significantly and lastingly. Cryptos are supporting the return of risk-on as the touted war just isn‘t happening either today or tomorrow, and market participants are dialing back the panicky bets. That‘s why Treasuries and tech movements are so key these days – copper trading shows that we‘re in for paring back of the fire sales. I can‘t call it a full fledged stock market reversal, not yet. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Pause but more likely a rebound, is what comes next for S&P 500. Closing above the 200-day moving average is possible, but more is needed for a trend reversal in this correction. Credit Markets Credit markets moderated their pace of decline, and there‘s no risk-on posture apparent yet. We may be though nearing the point of credit market reprieve – as much as that‘s compatible with rate raising cycle. Gold, Silver and Miners Miners and gold are benefiting from the tensions, but they‘ll just as easily give up some of these gains next. What‘s important though, is the continued trend of making higher highs and higher lows. Crude Oil Crude oil looks also likely to lose some of the prior safe haven bid, but similarly to precious metals, the trend is higher, and corrections are more or less eagerly bought. Only should the Fed‘s actions harm the real economy, would oil prices meaningfully decline. Copper Copper is rebounding, but still remains trading in a not too hot fashion – the red metal is still trailing behind other commodities significantly. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos deciding to go higher, is a positive sign for stocks as well – the volume looks to be noticeable enough at the close later today to lend the upswing credibility. Summary S&P 500 bulls have the opportunity today, but the market remains as headline sensitive as everything else. Treasuries stabilizing or even moving higher while funds flow out of the dollar, that would be a bullish confirmation – and the same goes for precious metals not getting hammered, but finding a decent floor. The point is that war jitters calming down when Russia doesn‘t take the bait, makes assets to continue with their prior trends and focus, which is Fed and tightening. The bets on 50bp rate hike in Mar went down recently, and when they start rising again, it would make sense to deploy more capital – including into oil above $90, give or take a buck. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  Analysts' 2022 forecasts for the gold market are not overwhelmingly enthusiastic – they see it flat. However, maybe the opposite should be expected. The LBMA has recently published its annual precious metals forecast survey. In general, the report is neutral about gold in 2022. On average, the analysts forecast gold prices to be broadly flat this year compared to the year. The average gold price in 2021 was $1,799, and it is expected to rise merely $3 to $1,802. How boring! However, as the table below shows, the forecasts for other precious metals are much more bearish, especially for palladium. The headline numbers are the averages of 34 analysts’ forecasts. The greatest bears see the average price of gold as low as $1.630, while the lowest low – at $1,500. Meanwhile, the biggest bulls expect the average price of gold to be $1,965, while the highest high is expected to be $2.280. The three most important drivers of precious metals prices’ performance this year are the Fed’s monetary policy, inflation, and equity market performance. This is a huge change compared to last year, when analysts considered geopolitical factors, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pace of economic recovery to be much more important. I agree this time, of course, as I always believed that macroeconomic factors are more relevant to the long-term trend in the gold market than geopolitical drivers. Generally, the pick-up in inflation, which will keep real interest rates in negative territory, is seen as a tailwind for gold. Some analysts also expect the greenback to depreciate as the global economic recovery gathers steam, which would also be supportive of gold prices. Meanwhile, normalization of monetary policy is considered the greatest headwind for the yellow metal, as the Fed’s tightening cycle will raise the opportunity cost of holding gold. However, the markets have probably already priced the interest rate hikes in, so gold doesn’t have to suffer during the tightening cycle. Last time, the price of gold began to rise after the liftoff of the federal funds rate. The analysts surveyed by the LBMA also doubt the central banks’ ability to raise interest rates as high as needed to crush inflation. Instead, they are expected to stay behind the inflation curve. This is because the forecasted tightening cycle could be too difficult for the asset market and indebted economy to stomach, so it will be moderate and short-lived, just like last time.   Implications for Gold What does the LBMA annual forecast survey predicts for the yellow metal? The report is neutral, probably because gold remains under the influence of opposite forces, which makes forecasting really challenging this year. Gold has been recently in a sideways trend, so it’s somewhat natural to expect simply more of the same, i.e., the flat market. Actually, the pundits always forecast more of the same. For example, the previous edition of the survey was bullish, as 2020 was a great year for gold. Thus, the analysts’ 2021 average forecast for the price of gold was $1,973.8, almost $200 above the actual level. Hence, please take the survey with a pinch of salt. OK, the analysts don’t predict a literally flat market. The forecasts concerned averages, but some experts see the first half of the year as more bullish than the second, while others, vice versa. I’d rather include myself in the latter group, as my view is that the expectations of Fed tightening will continue to exert downward pressure on gold prices in the coming weeks. However, the hawkish expectations have probably gone a little too far. At some point this year, they will be adjusted, as it becomes clear that the Fed will be forced to reduce the pace of its tightening or even reverse its stance in order to calm the market and avoid the next economic crisis. Such an adjustment will be positive for gold prices, especially since it might occur amid still high inflation, but gold bulls should remember that there is still a long way to go before that happens. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care

S&P 500 rebound goes on reflexively, but stormy clouds are gathering – I‘m looking for the bears to reassert themselves over the next couple of days latest. The credit markets posture is far from raging risk-on even though select commodities are recovering (what else to expect in a secular commodities bull) and precious metals suffered a modest setback (not a reversal though). Crypto recovery is nodding towards the risk-on upturn that is though likely to get checked soon.It‘s great that tech was the driver of yesterday‘s S&P 500 upswing, but for how long would it keep leadership now that attention is shifting back towards inflation. Yesterday I wrote that: (...) rebound looks approaching as stocks might lead bonds in the risk appetite. When the East European tensions get dialed down, S&P 500 can be counted on to lead, probably more so when it comes to value than tech. That‘s why the tech participation is key as it would make up for the evaporating risk premium in energy. Or precious metals – these are likely to rise once again when the spotlight shifts to the inadequacy of Fed‘s tightening in the inflation fight.So far the stock market advance hasn‘t met a brick wall, but value upswing has been sold into (unlike tech‘s). Energy stocks lost, but are likely to come back – and the next microrotation might not be powerful enough to carry S&P 500 higher. Anyway without a HYG upswing, stock bulls are facing stiff headwinds.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 rebounded on low volume but that wouldn‘t be an issue in a healthy bull market – the trouble is that this 2022 price action isn‘t very healthy.Credit MarketsHYG didn‘t trade on a strong note, and the rise in yields continues almost unabated. This is what I meant yesterday by saying that we may be though nearing the point of credit market reprieve – as much as that‘s compatible with rate raising cycle.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals suffered a temporary setback – they easily gave up some of the safe haven gains, which isn‘t surprising. The bulls though haven‘t lost control, and that‘s key.Crude OilCrude oil dip was bought, and there wasn‘t much bearish conviction to start with. The general uptrend is likely to continue, and $90 appears likely to hold over the next few days definitely.CopperCopper is now in for some backing and filling, but managed to catch up with other commodities a little yesterday. The red metal remains range bound, but making good bullish progress.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are paring back yesterday‘s advance, and unless the mid Feb lows give, they‘re likely to muddle through with a modest bullish bias till the attention shifts to the Fed again.SummaryS&P 500 bulls‘ opportunity seems slipping away with each 1D or 4H candle, and I‘m not counting on the credit markets to ride to stocks‘ rescue. The commodities bull though is likely to carry on with little interference – and so does the precious metals bull as the yield curve keeps compressing. Slowdown in economic growth with rampant inflation and the realization that the Fed tightening hasn‘t had the effect, is awaiting, and would usher in strong gold and silver gains.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Thanks to Fed minutes, the S&P 500 closed modestly up, but could have taken the stronger credit markets cue. Instead, the upswing was sold into – the selling pressure is there, and neither value nor tech took the opportunity to rise, even against the backdrop of a weakening dollar. That‘s quite telling – the stock market correction hasn‘t run its course yet, and whatever progress the bulls make, is being countered convincingly. Precious metals adored the combo of yields and dollar turning down – and reacted with the miners‘ outperformance. The silver to copper ratio is basing, and the white metal looks to have better short-term prospects than the red one. Still in the headline sensitive environment we‘re in, gold would be stronger than silver until inflation is recognized for what it is. If there‘s one thing that the aftermath of Fed minutes showed, it‘s that the commodities superbull is alive and well, and that precious metals likewise are acting very positively in this tightening cycle. Suffice to say that gold has a track record of turning up once the rate hikes finally start… Excellent, the portfolio is positioned accordingly. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 rebound is getting suspect, and should stocks close on a weak note today, it‘s clear that today‘s wobbling Philly Fed Manufacturing Index won‘t be balanced out by the succession of Fed speakers – the signs of real economy headwinds are here. Credit Markets HYG upswing could have had broader repercussions, and it‘s quite telling it didn‘t. The risk-on turn would likely be sold into, with consequences. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals suffered a temporary setback only indeed – I‘m looking for the gains to continue as the miners outperformance just can‘t be overlooked. Crude Oil Crude oil dipped some more, and the dip was again bought. Given the late session wavering, I‘m looking for some more sideways and volatile trading ahead before the upswing reasserts itself. Copper Copper continues trading sideways, but with bullish undertones. More consolidation before another upswing attempt is probable. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are turning down, but still haven‘t broken either way out of the current range. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum are sending a message of caution. Summary S&P 500 bulls‘ opportunity seems increasingly slipping away given that the buyers couldn‘t defend gains after Fed minutes release. The upturn in credit markets is likely to prove of fleeting shelf life, and would exert downward pressure upon stocks. As I wrote yesterday (and talked extensively within today‘s article chart captions), the commodities bull is likely to carry on with little interference – and so would the precious metals bull as the yield curve keeps compressing, and the beginning of rate hikes would mark further headwinds for the real economy at a time of persistent inflation that could be perhaps brought down to 4-5% official rate late this year (which would leave the mainstream wondering why it just isn‘t transitory somewhat more – what an irony). The Fed‘s tools to be employed are simply insufficient to break the inflation‘s back, that‘s it. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

I've been paying close attention to Bonds as the global markets react to rising inflation and global central bank moves recently. The US Federal Reserve has yet to take any actions to raise rates, but we all know it will come at some point. Longer-term bonds are acting as if these risks are much more subdued than many traders/investors believe – which has me questioning if global central banks have overplayed the stimulus game? Why would traditional safe-haven assets fail to act in a manner that reflects current market risks like they would typically do? Why have precious metals failed to reflect these risks also properly? Is there something brewing in traders' minds that are muting or mitigating these traditional safe-haven assets? Bonds Continue To Slide After COVID Rally This table, reflecting the recent downward trend in Bonds, highlights the weakened safe-haven tendencies. These assets would generally present with rampant inflation and the possibility of multiple Fed rate increases. (Source: SeekingAlpha.com) Increasing uncertainty throughout the globe, and as inflation climbs to the highest levels since the mid-1970s and 1980s, – “where's the beef?” (to reference a 1980s Wendy's commercial phrase). This TLT Weekly chart shows how risks climbed when COVID hit in February 2020. Yet, take a look at how price has consolidated below $156 and has continued to trend lower over the past six months. After a brief move higher, to levels near the $147 to $155 level, TLT has moved decidedly lower over the past 6+ months. This downward price trend illustrates the diminishing fear levels as traders piled into the post-COVID rally phase. This move suggests traders believe inflation may be temporary or that the US Federal Reserve has room to raise rates without disrupting the global economy. I think the current premise and price trend in TLT vastly underestimates the amount of disruption a series of Fed rate hikes would cause the international markets. The US Federal Reserve will likely consider all options before taking an aggressive move to raise rates. Additionally, the US Fed may decide to allow foreign central banks to move more aggressively to raise rates while it decides to take a more measured approach to inflation. The key to future rate increases is how supply chains open up and how consumers continue to engage in economic activities. Any sudden shift by consumers, or further disruptions in supply for manufacturing and consumer staples/discretionary items, could prompt the Fed into taking aggressive actions. From where the Fed Funds Rates currently are, a move above 0.50% would reflect a +500% rate increase. This may prompt some type of “pop” in certain asset bubbles. (Source: St. Louis Fed) Traders should stay keenly focused on market risks and Bond levels throughout 2022 into 2023 as any sudden shift away from current trends could spell trouble. Right now, Bonds are pricing in minimal risks – which may be a mistake. The market dynamics and trends are changing from what we have experienced over the past 40 years for stocks and bonds. The 60/40 portfolio is costing you money now, and bonds can’t keep up with inflation and are more or less yield-less. The only way to navigate the financial markets safely, no matter the direction, is through technical analysis. By following assets and money flows, we identify trend changes and move our capital into whatever index, sector, industry, bond, commodity, country, and even currency ETF. By following the money, you become part of new emerging trends and can profit during weak stock or bond conditions. What Trading Strategies Will Help You To Navigate Current Market Trends? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase. This may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals. I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 

  Gold and the USDX reacted vigorously to the worrisome news concerning Eastern Europe. However, only the latter can be calm about its medium-term future. As geopolitical tensions uplift gold, silver, and mining stocks, they’re in rally mode each time a doom-and-gloom headline surfaces. However, while the ‘will they or won’t they’ saga commands investors’ attention, the USD Index continues to behave rationally. For example, while volatility has increased recently, the dollar basket has held firm. To explain, I wrote on Feb. 17: The USD Index is at its medium-term support line. All previous moves to / slightly below it were then followed by rallies, sometimes really big rallies, so we’re likely to see something like that once again. Such a rally would be the prefect trigger for the triangle-vertex-based reversal in gold and the following slide. Please see below: Furthermore, the USD Index’s recent pullback was far from a surprise. For example, I highlighted on numerous occasions that the greenback is nearing its weekly rising resistance line, and the price action has unfolded as I expected. Moreover, while overbought conditions resulted in a short-term breather, history shows that the USD Index eventually catches its second wind. To explain, I previously wrote: I marked additional situations on the chart below with orange rectangles – these were the recent cases when the RSI based on the USD Index moved from very low levels to or above 70. In all three previous cases, there was some corrective downswing after the initial part of the decline, but once it was over – and the RSI declined somewhat – the big rally returned and the USD Index moved to new highs. As a result, with the USD Index showcasing a reliable history of profound comebacks, higher highs should materialize over the medium term. Please see below: Just as the USD Index took a breather before its massive rally in 2014, it seems that we saw the same recently. This means that predicting higher gold prices (or those of silver) here is likely not a good idea. Continuing the theme, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie, and with the USDX’s long-term breakout clearly visible, the wind remains at the dollar’s back. Furthermore, dollar bears often miss the forest through the trees: with the USD Index’s long-term breakout gaining steam, the implications of the chart below are profound. While very few analysts cite the material impact (when was the last time you saw the USDX chart starting in 1985 anywhere else?), the USD Index has been sending bullish signals for years. Please see below: The bottom line? With my initial 2021 target of 94.5 already hit, the ~98-101 target is likely to be reached over the medium term (and perhaps quite soon). Mind, though: we’re not bullish on the greenback because of the U.S.’s absolute outperformance. It’s because the region is fundamentally outperforming the Eurozone. The EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the movement of the USD Index, and the relative performance is what really matters. In conclusion, the financial markets remain on Russia-Ukraine watch. While gold, silver, mining stocks, and the USD Index whipsaw on the news, the technical and fundamental backdrops support higher prices for the latter, not the former. Thus, while geopolitical tensions are always short-term bullish for the precious metals, the rush is often short-lived. As a result, the trios’ downtrends that began in late 2020 will likely resurface once the headline-driven market returns to normal. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

  Not only won’t inflation end soon, it’s likely to remain high. Whether gold will be able to take advantage of it will depend, among others, on the Fed. Do you sometimes ask yourself when this will all end? I don’t mean the universe, nor our lives, nor even this year (c’mon, guys, it has just started!). I mean, of course, inflation. If only you weren’t in a coma last year, you would have probably noticed that prices had been surging recently. For instance, America finished the year with a shocking CPI annual rate of 7.1%, the highest since June 1982, as the chart below shows. Now, the key question is how much higher inflation could rise, or how persistent it could be. The consensus is that we will see a peak this year and subsequent cooling down, but to still elevated levels. This is the view I also hold. However, would I bet my collection of precious metals on it? I don’t know, as inflation could surprise us again, just as it did to most of the economists (but not me) last year. The risk is clearly to the upside. As always in economics, it’s a matter of supply and demand. There is even a joke that all you need to turn a parrot into an economist is to teach it to say ‘supply’ and ‘demand’. Funny, huh? When it comes to the demand side, both the money supply growth and the evolution of personal saving rate implies some cooling down of inflation rate. Please take a look at the chart below. As you can see, the broad money supply peaked in February 2021. Assuming a one-year lag between the money supply and price level, inflation rate should reach its peak somewhere in the first quarter of this year. There is one important caveat here: the pace of money supply growth has not returned to the pre-pandemic level, but it stabilized at about 13%, double the rate seen at the end of 2019. Inflation was then more or less at the Fed’s target of 2%, so without constraining money supply growth, the US central bank couldn’t beat inflation. As the chart above also shows, the personal saving rate has returned to the pre-pandemic level of 7-8%. It means that the bulk of pent-up demand has already materialized, which should also help to ease inflation in the future. However, not all of the ‘forced savings’ have already entered the market. Thus, personal consumption expenditures are likely to be elevated for some time, contributing to boosted inflation. Regarding supply factors, although some bottlenecks have eased, the disruptions have not been fully resolved. The spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and regional lockdowns in China could prolong the imbalances between booming demand and constrained supply. Other contributors to high inflation are rising producer prices, increasing house prices and rents, strong inflation expectations (see the chart below), and labor shortages combined with fast wage growth. The bottom line is that, all things considered – in particular high level of demand, continued supply issues, and de-anchored inflation expectations – I forecast another year of elevated inflation, but probably not as high as in 2021. After reaching a peak in a few months, the inflation rate could ease to, let’s say, around 4% in December, if we are lucky. Importantly, the moderate bond yields also suggest that inflation will ease somewhat later in 2022. What does it mean for the gold market? Well, I don’t have good news for the gold bulls. Gold loves high and accelerating inflation the most. Indeed, as the chart below shows, gold peaks coincided historically with inflation heights. The most famous example is the inflation peak in early 1980, when gold ended its impressive rally and entered into a long bearish trend. The 2011 top also happened around the local inflationary peak. The only exception was the 2005 peak in inflation, when gold didn’t care and continued its bullish trend. However, this was partially possible thanks to the decline in the US dollar, which seems unlikely to repeat in the current macroeconomic environment, in which the Fed is clearly more hawkish than the ECB or other major central banks. The relatively strong greenback won’t help gold shine. Surely, disinflation may turn out to be transitory and inflation may increase again several months later. Lower inflation implies a less aggressive Fed, which should be supportive of gold prices. However, investors should remember that the US central bank will normalize its monetary policy no matter the inflation rate. Since the Great Recession, inflation has been moderate, but the Fed has tightened its stance eventually, nevertheless. Hence, gold may experience a harsh moment when inflation peaks. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 15th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the gains in the Copper futures bets. The speculative net position in the Copper futures rose this week by the largest one-week amount of the past seventeen weeks. Copper speculator positions have risen now for two straight weeks and in four out of the past five weeks as well. Spec bullish bets had previously fallen to an eighty-one week low for Copper on December 21st but have rebounded since then with gains in six out of the next eight weeks. This positive sentiment has helped push the speculator positioning to this week to the highest bullish level of the past fifteen weeks. Joining Copper (11,837 contracts) with rising positions this week were Gold (26,907 contracts), Silver (4,257 contracts) and Palladium (230 contracts) while Platinum (-1,627 contracts) saw lower speculator net contracts for the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Feb-15-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 2,122,758 39 348,093 8 -392,000 80 43,907 77 Gold 558,645 35 213,613 56 -238,875 45 25,262 36 Silver 156,968 23 23,556 46 -36,348 63 12,792 17 Copper 210,089 34 30,692 64 -39,421 32 8,729 76 Palladium 8,358 9 -1,000 15 903 83 97 50 Platinum 59,897 22 10,132 16 -16,020 86 5,888 44 Natural Gas 1,098,101 0 -131,424 39 99,903 62 31,521 59 Brent 214,404 51 -26,325 73 22,279 27 4,046 64 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 856,917 58 216,732 84 -186,438 22 -30,294 20 Corn 1,607,591 39 414,492 83 -374,969 19 -39,523 20 Coffee 254,992 25 70,425 100 -75,230 1 4,805 22 Sugar 871,213 11 74,563 52 -90,388 51 15,825 27 Wheat 402,232 35 -5,846 42 10,013 51 -4,167 82   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 213,613 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 26,907 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 186,706 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 55.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 44.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 35.9 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 56.1 22.7 8.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.8 65.5 3.8 – Net Position: 213,613 -238,875 25,262 – Gross Longs: 313,269 126,837 46,689 – Gross Shorts: 99,656 365,712 21,427 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.1 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 55.7 44.7 35.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.7 -0.4 -2.4   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 23,556 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 4,257 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,299 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 45.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.4 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 36.3 35.9 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 21.2 59.1 7.8 – Net Position: 23,556 -36,348 12,792 – Gross Longs: 56,911 56,394 25,107 – Gross Shorts: 33,355 92,742 12,315 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.7 to 1 0.6 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 45.8 63.2 17.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.3 7.5 -1.5   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 30,692 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 11,837 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 18,855 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 64.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 75.8 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.2 38.6 9.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.6 57.3 5.5 – Net Position: 30,692 -39,421 8,729 – Gross Longs: 84,415 81,004 20,249 – Gross Shorts: 53,723 120,425 11,520 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 64.5 32.4 75.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.9 -10.0 21.1   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 10,132 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -1,627 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 11,759 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.1 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 47.1 35.4 14.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.2 62.1 4.6 – Net Position: 10,132 -16,020 5,888 – Gross Longs: 28,217 21,179 8,661 – Gross Shorts: 18,085 37,199 2,773 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.6 to 1 3.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 16.3 86.1 44.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 4.9 -5.5 6.5   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -1,000 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 230 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,230 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 82.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 50.4 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 25.0 48.1 17.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 36.9 37.3 16.0 – Net Position: -1,000 903 97 – Gross Longs: 2,086 4,018 1,432 – Gross Shorts: 3,086 3,115 1,335 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 15.4 82.6 50.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 12.2 -13.2 14.7   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Even at the last important low (US$$1,750) on December 15th, 2021, the sentiment was still awful as the sector had become the most hated asset class. Now fast-forward, gold has been successfully breaking out of its multi month triangle and keeps sprinting higher. The bulls currently are bending the daily and weekly Bollinger Bands to the upside, and seasonality is still supportive.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 20th, 2022.Looking at the weekly chart, it appears that gold not only broke out of a triangle consolidation pattern, but also out of a large inverse head and shoulder pattern. It’s not a textbook head and shoulder, but worthwhile noting. A measured move projection could theoretically take gold towards US$2,125! However, the monthly Bollinger Band, sitting at around US$ 1,975, might be a much more realistic target for the ongoing move. As you might remember, the zone between US$1,950 to US$1,975 is very strong resistance. We would not rule out a short-lived overshoot towards US$,2000, though.Overall, the weekly chart is not yet overbought and looks bullish. Hence, the rally has very good chances to continue for a few more weeks.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.As expected, the breakout above US$1,840 to US$1,850 has unleashed enough energy to quickly push gold prices towards the round psychological number of US$1,900. Fortunately, the daily stochastic has transformed its overboughtness into the rare “embedded status”, where both signal lines are sitting above 80 for more than three days in a row. Hence, the uptrend is locked-in and shorting this market would be fighting the uptrend.Of course, given the uncertain and complex geopolitical situation, events can and likely will strongly influence gold over the coming days and weeks. Speaking from a technical point of you, any pullback towards the breakout zone around US$1,845 would be a buying opportunity. However, prices below US$1,875 would already be a surprise in the short-term. On the contrary, it’s much more likely that gold will continue its run to at least US$1,930 over the coming days.In summary, the daily chart is bullish. Especially the bullish embedded stochastic oscillator likely will not allow any larger pullback, but rather a consolidation around US$1,900. Watch those two signal lines. Only if one of them would be dropping below 80on a daily close, the bull run might be over!GDX (VanEck Gold Miners ETF) in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.GDX, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold & gold related mining stocks often stabilize your portfolio during uncertain times and do act as a hedge. While the stock market continued its dive due to the crisis in Ukraine and the potential interest rate turnaround in the US, the GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF is up more than 21.5% since its low in mid of December. Over the last two weeks, the leading gold mining stocks recorded some of their best days in the last 12 months. Last week, Barrick Gold ($GOLD) jumped up more than 7% due to good earnings, a dividend increase, and a new share repurchase program. Some smaller gold stocks like Sabina Gold & Silver ($SGSVF) went up even more (+15% Friday, 11th).Now that gold is on the rise, it’s time for the beaten down and undervalued mining stocks to catch up. Usually, it starts with the big senior produces like Barrick Gold, Agnico Eagle Mines ($AEM) and Newmont Corporation ($NEM), then the juniors like for example Victoria Gold Corp. ($VITFF) join and finally, the explorer and developers literally explode higher.However, the GDX has nearly reached its downtrend line as well as the 38.2% retracement of the whole corrective wave since August 2020. Hence, the big miners are running into string resistance and might need to consolidate soon.At the same time, note, that silver has been lagging. Silver always lags most of the time, but in the final stage of sector wide rally it suddenly passes all the other metals and shots up nearly vertically. That also typically is the sign that the rally in the sector is coming to an end. Obviously, we have not yet seen any strong silver days. Therefore, silver actually confirms that the sector has more room and time to run higher!Conclusion: Bullish momentum remains strongOverall, gold continues to look promising here as the bullish momentum remains strong. Hence, Gold is probably on the way towards US$1,950 and US$1,975, with a slight chance for an overshot to US$2,000. But of course, given the rather overbought daily chart, the risk/reward is not that good anymore. Silver and many of the smaller mining stocks, however, might still offer a chance to play the ongoing rally over the next few weeks. Once gold tops out in spring, expect a big pullback. Maybe even back towards the higher trending 200-day moving average (currently at US$1,808) at some point in midsummer. But that is all somewhere in the future. For now, the bullish momentum remains strong.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter.Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Florian Grummes|February 20th, 2022|Tags: $GDXJ, Barrick Gold, GDX, Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, gold fundamentals, Newmont Corporation, precious metals, Reyna Gold, Sabina Gold & Silver, Silver, silver bull, US-Dollar, Victoria Gold|0 CommentsAbout the Author: Florian GrummesFlorian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.

S&P 500 opening upswing gave way to more selling, but credit markets didn‘t lead to the downside on a daily basis. This tells me the plunge would likely be challenged shortly. As in facing a reversal attempt – it‘s that junk bonds for all the recent (and still to come) deterioration, will probably rebound a little next. Value already retraced part of Friday‘s decline – it‘s just tech that didn‘t yet react to the Treasuries reprieve. Good to have taken short profits off the table. The table is set for S&P 500 to rise, and for bonds to rally somewhat. And that wouldn‘t be the result of war tensions lifting up Treasuries, gold and oil. Red hot inflation, decelerating growth and compressing yield curve are a challenging environment, and the odds of a 50bp Mar rate hike are overwhelming, but the Fed‘s balance sheet is still rising – now within spitting distance of $9T. Sure they will take on inflation, but I continue to think that by autumn they would be forced to reverse course, and start easing. Fresh stimulus after markets protest during 1H 2022? Would be helpful for the midterms... The consumer isn‘t in a great shape as the confidence data reveal – and that‘s also reflected in the direction of discretionaries vs. staples. Inflation is pinching, and the pressure on the Fed to act, is on – its credibility is being challenged. Food inflation is high, and seeing food at home prices rising this much, is as surefire marker of coming recession as yield curve inversion is. And yield differentials are flattening around the world – quite a few central banks are more ahead in the tightening path than the Fed. Economy slowing down, stock market correction far from over (yes, in spite of the coming rebound, I‘m looking for lower lows still), and precious metals upleg underway – yes, underway, and especially our gold profits can keep rising - as I wrote on Friday: (…) With gold at $1,900 again and silver approaching $24, copper‘s fate is also brightening – the miners‘ continued outperformance is a very good sign. With crude oil taking a breather, the inflationary pressures aren‘t at least increasing, but don‘t look for the Bullard or other statements to defeat inflation – I‘m standing by the 4-5% official rate CPI data for 2022 (discussed in yesterday‘s summary). CPI might turn out even a full percentage point higher – depends upon the hedonics and substitution massaging. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 caught a little buying interest going into the long weekend – better days though look to be coming. Not a monstrous rally, but still an upswing. Credit Markets HYG is indeed basing, and will help stocks move higher next. LQD and TLT are already rising, and there is still somewhat more to come. Bonds have simply deteriorated too fast in 2022, and need a breather. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals fireworks continue – we‘re getting started, and $1,920 is the next stop. Kiss of life from the bond market reprieve comes next, on top of all the other factors I‘ve talked about recently. Crude Oil Crude oil is fairly well bid, but the war jitters are helping it out (as in staving off a bit deeper correction). As both oil and base metals are rising, inflation isn‘t likely to slow down (perhaps later in summer?) - black gold‘s uptrend isn‘t over really. Copper Copper keeps going sideways in a volatile fashion, and can be counted on to break higher – inflationary pressures aren‘t abating, and outweigh the slowing economy. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos did break down over the weekend, but the anticipated risk-on rebound fizzled out a bit too fast – as said on Friday, the bears have the upper hand now. Summary S&P 500 appears on the verge of trying to swing higher, and credit markets would be leading the charge as tech finally turns. Value had trouble declining some more on Friday already. Stock market upswing though wouldn‘t throw the precious metals bulls off balance – not too many weeks have passed since I was at the turn of the year predicting that gold (and silver with miners implied) would be the bullish surprise of 2022 – and for all the talk and preemtive tightening in the credit markets, we haven‘t yet seen the Fed move. Anyway, such a lag in moving the Fed funds rate higher, is normal these decades – we are a long way from the early 1980s when the delay between say 2-year Treasury and Fed funds rate move was some 2 months. Crude oil is likewise going to keep rising, and the same goes naturally for copper following in the footsteps. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Bitcoin, best in play   The Covid environment brought an additional variant risk factor to the table, especially when it comes to investor psychology. Our last weekly chart book publication made a case for positioning one’s risk hedge plays this year when equity markets most likely trade in a volatile sideways range. We also spoke of a proper wealth preservation strategy, holding both bitcoin and gold within a hedged risk reduction approach for your monies. With our primary focus on risk, the next question is allocation size between bitcoin and gold. As mentioned in the intro, it feels intuitively natural to have significant exposure to the gold side from a cycle history. Yet, insurance seems essential at this time, and as such, we tend to be a bit more aggressive towards bitcoin allocations. Bitcoin, daily chart, not just yet: Bitcoin, daily chart as of February 22nd, 2022. The daily chart reflects the common notion of bitcoin trading alongside PMI numbers and the market as a whole. With the recent break of the modest bounce from the US$33,500 level up leg (yellow up-channel), no immediate low-risk entries for longer-term exposure seems in play.   Bitcoin, weekly chart, great setup, bitcoin, best in play: Bitcoin, weekly chart as of February 22nd, 2022. Nevertheless, we find now zooming out to the weekly time frame a quite interesting entry zone (white box) between the levels US$30,000 to US$34,000. We identified by stacking multiple edges that an entry near US$31,800 would provide the most low-risk entry profile. However, it will depend on how prices will arrive at these levels. As such, we encourage you to check back in our free Telegram channel.  There we post-entries, and exits for educational purposes in real-time. Bitcoin, monthly chart, amazing potential: Bitcoin, monthly chart as of February 22nd, 2022. Where matters become more transparent, and our headlines supported, is at a view of the monthly chart. The first leg up was nothing short of a 1,600% advancement. Now we have been trading for a year in a bullish up sloping sideways channel. With a possible entry at the lows of this channel, a long-term investment provides for a stellar risk/reward-ratio. The second legs are typically longer than the first legs! But that is not all; bitcoin has a higher probability of four-leg moves versus three-leg moves. Consequently, this trade could turn out to be highly profitable after some time. One aspect of risk is the relationship between the size of a potential down move of price and the size of a likely up move. We find bitcoins’ upward potential much more significant than gold for its fundamental characteristics and stellar outperforming history percentagewise. Bitcoin, best in play: Summing it up, bitcoin might not be at its lowest retracement levels yet. Still, its powerful potential in risk/reward-ratio and as an overall risk hedge makes it best in play. We share a low-risk cost averaging in strategy in our free Telegram channel. We find that allocation of funds should be more dominant towards bitcoin. In addition, holding some cash as much as money is deflating can still be a good strategy. Cash is king to purchase desired goods and vehicles, especially when those are even more depressed.    Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|February 22nd, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, bitcoin consolidation, Bitcoin correction, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, NASDAQ, quad exit, S&P 500, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments

S&P 500 is waking up to fresh European news, and holds up well. There is no panic upswing in gold and silver, but crude oil and natural gas are up the most. As the U.S. markets are to open following yesterday‘s Washington‘s Birthday holiday, let‘s bring up the key details of yesterday‘s analysis: (…) S&P 500 opening upswing gave way to more selling, but credit markets didn‘t lead to the downside on a daily basis. This tells me the plunge would likely be challenged shortly. As in facing a reversal attempt – it‘s that junk bonds for all the recent (and still to come) deterioration, will probably rebound a little next. Value already retraced part of Friday‘s decline – it‘s just tech that didn‘t yet react to the Treasuries reprieve. Good to have taken short profits off the table. The table is set for S&P 500 to rise, and for bonds to rally somewhat. And that wouldn‘t be the result of war tensions lifting up Treasuries, gold and oil. Red hot inflation, decelerating growth and compressing yield curve are a challenging environment, and the odds of a 50bp Mar rate hike are overwhelming, but the Fed‘s balance sheet is still rising – now within spitting distance of $9T. Sure they will take on inflation, but I continue to think that by autumn they would be forced to reverse course, and start easing. Fresh stimulus after markets protest during 1H 2022? Would be helpful for the midterms... The consumer isn‘t in a great shape as the confidence data reveal – and that‘s also reflected in the direction of discretionaries vs. staples. Inflation is pinching, and the pressure on the Fed to act, is on – its credibility is being challenged. Food inflation is high, and seeing food at home prices rising this much, is as surefire marker of coming recession as yield curve inversion is. And yield differentials are flattening around the world – quite a few central banks are more ahead in the tightening path than the Fed. Economy slowing down, stock market correction far from over (yes, in spite of the coming rebound, I‘m looking for lower lows still), and precious metals upleg underway – yes, underway, and especially our gold profits can keep rising - as I wrote on Friday: (…) With gold at $1,900 again and silver approaching $24, copper‘s fate is also brightening – the miners‘ continued outperformance is a very good sign. With crude oil taking a breather, the inflationary pressures aren‘t at least increasing, but don‘t look for the Bullard or other statements to defeat inflation – I‘m standing by the 4-5% official rate CPI data for 2022 (discussed in yesterday‘s summary). CPI might turn out even a full percentage point higher – depends upon the hedonics and substitution massaging. What a long quote – let‘s update it with the premarket action. S&P 500 is still waiting with its potential upsing, dollar has gone nowhere really, and precious metals look like having a bright day today. The crude oil upswing shows that markets don‘t like the geopolitical news, and are likely to behave in a risk-off way of late (Treasuries, gold and oil up benefiting most). The internals of today‘s stock market action would be telling – I recently got an interesting question touching also upon rates and real estate: Q: I read your most recent newsletter with great interest: 1. You think the Fed would start to ease this fall? In your opinion, how long would that last?  Midterm would be done soon there after so would it be a quick few months then revert back to higher rates? 2. I’m asking question #1 as it would impact real estate. 3. You anticipate a “temporary” rise in the S&P this week? Are you thinking just a few days? I noticed 10 yr is going down. A: Thank you for asking. I'll take 1 & 2 in one go - I think they would change course latest autumn. So, now hawkish and raising, then turning to easing before midterms. Let's see first the damage this tightening does, and the degree to which they then turn dovish. As regards real estate, it's slowing down, homebuilders, XLRE... Headwinds would be stiffening, rates are eating into mortgages, but those ZIP codes where immigration into is high, would do best - but the overall, total real estate isn't an appealing proposition. When markets open, there is likely to be a little SPX rally off oversold readings. Sure, they can get more oversold - that's the way it goes during bearish episodes, which is why I'm not long. The trend for now is to the downside, so I would keep predominantly looking and taking opportunities to short. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 caught a little buying interest going into the long weekend – better days though look to be coming. Not a monstrous rally, but still an upswing. Credit Markets HYG is indeed basing, and will help stocks move higher next. LQD and TLT are already rising, and there is still somewhat more to come. Bonds have simply deteriorated too fast in 2022, and need a breather. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals fireworks continue – we‘re getting started, and $1,920 is the next stop. Kiss of life from the bond market reprieve comes next, on top of all the other factors I‘ve talked about recently. Crude Oil Crude oil is fairly well bid, but the war jitters are helping it out (as in staving off a bit deeper correction). As both oil and base metals are rising, inflation isn‘t likely to slow down (perhaps later in summer?) - black gold‘s uptrend isn‘t over really. Copper Copper keeps going sideways in a volatile fashion, and can be counted on to break higher – inflationary pressures aren‘t abating, and outweigh the slowing economy. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos stopped breaking down today, and the price action smacks of joining in the modest risk-on upswing, as unbelievable as it sounds. Summary Yesterday‘s summary is valid also today – S&P 500 appears on the verge of trying to swing higher, and credit markets would be leading the charge as tech finally turns. Value had trouble declining some more on Friday already. Stock market upswing though wouldn‘t throw the precious metals bulls off balance – not too many weeks have passed since I was at the turn of the year predicting that gold (and silver with miners implied) would be the bullish surprise of 2022 – and for all the talk and preemtive tightening in the credit markets, we haven‘t yet seen the Fed move. Anyway, such a lag in moving the Fed funds rate higher, is normal these decades – we are a long way from the early 1980s when the delay between say 2-year Treasury and Fed funds rate move was some 2 months. Crude oil is likewise going to keep rising, and the same goes naturally for copper following in the footsteps. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  The current military tensions and the Fed’s sluggishness favor gold bulls, but not all events are positive for the yellow metal. What should we be aware of? It may be quiet on the Western Front, but quite the opposite on the Eastern Front. Russia has accumulated well over 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine and makes provocations practically every day, striving for war more and more clearly. Last week, shelling was reported on Ukraine’s front line and Russia carried out several false flag operations. According to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, “the evidence on the ground is that Russia is moving toward an imminent invasion.” Meanwhile, President Biden said: “We have reason to believe they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in. Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine and attack Ukraine.” Of course, what politicians say should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but it seems that the situation has gotten serious and the risk of Russian invasion has increased over recent days.   Implications for Gold What does the intensifying conflict between Russia and Ukraine imply for the gold market? Well, the last week was definitely bullish for the yellow metal. As the chart below shows, the price of gold (London P.M. Fix) rallied over the past few days from $1,849 to $,1894, the highest level since June 2021; And he gold futures have even jumped above $1,900 for a while! Part of that upward move was certainly driven by geopolitical risks related to the assumed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This is because gold is a safe-haven asset in which investors tend to park their money in times of distress. It’s worth remembering that not all geopolitical events are positive for gold, and when they are, their impact is often short-lived. Hence, if Russia invades Ukraine, the yellow metal should gain further, but if uncertainty eases, gold prices may correct somewhat. To be clear, the timing of the current military tensions is favorable for gold bulls. First of all, we live in an environment of already high inflation. Wars tend to intensify price pressure as governments print more fiat money to finance the war effort and reorient their economies from producing consumer goods toward military stuff. Not to mention the possible impact of the conflict on oil prices, which would contribute to rising energy costs and CPI inflation. According to Morgan Stanley’s analysts, further increases in energy prices could sink several economies into an outright recession. Second, the pace of economic growth is slowing down. The Fed has been waiting so long to tighten its monetary policy that it will start hiking interest rates in a weakening economic environment, adding to the problems. There is a growing risk aversion right now, with equities and cryptocurrencies being sold off. Such an environment is supportive of gold prices. Third, the current US administration has become more engaged around the world than the previous one. My point is that the current conflict is not merely between Russia and Ukraine, but also between Russia and the United States. This is one of the reasons why gold has been reacting recently to the geopolitical news. However, a Russian invasion of Ukraine wouldn’t pose a threat to America, and the US won’t directly engage in military operations on Ukrainian land, so the rally in gold could still be short-lived. If history is any guide, geopolitical events usually trigger only temporary reactions in the precious metals markets, especially if they don’t threaten the United States and its economy directly. This is because all tensions eventually ease, and after a storm comes calm. Hence, although the media would focus on the conflict, don’t get scared and – when investing in the long run – remember gold fundamentals. Some of them are favorable, but we shouldn’t forget about the Fed’s tightening cycle and the possibility that disinflation will start soon, which could raise the real interest rates, creating downward pressure on gold prices. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care

S&P 500 had a wild swings day, and didn‘t rise convincingly – credit markets didn‘t move correspondingly either. The upswing looks postponed unless fresh signs of broad weakness arrive. Yesterday‘s session didn‘t tell much either way – the countdown to the upswing materializing, is on even though tech didn‘t take advantage of higher bond prices. That can still come.VIX though reversed to the downside, and the relatively calmer session we‘re likely going to experience today, would be consistent with a modest attempt for stocks to move higher. I‘m though not looking for a monstrous rally, even though we‘re trading closer to the lower end of the wide S&P 500 range for this year than to its upper border. The 4,280s are so far holding but as the Mar FOMC approaches, we‘re likely to see a fresh turn south in the 500-strong index. For now, the talk of raising rates is on the back burner – Europe is in the spotlight.Note that the flight to safety on rising tensions (Treasuries, gold and oil up) didn‘t benefit the dollar. Coupled with the yields reprieve, that makes for further precious metals gains – the bull run won‘t be toppled if soothing news arrives. Likewise crude oil isn‘t going to tank below $90, and remain there. Commodities can be counted on to keep running – led by energy and agrifoods, with base metals (offering a helping hand to silver) in tow. As I wrote weeks ago, this is where the real gains are to be found.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 volume moved a little up, meaning the buying interest is still there – convincing signs of a trend change are though yet not apparent. Should prices prove to have trouble breaking lower over the next 1-2 days, this could still turn out a good place for a little long positon.Credit MarketsHYG continues basing, and keeps trading in a risk-off fashion, which is why I can‘t be wildly bullish stocks for now. Stock market gains are likely to remain subdued, noticeably subdued – as a bare minimum for today.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals fireworks continue, but a little reprieve is developing – nothing though that would break the bull. The run is only starting, and would continue through the rate raising cycle.Crude OilCrude oil is fairly well bid, and doesn‘t appear to be really dipping any time soon. Oil stocks are preparing for an upswing, and would remain one of the best performing S&P 500 sectors. Tripple digit oil is a question of time.CopperCopper‘s moment in the spotlight is approaching as commodities keeps pushing higher, and base metals are breaking up. All of these factors are inflationary.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are attempting to move up today, and further gains are likely. I‘m though looking for the 50-day moving average in Bitcoin (corresponding roughly to the mid Feb lows in Ethereum) to prove an obstacle.SummaryS&P 500 didn‘t break to new lows overnight, and appears to be picking up somewhat today. The anticipated rebound might materialize later today, and would require bond participation to be credible. I‘m not looking for sharp gains within this upswing though – the correction looks very much to have further to run. It‘s commodities and precious metals where the largest gains are to be made, with the European tensions taking the focus off inflation (momentarily). The pressure on the Fed to act decisively, is though still on as various credit spreads tell – and the same goes for the compressed yield curve speaking volumes about the (precarious) state of the real economy.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  To the disappointment of gold bulls, the yellow metal’s upward trend will not last long. Fundamentals have already taken their toll on gold miners.  While gold remains uplifted due to the Russia-Ukraine drama, the GDXJ ETF declined for the second-straight day on Feb. 22. Moreover, I warned on numerous occasions that the junior miners are more correlated with the general stock market than their precious metals peers. As a result, when the S&P 500 slides, the GDXJ ETF often follows suit. To that point, with shades of 2018 unfolding beneath the surface, the Russia-Ukraine headlines have covered up the implications of the current correction. However, the similarities should gain more traction in the coming weeks. For context, I wrote on Feb. 22: When the Fed’s rate hike cycle roiled the NASDAQ 100 in 2017-2018, the GDXJ ETF suffered too. Thus, while the Russia-Ukraine drama has provided a distraction, the fundamentals that impacted both asset classes back then are present now. Please see below: To explain, the green line above tracks the GDXJ ETF in 2018, while the black line above tracks the NASDAQ 100. If you analyze the performance, you can see that the Fed’s rate hike cycle initially rattled the former and the latter rolled over soon after. However, the negativity persisted until Fed Chairman Jerome Powell performed a dovish pivot and both assets rallied. As a result, with the Fed Chair unlikely to perform a dovish pivot this time around, the junior miners have some catching up to do. Furthermore, while the S&P 500 also reacts to the geopolitical risks, the Fed’s looming rate hike cycle is a much bigger story. With the U.S. equity benchmark also following its price path from 2018, a drawdown to new 2022 lows should help sink the GDXJ ETF. Please see below: Source: Morgan Stanley To explain, the yellow line above tracks the S&P 500 from March 2018 until February 2019, while the blue line above tracks the index's current movement. If you analyze the performance, it's a near-splitting image. Moreover, while Morgan Stanley Chief Equity Strategist Michael Wilson thinks a relief rally to ~4,600 is plausible, he told clients that "this correction looks incomplete." "Rarely have we witnessed such weak breadth and havoc under the surface when the S&P 500 is down less than 10%. In our experience, when such a divergence like this happens, it typically ends with the primary index catching down to the average stock," he added. As a result, while a short-term bounce off of oversold conditions may materialize, the S&P 500's downtrend should resume with accelerated fervor. In the process, the GDXJ ETF should suffer materially as the medium-term drama unfolds.  To that point, the Fed released the minutes from its discount rate meetings on Jan. 18 and Jan. 26. While the committee left interest rates unchanged, the report revealed: “Given ongoing inflation pressures and strong labor market conditions, a number of directors noted that it might soon become appropriate to begin a process of removing policy accommodation. The directors of three Reserve Banks favored increasing the primary credit rate to 0.50 percent, in response to elevated inflation or to help manage economic and financial stability risks over the longer term.” For context, the hawkish pleas came from the Cleveland, St. Louis, and Kansas City Feds. Moreover, the last time Fed officials couldn’t reach a unanimous decision was October 2019. As a result, the lack of agreement highlights the monetary policy uncertainty that should help upend financial assets in the coming months. As evidence, the report also revealed: Source: U.S. Fed Thus, while I’ve highlighted on numerous occasions that a bullish U.S. economy is bearish for the PMs, the Russia-Ukraine drama has been a short-term distraction. However, with Fed officials highlighting that growth and inflation meet their thresholds for tightening monetary policy, higher real interest rates and a stronger USD Index will have much more influence over the medium term. To that point, IHS Markit released its U.S. Composite PMI on Feb. 22. With the headline index increasing from 51.1 in January to 56.0 in February, an excerpt from the report read: “February data highlighted a sharp and accelerated increase in new business among private sector companies that was the fastest in seven months. Firms mentioned that sales were boosted by the retreat of the pandemic, improved underlying demand, expanded client bases, aggressive marketing campaigns and new partnerships. Customers reportedly made additional purchases to avoid future price hikes. Quicker increases in sales (trades) were evident among both manufacturers and service providers.” More importantly, though: Source: IHS Markit In addition, since the Fed’s dual mandate includes inflation and employment, the report revealed: Source: IHS Markit Likewise, Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, added: “With demand rebounding and firms seeing a relatively modest impact on order books from the Omicron wave, future output expectations improved to the highest for 15 months, and jobs growth accelerated to the highest since last May, adding to the upbeat picture.” If that wasn't enough, the Richmond Fed released its Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity on Feb. 22. While the headline index wasn't so optimistic, the report revealed that "the third component in the composite index, employment, increased to 20 from 4 in January" and that "firms continued to report increasing wages." For context, the dashed light blue line below tracks the month-over-month (MoM) change, while the dark blue line below tracks the three-month moving average. If you analyze the former's material increase, it's another data point supporting the Fed's hawkish crusade. Source: Richmond Fed Finally, the Richmond Fed also released its Fifth District Survey of Service Sector Activity on Feb. 22. For context, the U.S. service sector suffers the brunt of COVID-19 waves. However, the recent decline in cases has increased consumers’ appetite for in-person activities. The report revealed: “Fifth District service sector activity showed improvement in February, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The revenues index increased from 4 in January to 11 in February. The demand index remained in expansionary territory at 23. Firms also reported increases in spending, as the index for capital expenditures, services expenditures, and equipment and software spending all increased.” Furthermore, with the employment index increasing from 12 to 14, the wages index increasing from 41 to 46, and the average workweek index increasing from 9 to 10, the labor market strengthened in February. Likewise, the index that tracks businesses’ ability to find skilled workers increased from -21 to -19. As a result, inflation, employment and economic growth create the perfect cocktail for the Fed to materially tighten monetary policy in the coming months.  Source: Richmond Fed The bottom line? While the Russia-Ukraine saga may dominate the headlines for some time, the bearish fundamentals that hurt gold and silver in 2021 remain intact: the U.S. economy is on solid footing, and demand is still fueling inflation. Moreover, with information technology and communication services’ stocks – which account for roughly 39% of the S&P 500 – highly allergic to higher interest rates, the volatility should continue to weigh on the GDXJ ETF. As such, while gold may have extended its shelf life, mining stocks may not be so lucky. In conclusion, the PMs were mixed on Feb. 22, as the news cycle continues to swing financial assets in either direction. However, while headlines may have a short-term impact, technicals and fundamentals often reign supreme over the medium term. As a result, lower lows should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks in the coming months. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 reprieve that wasn‘t – the buyers didn‘t arrive, and the overnight military action sparking serious asset moves, shows that buying the dip would have been a bad idea. And it still is. Risk-on assets are likely to suffer, and I‘m not looking for a sharp, V-shaped rebound. The partial retracement seen in cryptos wouldn‘t translate to much upside in paper assets – it will likely be sold into as the bottom would take time to form. The safe haven premium seen in precious metals, crude oil and other real assets would ebb and flow, but a higher base has been established. The world has changed overnight, and recognition thereof is still pending.I think it‘s clear why I had been derisking as much as possible, wary of volatility both ways in paper assets, and betting instead on a mix of real assets. This has been hugely paying off to subscribers and readers likewise favoring gold and crude oil with some copper added for good measure.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookThis isn‘t how an S&P 500 bottom looks like – downswing continues with more volatility ahead.Credit MarketsHYG is going down again, and credit markets are turning risk-off – look for Treasuries to do relatively better next, with little impact upon stocks.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals fireworks continue, and the upswing got a poweful ally. Whatever retracement seen next, would be marginal in light of the developments.Crude OilCrude oil upswing can be counted on to continue, and oil stocks would remain among the best performing S&P 500 pockets. Black gold is though notorious for its wild volatility, and the coming days won‘t be an exception.CopperCopper upswing would take time to develop, especially now – but the breakout in base metals is on, the inflationary messaging is still there and thriving.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos aren‘t in a rally mode, but are attempting to put in a low. I don‘t think it would hold, the dust hasn‘t settled yet.SummaryS&P 500 is plunging, and attempting to base, but more selling would inevitably hit. The overnight dust hasn‘t settled yet, but the panic lows would not happen today. Even if it weren‘t for geopolitics, stocks were in rough waters for weeks already, in a serious, yields and liquidity driven correction, with a slowing real economy on top. For all the short-term focus, the buying opportunity would materialize only once the Fed turns – by autumn 2022. The best places to be in right now, are those presented below – precious metals and commodities – as inflation fires continue to rage on.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 22nd and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the sharp jump in the Gold futures bets. The speculative net position in the Gold futures has gained strongly for three consecutive weeks and by a total of +71,006 contracts over that time-frame. This week’s rise by +29,535 contracts marked the largest one-week gain of the past fifteen weeks and has brought the overall Gold speculator standing to the highest standing of the past fourteen weeks, dating back to November 16th. The Gold spot price rose sharply as well this week with a spike on Thursday (on the Russian invasion of Ukraine) that brought the spot price to the $1,976 price level before settling lower back below $1,900 as the week ended. Joining Gold (29,535 contracts) with rising speculator positions this week were Silver (6,746 contracts) and Platinum (7,408 contracts) while Copper (-5,117 contracts) and Palladium (-429 contracts) saw lower speculator bets on the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Feb-22-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 2,058,132 29 339,041 2 -382,891 90 43,850 77 Gold 611,488 49 243,148 65 -269,722 35 26,574 40 Silver 163,745 29 30,302 53 -43,720 56 13,418 21 Copper 204,123 29 25,575 61 -34,754 36 9,179 78 Palladium 7,903 7 -1,429 13 1,118 83 311 63 Platinum 62,274 26 17,540 27 -22,887 76 5,347 37 Natural Gas 1,107,113 2 -130,629 39 95,974 61 34,655 67 Brent 215,908 52 -26,355 73 24,478 31 1,877 35 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 826,824 51 226,464 86 -196,755 20 -29,709 21 Corn 1,563,758 32 451,742 88 -410,962 13 -40,780 20 Coffee 252,688 24 67,791 98 -72,509 3 4,718 21 Sugar 857,376 8 75,246 52 -95,306 50 20,060 33 Wheat 379,308 23 -3,902 44 10,629 51 -6,727 69   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 243,148 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 29,535 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 213,613 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 65.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 39.6 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.3 21.2 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.5 65.3 3.7 – Net Position: 243,148 -269,722 26,574 – Gross Longs: 350,096 129,682 49,090 – Gross Shorts: 106,948 399,404 22,516 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 65.1 35.3 39.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.7 -13.6 3.5   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 30,302 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 6,746 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 23,556 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 52.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 35.9 34.0 16.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.4 60.7 8.0 – Net Position: 30,302 -43,720 13,418 – Gross Longs: 58,830 55,747 26,556 – Gross Shorts: 28,528 99,467 13,138 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.1 to 1 0.6 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 52.6 56.0 21.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.7 -6.2 21.0   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 25,575 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -5,117 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 30,692 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 60.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 78.4 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 39.7 37.9 10.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.1 54.9 5.6 – Net Position: 25,575 -34,754 9,179 – Gross Longs: 80,940 77,398 20,535 – Gross Shorts: 55,365 112,152 11,356 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 60.8 35.6 78.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 6.4 -8.4 19.3   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 17,540 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 7,408 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 10,132 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 27.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 76.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.6 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 52.1 30.6 13.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.0 67.4 5.1 – Net Position: 17,540 -22,887 5,347 – Gross Longs: 32,462 19,079 8,495 – Gross Shorts: 14,922 41,966 3,148 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.1 76.3 36.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 17.8 -17.1 -4.4   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -1,429 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -429 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,000 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.0 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 25.7 50.0 18.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 43.8 35.9 14.3 – Net Position: -1,429 1,118 311 – Gross Longs: 2,030 3,953 1,444 – Gross Shorts: 3,459 2,835 1,133 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 13.4 83.0 63.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 8.9 -12.3 36.8   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Looking back, gold has been rising nearly US$225 since December 15th, 2021, and US$195 since 28th of January 2022. Especially the strong rally over the last four weeks caught many by surprise. But our price target of US$1,975 was hit exactly last Thursday, when all other markets plunged in anticipation of strong sanctions against Russia. Markets then strongly recovered on Friday on hopes of weak sanctions and a potential postponement of the rate hikes by the FED. Over the weekend, however, NATO and its partners announced SWIFT sanctions against Russia. Monday will therefore likely be another wild and volatile day in the markets. But “peak fear” has probably been reached last Thursday (at least for now). Give peace a chance ðŸ•Šï¸ÂðŸ‡·ðŸ‡ºðŸ•Šï¸ÂðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¦ðŸ•Šï¸Â Fundamentally, banning Russian banks from SWIFT payments will lead to Russia stop selling oil & natural gas. Russian oil represents about 9% of global output and there’s an energy shortage already. The result will be a global depression and more inflation at the same time. And that would be the best-case scenario, cause as quickly as things unfold, WWIII is no longer an unthinkable horror scenario. We can only hope that successful peace negotiations will take place as soon as possible. In these uncertain times, gold should remain supported. As geopolitical events unfold, another sharp spike higher is always possible. A direct transition back into the correction, which began in August 2020, is unlikely. It would rather take much more time (at least a few months), before gold could drift back towards significantly lower grounds. Our maximum downside remains at US$1,625 for the potential 8-year cycle low, due in 2023 or 2024. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 27th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 27th, 2022. On its weekly chart, gold continues to be in an uptrend. The breakout above the downtrend line led to a sharp advance over the last two weeks. The stochastic oscillator still has a buy signal in place. And with the sharp reversal/pullback since reaching $1,975, gold did close the week right at its upper Bollinger Band (US$1,889). Since the upper Bollinger Band has been bent upwards, gold will now have more room to continue its rally to the upside over the coming two to four weeks. However, the stochastic oscillator is about to reach its overbought zone. Comparing its behavior to the last 16 months, we have to assume that gold will have a hard time nesting up in the overbought zone for long. Hence, corrective price action is on the horizon. Overall, the weekly chart is still bullish and points to another attack towards US$1,950 to US$1,975. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 27th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 27th, 2022. The daily chart captures the sharp rally as well as the reversal and bloodbath in the gold market over last two days. So far, gold has given back nearly 50% of the rally since January 28th (from US$1,780 up to US$1,975 and then down to US$1,878). The stochastic oscillator has lost its embedded status and momentum is bearish now. Should gold want to correct further towards the 61.8%-retracement ($1,854), it will likely also test the former resistance and breakout level around US$1,840 to US$1,845. Such a pullback towards US$1,840 to US$1,855 has certain probability, but would also offer a very interesting long entry again. Since the short-term timeframes like the 1- and 4-hour charts are getting oversold, gold alternatively might find support between US$1,870 and US$1,880 over the next few days already. To summarize, the daily chart is currently bearish and patience is needed. But Gold I swell supported and should find support either between US$1,840 to US$1,855 or US$1,870 and US$1,880. Afterwards it should start another leg up. Conclusion: Strong reversal should lead to another leg up Last week’s price action was certainly not for the faint of heart. A daily gain of over +4% is extremely rare in the gold market and was immediately undone upon COMEX opening. The sharp reversal does not look too good, but it does not yet mean the end of the rally. Expect some more downside or at least sideways consolidation. Usually, such a sharp rally does not collapse immediately. Hence, once the bulls have sorted themselves, we expect another rise above US$1,900 with a minimum price target of US$1,950. An overshot towards US$2,000 is still possible, but now a bit less likely. Once this next attack will have failed, we assume the start of a corrective wave down somewhere in spring, which could last well into early to midsummer. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Florian Grummes|February 27th, 2022|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, Gold consolidation, gold fundamentals, Natural Gas, Oil, precious metals, Reyna Gold, US-Dollar|0 Comments About the Author: Florian Grummes Florian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.

  As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, it is worth being better prepared for a possible crisis. Does that mean it pays to have some gold up your sleeve? I have to confess something. I always laughed at preppers (aka survivalists) – people who spend their entire lives stockpiling beans and ammo in preparation for the highly unlikely doomsday scenarios. C’mon, who would take these freaks seriously? Well, as the pandemic and supply crisis showed us, we all should. When most people scrambled for masks and hand sanitizers, preppers laughed. When most people fought epic battles for toilet paper and something to eat to survive the Great Lockdown, preppers laughed. When most people were confronted with surging inflation and supply shortages of different products, preppers laughed. When most people panicked upon hearing about energy blackouts, preppers laughed. It seems that mocked preppers got the last laugh, after all. Hence, the COVID-19 epidemic made it clear that the world is not a paradise flowing with milk and honey and that bad things do really happen, so we should be more prepared for possible calamities, even if they look like remote possibilities. For example, experts now point out the threat of cyberattacks, and just last month, Kazakhstan’s government turned off the internet nationwide, depriving its citizens of access to their bank accounts. The problem is, of course, that crises always seem highly unlikely until they occur. Meanwhile, historical cases are too distant and abstract for us, and we tend to think that “this time is different”, or that “we’ll make it through somehow.” Perhaps you will, but it’s much easier when you are prepared. When other people panic, you don’t, because you have made your preparation and have a clear plan of action. You see, the issue is not if the crisis hits, but when. It’s just a matter of time, even the government suggests storing at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. However, the problem is that when things are going well, people don’t think about preparing. Why should we worry and spoil the fun? Let’s drink like tomorrow never comes! Maybe the problem will somehow disappear by itself, and if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it later. I got it, but how does it all relate to gold? Well, quite simply. Owning gold is a part of preparing for the worst. This is because gold is the store of value that appreciates when confidence in fiat money declines. It’s also a safe-haven asset, which shines during financial crises when asset prices generally decline. The best example may be the Great Recession or 2020 economic crisis when gold performed much better than the S&P 500 Index, as the chart below shows. You can also think of gold as a portfolio insurance policy or a hedge against tail risks. A house fire is not very likely, but it’s generally smart to have insurance, you know, just in case. Similarly, the collapse of the financial markets and the great plunge of asset prices are not of great probability (although the Great Depression, late 2008, and early 2020 show that they are clearly possible), but it’s nice to have a portfolio diversifier that is not afraid of black swans. In a sense, the whole issue boils down to individual responsibility. Do you take responsibility for your life and for being prepared for different scenarios, or do you count on other people, the government, or simply luck, magically thinking that everything always goes well? To be clear, being prepared doesn’t equal being pessimistic – it’s rather about being realistic and hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. However, there are two important caveats to consider before exchanging all of your paper currency for gold coins. First, you shouldn’t conflate holding gold as insurance with gold as an investment asset. When you want protection, you’re not interested in price trends. There might be a bear market, but gold would still fulfill its hedging role. This is also why you shouldn’t own more than about 5-10% of your whole portfolio in precious metals (as insurance, you can invest more in gold as an investment or as a part of your trading strategy). Second, don’t treat gold as a panacea for all possible disasters. It all depends on what you are preparing for. If you expect power outages, buy batteries, power banks, and think about alternate sources of energy. Precious metals won’t power your home. If you fear a zombie apocalypse (who doesn’t?), flamethrowers and rifles seem to be better weapons than gold bars (although large ones can serve quite well). If you can’t wait for a nuclear explosion (who can?), you will need a proper shelter with uncontaminated food rather than shiny metal (pun intended). It’s possible that in such a post-apocalyptic world, people would initially return to a commodity-based standard rather than the gold standard. It all depends on the particular conditions and how deeply the civilization would devolve. Hence, don’t be scared by dodgy people and false advertising into buying gold because of imminent hyperinflation, the total collapse of the financial system, nuclear greetings from Kim Jong-Un, or another calamity. The role of gold is not to rescue you from all kinds of troubles, but to be insurance that pays off during economic crises. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.

S&P 500 didn‘t correct much intraday, and the risk-on turn has continued unabated with value pulling ahead sharply – unlike the day before when the revesal came about because of tech. The dust is settling in the market‘s mind, VIX has indeed moved and the dollar weakened noticeably. That was the subject of Friday‘s analysis – the disappearing safe haven premium over many assets such as gold, crude oil and Treasuries (Treasuries though kept their cool the most, not losing the focus on Fed‘s tightening). Risk-on appetite returned to stocks with a vengeance, and market breadth has significantly improved – within the context of the ongoing correction, must be said. While we made local lows on Thursday after all, the upside momentum is likely to slow down next – this week would bring a consolidation within a very headline sensitive environment. It‘s looking good for the bulls at the moment – till the dynamic of events beyond markets changes. Inflation isn‘t wavering, and I‘m not looking for its meaningful deceleration given the events since Thursday, no. Friday is likely to mark a buying opportunity beyond oil and copper – these longs have very good prospects. Another part of the S&P 500 upswing explanation were the still fine fresh orders data – while the real economy has noticeably decelerated (and Q1 GDP growth would be underwhelming), solid figures would return in the latter quarters of 2022. That‘s also behind the gold downswing on Friday, which hadn‘t been confirmed by the miners – the very bright future ahead for precious metals is undisputable. And the same goes for crude oil as oil stocks foretell – the fresh long crude trade together with long S&P 500 one, are both solidly in the black already.. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Sharp S&P 500 upswing on solid volume – the gains can continue but their pace would slow down. Negative sentiment is departing stocks as the existing bad news has been priced in. The pendulum is swinging the other way now. Credit Markets HYG is confirming the stock market upswing, but bonds are remaining more cautious overall – it‘s that the focus would shift over the coming 2 weeks again to the Fed. The yield spread keeps compressing and the 2-year bond didn‘t stop pressuring the Fed. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals have corrected a little but the upswing goes on – GDX performance is a good omen. The decline in prices wasn‘t sold heavily into anyway – we‘re still moving higher next as the rate raising cycle start is soon here. Crude Oil Crude oil bears are totally unconvincing, proving that the prior price upswing was about way more than geopolitical uncertainty – the chart remains strongly bullish, and we have higher to run still. Copper Copper upswing is indeed taking time to develop, but commodities strength remains in spite of the daily setback, which just illustrates the risk-on euphoria in stocks. The commodities upleg hasn‘t run its course, and the red metal would join in. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are refusing to extend Sunday‘s decline – while the worst appears to be over, the short-term direction can turn out in both directions. I‘m though slightlly favoring the bulls. Summary S&P 500 turnaround continues, and price gains are frontrunning the events on the ground. The upswing is vulnerable – to a consolidation at most as a full reversal would require fresh setbacks, including in Asia. Risk-on trades have the momentum, and credit markets agree. It certainly looks like a good time to take advantage of the precious metals and commodities discounts as momentary optimism in the markets that has nothing to do with the progress on inflation. Further, we‘re still in the real economy slowdown phase, and the Fed hasn‘t even started hiking yet. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Bitcoin, buy the news   With news, volatility is typically increasing, and a larger volume of transactions is at play. For amateurs, data evaluation in a turmoiled market environment generally results in procrastination of execution, meaning no trading or chasing trades. Professionals find necessary liquidity to exit a trade or use volatility to fade moves on less risk for entries. Last week’s invasion of Ukraine was no different. Only those prepared with a plan were able to position themselves in bitcoin. Bitcoin, daily chart, the giveaway: Crypto markets, daily charts as of February 28th, 2022. A giveaway was a widespread larger supply zone throughout the crypto sector (green horizontal lines on the daily charts above), and preset buy entries in the crypto space were getting triggered. Inter-market relationships stack the odds of placing a successful trade.   Bitcoin, weekly chart, entry target zone within reach: Bitcoin, weekly chart as of February 28th, 2022. With our entry target range nearly reached (see our previous chart book release), we were ready to act, knowing a possible larger time frame tuning point was a possibility. You might argue that the price has not penetrated the entry zone. Still, at a closer look, you will identify that due to exuberant volume on the surprise news day, the supply zone values had changed to provide significant support right at the rim of our initially planned zone. Charts need to be consistently updated to stay accurate! Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, weekly chart, another edge stacked: Bitcoin versus Gold in USD, weekly chart as of March 1st, 2022. Precisely on the day in question, we also got a hedge rotational “buy signal” for bitcoin versus gold on the weekly chart. Consequently, this signal provided another inter-market relationship edge that supported our decision-making for aggressive entry. What we can see on the chart above that compares bitcoin with gold is that since institutional money has become a massive part of bitcoin holdings, these more significant funds rotate their money in and out between gold and bitcoin. Following the yellow line, one can see prices being high to buy bitcoin with gold at double top and acquiring bitcoin at a double bottom is a way to take advantage of cheaper bitcoin prices in relationship to gold. For us, a good reason to assume that gold holders might switch to bitcoin for the next foreseeable timeframe, to hedge their wealth preservation portfolios. Bitcoin, daily chart, profits booked and room to go: Bitcoin, weekly chart as of March 1st, 2022. The weekly chart above shows four more reloads within the last five days. All trades have been risk mitigated with our quad exit strategy. Consequently, the remaining position was market money at no risk to us. We posted daily calls to prepare interested parties for possible reentries. Prices have already advanced by nearly 30% from the lows. This preparedness and merely following rules allow ending up being positioned and not dependent on whether a turning point matures. Even in a negative outcome, profits have been made. With a bit of luck, these remainder positions can go a long way and provide substantial additional profits. In addition, one is positioned early before a trend is even established. Bitcoin, buy the news: We must confront opinion-forming debates led by ego (the need to be right). We use reconditioning behavior to achieve best results. The goal in mind is to “erase” intuitive responses and an execution time delay leading to sub-par entry timing. Consequently, consistent extracting of profits from the market is possible. At Midas Touch, we have made it our business to share our entry and exit timing and their underlying principles in our free Telegram channel to empower our clients and followers to become successful self-directed investors.   Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 1st, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, S&P 500, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

S&P 500 erased opening downside, not unexpectedly. Markets say we‘ve turned the corner, and while the medium-term correction isn‘t over, we‘re going higher for now. The tired performance in credit markets suggests that the pace of the upswing would indeed likely slow, but the dips are being bought – even the 4,300 overnight level held unchallenged.VIX is slowly calming down, and it wouldn‘t be a one-way ride. I hate to say it, but we‘re trading closer to the more complacent end of the volatility spectrum – that‘s though in line with my assumption of toned down price appreciation expectations that I discussed on Sunday and yesterday:(…) While we made local lows on Thursday after all, the upside momentum is likely to slow down next – this week would bring a consolidation within a very headline sensitive environment. It‘s looking good for the bulls at the moment – till the dynamic of events beyond markets changes.Inflation isn‘t wavering, and I‘m not looking for its meaningful deceleration given the events since Thursday, no. Friday is likely to mark a buying opportunity beyond oil and copper – these longs have very good prospects. Another part of the S&P 500 upswing explanation were the still fine fresh orders data – while the real economy has noticeably decelerated (and Q1 GDP growth would be underwhelming), solid figures would return in the latter quarters of 2022. That‘s also behind the gold downswing on Friday, which hadn‘t been confirmed by the miners – the very bright future ahead for precious metals is undisputable. And the same goes for crude oil as oil stocks foretell – the fresh long crude trade together with long S&P 500 one, are both solidly in the black already.Precious metals have found a floor, and aren‘t selling off either. In fact, they are looking at a great week ahead, and the same goes for crude oil followed to a lesser degree by copper. Weekend developments on the financial front triggered a rush into cryptos, and the bullish prospects I presented yesterday, are coming to fruition.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookDaily S&P 500 consolidation as the bulls did shake off the opening setback rather easily – and the same goes for the late session trip approaching 4,310s. Expecting more volatility of the current flavor, and higher prices then.Credit MarketsHYG managed to close above Friday‘s values, and the overall bond market strength bodes well for risk appetite ahead. Let‘s consolidate first, and march higher later.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are consolidating the high ground gained, miners aren‘t yielding, and silver weakness yesterday actually bodes well for the very short term. Launching pad before the next upleg.Crude OilCrude oil bears have a hard time from keeping black gold below $100. The table is clearly set for further gains – the chart can be hardly more bullish.CopperCopper is a laggard, but will still participate in the upswing. Its current underperformance as highlighten by yesterday‘s downswing, is a bit too odd, i.e. bound to be reversed.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto bulls were indeed the stronger party, and similarly to gold, it‘s hard to imagine a deep dive coming to frution. I‘m looking for the safety trade to be be ebbing and flowing, now with some crypto participation sprinkled on top.SummaryS&P 500 turnaround goes on, and we‘re undergoing a consolidation that‘s as calm as can be given the recent volatility. Credit markets and the dollar though continue favoring the paper asset bulls now, but their gains would pale in comparison with select commodities such as oil and gold‘s newfound floor. Even agrifoods look to be sold down a bit too hard, and I‘m not looking for them to be languishing next as much as they have been over the last two trading days. Cryptos upswing highlights the present global uncertainties faced – as I have written on Thursday that the world has changed, the same applies for weekend banking events being reflected in the markets yesterday.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  Russia underestimated Ukraine’s fierce defense. Instead of quick conquest, the war is still going on. The same applies to pulling the rope between gold bulls and bears. It was supposed to be a blitzkrieg. The plan was simple: within 72 hours Russian troops were to take control of Kyiv, stage a coup, overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, and install a pro-Russian puppet government. Well, the blitzkrieg clearly failed. The war has been going on for five days already, and Kyiv (and other major cities) remains in Ukrainian hands, while the Russians suffer great losses. Indeed, the Ukrainians are fighting valiantly. The Kremlin apparently did not expect such high morale among the troops and civilians, as well as such excellent organization and preparation. Meanwhile, the morale among Russian soldiers is reported to be pathetically low, as they have no motivation to fight with culturally close Ukrainians (many of whom speak perfect Russian). The invaders are also poorly equipped, and the whole operation was logistically unprepared (as the assumption was a quick capitulation by Ukrainian forces and a speedy collapse of the government in Kyiv). Well, pride comes before a fall. What’s more, the West is united as never before (Germany did a historic U-turn in its foreign and energy policies) and has already imposed relatively heavy economic sanctions on Russia (including cutting off some of the country’s banks from SWIFT), and donated weapons to Ukraine. However – and unfortunately – the war is far from being ended. Military analysts expect a second wave of Russian troops that can break the resistance of the Ukrainians, who have fewer forces and cannot relieve the soldiers just like the other side. Indeed, satellite pictures show a large convoy of Russian forces near Kyiv. Russia is also gathering troops in Belarus and – sadly – started shelling residential quarters in Ukrainian cities. According to US intelligence, Belarusian soldiers could join Russian forces. The coming days will be crucial for the fate of the conflict.   Implications for Gold What does the war between Russia and Ukraine imply for the gold market? Well, initially, the conflict was supportive of gold prices. As the chart below shows, the price of gold (London Fix) soared to $1,936 on Thursday. However, the rally was very short-lived, as the very next day, gold prices fell to $1,885. Thus, gold’s performance looked like “buy the rumor, sell the news.” However, yesterday, the price of the yellow metal returned above $1,900, so some geopolitical risk premium may still be present in the gold market. Anyway, it seems that I was right in urging investors to focus on fundamentals and to not make long-term investments merely based on geopolitical risks, the impact of which is often only temporary. Having said that, gold may continue its bullish trend, at least for a while. After all, the war not only increases risk aversion, but it also improves gold’s fundamental outlook. First of all, the Fed is now less likely to raise the federal funds rate in March. It will probably still tighten its monetary policy, but in a less aggressive way. For example, the market odds of a 50-basis point hike decreased from 41.4% one week ago to 12.4% now. What’s more, we are observing increasing energy prices, which could increase inflation further. The combination of higher inflation and a less hawkish Fed should be fundamentally positive for gold prices, as it implies low real interest rates. On the other hand, gold may find itself under downward pressure from selling reserves to raise liquidity. I'm referring to the fact that the West has cut Russia off from the SWIFT system in part. In such a situation, Russia would have to sell part of its massive gold reserves, which could exert downward pressure on prices. Hence, the upcoming days may be quite volatile for the gold market. At the end of my article, I would like to point out that although the war in Ukraine entails implications for the precious metals market, it is mostly a humanitarian tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with all the casualties of the conflict and their families. I hope that Ukraine will withstand the invasion and peace will return soon! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care

  Sanctions, terminated contracts, and a plummeting currency – Russia is facing the financial crisis specter. Can gold also be affected? In the medium term, even painfully.  While gold continues to ride the bullish wave of geopolitical tensions, confusion has arisen over whether Russia’s financial woes will support or hurt the yellow metal. For context, I wrote on Feb. 28: Even if the recent escalation uplifts gold in the short term, the fundamental implications of Russia’s financial plight support lower gold prices over the medium term.  Please see below: To explain, with Russia essentially blacklisted from many influential FX counterparties, the Russian ruble relative to the U.S. dollar was exchanged for a roughly 50% discount on Feb. 27. As a result, Russian's purchasing power is nearly half of what it was before Sunday's developments. Furthermore, if you analyze the chart above, you can see that euros and U.S. dollars made up a large portion of Russia's monetary base in 2013 (the green bars on the left). Conversely, those holdings dropped dramatically in 2021 (the blue bars on the left).  In addition, if you focus your attention on the column labeled "Gold," you can see that FX has been swapped for gold, and the yellow metal accounts for roughly 23% of Russia's monetary base. Now, with the impaired state of the ruble offering little financial reprieve, Russia may have to sell its gold reserves to alleviate the pressure from NATO's economic sanctions.  As a result, while war is often bullish for gold, the fundamental implications of currency devaluation mean that gold is Russia's only worthwhile asset outside of oil. Thus, with bank runs already unfolding in the region, the yellow metal could be collateral damage. To that point, the USD/RUB closed at roughly 105 on Feb. 28. As a result, it costs 105 Russian rubles to obtain one U.S. dollar. With the spot gold price at around $1,900 per ounce, it costs roughly 199,500 Russian rubles to purchase an ounce of gold. In stark contrast, the USD/RUB closed at approximately 75 on Feb. 16, which means that less than two weeks ago, it cost 142,500 Russian rubles to purchase an ounce of gold at the current price. As such, in currency-adjusted terms, the cost of an ounce of gold in Russia has increased by roughly 40% in recent days. However, after Bloomberg posted an article on Feb. 27 titled “Bank of Russia Resumes Gold Buying After Two-Year Pause,” the revelation may have caused some anxiety about our short position (as a reminder, it’s not in gold, but in junior mining stocks). For context, an excerpt from the article read: “The central bank will begin buying gold again on the domestic precious metals market, it said in a statement. The move comes after the monetary authority and several of the country’s commercial banks were sanctioned in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” As a result, if Russia goes on a shopping spree for bullion, could the price skyrocket? Well, the reality is that the fundamentals don’t support the sentiment. As mentioned, the USD/RUB has surged in recent days, and the sharp decline in the value of the Russian currency is extremely bearish for the Russian economy. Please see below: Furthermore, while Russia may want to increase its gold reserves, it’s essential to focus on what Russia does and not what it says. For example, the Russian central bank increased its overnight lending rate from 9.5% to 20% on Feb. 28. While U.S. investors fret over a 25 basis point hike from the Fed (which, as mentioned previously, should occur in March), Russia had to increase interest rates by 10.5% to help stop the ruble’s bleeding.  Please see below: Source: Reuters For context, higher interest rates encourage capital flows, and with the ruble in free-fall, Russia is hoping that investors will buy the currency, invest in Russian bonds, and potentially earn a 20% return. Moreover, if the currency rallies during the holding period, the carry trade would be highly lucrative for an institution willing to incur the risk. However, the story is only sanguine in theory. In reality, though, crippling sanctions from NATO and private companies divesting their Russian assets mean that buying the ruble and other Russian securities requires a gambler’s mentality. For example, Viraj Patel, FX and Macro Strategist at Vanda Research, summed up the dynamic in a few simple words on Feb. 28: Source: Viraj Patel Twitter Thus, while Russia may claim it's buying gold, and who knows, maybe it will, the financial destruction plaguing the region will likely make Russia a net-seller over the medium term. To that point, if we circle back to the Bloomberg article referenced above, Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS PAMP SA, said in the same piece that investors would interpret the actions as short-term bullish.  However, aligning with our expectations, she noted that investors have misjudged the medium-term impact of Russia's currency crisis.  Please see below: Source: Bloomberg As a result, that’s why I wrote on Feb. 28 that while volatility may be the name of the game this week as investors struggle to digest the implications, the geopolitical risk premium that often supports gold may prove counterintuitive this time around. Furthermore, we shouldn't ignore the potential impact on the USD Index. For example, while the dollar basket defied expectations and rose materially in 2021, the momentum continued in 2022. However, after a sharp rally in January, investors repositioned their bets, and euro longs were in style once again. However, with the risk-on trade now disrupted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, more downside for the euro implies more upside for the USD Index. Please see below: Source: Institute of International Finance (IIF)/Robin Brooks To explain, the color blocks above track the non-commercial (speculative) futures positioning for various currencies versus the U.S. dollar, while the black line above tracks the consolidated total. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the black line has moved higher recently, which signals fewer U.S. dollar long positions.   More importantly, though, if you focus your attention on the light blue blocks on the right side of the chart, you can see that speculative euro longs have increased and remain in positive territory. However, with the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict much more troublesome for the Eurozone than the U.S., speculative EUR/USD positioning still has plenty of room to move lower. To that point, Mark Sobel, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), wrote on Feb. 28 that “the overall impact of Russia’s actions on the U.S. economy may not be significant, assuming oil prices don’t soar, though that remains a significant risk.” “The challenges for the ECB will be much greater in its debates over balancing the stagflationary consequences of the Russian invasion. Europe is a large net energy importer and remains dependent on Russia for oil and natural gas.” As a result: “European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will feel the strain more than Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Higher oil prices will boost inflation, weaken growth prospects and stoke stagflation fears.” Furthermore, if you analyze the right side of the chart below, you can see that Russia’s monetary base includes more euros (the light blue line) than U.S. dollars (the dark blue line). As a result, if Russia swaps its other FX holdings for rubles (to help stop the decline), the euro has more downside risk than the greenback. The bottom line? While Russia may put on a brave face and claim that gold purchases are on the horizon, the reality is that its materially weak financial position requires more attention to more pressing matters. With bank runs and a currency crisis already unfolding, combined with NATO sanctions and private companies divesting their Russian assets, the country’s leaders need to stem the tide before a depression unfolds. As a result, Russia’s oil revenues and the securities it can monetize are more likely to be used to support the Russian economy, rather than to buy gold. Thus, while the yellow metal has enjoyed short-term sentiment high (and so did the silver price), the fundamentals imply a much different outcome over the medium term. In conclusion, the PMs were mixed on Feb. 28, as the GDX ETF ended the session roughly flat. However, the recent rallies are far from troublesome. For example, I noted previously how gold rallied following the 2001 terrorist attacks and after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. However, those gains were short-lived, and the latter resulted in lower lows in the months that followed. As a result, while the recent volatility will likely continue, it doesn’t change the bearish medium-term thesis. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 broke through 4,350s in what appears a back and forth consolidation, for now. Credit markets aren‘t leading to the downside – HYG merely corrected within the risk-on sentiment. Stocks and bonds are starting to live with the new realities, and aren‘t undergoing tectonic shifts either way no matter what‘s happening in the real world. Expect to see some chop not of the most volatile flavor next, and for the bulls to step in in the near future.What‘s most interesting about bonds now, is the relenting pressure on the Fed to raise rates – the 2-year yield is moving down noticeably, and that means much practical progress on fighting inflation can‘t be expected. Not that there was much to start with, but the expectations of the hawkish Fed talk turning into action, are being dialed back. The current geopolitical events provide a scene to which attention is fixated while inflation fires keep raging on with renewed vigor (beyond energies) – just as I was calling for a little deceleration in CPI towards the year end bringing it to probably 5-6%, this figure is starting to look too optimistic on the price stability front.Predictable consequence are strong appreciation days across the board in commodities and precious metals – let‘s enjoy the sizable open profits especially in oil and copper. I told you weeks ago that real assets are where to look for in portfolio gains – and even the modest S&P 500 long profits taken off the table yesterday, are taking my portfolio performance chart to fresh highs. I hope you‘ve been enjoying my calls, and are secure in the turmoil around. Way more profits are on the way, and I am not even discussing the lastest agrifoods calls concerning wheat and corn, for all the right reasons (just check out the key exporters overview)…Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookThis time, the S&P 500 bulls didn‘t shake off the selling pressure – the broad retreat though smacks of temporary setback. As in that the direction to the downside hasn‘t been decided yet – I‘m looking for the buyers to dip their toes here.Credit MarketsHYG downswing didn‘t attract too many sellers, and was partially bought, which means that the pendulum is ready to shift (have a go at shifting) the other way now.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing just great, and can be counted on to extend gains. Remember about the rate raising reappreciation that I talked in the long opening part of today‘s analysis – at central banks, that‘s where to look financially.Crude OilCrude oil bears have been taken to the woodshed, except that not at all discreetly. Let‘s keep riding this bull that had brought great profits already, for some more – as I have learned, I was a lone voice calling for more upside before last week‘s events.CopperCopper is a laggard, but still taking part in the upswing. The prior underperformance which I took issue with yesterday, was indeed a bit too odd.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto bulls are consolidating well reasoned and deserved gains, and the circumstances don‘t favor a steep downswing really. The current tight range is likely to be resolved to the upside in due course.SummaryS&P 500 turnaround is not a rickety-free ride, but goes on at its own shaky pace. Stocks are likely to consolidate today as bonds turn a little more in the risk-on side, which reflects last but not least the looming reassessment of hawkish Fed policies. That‘s where the puck is (and will increasingly be even more so as Wayne Gretzky would say) financially, and I discussed that at length in the opening part of today‘s analysis – have a good look. Precious metals and commodities already know they won‘t be crushed by any new Paul Volcker. Enjoy the profitable rides presented !Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

After the war-driven gold rally, oil is starting to outperform. History between these two has already shown that someone may suffer. Many suggest: gold miners.The precious metals corrected some of their gains yesterday, but overall, not much changed in them. However, quite a lot happened in crude oil, and in today’s analysis we’ll focus on what it implies for the precious metals market and, in particular – for mining stocks.As you may have noticed, crude oil shot up recently in a spectacular manner. This seems normal, as it’s a market with rather inflexible supply and demand, so disruptions in supply or threats thereof can impact the price in a substantial way. With Russia as one of the biggest crude oil producers, its invasion of Ukraine, and a number of sanctions imposed on the attacking country (some of them involving oil directly), it’s natural that crude oil reacts in a certain manner. The concern-based rally in gold is also understandable.However, the relationship between wars, concerns, and prices of assets is not as straightforward as “there’s a war, so gold and crude oil will go up.” In order to learn more about this relationship, let’s examine the most similar situation in recent history to the current one, when oil supplies were at stake.The war that I’m mentioning is the one between Iraq and the U.S. that started almost 20 years ago. Let’s see what happened in gold, oil, and gold stocks at that time.The most interesting thing is that when the war officially started, the above-mentioned markets were already after a decline. However, that’s not that odd, when one considers the fact that back then, the tensions were building for a long time, and it was relatively clear in advance that the U.S. attack was going to happen. This time, Russia claimed that it wouldn’t attack until the very last minute before the invasion.The point here, however, is that the markets rallied while the uncertainty and concerns were building up, and then declined when the situation was known and “stable.” I don’t mean that “war” was seen as stable, but rather that the outcome and how it affected the markets was rather obvious.The other point is the specific way in which all three markets reacted to the war and the timing thereof.Gold stocks rallied initially, but then were not that eager to follow gold higher, but that’s something that’s universal in the final stages of most rallies in the precious metals market. What’s most interesting here is that there was a time when crude oil rallied substantially, while gold was already declining.Let me emphasize that once again: gold topped first, and then it underperformed while crude oil continued to soar substantially.Fast forward to the current situation. What has happened recently?Gold moved above $1,970 (crude oil peaked at $100.54 at that time), and then it declined heavily. It’s now trying to move back to this intraday high, but it was not able to do so. At the moment of writing these words, gold is trading at about $1,930, while crude oil is trading at about $114.In other words, while gold declined by $30, crude oil rallied by about $14. That’s a repeat of what we saw in 2003!What happened next in 2003? Gold declined, and the moment when crude oil started to visibly outperform gold was also the beginning of a big decline in gold stocks.That makes perfect sense on the fundamental level too. Gold miners’ share prices depend on their profits (just like it’s the case with any other company). Crude oil at higher levels means higher costs for the miners (the machinery has to be fueled, the equipment has to be transported, etc.). When costs (crude oil could be viewed as a proxy for them) are rising faster than revenues (gold could be viewed as a proxy for them), miners’ profits appear to be in danger; and investors don’t like this kind of danger, so they sell shares. Of course, there are many more factors that need to be taken into account, but I just wanted to emphasize one way in which the above-mentioned technical phenomenon is justified. The above doesn’t apply to silver as it’s a commodity, but it does apply to silver stocks.Back in 2004, gold stocks wiped out their entire war-concern-based rally, and the biggest part of the decline took just a bit more than a month. Let’s remember that back then, gold stocks were in a very strong medium- and long-term uptrend. Right now, mining stocks remain in a medium-term downtrend, so their decline could be bigger – they could give away their war-concern-based gains and then decline much more.Mining stocks are not declining profoundly yet, but let’s keep in mind that history rhymes – it doesn’t repeat to the letter. As I emphasized previously today, back in 2003 and 2002, the tensions were building for a longer time and it was relatively clear in advance that the U.S. attack was going to happen. This time, Russia claimed that it wouldn’t attack until the very last minute before the invasion. Consequently, the “we have to act now” is still likely to be present, and the dust hasn’t settled yet – everything appears to be unclear, and thus the markets are not returning to their previous trends. Yet.However, as history shows, that is likely to happen. Either immediately, or shortly, as crude oil is already outperforming gold.Investing and trading are difficult. If it was easy, most people would be making money – and they’re not. Right now, it’s most difficult to ignore the urge to “run for cover” if you physically don’t have to. The markets move on “buy the rumor and sell the fact.” This repeats over and over again in many (all?) markets, and we have direct analogies to similar situations in gold itself. Junior miners are likely to decline the most, also based on the massive declines that are likely to take place (in fact, they have already started) in the stock markets.Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today.Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care* * * * *All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 returned above 4,350s as credit markets indeed weren‘t leading to the downside. Consolidation now followed by more upside, that‘s the most likely scenario next. Yesterday‘s risk-on turn was reflected also in value rising more than tech. Anyway, the Nasdaq upswing is a good omen for the bulls in light of the TLT downswing – Treasuries are bucking the Powell newfound rate raising hesitation – inflation ambiguity is back. The yield curve is still compressing, and the pressure on the Fed to act, goes on – looking at where real asset prices are now, it had been indeed unreasonable to expect inflation to slow down meaningfully. Told you so – as I have written yesterday:(…) What‘s most interesting about bonds now, is the relenting pressure on the Fed to raise rates – the 2-year yield is moving down noticeably, and that means much practical progress on fighting inflation can‘t be expected. Not that there was much to start with, but the expectations of the hawkish Fed talk turning into action, are being dialed back. The current geopolitical events provide a scene to which attention is fixated while inflation fires keep raging on with renewed vigor (beyond energies) – just as I was calling for a little deceleration in CPI towards the year end bringing it to probably 5-6%, this figure is starting to look too optimistic on the price stability front.Predictable consequence are strong appreciation days across the board in commodities and precious metals. – let‘s enjoy the sizable open profits especially in oil and copper. I told you weeks ago that real assets are where to look for in portfolio gains – and even the modest S&P 500 long profits taken off the table yesterday, are taking my portfolio performance chart to fresh highs. Crude oil keeps rising as if there‘s no tomorrow, copper is joining in, agrifoods are on fire – and precious metals continue being very well bid. Cryptos aren‘t selling off either. Anyway, this is the time of real assets...Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bulls are back, and I‘m looking for consolidation around these levels. The very short-term direction isn‘t totally clear, but appears favoring the bulls unless corporate junk bonds crater. Not too likely.Credit MarketsHYG performance shows rising risk appetite, but the waning volume is a sign of caution for today. Unless LQD and TLT rise as well, HYG looks short-term stretched, therefore I‘m looking for consolidation today.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing great, and they merely corrected yesterday – both gold and silver can be counted on to extend gains if you look at the miners‘ message. As the prospects of vigorous Fed action gets dialed back, they stand to benefit even more.Crude OilCrude oil surge is both justified and unprecedented – and oil stocks aren‘t weakening. It looks like we would consolidate in the volatile range around $110 next.CopperCopper is joining in the upswing increasingly more, and the buyer‘s return before the close looks sufficient to maintain upside momentum that had been questioned earlier in the day. The break higher out of the long consolidation, is approaching.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto buyers are consolidating well deserved gains, and the bullish flag is being formed. The sellers are nowhere to be seen at the moment – I‘m still looking for the current tight range to be resolved to the upside next.SummaryS&P 500 has reached a short-term resistance, which would be overcome only should bonds give their blessing. It‘s likely these would confirm the risk-on turn, but HYG looks a bit too extended – its consolidation of high ground gained, could slow the stock bulls somewhat. The risk appetite and „rush to safety“ in commodities and precious metals goes on, more or less squeezing select assets such as crude oil. The CRB Index upswing is though of the orderly and broad advance flavor, and does reflect the prospects of inflation remaining elevated for longer than foreseen by the mainstream.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Silver is consolidating close to multi-month highs not far below $25.50 as markets remain intensely focused on the Ukraine conflict. Technicians have noted that spot silver prices have over the last few days formed an ascending triangle. Upcoming tier one US data releases (ISM Services on Thursday, NFP on Friday) will play second fiddle for geopolitics. Spot silver (XAG/USD) prices are consolidating close to multi-month highs with the $25.50 per troy ounce mark for now acting as resistance, but ongoing nervousness about the ongoing Ukraine conflict and its economic impact underpinning the safe-haven metal for now. At current levels in the $25.30s, spot silver trades broadly flat on the day, with focus for now on talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in the hopes that some sort of ceasefire might be in the offing. Given maximalist demands still being made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, demands which the Ukrainian government is very unlikely to accept, hopes that a broad ceasefire agreement can be reached are slim. That suggests no end in sight for the rally in the prices of commodities exported by Russia (oil, gas, various agricultural products and base metals), which will likely keep assets deemed as offering inflation protection in demand (like silver). Technicians have noted that spot silver prices have over the last few days formed an ascending triangle, a pattern that is more often than not indicative of a bullish breakout. Technical buying on a break above the $25.50 could dovetail nicely with the fundamentals if the Ukraine conflict continues to intensify and Western nations are expected to continue tightening the sanctions noose around Russia’s neck. Silver can move aggressively and some bulls likely have their sights set on mid-2021 highs in the $28.00 area. With focus so heavily on geopolitics, upcoming tier one US data releases (ISM Services PMI on Thursday and the official jobs report on Friday) and the second day of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony before the US Congress will take something of a back seat. Powell explained on Wednesday that current uncertainties regarding the impact of the Ukraine war would not deter the Fed from getting moving regarding removing policy stimulus. An expected strong jobs report on Friday should support this stance and probably won’t dent silver’s near-term appeal much.

  Kherson fell, but Ukrainians are still fighting fiercely. In the face of war, gold also shows courage – to move steadily up. The battle of Ukraine is still going on. Russian troops took control of Kherson, a city of about 300,000 in the south of Ukraine, but other main cities haven’t been captured yet. Ukrainian soldiers even managed to conduct some counter-offensive actions near the country’s capital. There is a large Russian column advancing on Kyiv, but its progress has been very slow over the last few days due to the staunch Ukrainian resistance and Russian forces’ problems with equipment, tactics, and supplies, including fuel and food. David is still bravely fighting Goliath! Of course, Russian forces still have an advantage and are progressing. However, the pace of the invasion is much slower than Vladimir Putin and his generals expected. The Ukrainians’ defense is much fiercer, while Russia’s losses are more severe. The Russian defense ministry admitted that 498 Russian soldiers have already been killed and 1,597 wounded, but the real number is probably much higher. Even if Russia takes control of other cities, it’s unclear whether it will be able to hold them. What’s more, although the West didn’t engage directly in the war, the response of the West was much stronger than Putin could probably have expected. The US and its allies supplied Ukraine with weapons and imposed severe sanctions against Putin and the Russian governing elite, as well as on Russia’s economy and financial system. For instance, the West decided to exclude several Russian banks from SWIFT and also to freeze most of Russian central bank’s foreign currency reserve assets. Additionally, many international companies are moving out of Russia or exporting their products to this country, adding to the economic pressure. The ruble plummeted, as the chart below shows.   Implications for Gold What does the ongoing war in Ukraine mean for the precious metals market? Well, the continuous heroic stance of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian defenders is not only heating up the hearts of all freedom-lovers, but also gold prices. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal has soared to about $1,930, the highest level since January 2021. As a reminder, until recently, gold was unable to surpass $1,800. Thus, the recent rally is noteworthy. The war is clearly boosting the safe-haven demand for gold. Another bullish driver is rising inflation. According to early estimates, euro area annual inflation soared from 5.1% in January to 5.8%, and the war is likely to add to the inflationary pressure due to rising energy prices. Both Brent and WTI oil prices have surged above $110 per barrel. Last but not least, I have to mention Powell’s appearance before Congress. In the prepared testimony, he said that the Fed would hike the federal funds rate this month, despite the war in Ukraine: Our monetary policy has been adapting to the evolving economic environment, and it will continue to do so. We have phased out our net asset purchases. With inflation well above 2 percent and a strong labor market, we expect it will be appropriate to raise the target range for the federal funds rate at our meeting later this month. This sounds rather hawkish and, thus, bearish for gold. However, Powell acknowledged that the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain. The near-term effects on the U.S. economy of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing war, the sanctions, and of events to come, remain highly uncertain. Making appropriate monetary policy in this environment requires a recognition that the economy evolves in unexpected ways. We will need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook. Hence, the war in Eastern Europe could make the Fed more dovish than expected at a time when inflation could be higher than forecasted before the war outbreak. Such an environment should be bullish for the gold market. However, there is one important caveat. The detailed analysis of gold prices shows that they declined around the first and second rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats in anticipation of the end of the conflict. However, when it became apparent that the talks ended in a stalemate, gold resumed its upward move. The implication should be clear: as long as the war continues, the yellow metal may shine, but when the ceasefire or truce is agreed, we could see a correction in the gold market. It doesn’t have to be a great plunge, but a large part of the geopolitical premium will disappear. Having said that, the war may take a while. I pray that I’m wrong, but the slow progress of the Russian invasion could prompt Vladimir Putin to adopt a “whatever it takes” stance. According to some experts, he is already more emotional than usual, and when faced with the prospects of failure, he could become even more brutal or irrational. We already see that Russian troops, unable to break the Ukrainian defense in open combat, siege the cities and bomb civilians. Hence, the continuation or escalation of Russia’s military actions could provide support for gold prices. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. 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S&P 500 consolidation isn‘t turning out well for the bulls as 4,300 can be easily broken again if I look at credit markets‘ posture. Treasuries just aren‘t sliding no matter the Fed‘s ambiguity on inflation, let alone markets sniffing out rate hike ideas getting revisited. Still, tech gave up opening gains, and closed on a weak note while commodities and precious metals maintained high ground, and the dollar continued rising.The odds are stacked against paper market bulls, and as I had been telling you weeks ago already, this is the time of real assets outperformance. In this sense, miners‘ leadership is a great confirmation of more strength to come, of inflation to continue… Everyone‘s free to make their own opinion after the State of the Union address.On the bright side, the flood of recently closed series of trades spanning stocks, precious metals, oil and copper, has resulted in sharp equity curve gains – and more good calls are in the making, naturally:Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is facing a setback, which could turn a lot worse if the sentiment turn continues. Odds are it would, and we would see some selling going into the weekend.Credit MarketsHYG refused to extend opening gains, and the message is clear, and also a reaction to the Fed‘s pronouncements. Treasuries though are more careful in the tightening prospects assessment – risk-off in bonds and the dollar continues.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing great, and are likely to continue rising no matter what the dollar does. There is no good reason for a selloff if you look around objectively. Miners are confirming, the upleg is underway.Crude OilCrude oil upswing isn‘t yet done, it would be premature to say so. It seems though that the time of volatile chop and new base building can continue – oil stocks are the barometer.CopperCopper outperformance leaves me a bit cautious – the advance is likely to slow down and get challenged next. It was a good run, and the red metal isn‘t at all done in the medium-term.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto downswing is reaching a bit farther than I would have been comfortable with. The buyers are welcome to step in on good volume, but I‘m not expecting miracles today or through the weekend.SummaryS&P 500 bulls are losing the initiative, and neither credit markets nor the dollar favor a turnaround today. Treasuries rising in spite of the Fed‘s messaging are also casting a clear verdict, and the yield curve compression continues. The risk-off sentiment that is getting an intermezzo here and there, is likely to rule unless the Fed makes a profound turn before the Mar FOMC. And given the inflation dynamics with all the consequences beyond economics, that‘s unlikely to happen. Markets are thus likely to continue fearing the confluence of events till...Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

S&P 500 recovered most of the intraday downside, and in spite of value driving the upswing, there is something odd about it. Tech barely moved higher during the day, and the heavyweights continue being beaten similarly to biotech compared to the rest of healthcare. The key oddity though was in the risk-off posture in bonds, and the Treasuries upswing that Nasdaq failed to get inspired with. If TLT has a message to drive home after the latest Powell pronouncements, it‘s that the odds of a 50bp rate hike in Mar (virtual certainty less than two weeks ago, went down considerably) – it‘s almost a coin toss now, and as the FOMC time approaches, the Fed would probably grow more cautious (read dovish and not hawkish) in its assessments, no matter the commodities appreciation or supply chains status. Yes, neither of these, nor inflation is going away before the year‘s end – they are here to stay for a long time to come. Looking at the events of late, I have to dial back the stock market outlook when it comes to the degree of appreciation till 2022 is over – I wouldn‘t be surprised to see the S&P 500 to retreat slightly vs. the Jan 2022 open. Yes, not even the better 2H 2022 prospects would erase the preceding setback. Which stocks would do best then? Here are my key 4 tips – energy, materials, in general value, and smallcaps. But the true winners of the stagflationary period is of course going to be commodities and precious metals. And that‘s where the bulk of recent gains that I brought you, were concentrated in. More is to come, and it‘s gold and silver that are catching real fire here. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 setback was repelled on Friday, but I‘m looking for the subsequent upswing to fizzle out – we still have to go down in Mar, and that would be the low. Credit Markets HYG is clearly on the defensive, and TLT reassessing rate hike prospects. This doesn‘t bode well for the S&P 500 bulls. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are doing great, and will likely continue rising no matter what the dollar does – my Friday‘s sentence is still fitting today. I‘m looking for further price gains – the upleg has been measured and orderly so far. Crude Oil Crude oil upswing still hasn‘t lost steam, and still can surprise on the upside. Slowdown in the pace of gains, or a sideways consolidation, would be the healthy move next. Jittery nerves can calm down a little today. Copper Copper isn‘t rising as fast as other base metals, which are one of the key engines of commodities appreciation. The run is respectable, and happening on quite healthy volume – if we don‘t see its meaningful consolidation soon, the red metal would be finally breaking out of its long range here. Bitcoin and Ethereum While I wasn‘t expecting miracles Friday or through the weekend, cryptos are stabilizing, and can extend very modest gains today and tomorrow. Summary S&P 500 is likely to rise next, only to crater lower still this month. It may even undershoot prior Thursday‘s lows, but I‘m not looking for that to happen. The sentiment is very negative already, the yield curve keeps compressing, commodities are rising relentlessly, and all we got is a great inflation excuse / smoke screen. Inflation is always a monetary phenomenon, and supply chain disruptions and other geopolitical events can and do exacerbate that. Just having a look at the rising dollar when rate hike prospects are getting dialed back, tells the full risk-off story of the moment, further highlighted by the powder keg that precious metals are. And silver isn‘t yet outperforming copper, which is something I am looking for to change as we go by. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday March 1st and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the rising speculator sentiment in the Silver futures bets. The speculative net position in the Silver futures rose this week for the third consecutive week and for the seventh time out of the past ten weeks. Silver speculator bets have now gained by a total of +25,649 contracts over these past three weeks and this week’s rise by +14,646 contracts marked the largest one-week gain in the past one hundred and fourteen weeks, dating all the way back to December of 2019. The current speculator contract standing has reached the highest level of the past fifteen weeks with a total of +44,948 contracts. The Silver price has been on the upswing with prices reaching the best levels since August and above the $25.75 per ounce level. Joining Silver (14,646 contracts) with higher speculator bets this week were Gold (14,474 contracts) and Palladium (525 contracts) while Copper (-3,482 contracts) and Platinum (-650 contracts) saw lower speculator positions for the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-01-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 2,028,476 25 368,663 14 -410,955 79 42,292 75 Gold 615,600 51 257,622 70 -285,809 30 28,187 44 Silver 157,391 23 44,948 67 -57,150 43 12,202 14 Copper 195,398 23 22,093 58 -29,380 39 7,287 67 Palladium 7,242 4 -904 16 423 79 481 73 Platinum 65,383 31 16,890 26 -24,196 74 7,306 64 Natural Gas 1,112,832 3 -126,409 41 90,088 59 36,321 71 Brent 198,920 39 -6,707 100 4,004 0 2,703 46 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 758,796 35 218,907 84 -189,233 21 -29,674 21 Corn 1,484,670 18 460,938 89 -427,812 11 -33,126 24 Coffee 252,545 24 61,906 94 -66,290 8 4,384 19 Sugar 816,211 0 84,539 54 -105,323 48 20,784 34 Wheat 372,124 19 6,443 52 303 41 -6,746 69   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 257,622 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 14,474 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 243,148 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 69.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.2 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.5 20.7 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.7 67.1 3.6 – Net Position: 257,622 -285,809 28,187 – Gross Longs: 354,177 127,231 50,266 – Gross Shorts: 96,555 413,040 22,079 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.7 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 69.6 30.4 44.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 20.1 -19.7 3.8   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 44,948 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 14,646 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 30,302 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 67.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 42.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 45.3 32.7 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.7 69.0 8.3 – Net Position: 44,948 -57,150 12,202 – Gross Longs: 71,235 51,440 25,234 – Gross Shorts: 26,287 108,590 13,032 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.7 to 1 0.5 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 67.2 42.8 13.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 15.2 -15.3 2.1   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 22,093 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -3,482 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 25,575 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 58.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 67.4 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 38.7 38.5 9.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.3 53.5 5.9 – Net Position: 22,093 -29,380 7,287 – Gross Longs: 75,526 75,232 18,908 – Gross Shorts: 53,433 104,612 11,621 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.3 39.3 67.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.2 0.8 -5.4   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 16,890 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -650 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 17,540 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 26.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 64.0 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 51.9 29.6 14.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.0 66.6 3.6 – Net Position: 16,890 -24,196 7,306 – Gross Longs: 33,902 19,330 9,637 – Gross Shorts: 17,012 43,526 2,331 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.0 to 1 0.4 to 1 4.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 26.2 74.4 64.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 14.1 -16.2 22.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -904 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 525 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,429 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 78.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 73.0 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 33.3 44.8 20.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.8 39.0 13.9 – Net Position: -904 423 481 – Gross Longs: 2,412 3,248 1,488 – Gross Shorts: 3,316 2,825 1,007 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.1 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 16.4 78.9 73.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.8 -17.1 34.2   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Now is the time for traders to adapt to higher volatility and rapidly changing market conditions. One of the best ways to do this is to monitor different asset classes and track which investments are gaining and losing money flow. Knowing what the Best Asset Now is (BAN) is critical for consistent growth no matter the market condition.With that said, buyers (countries, investors, and traders) are panicking as the commodity Wheat, for example, gained more than 40% last week.‘Panic Commodity Buying’ in Wheat – Weekly ChartAccording to the US Dept. of Agriculture, China will hold 69% of the world’s corn reserves, 60% of rice and 51% of wheat by mid-2022.Commodity markets surged to their largest gains in years as Ukrainian ports were closed and sanctions against Russia sent buyers scrambling for replacement supplies. Global commodities, commodity funds, and commodity ETFs are attracting huge capital inflows as investors seek to cash in on the rally in oil, metals, and grains.How does the Russia – Ukraine war affect global food supplies?The conflict between major commodity producers Russia and Ukraine is causing countries that rely heavily on commodity imports to feed their citizens to enter into panic buying. The breadbaskets of Ukraine and Russia account for more than 25% of the global wheat trade and nearly 20% of the global corn trade.Last week, it was reported that many countries have dangerously low grain supplies. Nader Saad, an Egypt Cabinet spokesman, has raised the alarm that currently, Egypt has only nine months’ worth of wheat in silos. The supply includes five months of strategic reserves and four months of domestic production to cover the bread needs of 102 million Egyptians. Additionally, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s economic minister, said on Thursday (3/3/22) that his country should keep “a low profile” regarding the conflict in eastern Europe, given that Israel imports 50 percent of its wheat from Russia and 30 percent from Ukraine.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!The longer-term potential for much higher grain prices exists, but it’s worth noting that Friday’s close of nearly $12.00 a bushel for wheat is not that far away from the all-time record high of $13.30, recorded 14-years ago. According to Trading Economics, wheat has gone up 75.08% year-to-date while other commodity markets like Oats are up a whopping 85.13%, Coffee 74.68%, and Corn 34.07%.How are other markets reacting to these global events?Year-to-date comparison returns as of 3/4/2022:-9.18% S&P 500 (index), -7.49% DJI (index), -15.21% Nasdaq (index), +37.44% Exxon Mobile (oil), +20.08% Freeport McMoran (copper & gold), -20.68% Tesla (alternative energy), -24.49% Microstrategy (bitcoin play), -40.51% Meta-Facebook (social media)As stock holdings and 401k’s are shrinking it may be time to re-evaluate your portfolio. There are ETFs available that can give you exposure to commodities, energy, and metals.Here is an example of a few of these ETFs:+53.81% WEAT Teucrium Wheat Fund+41.79% GSG iShares S&P TSCI Commodity -Indexed Trust+104.40 UCO ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil+59.32% PALL Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium SharesHow is the global investor reacting to rocketing commodity prices and increasing market volatility?We can track global money flow by monitoring the following 1-month currency graph (www.finviz.com). The Australian Dollar is up +4.25%, the New Zealand Dollar +3.72%, and the Canadian Dollar +0.30% vs. the US Dollar due to the rising commodity prices like metals and energy. These country currencies are known as commodity currencies.The Switzerland Franc +0.96%, the Japanese Yen +0.35%, and the US Dollar +0.00% are all benefiting from global capital seeking a safe haven. As volatility continues to spike, these country currencies will experience more inflows as capital comes out of depreciating assets and seeks stability.We also notice that capital outflow is occurring from the European Union-Eurodollar -4.55% and the British Pound -2.22% due to their close proximity (risk) to the Russia - Ukraine war.www.finviz.comGlobal central banks will need to begin raising their interest rates to combat high inflation!Due to the rapid acceleration of inflation, the US Federal Reserve may have been looking to raise interest rates by 50 basis points at its policy meeting two weeks from now. However, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FED may become more cautious and consider raising interest rates by only 25 basis points on March 15-16.What strategies can help you navigate current market trends?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals are starting to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.Now is the time to keep your eye on the ball!I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Bitcoins image boost   In times of war, unfortunately, other news is quickly overshadowed temporarily. Gold, monthly chart, cup and handle: Gold in US Dollar, monthly chart as of March 7th, 2022. One significant factor is the gold bullish monthly chart with its cup and handle price formation. The larger time frame of the related market plays a substantial role in inter-market analysis. Gold, leading wealth preservation “insurance” for your money in inflationary times, should be on a bitcoin trader/investor’s radar. We find a bullish tone in gold to support possible bitcoin price increases.     Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, monthly chart, bitcoin is cheap: Bitcoin versus Gold in USD, monthly chart as of March 8th, 2022. An additional welcoming factor can be found in the monthly chart of the bitcoin relationship towards gold. Presently, around 20 ounces buy you one bitcoin, while in the last quarter of last year, the same bitcoin cost you instead 37 ounces of gold. Consequently, those who have exited a fiat currency system or those who constructively hedge their wealth preservation portfolio might have a greater focus on bitcoin currently as on gold; it is cheaper. Bitcoin, weekly chart, still a couple weeks: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 8th, 2022. A look at a weekly bitcoin chart shows temporary weakness in a general up slope near an entry zone. The last two weeks provided for substantial income-producing trading through partial profit-taking. Bitcoin had delivered a 32% range from US$34,322 to US$45,400. Unfortunately, there was no directional follow-through beyond this point, and bitcoin has yet again retraced substantially. Currently, Bitcoin is hovering right above a low-risk entry zone again, and we are hawkishly looking out for low-risk entries. A look into the past shows that it took bitcoin ten weeks to turn around in scenario A. Our timing prognosis is another two weeks now before we see possibly fast advancements. Bitcoins image boost: Some think of chocolate when thinking of Switzerland, and indeed this news is sweet to the bitcoin community. Bitcoins’ last step to gain momentum is widespread adoption. News, like the 10% increase in GDP since El Salvador’s declaration of bitcoin being accepted legal tender, is impressive. Yet, it is still met with doubt due to either political or economic situations of countries that have adopted bitcoin so far. With a central money mecca now representing progressive bitcoin use and old history of a conservative, strong financial stability image backing such behavior, widespread mass doubt can be swayed towards more bitcoin adaptation.   Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 8th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

While the world discusses the prospect of an embargo on Russian oil and gas, the absolute madness is in metals. In many of them, Russia has a pretty significant share, and investors fear a ban on exports could be Russia’s response to sanctions, on a par with restricting supplies of agricultural products. Palladium set a new all-time high at $3439 on Monday, gaining 14.8% on the day at one point. Nickel reached $100,000/tonne, gaining more than 200% over the two days, but soon retreated to $82,000 (+71% since the start of the day). Aluminum reached $4000 per tonne on Monday, compared with stabilization at $2600 from November to mid-December. Copper exceeded $10800/tonne yesterday, rewriting its historic high. Still, if we apply ‘peacetime’ patterns, we can see short-squeezes and a final capitulation by the bears in one metal after another. A reversal usually follows this. Copper and palladium have been sliding hard after making new all-time highs, and we’re now seeing a distinct tug-of-war between the buyers and the sellers, at an impressive distance from yesterday’s extremes. Nickel is retracing a sharp bounce today. The troy ounce reached $2020 earlier on Tuesday, having hit new highs since August 2020. The momentum in gold gained new strength after restrictions from cryptocurrency exchanges for Russian residents. But here, too, it is worth betting with great caution on the upside, as there will be a big seller entering the market. The Bank of Russia, for the most part, has no other means but to sell off the gold from its reserves in Russia. These steps could be taken tomorrow, as Monday and Tuesday were national holidays. Those actions will keep the price of gold on the way to the all-time highs near $2075, where it could be as early as this week. However, the chances are higher that more sellers will enter into gold, which will cool the current rally, temporarily correcting the price into the $1960-2000 area before the end of March.

S&P 500 indeed didn‘t reverse on Friday in earnest, and both tech and value sold off hard. Not much reason to be bullish thanks to credit markets performance either – the posture is very risk-off, and the rush to commodities goes on. With a little check yesterday on the high opening prices in crude oil and copper, but still. My favorite agrifoods picks of late, wheat and corn, are doing great, and the pressure within select base metals, is building up – such as (for understandable reasons) in nickel and aluminum. Look for more to come, especially there where supply is getting messed with (this doesn‘t concern copper to such a degree, explaining its tepid price gains). And I‘m not talking even the brightest spot, where I at the onset of 2022 announced that precious metals would be the great bullish surprise this year. Those who listened, are rocking and rolling – we‘re nowhere near the end of the profitable run! Crude oil is likely to consolidate prior steep gains, and could definitely continue spiking higher. Should it stay comfortably above $125 for months, that would lead to quite some demand destruction. Given that black gold acts as a „shadow Fed funds rate“, let‘s bring up yesterday‘s rate raising thoughts and other relevant snippets: (,,,) If TLT has a message to drive home after the latest Powell pronouncements, it‘s that the odds of a 50bp rate hike in Mar (virtual certainty less than two weeks ago, went down considerably) – it‘s almost a coin toss now, and as the FOMC time approaches, the Fed would probably grow more cautious (read dovish and not hawkish) in its assessments, no matter the commodities appreciation or supply chains status. Yes, neither of these, nor inflation is going away before the year‘s end – they are here to stay for a long time to come. Looking at the events of late, I have to dial back the stock market outlook when it comes to the degree of appreciation till 2022 is over – I wouldn‘t be surprised to see the S&P 500 to retreat slightly vs. the Jan 2022 open. Yes, not even the better 2H 2022 prospects would erase the preceding setback. Which stocks would do best then? Here are my key 4 tips – energy, materials, in general value, and smallcaps. But the true winners of the stagflationary period is of course going to be commodities and precious metals. And that‘s where the bulk of recent gains that I brought you, were concentrated in. More is to come, and it‘s gold and silver that are catching real fire here. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 didn‘t do at all well yesterday, and signs of a short-term bottom are absent. It‘s entirely possible that the brief upswing that I was looking to be selling into to start the week, has been not merely postponed. Credit Markets HYG is clearly on the defensive, and TLT reassessing rate hike prospects – yet, long-dated Treasuries still declined. There is no appetite to buy bonds, and that confirms my thesis of lower lows to be made still in Mar. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals keep doing great, and will likely continue rising no matter what the dollar does – last three days‘ experience confirms that. This is more than mere flight to safety - I‘m looking for further price gains as the upleg has been measured and orderly so far. Crude Oil Crude oil‘s opening gap had been sold into, but we haven‘t seen a reversal yesterday. The upswing can continue, and it would happen on high volatility. I don‘t think we have seen the real spike just yet. Copper For all the above reasons, copper isn‘t rising as fast as other base metals (one of the key engines of commodities appreciation). The run is respectable, and not overheated. $5.00 would remain quite a tough nut to crack – for the time being. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos haven‘t made up their mind yet, but one thing is sure – they aren‘t acting as a safe haven. Given the extent of retreat from Mar highs, it means I‘m looking for not too spectacular performance in the days ahead. Summary S&P 500 missed an opportunity to rise (even if just to open the week on a positive note), and its prospects for today aren‘t way too much brighter. It‘s that practically nothing is giving bullish signals for paper assets, and the market breadth has understandably deteriorated. The rush into precious metals, dollar and commodities remains on – these are the pockets of strength, lifting to a very modest and hidden degree Treasuries as well (these are however reassessing the hawkish Fed prospects) at a time when global growth downgrades are starting to arrive. Pretty serious figures, let me tell you. As I wrote yesterday, stocks may even undershoot prior Thursday‘s lows, but I‘m not looking for that to happen. The sentiment is very negative already, the yield curve keeps compressing, commodities are rising relentlessly, and all we got is a great inflation excuse / smoke screen. Inflation is always a monetary phenomenon, and supply chain disruptions and other geopolitical events can and do exacerbate that. Just having a look at the rising dollar when rate hike prospects are getting dialed back, tells the full risk-off story of the moment, further highlighted by the powder keg that precious metals are. And silver isn‘t yet outperforming copper, which is something I am looking for to change as we go by. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  Gold has hit $2,000 but is still struggling to maintain that historical level. It has already tried 8 times - will the ninth attempt succeed? Many indications make this doubtful. Gold is attempting to break above the $2,000 milestone, and miners are trying to break above their declining resistance line. Will they manage to do so, and if so, how long will the rally last? Yesterday, gold didn’t manage to close above the $2,000 level and it’s making another attempt to rally above it in today’s pre-market trading. However, will it be successful? Given the RSI above 70 and the strength of the current resistance, it’s doubtful. In fact, nothing has changed with regard to this likelihood since yesterday, so what I wrote about it in the previous Gold & Silver Trading Alert remains up-to-date: Gold touched $2,000 in today’s pre-market trading, which is barely above its 2021 high and below its 2020 high. Crude oil is way above both analogous levels. In other words, gold underperforms crude oil to a significant extent, just like in 2003. Interestingly, back in 2003, gold topped when crude oil rallied about 40% from its short-term lows (the late-2002 low). What happened next in 2003? Gold declined, and the moment when crude oil started to visibly outperform gold was also the beginning of a big decline in gold stocks. That makes perfect sense on the fundamental level too. Gold miners’ share prices depend on their profits (just like it’s the case with any other company). Crude oil at higher levels means higher costs for the miners (the machinery has to be fueled, the equipment has to be transported, etc.). When costs (crude oil could be viewed as a proxy for them) are rising faster than revenues (gold could be viewed as a proxy for them), miners’ profits appear to be in danger; and investors don’t like this kind of danger, so they sell shares. Of course, there are many more factors that need to be taken into account, but I just wanted to emphasize one way in which the above-mentioned technical phenomenon is justified. Back in 2003, gold stocks wiped out their entire war-concern-based rally, and the biggest part of the decline took just a bit more than a month. Let’s remember that back then, gold stocks were in a very strong medium- and long-term uptrend. Right now, mining stocks remain in a medium-term downtrend, so their decline could be bigger – they could give away their war-concern-based gains and then decline much more. Mining stocks are not declining profoundly yet, but let’s keep in mind that history rhymes – it doesn’t repeat to the letter. As I emphasized previously today, back in 2003 and 2002, the tensions were building for a longer time, and it was relatively clear in advance that the U.S. attack was going to happen. This time, Russia claimed that it wouldn’t attack until the very last minute before the invasion. Consequently, the “we have to act now” is still likely to be present, and the dust hasn’t settled yet – everything appears to be unclear, and thus the markets are not returning to their previous trends. Yet. However, as history shows, that is likely to happen. Either immediately, or shortly, as crude oil is already outperforming gold. The above chart features the GDXJ ETF. As you can see, the junior miners moved to their very strong resistance provided by the declining resistance line. This resistance is further strengthened by the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, and the previous (late-2021) high. This means that it’s particularly strong, and any breakout here would likely be invalidated shortly. Given the clear sell signal from the RSI indicator, a turnaround here is even more likely. I marked the previous such signals to emphasize their efficiency. When the RSI was above 70, a top was in 6 out of 7 of the recent cases, and the remaining case was shortly before the final top, anyway. This resistance seems to be analogous to the $2,000 level in gold. By the way, please note that gold tried to break above $2,000 several times: twice in August 2020; twice in September 2020 (once moving above it, once moving just near this level); once in November 2020 (moving near this level); once in January 2021 (moving near this level); once in February 2022 (moving near this level). These attempts failed in each of the 7 cases mentioned above. This is the eight attempt. Will this very strong resistance break this time? Given how much crude oil has already soared, and how both markets used to react to war tensions in the case of oil-producing countries, it seems that the days of the rally are numbered. Moving back to the GDXJ ETF, please note that while gold is moving close to its all-time highs, the junior miners are not doing anything like that. In fact, they barely moved slightly above their late-2021 high. They are not even close to their 2021 high, let alone their 2020 high. Instead, junior mining stocks are just a bit above their early-2020 high, from which their prices were more than cut in half in less than a month. In other words, junior miners strongly underperform gold, which is a bearish sign. When gold finally declines – and it’s likely to, as geopolitical events tend to have only a temporary effect on prices, even if they’re substantial – junior miners will probably slide much more than gold. One of the reasons is the likely decline in the general stock market. I recently received a question about the impact the general stock market has on mining stocks, as the latter moved higher despite stocks’ decline in recent weeks. So, let’s take a look at a chart that will feature junior mining stocks, the GLD ETF, and the S&P 500 Index. Before the Ukraine crisis, the link between junior miners and the stock market was clear. Now, it's not as clear, but it’s still present. Juniors only moved to their late-2021 highs, while gold is over $100 above those highs. Juniors underperform significantly, in tune with the stock market's weakness. The gold price is still the primary driver of mining stock prices – including junior mining stocks. After all, that’s what’s either being sold by the company (that produces gold) or in the properties that the company owns and explores (junior miners). As gold prices exploded in the last couple of weeks, junior miners practically had to follow. However, this doesn’t mean that the stock market’s influence is not present nor that it’s going to be unimportant going forward. Conversely, the weak performance of the general stock market likely contributed to junior miners’ weakness relative to gold – the former didn’t rally as much as the latter. Since the weakness in the general stock market is likely to continue, and gold’s rally is likely to be reversed (again, what happened in the case of other military conflicts is in tune with history, not against it), junior miners are likely to decline much more profoundly than gold. Speaking of the general stock market, it just closed at the lowest level since mid-2021. The key thing about the above chart is that what we’ve seen this year is the biggest decline since 2020, and the size of the recent slide is comparable to what we saw as the initial wave down in 2020 – along with the subsequent correction. If these moves are analogous, the recent rebound was perfectly normal – there was one in early 2020 too. This also means that a much bigger decline is likely in the cards in the coming weeks, and that it’s already underway. This would be likely to have a very negative impact on the precious metals market, in particular on junior mining stocks (initially) and silver (a bit later). All in all, it seems that due to the technical resistance in gold and mining stocks, the sizable – but likely temporary (like other geopolitical-event-based-ones) – rally is likely to be reversed shortly. Then, as the situation in the general stock market deteriorates, junior miners would be likely to plunge in a spectacular manner. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

  Russian forces have made minimal progress against Ukraine in recent days. Unlike the invader, gold rallied very quickly and achieved its long-awaited target - $2000! Nobody expected the Russian inquisition! Nobody expected such a fierce Ukrainian defense, either. Of course, the situation is still very dramatic. Russian troops continued their offensive and – although the pace slowed down considerably – they managed to make some progress, especially in southern Ukraine, by bolstering air defense and supplies. The invaders are probably preparing for the decisive assault on Kyiv. Where Russian soldiers can’t break the defense, they bomb civilian infrastructure and attack ordinary people, including targeting evacuation corridors, to spread terror. Several Ukrainian cities are besieged and their inhabitants lack basic necessities. The humanitarian crisis intensifies. However, Russian forces made minimal ground advances over recent days, and it’s highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned objectives to date. According to the Pentagon, nearly all of the Russian troops that were amassed on Ukraine’s border are already fighting inside the country. Meanwhile, the international legion was formed and started its fight for Ukraine. Moreover, Western countries have recently supplied Ukraine with many hi-tech military arms and equipment, including helicopters, anti-tank weapons, and anti-aircraft missiles, which could be crucial in boosting the Ukrainian defense.   Implications for Gold What does the war in Ukraine imply for the precious metals? Well, gold is shining almost as brightly as the Ukrainian defense. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal has surged above $1,980 on Monday (March 7, 2022), the highest level since August 2020. What’s more, as the next chart shows, during today’s early trading, gold has soared above $2,020 for a while, reaching almost an all-time high. In my most recent report, I wrote: “as long as the war continues, the yellow metal may shine (…). The continuation or escalation of Russia’s military actions could provide support for gold prices.” This is exactly what we’ve been observing. This is not surprising. The war has increased the safe-haven demand for gold, while investors have become more risk-averse and have continued selling equities. As you can see in the chart below, the S&P 500 Index has plunged more than 12% since its peak in early January. Some of the released funds went to the gold market. What’s more, the credit spreads have widened, while the real interest rates have declined. Both these trends are fundamentally positive for the yellow metal. Another bullish driver of gold prices is inflation. It’s already high, and the war in Ukraine will only add to the upward pressure. The oil price has jumped above $120 per barrel, almost reaching a record peak. Higher energy prices would translate into higher CPI readings in the near future. Other commodities are also surging. For example, the Food Price Index calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has soared above 140 in February, which is a new all-time high, as the chart below shows. Higher commodity prices could lead to social unrest, as was the case with the Arab Spring or recent protests in Kazakhstan. Higher energy prices and inflation imply slower real GDP growth and more stagflationary conditions. As a reminder, in 2008 we saw rapidly rising commodities, which probably contributed to the Great Recession. In such an environment, it’s far from clear that the Fed will be very hawkish. It will probably hike the federal funds rate in March, as expected, but it may soften its stance later amid the conflict between Ukraine and the West with Russia and elevated geopolitical risks. The more dovish Fed should also be supportive of gold prices. However, when the fighting cools off, the fear will subside, and we could see a correction in the gold market. Both sides are exhausted by the conflict and don’t want to continue it forever. The Russian side has already softened its stance a bit during the most recent round of negotiations, as it probably realized that a military breakthrough was unlikely. Hence, when the conflict ends, gold’s current tailwind could turn into a headwind. Having said that, the impact of the conflict may not be as short-lived this time. I'm referring to the relatively harsh sanctions and high energy prices that may last for some time after the war is over. . The same applies to a more hawkish stance toward Russia and European governments’ actions to become less dependent on Russian gas and oil. A lot depends on how the conflict will be resolved, and whether it brings us Cold War 2.0. However, two things are certain: the world has already changed geopolitically, and at the beginning of this new era, the fundamental outlook for gold has turned more bullish than before the war. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care

S&P 500 once again gave up intraday gains, and credit markets confirmed the decline. Value down significantly more than tech, risk-off anywhere you look. For days without end, but the reprieve can come on seemingly little to no positive news, just when the sellers exhaust themselves and need to regroup temporarily. We‘re already seeing signs of such a respite in precious metals and commodities – be it the copper downswing, oil unable to break $130, or miners not following gold much higher yesterday. Corn and wheat also consolidated – right or wrong, the market seeks to anticipate some relief from Eastern Europe.The big picture though hasn‘t changed:(…) credit markets … posture is very risk-off, and the rush to commodities goes on. With a little check yesterday on the high opening prices in crude oil and copper, but still. My favorite agrifoods picks of late, wheat and corn, are doing great, and the pressure within select base metals, is building up – such as (for understandable reasons) in nickel and aluminum. Look for more to come, especially there where supply is getting messed with (this doesn‘t concern copper to such a degree, explaining its tepid price gains).And I‘m not talking even the brightest spot, where I at the onset of 2022 announced that precious metals would be the great bullish surprise this year. Those who listened, are rocking and rolling – we‘re nowhere near the end of the profitable run! Crude oil is likely to consolidate prior steep gains, and could definitely continue spiking higher. Should it stay comfortably above $125 for months, that would lead to quite some demand destruction. Given that black gold acts as a „shadow Fed funds rate“, ......its downswing would contribute to providing the Fed with an excuse not to hike in Mar by 50bp. After the prior run up in the price of black gold that however renders such an excuse a verbal exercise only, the Fed remains between a rock and hard place, and the inflationary fires keep raging on.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is reaching for the Feb 24 lows, and may find respite at this level. The upper knot though would need a solid close today (above 4,250) to be of short-term significance. Remember, the market remains very much headline sensitive.Credit MarketsHYG clearly remains on the defensive, but the sellers may need a pause here, if volume is any guide. Bonds are getting beaten, and the outlook remains negative to neutral for the weeks ahead. Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals keep doing great, but a pause is knocking on the door. Not a reversal, a pause. Gold and silver are indeed the go-to assets in the current situation, and miners agree wholeheartedly.Crude OilCrude oil is having trouble extending gains, and the consolidation I mentioned yesterday, approaches. I do not think however that this is the end of the run higher.CopperCopper is pausing already, and this underperformer looks very well bid above $4.60. Let the red metal build a base, and continue rising next, alongside the rest of the crowd.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos upswing equals more risk appetite? It could be so, looking at the dollar‘s chart (I‘m talking that in the summary of today‘s analysis).SummaryEvery dog has its day, and the S&P 500‘s one might be coming today or tomorrow. It‘s that the safe havens of late (precious metals, commodities and the dollar) are having trouble extending prior steep gains further. These look to be in for a brief respite that would be amplified on any possible news of deescalation. In such an environment, risk taking would flourish at expense of gold, silver and oil especially. I don‘t think so we have seen the tops – precious metals are likely to do great on the continued inflation turning into stagflation (GDP growth figures being downgraded), and commodities are set to further benefit from geopolitics (among much else).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

S&P 500 tech driven upswing makes the advance a bit suspect, and prone to consolidation. I would have expected value to kick in to a much greater degree given the risk-on posture in the credit markets. The steep downswing in commodities and precious metals doesn‘t pass the smell test for me – just as there were little cracks in the dam warning of short-term vulnerability at the onset of yesterday, the same way there are signs of the resulting downswing being overdone now.And that has consequences for the multitude of open positions – the PMs and commodities super bull runs are on, and the geopolitics still support the notion of the next spike.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 turned around, and the volume isn‘t raising too many eyebrows. However, the bulls should have tempered price appreciation expectations, to put it politely...Credit MarketsHYG turned around, but isn‘t entirely convincing yet. We saw an encouraging first step towards risk-on turn that requires that the moves continue, which is unlikely today – CPI is here, and unlikely to disappoint the inflationistas.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals downswing looks clearly overdone, and I continue calling for a shallow, $1,980 - $2,000 range consolidation next. This gives you an idea not to expect steep silver discounts either. Miner are clear, and holding up nicely.Crude OilCrude oil downswing came, arguably way too steep one. Even oil stocks turned down in spite of the S&P 500 upswing, which is odd. I‘m looking for gradual reversal of yesterday‘s weakness in both.CopperCopper has made one of its odd moves on par with the late Jan long red candle one – I‘m looking for the weakness to be reversed, and not only in the red metal but within commodities as such.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are giving up yesterday‘s upswing – they are dialing back the risk-on turn and rush out of the safe havens of late.SummaryThe S&P 500 dog indeed just had its day, but the price appreciation prospects are not looking too bright for today. With attention turning to CPI, and yesterday‘s „hail mary decline aka I don‘t need you anymore“ in the safe havens of late (precious metals, crude oil, wheat, and the dollar to name just a few) getting proper scrutiny, I‘m looking for gradual return to strength in all things real (real assets) – it‘s my reasonable assumption that the markets won‘t get surprised by an overwhelmingly positive headline from Eastern Europe at this point. Focusing on the underlying fundamentals and charts, I don‘t think so we have seen the real asset tops – precious metals are likely to do great on the continued inflation turning into stagflation (GDP growth figures being downgraded), and commodities are set to further benefit from geopolitics (among much else).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

S&P 500 gave up the opening gains, but managed to close on a good note, in spite of credit markets not confirming. Given though the high volume characterizing HYG downswing and retreating crude oil, we may be in for a stock market led rebound today. It‘s that finally, value did much better yesterday than tech.CPI came red hot, but didn‘t beat expectations, yield curve remains flat as a pancake, and the commodity index didn‘t sell off too hard. It remains to be seen whether the miners‘ strength was for real or not – anyway, the yesterday discussed shallow $1,980 - $2,000 range consolidation still remains the most likely scenario. I just don‘t see PMs and commodities giving up a lion‘s share of the post Feb 24 gains next.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 can still turn around, and the odds of doing so successfully (till the closing bell today), have increased yesterday. The diminished volume points to no more sellers at this point while buyers are waiting on the sidelines.Credit MarketsHYG has only marginally closed below Tuesday‘s lows – corporate junk bonds can reverse higher without overcoming Wednesday‘s highs fast, which would still be constructive for a modest S&P 500 upswing.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are indeed refusing to swing lower too much – the sector remains excellently positioned for further gains. For now though, we‘re in a soft patch where the speculative fever is slowly coming out, including out of other commodities. Enter oil.Crude OilCrude oil still remains vulnerable, but would catch a bid quite fast here. Ideally, black gold wouldn‘t break down into the $105 - $100 zone next. I‘m looking for resilience kicking in soon.CopperCopper fake weakness is being reversed, and the red metal is well positioned not to break below Wednesday‘s lows. I‘m not looking for selloff continuation in the CRB Index either.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos remain undecided, and erring on the side of caution – this highlights that the risk appetite‘s return is far from universal.SummaryS&P 500 missed a good opportunity yesterday, but the short-term bullish case isn‘t lost. Stocks actually outperformed credit markets, and given the commodities respite and value doing well, bonds may very well join in the upswing, with a notable hesitation though. That wouldn‘t be a short-term obstacle, take it as the bulls temporarily overpowering the bears – I still think that the selling isn‘t over, and that the downswing would return in the latter half of Mar if (and that‘s a big if) the Fed‘s response to inflation doesn‘t underwhelm the market expectations that have been dialed back considerably over the last two weeks. Token 25bp rate hike, anyone? That wouldn‘t sink stocks dramatically...Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday March 8th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the continued gains in the Gold futures bets. The speculative net position in the Gold futures has risen for five consecutive weeks and in six out of the past seven weeks. Gold bets have now increased by a total of +102,246 contracts over just these past five weeks as bullish sentiment has increased due to inflation and the war in Ukraine. The current speculator position has now ascended to the most bullish level (+274,388) in the past sixty-one weeks, dating back to October 15th of 2021 when bullish bets totaled +279,318 contracts. All the metals markets we cover saw higher speculator bets with Silver (7,349 contracts), Gold (16,766 contracts), Copper (9,726 contracts), Platinum (8,943 contracts) and Palladium (632 contracts) all rising for the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-08-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,896,974 5 361,665 11 -408,809 80 47,144 81 Gold 638,502 57 274,388 75 -306,946 24 32,558 57 Silver 168,283 33 52,297 74 -69,609 31 17,312 44 Copper 198,844 26 31,819 65 -40,070 32 8,251 73 Palladium 7,631 5 -272 20 -563 73 835 94 Platinum 72,496 43 25,833 39 -32,358 63 6,525 53 Natural Gas 1,085,853 0 -138,413 37 97,671 62 40,742 82 Brent 196,832 37 -11,712 92 10,814 11 898 21 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 743,566 32 216,577 84 -189,219 21 -27,358 25 Corn 1,487,815 19 498,033 94 -456,684 7 -41,349 19 Coffee 224,222 3 52,113 86 -56,074 16 3,961 16 Sugar 837,413 5 151,076 68 -190,856 32 39,780 57 Wheat 342,996 4 12,625 58 -5,496 35 -7,129 72   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 274,388 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 16,766 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 257,622 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 74.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 24.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.6 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.1 21.8 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.1 69.9 3.7 – Net Position: 274,388 -306,946 32,558 – Gross Longs: 364,618 139,397 55,964 – Gross Shorts: 90,230 446,343 23,406 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.0 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 74.9 24.0 56.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 17.1 -17.4 8.4   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 52,297 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 7,349 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 44,948 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 74.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 43.7 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 45.5 29.0 17.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.4 70.4 6.7 – Net Position: 52,297 -69,609 17,312 – Gross Longs: 76,565 48,816 28,583 – Gross Shorts: 24,268 118,425 11,271 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.2 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 74.5 30.6 43.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 20.1 -21.5 10.3   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 31,819 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 9,726 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 22,093 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 65.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 31.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 73.0 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 44.1 37.7 9.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.1 57.9 5.4 – Net Position: 31,819 -40,070 8,251 – Gross Longs: 87,744 74,975 19,023 – Gross Shorts: 55,925 115,045 10,772 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 65.3 31.9 73.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 3.8 -5.0 11.0   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 25,833 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 8,943 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 16,890 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 62.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.1 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.6 26.1 12.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 22.0 70.8 3.5 – Net Position: 25,833 -32,358 6,525 – Gross Longs: 41,758 18,935 9,082 – Gross Shorts: 15,925 51,293 2,557 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 3.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.2 62.7 53.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 17.5 -18.8 15.2   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -272 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 632 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -904 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 20.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 73.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.8 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 34.4 42.6 22.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.0 49.9 11.2 – Net Position: -272 -563 835 – Gross Longs: 2,624 3,247 1,686 – Gross Shorts: 2,896 3,810 851 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 0.9 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 20.0 73.2 93.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 9.8 -16.2 66.0   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

S&P 500 bulls again missed the opportunity, and credit markets likewise. Not even the virtual certainty of only 25bp hike in Mar is providing much relief to the credit markets. Given that the real economy is considerably slowing down and that recession looks arriving before Q2 ends, the markets continue forcing higher rates (reflecting inflation). In a risk-on environment, value and cyclicals such as financials would be reacting positively, but that‘s not the case right now. At the same time, equal weighted S&P 500 (that‘s RSP) hasn‘t yet broken below its horizontal support above $145, meaning its posture isn‘t as bad as in the S&P 500. Should it however give, we‘re going considerably below 4,000. That‘s why today‘s article is titled hanging by a thread. Precious metals and commodities continue consolidating, and the least volatile appreciation opportunity presents the red metal. And it‘s not only about copper – crude oil market is going through supply realignment, and demand is not yet being destroyed on a massive scale. Coupled with the long-term underinvestment in exploration and drilling (US is no longer such a key producer as was the case in 2019), crude oil prices would continue rising on fundamentals, meaning the appreciation pace of Feb-Mar would slow down. Precious metals would have it easy next as the Fed is bound to be forced to make a U-turn in this very short tightening cycle (they didn‘t get far at all, and inflation expectations have in my view become unanchored already). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bears won the day, and Nasdaq remains in a sorry state. 4,160s are the line in the sand, breaking which would accelerate the downswing. Inflation is cutting into the earnings, and stocks aren‘t going to like the coming Fed‘s message. Credit Markets HYG didn‘t keep at least stable – the pressure in the credit markets is ongoing, and the stock market bulls don‘t have much to rejoice over here. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals downswings are being bought, and are shallow. The sellers are running out of steam, and the opportunity to go somewhat higher next, is approaching. Crude Oil Crude oil is stabilizing, but it may take some time before the upswing continues with renewed vigor. As for modest extension of gains, we won‘t be disappointed. Copper Copper had one more day of fake weakness, but the lost gains of Friday would be made up for next – and given no speculative fever here to speak of, it would have as good lasting power as precious metals. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos remain undecided, but indicate a little breathing room, at least for today. Still, I wouldn‘t call it as risk-on constellation throughout the markets. Summary S&P 500 is getting in a precarious position, but the internals aren‘t (yet) a screaming sell. Credit markets continue leading lower, and the risk-off positioning is impossible to miss. Not even financials are able to take the cue, and rise. It‘s that the rise in yields mirrors the ingrained inflation, and just how entrenched it‘s becoming. No surprise if you were listening to me one year ago – the Fed‘s manouevering room got progressively smaller, and the table is set for the 2H 2022 inflation respite (think 5-6% year end on account of recessionary undercurrents) to be superseded with even higher inflation in 2023, because the Fed would be forced later this year to turn back to easing. Long live the precious metals and commodities super bulls! Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

Soaring real estate, rising volatility, surging commodities and slumping stocks - Sound Familiar?This past week marked the 13th anniversary of the bottom of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007-2009. The March 6, 2009 stock market low for the S&P 500 marked a staggering overall value loss of 51.9%.The GFC of 2007-09 resulted from excessive risk-taking by global financial institutions, which resulted in the bursting of the housing market bubble. This, in turn, led to a vast collapse of mortgage-back securities resulting in a dramatic worldwide financial reset.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?The following graph shows us that precious metals and energy outperform the stock market as the ‘Bull’ cycle reaches its maturity. The stock market is always the first to lead, the second being the economy, and the third, being the commodity markets. But history has shown that commodity markets can move up substantially as the stock market ‘Bull’ runs out of steam.The current commodities rally in Gold began August 2021, Crude Oil April 2020, and Wheat in January 2022. Interestingly we started seeing capital outflows in the SPY-SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF in early January 2022, and the DRN-Direxion Daily Real Estate Bull 3x Shares ETF starting back in late December 2021.LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STOCK AND COMMODITY MARKETS IN 2007-2008SPY - SPDR S&P 500 TRUST ETFFrom August 17, 2007 to July 3, 2008: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust depreciated -20.12%The State Street Corporation designed SPY for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Stock Index. According to State Street’s website www.ssga.com, the Benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, comprises selected stocks from five hundred (500) issuers, all of which are listed on national stock exchanges and span over approximately 24 separate industry groups.DBC – INVESCO DB COMMODITY INDEX TRACING FUND ETFFrom August 17 2007 to July 3, 2008: Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund appreciated +96.81%Invesco designed DBC for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in commodity futures. According to Invesco’s website www.invesco.com, the Index is a rules-based index composed of futures contracts on 14 of the most heavily traded and important physical commodities in the world.BE ALERT: THE US FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY MEETING IS THIS WEEK!In February, the inflation rate rose to 7.9% as food and energy costs pushed prices to their highest level in more than 40 years. If we exclude food and energy, core inflation still rose 6.4%, which was the highest since August 1982. Gasoline, groceries, and housing were the most significant contributors to the CPI gain. The consumer price index is the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.The FED was expected to raise interest rates by as much as 50 basis points at its policy meeting this week, March 15-16. However, given the recent world events of the Russia – Ukraine war in Europe, the FED may decide to be more cautious and raise rates by only 25 basis points.HOW WILL RISING INTEREST RATES AFFECT THE STOCK MARKET?As interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing becomes more expensive. Rising interest rates tend to affect the market immediately, while it may take about 9-12 months for the rest of the economy to see any widespread impact. Higher interest rates are generally negative for stocks, with the exception of the financial sector.WILL RISING INTEREST RATES BURST OUR HOUSING BUBBLE?It is too soon to tell exactly what the impact of rising interest rates will be regarding housing. It is worth noting that in a thriving economy, consumers continue buying. However, in our current economy, where the consumers' monthly payment is not keeping up with the price of gasoline and food, it is more likely to experience a leveling off of residential prices or even the risk of a 2007-2009 repeat of price depreciation.THE POTENTIAL FOR OUTSIZED GAINS IN A BEAR MARKET ARE 7X GREATER THAN A BULL MARKET!The average bull market lasts 2.7 years. From the March low of 2009, the current bull market has established a new record as the longest-running bull market at 12 years and nine months. The average bear market lasts just under ten months, while a few have lasted for several years. It is worth noting that bear markets tend to fall 7x faster than bull markets go up. Bear markets also reflect elevated levels of volatility and investor emotions which contribute significantly to the velocity of the market drop.WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE CURRENT MARKET TRENDS?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24 months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe we are seeing the markets beginning to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into metals, commodities, and other safe havens.IT'S TIME TO GET PREPARED FOR THE COMING STORM; UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE THESE TYPES OF MARKETS!I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

  In line with predictions, gold is ceasing to benefit from war-fueled uncertainty. Meanwhile, silver faked another breakout. Could it be more bearish?  Last week’s powerful, huge-volume reversal in gold was likely to be followed by declines. It was – but that’s just the beginning. Yesterday’s $24 decline might seem significant on a day-to-day basis, but compared to last week’s enormous reversal, it’s really tiny. The modest extent of yesterday’s decline is by no means bullish – my emphasis on the small size of the decline so far should be viewed as an indication that much more is likely on the horizon. Besides, gold was down by about $20 in today’s pre-market trading. As I wrote yesterday, gold’s breakout above $2,000 was officially invalidated, and given the weekly reversal, it seems that the war-uncertainty-based rally is over. The decisive move below 70 in the RSI indicator after it was trading above 70 clearly confirms that the top is already behind us. Just like it was in 2020 and 2021 when similar things happened, history appears to have rhymed. On Friday, I wrote the following: Gold’s move of $0.40 (yes, forty cents) above $2,000 is not important as the breakout above this level was just invalidated the previous day. Technically, this is another attempt to break above this level, which is likely to be invalidated based on what we see in today’s pre-market trading. The fact that I would like to emphasize today is that this kind of small rebound after the initial slide is common and perfectly normal for gold. We saw exactly the same thing right after gold’s 2020 top and after its 2021 top, and also two more times in 2021 (as marked on the above chart). This means that yesterday’s upswing is not particularly bullish. It’s a normal post-top reaction. Lower gold values are to be expected. Silver declined yesterday, and it closed the day below its late-2021 high. In other words, the breakout above this level was invalidated. This is a strong bearish confirmation from the white metal. The white metal just invalidated the move above its 61.8% Fibonacci retracement. That’s bearish on its own, but let’s keep in mind that it happened right after silver outperformed gold. Last Tuesday, the GDXJ ETF was up by less than 1%, gold was up by 2.37%, and silver was up by 4.57%. Silver’s outperformance and miners’ underperformance is what we tend to see right at the tops. That’s exactly what it was – a top. Silver declined profoundly, and the attempt to break above its 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level will soon be just a distant (in terms of price) memory. On a medium-term basis, silver was simply weak relative to gold, but we saw short-term outperformance. In short, that was and continues to be bearish. As far as silver’s big picture is concerned, please note that it also provides us with a confirmation of the analogy between 2012 and now. At the turn of the year in 2011/2012, there was a cyclical turning point in silver, and we saw a sizable decline in silver shortly thereafter. The same happened in 2021, after silver’s cyclical turning point. Back in 2012, silver declined more or less to its previous lows and then rallied back up, but it didn’t reach its previous top. It more or less rallied to its 50-week moving average and then by about the same amount before topping. Recently, we saw exactly the same thing. After the initial decline, silver bottomed close to its previous lows, and most recently it rallied to its 50-week moving average and then by about the same amount before topping – below the previous high. Thus, the situation is just like what it was during the 2012 top in all three key components of the precious metals sector: gold, silver, and mining stocks. We have a situation in the general stock market that points to an even quicker slide than what we saw in 2012-2013. If stocks slide sharply and significantly just like in 2008, then the same fate may await the precious metals sector – just like in 2008. In this case, silver and mining stocks (in particular, junior mining stocks) would be likely to fall in a spectacular manner. All the above was confirmed by silver’s invalidation of its breakout above the late-2021 high. Not only has the medium-term outlook been bearish, but now the short-term outlook for silver is bearish too. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

Bitcoin is needed as an alternative   The weakened US-Dollar and the present unexpected climate seems not being fully reflected in bitcoin´s price. Consequently, bitcoin prices could soar in the not too distant future. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, bottom building: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 15th, 2022. A phenomenon in times of crisis is that individuals look for absolutes or extremes to resolve difficult circumstances. We instead advocate a more principle-based process of solving problems, an approach of choices. Regarding wealth preservation, this would mean gold and silver alongside bitcoin. The daily chart of the bitcoin/gold-ratio shows the bottom building after a downtrend. Currently, one can purchase a bitcoin for twenty ounces of gold. Nearly half as much as five months ago. Indeed, an opportunity to rotate one’s precious metal holding partially into a cheap bitcoin acquisition.     Bitcoin, monthly chart, in waiting position: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 15th, 2022. War inherently divides nations, and that does not mean limiting only the ones directly in conflict with each other. It is this divide that, in addition, fuels the competition for each nation to be first in their digital currency release. Sanctioned countries have limited access to the US-Dollar. Consequently, they are highly motivated to create an alternate payment method. The monthly chart is not showing this fundamental support for bitcoin. Early signs of a triangle show that we find likely to break to the upside. Slow stochastic indicator reading (A) shows that the last time around at these levels, a strong up move followed. Similar to the yellow CCI turbo line-level reading (B). Before such a move, we witnessed a quick price spike down (C), which would be no surprise. Bitcoin, weekly chart, bitcoin as an alternative is needed: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 15th, 2022. Zooming into the weekly time frame, we can make out the battle between bulls and bears in more detail. Over the last three weeks, prices were rejected above the POC (point of control = high volume node, where our volume profile analysis ranges over the previous fifteen months). As well, price behavior is reflecting the war climate’s uncertainty. At the same time, the bulls have held steady any attempt of the bears trying to push prices below US$37,500. Hence, we should see a substantial move once trading snaps out of this “magnet trading” to the high-volume node. Bitcoin, daily chart, gains and volatility: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 15th, 2022. The daily chart of bitcoin above describes how we see the future unfold. We anticipate the price to reach all-time highs within the upcoming month. Unfortunately, not in bitcoins typical swing trading manner. We foresee a choppy, volatile market. Consequently, short and midterm trading will be challenging. Stepping up in time frame is a helpful approach to avoid the noise. Bitcoin is needed as an alternative: Governments will try to keep their monopolies and power. However, we don’t think that the adoption of a digital dollar by the masses will not be that easy. We find this especially true to be in a highly transitory time of rapid changes and many challenges. Typically, multiple propaganda waves through media have bridged such doubt but might have lost some of its trustworthiness. Consequently, bitcoin has a fair chance for mass adoption just as well. It already has a history and carries inherent features of freedom that people might long for more than anticipated.   Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 15th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

S&P 500 decline was led by tech, and made possible by credit markets‘ plunge. The 4,160s held on a closing basis, and unless the bulls clear this area pretty fast today, this key support would come under pressure once again over the nearest days. Interestingly, the dollar barely moved, but looking at the daily sea of red across commodities, the greenback would follow these to the downside. Not that real assets including precious metals would be reversing on a lasting basis here – the markets are content that especially black gold keeps flowing at whatever price, to whatever buyer(s) willing to clinch the deal. Sure, it‘s exerting downward pressure on the commodity, but I‘m looking for the extraordinary weakness to be reversed, regardless of: (…) not even the virtual certainty of only 25bp hike in Mar is providing much relief to the credit markets. Given that the real economy is considerably slowing down and that recession looks arriving before Q2 ends, the markets continue forcing higher rates (reflecting inflation). The rising tide of fundamentals constellation favoring higher real asset prices, would continue kicking in, especially when the markets sense a more profound Fed turn than we saw lately with the 50bp into 25bp for Mar FOMC. Make no mistake, the inflation horse has left the barn well over a year ago, and doesn‘t intend to come back or be tamed. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bears won the day, and are likely to regroup next – yes, that doesn‘t rule out a modest upswing that would then fizzle out. Credit Markets HYG woes continue, and credit markets keep raising rates for the Fed. The bears continue having the upper hand. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals haven‘t found the short-term bottom, but it pays to remember that they are often trading subdued before the Fed days. This is no exception, and I‘m fully looking for gold and silver to regain initiative following the cautious Fed tone. Crude Oil Crude oil didn‘t keep above $105, but would revert there in spite of the stagflationary environment (already devouring Europe). With more clarity in the various oil benchmarks, black gold would continue rising over the coming weeks. Copper Copper weakness is another short-term oddity, which I am looking for to be reversed in the FOMC‘s wake. Volume had encouragingly risen yesterday, so I‘m looking for a solid close to the week. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are very modestly turning higher, but I‘m not expecting too much of a run next. As stated yesterday, I wouldn‘t call it as risk-on constellation throughout the markets. Summary S&P 500 got into that precarious position (4,160s) yesterday, but managed to hold above. Given the usual Fed days trading pattern, stocks are likely to bounce a little before the pronouncements are made – only to continue drifting lower in their wake. That‘s valid for the central bank not making the U-turn towards easing again, which is what I‘m expecting to happen in the latter half of this year. Inflation would continue biting, and that means stocks are mired in a giant trading range a la the 1970s. Commodities and precious metals would continue building a base here, only to launch higher in response to (surprise, surprise) stubborn inflation. After all, where else to hide in during stagflations? Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

S&P 500 is turning around, and odds are that would be so till the FOMC later today. The pressure on Powell to be really dovish, is on. I‘m looking for a lot of uncerrtainty and flexibility introduction, and much less concrete rate hikes talk that wasn‘t sufficient to crush inflation when the going was relatively good, by the way.As stated yesterday:(…) The rising tide of fundamentals constellation favoring higher real asset prices, would continue kicking in, especially when the markets sense a more profound Fed turn than we saw lately with the 50bp into 25bp for Mar FOMC. Make no mistake, the inflation horse has left the barn well over a year ago, and doesn‘t intend to come back or be tamed.Not that real assets including precious metals would be reversing on a lasting basis here – the markets are content that especially black gold keeps flowing at whatever price, to whatever buyer(s) willing to clinch the deal. Sure, it‘s exerting downward pressure on the commodity, but I‘m looking for the extraordinary weakness to be reversed.We‘re seeing such a reversal in commodities already, and precious metals have a „habit“ of joining around the press conference. Yesterday‘s performance of miners and copper, provides good enough a hint.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 upswing looks like it can go on for a while. Interestingly, it was accompanied by oil stocks declining – have we seen THE risk-on turn? This looks to be a temporary reprieve unless the Fed really overdelivers in dovishness.Credit MarketsHYG is catching some bid, and credit markets are somewhat supporting the risk-on turn. Yields though don‘t look to have put in a top just yet, which means the stock market bears would return over the coming days.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are looking very attractive, and the short-term bottom appears at hand – this is the way they often trade before the Fed. I‘m fully looking for gold and silver to regain initiative following the cautious and dovish Fed tone.Crude OilCrude oil didn‘t test the 50-day moving average, and I would expect the bulls to step in here – after all, the Fed can‘t print oil, and when they go dovish, the economy just doesn‘t crash immediately...CopperCopper is refusing to decline, and the odd short-term weakness would be reversed – and the same goes for broader commodities, which have been the subject of my recent tweet.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos aren‘t fully risk-on, but cautiously giving the bulls benefit of the doubt. Not without a pinch of salt, though.SummaryS&P 500 bulls are on the (short-term) run, and definitely need more fuel from the Fed. Significant dovish turn – they would get some, but it wouldn‘t be probably enough to carry risk-on trades through the weekend. The upswing is likely to stall before that, and commodities with precious metals would catch a fresh bid already today. This would be coupled with the dollar not making any kind of upside progress to speak of. The true Fed turn towards easing is though far away still (more than a few months away) – the real asset trades are about patience and tide working in the buyers favor. The yield curve remains flat as a pancake, and more stagflation talk isn‘t too far...Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

THE SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX HAS DROPPED MORE THAN 40% FROM ITS PEAK IN JUST 2 ½ MONTHS! China Stocks: This morning bottom pickers around the globe are snatching up what they believe to be “bargain basement priced stocks” as the Hang Seng Index gained 9.1% during today’s March 16, 2022 trading session. It was the best day for the HSI since the 2008 financial crisis as the Chinese government pledged to support markets. Tensions are running high as Chinese nickel giant Tsingshan Holding Group, the world’s biggest producer of nickel used in stainless steel and electric-vehicle batteries was sitting on $8 billion in trading losses. According to the Wall Street Journal on March 9, 2022 “The London Metal Exchange suspended the nickel market early last Tuesday, the first time it had paused trading in a metal contract since the collapse of an international tin cartel in 1985. The decision followed a near doubling in prices over a few hours.” ETFs CAN BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR SEASONS AND DIRECTION! According to Statista www.statista.com on January 11, 2022, the assets managed by ETFs globally amounted to approximately 7.74 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020. With more than 8,000 ETFs to choose from, you can find just about any flavor you need or are looking for. A Kondratieff Wave is a long-term economic cycle that consists of four sub-cycles or phases that are also known as Kondratieff Seasons. This theory was founded by Nikolai D. Kondratieff 1892-1938 (also spelled “Kondratiev”), a communist Russia-era economist who noticed agricultural commodities and metals experienced long-term cycles. The following graph illustrates both the inflation cycle as well as the best investments for each season. The Kondratieff Seasons act as a general guide and each investment has their own specific bull or bear market cycle. ETFs CAN OFFER YOU PROTECTION AND AGILITY IN A BULL OR BEAR MARKET!  The following ETFs are not a recommendation to buy or sell but simply an illustration to emphasize the utilization of selecting an ETF for capital protection or potential appreciation in either a rising ‘BULL’ or falling ‘BEAR’ market. YINN – DIREXION DAILY FTSE CHINA STOCKS BULL 3X SHARES ETF From February 17, 2021, to March 14, 2022 the Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3x Shares ETF ‘YINN’ lost -90.78%. Target Index: The FTSE China 50 Index (TXINOUNU) consists of the 50 largest and most liquid public Chinese companies currently trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as determined by the FTSE/Russell. Constituents in the Index are weighted based on total market value so that companies with larger total market values will generally have a greater weight in the Index. Index constituents are screened for liquidity, and weightings are capped to limit the concentration of any one stock in the Index. However, one cannot directly invest in an index. According to Direxion’s website www.direxion.com, Leveraged and Inverse ETFs pursue leveraged investment objectives, which means they are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage. They seek daily goals and should not be expected to track the underlying index over periods longer than one day. They are not suitable for all investors and should be utilized only by investors who understand leverage risk and who actively manage their investments. YANG – DIREXION DAILY FTSE CHINA STOCKS BEAR 3X SHARES ETF From February 17, 2021, to March 14, 2022, The Direxion Daily FTSE China Bear 3x Shares ETF gained +418.38%. The rates of return shown for the YINN and YANG ETFs are not precise in that they are an estimation as displayed on a chart utilizing the charts measurement tool to emphasize my talking point. Sign up for my free Trading Newsletter to navigate potential major market opportunities! ALERT: THE US FEDERAL RESERVE INTEREST RATE WAS RASIED A QUARTER POINT! In February, the inflation rate rose to 7.9% as food and energy costs pushed prices to their highest level in more than 40 years. If we exclude food and energy, core inflation still rose 6.4%, which was still the highest since August 1982. Gasoline, groceries, and housing were the biggest contributors to the CPI gain. The FED was expected to raise interest rates by as much as 50 basis points. However, investors are speculating that due to the Russia – Ukraine war, the FED may be more cautious and raise rates by only 25 basis points. WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS with US and CHINA STOCKS? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24 months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe we are seeing the markets beginning to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into metals, commodities, and other safe-havens. UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE OUR VOLATILE MARKETS! GET READY, GET SET, GO -I invite you to learn more about how my three ETF Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

  The Fed will want to keep inflation under control, and that could have miserable consequences for gold and miners. Will we see a repeat from 2008?  The question one of my subscribers asked me was about the rise in mining stocks and gold and how it was connected to what was happening in bond yields. Precisely, while short-term and medium-term yields moved higher, very long-term yields (the 30-year yields) dropped, implying that the Fed will need to lower the rates again, indicating a stagflationary environment in the future. First of all, I agree that stagflation is likely in the cards, and I think that gold will perform similarly to how it did during the previous prolonged stagflation – in the 1970s. In other words, I think that gold will move much higher in the long run. However, the market might have moved ahead of itself by rallying yesterday. After all, the Fed will still want to keep inflation under control (reminder: it has become very political!), and it will want commodity prices to slide in response to the foregoing. This means that the Fed will still likely make gold, silver, and mining stocks move lower in the near term. In particular, silver and mining stocks are likely to decline along with commodities and stocks, just like what happened in 2008. Speaking of commodities, let’s take a look at what’s happening in copper. Copper invalidated another attempt to move above its 2011 high. This is a very strong technical sign that copper (one of the most popular commodities) is heading lower in the medium term. Yes, it might be difficult to visualize this kind of move given the recent powerful upswing, but please note that it’s in perfect tune with the previous patterns. The interest rates are going up, just like they did before the 2008 slide. What did copper do before the 2008 slide? It failed to break above the previous (2006) high, and it was the failure of the second attempt to break higher that triggered the powerful decline. What happened then? Gold declined, but silver and mining stocks truly plunged. The GDXJ was not trading at the time, so we’ll have to use a different proxy to see what this part of the mining stock sector did. The Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Index includes multiple junior mining stocks. It also includes other companies, but juniors are a large part of it, and they truly plunged in 2008. In fact, they plunged in a major way after breaking below their medium-term support lines and after an initial corrective upswing. Guess what – this index is after a major medium-term breakdown and a short-term corrective upswing. It’s likely ready to fall – and to fall hard. So, what’s likely to happen? We’re about to see a huge slide, even if we don’t see it within the next few days. In fact, the outlook for the next few days is rather unclear, as different groups of investors can interpret yesterday’s developments differently. However, once the dust settles, the precious metals sector is likely to go down significantly. Gold is up in today’s pre-market trading, but please note that back in 2020, after the initial post-top slide, gold corrected even more significantly, and it wasn’t really bullish. This time gold doesn’t have to rally to about $2,000 before declining once again, as this time the rally was based on war, and when we consider previous war-based rallies (U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. invasion of Iraq, Russia’s invasion of Crimea), we know that when the fear-and-uncertainty-based top was in, then the decline proceeded without bigger corrections. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

S&P 500 reversed the pre-FOMC decline, and turned up. The upswing didn‘t fizzle out after the conference, quite to the contrary, the credit markets deepened their risk-on posture. I guess stocks are buying the story of 7 rate hikes and balance sheet reduction in 2022 a bit too enthusiastically. Not gonna happen, next quarter‘s GDP data would probably be already negative. Yet Powell says that the risk of recession into next year isn‘t elevated – given the projected tightening, I beg to differ. But of course, Powell is right – it‘s only that we won‘t see all those promised hikes, let alone balance sheet reduction starting in spring. Inflation would retreat a little towards year‘s end (on account of recessionary undercurrents and modest tightening), only to surprise once again in 2023 on the upside. I already wrote so weeks ago – before the East European events. There wouldn‘t enough time to celebrate the notion of vanquishing inflation. For now, stocks can continue the bullish turn – just as commodities and precious metals aren‘t asking permission. The FOMC is over, and real assets can rise, including the badly beaten crude oil. Made a good decision to keep adding to the commodities positions at much lower prices (or turning bullish stocks around the press conference). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 upswing looks like it can go on for a while. It was driven by tech, participating more enthusiastically than value. The conditions are in place for the rally to continue, and it‘s likely that Friday would be a better day than Thursday for the bulls. Credit Markets HYG is catching quite some bid, and credit markets have turned decidedly risk-on. It also looks like a sigh of relief over no 50bp hike – the stock market rally got its hesitant ally. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals upswing can return – and this correction wasn‘t anyway sold heavily into. Needless to say how overdone it was if you look at the miners. $1950s would be reconquered easily. Crude Oil Crude oil bottom looks to be in, and $110s are waiting. Obviously it would take more than a couple of days to return there, but we‘re on the way. Copper Copper is rebounding, and even if other base metals aren‘t yet following too enthusiastically, $4.70 isn‘t far away. Coupled with precious metals returning to more reasonable values, the red metal would continue trending higher. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are leaning risk-on, and the bulls will close this weekend on a good note. Today‘s price action is merely a consolidation in a short-term upswing. Summary S&P 500 bulls got enough fuel from the Fed, and the run can continue – albeit at a slower pace. Importantly, credit markets aren‘t standing in the short-term way, but I think they would carve out a bearish divergence when this rally starts topping out. I‘m not looking for fresh ATHs, the headwinds are too stiff, but as stated within today‘s key analysis, the tech participation is a very encouraging sign for the short-term. The dollar indeed didn‘t make any kind of upside progress to speak of yesterday – and as I have also written at length in yesterday‘s report, the pre-FOMC trading pattern in real assets can be reversed now. Long live precious metals, oil and copper gains! Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

  Inflation continues to rise but may soon reach its peak. After that, its fate will be sealed: a gradual decline. Does the same await gold?If you like inviting people over, you’ve probably figured out that some guests just don’t want to leave, even when you’re showing subtle signs of fatigue. They don’t seem to care and keep telling you the same not-so-funny jokes. Even in the hall, they talk lively and tell stories for long minutes because they remembered something very important. Inflation is like that kind of guest – still sitting in your living room, even after you turned off the music and went to wash the dishes, yawning loudly. Indeed, high inflation simply does not want to leave. Actually, it’s gaining momentum. As the chart below shows, core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 6.0% over the past 12 months, speeding up from 5.5% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the overall CPI annual rate accelerated from 7.1% in December to 7.5% in January. It’s been the largest 12-month increase since the period ending February 1982. However, at the time, Paul Volcker raised interest rates to double digits and inflation was easing. Today, inflation continues to rise, but the Fed is only starting its tightening cycle. The Fed’s strategy to deal with inflation is presented in the meme below. What is important here is that the recent surge in inflation is broad-based, with virtually all index components showing increases over the past 12 months. The share of items with price rises of over 2% increased from less than 60% before the pandemic to just under 90% in January 2022. As the chart below shows, the index for shelter is constantly rising and – given the recent spike in “asking rents” – is likely to continue its upward move for some time, adding to the overall CPI. What’s more, the Producer Price Index is still red-hot, which suggests that more inflation is in the pipeline, as companies will likely pass on the increased costs to consumers. So, will inflation peak anytime soon or will it become embedded? There are voices that – given the huge monetary expansion conducted in response to the epidemic – high inflation will be with us for the next two or three years, especially when inflationary expectations have risen noticeably. I totally agree that high inflation won’t go away this year. Please just take a look at the chart below, which shows that the pandemic brought huge jumps in the ratio of broad money to GDP. This ratio has increased by 23%, from Q1 2020 to Q4 2021, while the CPI has risen only 7.7% in the same period. It suggests that the CPI has room for a further increase. What’s more, the pace of growth in money supply is still far above the pre-pandemic level, as the chart below shows. To curb inflation, the Fed would have to more decisively turn off the tap with liquidity and hike the federal funds rate more aggressively. However, as shown in the chart above, money supply growth peaked in February 2021. Thus, after a certain lag, the inflation rate should also reach a certain height. It usually takes about a year or a year and a half for any excess money to show up as inflation, so the peak could arrive within a few months, especially since some of the supply disruptions should start to ease in the near future. What does this intrusive inflation imply for the precious metals market? Well, the elevated inflationary pressure should be supportive of gold prices. However, I’m afraid that when disinflation starts, the yellow metal could suffer. The decline in inflation rates implies weaker demand for gold as an inflation hedge and also higher real interest rates. The key question is, of course, what exactly will be the path of inflation. Will it normalize quickly or gradually, or even stay at a high plateau after reaching a peak? I don’t expect a sharp disinflation, so gold may not enter a 1980-like bear market. Another question of the hour is whether inflation will turn into stagflation. So far, the economy is growing, so there is no stagnation. However, growth is likely to slow down, and I wouldn’t be surprised by seeing some recessionary trends in 2023-2024. Inflation should still be elevated then, creating a perfect environment for the yellow metal. Hence, the inflationary genie is out of the bottle and it could be difficult to push it back, even if inflation peaks in the near future. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.

S&P 500 extended gains, and the risk appetite in bonds carried over into value rising faster than tech. Given the TLT downswing though, it‘s all but rainbows and unicorns ahead today. Not only that quad witching would bring high volume and chop, VIX itself doesn‘t look to slide smoothly below 25 today. Friday‘s ride would be thus rocky, and affected by momentum stalling in both tech and value. Real assets though can and will enjoy the deserved return into the spotlight. With much of the preceding downswing being based on deescalation hopes (that aren‘t materializing, still), the unfolding upswing in copper, oil and precious metals (no, they aren‘t to be spooked by the tough Fed tightening talk) would happen at a more measured pace than had been the case recently. Pay attention to the biting inflation, surrounding blame games hinting at no genuine respite – read through the rich captions of today‘s chart analyses, and think about reliable stores of real value. And of course, enjoy the open profits. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 looks likely to consolidate as the 4,400 – 4,450 zone would be tough to overcome, and such a position relative to both the moving averages shown, has historically stopped quite a few steep recoveries off very negative sentiment readings. Credit Markets HYG is likely to slow down here, as in really stall and face headwinds. The run had been respectable, and much of the easy gains happened already yesterday. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals upswing did indeed return – and the miners performance doesn‘t hint at a swift return of the bears, to put it mildly. The path to $1950s is open. Crude Oil Crude oil bottom was indeed in, and the price can keep recovering towards $110s and beyond. No, the economy isn‘t crashing yet, monetary policy isn‘t forcing that outcome, and the drawing of petroleum reserves is a telltale sign of upside price pressures mounting. It‘ll be an interesting April, mark my words. Copper Copper is duly rebounding, and not at all overheated. The move is also in line with other base metals. My yesterday‘s target of $4.70 has already been reached – I‘m looking for a measured pace of gains to continue. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are taking a small break, highlighting the perils of today. The boat won‘t be rocked too much. Summary S&P 500 bulls made the easy gains already yesterday, and today‘s session is going to be volatile, even treacherous in establishing a clear and lasting direction (i.e. choppy), and the headwinds would be out there in the plain open. These would come from bonds not continuing in the risk-on turn convincingly rather than commodities and metals surging head over heels. Both tech and value would feel the heat as VIX would show signs of waking up (to some degree). Today‘s session won‘t change the big picture dynamics of late, and I invite you to read more in-depth commentary within the individual market sections of today‘s full analysis. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday March 15th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is this week’s pullback in the Gold futures bets. The speculative net position in the Gold futures retreated this week after surging higher and gaining by a total of +102,246 net contracts over the previous five weeks. The recent boost in the speculator sentiment had pushed the Gold bullish position to its highest level in the previous sixty-one weeks. This week saw a modest pullback from the highs of last week but keeps the total Gold speculator sentiment in a strong bullish position above the +250,000 net contract level for a third consecutive week. Gold prices, meanwhile, have retreated from their highs of the past couple weeks and sit right at a support line at the $1920 spot price level currently which sets up an interesting situation going forward between the bulls and bears. Joining Gold (-12,600 contracts) in lower speculator bets this week were Silver (-743 contracts), Copper (-12,789 contracts), Platinum (-7,901 contracts) and Palladium (-737 contracts). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-15-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,850,794 0 341,815 4 -382,602 90 40,787 72 Gold 617,605 51 261,788 71 -297,441 27 35,653 65 Silver 159,571 25 51,554 74 -67,579 33 16,025 36 Copper 183,170 14 19,030 56 -26,717 41 7,687 70 Palladium 6,992 2 -1,009 16 220 78 789 91 Platinum 67,727 35 17,932 28 -25,692 72 7,760 70 Natural Gas 1,082,746 0 -146,560 35 105,856 64 40,704 82 Brent 192,679 34 -18,961 79 17,343 22 1,618 31 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 745,345 32 217,599 84 -193,958 20 -23,641 31 Corn 1,504,159 22 507,206 95 -468,758 5 -38,448 21 Coffee 224,693 3 45,500 82 -48,838 22 3,338 11 Sugar 818,877 1 156,580 69 -188,036 33 31,456 47 Wheat 339,904 2 10,930 56 -5,252 36 -5,678 91   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 261,788 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -12,600 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 274,388 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 71.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 26.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.4 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 56.1 24.5 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.8 72.6 3.0 – Net Position: 261,788 -297,441 35,653 – Gross Longs: 346,731 151,045 54,330 – Gross Shorts: 84,943 448,486 18,677 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.1 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 71.0 26.9 65.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 28.3 -29.3 18.3   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 51,554 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -743 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 52,297 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 73.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.2 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.4 27.8 16.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.1 70.1 6.4 – Net Position: 51,554 -67,579 16,025 – Gross Longs: 74,044 44,324 26,270 – Gross Shorts: 22,490 111,903 10,245 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 73.8 32.6 36.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 29.4 -31.7 16.8   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 19,030 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -12,789 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 31,819 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 56.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 41.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 69.7 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.0 42.0 9.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 29.6 56.6 5.6 – Net Position: 19,030 -26,717 7,687 – Gross Longs: 73,338 76,948 17,878 – Gross Shorts: 54,308 103,665 10,191 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 56.1 41.1 69.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.1 -3.9 16.1   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 17,932 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -7,901 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 25,833 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 27.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 70.3 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 50.0 29.7 15.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 23.5 67.6 3.8 – Net Position: 17,932 -25,692 7,760 – Gross Longs: 33,833 20,085 10,326 – Gross Shorts: 15,901 45,777 2,566 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 4.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.7 72.3 70.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 4.9 -8.5 35.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -1,009 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -737 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -272 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 91.1 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.8 47.7 21.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 44.3 44.5 9.8 – Net Position: -1,009 220 789 – Gross Longs: 2,085 3,334 1,473 – Gross Shorts: 3,094 3,114 684 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.1 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 15.8 77.7 91.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.1 -4.3 44.9   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Starting at a low of US$1,780 on January 28th, gold went up rapidly US$290 within less than six weeks, reaching a short-term top at US$2,070. Since that high on March 8th, however, gold prices fell back even faster. In total, gold plunged a whooping US$175 to a low of US$1,895 in the aftermath of last week’s FOMC meeting. A quick bounce took prices back to around US$1,950, but the weekly close at around US$1,920 came in lower.This volatile roller coaster ride is truly not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, gold has done well this year, and, despite a looming multi-months correction, it might now be in a setup from which another attack towards US$2,000 could start in the short-term.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of March 19th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of March 19th, 2022.On the weekly chart, gold prices have been rushing higher with great momentum. For five consecutive weeks, the bulls were able to bend the upper Bollinger band (US$1,963) upwards. However, the final green candle closed far outside the Bollinger bands and looks like a weekly reversal. Consequently, if gold has now dipped into a multi-month correction, a retracement back to the neckline of the broken triangle respectively the inverse head & shoulder pattern in the range of US$1,820 to US$1,850 would be quite typical and to be expected. In this range, the classic 61.8% retracement of the entire wave up (from the low at US$1,678 on August 9th, 2021, to the most recent blow off top at US$2,070) sits at US$1,827.79. The weekly stochastic oscillator has not yet rolled over, but weekly momentum is overbought and vulnerable.In total, the weekly chart shows a big reversal and therefore no longer supports the bullish case. However, it could still take some more time before a potential correction gains momentum.  Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of March 19th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of March 19th, 2022.While the weekly chart may just be at the beginning of a multi-month correction, the overbought setup on the daily chart has already been largely cleared up by the recent steep pullback. Despite Friday’s rather weak closing, the odds are not bad that gold might very soon be turning up again. However, gold bulls need to take out the pivot resistance around US$1,960 to unlock higher price targets in the context of a recovery. The potential Fibonacci retracements are waiting at US$1,962, US$2,003 and US$2,028. Hence, gold could bounce back to approx. US$2,000, which is a round number and therefore a psychological resistance.On the other hand, if gold fails to move back above Thursday’s high at US$1,950, weakness will increase immediately and significantly. In that case, bulls can only hope that the quickly rising lower Bollinger Band (US$1,861) would catch and limit a deeper sell-off. But since the stochastic oscillator has reached its oversold zone, bears might have a hard time pushing gold significantly below US$1,900.Overall, the daily chart is slightly oversold, and gold might start a bounce soon. Conclusion: Potential recovery to approx. US$2,000After a strong rally and a steep pullback, the gold market is likely in the process of reordering. While the weekly timeframe points to a correction, the oversold daily chart points to an immediate bounce. Given these contradictory signals, investors and especially traders are well advised to exercise patience and caution in the coming days, weeks, and months. If gold has entered a corrective cycle, it could easily take until the early to mid-summer before a sustainable new up-trend might emerge.Alternative super bullish scenarioAlternatively, and this of course is still a possible scenario, the breakout from the large “cup and handle” pattern is just getting started. In this very bullish case, gold is in the process of breaking out above US$2,100 to finally complete the very large “cup and handle” pattern, which has been developing for 11 years! Obviously, the sky would then be the limit.To summarize, gold is getting really bullish back above US$2,030. On the other hand, below $US1,895 the bears would be in control. In between those two numbers, the odds favor a bounce towards US$1,960 and maybe USD$2,000.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter.Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Florian Grummes|March 19th, 2022|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bearish, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, Gold consolidation, gold fundamentals, Gold sideways, precious metals, Reyna Gold|0 Commentshttps://www.midastouch-consulting.com/gold-chartbook-19032022-potential-recovery-to-approx-us2000About the Author: Florian GrummesFlorian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.

S&P 500 did really well through quad witching, and the same goes for credit markets. 4-day streak of non-stop gains – very fast ones. Short squeeze characteristics in the short run, makes me think this rally fizzles out before the month ends – 4,600 would hold. We‘re likely to make a higher low next, and that would be followed by 4-6 weeks of rally continuation before the bears come back with real force again. July would present a great buying opportunity in this wild year of a giant trading range. As I wrote yesterday: (…) The paper asset made it through quad witching in style - both stocks and bonds. The risk-on sentiment however didn't sink commodities or precious metals. Wednesday's FOMC brought worries over the Fed sinking real economy growth but Powell's conference calmed down fears through allegedly no recession risks this year, ascribing everything to geopolitics. Very convenient, but the grain of truth is that the Fed wouldn't indeed jeopardize GDP growth this year - that's the context of how to read the allegedly 7 rate hikes and balance sheet shrinking this year still. Not gonna happen as I stated on Thursday already. Such are my short- and medium-term thoughts on stocks. Copper remains best positioned to continue rising with relatively little volatility while crude oil isn‘t yet settled (its good times would continue regardless of the weak volume rally of last two days, which is making me a little worried). Precious metals are still basing, and would continue moving higher best on the Fed underperforming in its hawkish pronouncements. No way they‘re hiking 7 times this year and shrinking balance sheet at the same time as I wrote on Thursday – Treasury yields say they‘ll take on inflation more in 2023. 2022 is a mere warm-up. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is now past the 4,400 – 4,450 zone, and hasn‘t yet consolidated. This week would definitely though not be as bullish as the one just gone by – the bulls will be challenged a little. Credit Markets HYG eked out more gains, but the air is slowly becoming thinner. As the sentiment turns more bullish through no deep decline over the coming few days, that‘s when junk bonds would start wavering. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals aren‘t turning down for good here – I think they‘re deciphering the Fed story of hiking slower than intended, which in effect gives inflation a new lease on life. Not that it was wavering, though. More upside in gold and silver to come. Crude Oil Crude oil is rising again, but look for a measured upswing that‘s not free from headwinds. While I think we would climb above $110 still, I‘m sounding a more cautious note given the decreasing volume – I would like to see more conviction next. Copper Copper is behaving, and would continue rising reliably alongside other commodities. It‘s also the best play considering downside protection at the moment. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin isn‘t recovering Sunday‘s setback – but the Ethereum upswing bodes well for risk taking today, even that doesn‘t concern cryptos all too much. Summary S&P 500 has a bit more to run before running into headwinds, which would happen still this week. Credit markets are a tad too optimistic, and rising yields would leave a mark especially on tech. Value, energy and materials are likely to do much better. Crude oil is bound to be volatile over the coming weeks, but still rising and spiking – not yet settled. Copper and precious metals present better appreciation opportunities when looking at their upcoming volatility. Within today‘s key analysis, I‘ve covered the path of stocks, so do have a good look at the opening part. Finally, cryptos likewise paint the picture of risk-on trades not being over just yet. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

The Japanese yen has fallen for the third week in a row, and the amplitude of this decline has become rather scary on Tuesday. It seems yen traders' stop-lines have been blown as the markets have become increasingly aware of the monetary authorities' reaction to inflation and the outlook for the balance of payments. In addition, over the past three weeks, we have seen a careful return of investors to risky assets, which is causing the yen to sell-off.USDJPY is trading above 120.70, which was last seen six years ago, having gained more than 5% since March 7th, while GBPJPY has soared 6% and EURJPY is up 7%. Against the yen are new comments from the Bank of Japan, which shows no sign of a change in its monetary policy, while central banks in other parts of the world issue increasingly hawkish statements.The pressure on the yen is exacerbated by its dependence on oil and metal imports, which widens the trade deficit of the historically export-oriented country. The value of exports in February 2022 was 18% higher than in 2020, while imports soared by 49%. Booming prices for energy, metals, and agricultural products set Japan up for a further plunge into trade deficits.In former years, sustained surpluses helped the yen maintain its strength or even strengthen during periods of market turbulence, ignoring anaemic economic growth and rising government debt to GDP levels.The resulting crisis in commodity prices will force central banks to unambiguously choose their policy towards government bonds on the balance sheet and the general level of government debt. While the USA and Europe are tightening their rhetoric on interest rates, Japan is deliberately lagging. At the same time, the government maintains an apparent calm, pointing out that there are both disadvantages and advantages of a weak exchange rate. The yen problem is not bothering the authorities right now.We should wait and see if investor confidence in the Japanese currency is undermined. Losing control of the exchange rate would risk an escalation of selling into Japanese government debt more than 250% of GDP. The only realistic soft solution is to deflate the national debt by accelerating inflation, but only if the central bank remains a big buyer to prevent an appreciation of the national debt. Such a policy would lead to sustained pressure on the yen.

S&P 500 wavered but is bound to get its act together in the medium term. Powell‘s statements shouldn‘t have stunned the bulls, but they did – the mere reiteration of the tightening plans coupled with remarks on the need to stamp out aggressive inflation before it‘s too late (anchored inflation expectations, anyone? I talked that in the run up to the Sep 2021 P&G price hikes and how the competition would be following in a nod to high input costs, with heating job market on top of the commodities pressure pinching back then already), sent stocks and bonds down.Add the recession fears that were assuaged during the Wednesday‘s conference, and you get the S&P 500 bulls having to dust off after Monday‘s setback. Given how early we‘re in the tightening cycle, and that the real economy isn‘t yet breaking down no matter what‘s in the pipeline geopolitically as regards various consequences to commodities, goods, services and money flows, the stock market bulls are still likely to take on the 4,600 as discussed already.Only this time, the upswing would be accompanied by a more measured and balanced commodities upswing, joined in by precious metals. Great profits ahead and already in the making.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is consolidating above 4,400, and the relative strength in value as opposed to tech, is boding well – the bulls are pushing their luck a bit too hard as a further TLT decline would pressure growth stocks.Credit MarketsHYG is getting under pressure again, but its decline would be uneven in the short run – as in I‘m looking for quite some back and forth action. First, higher in taking on yesterday‘s selling.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals aren‘t turning lower in earnest – the miners‘ leadership bodes well for further gains, and is actually a very good performance given the hawkish Fed „surprise“ (surprise that wasn‘t, shouldn‘t have been).Crude OilCrude oil strength returning is a very good omen for commodities bulls broadly, and the rising volume hints at return of bullish spirits. The upswing is far from over – look how far black gold got on relatively little conviction, and where oil stocks trade at the moment.CopperCopper is acting strongly, and the downswing didn‘t entice the bears much. The path of least resistance remains higher, and the red metal isn‘t yet outperforming the CRB Index. Great pick for portfolio gains with as little volatility as can be.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin went on to recover the weekend setback – Ethereum upswing presaged that. They‘re both a little stalling now, but entering today‘s regular session on a constructive note. I‘m looking for modest gains extension.SummaryS&P 500 is bound to recover from yesterday‘s intraday setback – the animal spirits and positive seasonality are there to overcome the brief realization that the Fed talks seriously about tightening and entrenched inflation. While not even the implied readiness to hike by 50bp here and there won‘t cut it and send inflation to the woodshed, let alone inflation expectations, the recession fears would be the next powerful ally of stock market bears. For now though, we‘re muddling through generally higher (I‘m still looking for a tradable consolidation of last week‘s sharp gains), and will do so over the coming several weeks. The real profits are to be had in commodities and precious metals, as I had been saying quite often lately… Enjoy!Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.

All the markets’ old boys like crude, gold and silver are still vulnerable for the mix of the factors shaping the prices. Naturally, stocks seems to be more dynamic as the recent events show. China stocks have been fluctuating recently as, among others, COVID-19 and negotiations with the USA were topping the headlines. Global sanctions affect WTI/BRENT price – the supplies from Russia are about to be limited in Europe so the price is to rise again. Going back to gold - Hawkish rhetoric of Fed keeps precious metals investors uncertain. There’s no doubt safe-haven must be watched all the time to decide if it’s the best moment to sell or buy. Crude Oil – WTI Luckily crude oil price has decreased by 3% over last 24 hours and it’s probably ‘waiting’ for the next significant geopolitical updates. According to Reuters, some countries of the EU are still hesitating to stop importing crude oil from Russia. Gold – XAUUSD Yes, price of gold has decreased by almost 1%, but… it could be worse as Powell doesn’t hesitate to present hawkish comments. Silver – XAGUSD Silver price chart shows a significant decline which has helped it to decrease by 1.7% over last day. As wrote above, Powell testimony will let us visualise a more detailed outlook. Source/Data: Reuters, TradingView.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com

Bitcoin´s time to go   Trying to pick tops and bottoms is honorable and a desirable goal. Nevertheless, there needs to be other insurances and principles in place. If an ideal spot passes or the market doesn’t provide for a low-risk entry or enough liquidity for an exit, one still needs alternate tools to participate in the market. Our quad exit strategy allows for position building and market participation that consistently extracts monies from the markets. Bitcoin, daily chart, keep calm and keep trading: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Precision trading gets even more difficult in wartimes, when frequent and conflicting news events jolt prices alternating up and down. The daily chart above shows these jolts over the last three weeks of wartime. We can identify three low-risk long trade entry opportunities (green up arrows on double bottom price scenarios) and one short trading one (red downward arrow at a double top price formation). Our quad exit strategy takes on each of these trades a partial initial profit to mitigate risk, which allows the remainder position size to be the market’s money at risk only.     Bitcoin, weekly chart, pushing up: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Zooming out to larger time frames is another way to avoid noise and see a trading scenario more clearly, and, as such, find “go times” with more accuracy. This weekly chart illustrates that entries and exits are rather entry zones (red and green boxes) versus a precise price level. The trader’s goal is to exploit within such a zone a low-risk entry spot on a lower time frame to get positioned. Regarding bitcoin, we find overall price behavior to be up sloping over the last twelve months, a bullish notion. And we find a high likelihood for the momentary entry zone (green box to the right of the chart). In other words, we are right now in a price zone where its Bitcoin´s time to go. Bitcoin, monthly chart, March closing price: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Suppose we further remove ourselves from the noise by electing a higher timeframe. In that case, we find a pat situation on the monthly chart, pat not for a more significant edge for prices to go higher up but for timing on when to enter the markets. Our statistics show that it will be essential on what price level the month of March will be closing. With a close above current levels (white line), we will enter a bullish buy zone. Yet, if prices decline from here in the last nine days of this month, the probabilities of an immediate price advance rapidly decline. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, Bitcoin´s time to go: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 22nd, 2022. An additional benefit quiet charting provides in turbulent times is to think outside the box. While all noise points toward the most heated issues, finding a trading opportunity elsewhere might be best. In our previous chart book release, we exploited a great go time for bitcoin. Last week, we provided entry points (green up arrows) for rotating one’s gold into bitcoin. Using our quad exit strategy, the trader who wanted to not expose his money to a volatile fiat currency trading world could profit near ten percent on his first fifty percent of position size. We are now placing the stop for the remainder position size to breakeven entry levels. Bitcoin´s time to go: In war, the first casualty is the truth. Under stress, our minds insist on reason, clarity, precise calls for action. Unfortunately, even the best-informed brightest minds can’t find reliable data in times of war since the distortion field of media around the world is at a level where lies and propaganda outweigh facts and truth.  Luckily, a trader can, in these times, rely more heavily on charts. Charts always encompass the sum of opinion. Charts are consistently working as a reliable source to trade from.  The psychological aspect is hugely beneficial since a consistent bombardment of news and everybody’s opinion can get quickly exhausting.  Reduce news data consumption at a time when calm and levelheadedness is the most powerful tool for wealth creation and preservation, and the “go time” will reveal itself nearly effortlessly.     Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 22nd, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

Investors and traders alike are concerned about what investments they should make on behalf of their portfolios and retirement accounts. We, at TheTechnicalTraders.com, continue to monitor stocks and commodities closely due to the Russia-Ukraine War, market volatility, surging inflation, and rising interest rates. Several of our subscribers have asked if changes in monitor policy may lead to a recession as higher rates take a bigger bite out of corporate profits.As technical traders, we look exclusively at the price action to provide specific clues as to the current trend or a potential change in trend. We review our charts for both stocks and commodities to see what we can learn from the most recent price action. Before we dive into that, let’s review the various stages of the market; with special attention given to expansion vs. contraction in a rising interest rate environment which you can see illustrated below.PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR STOCK PORTFOLIOWe are keeping an especially close eye on the price action of the SPY ETF. The current resistance for the SPY is the 475 top that happened around January 6, 2022. This top was 212.5% of the March 23, 2020, low that was put in at the height of the Covid global pandemic.The SPY found support in the 410 area at the end of February. If you recall (or didn't know), 410 was the Fibonacci 1.618 or 161.8% percent of the Covid 2020 price drop. Now, after experiencing a nice rally back, of a little over 50%, we are waiting to see if the rally can continue or if rotation will occur, sending the price back lower.COMMODITY MARKETS SURGEDThe commodity markets experienced a tremendous rally due to fast-rising inflation, especially energy, metals, and food prices.The GSG ETF price action shows that we recently touched 200%, or the doubling of the April 21, 2020, low. Immediately following, similar to the SPY, the GSCI commodity index promptly sold off only to then find substantial buying support at the Fibonacci 1.618 or 161.8 percent of the starting low price of the bull trend. Resistance for the GSG is at 26, and support is 21.A STRENGTHENING US DOLLARThe strengthening US dollar can be attributed to investors seeking a safe haven from geopolitical events, surging inflation, and the Fed beginning to raise rates. The US Dollar is still considered the primary reserve currency as the greatest portion of forex reserves held by central banks are in dollars. Furthermore, most commodities, including gold and crude oil, are also denominated in dollars.Consider the following statement from the Bank of International Settlements www.bis.org ‘Triennial Central Bank Survey’ published September 16, 2019: “The US dollar retained its dominant currency status, being on one side of 88% of all trades.” The report also highlighted, “Trading in FX markets reached $6.6 trillion per day in April 2019, up from $5.1 trillion three years earlier.” That’s a lot of dollars traded globally and confirms that we need to stay current on the dollars price action.Multinational companies are especially keeping a close eye on the dollar as any major shift in global money flows will seriously negatively impact their net profit and subsequent share value.The following chart by www.finviz.com provides us with a current snapshot of the relative performance of the US dollar vs. major global currencies over the past year:KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, AND APPLICATION ARE NEEDEDIt is important to understand that we are not saying the market has topped and is headed lower. This article is to shed light on some interesting analyses of which you should be aware. As technical traders, we follow price only, and when a new trend has been confirmed, we will change our positions accordingly. We provide our ETF trades to our subscribers, and somewhat surprisingly, we entered five new trades earlier this week, two of which have now hit their first profit target levels. Our models continually track price action in a multitude of markets, asset classes, and global money flow. As our models generate new information about trends or a change in trends, we will communicate these signals expeditiously to our subscribers and to those on our trading newsletter email list.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS? Learn how we use specific tools to help us understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, we expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. We believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern begin to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.We invite you to join our group of active traders and investors to learn and profit from our three ETF Technical Trading Strategies. We can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

The collapse of the Japanese yen continues, and so far, there are no signs of a trend reversal. The rise in the Yen is often linked to capital flight from risky assets, and the weakening is a sign of increased demand for risky assets. But that explanation hardly fits with what is happening now. We likely see the start of a significant reassessment by the markets of Japan's position in the financial system. In a worst-case scenario, this may turn into a debt crisis in the Land of the Rising Sun and be an even bigger disaster for financial markets than the eurozone debt crisis of a decade ago.The starting point for the weakening of the Yen was at the start of February. At that time, equities were in demand as a haven for capital to maintain the purchasing power of investments. The flow into equities was interrupted by the war in Ukraine but accelerated in the last couple of weeks on signs that these events have hyped up the processes that were taking place before. And these processes are now most visible in the dynamics of the Japanese yen against those currencies where the central bank can respond adequately to inflation.Since the start of February, the USDJPY has risen by 6.5%, and almost all of this increase has taken place since March 7th, taking the pair back to levels last seen at the end of 2015. A much more impressive rally is taking place in the Aussie and Kiwi against the Yen. Since the start of February, they have soared by more than 12%. So far this month, the strengthening is the largest in 11 years for AUDJPY and in more than 12 years for NZDJPY.The interest rate differential game, which was so beloved by traders in Japan before the global financial crisis, has found a second life. Australia and New Zealand have the economic potential to raise interest rates, as they are experiencing a surge in exports due to the boom in their export prices. However, the situation in Japan looks considerably more alarming, as Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio has risen by 77 percentage points to 170% since the financial crisis. Permanent QE from the Bank of Japan has kept government debt costs down but doesn't solve the problem.In the last decade, Japan has turned into a net commodity importer due to its growing dependence on energy and metals and increasing competition from China and Korea. The exchange rate should act as a natural mechanism to stabilise trade in this situation.But this adjustment is difficult for debt-laden Japan because selling currency would de facto mean selling bonds denominated in that currency. Under these circumstances, the Bank of Japan will either have to openly accept that it will finance the government (i.e. increase purchases despite inflation) or soften QE. The first option risks triggering a historic revaluation of the Yen. The second option would deal a blow to the economy and finances by raising questions about whether Japan can service its debt.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday March 22nd and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent rise in the Copper futures bets. The speculative net position in the Copper futures gained by over +7,700 contracts this week and pushed the current standing back above the +20,000 contract level for the fifth time in the past six weeks. The speculator position had retreated last week by over -12,000 contracts and dropped the standing below the +20,000 contract threshold for the first time since the beginning of February. Copper speculator positioning has now been in a continuous bullish level since June 6th of 2020, a span of ninety-four consecutive weeks. The Copper strength index (the current positioning compared to the speculator positioning of the past three years) has a score slightly above the middle of its range at a 61.7 percent and shows that Copper sentiment is bullish but not currently near the top of its range. Joining Copper (7,782 contracts) in rising this week was just Platinum (1,883 contracts) while Gold (-13,756 contracts), Silver (-3,607 contracts) and Palladium (-199 contracts) all saw speculator contracts decline for the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-22-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,788,211 0 339,969 3 -380,080 91 40,111 72 Gold 605,191 48 248,032 67 -281,595 32 33,563 59 Silver 155,456 21 47,947 70 -64,557 36 16,610 40 Copper 197,244 24 26,812 62 -34,604 36 7,792 70 Palladium 6,948 2 -1,208 15 238 78 970 100 Platinum 64,000 29 19,815 30 -27,047 70 7,232 63 Natural Gas 1,085,676 1 -149,337 34 107,446 65 41,891 85 Brent 191,138 32 -24,666 70 22,639 31 2,027 37 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 754,382 34 218,636 84 -193,646 20 -24,990 29 Corn 1,526,201 25 519,356 96 -470,715 5 -48,641 15 Coffee 222,172 1 41,851 79 -45,824 24 3,973 16 Sugar 817,462 0 155,796 69 -194,333 31 38,537 55 Wheat 345,345 5 9,490 55 -7,030 34 -2,460 100   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 248,032 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -13,756 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 261,788 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 66.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 31.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.5 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 54.3 25.6 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.3 72.1 3.3 – Net Position: 248,032 -281,595 33,563 – Gross Longs: 328,660 155,039 53,441 – Gross Shorts: 80,628 436,634 19,878 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 66.6 31.7 59.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 19.4 -21.4 25.1   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 47,947 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,607 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 51,554 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 70.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 39.6 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 44.6 28.5 17.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.7 70.0 6.6 – Net Position: 47,947 -64,557 16,610 – Gross Longs: 69,279 44,270 26,925 – Gross Shorts: 21,332 108,827 10,315 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.2 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 70.2 35.5 39.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 28.6 -31.4 19.4   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 26,812 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 7,782 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,030 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 61.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 70.3 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.3 41.5 9.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.7 59.1 5.5 – Net Position: 26,812 -34,604 7,792 – Gross Longs: 81,523 81,894 18,568 – Gross Shorts: 54,711 116,498 10,776 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 61.7 35.7 70.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.7 -6.2 6.5   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 19,815 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 1,883 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 17,932 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 30.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 70.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.9 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 50.3 30.0 15.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.3 72.3 4.2 – Net Position: 19,815 -27,047 7,232 – Gross Longs: 32,184 19,220 9,888 – Gross Shorts: 12,369 46,267 2,656 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 3.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 30.4 70.3 62.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.7 -14.9 32.9   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,208 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -199 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,009 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.4 46.3 24.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.8 42.8 10.0 – Net Position: -1,208 238 970 – Gross Longs: 1,973 3,214 1,665 – Gross Shorts: 3,181 2,976 695 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.1 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 14.7 77.8 100.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.1 -4.6 44.8   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a real-time index. It is derived from the prices of SPX index options with near-term expiration dates that are utilized to generate a 30-day forward projection of volatility. The VIX allows us to gauge market sentiment or the degree of fear among market participants. As the Volatility Index VIX goes up, fear increases, and as it goes down, fear dissipates.Commodities and equities are both showing renewed strength on the heels of global interest rate increases. Inflation shows no sign of abating as energy, metals, food products, and housing continues their upward bias.During the last 18-months, the VIX has been trading between its upper resistance of 36.00 and its lower support of 16.00. As the Volatility Index VIX falls, fear subsides, and money flows back into stocks.VIX – VOLATILITY S&P 500 INDEX – CBOE – DAILY CHARTSPY RALLIES +10%The SPY has enjoyed a sharp rally back up after touching its Fibonacci 1.618% support based on its 2020 Covid price drop. Money has been flowing back into stocks as investors seem to be adapting to the current geopolitical environment and the change in global central bank lending rate policy.Resistance on the SPY is the early January high near 475, while support remains solidly in place at 414. March marks the 2nd anniversary of the 2020 Covid low that SPY made at 218.26 on March 23, 2020.SPY – SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST - ARCA – DAILY CHARTBERKSHIRE HATHAWAY RECORD-HIGH $538,949!Berkshire Hathaway is up +20.01% year to date compared to the S&P 500 -4.68%. Berkshire’s Warren Buffet has also been on a shopping spree, and investors seem to be comforted that he is buying stocks again. Buffet reached a deal to buy insurer Alleghany (y) for $11.6 billion and purchased nearly a 15% stake in Occidental Petroleum (OXY), worth $8 billion.These acquisitions seem to be well-timed as insurers and banks tend to benefit from rising interest rates, and Occidental generates the bulk of its cash flow from the production of crude oil.As technical traders, we look exclusively at the price action to provide specific clues as to the current trend or a potential change in trend. With that said, Berkshire is a classic example of not fighting the market. As Berkshire continues to make new highs, its’ trend is up!BRK.A – BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. - NYSE – DAILY CHARTCOMMODITY DEMAND REMAINS STRONGInflation continues to run at 40-year highs, and it appears that it will take more than one FED rate hike to subdue prices. Since price is King, we definitely want to ride this trend and not fight it. It is always nice to buy on a pullback, but the energy markets at this point appear to be rising exponentially. The XOP ETF gave us some nice buying opportunities earlier at the Fibonacci 0.618% $71.78 and the 0.93% $93.13 of the COVID 2020 range high-low.Remember, the trend is your friend, as many a trader has gone broke trying to pick or sell a top before its time! Well-established uptrends like the XOP are perfect examples of how utilizing a trailing stop can keep a trader from getting out of the market too soon but still offer protection in case of a sudden trend reversal.XOP – SPDR S&P OIL & GAS EXPLORE & PRODUCT – ARCA – DAILY CHARTKNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, AND APPLICATION ARE NEEDEDIt is important to understand that we are not saying the market has topped and is headed lower. This article is to shed light on some interesting analyses of which you should be aware. As technical traders, we follow price only, and when a new trend has been confirmed, we will change our positions accordingly. We provide our ETF trades to our subscribers, and somewhat surprisingly, we entered five new trades last week, four of which have now hit their first profit target levels. Our models continually track price action in a multitude of markets, asset classes, and global money flow. As our models generate new information about trends or a change in trends, we will communicate these signals expeditiously to our subscribers and to those on our trading newsletter email list.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! Furthermore, successfully trading is not limited to when to buy or sell stocks or commodities. Money and risk management play a critical role in becoming a consistently profitable trader. Correct position sizing utilizing stop-loss orders helps preserve your investment capital and allows traders to manage their portfolios according to their desired risk parameters. Additionally, scaling out of positions by taking profits and moving stop-loss orders to breakeven can complement ones’ success.WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS? Learn how we use specific tools to help us understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, we expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. We believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern begin to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.We invite you to join our group of active traders and investors to learn and profit from our three ETF Technical Trading Strategies. We can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Bitcoin wins the race   While Russia accepts hard currencies like gold, a move like this shows that the efficient attributes of bitcoin come to the forefront in times of crisis and are accepted for large business transactions between nations. Bitcoin, daily chart, price breakout: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 29th, 2022. Shortly after, president Putin confirmed this new way of doing business. In addition, China and Russia agreed to a thirty-year contract in the gas sector, transacted in Euros. We can see that we find ourselves in times of currency warfare and that it is essential to pay close attention to where and in what form we store our values. The daily chart above reflects this recent news in a price advance of bitcoin from US$37,567 to US$47,701. A 28% advance in just two weeks. Bitcoin broke through the sideways range, and this week shall show whether this breakout will be a successful one or not. In this case, the bulls have their odds much in favor over the bears.     Bitcoin, weekly chart, price left the station: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 29th, 2022. We have now left the entry zone (green box) compared to last week’s chart book and the published weekly chart. While the crowd now chases a trade, struggling with the typical inefficiencies of volatility breakouts (bad fills, slippage, being late), we are established in our positioning with the sum of 9 accumulated runners. The runners being the last 25% of each initial position. A fully de-risked or more precisely no-risk venture (see quad exit)! Looking at the weekly chart, we find the resistance distribution zones at around US$49,650 and US$52,430. We place additional entries if the price returns to the entry box top. Bitcoin, monthly chart, if March closes strong: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 28th, 2022. The price has entered the confirmed buy zone from a monthly perspective. The dual chart shows the progression from last week’s anticipation to this week’s chart book release. Should prices within this week stay within the green box, all-time frames are in alignment. A picture of a confirmed bullish bitcoin trend. It is a rare occurrence and confirmation for larger time frame traders and a call to look for low-risk entries, if no sufficient exposure is at play yet. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, Bitcoin wins the race: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 28th, 2022. Another split-screen view of a chart (a daily chart of the bitcoin/gold ratio) shows the progression of last week’s chart book publication and the situation right now. We had a triangle breakout last week and a substantial advance since then. The suggested rotation out of gold and into bitcoin was/is a successful one. The overall move was 30% in just two weeks. One can use this relationship as well to indicate bitcoins’ recent gain in strength and direction. Bitcoin wins the race: Change is never accepted lightly. We typically resist change and prefer an existing state of affairs as human beings. Nevertheless, we find ourselves in less than average circumstances with a worldwide pandemic, a never-ending war, and a general divide in opinions. Russia’s recent move towards approval of bitcoin shows that when the rubber meets the road, what works and is practical in times of crisis and need, wins the race. While governments around the globe feverishly try to get their electronic payment systems developed, bitcoin already finds its use spreading, and successfully so.    Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 29th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.

Today our focus is on platinum as price continues to post a strong rebound after holding from key support in yesterday’s session. Buyers have so far added 1.60% today after we saw a new hold at 979. This level first developed as support back on the 15th of March after sellers were defeated. This point set up a new short term rally. Price was stopped at the key supply area, and once again, we saw a new raid by sellers taking price back down to 979. Overnight, things looked dire for bulls at one stage as price was hammered through support, hitting 958. The USD was a factor as it climbed, and other precious metals were also on the bid. Momentum returned into the NY session, and buyers flooded back, cancelling out the move lower to re-hold 979 support. At this stage, we can see not only support but a double bottom and false break. These are bullish signals. Price so far today is also backing up the signals. We want to see price hold above support and continue to move higher to give these signals confirmation. A break back below support cancels out the price signals. If we do see a rally back up to supply and resistance, we would think we could see some seller pressure there. Any new higher lows we want to see from above 979 support to maintain the price signals. Keep an eye on this Friday’s US Employment data as it could have an impact on the USD, which could impact precious metals. Platinum D1 Chart The post CFD Update: Platinum, Support hold starting new reversal? appeared first on Eightcap.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday March 29th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent gains in the Copper futures bets. The speculative net position in the Copper futures has risen for two consecutive weeks and three times in the past four weeks with a total increase by +8,488 contracts over the past four weeks. The recent strength in speculator bets has pushed the current speculator standing back over the +30,000 net contract level for the third time in the past seven weeks following fourteen weeks where spec bets remained below that threshold. Copper bets had hit an 81-week low in late December and had four weeks with speculator bets below the +10,000 contract level at that time. The new year has seen speculators start to increase their sentiment in favor of the red metal and Copper speculator position has now averaged over +23,500 net contracts each week since January 1st. This is down from the 2021 average of 33,688 weekly contracts but above the 2020 average of 20,214 weekly contracts. The Copper price has also had a bullish start to the year with Copper futures currently trading at 4.68 compared to the 4.46 price to start the year. The metals markets that saw higher speculator bets this week were Silver (293 contracts), Gold (9,564 contracts) and Copper (3,769 contracts). The metals markets that saw lower speculator bets this week were Platinum (-5,814 contracts) and Palladium (-803 contracts). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-29-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,795,929 1 318,731 0 -360,162 99 41,431 73 Gold 574,521 39 257,596 70 -285,937 30 28,341 45 Silver 147,370 14 48,240 70 -61,372 39 13,132 19 Copper 203,692 29 30,581 64 -37,333 34 6,752 64 Palladium 6,720 1 -2,011 10 1,364 84 647 81 Platinum 61,807 25 14,001 22 -20,754 79 6,753 56 Natural Gas 1,100,690 4 -137,411 37 92,762 60 44,649 92 Brent 188,542 30 -25,220 69 21,609 29 3,611 58 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 755,139 34 206,469 81 -178,764 24 -27,705 24 Corn 1,515,106 24 482,092 92 -424,699 11 -57,393 10 Coffee 227,547 6 38,689 77 -42,092 27 3,403 12 Sugar 819,459 1 161,581 70 -202,758 30 41,177 59 Wheat 341,224 3 13,559 59 -9,435 32 -4,124 91   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 257,596 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 9,564 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 248,032 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 69.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.6 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.0 23.2 8.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 12.2 72.9 3.6 – Net Position: 257,596 -285,937 28,341 – Gross Longs: 327,632 133,050 49,022 – Gross Shorts: 70,036 418,987 20,681 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.7 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 69.6 30.4 44.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.9 -14.3 8.8   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 48,240 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 293 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 47,947 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 70.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 38.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.3 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 44.7 30.3 17.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 12.0 71.9 8.2 – Net Position: 48,240 -61,372 13,132 – Gross Longs: 65,917 44,589 25,145 – Gross Shorts: 17,677 105,961 12,013 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.7 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 70.4 38.7 19.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 24.6 -24.6 2.0   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 30,581 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 3,769 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 26,812 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 64.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 64.3 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 42.5 40.8 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.5 59.1 5.5 – Net Position: 30,581 -37,333 6,752 – Gross Longs: 86,553 83,024 17,961 – Gross Shorts: 55,972 120,357 11,209 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 64.4 33.8 64.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.1 1.4 -11.4   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 14,001 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -5,814 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,815 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 21.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 79.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.2 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 47.9 32.0 15.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.2 65.6 4.9 – Net Position: 14,001 -20,754 6,753 – Gross Longs: 29,585 19,797 9,798 – Gross Shorts: 15,584 40,551 3,045 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.9 to 1 0.5 to 1 3.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 21.9 79.4 56.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.6 -6.8 12.1   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -2,011 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -803 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,208 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.3 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 23.3 53.3 21.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 53.2 33.0 12.2 – Net Position: -2,011 1,364 647 – Gross Longs: 1,564 3,581 1,468 – Gross Shorts: 3,575 2,217 821 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.6 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.1 84.2 81.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.8 2.6 31.8   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Each Commodity Share Percent of All Commodities Open Interest Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday April 5th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent decline in the Gold futures bets. The speculative net position in the Gold futures dropped this week for the third time in the past four weeks and by a total of -28,847 contracts over that time-frame. Gold spec positions had previously been on a strong run of rising weekly bullish bets and had increased for five straight weeks from February 8th to March 8th with a total gain of +102,246 contracts over that period. That speculator sentiment strength brought positions to a sixty-one week high with a net position of +274,388 contracts and coincided with the Gold price surging above the $2,050 level. Since then, bullish bets have cooled off while the Gold price has also taken a breather and fallen back into a trading range between approximately $1,920 and $1,960 where it currently resides. Overall, the metals market that rose this week was just Copper (5,561 contracts) while Gold (-12,055 contracts), Platinum (-2,711 contracts), Palladium (-30 contracts) and Silver (-3,206 contracts) all had lower bets on the week. Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Apr-05-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,823,366 5 308,594 0 -355,435 100 46,841 81 Gold 560,666 36 245,541 66 -278,758 33 33,217 58 Silver 148,526 15 45,034 67 -60,036 40 15,002 30 Copper 216,157 38 36,142 68 -43,039 30 6,897 65 Palladium 6,642 1 -2,041 10 1,443 85 598 78 Platinum 60,983 23 11,290 18 -17,905 83 6,615 54 Natural Gas 1,169,620 19 -136,611 38 92,647 60 43,964 90 Brent 189,394 31 -29,712 61 26,537 37 3,175 52 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 756,785 35 198,924 79 -170,882 26 -28,042 24 Corn 1,556,206 30 487,073 92 -424,154 12 -62,919 7 Coffee 226,730 5 43,811 80 -48,758 22 4,947 23 Sugar 859,871 10 188,547 75 -240,107 23 51,560 72 Wheat 344,615 5 19,951 64 -15,332 26 -4,619 89   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 245,541 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -12,055 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 257,596 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 65.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 58.5 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.9 22.2 9.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.1 71.9 3.3 – Net Position: 245,541 -278,758 33,217 – Gross Longs: 324,570 124,506 51,778 – Gross Shorts: 79,029 403,264 18,561 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.1 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 65.8 32.6 58.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.8 -2.8 18.9   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 45,034 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -3,206 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 48,240 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 67.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.2 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.7 30.9 17.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.4 71.3 7.6 – Net Position: 45,034 -60,036 15,002 – Gross Longs: 64,936 45,922 26,307 – Gross Shorts: 19,902 105,958 11,305 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 67.3 40.0 30.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 14.7 -16.0 9.2   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 36,142 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 5,561 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 30,581 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 68.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 29.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.2 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 42.0 38.0 8.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.3 57.9 5.4 – Net Position: 36,142 -43,039 6,897 – Gross Longs: 90,779 82,054 18,675 – Gross Shorts: 54,637 125,093 11,778 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.4 29.9 65.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.6 -5.7 -13.2   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 11,290 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -2,711 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,001 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 54.3 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 47.3 32.6 16.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.8 62.0 5.6 – Net Position: 11,290 -17,905 6,615 – Gross Longs: 28,827 19,894 10,054 – Gross Shorts: 17,537 37,799 3,439 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 2.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 18.0 83.4 54.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.1 7.1 17.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -2,041 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -30 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,011 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 78.5 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 25.7 52.5 20.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 56.4 30.7 11.5 – Net Position: -2,041 1,443 598 – Gross Longs: 1,704 3,484 1,365 – Gross Shorts: 3,745 2,041 767 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 9.9 84.7 78.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -3.5 1.9 16.6   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday April 12th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent declines in the Platinum futures bets. The speculative net position in Platinum futures has fallen for three consecutive weeks and in four out of the past five weeks. Speculator positions have dropped by a total of -19,418 contracts over those past five weeks and the current speculator standing has now decreased to the lowest level in the past thirteen weeks, dating back to November 11th. Despite a strong environment in general for commodities, Platinum speculator bets are under performing in 2022 with a weekly average of +13,284 contracts compared to weekly contract averages of +25,542 contracts in all of 2020 and +19,324 contracts in all of 2021. Overall, Platinum and Palladium (-2,033 net position this week) have been seeing weakness in their speculative positions as well as their prices compared to the other metals (Gold, Silver and Copper). The metals markets with higher speculator bets this week were Silver (952 contracts), Gold (8,746 contracts) and Palladium (8 contracts) while the metals markets with declining speculator bets this week were Copper (-12,792 contracts) and Platinum (-4,875 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Apr-12-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,783,725 0 304,778 0 -350,603 100 45,825 80 Gold 577,639 40 254,287 69 -288,093 30 33,806 60 Silver 158,813 24 45,986 68 -63,690 36 17,704 46 Copper 204,825 30 23,350 59 -29,249 39 5,899 59 Palladium 6,340 0 -2,033 10 1,402 84 631 80 Platinum 63,363 27 6,415 11 -13,233 90 6,818 57 Natural Gas 1,170,828 20 -137,549 37 90,221 59 47,328 99 Brent 190,488 32 -36,318 50 33,933 50 2,385 41 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 752,157 34 198,295 79 -170,694 26 -27,601 24 Corn 1,589,848 36 495,581 93 -443,706 9 -51,875 13 Coffee 214,938 0 47,929 83 -52,716 19 4,787 24 Sugar 916,130 23 239,864 86 -301,628 11 61,764 84 Wheat 338,271 1 23,886 67 -21,258 20 -2,628 99   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 254,287 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 8,746 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 245,541 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 68.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 29.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 60.1 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 58.5 21.7 9.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.5 71.6 3.7 – Net Position: 254,287 -288,093 33,806 – Gross Longs: 338,164 125,627 55,264 – Gross Shorts: 83,877 413,720 21,458 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.0 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.6 29.7 60.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -1.1 -0.7 16.0   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 45,986 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 952 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 45,034 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 68.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 36.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 46.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.8 32.2 18.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 12.8 72.3 7.7 – Net Position: 45,986 -63,690 17,704 – Gross Longs: 66,356 51,139 29,877 – Gross Shorts: 20,370 114,829 12,173 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.2 36.4 46.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.0 -6.4 32.0   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 23,350 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -12,792 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 36,142 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 59.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.4 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.0 39.8 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.6 54.1 5.9 – Net Position: 23,350 -29,249 5,899 – Gross Longs: 81,940 81,559 17,972 – Gross Shorts: 58,590 110,808 12,073 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 59.2 39.4 59.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.9 0.1 -8.0   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 6,415 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -4,875 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 11,290 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.2 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 45.0 34.0 16.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 34.9 54.9 5.7 – Net Position: 6,415 -13,233 6,818 – Gross Longs: 28,544 21,537 10,461 – Gross Shorts: 22,129 34,770 3,643 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.6 to 1 2.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.9 90.1 57.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -15.3 15.7 -6.8   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -2,033 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 8 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,041 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.4 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.1 51.6 21.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 58.1 29.5 11.7 – Net Position: -2,033 1,402 631 – Gross Longs: 1,653 3,273 1,374 – Gross Shorts: 3,686 1,871 743 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.0 84.5 80.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.5 5.6 8.7   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Summary: Despite the supply shortage of Platinum due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the futures prices are still falling. Despite Copper demand increasing the price has fallen. Lithium is a key commodity to going net-zero. Rebecca Duthie: ECB Announcements to Possibly Tighten Monetary Policy Strengthens the Euro. EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD and EUR/CHF All Increased | FXMAG.COM Platinum futures prices falling despite tightening of supply. The price of platinum futures have consistently been falling over the past week. There is a strong undersupply of platinum in the world with Russia being the second largest world supplier of platinum, in spite of this, the price of platinum has still been falling the past week. In times of economic uncertainty the price of platinum tends to decrease due to the decreasing demand along with investors starting to back out of carbon-intensive industries, both of which are causing the price of platinum to fall. Platinum Futures Price Chart Related Article: (XAGUSD) Price of Silver Vs. U.S Yields, Lumber and Corn Futures Dependent on Demand and Supply | FXMAG.COM Copper demand increases. The required need for copper and other mining metals set out by the Paris Agreement forecast is putting pressure on the supply of copper but driving demand upwards at the same time. Causing an impressive price hike. The need to clean the carbon-intensive sector that copper is a part of versus the increasing demand is causing the volatility in the price of copper futures that we see below. Copper Futures Price Chart Read next: Unexpectedly Gold Price (XAUUSD) Falls, Canada And Chicago - Weather Makes Wheat Futures Fluctuate. The Price Of Palladium - Industrial Activity Is Taking Strain | FXMAG.COM Global Lithium will be a key ingredient for reaching global net-zero. The battery metals industry which includes Lithium, is being backed by major developed economies, especially due to the war between Russia and the Ukraine putting pressure on the supply of these metals. Lithium is also going to prove to be a necessary metal for the transition to clean-energy. This increase in demand caused the price to increase earlier this week, however the recent drop in prices came as a result of market sentiment and economic conditions over the past days. Global X Lithium ETF Price Chart Sources: Finance.yahoo.com

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday April 19th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent decline in the Gold futures bets. The speculative net position in the Gold futures has fallen for two out of the past three weeks and in four out of the past six weeks. Previously, Gold speculator positions had added bullish bets for five consecutive weeks from February 8th through March 8th and brought the speculator bullish standing to the highest level in sixty-one weeks at +274,388 contracts. The recent reduction in speculator bets and the slight cool off in the Gold price do not necessarily mean that sentiment for the shiny metal is turning. In fact, the Gold position may have greater heights in store as open interest levels have not recently touched any significant peak high (typically a surge of opinions and counter-opinions that can stop a trend especially at key levels) and the speculator strength level has not reached (or gotten close to) a bullish-extreme level (both of these levels can be signs of a top and exhaustion in trends). The net position for Gold, even after the recent weakness, remains above the 2022 weekly average of +230,004 contracts (the weekly average of all of 2021 was +204,623 contracts). So despite a rising interest rate environment (which may hurt or may help Gold), the combination of super-hot inflationary pressures, a war-time crisis and strong sentiment could help make Gold primed to stay on its bullish path. Overall, the markets with higher speculator bets this week were Silver (443 contracts) and Platinum (1,122 contracts). The markets with declining speculator bets this week were Gold (-14,530 contracts), Copper (-4,510 contracts) and Palladium (-149 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Apr-19-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,740,300 0 307,697 1 -351,252 100 43,555 76 Gold 575,202 40 239,757 60 -275,525 37 35,768 66 Silver 170,577 35 46,429 69 -63,288 37 16,859 41 Copper 203,896 29 18,840 56 -28,307 40 9,467 80 Palladium 6,435 0 -2,182 9 1,560 85 622 80 Platinum 61,603 24 7,537 13 -13,812 89 6,275 50 Natural Gas 1,144,047 14 -130,006 40 82,113 57 47,893 100 Brent 191,883 33 -40,102 44 37,663 56 2,439 42 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 762,855 36 200,098 80 -174,873 25 -25,225 28 Corn 1,625,198 42 500,612 94 -456,269 7 -44,343 18 Coffee 209,410 0 41,803 79 -45,447 24 3,644 15 Sugar 909,622 21 239,515 86 -295,470 12 55,955 77 Wheat 337,038 1 23,245 67 -20,425 21 -2,820 98   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 239,757 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -14,530 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 254,287 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 60.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 37.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.7 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.5 22.5 9.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.8 70.4 3.3 – Net Position: 239,757 -275,525 35,768 – Gross Longs: 330,745 129,157 55,032 – Gross Shorts: 90,988 404,682 19,264 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.6 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 60.4 37.0 65.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -12.0 10.6 9.1   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 46,429 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 443 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 45,986 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 68.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 36.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.5 32.1 16.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.3 69.2 6.8 – Net Position: 46,429 -63,288 16,859 – Gross Longs: 69,088 54,719 28,471 – Gross Shorts: 22,659 118,007 11,612 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.6 36.8 41.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.9 6.2 -2.6   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 18,840 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -4,510 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 23,350 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 55.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.0 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.8 39.4 10.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.6 53.3 5.4 – Net Position: 18,840 -28,307 9,467 – Gross Longs: 83,261 80,280 20,538 – Gross Shorts: 64,421 108,587 11,071 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 55.9 40.0 80.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.3 8.1 7.0   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 7,537 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 1,122 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 6,415 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 89.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 49.6 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 45.9 35.1 15.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 33.7 57.5 4.8 – Net Position: 7,537 -13,812 6,275 – Gross Longs: 28,293 21,617 9,250 – Gross Shorts: 20,756 35,429 2,975 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.6 to 1 3.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 12.5 89.3 49.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.6 26.6 -3.5   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -2,182 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -149 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,033 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 79.9 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 22.9 55.5 21.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 56.8 31.3 11.3 – Net Position: -2,182 1,560 622 – Gross Longs: 1,475 3,573 1,349 – Gross Shorts: 3,657 2,013 727 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.8 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 9.1 85.4 79.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -10.9 12.1 -12.3   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 3rd 2022 and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent decline in the Copper futures bets. The speculative net position in the Copper futures has fallen for two consecutive weeks and by a total of -19,408 contracts over that time-frame. This weakness has dropped the current standing for Copper net positions into a bearish position for a second straight week. Last week was the first time Copper has been in a bearish position since June 2nd of 2020, a span of ninety-nine weeks. This week’s further decline in speculator bets brings the current net standing (-15,623 contracts) to the lowest level in two years, dating back to May 5th of 2020. Weighing heavily on the Copper sentiment is the shut downs in China due to Covid-19 outbreaks, particularly in Shanghai and Beijing. China is among the largest producers of Copper in the world and is the largest consumer of Copper in the world with the red metal being used in numerous manufacturing processes, industries and electronics being produced in the country. Any prolonged slowdown in China economic activity will have an outsized effect on the current demand for Copper. The Copper price has pulled back recently with declines in each of the last four weeks that has taken approximately 10 percent off the futures price. Copper has been on a torrid bullish run that started in March 2020 when the pandemic burst open globally. Since the lows in March of 2020, Copper’s price rose by over 100 percent and now currently trades around the $4.25 per pound futures level. The only metals market we cover with higher speculator bets this week was Platinum (+816 contracts) while the markets with lower spec bets were Silver (-7,338 contracts), Gold (-18,856 contracts), Copper (-11,838 contracts) and Palladium (-245 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-03-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,751,564 2 321,701 6 -366,213 94 44,512 78 Gold 560,441 31 199,168 42 -231,852 55 32,684 57 Silver 137,692 5 28,068 50 -39,317 60 11,249 8 Copper 185,255 16 -15,623 31 10,080 66 5,543 57 Palladium 7,638 6 -2,752 6 2,455 90 297 61 Platinum 66,545 33 -1,541 1 -3,667 100 5,208 35 Natural Gas 1,138,319 12 -117,706 43 72,861 54 44,845 92 Brent 168,128 14 -27,318 65 26,014 37 1,304 27 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 700,856 22 190,402 77 -165,353 27 -25,049 29 Corn 1,513,880 23 501,865 94 -451,210 8 -50,655 14 Coffee 206,337 1 40,697 77 -43,007 28 2,310 5 Sugar 818,627 1 201,592 78 -236,394 23 34,802 51 Wheat 319,233 0 20,012 60 -14,225 30 -5,787 82   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 199,168 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -18,856 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 218,024 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 42.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.0 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 52.4 23.3 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.8 64.7 3.3 – Net Position: 199,168 -231,852 32,684 – Gross Longs: 293,439 130,795 51,270 – Gross Shorts: 94,271 362,647 18,586 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 42.1 55.4 57.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.3 17.9 -2.5   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 28,068 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -7,338 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 35,406 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 50.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 8.4 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.2 36.4 17.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 20.8 65.0 9.2 – Net Position: 28,068 -39,317 11,249 – Gross Longs: 56,764 50,184 23,860 – Gross Shorts: 28,696 89,501 12,611 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.0 to 1 0.6 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 50.3 60.3 8.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -19.8 24.8 -31.2   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -15,623 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -11,838 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,785 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 31.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 66.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.3 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 35.4 46.7 9.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 43.8 41.2 6.7 – Net Position: -15,623 10,080 5,543 – Gross Longs: 65,590 86,458 18,009 – Gross Shorts: 81,213 76,378 12,466 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.1 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.1 66.4 57.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -30.6 30.7 -13.0   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,541 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 816 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,357 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 34.6 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 44.4 38.8 13.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.7 44.3 5.6 – Net Position: -1,541 -3,667 5,208 – Gross Longs: 29,516 25,830 8,956 – Gross Shorts: 31,057 29,497 3,748 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.2 100.0 34.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -30.5 32.3 -28.3   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -2,752 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -245 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,507 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.1 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 12.7 59.8 16.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 48.8 27.7 13.0 – Net Position: -2,752 2,455 297 – Gross Longs: 973 4,567 1,290 – Gross Shorts: 3,725 2,112 993 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 2.2 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.8 90.5 61.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.8 12.7 -38.9   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Your daily roundup of commodities news and ING views Gas storage tank Energy Oil sold off with risk assets on Monday, but it failed to follow equities higher yesterday. Instead, downward pressure on the market continued, which saw NYMEX WTI settle below US$100/bbl. Growth concerns continue to weigh on commodities, and a stronger USD only adds further downward pressure to the complex. This weakness has continued in early trading this morning after the API reported that US crude oil inventories increased by 1.62MMbbls - the market was expecting a small draw. In addition, API numbers also showed an increase in refined product inventories. Gasoline and distillate fuel oil inventories increased by 823Mbbls and 662Mbbls respectively. If today’s EIA report shows similar numbers, it would be the first weekly increase for US gasoline inventories since late March and the first for distillates since early April. However, the middle distillate market is still very tight and so we would expect US heating oil cracks to remain well supported. In fact, middle distillate cracks around the world should remain well supported, given the tightness in the market and concerns over Russian gasoil exports. The EIA released its latest Short Term Energy Outlook yesterday. The report cut expectations for US oil production growth for 2022 from around 833Mbbls/d to 731Mbbls/d, which implies US oil output averaging 11.91MMbbls/d this year. However, for 2023, supply is expected to grow by 940Mbbls/d (largely unchanged from last month), which would see US output hitting a record 12.85MMbbls/d. Obviously, the biggest concern for the global oil market is around supply in the short to medium term, given the uncertainty over Russian supply. And the downward revisions to 2022 output estimates will do little to ease these concerns. European natural gas prices showed some strength yesterday. TTF rallied by more than 5%, settling close to EUR99/MWh. This strength came after Ukraine’s gas grid operator (GTSOU) declared force majeure on the transit of Russian gas through Sokhranivka, which accounts for about a third of Russian gas transited via Ukraine. GTSOU has said that it is not possible to continue operations through Sokhranivka due to Russia's military aggression in the region. GTSOU said that gas can be rerouted through Sudzha (another entry point), Gazprom has reportedly said that this is not technically possible. Dutch gas network operator, Gasunie has said that it has contracted a second FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit) for the next 5 years, which would allow it to regas LNG imports at Eemshaven in the north of Groningen. The FSRU is expected to arrive in the third quarter of this year, and along with another FSRU already contracted, would provide a total of 8bcm of regasification capacity at Eemshaven. This regasification capacity would exceed the roughly 6bcm of natural gas that the Netherlands imports from Russia every year. The big question though is if there is enough LNG supply to fully use this capacity, particularly with Germany also securing 4 FSRUs, with an annual capacity of as much as 29bcm. Some of this capacity in Germany is also expected to come into operation ahead of the next winter.   Metals Base metals continued to decline in London amid fragile market sentiment. Copper initially rallied but was unable to hold onto these gains at the close. Shanghai is going into the hardest phase of lockdowns, weighing heavily on sentiment as local authorities vow to bring the Covid wave under control at the community level by the end of this week. Meanwhile, the China Car Passenger Association (CAPM) confirmed that retail passenger vehicle sales plunged by 36% in April, its biggest monthly decline since March 2020. LME aluminium prices continue to fall and have largely ignored a steep decline in on-warrant stocks and a large number of cancelled warrants from Asia, signalling further declines. As of Tuesday, on-warrant stocks have fallen to a record low of 294kt, whilst total closing stocks dropped to 560kt - the lowest since 2005. Antaike has reported that China’s aluminium demand fell 5.5% YoY to 3.3mt last month (the biggest decline since March 2020), primarily impacted by the closure of auto producers due to Covid-related lockdowns. In contrast, the impact on Chinese supply has been rather limited so far, with operating capacity rising to 40.31mt by the end of April. As we also pointed out yesterday, Antaike also believes that the recent Covid outbreak has had a larger impact on demand than the early 2020 lockdowns. Agriculture Data from Brazil’s sugar industry group, UNICA show that sugar production in Center-South Brazil increased to 934kt over the 2nd half of April 2022 compared to only around 127kt over the first half of April as more mills started operations; although it is still significantly lower than the 1.52mt of sugar produced over the same period last season. Sugar cane crushing was down around 20% YoY to 23.8mt over the period with the sugar mix falling to 37.2% compared to 44.5% a year ago. Cumulative sugar production so far this season in CS-Brazil is down around 51% YoY to 1.1mt, reflecting a slow start to the crushing season. High energy prices continue to be supportive for ethanol production with mills allocating more cane towards biofuel supply. TagsSugar Russia-Ukraine Natural gas EIA Covid-19 China   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 10th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Metals speculator bets overall were lower this week with four out of the five metals markets we cover seeing lower bets on the week. The metals markets are seeing a cool off in their speculative positions as well as their prices as most of these markets are down from a short-term peak in early March. The only market with higher speculator bets this week was Platinum (2,904 contracts). The markets with declining speculator bets this week were Silver (-8,986 contracts), Gold (-5,853 contracts), Copper (-7,003 contracts) and Palladium (-493 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-10-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index WTI Crude 1,736,594 0 310,803 2 -354,479 98 43,676 77 Gold 571,447 34 193,315 40 -227,756 57 34,441 57 Silver 142,752 9 19,082 41 -30,519 69 11,437 9 Copper 184,502 15 -22,626 26 19,249 73 3,377 45 Palladium 8,832 11 -3,245 3 3,434 96 -189 33 Platinum 66,064 32 1,363 5 -5,373 98 4,010 18 Natural Gas 1,108,451 6 -112,529 45 64,006 51 48,523 100 Brent 173,911 19 -31,215 59 30,562 44 653 18 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 694,454 20 174,608 72 -147,698 33 -26,910 26 Corn 1,510,783 23 470,908 90 -415,345 13 -55,563 11 Coffee 212,659 5 32,555 69 -33,559 37 1,004 0 Sugar 797,453 0 187,185 75 -220,611 26 33,426 49 Wheat 308,326 0 21,686 48 -17,779 34 -3,907 92   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 193,315 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -5,853 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 199,168 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.3 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 50.6 23.1 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.7 63.0 3.1 – Net Position: 193,315 -227,756 34,441 – Gross Longs: 288,947 132,251 52,098 – Gross Shorts: 95,632 360,007 17,657 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.0 to 1 0.4 to 1 3.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.9 56.8 57.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -24.1 21.0 19.4   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 19,082 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -8,986 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 28,068 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 41.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 69.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.5 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.9 36.9 17.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.5 58.3 9.4 – Net Position: 19,082 -30,519 11,437 – Gross Longs: 59,829 52,637 24,862 – Gross Shorts: 40,747 83,156 13,425 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.6 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 41.4 69.0 9.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -29.1 30.3 -9.9   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -22,626 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -7,003 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -15,623 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 26.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.8 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 31.2 50.6 9.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 43.4 40.1 7.5 – Net Position: -22,626 19,249 3,377 – Gross Longs: 57,510 93,318 17,183 – Gross Shorts: 80,136 74,069 13,806 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 26.1 72.7 44.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -38.3 38.9 -19.5   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 1,363 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 2,904 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,541 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.9 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.6 39.8 12.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.5 47.9 6.1 – Net Position: 1,363 -5,373 4,010 – Gross Longs: 28,774 26,293 8,029 – Gross Shorts: 27,411 31,666 4,019 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.3 97.6 17.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.1 21.2 -38.4   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -3,245 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -493 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,752 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.9 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 11.5 59.0 11.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 48.2 20.1 13.3 – Net Position: -3,245 3,434 -189 – Gross Longs: 1,013 5,209 982 – Gross Shorts: 4,258 1,775 1,171 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.9 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.0 96.1 32.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.1 11.8 -48.4   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 17th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent decrease in the Gold and Copper speculative positions. Gold speculator bets fell this week for the fifth straight week and for the eighth time in the past ten weeks as sentiment for the shiny metal has dulled over the past few months. This latest 5-week decline has amounted to a total reduction of -78,927 contracts from the speculator position. The current speculator standing for Gold remains in bullish position but has descended to lowest level of the past fifteen weeks (at +175,360 contracts), dating back to early February. Despite the speculator decline, the gold price rebounded by over 1 percent this week (close near $1,842 per ounce) following four straight weeks of decline that brought the Gold futures price down from a high of over $2,000 per ounce in mid-April to roughly $1,800 per ounce to close out last week. Copper speculator bets have also cooled over the past couple months and fell this week for the sixth consecutive week. This decline has taken a whopping -60,550 contracts off the speculator position and has dropped the spec level from +36,142 contracts on April 5th to -24,408 contracts this week. This week’s total marks the lowest level for Copper bets in the past 109 weeks, dating back to April 14th of 2020. The slowdown in the Chinese economy and the Covid shutdowns in China have put a dent in the Copper sentiment as China is one of the largest world producers of Copper and is the largest consumer of Copper in the world. Overall, the markets with higher speculator bets this week were just Platinum (840 contracts) and Palladium (30 contracts). The markets with declining speculator bets this week were Gold (-17,955 contracts), Silver (-2,968 contracts) and Copper (-1,782 contracts). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-17-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,730,665 0 325,637 7 -363,869 95 38,232 69 Gold 555,756 30 175,360 33 -206,879 65 31,519 48 Silver 144,534 11 16,114 38 -24,841 75 8,727 0 Copper 189,483 19 -24,408 25 23,059 75 1,349 33 Palladium 9,114 13 -3,215 3 3,621 97 -406 20 Platinum 65,926 32 2,203 7 -6,697 96 4,494 25 Natural Gas 1,118,417 8 -115,012 44 64,340 51 50,672 100 Brent 176,861 21 -34,867 53 32,127 47 2,740 46 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 709,144 24 183,647 73 -156,937 33 -26,710 26 Corn 1,548,438 29 473,743 91 -424,756 11 -48,987 15 Coffee 206,106 0 38,487 72 -40,949 32 2,462 13 Sugar 825,281 6 196,630 77 -245,374 22 48,744 68 Wheat 326,651 8 28,806 57 -26,020 23 -2,786 98   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 175,360 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -17,955 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 193,315 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 33.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 48.0 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 50.9 24.8 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.4 62.0 3.4 – Net Position: 175,360 -206,879 31,519 – Gross Longs: 283,011 137,687 50,588 – Gross Shorts: 107,651 344,566 19,069 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.2 64.8 48.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.3 26.1 -5.4   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 16,114 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -2,968 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,082 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.4 37.6 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.3 54.7 10.0 – Net Position: 16,114 -24,841 8,727 – Gross Longs: 59,857 54,287 23,121 – Gross Shorts: 43,743 79,128 14,394 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.4 74.5 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -28.8 34.5 -34.4   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -24,408 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -1,782 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -22,626 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 24.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 33.1 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.1 53.6 8.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.9 41.4 7.6 – Net Position: -24,408 23,059 1,349 – Gross Longs: 53,159 101,533 15,747 – Gross Shorts: 77,567 78,474 14,398 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 24.8 75.3 33.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -43.6 45.4 -32.1   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 2,203 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 840 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,363 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.7 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 42.9 39.4 12.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.5 49.6 5.4 – Net Position: 2,203 -6,697 4,494 – Gross Longs: 28,253 26,002 8,051 – Gross Shorts: 26,050 32,699 3,557 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.5 95.8 24.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.0 15.5 -29.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -3,215 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 30 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,245 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.4 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.9 62.7 11.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.2 22.9 15.7 – Net Position: -3,215 3,621 -406 – Gross Longs: 996 5,712 1,021 – Gross Shorts: 4,211 2,091 1,427 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.2 97.1 20.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.7 12.4 -58.1   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 17th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the recent decrease in the Gold and Copper speculative positions. Gold speculator bets fell this week for the fifth straight week and for the eighth time in the past ten weeks as sentiment for the shiny metal has dulled over the past few months. This latest 5-week decline has amounted to a total reduction of -78,927 contracts from the speculator position. The current speculator standing for Gold remains in bullish position but has descended to lowest level of the past fifteen weeks (at +175,360 contracts), dating back to early February. Despite the speculator decline, the gold price rebounded by over 1 percent this week (close near $1,842 per ounce) following four straight weeks of decline that brought the Gold futures price down from a high of over $2,000 per ounce in mid-April to roughly $1,800 per ounce to close out last week. Copper speculator bets have also cooled over the past couple months and fell this week for the sixth consecutive week. This decline has taken a whopping -60,550 contracts off the speculator position and has dropped the spec level from +36,142 contracts on April 5th to -24,408 contracts this week. This week’s total marks the lowest level for Copper bets in the past 109 weeks, dating back to April 14th of 2020. The slowdown in the Chinese economy and the Covid shutdowns in China have put a dent in the Copper sentiment as China is one of the largest world producers of Copper and is the largest consumer of Copper in the world. Overall, the markets with higher speculator bets this week were just Platinum (840 contracts) and Palladium (30 contracts). The markets with declining speculator bets this week were Gold (-17,955 contracts), Silver (-2,968 contracts) and Copper (-1,782 contracts). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-17-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index WTI Crude 1,730,665 0 325,637 7 -363,869 95 38,232 69 Gold 555,756 30 175,360 33 -206,879 65 31,519 48 Silver 144,534 11 16,114 38 -24,841 75 8,727 0 Copper 189,483 19 -24,408 25 23,059 75 1,349 33 Palladium 9,114 13 -3,215 3 3,621 97 -406 20 Platinum 65,926 32 2,203 7 -6,697 96 4,494 25 Natural Gas 1,118,417 8 -115,012 44 64,340 51 50,672 100 Brent 176,861 21 -34,867 53 32,127 47 2,740 46 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 709,144 24 183,647 73 -156,937 33 -26,710 26 Corn 1,548,438 29 473,743 91 -424,756 11 -48,987 15 Coffee 206,106 0 38,487 72 -40,949 32 2,462 13 Sugar 825,281 6 196,630 77 -245,374 22 48,744 68 Wheat 326,651 8 28,806 57 -26,020 23 -2,786 98   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 175,360 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -17,955 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 193,315 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 33.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 48.0 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 50.9 24.8 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.4 62.0 3.4 – Net Position: 175,360 -206,879 31,519 – Gross Longs: 283,011 137,687 50,588 – Gross Shorts: 107,651 344,566 19,069 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.2 64.8 48.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.3 26.1 -5.4   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 16,114 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -2,968 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,082 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.4 37.6 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.3 54.7 10.0 – Net Position: 16,114 -24,841 8,727 – Gross Longs: 59,857 54,287 23,121 – Gross Shorts: 43,743 79,128 14,394 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.4 74.5 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -28.8 34.5 -34.4   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -24,408 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -1,782 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -22,626 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 24.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 33.1 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.1 53.6 8.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.9 41.4 7.6 – Net Position: -24,408 23,059 1,349 – Gross Longs: 53,159 101,533 15,747 – Gross Shorts: 77,567 78,474 14,398 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 24.8 75.3 33.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -43.6 45.4 -32.1   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 2,203 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 840 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,363 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.7 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 42.9 39.4 12.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.5 49.6 5.4 – Net Position: 2,203 -6,697 4,494 – Gross Longs: 28,253 26,002 8,051 – Gross Shorts: 26,050 32,699 3,557 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.5 95.8 24.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.0 15.5 -29.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -3,215 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 30 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,245 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.4 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.9 62.7 11.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.2 22.9 15.7 – Net Position: -3,215 3,621 -406 – Gross Longs: 996 5,712 1,021 – Gross Shorts: 4,211 2,091 1,427 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.2 97.1 20.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.7 12.4 -58.1   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 24th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT metals data is the bounce-back in Gold and Copper speculator bets after multiple down weeks for both of these metals. Copper positions saw a small turnaround with a +4,775 contract gain this week after falling for six consecutive weeks which amounted to a total drop by -60,550 net positions from April 12th to May 17th. Copper has been particularly hard hit by the lockdowns in China and the effect that it has had on the industrial and manufacturing economy there. Copper speculator bets have now been oscillating at the lowest levels in approximately two years. Gold positions, meanwhile, rose by +8,453 contracts this week after declining in the previous five weeks and by a total of -78,927 contracts in that period. Gold bullish bets are under the +200,000 net contract level for a fourth straight week after spending the previous ten weeks above that threshold. Currently in 2022, Gold positions are averaging +221,416 weekly contracts so far compared to an average of +204,623 weekly contracts over 2021 and an average of +262,052 weekly contracts over 2020. Overall, the markets with higher speculator bets this week were Gold (8,453 contracts) and Copper (4,775 contracts) while the markets with declining speculator bets this week were Silver (-2,011 contracts), Platinum (-718 contracts) and Palladium (-257 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each market where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-24-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,711,863 0 334,761 11 -374,627 91 39,866 71 Gold 530,098 22 183,813 14 -211,947 82 28,134 37 Silver 146,456 13 14,103 26 -23,297 88 9,194 3 Copper 186,433 17 -19,633 28 19,288 73 345 27 Palladium 7,919 7 -3,472 2 3,800 98 -328 25 Platinum 65,824 32 1,485 5 -6,683 96 5,198 34 Natural Gas 1,107,496 6 -111,570 45 63,847 51 47,723 93 Brent 183,629 27 -39,289 45 37,488 56 1,801 34 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 729,900 28 188,368 72 -159,047 34 -29,321 21 Corn 1,544,885 29 427,848 85 -372,522 19 -55,326 11 Coffee 211,266 5 37,072 71 -38,484 34 1,412 4 Sugar 847,420 11 209,487 80 -255,450 20 45,963 65 Wheat 326,607 8 26,344 53 -24,339 25 -2,005 100   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 183,813 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 8,453 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 175,360 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 37.2 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.2 24.6 8.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.6 64.6 3.6 – Net Position: 183,813 -211,947 28,134 – Gross Longs: 282,202 130,364 47,411 – Gross Shorts: 98,389 342,311 19,277 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.9 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 14.0 81.5 37.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -35.7 35.7 -18.1   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 14,103 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -2,011 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 16,114 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 26.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 2.6 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.1 38.9 15.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.5 54.8 9.5 – Net Position: 14,103 -23,297 9,194 – Gross Longs: 58,748 56,910 23,064 – Gross Shorts: 44,645 80,207 13,870 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 26.1 87.6 2.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -36.9 45.6 -46.6   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -19,633 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 4,775 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -24,408 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 28.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.3 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.0 53.3 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.6 42.9 7.9 – Net Position: -19,633 19,288 345 – Gross Longs: 54,130 99,318 14,993 – Gross Shorts: 73,763 80,030 14,648 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 28.2 72.7 27.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -30.9 33.4 -32.1   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of 1,485 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -718 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 2,203 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 34.5 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 39.6 41.0 13.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.3 51.2 5.1 – Net Position: 1,485 -6,683 5,198 – Gross Longs: 26,052 27,002 8,533 – Gross Shorts: 24,567 33,685 3,335 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.5 95.8 34.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.0 9.0 -22.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week was a net position of -3,472 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -257 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,215 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 98.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.9 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.2 70.1 12.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 53.0 22.2 16.4 – Net Position: -3,472 3,800 -328 – Gross Longs: 729 5,555 974 – Gross Shorts: 4,201 1,755 1,302 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 3.2 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.7 98.1 24.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.2 13.7 -55.5   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 31st and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Metals large speculator bets were mostly higher this week as three out of the five metals markets we cover had higher positioning this week while two markets had lower contracts. Leading the gains for metals was Copper (1,608 contracts) with Platinum (878 contracts) and Palladium (339 contracts) also showing a positive week. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets this week was Gold (-11,224 contracts) while Silver (-106 contracts) also registered lower bets on the week. Gold positions dropped by over -11,000 contracts this week and have now been lower in nine out of the past twelve weeks. The gold position has declined by a total of -101,799 contracts over that 12-week time period. This weakness has now pushed the gold speculator net standing to the lowest level of the past seventeen weeks, dating back to February 1st. Silver bets, meanwhile, have fallen for six consecutive weeks and by a total of -32,432 contracts over that period. Silver speculators have bailed out of their bullish positions since early March 3rd when the net position hit a 43-week high at +52,297 contracts. Currently, the net position has fallen all the way down to +13,997 contracts this week which marks the lowest level in the past 155 weeks, dating back to June 11th of 2019. Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that most of the metals markets are in extreme bearish levels (except Gold which is just above the 20 percent threshold). Strength score trends (or move index, that show 6-week changes in strength scores) shows the recent weakness of all of the metals market. Silver, Gold and Copper have fallen particularly hard in six weeks. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend May-31-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,787,928 9 332,976 10 -373,761 91 40,785 72 Gold 513,722 18 172,589 5 -200,056 95 27,467 32 Silver 147,301 14 13,997 15 -23,861 99 9,864 6 Copper 189,923 19 -18,025 29 15,425 70 2,600 40 Palladium 6,538 1 -3,133 4 3,221 95 -88 39 Platinum 67,964 35 2,363 7 -6,501 96 4,138 20 Natural Gas 1,115,815 7 -110,368 45 59,679 50 50,689 100 Brent 181,699 25 -40,872 43 38,941 58 1,931 35 Heating Oil 349,618 31 6,455 52 -32,434 37 25,979 88 Soybeans 753,373 34 186,078 71 -158,757 34 -27,321 25 Corn 1,564,217 32 404,200 82 -353,348 22 -50,852 14 Coffee 214,170 8 43,015 76 -45,757 28 2,742 17 Sugar 848,463 11 201,680 78 -240,752 23 39,072 56 Wheat 331,136 11 22,309 48 -18,647 33 -3,662 91   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 172,589 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -11,224 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 183,813 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.2 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 52.5 26.3 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.9 65.3 3.7 – Net Position: 172,589 -200,056 27,467 – Gross Longs: 269,459 135,360 46,639 – Gross Shorts: 96,870 335,416 19,172 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.8 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.4 94.9 32.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -35.1 38.6 -27.6   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 13,997 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -106 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,103 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.2 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 37.7 38.3 16.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.2 54.5 9.9 – Net Position: 13,997 -23,861 9,864 – Gross Longs: 55,545 56,447 24,482 – Gross Shorts: 41,548 80,308 14,618 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 15.1 99.3 6.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -43.1 50.9 -38.3   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -18,025 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 1,608 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -19,633 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 29.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 70.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 40.3 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.1 52.5 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.6 44.4 7.7 – Net Position: -18,025 15,425 2,600 – Gross Longs: 53,404 99,692 17,184 – Gross Shorts: 71,429 84,267 14,584 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 29.4 70.1 40.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.5 30.1 -39.7   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 2,363 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 878 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,485 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.7 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 40.1 40.6 11.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 36.6 50.2 5.7 – Net Position: 2,363 -6,501 4,138 – Gross Longs: 27,226 27,591 8,034 – Gross Shorts: 24,863 34,092 3,896 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.7 96.1 19.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.4 10.1 -29.9   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -3,133 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 339 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,472 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.8 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 12.3 70.6 15.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 60.2 21.3 17.1 – Net Position: -3,133 3,221 -88 – Gross Longs: 803 4,614 1,029 – Gross Shorts: 3,936 1,393 1,117 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 3.3 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.7 94.8 38.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.4 9.5 -41.1   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 7th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. COT metals market speculator bets were mostly rising this week as five out of the six metals markets we cover had higher positioning this week while only one market had lower contracts. Leading the gains for the precious metals markets was Copper (14,311 contracts) and Platinum (3,570 contracts) with Silver (3,407 contracts) and Gold (2,679 contracts) also showing a positive week. Meanwhile, the only market with declines in speculator bets this week was Palladium with a fall of -328 contracts. Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that only Copper (39.7 percent) is not in an extreme-bearish position at the current time. Using the Strength Index as a contrarian signal, the metals markets could be at attractive levels depending on the fundamental and technical factors of each market. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that only Platinum has been trending higher over the past six weeks. On the downside, Silver and the Gold have shown the largest downward trends. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-07-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,790,618 10 328,256 8 -369,033 93 40,777 72 Gold 494,130 12 175,268 7 -199,886 95 24,618 18 Silver 148,294 15 17,404 5 -27,990 94 10,586 10 Copper 194,187 22 -3,714 40 879 60 2,835 42 Palladium 7,035 3 -3,461 2 3,581 97 -120 37 Platinum 65,295 31 5,933 12 -9,742 92 3,809 15 Natural Gas 1,127,731 10 -114,342 44 66,419 52 47,923 93 Brent 169,802 16 -36,098 51 34,208 50 1,890 35 Heating Oil 261,651 20 4,886 50 -24,428 45 19,542 66 Soybeans 760,444 35 176,644 68 -148,390 39 -28,254 23 Corn 1,557,167 31 391,264 80 -337,137 24 -54,127 12 Coffee 222,583 15 48,767 81 -51,363 23 2,596 16 Sugar 849,814 12 195,403 77 -234,496 24 39,093 56 Wheat 333,705 12 23,881 50 -19,863 31 -4,018 90   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 175,268 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 2,679 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 172,589 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.0 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 54.7 23.7 8.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.2 64.1 3.9 – Net Position: 175,268 -199,886 24,618 – Gross Longs: 270,356 116,965 44,090 – Gross Shorts: 95,088 316,851 19,472 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.8 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.8 95.0 18.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -22.3 25.3 -23.5   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 17,404 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 3,407 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 13,997 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.2 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 37.0 36.9 16.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.3 55.8 9.8 – Net Position: 17,404 -27,990 10,586 – Gross Longs: 54,899 54,707 25,089 – Gross Shorts: 37,495 82,697 14,503 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.3 93.9 10.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -28.2 26.8 -15.3   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -3,714 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 14,311 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -18,025 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.7 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 30.0 51.7 8.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.9 51.3 7.1 – Net Position: -3,714 879 2,835 – Gross Longs: 58,232 100,449 16,646 – Gross Shorts: 61,946 99,570 13,811 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.7 60.1 41.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.1 2.8 -23.7   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 5,933 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 3,570 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 2,363 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 91.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.1 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.4 41.1 11.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 32.3 56.0 5.6 – Net Position: 5,933 -9,742 3,809 – Gross Longs: 27,004 26,823 7,479 – Gross Shorts: 21,071 36,565 3,670 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 11.9 91.6 15.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.9 -7.9 -35.4   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -3,461 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -328 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,133 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.9 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.4 70.9 15.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 62.6 20.0 16.9 – Net Position: -3,461 3,581 -120 – Gross Longs: 943 4,985 1,072 – Gross Shorts: 4,404 1,404 1,192 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 3.6 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.8 96.9 36.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.5 8.3 -29.3   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 14th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. COT Metals market speculator bets were lower this week as all five of the metals markets we cover had lower positioning this week. Leading the declines in speculator bets this week were Gold (-20,670 contracts) and Copper (-10,083 contracts) with Platinum (-3,719 contracts), Silver (-3,399 contracts) and Palladium (-596 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week. Highlighting this week’s COT metals data was the further weakness in bullish bets for the Gold futures contracts. Gold speculators sharply dropped their bullish bets by -20,670 contracts this week and have now seen lower positions for two out of three weeks as well as for the seventh time in the past nine weeks. Over the nine-week time-frame, Gold speculator bets have fallen by a total of -99,689 contracts, going from +254,297 net positions on April 12th to +154,598 net positions this week. These decreases have brought the current level down to the least bullish standing of the past one hundred and fifty-nine weeks, dating back to May 28th of 2019. Despite the speculator weakness, the Gold futures price has not fallen too sharply although prices have cooled off since hitting an almost two-year high of $2,078 on March 8th. The Gold price currently remains trading in its range between approximately $1,800 and $1,884 that has prevailed since early in May and over the longer-term, remains in an uptrend. Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that Copper (32.4 percent) is the leading pack this week although this score is just slightly above a extreme bearish score. All the other markets are currently in extreme bearish levels (below 20 percent) as speculator sentiment among the metals is very weak at the moment. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) show that the Platinum (5.4 percent) and Copper (1.3 percent) are the only two metals with rising trend scores. Gold and Silver are neck and neck for leading the trends to the downside with scores of -22.4 percent (Gold) and -22 percent (Silver), respectively, while Platinum (-7.3 percent) also has a negative trend score for the week. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-14-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,715,674 0 302,946 0 -341,654 100 38,708 70 Gold 497,456 13 154,598 0 -178,569 100 23,971 15 Silver 151,978 18 14,005 0 -22,047 100 8,042 0 Copper 187,247 17 -13,797 32 10,287 67 3,510 46 Palladium 7,740 6 -4,057 0 4,354 100 -297 27 Platinum 66,613 33 2,214 7 -6,793 96 4,579 26 Natural Gas 1,053,265 0 -123,485 42 74,310 54 49,175 96 Brent 171,026 17 -36,389 50 34,601 51 1,788 33 Heating Oil 268,199 23 8,475 55 -28,686 41 20,211 68 Soybeans 754,428 34 182,667 70 -155,663 37 -27,004 25 Corn 1,521,565 25 399,775 81 -344,196 23 -55,579 11 Coffee 202,656 0 46,885 79 -48,399 25 1,514 5 Sugar 800,806 1 170,483 72 -198,006 31 27,523 42 Wheat 336,890 13 20,435 46 -18,089 34 -2,346 98   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 154,598 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -20,670 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 175,268 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.9 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.6 24.5 9.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 22.5 60.4 4.4 – Net Position: 154,598 -178,569 23,971 – Gross Longs: 266,596 121,926 45,726 – Gross Shorts: 111,998 300,495 21,755 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.4 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 14.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -22.4 25.7 -31.1   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 14,005 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,399 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 17,404 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 37.6 39.6 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.4 54.1 10.7 – Net Position: 14,005 -22,047 8,042 – Gross Longs: 57,216 60,161 24,268 – Gross Shorts: 43,211 82,208 16,226 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -22.0 21.9 -16.9   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -13,797 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -10,083 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,714 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 32.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 66.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 45.6 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 27.3 55.2 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 34.6 49.7 6.9 – Net Position: -13,797 10,287 3,510 – Gross Longs: 51,077 103,433 16,449 – Gross Shorts: 64,874 93,146 12,939 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.1 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 32.4 66.5 45.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.3 0.1 -11.8   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 2,214 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -3,719 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 5,933 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.8 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 37.7 42.3 12.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 34.3 52.5 6.0 – Net Position: 2,214 -6,793 4,579 – Gross Longs: 25,085 28,194 8,597 – Gross Shorts: 22,871 34,987 4,018 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.5 95.7 25.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.4 -4.3 -8.8   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -4,057 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -596 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,461 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 26.7 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.5 71.8 14.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 65.9 15.5 18.1 – Net Position: -4,057 4,354 -297 – Gross Longs: 1,045 5,555 1,105 – Gross Shorts: 5,102 1,201 1,402 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.6 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 26.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.3 10.7 -34.4   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 21st and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. COT metals market speculator bets were mostly higher for the week as three out of the five metals markets we cover had higher positioning this week while two markets had lower contracts. Leading the gains for the precious metals markets was Gold (8,689 contracts) and Silver (4,414 contracts) with Palladium (11 contracts) also showing a small positive week. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets this week was Copper (-7,141 contracts) while Platinum (-723 contracts) also registered lower bets on the week. Notes: Highlighting the data for metals this week is the Gold positioning. Gold speculative positions rebounded a bit this week after seeing a sharp decline last week of over -20,000 contracts. The Gold net position has been mostly on the defensive since March 8th when the spec level had reached a total of +274,388 contracts which was a 61-week high, dating back to January 5th of 2021. Since then, the overall bullish position has shed a total of -111,101 contracts to settle at this week’s net standing of +163,287 contracts (just 4.4 percent level of its 3-year range). The Gold futures price, however, remains in an uptrend on the daily charts and is sitting right on a significant upward trendline that started in March of 2021. Silver positioning, much like Gold’s, has been under pressure over the past fifteen weeks. On March 8th, Silver bets reached a forty-three week high at +52,297 contracts, coinciding with the Silver futures price hitting a 2022 high of $27.49. Since then, speculator bets have cooled and have fallen in ten out of the past fifteen weeks (and by a total of -33,878 contracts) to this week’s standing of just +18,419 contracts. The Silver futures price has been on a downtrend since April, currently trading at just over $21.00 and possibly on its way towards the significant psychological level of $20.00. Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that Copper (27 percent) remains the only precious metals futures market that is not in an extreme bearish level (below 20 percent). A rising interest rate environment with a strong US Dollar has weighed on the precious metals category as speculator futures sentiment continues to be really weak at the moment. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that Gold (-15.1 percent) and Palladium (-4.5 percent) lead the downward trends over the past six weeks. Copper (1.2 percent) and Platinum (0.2 percent) are the only two markets with positive trends over the time period. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-21-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,658,636 0 289,502 0 -323,915 100 34,413 64 Gold 500,276 14 163,287 4 -186,929 96 23,642 14 Silver 145,356 12 18,419 7 -27,250 93 8,831 4 Copper 187,170 17 -20,938 27 18,928 72 2,010 37 Palladium 7,641 6 -4,046 0 4,511 100 -465 17 Platinum 64,946 30 1,491 6 -6,397 96 4,906 30 Natural Gas 1,030,971 0 -130,869 39 85,977 58 44,892 86 Brent 173,098 18 -38,010 47 36,052 53 1,958 36 Heating Oil 268,818 23 9,564 56 -28,204 41 18,640 63 Soybeans 745,494 32 178,379 68 -152,968 38 -25,411 28 Corn 1,512,152 23 380,169 79 -326,474 25 -53,695 12 Coffee 192,832 0 49,371 81 -52,348 22 2,977 20 Sugar 779,773 0 163,111 70 -181,280 34 18,169 30 Wheat 320,326 6 19,067 44 -15,407 38 -3,660 91   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 163,287 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 8,689 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 154,598 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.7 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.6 24.0 8.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 21.0 61.4 4.1 – Net Position: 163,287 -186,929 23,642 – Gross Longs: 268,119 120,045 44,380 – Gross Shorts: 104,832 306,974 20,738 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 4.4 96.0 13.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -15.1 19.7 -38.5   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 18,419 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 4,414 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,005 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.2 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 37.5 37.7 17.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.8 56.5 11.1 – Net Position: 18,419 -27,250 8,831 – Gross Longs: 54,451 54,828 25,018 – Gross Shorts: 36,032 82,078 16,187 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.9 93.4 4.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -1.0 4.2 -13.8   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -20,938 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -7,141 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,797 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 27.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.9 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.8 55.5 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.0 45.3 8.0 – Net Position: -20,938 18,928 2,010 – Gross Longs: 50,230 103,789 16,909 – Gross Shorts: 71,168 84,861 14,899 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.3 72.5 36.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.2 -0.2 -7.9   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 1,491 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -723 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 2,214 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.4 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 39.5 43.9 13.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.2 53.7 5.4 – Net Position: 1,491 -6,397 4,906 – Gross Longs: 25,676 28,487 8,413 – Gross Shorts: 24,185 34,884 3,507 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 5.5 96.2 30.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.2 -1.4 12.5   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -4,046 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 11 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -4,057 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.0 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.2 74.0 12.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 66.2 15.0 18.6 – Net Position: -4,046 4,511 -465 – Gross Longs: 1,009 5,655 960 – Gross Shorts: 5,055 1,144 1,425 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.9 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.1 100.0 17.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.5 6.0 -16.0   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 28th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. The COT metals market speculator bets were overall lower this week as just one out of the six metals markets we cover had higher positioning this week while five markets had lower contracts. The only precious metals market with higher speculator bets was Palladium with a net gain of just 221 contracts on the week. Leading the declines in speculator bets this week were Copper (-9,758 contracts) and Silver (-7,528 contracts) with Gold (-5,594 contracts) and Platinum (-2,797 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week. Strength scores (measuring the 3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that all of the metals are in bearish extreme levels at the moment. Copper (20 percent) is at the highest level of all but still right at the cusp of the bearish extreme level while all the other metals are at just 2 percent or under, signifying that these are right at the bottom of their 3-year speculator sentiment range.   Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) show a similar picture as well with all the metals seeing downtrends for the past six weeks. Gold at -9 percent is leading the trends lower followed by Silver at -8 percent with the other metals all at -5 percent or lower.   Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-28-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,651,566 0 299,692 3 -327,938 99 28,246 55 Gold 497,005 13 157,693 2 -182,007 98 24,314 16 Silver 135,775 3 10,891 0 -18,485 100 7,594 0 Copper 182,352 14 -30,696 20 31,197 81 -501 22 Palladium 7,765 6 -3,825 1 4,441 100 -616 8 Platinum 68,232 36 -1,306 2 -3,381 100 4,687 27 Natural Gas 987,740 0 -129,419 40 90,840 60 38,579 71 Brent 173,920 19 -42,677 40 41,434 62 1,243 26 Heating Oil 269,168 23 7,508 53 -25,743 44 18,235 62 Soybeans 653,337 11 137,193 56 -106,705 52 -30,488 20 Corn 1,338,054 0 328,102 72 -274,110 33 -53,992 12 Coffee 194,896 2 45,200 78 -47,147 26 1,947 9 Sugar 734,324 0 122,709 62 -132,877 43 10,168 20 Wheat 291,041 0 7,679 29 -1,871 57 -5,808 80   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 157,693 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -5,594 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 163,287 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 98.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.1 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 54.1 23.5 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 22.3 60.2 4.1 – Net Position: 157,693 -182,007 24,314 – Gross Longs: 268,712 117,038 44,823 – Gross Shorts: 111,019 299,045 20,509 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.4 to 1 0.4 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.6 98.3 16.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.9 12.0 -25.7   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 10,891 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -7,528 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 18,419 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 39.0 40.8 16.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.0 54.4 11.1 – Net Position: 10,891 -18,485 7,594 – Gross Longs: 52,932 55,406 22,724 – Gross Shorts: 42,041 73,891 15,130 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.8 7.7 -5.8   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -30,696 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -9,758 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -20,938 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 20.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 22.4 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.2 56.8 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 43.0 39.7 8.2 – Net Position: -30,696 31,197 -501 – Gross Longs: 47,782 103,666 14,516 – Gross Shorts: 78,478 72,469 15,017 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 20.3 80.9 22.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.5 5.6 -10.7   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -1,306 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -2,797 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,491 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.4 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.7 41.6 12.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 43.6 46.6 5.6 – Net Position: -1,306 -3,381 4,687 – Gross Longs: 28,451 28,413 8,503 – Gross Shorts: 29,757 31,794 3,816 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.5 100.0 27.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.0 4.6 2.7   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -3,825 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 221 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -4,046 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 8.2 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.8 73.1 11.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 64.0 15.9 19.4 – Net Position: -3,825 4,441 -616 – Gross Longs: 1,146 5,674 893 – Gross Shorts: 4,971 1,233 1,509 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.6 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.3 99.6 8.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -3.4 4.6 -12.2   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday July 5th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. COT Metals market speculator bets were overall lower this week as just one out of the six metals markets we cover had higher positioning this week while the other five markets had lower contracts. The only precious metals market to have higher speculator bets this week was Palladium with a rise of just 415 contracts. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets this week were Gold (-12,033 contracts) and Silver (-5,752 contracts) with Platinum (-1,428 contracts) and Copper (-1,100 contracts) also having lower bets for the week. Highlights of the Metals data: Gold speculators bets have dropped for the past two straight weeks and for nine out of the past twelve weeks. These declines have taken a total of -108,627 contracts off the Gold bullish position in past twelve weeks Current Gold speculator position has fallen to lowest level since May 28th of 2019, a span of 162 weeks Silver bets have dropped in nine out of the past eleven weeks (for a total decrease of -41,290 contracts) Silver speculator positions have now fallen to the lowest level in 160 weeks, dating back to June 11th of 2019 Copper speculator positions are in bearish territory for an 11th straight week and speculator bets have fallen by a total of -67,938 contracts since April 5th Copper speculator bets have decreased to the lowest level (currently at -31,796 contracts) in the past 120 weeks, dating back to March 17th of 2020 Strength scores (measuring the 3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that the speculator sentiment for all of the precious metals is near or at the bottom of each of their 3-year ranges. The highest strength score currently is for Copper (19.5 percent) which is in an extreme bearish level for the past three years (under 20 percent). All the other markets also are in extreme bearish levels as well with Gold, Silver and Platinum residing at 3-year lows of 0 percent each. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that Gold (-18.3 percent), Silver (-12.3 percent) and Copper (-8.8 percent) are leading the scores to the downside over the past six weeks followed by Platinum (-6.0 percent). Palladium (0.3 percent) is the only precious metals with a positive score although it is barely positive. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jul-05-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index WTI Crude 1,637,862 0 280,523 0 -304,217 100 23,694 48 Gold 498,210 13 145,660 0 -165,585 100 19,925 0 Silver 140,463 7 5,139 0 -11,622 100 6,483 0 Copper 183,331 15 -31,796 19 31,340 81 456 28 Palladium 7,373 5 -3,410 4 4,104 98 -694 4 Platinum 72,895 44 -2,734 0 -1,670 100 4,404 23 Natural Gas 977,507 0 -130,519 39 91,950 60 38,569 71 Brent 166,711 13 -38,514 47 37,309 55 1,205 26 Heating Oil 264,269 21 6,486 52 -22,775 47 16,289 55 Soybeans 638,675 7 125,491 52 -93,638 56 -31,853 17 Corn 1,331,035 0 260,705 63 -207,441 42 -53,264 12 Coffee 193,731 1 46,787 79 -49,139 25 2,352 14 Sugar 713,245 0 83,512 54 -85,255 52 1,743 10 Wheat 288,754 0 8,384 30 623 61 -9,007 64   Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 145,660 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -12,033 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 157,693 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.5 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.8 23.7 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.5 57.0 4.8 – Net Position: 145,660 -165,585 19,925 – Gross Longs: 267,806 118,289 43,933 – Gross Shorts: 122,146 283,874 24,008 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.2 to 1 0.4 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.3 21.1 -29.3   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 5,139 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -5,752 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 10,891 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 39.0 40.0 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 35.4 48.2 11.4 – Net Position: 5,139 -11,622 6,483 – Gross Longs: 54,841 56,137 22,495 – Gross Shorts: 49,702 67,759 16,012 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -12.3 13.1 -13.2   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -31,796 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,100 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -30,696 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.9 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.5 51.7 8.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.8 34.6 8.2 – Net Position: -31,796 31,340 456 – Gross Longs: 54,073 94,749 15,516 – Gross Shorts: 85,869 63,409 15,060 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.5 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 19.5 81.0 27.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.8 8.3 0.6   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -2,734 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,428 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,306 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.4 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.8 38.6 11.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.5 40.9 5.9 – Net Position: -2,734 -1,670 4,404 – Gross Longs: 31,920 28,155 8,693 – Gross Shorts: 34,654 29,825 4,289 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 0.9 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 23.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.0 6.7 -11.1   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -3,410 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 415 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,825 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.7 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.4 73.1 11.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 61.6 17.4 20.6 – Net Position: -3,410 4,104 -694 – Gross Longs: 1,132 5,389 825 – Gross Shorts: 4,542 1,285 1,519 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.6 97.7 3.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.3 1.7 -21.2   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday July 12th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Weekly Speculator Changes COT precious metals speculator bets were lower again this week as two out of the five metals markets we cover had higher positioning while the other three markets had lower contracts. Leading the gains for the precious metals markets was Copper with a weekly gain of 5,501 contracts while Palladium (608 contracts) also showed a positive week. The metals markets leading the declines in speculator bets this week were Gold (-27,539 contracts) and Platinum (-3,177 contracts) with Silver (-1,935 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week. Highlighting the metals data this week is the continued drop in the Gold speculator positions. Gold speculator bets have fallen for three straight weeks and in ten out of the past thirteen weeks. This amounts to a total decline of -136,166 contracts over that 13-week period. The current bullish standing for Gold has dipped all the way to +118,121 contracts which is a steeply lower compared to the 2022 weekly average of +204,891 contracts. The current speculator standing is at the lowest level in the past one hundred and sixty-three weeks, dating back to May 28th of 2019 when spec bets totaled just +86,688 contracts. Silver contracts have also been in a deep decline as well with speculator bets falling for three straight weeks and for ten out of the past eleven weeks (a total -43,225 contract decline over past 11 weeks). This weakness has brought the overall net position very close to falling into negative or bearish territory at a total of just +3,204 contracts currently. Silver bets, like Gold, are at the lowest level in one hundred and sixty-one weeks, dating back to June 11th of 2019. Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jul-12-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,612,803 0 268,328 0 -294,526 100 26,198 52 Gold 542,493 26 118,121 0 -137,788 100 19,667 0 Silver 142,259 9 3,204 0 -9,612 100 6,408 0 Copper 172,037 6 -26,295 23 27,061 78 -766 21 Palladium 6,474 1 -2,802 7 3,252 93 -450 18 Platinum 75,615 48 -5,911 0 1,235 100 4,676 27 Natural Gas 969,204 0 -131,603 39 94,195 61 37,408 69 Brent 171,950 17 -38,388 47 36,619 54 1,769 33 Heating Oil 266,330 22 6,728 52 -22,853 47 16,125 54 Soybeans 611,751 1 115,119 49 -87,284 57 -27,835 24 Corn 1,333,199 0 247,156 62 -196,533 44 -50,623 14 Coffee 195,810 2 34,308 68 -35,166 37 858 0 Sugar 701,144 0 105,869 58 -115,779 46 9,910 20 Wheat 288,182 0 4,639 25 5,041 67 -9,680 60   Strength Scores Strength scores (a measure of the 3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show the very weak speculator sentiment levels for the precious metals at the moment. Four out of the five metals markets currently have bearish extreme positioning (below 20 percent) as has been the case for many weeks. Copper (23.4 percent) is the only market not in a bearish extreme level currently but remains in the bottom quartile of its 3-year range of speculator positions. Gold, Silver and Platinum are all at zero percent levels which means that speculator bets are at 3-year lows. Strength Statistics: Gold (0.0 percent) vs Gold previous week (11.7 percent) Silver (0.0 percent) vs Silver previous week (2.6 percent) Copper (23.4 percent) vs Copper previous week (19.5 percent) Platinum (0.0 percent) vs Platinum previous week (4.3 percent) Palladium (7.1 percent) vs Palladium previous week (3.6 percent) Strength Trends Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) show that the Palladium (1.9 percent) leads the past six weeks trends for metals this week and has the only positive trend among metals. Gold (-23.1 percent), Silver (-14.5 percent) and Platinum (-11.3 percent) lead the downside trend scores currently while Copper (-6.0 percent). Move Statistics: Gold (-23.1 percent) vs Gold previous week (-16.2 percent) Silver (-14.5 percent) vs Silver previous week (-12.0 percent) Copper (-6.0 percent) vs Copper previous week (-8.8 percent) Platinum (-11.3 percent) vs Platinum previous week (-5.7 percent) Palladium (1.9 percent) vs Palladium previous week (0.3 percent) Gold Comex Futures: The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 118,121 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -27,539 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 145,660 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Gold Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.3 24.2 9.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.5 49.6 6.1 – Net Position: 118,121 -137,788 19,667 – Gross Longs: 251,126 131,170 52,583 – Gross Shorts: 133,005 268,958 32,916 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.9 to 1 0.5 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -23.1 25.1 -27.7   Silver Comex Futures: The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 3,204 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -1,935 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 5,139 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. Silver Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 38.5 40.7 15.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 36.2 47.4 10.8 – Net Position: 3,204 -9,612 6,408 – Gross Longs: 54,744 57,865 21,748 – Gross Shorts: 51,540 67,477 15,340 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -14.5 15.6 -16.8   Copper Grade #1 Futures: The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -26,295 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 5,501 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -31,796 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 23.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 78.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.9 percent. Copper Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 30.6 50.8 8.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.9 35.1 8.6 – Net Position: -26,295 27,061 -766 – Gross Longs: 52,623 87,389 13,967 – Gross Shorts: 78,918 60,328 14,733 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.4 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 23.4 78.1 20.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.0 8.0 -19.5   Platinum Futures: The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -5,911 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,177 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,734 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.2 percent. Platinum Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.1 39.4 11.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 50.9 37.7 5.0 – Net Position: -5,911 1,235 4,676 – Gross Longs: 32,580 29,758 8,464 – Gross Shorts: 38,491 28,523 3,788 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.0 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 27.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -11.3 10.0 7.5   Palladium Futures: The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -2,802 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 608 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,410 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.8 percent. Palladium Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.5 70.8 13.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 58.7 20.6 20.1 – Net Position: -2,802 3,252 -450 – Gross Longs: 1,001 4,586 853 – Gross Shorts: 3,803 1,334 1,303 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 3.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 7.1 93.0 17.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.9 0.2 -20.9   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Summary:  Today we look at the US equity market rolling over a bit after hitting a key resistance point in the form of the S&P 500's 200-day moving average. We continue to note the resilient US dollar and the risk of USDCNH suddenly commanding the market's attention again if China moves to devalue its currency. We also zero in on weak Antipodean currencies as AUDUSD struggles and NZD can't get a boost from the RBNZ overnight. Crude oil, industrial metals, the latest on the dire power emergency in the EU, danger of meme stocks, earnings ahead and more on today's pod, which features Peter Garnry on equities, Ole Hansen on commodities and John J. Hardy hosting and on FX. Listen to today’s podcast - slides are found via the link. Follow Saxo Market Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher If you are not able to find the podcast on your favourite podcast app when searching for Saxo Market Call, please drop us an email at marketcall@saxobank.com and we'll look into it.   Questions and comments, please! We invite you to send any questions and comments you might have for the podcast team. Whether feedback on the show's content, questions about specific topics, or requests for more focus on a given market area in an upcoming podcast, please get in touch at marketcall@saxobank.com.   Source: Podcast: Watching for signs of altitude sickness

Summary:  Commodities traded with a softer bias this week as the focus continued to rest on global macro-economic developments, in some cases reducing the impact of otherwise supportive micro developments, such as the fall in inventories seen across several individual commodities. Overall, however, we do not alter our long-term views about commodities and their ability to move higher over time, with some of the main reasons being underinvestment, urbanization, green transformation, sanctions on Russia and deglobalization. Commodities traded with a softer bias this week as the focus continued to rest on global macro-economic developments, in some cases reducing the impact of otherwise supportive micro developments, such as the fall in inventories seen across several individual commodities. The dollar found renewed strength and bond yields rose while the month-long bear-market bounce across US stocks showed signs of running out of steam.The trigger being comments from Federal Reserve officials reiterating their resolve to continue hiking rates until inflation eases back to their yet-to-be revised higher long-term target of around 2%. Those comments put to rest expectations that a string of recent weak economic data would encourage the Fed to reduce the projected pace of future rate hikes.The result of these developments being an elevated risk of a global economic slowdown gathering pace as the battle against inflation remains far from won, not least considering the risk of persistent high energy prices, from gasoline and diesel to coal and especially gas. A clear sign that the battle between macro and micro developments continues, the result of which is likely to be a prolonged period of uncertainty with regards to the short- and medium-term outlook.Overall, however, these developments do not alter our long-term views about commodities and their ability to move higher over time. In my quarterly webinar, held earlier this week, I highlighted some of the reasons why we see the so-called old economy, or tangible assets, performing well over the coming years, driven by underinvestment, urbanization, green transformation, sanctions on Russia and deglobalization. Returning to this past week’s performance, we find the 2.3% drop in the Bloomberg Commodity Index, seen above, being in line with the rise in the dollar where gains were recorded against all the ten currencies, including the Chinese renminbi, represented in the index. It is worth noting that EU TTF gas and power prices, which jumped around 23% and 20% respectively, and Paris Milling wheat, which slumped, are not members of the mentioned commodity index.Overall gains in energy led by the refined products of diesel and US natural gas were more than offset by losses across the other sectors, most notably grains led by the slump in global wheat prices and precious metals which took a hit from the mentioned dollar and yield rise. Combating inflation and its impact on growth remains top of mind Apart from China’s slowing growth outlook due to its zero-Covid policy and housing market crisis hitting industrial metals, the most important driver for commodities recently has been the macro-economic outlook currently being dictated by the way in which central banks around the world have been stepping up efforts to curb runaway inflation by forcing down economic activity through aggressively tightening monetary conditions. This process is ongoing and the longer the process takes to succeed, the bigger the risk of an economic fallout. US inflation expectations in a year have already seen a dramatic slump but despite this the medium- and long-term expectations remain anchored around 3%, still well above the Fed’s 2% target.Even reaching the 3% level at this point looks challenging, not least considering elevated input costs from energy. Failure to achieve the target remains the biggest short-term risk to commodity prices with higher rates killing growth, while eroding risk appetite as stock markets resume their decline. These developments, however, remain one of the reasons why we find gold and eventually also silver attractive as hedges against a so-called policy mistake. Global wheat prices tumble The prospect for a record Russian crop and continued flows of Ukrainian grain together with the stronger dollar helped push prices lower in Paris and Chicago. The recently opened corridor from Ukraine has so far this month seen more than 500,000 tons of crops being shipped, and while it's still far below the normal pace, it has nevertheless provided some relief at a time where troubled weather has created a mixed picture elsewhere. The Chicago wheat futures contract touched a January low after breaking $7.75/bu support while the Paris Milling (EBMZ2) wheat traded near the lowest since March. With most of the uncertainties driving panic buying back in March now removed, calmer conditions should return with the biggest unknown still the war in Ukraine and with that the country’s ability to produce and export key food commodities from corn and wheat to sunflower oil. EU gas reaches $73/MMBtu or $415 per barrel of oil equivalent Natural gas in Europe headed for the longest run of weekly gains this year, intensifying the pain for industries and households, while at the same time increasingly threatening to push economies across the region into recession. The recent jump on top of already elevated prices of gas and power, due to low supplies from Russia, has been driven by an August heatwave raising demand while lowering water levels on the river Rhine. This development has increasingly prevented the safe passage of barges transporting coal, diesel and other essentials, while refineries such as Shell’s Rhineland oil refinery in Germany have been forced to cut production. In addition, half of Europe’s zinc and aluminum smelting capacity has been shut, thereby adding support to these metals at a time the market is worried about the demand outlook.An abundance of rain and lower temperatures may in the short term remove some of the recent price strength but overall, the coming winter months remain a major worry from a supply perspective. Not least considering the risk of increased competition from Asia for LNG shipments. Refinery margin jump lends fresh support to crude oil Crude oil, in a downtrend since June, is showing signs of selling fatigue with the technical outlook turning more price friendly while fresh fundamental developments are adding some support as well. Worries about an economic slowdown driven by China’s troubled handling of Covid outbreaks and its property sector problems as well as rapidly rising interest rates were the main drivers behind the selling since March across other commodity sectors before eventually also catching up with crude oil around the middle of June. Since then, the price of Brent has gone through a $28 dollar top to bottom correction. While the macro-economic outlook is still challenged, recent developments within the oil market, so-called micro developments, have raised the risk of a rebound. The mentioned energy crisis in Europe continues to strengthen, the result being surging gas prices making fuel-based products increasingly attractive. This gas-to-fuel switch was specifically mentioned by the IEA in their latest update as the reason for raising their 2022 global oil demand growth forecast by 380k barrels per day to 2.1 million barrels per day. Since the report was published, the incentive to switch has increased even more, adding more upward pressure on refinery margins. While pockets of demand weakness have emerged in recent months, we do not expect these to materially impact on our overall price-supportive outlook. Supply-side uncertainties remain too elevated to ignore, not least considering the soon-to-expire releases of crude oil from US Strategic Reserves and the EU embargo of Russian oil fast approaching. In addition, the previously mentioned increased demand for fuel-based products to replace expensive gas. With this in mind, we maintain our $95 to $115 range forecast for the third quarter. Gold and silver struggle amid rising dollar and yields Both metals, especially silver, were heading for a weekly loss after hawkish sounding comments from several FOMC members helped boost the dollar while sending US ten-year bond yields higher towards 3%. It was the lull in both that helped trigger the recovery in recent weeks, and with stock markets having rallied as well during the same time, the demand for gold has mostly been driven by momentum following speculators in the futures market. The turnaround this past week has, as a result of speculators' positioning, been driven by the need to reduce bullish bets following a two-week buying spree which lifted the net futures long by 63k lots or 6.3 million ounces, the strongest pace of buying in six months. ETF holdings meanwhile have slumped to a six-month low, an indication that investors, for now, trust the FOMC’s ability to bring down inflation within a relatively short timeframe. An investor having doubts about this should maintain a long position as a hedge against a policy mistake. Some investors may feel hard done by gold’s negative year-to-date performance in dollars, but taking into account it had to deal with the biggest jump in real yields since 2013 and a surging dollar, its performance, especially for non-dollar investors relative to the losses in bonds and stocks, remains acceptable. In other words, a hedge in gold against a policy mistake or other unforeseen geopolitical events has so far been almost cost free.   Source: WCU: Bearish macro, bullish micro regime persists

 Summary:  The world and the global equity market can be divided into two parts; the tangible and the intangible. Since 2008 the tangibles driven industry groups have severely underperformed the intangibles driven industry groups due falling interest rates and an explosion in profits by companies utilising a lot of intangibles in their business model. However, since the Covid vaccine was announced the world came roaring back causing demand to outstrip supply and thus fueling inflation. The lack of supply of physical goods in the world and deglobalisation will be a theme going forward and our bet is that the tangible world will stage a comeback against the intangible world. The Great Financial Crisis proved to be the end of the tangible world The SaxoStrats team has been talking a lot about how intangibles took over the world and now the time has come for the tangible world to win back some terrain as years of underinvestment has created enormous supply deficits in energy, food, metals, construction materials etc. We have finally created two indices capturing the market performance of intangibles and tangibles driven industry groups. These indices will make it easier to observe performance in these two parts of the economy and will enable us to quantify whether our “tangibles are coming back” thesis is correct. When we look at intangibles vs tangibles over the period 1998-2022 it is clear we two distinct periods. From 1998-2008 the tangible part of the economy delivered the best total return to investors driven by a booming financial sector, rising real estate prices, and a commodities super cycle. Since 2008, the separation of the two parts of the economy becomes very clear. Lower and lower interest rates are inflating equity valuations of growth assets and intangibles driven industry groups are seeing an unprecedented acceleration in profits due to software business models maturing and e-commerce penetrating all consumer markets fueling the outperformance. If we look at the relative performance the tangible world peaked in April 2008 and was more or less in a continuous decline relative to the intangible world until October 2020. In November 2020, the revelation of the Covid vaccine reopened the economy so fast that demand come roaring back to a degree in which the physical supply of goods could not keep up. Prices began to accelerate causing the current run-away inflation and headache for central banks. The tangible world has since done better relative to intangibles and if we are right in our main theme of an ongoing energy and food crisis combined a multi-decade long deglobalisation then tangibles should continue to do well. Intangibles are still ahead despite rising interest and the current energy crisis During the pandemic the intangibles driven industry groups did better than the physical world because the whole world went into lockdown. Intangibles driven industries were suddenly necessary for making the world go around when we could not operate in the physical world. Government stimulated the economy in extraordinary amounts across monetary and fiscal measures and the demand outcome from this stimulus has caused global demand to outstrip available supply and especially of things in the physical world. The outcome of this has been inflation and also a comeback to the tangible world, but the tangibles driven industry groups are still behind the intangibles measured from the starting point of December 2019. It is our expectations that as interest rates are lifted to cool demand and inflation in the short-term the tangible world will gain more relative to intangibles. What has been the best performing industry group since 1998? One thing is to look at the aggregated indices of the tangibles and intangibles driven industry group, but another interesting observation is to look at the best performing industry. There were three close industry groups, but by a small amount the performing industry group has actually been the retailing industry. The industry group was not creating a lot of shareholder value until after the Great Financial Crisis when the e-commerce, automation, and digitalization combined with expansion of manufacturing in China lifted profitability and market value of retailing companies. The largest retailing companies in the industry group today are Amazon.com, Home Depot, Alibaba, Lowe’s, Meituan, and JD.com. Our definition of tangible and intangible industry groups Tangible assets are loosely defined as physical assets one can touch and feel, and which can be collateralised for loans. This definition is too broad and not meaningful, because in the consumer services industry group, which we have defined as driven by intangibles, you find companies such as Starbucks and McDonald’s which both employ a lot of physical assets in their business. The way we have defined intangibles and tangibles driven industry groups was going back to 1998 and calculate the market value to assets for all the active companies at that point in time. We need calculated the average ratio for each of the 24 industry groups. All the industry groups with a ratio above the average of all groups we put into the intangibles. If the market value is substantially above the book value of assets on the balance sheet it must mean that the market is putting a value on something that is not there, or at least in accounting terms, and this is clearly the intangibles. So for McDonald’s they do employ a lot of physical assets but it is the branding, store network, product etc. that derives the meaningful value creation and thus the market is valuing the company way above the book value of its assets. One could argue that McDonald’s is a hybrid company but for our purposes we define it as being mostly intangibles driven. The full list is presented below. Banks are interesting because many think they are driven by intangibles because it employs a lot of people, but the thing is that banks are essentially deriving their profits from the spread between loans and deposits. The majority of bank loans are tied to physical assets and thus banks are tightly connected to the physical world. Tangibles driven industry groups Automobiles & Components Banks Capital Goods Commercial & Professional Services Consumer Durables & Apparel Diversified Financials Energy Food & Staples Retailing Insurance Materials Real Estate Telecommunication Services Transportation Utilities Intangibles driven industry groups Consumer Services Food, Beverage & Tobacco Health Care Equipment & Services Household & Personal Products Media & Entertainment Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Retailing Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Software & Services Technology Hardware & Equipment Source: The tangible world is fighting back

Sentiment in the oil market remains fairly negative due to continued concerns over Chinese demand Energy - China demand drop Despite concerns over demand, the oil market is holding up relatively well. In its latest monthly market report, the IEA estimates that Chinese oil demand will fall by 420Mbbls/d this year, which would be the first annual decline since 1990. Chinese demand has clearly suffered due to the zero covid policy that China continues to follow. Weaker Chinese demand was partly offset by the expectation that we will see a significant amount of gas to oil switching, given the high gas price environment. As a result, the IEA estimates that global oil demand will grow by 2MMbbls/d this year and by 2.1MMbbls/d in 2023, slightly below their previous forecasts.  With Russian oil flows holding up better than expected, the IEA expects that the global market will be in surplus of close to 1MMbbls/d in 2H22 and then more balanced over 2023 as the EU ban on Russian oil comes into full effect. Weekly EIA data shows that US commercial crude oil inventories increased by 2.44MMbbls over the last week. When SPR releases are taken into consideration, total US crude oil inventories declined by 5.97MMbbls. Gasoline inventories declined by 1.77MMbbls, whilst distillate fuel oil stocks increased by 4.22MMbbls. This is the largest weekly increase in distillate stocks so far this year, which would be welcome to the market given the tightness in middle distillates. Despite the increase, inventories are still around 30MMbbls below the 5-year average. The EU’s final proposal for intervention in the European energy markets was broadly in line with the draft proposal. First, the EU proposes that power demand should be cut, including a mandatory cut of 5% from selected peak hours, as well as aiming to reduce overall power demand by 10% until the end of March next year. Secondly, the EU wants to impose a temporary revenue cap on some power generators (renewables, nuclear and lignite) at EUR180/MWh. Finally, the EU also proposes a levy on excess profits from the oil, gas coal and refining sector. Metals – risk-off sentiment weighs on the complex Copper and aluminium prices fell yesterday as investors continue to digest the high CPI print from the US earlier this week, and what it could mean for Fed policy. Rising LME aluminium inventories only put further pressure on the market, with stocks increasing by 12,700 tonnes to 345,600 tonnes. China is stepping up its efforts to boost its housing sector with more Chinese cities announcing credit support and subsidies for home purchases. This week, China’s Evergrande Group removed most of its construction-project freezes as China enters its peak building season, which traditionally lasts until the end of October.  In precious metals, gold has unsurprisingly come under pressure over the course of the week- trading below US$1,700/oz. Higher than expected US inflation data has reinforced expectations of another big interest-rate increase from the Fed. Read this article on THINK TagsOil demand IEA Gold Energy crisis Covid-19 China Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Oil had its best week since March following OPEC+ supply cuts, whilst gasoil time spreads have surged due to ongoing strike action at French refineries Energy- middle distillate market surges The oil market finished last week on a strong footing. ICE Brent managed to settle a little more than 11% higher over the course of the week - the biggest weekly increase since late March. And this leaves Brent trading near the US$98/bbl level. The market continues to digest the announced cuts from OPEC+ and what exactly this means for the oil market for the remainder of this year and more crucially for 2023. The cut is clearly bullish. However, there is obviously still plenty of other uncertainty in the market, including how Russian oil supply evolves due to the EU oil ban and G-7 price cap, as well as the demand outlook given the deteriorating macro picture. Read next: Great Britain Expects Positive Results For Its Economy | FXMAG.COM The latest positioning data shows that speculators increased their net long in ICE Brent ahead of last week’s OPEC+ meeting. The managed money net long position increased by 27,459 lots over the last reporting week, leaving speculators with a net long of 185,332 lots as of last Tuesday. This is the largest position held since June and given the move in the market since then, it’s likely that the current position is even larger. The bulk of the increase was driven by fresh longs with the gross long growing by 24,434 lots. The latest data from Baker Hughes shows that the US oil rig count declined by 2 over the last week to 602. The number of active rigs in the US has been largely stable since early July. This is not a great signal for the market in terms of US supply growth, particularly with the tighter supply outlook following OPEC+ supply cuts. The European gasoil market continues to strengthen. The prompt ICE gasoil timespread has surged above US$100/t, up from a little over US$50/t the week before. In addition, the gasoil crack has also seen significant strength. The middle distillates market has been tight for much of the year. However, the latest move in the market is due to ongoing strike action at refineries across France. Strike action along with some other outages means that over 60% of French refining capacity is offline at the moment. Labour negotiations to bring an end to the strike are ongoing, but in the meantime, the government has released fuel from strategic reserves and there is the potential for further releases. Metals- LME launches discussion paper on Russian metal The LME began a formal discussion on a potential ban on supplies from Russia. Any move by the LME will have a significant impact on aluminium, nickel and copper. Russian aluminium has accounted for as much as three-quarters of LME stockpiles over the past decade, while copper from Russia has made up as much as 95%, the exchange said. This year, Russian exports to key markets remained unaffected with most customers likely to have entered into long-term contract agreements – Q4 should give a better sense of the direction of Russian material flows as contracts for next year are negotiated. The launch of the discussion paper comes a day after the LME said it would ban new deliveries of metals from Russia’s Ural Mining & Metallurgical Co. and one of its subsidiaries after the UK placed sanctions on co-founder, Iskandar Makhmudov. The move is the biggest restriction on Russian metal flows by the LME since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Agriculture – pessimistic sentiment prevails in soybeans CBOT soybeans continued to witness a liquidation of speculative longs over the last week as better supply prospects from South America and logistical issues in the US weighed on sentiment. CFTC data shows that money managers reduced their net long in CBOT soybeans by another 17,343 lots over the last week, leaving them with a net long of 77,488 lots as of 4 October - the lowest net long position so far this year. The move lower was predominantly driven by longs liquidating with gross longs falling by 15,520 lots to 94,762 lots. The major catalyst for this move remains a buoyant outlook for the soybean crop in South America, where improved weather could help supply prospects significantly in 2022/23. Meanwhile, dry weather in the US Midwest has reduced water levels along the Mississippi river, creating logistical bottlenecks in transporting soybean cargoes to export terminals. The slowdown in exports could increase the availability of soybeans in the US domestic market. Read this article on THINK

Global aluminium prices briefly rallied after news that the United States is considering an effective ban on Russian imports of the metal in response to the conflict in Ukraine. This comes at a time when the LME is also discussing the possibility of banning Russian metal from its warehouses US mulls Russian aluminium ban Metals have been mostly spared in the rounds of sanctions imposed on Russia that followed its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. The news of a potential US ban has revived memories of the chaos in the aluminium market that ensued when the US administration placed sanctions on Russian aluminium producers in April 2018. Back then, LME prices jumped to their highest level in seven years at $2,718/t, before gradually falling in the following weeks and months. Sanctions were then lifted in January 2019. This time around, while we have seen strength on the back of reports of a possible ban, the gains have been more modest given the lack of confirmation from US officials along with the fact there are several forms of action that could be taken. Three potential scenarios for the US The Biden administration is reportedly weighing up three potential measures: a complete ban on Russian aluminium, increasing tariffs to levels that would effectively act as a ban, and sanctioning the company that produces Russian aluminium: Rusal. The scale of the impact will depend on which of the three options the US opts for. The war in Ukraine has had little effect so far on Russian aluminium exports to the US with most customers likely to have entered into long-term contract agreements. US ban or higher import tariffs – limited impact In the scenario that the US imposes a ban or raises tariffs on Russian aluminium, there will likely be a limited impact on the global market. The US is not a significant buyer of Russian aluminium. The US imported about 192,000 mt of primary aluminium from Russia in 2021, accounting for just over 5% of the total 3.64 million mt of primary aluminium imported that year. Russia was the third-largest exporter of primary aluminium to the US in 2021, but imports from the country were far behind the 2.54 million mt and 354,000 mt shipped from Canada and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. In the first half of this year, the US imported about 120,000 mt of primary aluminium from Russia out of 2.12 million mt in total imports. If the US shuns Russian metals, Russia may increase its exports to sanction-neutral countries like China, the world’s biggest aluminium consumer. China would then buy discounted Russian material to use domestically and export its aluminium products to Europe and the US to fill the gap left by the Russian import ban. China imported 230,511 tonnes of primary aluminium from Russia this year through August, accounting for 77% of its total aluminium imports. Unless a US ban is accompanied by an EU or LME ban, any spike in prices that would follow such a move would most likely be short-lived. Sanctions option more of a concern However, if the US decides to sanction Rusal, the impact could be more severe, bearing in mind the market’s reaction to the sanctions in 2018. The move could freeze the Russian producer out of Western markets, depending on the severity of sanctions, which would boost global prices for the metal and distort global aluminium trade flows. Rusal is the largest aluminium producer outside of China and the only primary aluminium producer in Russia. The company produced 3.76 million tonnes of the metal in 2021, accounting for 6% of worldwide production. Rusal is not only a major producer of primary aluminium. It is also deeply embedded in global supply chains needed to make the metal – bauxite and alumina. Rusal’s 2018 sanctions affected operations in Guinea and Jamaica, while smelters in Europe struggled to secure raw material supplies. The Irish government also considered intervention to safeguard jobs at Rusal Aughinish Alumina, Rusal’s largest producer of alumina. If the US sanctions the Russian aluminium producer, it could make other buyers cautious of taking in Russian material, fearing exposure to possible secondary sanctions. Supply tightness and shortages that would likely follow would be most felt in Europe, where the industry is already grappling with low stock supplies and is more reliant on Russian supply. Europe is Rusal’s biggest customer, accounting for 40% of sales revenues. Buyers have been increasingly pushing back as contracts for next year are being negotiated. Some companies, including Novelis and Norsk Hydro, have already rejected Russian material for next year’s supplies.   US sanctions could also encourage the LME to act – the bourse launched a discussion paper earlier this month on a potential ban of Russian metals. Back in 2018, after sanctions were imposed, the LME barred users from delivering any metal made by Rusal into its global warehouses. This would, as a result, make traders and consumers cautious of buying new metal from Rusal, since they wouldn’t be able to deliver it to the LME – the buyer of last resort. LME discussion on Russian metals The LME is considering three options: it could continue to accept Russian metal, set a cap on Russian metal in LME warehouses, or issue an outright ban. Given that Russia accounts for about 5% of global aluminium output, the metal would be one of the most affected if we were to see a ban or limits on Russian deliveries into LME warehouses. Russian aluminium has accounted for as much as three-quarters of LME stockpiles over the past decade, according to the exchange. Clearly, the LME is worried about the risk of Russian metal being dumped into LME warehouses as buyers become less willing to accept Russian metals for next year’s supplies. Russian metals flow into the exchange’s warehouses, in the scenario that the LME doesn’t issue a ban or only limits Russian deliveries, which would cause some issues. Firstly, a strong increase in LME inventories could put further pressure on prices, while there could also be a growing amount of aluminium in LME warehouses, which buyers are not willing to touch. This could potentially lead to a disconnect in prices. There is already speculation that recent LME inventory increases in copper and aluminium are being driven by Russian material. LME on-warrant aluminium stockpiled jumped 63% so far this week and now stands at 527,675 tonnes, according to data from the bourse, with the increase driven by deliveries into Malaysia’s Port Klang warehouses. On-warrant stockpiles have now doubled since the start of October. A full ban on Russian metals would be the most bullish outcome of the LME discussion paper, effectively cutting Russian metals off from the exchange. With LME disappearing as the market of last resort for Russian metals, Russian suppliers would have to look elsewhere for willing buyers. Disruption to trade flows would likely offer an upside to affected metals, including aluminium. Read this article on THINK TagsRussian metals Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The oil market was softer this morning as macroeconomic concerns and a firm US dollar weighed on sentiment. Russian oil supply to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline halted over the weekend although the country has ruled out any major impact in the immediate term Energy: Supply interruptions from Druzhba pipeline Oil prices came under pressure in morning trade today after closing higher at the previous two consecutive sessions amid USD strengthening and macroeconomic concerns. The latest inflation report from the US has renewed concerns over higher interest rates by the Federal Reserve in the near term and overshadowed the supply outages from the Druzhba oil pipeline in Europe. PKN Orlen SA (the largest oil company in Poland) said that oil flows stopped unexpectedly via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia over the weekend. The pipeline has supplied around 400Mbbls/d of crude oil into Europe, mainly to Poland in recent months. However, the company said that end-users won’t be impacted by the halt in the immediate term as the Russian crude makes up only around 10% of the total supply; although longer disruptions to the transit route could have some impact. The latest data from Baker Hughes shows that the US oil rig count declined for a second consecutive week, by seven over the last week to a total rig count of 600. The number of active rigs in the US has been falling gradually since the start of the year. This is not a great signal for the market in terms of US supply growth, particularly with the tighter supply outlook from Russia.  The latest market positioning data shows that money managers trimmed their net long position in ICE Brent over the last week after hitting a one-year peak. Managed money net longs in ICE Brent dropped by 23,355 lots over the last week to 276,553 lots as of 21 February. Speculative net longs in ICE Brent are still comfortably higher when compared to the range over the past year and reflect the possibility of further liquidation if economic expectations deteriorate. Money managers reduced the net long position in NYMEX WTI by 3,986 lots over the last week to 184,488 lots. Metals: US to impose steep tariffs on Russian aluminium On Friday, the United States announced it will impose a 200% import tariff on Russian aluminium (effective from 10 March) and aluminium products made with metal smelted or cast in Russia (effective from 10 April). The tariffs are unlikely to significantly tighten the aluminium market in the US, given the nation’s small percentage share of aluminium imports from Russia. US purchases of aluminium products from Russia fell to about 200,000 tonnes last year, just 3% of total US imports - a small fraction of the global market of around 90 million tonnes. The move marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We discussed this in a note released on Friday. Meanwhile, the cash/3m spread for aluminium tightened to a contango of US$50.5/t as of Friday following the large inflows reported recently in exchange warehouses; for comparison, the market traded at a contango of US$35.5/t at the start of the year. The LME exchange inventories of aluminium witnessed inflows of 116,350 tonnes since the start of the year, taking the total stocks to 563,600 tonnes as of Friday. The latest data from the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) shows that weekly inventories for copper and aluminium rose marginally while lead stocks declined over the last week. SHFE Copper stocks rose 2,857 tonnes last week to 252,455 tonnes (highest since April 2020), whilst aluminium inventories gained 4,504 tonnes over the week to 295,920 tonnes at the end of last week. Lead weekly stocks fell by 38% WoW (-29,210 tonnes) to 48,006 tonnes (lowest since the first week of January) as of Friday. Agriculture: ISO trims global sugar surplus estimates In its latest quarterly report, the International Sugar Organization (ISO) revised down the 2022/23 global sugar surplus estimates to 4.15mt, compared to its earlier estimates of 6.19mt of surplus. The revision reflects the fall in production in India, Mexico, and Europe amid increased consumption. Global production estimates were reduced by 1.7mt to 180.4mt for the season. The organisation has also revised higher the market deficit estimates for 2021/22 from 1.67mt to 2.25mt. As per the Indian food ministry, the State-run Food Corporation has sold around 1.81mt of wheat in the domestic market to ease local grain and flour prices. The move is part of the government's ongoing plan to supply 5mt of grains to the market to help end users combat rising prices.  The USDA’s weekly net export sales report showed a fall in demand for corn and soybeans while wheat shipments increased for the week ending on 16 February. US corn shipments plunged to 848.7kt, lower than the 1,124.5kt reported in the previous week as well as below the average market expectation of 1,006kt. Similarly, soybean exports fell to 556.6kt, lower than 771.9kt in the previous week, and the average market expectation of 738kt. For wheat, the shipments rose to 418.8kt, higher in comparison to the 232.8kt reported a week ago and above the average market expectation of 259kt.  Reports from the European Commission show that the EU’s soft wheat production for the 2022/23 season is projected at 126mt, slightly lower than the January estimates of 126.4mt. Meanwhile, the exports are now seen at 32mt, lower when compared to the 34mt of exports projected in December. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The commodities complex traded higher this morning following stronger-than-expected Chinese manufacturing activity data. Demand for Russian crude remains strong in Asian markets due to higher discounts China's manufacturing sector has reported the biggest recovery in more than a decade Energy – Rebound in Chinese factory activity supports oil Sentiment in the oil market remains upbeat this morning, following improving macro sentiments as China’s manufacturing sector reported the biggest recovery in more than a decade – both manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs for February were very strong. Some sub-indices are the highest in several years. The official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI indices came in at 52.6 and 56.3, respectively, in February compared to 50.1 and 54.4 in January. The CAIXIN manufacturing PMI was 51.6 in February up from 49.2 in January. This set of numbers is stronger than market expectations. Our China economist believes that that the government will set a GDP growth target of 5.5% to 6% at the Two Sessions on 5 March. This set of PMI data gives the government a very good reason to set a high growth target. Meanwhile, the oil market largely ignored a relatively bearish API release overnight, with prices of both ICE Brent and NYMEX WTI extending gains for a second straight session today. The API reported that US crude oil inventories increased by 6.2MMbbls over the last week, quite a bit more than the roughly 1.4MMbbls build the market was expecting. In addition, Cushing crude stocks are reported to have increased by 483Mbbls. On the products side, API reported that gasoline inventories fell by 1.8MMbbls, whilst distillates stocks decreased by 341Mbbls. The more widely followed EIA report will be released later today. If confirmed by EIA, this will be the tenth consecutive week of inventory buildup in the US with total crude stocks moving further up compared to the five-year average at this point in the season. Read next: Some McDonald's Locations Don't Promote Hip-Hop Stars' New Meal| FXMAG.COM Media reports suggest that Russia’s crude production has increased by around 2% month-on-month to 11.05MMbbls/d in February, just shy of the highs made in February 2022 at 11.08MMbbls/d. Russia is reported to have increased oil exports to China and India in recent months as demand in Europe continues to fall. Demand for Russian crude continues to remain strong in the Asian market due to higher discounts. Russia was previously reported to be planning a production cut of around 500Mbbls/d from March onwards to reduce the global supply of oil and push prices higher. Metals – LME suspends flow of Russian metals into US warehouses The latest market reports suggest that aluminium smelters in China’s Yunnan province trimmed annual production capacity by 650kt-800kt following the latest round of power cuts in February. Total cuts (including the latest reductions) stand at around 1.9mt of capacity cuts since September, which accounts for one-third of the province’s capacity. As expected, the London Metal Exchange (LME) said yesterday that it has suspended new deliveries of Russian base metals into its US-registered warehouses following the planned imposition of tariffs on Russian metal by the United States. The exchange further added that the action was taken “in order to minimise the risk of price dislocation”. The move will prevent the delivery of Russian metal in the US against LME contracts. There is currently very little Russian metal available in US warehouses registered with the LME – only 400t of a speciality aluminium alloy. In mine supply, the latest data from the National Statistics Institute of Chile show that copper output in the nation slumped by 12.5% MoM to 435.9kt in January. However, production rose 1.3% year-on-year when compared to 430.4kt during the same month last year. Meanwhile, the Mopani copper mine in Zambia suspended mine shaft operations yesterday following an accident at the site. As for zinc, the Global Atomic-Befesa zinc plant in Turkey is all set to resume its operations in early March. The plant halted its operations on 6 February following the earthquakes experienced by the nation. However, the plant sustained minimal damage and has been declared operational. The latest LME data show that cancelled warrants for copper increased by 4,825 tonnes yesterday (the second consecutive increase) to 24,275 tonnes; fresh cancellation of warrants has pushed the on-warrant inventory down by around 5,000 tonnes to 39,825 tonnes, the lowest since 11 November. The invenotry outflow was mainly reported from warehouses in Singapore, Hamburg, and Rotterdam. Tighter supply in the spot market has tightened the forward curve with the cash/3m contango falling to US$10/t as of yesterday, compared to a contango of US$19/t a day earlier and a contango of US$27/t at the start of the month. Agriculture – Adverse weather in Ivory Coast could hurt cocoa supply The latest comments from the Agriculture Ministry of Ivory Coast state that the main crop for cocoa production is being impacted due to the adverse weather conditions in some parts of the country. It is being noticed that the winds are gradually causing cocoa trees to weaken and dry up, and the harvest is expected to drop in the 2022/23 crop season. Earlier, cocoa production dropped to 2.15mt in the 2021/22 season, when compared to 2.2mt of cocoa produced in the previous season. Cocoa supply from Nigeria has also been slower in recent months due to demonetisation in the country which resulted in transaction-related issues in the local market. Weekly data from the European Commission shows that soft wheat shipments from the EU rose 7.2% YoY and reached 20.5mt as of 26 February, up from 19.1mt for the same period last year. Morocco, Algeria and Egypt were the top destinations for these shipments. Meanwhile, EU corn imports continued to rise and stood at 17.9mt for year-to-date when compared to 11.2mt last year due to lower domestic output. Read this article on THINK TagsMetals Energy Commodities Agriculture Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Australia could see agriculture production and exports fall significantly in 2023/24 due to dry weather as a result of El Nino. China’s soybean imports have increased to fresh highs reflecting healthy demand for the oilseed, but the country's crude oil and unwrought copper imports were softer Energy: China's crude oil imports slow Crude oil traded relatively flat with a positive bias yesterday as supply concerns and a weaker US dollar provided support to an otherwise dull market. The broader commodity complex is also tracking Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony this week which could provide further clues for the broader economy and USD. China’s latest oil trade data hints at softer domestic demand which could weigh on sentiment in the short-to-medium term if imports do not recover. The latest trade data from China shows that crude oil imports in the nation remained weak at the start of the year as refiners eased purchases ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Oil imports fell 1.3% year-on-year to 84.1mt (10.44MMbbls/d) over January and February. For refined products, fuel exports from the country increased 74% YoY to 12.7mt over the first two months of the year whilst imports were up only around 14% YoY to 5.3mt. Supply constraints on Russian refined products appear to have supported demand for Chinese fuel products. Looking ahead, China’s crude oil imports could recover over the next quarter as industrial activity picks up and refiners rebuild their stocks. The port of Corpus Christi in the US is finishing up a capacity expansion project at some of the ship channels that will allow ships to load more cargo. The work is likely to be completed by end-April and will benefit terminals at the Ingleside division. Once finished, crude oil loading capacity could increase by up to 25% (a supertanker can load 1.6MMbbls compared to the current 1.2MMbbls) at the shipping channel. The company plans to deepen other ship channels by 2024 to increase overall crude oil loading capacity from the port. Metals: Mixed trade data from China China released its preliminary trade data for metals this morning which shows total monthly imports for unwrought copper fell 9.3% YoY to 879kt over the first two months of the year largely on account of the resurgence of Covid cases in early December which disrupted industrial activity. Meanwhile, higher global prices and China’s Lunar New Year holidays also impacted overall demand for copper in the country. Imports of copper concentrate rose 11.7% YoY to 4.64mt over the same period. In ferrous metals, Iron ore imports rose 7.3% YoY to 194mt during Jan’23-Feb’23. On the exports side, China’s unwrought aluminium and aluminium products shipments fell 14.8% YoY to 880kt over the first two months of the year. Exports of steel products jumped 49% YoY to 12.19mt from Jan’23-Feb’23.  In mine supply, MMG’s Las Bambas mine in Peru could restart copper shipments this week as protests ease. Peru’s energy and mines ministry reported that the government has been taking steps to improve communication between mining companies, the labour force and local communities to ease tensions and take appropriate measures to resolve all concerns. Peru is one of the major producers of copper and zinc and local protests have been a major supply risk for these metals. Read next: In crude oil, we are increasingly likely to see a year of two distinctive halves| FXMAG.COM As per the latest reports, Yunnan’s government has prioritised aluminium smelting projects in its list to develop the energy-intensive industry this year, despite the ongoing power shortages resulting in production cuts. As per the government’s latest statement, two aluminium projects with a combined annual capacity of about 4mt were on the list, along with more than 140 other projects from other sectors. According to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), one of the projects with an annualised capacity of 2.03mt is nearly done and about half of the capacity is already operational. Agriculture: Tight supplies from Australia In its first estimates for 2023/24, ABARES estimates Australia’s agriculture supply to drop significantly next year due to dry weather as a result of El Nino. Among major crops, the department expects total wheat output to drop from 39.2mt in 2022/23 to just 28.2mt in 2023/24 whilst exports will also decline from 28mt to 22.5mt. Among other crops, sugar exports could fall 6% YoY to 3.5mt whilst canola exports could fall from 6.9mt in 2022/23 to 4.9mt in 2023/24. The latest trade numbers from Chinese Customs show that cumulative imports of soybean in China rose 16.1% YoY to 16.17mt over the first two months of the year, a record high for this time of the season. Healthy demand for soybean and concerns over a delayed harvest in Brazil pushed up imports of soybeans in the country. Meanwhile, the latest data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that the nation exported around 33mt of grains as of 6 March so far in the 2022/23 season, a decline of 27% compared to the 44.8mt of grain exported during the same period last year. Total corn shipments stood at 19.1mt (-6% YoY), while wheat exports fell 38% YoY to 11.4mt as of Monday. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Comments from Jerome Powell during his testimony to the Senate Banking Committee were more hawkish than expected, which weighed heavily on the commodities complex, particularly oil Energy: Fed testimony weighs on oil The oil market came under significant pressure along with other risk assets following Jerome Powell’s hawkish testimony to the Senate Banking Committee. ICE Brent settled almost 3.4% lower yesterday, which also saw the market breaking below the 50-day moving average. However, the market appears to be finding some support in early morning trading today. This is after API data released overnight shows that US crude oil inventories fell by 3.8MMbbls, which is the first weekly draw the API has reported since early February. The more widely followed EIA data will be released later today and expectations are for a roughly 1.6MMbbls crude oil build. Read next: In crude oil, we are increasingly likely to see a year of two distinctive halves| FXMAG.COM The EIA released its latest Short Term Energy Outlook yesterday, in which US crude oil production estimates for 2023 were lowered. US oil output is expected to grow by 560Mbbls/d this year to average 12.44MMbbls/d, compared to a previous forecast of 12.49MMbbls/d. Meanwhile for 2024, US oil production is expected to grow by 190Mbbls/d year-on-year to average 12.63MMbbls/d, marginally lower than a previous forecast of 12.65MMbbls/d. These numbers suggest that the ability of the US to help with a tighter global market over the second half of 2023 will be limited. Metals: China continues to boost its gold reserves China, the biggest gold consumer, has continued to increase its gold reserves for a fourth straight month. The People’s Bank of China raised its gold reserves by about 25 tonnes to a total of 2,050 tonnes in February. China added over 100 tonnes of gold starting from November until its most recent increase in February. Prior to this, China hadn’t reported any increases since September 2019. Turkey was the biggest buyer of gold among central banks globally last year and in January. Turkey now holds 565 tonnes of gold, the highest level on record, according to data from the World Gold Council. Given the current geopolitical environment is likely to persist, we believe central banks will continue to add to their gold holdings in the coming months. With copper demand forecast to double to 50 million tonnes by 2050 from 2020 levels, the International Copper Association (ICA) yesterday set a target for its members, among them the largest producers of refined copper in the world, to cut direct and indirect emissions by 30% to 40% by 2030, and by 70% to 80% by 2040, before reaching net zero by 2050. Members of the ICA include BHP, Codelco, Glencore, Freeport-McMoran, JX Nippon and KGHM. However, there are no members from the world’s largest producer of refined copper, China. Given copper's key role in the energy transition and the "ambitious" decarbonisation plans, the sector should be an attractive investment for funds that use environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, the ICA said. China’s auto market recovered in February due to strong growth in new energy passenger vehicles, according to the China Passenger Car Association. The group estimates sales from new energy passenger car manufacturers to rise by 30% month-on-month and about 60% YoY in February. Read this article on THINK TagsOil Gold Federal Reseve EIA Copper API Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The commodities complex has been unable to escape the spillover from the SVB collapse, with large parts of the complex coming under pressure. Today’s US CPI print will be important for markets as it may shed some light on what the Fed could do next week when they meet Source: Shutterstock Energy - oil under pressure The oil market was unable to escape the broader risk-off move as markets grappled with the spillover from the SVB collapse. ICE Brent traded briefly below US$80/bbl yesterday and to its lowest level since early January. However, the market recouped some of these losses and managed to settle back above US$80/bbl. The increased volatility we have seen recently may linger for a while longer with US CPI data out later today. This data point should give some clarity on what the Fed may do next week at their FOMC meeting, although there will still be plenty of uncertainty over Fed policy given recent developments. OPEC will release its latest monthly oil market report later today, in which it will share its latest supply and demand estimates for the remainder of the year. In last month’s report OPEC forecast that 2023 global oil demand would grow by 2.32MMbbls/d YoY to average 101.87MMbbls/d, while non-OPEC supply was forecast to grow by 1.44MMbbls/d YoY to 67.01MMbbls/d, which leaves the call on OPEC production at 29.42MMbbls/d in 2023. Read next: The softening in some of the metrics in the February jobs report is easing fears of a more hawkish Fed, especially in light of the failure of SVB| FXMAG.COM The Biden administration has approved ConocoPhillip's $8b Willow oil project in Northwest Alaska. According to Bloomberg, the site is expected to eventually supply around 180Mbbls/d of oil. The approval will allow ConocoPhillips to drill from 3 well pads, which is less than the 5 pads that they were originally seeking. Following the significant strength in the European natural gas market at the end of last week, prices came under renewed pressure yesterday with TTF falling by almost 6.2%. Stronger wind power generation and forecasts for milder weather across parts of Northern Europe would have eased some concerns following recent energy disruptions in France. While EU gas storage is comfortable at more than 56% full, the gas market will likely remain extremely sensitive to any supply and demand developments. Metals – SVB fallout sparks haven demand Gold is on the rise again following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, curbing expectations for more hikes from the US Fed. Gold will likely stay supported in the coming weeks amid fears of contagion risk. Meanwhile, key US inflation data will be in the spotlight today for more clues on the Fed’s interest rate path. MMG confirmed the resumption of transportation of copper concentrates over the weekend while operations return to full capacity at its Las Bambas mine. The mine will now gradually reduce stockpiles of copper concentrate, which were held on-site amid disrupted logistics. The company added that it will continue to work closely with communities along the Southern Road Corridor to avoid any future disruptions to supply and export logistics. Rio Tinto’s chief executive said yesterday that production had started at the Oyo Tolgoi project in Mongolia. At its peak in 2030, the Mongolian project will be the world’s fourth-biggest source of copper, able to produce 500ktpa of copper. Agriculture – Black Sea grain deal The latest data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that grain exports so far in the 2022/23 season stood at 34.2mt as of 13th March, a decline of 24% YoY. Total corn shipments stood at 19.9mt, down 2% YoY, while wheat exports fell 36% YoY to 11.9mt. Meanwhile, negotiations for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative are underway -  the current deal is set to expire on 18 March. While all parties are keen to extend the deal, there are reports that Russia only wants to extend the deal by 60 days, rather than the usual 120 days seen previously. A shorter extension would increase uncertainty in grain markets. USDA weekly export inspection data for the week ending 9th March showed that the demand for US corn and soybeans remained stable, while inspections for US wheat fell. US weekly export inspections of corn rose to 999.4kt compared to 933.3kt in the previous week, but lower than the 1,146.8kt reported a year ago. Similarly, US soybean inspections rose to 618.8kt, up from 552.4kt a week ago though lower than 798.7mt a year ago. And US wheat export inspections stood at 249kt, down from 341.1kt in the previous week and 307.6kt a year ago. Read this article on THINK TagsUkraine SVB Oil Natural gas Grains Gold Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Brent has traded to its lowest level since December as a result of broader macro concerns. Outside influences are likely to remain a key driver for oil price direction in the short term Energy - Further pressure on oil The oil market had yet another volatile day with ICE Brent settling more the 4% lower yesterday, which saw the market trade to its lowest level since December. Markets have had to grapple with the SVB collapse and its broader implications on the banking system. Financial markets are having to balance this with US core inflation for February coming in stronger than expected. This makes it increasingly difficult to second-guess what the Fed may decide to do at its FOMC meeting next week. Much will likely depend on whether calm is restored to financial markets. Inventory data from the API show that US crude oil inventories increased by 1.16MMbbls over the last week, while stocks at Cushing fell by 946Mbbls. Gasoline and distillates saw bigger moves. Inventories fell by 4.59MMbbls and 2.89MMbbls respectively. Overall the numbers are supportive. The crude build came in slightly lower than expected, whilst the draws in refined products were larger than the market was expecting. Read next: Pfizer Will Buy Biotech Seagen For $43 Billion| FXMAG.COM OPEC released its latest monthly market report yesterday, which reported that OPEC production in February increased by 117Mbbls/d to 28.92MMbbls/d. This increase was driven predominantly by Nigeria and Saudi Arabia - their output increased by 72Mbbls/d and 59Mbbls/d respectively. The group also left its non-OPEC oil supply growth estimate for 2023 unchanged at 1.44MMbbls/d, while global demand growth estimates for the year were also left unchanged at 2.32MMbbls/d. OECD oil demand is expected to grow by just 230Mbbls/d YoY, whilst non-OECD demand is forecast to grow by 2.09MMbbls/d. This is largely on the back of expectations of a strong demand recovery from China. The call for OPEC oil supply in 2Q23 is forecast at 28.62MMbbls/d, roughly 300Mbbls/d below current OPEC output. While for the full-year 2023, the call on OPEC production is estimated to be 29.26MMbbls/d. The IEA will release its latest monthly market report later today. Bloomberg reports that Estonia, Lithuania and Poland are pushing for the price cap on Russian crude oil to be lowered from US$60/bbl to US$51.45/bbl. This would put the cap below current market levels, at least prior to yesterday’s sell-off. Urals are reportedly trading at a US$24 discount to dated Brent. The price cap is set for review this month.   Metals – Peru's copper exports slump Peru’s copper output fell 21% MoM to 198.6kt in January following a wave of social unrest, which also resulted in lower copper shipments for the month. Shipments of copper were down 25% from January last year, totalling $1.25 billion. Total mining exports were down 20% year-on-year. However, copper production was steadier, declining just 0.3% YoY.  Zinc output declined 6.9% YoY in January. Miners in the Philippines are not in favour of Indonesia’s plan to create an OPEC-like group to coordinate supply, the Philippine Nickel Industry Association said. The Philippines is the world’s second-largest nickel producer. Indonesia has proposed a producer alliance, including Australia, Brazil and the Philippines, as part of the country’s goal of adding more value domestically and becoming a key part of the battery supply chain. Nickel from the Philippines is of a lower quality than Indonesia’s and it has smaller reserves, which would make it difficult to attract funds, the Philippine Nickel Industry Association said. Australia’s major mining association and Canada’s trade minister also rebuffed the idea. Agriculture – EU soft wheat shipments Negotiations for the Black Sea grain export deal continue, although talks are proving more difficult than expected. Russia continues to push for just a 60-day extension to the deal, while other parties involved, including obviously Ukraine, are pushing for an extension of 120 days, like previous deals. This has provided some support to wheat prices with CBOT wheat settling more than 2% higher yesterday. Weekly data from the European Commission show that soft wheat shipments from the EU rose 8.6% YoY to reach 21.5mt as of 12 March. Morocco, Algeria and Egypt were the top destinations for these shipments. Meanwhile, EU corn imports stand at 19mt, up from 11.8mt last year. These stronger inflows are a result of weaker domestic supply this season. Read this article on THINK TagsRussian oil price cap OPEC Oil Nickel IEA Grains Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Broader market concerns and softer fundamentals have put significant pressure on oil prices. The key question is where is the floor for the market? This will largely depend on OPEC+ and the US Source: Shutterstock Energy - Oil prices plunge The pressure on the oil market continues. ICE Brent fell more than 4.8% yesterday to settle below US$74/bbl, which took it to its lowest level since December 2021, though we are seeing a slight relief rally in early morning trading in Asia today.  Broader market concerns related to the banking sector have weighed on risk assets, while oil is also seeing some soft fundamentals at the moment. The key question for the market is, "Where is the floor?" This will largely depend on OPEC+ and the US. Given the scale of the move, it is possible that OPEC+ decides to step in to stabilise the market, though until now, the group has been very quiet. As for the US, the government had previously said that it would look to refill its strategic petroleum reserves if and when WTI trades to around the US$70/bbl region. WTI is trading below this level now and so we will need to see how the US responds, if at all. Softer fundamentals have been driven by the fact that Russian supplies are still holding up better than expected. In its monthly oil market report, the IEA increased its Russian supply estimate by 300Mbbls/d. The current surplus environment has also meant that inventories have reached an 18-month high and the market is expected to remain in surplus over 1H23. It is only over 2H23 where stronger demand growth is expected to push the oil market into deficit. Over the full year 2023, the IEA expects global oil demand to grow by 2MMbbls/d, which will be largely driven by a recovery in Chinese demand and air travel. Weekly data from the EIA shows that US crude oil inventories increased by 1.55MMbbls over the last week, slightly higher than the numbers reported by the API. For refined products, gasoline inventories fell by 2.06MMbbls, while distillate fuel oil stocks decreased by 2.54MMbbls. Overall the report was broadly in line with what the market was expecting. Metals – China's metals output shows signs of recovery The latest official data from China shows that metals output rose in the first two months of the year following the reopening of the economy. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that aluminium production rose 7.5% YoY to 6.7mt in Jan-Feb’23 despite power shortages in the southern part of China. Bloomberg reports that China will again cut annual crude steel production in 2023. This will be the third year in a row for the government to mandate reduced output amid a push to reduce carbon emissions. The steel sector accounts for about 15% of national emissions. A ban on new steelmaking capacity is expected as part of the plan. Steel output in China climbed to 169 million tonnes in January and February, 5.6% higher than a year earlier, according to data from the China Iron & Steel Association. The Australian unit of US aluminium producer, Alcoa, said output at its Portland smelter in Victoria will be reduced to around 75% amid instability and production challenges, effective immediately. The smelter had been operating at around 95% of its total capacity previously. The smelter is struggling with uncertainty and hurdles related to the production of rodded anodes necessary to transport electricity into the smelting pots, Alcoa Australia said in a statement. The plant has a total consolidated operating capacity of 358ktpa. Read this article on THINK TagsSteel Russian oil ban OPEC+ Oil IEA EIA Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The oil market has come under significant pressure and has seen increased volatility over the last week due to external developments. This volatility is likely to continue this week with broader markets still nervous and uncertain over the outcome of the FOMC meeting Energy - Specs cut their Brent net long Broader market concerns weighed heavily on the oil market last week, while fundamentals have clearly not been strong enough to prop up the market. ICE Brent finished the week almost 12% lower, leaving the market at its weakest level since December 2021. Volatility is likely to linger this week, with broader financial market concerns likely to remain at the forefront. In addition, we have the FOMC meeting this week, which adds further uncertainty to markets.  External developments and a softer supply & demand balance have led us to cut our price forecast last week. While we still expect the market to trend higher over the course of the year, $100/bbl plus Brent is less likely. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that there was significant liquidation in oil from speculative longs over the last reporting week. The latest positioning data shows that speculators cut their net long in ICE Brent by 64,907 lots to 233,384 lots as of last Tuesday. This move was predominantly driven by longs liquidating  - 49,465 lots sold - although 15,442 lots of fresh shorts were also added. Given that the sell-off in the oil market has continued since last Tuesday, current speculative positioning is likely even smaller. While the crude oil market has come under pressure over the last week, refined products have held up better. Refinery margins have strengthened over the week with most cracks moving higher. The scale of the sell-off in crude oil explains some of the strength in refinery margins, but continued strike action in France, which is affecting energy infrastructure, including refineries, will also be providing some support to the products market. Read next: Dollar funding solutions get beefed up| FXMAG.COM The second batch of Chinese trade data released over the weekend shows that middle distillate exports over February increased further YoY. Diesel exports in February totalled 2.15mt, up about ten-fold YoY, whilst jet fuel exports came in at 1.31mt, up almost 96% YoY. These gains were not unexpected, given the increase in export quotas, and have helped to ease tightness in middle distillates. However, how these flows evolve through the year will really depend on how strong a recovery we see in domestic demand. Meanwhile, LNG imports in February came in at 5.21mt, up 8.2% YoY. This leaves LNG imports over the first two months of the year at 11.12mt, down 11.9% YoY. Metals – LME invalidates nickel warrants after irregularities The LME said it has found irregularities in the metal underpinning nine nickel contracts. The amount of the metal represents just 0.14% of live nickel inventories on the LME, it said in a statement. The exchange discovered bags of stones, Bloomberg reported, instead of the nickel that underpinned a small number of its contracts at a warehouse in Rotterdam. The issue affected nine contracts, representing 54 tonnes of nickel. The exchange said the issues were discovered after it received information that a number of physical nickel shipments, out of one specific facility of an LME-licensed warehouse operator, have been subject to irregularities. This will add to troubles for the LME, which has struggled to regain confidence in its global benchmark nickel contract ever since the short squeeze in March last year when fears of sanctions on Norilsk Nickel coincided with a huge short squeeze, forcing the exchange to suspend trading for a week and cancel billions of dollars’ worth of nickel trades. The exchange also said that it will postpone a resumption of Asian trading hours for nickel by one week. It had been due to restart on Monday and was expected to provide a significant boost to liquidity. The news comes weeks after Trafigura said it is facing more than half a billion dollars in losses in what it believes is a systemic fraud against it involving missing nickel cargoes. The trader said the LME announcement has no connection with its fraud case and it does not own any of the nine warrants that have been invalidated by the LME. Agriculture – Black Sea grain deal extended The latest reports suggest that the deal that allowed exports of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea was extended over the weekend (just before its expiration date). However, the agreed tenure for the deal extension still remains uncertain. There are mixed statements from the parties involved in the negotiations, Ukraine said it had been extended for 120 days while Russia said that they agreed to extend the deal only for 60 days. Despite the confusion over the duration of the extension, grain markets are still trading somewhat softer in early morning trading today. The latest data from the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) show that Indian sugar production fell marginally to 28.2mt so far this season through until 15 March. Cumulative output stood at 28.5mt at the same stage last year. Mills are ending operations at a quicker pace than last year with ISMA reporting that just 336 mills were crushing cane by mid-March compared to 438 mills at the same time last year. Uncertainty over where output will end this season has meant that the government is reluctant to issue further export quotas for this season. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange slashed its forecast for the 2022/23 Argentine soybean crop to 25mt, which would be down from 43.3mt last season and the smallest crop since at least 2001. The extended drought combined with high temperatures continues to hurt yields across a large part of the growing region. The exchange also trimmed its corn production estimates by another 4% to 36mt for 2022/23. Read this article on THINK TagsSugar Speculators Russia-Ukraine Oil Nickel Grains China trade Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Broader market concerns are having the impact you would expect, risk assets, including the bulk of the commodities complex, are coming under pressure, while gold is benefitting from stronger safe-haven demand. This week’s FOMC meeting will be important for where markets go next Source: Shutterstock Energy - TTF breaks below EUR40/MWh Price action in the oil market yesterday was choppy with direction once again dictated by broader market worries, given developments in the banking sector. ICE Brent fell towards US$70/bbl but managed to hold above this level and in fact settled more than 1.1% higher on the day. Timespreads have weakened along with the broader flat price weakness in recent days. The prompt ICE Brent spread has fallen from more than a US$0.60/bbl backwardation to around US$0.20/bbl recently. This weakness is not isolated to the prompt spread with weakness across the forward curve. A flattening in the curve suggests the market is less worried about tightness in the physical market. This will likely be a result of Russian supply holding up better than expected, while demand concerns will not be helping. European gas prices came under further pressure yesterday. TTF fell by more than 8% on the day, which saw it settling below EUR40/MWh - the lowest level since July 2021. Europe has already started to see injections, which has seen storage levels edge higher over the last couple of days. EU storage is about 56% full and with the heating season officially over in less than 2 weeks, it is very likely it ends with storage above 50%. We will need to keep an eye on domestic consumption and see how it responds to the lower price environment. Already, if we look at German gas consumption data for week 10 of the year, it was down just 3% from the 2018-21 average. Metals – Gold tops $2,000/oz for first time in a year Spot gold briefly broke above $2,000/oz yesterday for the first time since March 2022, on the back of haven demand amid continued fears over the global banking sector. Last week gold ETF holdings increased by more than 700koz to 92.52moz. Wednesday’s FOMC meeting will be important for gold and broader markets with plenty of uncertainty over what the Fed may do given current market developments. A pause in hiking would likely provide a further boost to gold prices. Read next: Asia Morning Bites - 21.03.2023| FXMAG.COM Daily average global aluminium production rose to 188,300 tonnes in February, up from 187,800 tonnes in January and 2.67% higher YoY, according to the International Aluminium Association (IAI). Total output over the month was 5.27mt. Aluminium production in Western and Central Europe is still under pressure,  falling 9.1% MoM and 10.8% YoY to 209kt in February. Chinese estimated production came in at 111,000 tonnes/day, up 0.35% MoM. Agriculture – US weekly grain inspections rise The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 16th March showed that the demand for US grains remained strong over the last week. US weekly export inspections of corn rose to 1,188.7kt compared to 1015.2kt in the previous week, but lower than the 1,496.8kt reported a year ago. US soybean inspections rose to 716.6kt, up from 633.4kt a week ago and 556.6kt a year ago. And US wheat export inspections stood at 374.2kt, higher than the 256.9kt seen in the previous week and 335.1kt a year ago. The latest data from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority shows that Uganda shipped 478,646 bags of coffee in February, up 6.3% YoY as exporters unloaded stockpiles citing high global prices. Robusta accounted for 78% of the total exports. However, coffee exports for the season are still down 4.5% YoY to a total of 2.29m bags so far. In its latest monthly crop-monitoring report, the European Commission revised higher its total wheat yield estimate to 5.77t/ha for the 2022/23 season, this is above the 5.57t/ha seen last year and the 5-year average of 5.59t/ha. The report further highlighted that winter crops are in fair to good shape across most of Europe, after the mild winter. However, partially expanding and intensifying dry conditions in southern parts continue to threaten overall crop conditions. Read this article on THINK TagsOil Natural gas Grains Gold Coffee Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Price action today will likely be largely dictated by the outcome of the FOMC meeting. It is still unclear whether the Fed will hold rates or hike. Recent developments in the banking sector make it a tough call Energy: Market awaits FOMC Oil prices rebounded yesterday with ICE Brent rallying by a little more than 2% as markets took comfort in comments from the US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, that the government would be prepared to take further action to protect depositors in small US banks, although prices have weakened somewhat in early morning trading today.  Overnight, the API reported that US crude oil inventories increased by 3.26MMbbls, whilst on the products side, gasoline and distillates saw draws of 1.09MMbbls and 1.83MMbbls respectively. However, key for markets today will be the FOMC meeting amid continued uncertainty over whether the Fed will hold rates or hike by 25bp. Russia has said that the previously announced oil supply cuts of 500Mbbls/d for March will be extended until the end of June given current market conditions. Although, there is doubt over whether Russia has reduced output in March, given that seaborne crude exports have held relatively steady so far this month. Meanwhile, it appears unlikely that the G7 will revise the Russian oil price cap, with reports that some officials are reluctant to take such action. The cap was set to be reviewed in March and some EU countries (Poland) have been pushing for the price cap to be lowered from the current US$60/bbl. There are signs that the European gasoil market is tightening. The prompt ICE gasoil timespread is trading in backwardation of around US$30/t, up from around US$15/t at the start of March. This will be largely on the back of lower runs from French refiners. Continued strike action in France is affecting fuel deliveries and causing some refiners to halt or reduce operations. Total has halted its 247Mbbls/d Normandy refinery, whilst the remainder of Total and Exxon refineries are all operating below capacity. Metals: China imports of Russian aluminium climb China has nearly doubled its imports of Russian aluminium in the year since the invasion of Ukraine. Imports of refined aluminium from Russia, the largest aluminium producer after China, climbed 94% to 538,600 tonnes between March 2022 and February 2023 from the previous 12 months, according to Chinese customs data. This has happened as some Western buyers have rejected Russian supplies in their contracts. Read next: Softer Federal Reserve could play in favour of S&P 500 index| FXMAG.COM LME total on-warrant stocks for copper reported outflows of 5,500 tonnes (the biggest daily decline since 8 December) to 43,500 tonnes as of yesterday. Most of the outflows were reported from warehouses in Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, cancelled warrants for copper rose by 4,975 tonnes for a second consecutive session to 32,900 tonnes as of yesterday, signalling potential further outflows. Agriculture: Ukraine 2023 grain harvest to fall Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry expects the 2023 grain harvest to fall by 17% year-on-year to 44.3mt as farmers reduce area, while average yields are also expected to be lower. The ministry estimates that domestic wheat output will fall by 19% YoY to 16.6mt, whilst the corn harvest is expected to fall 15% YoY to 21.7mt. The latest export data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that 2022/23 grain exports stood at 35.8mt as of 21 March, a decline of 20% YoY. Total corn shipments stood at 21mt (+2% YoY), whilst wheat exports fell 34% YoY to 12.3mt. Read this article on THINK TagsRussian oil price cap Refined product Oil Grains Diesel Copper Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Oil prices remain well supported with ongoing supply disruptions from Iraq. Meanwhile, EU energy ministers have agreed that voluntary gas demand cuts will be extended by another year Gas storage tank Energy - supply concerns linger Oil prices remained well supported yesterday and continue to be in early morning trading today. Supply concerns continue to prop up prices. Iraqi oil flows via Turkey have still not resumed following a legal ruling last week that ruled in favour of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government believes that Kurdish oil should not be exported via Turkey without Iraq’s approval. The volumes affected are fairly large at around 400Mbbls/d. Talks have so far failed to reach an agreement. There are reports that the US is pushing the parties involved to resume these oil flows. Providing further support to the oil market overnight was bullish inventory data from the API. US crude oil inventories are reported to have fallen by 6.1MMbbls over the last week - quite different from the small build the market was expecting. Meanwhile, crude oil inventories at Cushing also declined by 2.4MMbbls. Product inventory changes were also constructive, particularly for gasoline, with stocks falling by 5.9MMbbls. The more widely followed EIA report will be released later today. EU energy ministers met yesterday and agreed that the voluntary 15% natural gas demand cut will be extended by 12 months through until the end of March 2024. These voluntary cuts were scheduled to expire at the end of this month. As before, these voluntary cuts could become compulsory if the EU gas market was to tighten significantly. Our balance sheet shows that the EU will not need to see cuts as large as 15% from April onwards. Instead, we believe a 10% demand cut will be enough. The European Commission is also looking at a way of tackling Russian LNG flows into Europe. Whilst Russian pipeline flows have fallen significantly since the war, LNG imports from Russia have grown significantly. Russian LNG flows to Europe last year totalled around 22bcm, up more than 37% YoY. The EU is looking at giving members the option to block Russian firms from booking capacity at import terminals. This would basically give member countries the option to block Russian LNG imports, without the region having to impose sanctions.   Metals – Dollar weakness lifts prices Industrial metals edged higher yesterday with LME copper prices approaching the $9,000/t mark as the USD continued its decline for a second straight session, while risk sentiment appears to also be improving. The latest LME COTR report shows that investors reduced their net bullish positions for aluminium by 5,833 lots to 91,578 lots, whilst net long positions in zinc fell by 1,639 lots to 30,892 lots (the lowest in four months) as of last Friday. In contrast, speculators increased net long positions in copper by 3,947 lots (after falling for two consecutive weeks) to 47,218 lots in the week ending 24 March. Read next: Hungary’s central bank ain’t got no room for change| FXMAG.COM Iron ore prices continued their recovery yesterday amid expectations of stronger Chinese steel consumption as the peak construction season starts. Tighter supply has also provided support to the market. Daily exports of iron ore from Brazil have been down so far in March. The latest data from Brazil’s economy ministry shows that daily average exports of iron ore reached 1.14mt/d in the first 18 business days of March, compared to shipments of 1.3mt/d last month and 1.31mt/d in March 2022. Fortescue Metals Group now expects the first output from its Iron Bridge Magnetite Project in the second half of April. Previously, the company said that production would start at the project at the end of 1Q23. The mine is expected to produce 22mtpa of high-grade 67% iron magnetite concentrate. Agriculture –Indonesia's 2023 coffee output to fall The Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries expects domestic coffee production to fall 20% YoY to 9.6m of 60kg bags this year, down from 12m bags in 2022 due to severe rainfall. The group further added that Indonesia’s bean exports are projected at 250kt in 2023, down from 320kt in 2022. The latest data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that 2022/23 grain exports stood at 36.9mt as of 27 March, a decline of 17.7% YoY. Total corn shipments stood at 21.7mt (+6.7% YoY), while wheat exports fell 31.4% YoY to 12.6mt. Read this article on THINK TagsSpeculators Oil Natural gas LNG Iron ore Grains Copper Coffee Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Oil prices traded lower yesterday despite a fairly bullish EIA inventory report and Kurdish supply concerns lingering Source: iStock Energy - Kurdish oil flows still blocked The oil market edged lower yesterday, despite fairly constructive US inventory data from the EIA. US crude oil inventories fell by 7.49MMbbls over the last week, the largest draw in commercial inventories since November and only the second decline in stocks so far this year. However, at almost 476MMbbls, crude inventories remain around 26MMbbls above the 5-year average for this time of year. The draw was driven largely by a fall in imports, with crude oil imports falling by 847Mbbls/d WoW. Exports remained above 4MMbbls/d over the week. Refiners increased utilisation rates by 1.7pp to 90.3% - the highest levels seen so far this year. Despite the stronger refinery runs, gasoline inventories fell by 2.9MMbbls over the week. Implied gasoline demand increased by 185Mbbls/d, taking gasoline demand in excess of 9.1MMbbls/d- the strongest levels so far this year. As a result, total US gasoline inventories stand at less than 227MMbbls,  the lowest levels seen at this stage of the year since 2014. Distillates saw a marginal build of 281Mbbls over the week. The US energy secretary has said the US could start refilling its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) later this year, according to Reuters. Oil prices have recently traded in the price range (WTI- $67-72/bbl) where the US government had previously said it would look to start buying to replenish inventories. Due to maintenance and also the mandated release of 26MMbbls from the SPR, the government recently said it would be difficult to start refilling the SPR at the moment. Potential SPR buying was expected to provide somewhat of a floor to the market, but clearly that is not the case, at least in the near term. Read next: Today, the US GDP goes public. Eurozone inflation expected to reach 7.1%| FXMAG.COM The standoff with Kurdish oil flows via Turkey continues and the halting of pipeline flows has meant that producers in the Kurdish region have had to start reducing output. Producer, DNO has said it has started an orderly shutdown of its fields in the region. These include the shutting down of Tawke and Peshkabir, which produced 107Mbbls/d in 2022. The Kurdish and Iraqi authorities are still trying to work out an agreement which would allow roughly 400Mbbls/d of oil flows from the Kurdish region to resume. Metals – US cobalt mine halts construction The latest reports suggest that Jervois Global Ltd. will halt construction at its Idaho cobalt mine in the US, due to declining cobalt prices and rising construction costs. The company said that the project was nearing completion earlier this month and was expected to produce 2,000t/yr. Cobalt prices are down more than 30% YTD, trading just below US$35k/tonne. Agriculture –Thai sugar production lowered Recent estimates from the Thai Sugar Millers Corp. show that domestic sugar production will reach 11mt this season, 8.5% higher than the previous year. However, it was lower compared to the initial forecasts of 11.5mt of sugar in 2022/23. The harvest has essentially already ended, with latest data showing that millers have crushed 93.73mt as of 27 March, resulting in 10.93mt of sugar so far this season. Read this article on THINK TagsSugar SPR Oil EIA Cobalt Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Improved risk sentiment has seen oil trade higher over the week, whilst supply concerns have only added further strength. OPEC+ meet early next week and we expect the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) to recommend no change to output policy Source: iStockphoto Energy- Gasoil stocks fall The oil market continues to strengthen, with ICE Brent in striking distance of US$80/bbl. Risk sentiment has clearly improved across broader markets this week, whilst the oil market also continues to deal with disruptions to Kurdish oil flows via Turkey. In addition to the strength in the flat price, the WTI/Brent discount (June contract) has narrowed to around US$4/bbl, after having traded close to a US$6/bbl discount in early March. Strike action in France would be contributing to this narrowing, given that refiners have had to reduce run rates, weighing on crude demand. The wide discount seen in the spread over recent months has helped to boost US crude oil exports - these could start to edge lower with the more recent narrowing of the spread. The latest data from Insights Global shows that refined product inventories in the ARA region increased by 11kt over the last week to 6.08mt. This increase was predominantly driven by jet fuel inventories, which increased by 119kt to 815kt. Gasoil inventories fell by 84kt WoW to 2.35mt. This is the fifth consecutive week of gasoil stock declines in the region. The loss of Russian supply (due to the EU ban on refined products) and French strike action will be partly why we are seeing these draws. Gasoil inventories remain above the 5-year average, but we suspect stocks will fall below average in the coming months. Looking to Asia, refined product inventories in Singapore fell by 1.69MMbbls over the week to 48.12MMbbls. Light distillate and residual fuel stocks declined by 1.44MMbbls and 470Mbbls respectively, whilst middle distillates increased by 224Mbbls WoW. The OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) will meet on Monday to discuss the current market environment and outlook. We believe the group will recommend that OPEC+ stick to current supply cuts. The group would have taken comfort in the market appearing to have stabilised following the turmoil seen in financial markets over March. Metals – LME proposes changes to nickel contract The LME has proposed changes to its nickel operations, including making more forms of nickel deliverable and launching a new spot nickel market in China, in order to strengthen trading after a historic squeeze in March last year. The exchange is planning to implement the reforms over the next two years. In order to increase the amount of  class I nickel material eligible for delivery, the LME plans to expand forms of nickel that can be delivered against its contracts to include coarse nickel powder, which is favored in the production of batteries as it can be readily converted into nickel sulphate. Read next: German inflation drops but there’s no sign of broader downward trends| FXMAG.COM The bourse is also introducing a fast-track listing approach and fee waiver for new LME nickel brands with the aim of bringing more stock and liquidity to the contract. The exchange also plans to open a new spot market for nickel sulphate and nickel matte in China as an alternative pricing solution aimed specifically at the rapidly expanding class II nickel market. The LME will work with the Qianhai Mercantile Exchange (QME), which is owned by the LME’s parent, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, to develop a China-based spot market offering for the two products in order to support these trade flows in Asia. The LME also said it remains open to introducing class II contracts to complement LME nickel as the underlying markets evolve. The LME nickel contract currently accepts full plate and cut cathodes, pellets, briquettes and rounds. Other key measures proposed include making daily price limits permanent, with revised limits for copper and aluminium set at 12% per day and introducing a monthly report on stocks stored off-exchange in LME-licensed warehouses that are eligible for delivery. It also plans further initiatives on reporting of over-the-counter positions and trade reporting and increasing liquidity on its electronic platform. Agriculture – EU sees recovery in 2023/24 corn output In its latest Cereals Market Situation report, the European Commission forecasts that EU wheat production will grow 4% YoY to total 138.35mt in 2023/24. Export volumes over the upcoming season are expected to remain unchanged YoY at 32.9mt. As a result, 2023/24 wheat ending stocks are forecast at 19.79mt, up from an estimated 16.35mt in 2022/23. EU corn output is expected to recover in 2023/24 to total just under 65mt, up from 52.05mt in the current season. This increase is on the back of expectations of improved yields.  Given higher domestic output, EU corn imports are forecast to total around 18mt in 2023/24, down from an estimated 23mt in 2022/23.  2023/24 ending stocks are forecast at 21.9mt, up from 18.55mt in the current season. Read this article on THINK TagsWheat Refined product OPEC+ JMMC Nickel LME Grains Gasoil Corn Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The oil market continues to hold onto gains following the surprise supply cut announcement from a number of OPEC+ producers. These cuts should see the market tighten for the remainder of the year, pushing prices higher Source: Shutterstock Energy - Oil holds onto gains after OPEC+ supply cut shock The oil market has managed to hold onto yesterday’s gains after nine OPEC+ members announced surprise supply cuts over the weekend, amounting to 1.66m b/d. 500k b/d of these cuts are existing cuts from Russia, which were set to end in June and which have now been extended through until the end of the year. This leaves 1.16m b/d of cuts from other producers and, given that most of these producers are producing at or near their current production targets, suggests that actual cuts will be fairly similar to those announced . We had already expected the oil market to tighten over 2H23 and these cuts mean that the oil market will be even tighter for the remainder of the year. As a result, we now expect oil prices to trade above US$100/bbl over the second half of the year. The OPEC+ JMMC meeting yesterday was a non-event, with it confirming the cuts that were announced over the weekend. The OPEC press release re-emphasized the Saudi comment that the additional cuts announced over the weekend were a “precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market.” Metals – Copper cash/3m spread tightens The LME copper cash/3m spread traded out to an intraday higher of US$21/t backwardation yesterday, the highest levels seen since November. The strength in this spread has coincided with LME inventories trending lower since mid-March, re-igniting concerns over a tightening market. Chile, the top copper producer, reported that its February copper production fell to its lowest in six years. Chile accounts for a quarter of the world’s mined copper. Read next: FX Daily: Crisis playbook keeps dollar offered| FXMAG.COM In aluminium, LME on-warrant stockpiles fell by 7,025 tonnes for a second consecutive session to 419,800 tonnes on Monday, the biggest fall since 10 February, according to the latest data from the exchange. Most of the outflows were reported from warehouses in Singapore. Net outflows for March totalled 16,850 tonnes. Agriculture – Soybean gains on planting outlook and lower stocks CBOT soybean traded higher yesterday, following the USDA’s recent prospective plantings report, which showed that soybean planting estimates were largely unchanged year on year at 87.5m acres, lower than  market expectation of 88.3m acres. Further supporting the market was the quarterly grains stocks report which saw soybean stocks fall to 1.69bn bushels as of 1 March, down 13% YoY and lower than the market expectations of 1.73bn bushels. The USDA’s first weekly crop progress report for the season showed that the US winter wheat crop condition was poor for this point in the season due to severe drought in major producing regions. The agency rated around 28% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, compared to around 30% a year ago. The USDA also reported that domestic corn plantings have started at the usual pace, with around 2% planted for the week ending 2 April. Read this article on THINK TagsUSDA OPEC+ Oil Grains Copper Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Price action in the oil market yesterday was fairly subdued despite a constructive inventory report from the EIA. Meanwhile, gold prices continue to firm and clearly the US jobs report later this week will be important for where prices go next Source: shutterstock Energy – Saudis hike official selling prices Price action in the oil market was fairly muted yesterday despite the Energy Information Administration reporting relatively large declines in both US crude oil and refined product inventories. US commercial crude oil inventories fell by 3.74MMbbls over the week. This, however, was slightly less than the 4.3MMbbls the API reported the previous day. In addition, crude oil inventories at Cushing fell by 970Mbbls, which is the fifth consecutive week of declines at the WTI delivery hub. Despite this tightening, the prompt WTI timespread continues to trade in contango, although admittedly a very narrow contango. On the refined product side, gasoline and distillate stocks declined by 4.12MMbbls and 3.63MMbbls respectively. Inventories for both these products are at their lowest levels for this time of year since 2014. Implied demand numbers were also fairly strong over the week. Gasoline demand was up 150Mbbls/d to average 9.3MMbbls/d compared to a 5-year average of around 8.5MMbbls/d – although the 5-year average is heavily skewed due to the Covid demand hit seen in 2020. Overall, the EIA report was constructive for the market. Read next: Poland’s central bank keeps rates unchanged; Council cautious on inflation target| FXMAG.COM Unsurprisingly Saudi Arabia raised its official selling price (OSP) for all of its grades of crude oil into Asia for May. These increases come after Saudi Arabia and a handful of other OPEC+ members shocked the market last weekend by announcing surprise supply cuts. Arab Light into Asia was raised by US$0.30/bbl to US$2.80/bbl over the benchmark – this is the third consecutive month of increases in the OSP as China sees a recovery in demand following the dropping of its zero-Covid policy. OSPs for all grades into the US were also increased for May, whilst prices into Europe and the Med were left unchanged MoM. Metals – Gold flirts with all-time high Spot gold has closed above the US$2,000/oz mark this week for the first time since March 2022 after US data showed the job market is loosening, fuelling expectations that the Fed is nearing the end of its monetary tightening cycle. Gold has also benefitted over the last month from increased safe-haven demand given concerns from the banking sector. Markets will be keeping a close eye on the US jobs report later this week and whether this takes the gold market to striking distance of its all-time high of US$2,075.47/oz made in August 2020. Iron ore extended its decline yesterday following China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) urging futures companies to not exaggerate price moves in the iron ore market. These warnings have weighed on sentiment with prices down around 6% so far this week. The NDRC said it will continue to keep a close eye on the iron ore market and continue to increase its regulatory oversight to maintain the normal order of the market. Read this article on THINK TagsOSP OPEC+ Oil Iron ore Gold EIA Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

There is plenty on the calendar for oil markets this week. All eyes will be on the OPEC and IEA reports which will likely shed some light on the latest views on the demand outlook Energy – Specs boost net long in oil ICE Brent settled a little more than 1% lower yesterday amid reduced trading volumes due to a number of countries still off for Easter. However, the market has made a partial recovery in early morning trading today. Plenty of uncertainty is hanging over the market, and recently announced OPEC+ supply cuts have only added to this. Supply cuts can always be interpreted in two ways. First, and the most obvious, is that supply cuts are bullish given they will lead to reduced supply, and second, supply cuts are a bearish signal, as they possibly signal demand concerns. Prior to the announced cuts, the market was already expected to be tight over the second half of the year, but additional supply reductions could signal that OPEC+ is of the view that demand could underperform relative to expectations. However, the latest positioning data suggest that speculators hold a more constructive view following the recently-announced supply cuts. The latest data show that the managed money net long in ICE Brent increased by 73,354 lots over the last reporting week to 234,461 lots as of last Tuesday. This was driven predominantly by fresh longs, with the gross long increasing by 44,236 lots. There was also a fair amount of short covering following the surprise cuts, with the gross short decreasing by 29,118 lots. Unsurprisingly, the managed money net long in NYMEX WTI also saw a large increase, growing by 63,138 lots over the week to 176,414 lots. However, this move was predominantly driven by short covering, with the gross short falling by 44,736 lots. Read next: Tight US jobs market favours 25bp Fed rate hike| FXMAG.COM Bloomberg reports that the Russian Energy Ministry has said that oil output in March fell by 700Mbbls/d, which if true would be more than the 500Mbbls/d planned reduction the government previously announced. However, this reduction does not appear to align with exports, as seaborne crude oil flows remain strong.    For this week, there are a number of key releases. Later today the EIA will release its short-term energy outlook, which will include US oil production forecasts. Then later in the week, OPEC will release its monthly oil market report on Thursday, followed by the IEA’s monthly oil report on Friday. The market will be keen to see what demand revisions are made, if any, and if so how this changes the outlook, particularly in light of the recent supply cuts announced by some OPEC+ members. Agriculture – US winter wheat conditions weaken The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) latest weekly crop progress report shows that the winter wheat crop condition slightly deteriorated over the last week and remains well below year-ago levels. The USDA rated 27% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition as of 9 April compared to 28% a week ago and 32% at this point in the season last year. For corn, the USDA reported that 3% of the crop is planted, marginally higher than the 2% reported last week and a year ago as well. Recent data from Thailand’s Office of the Cane and Sugar Board show that Thailand crushed 93.88mt (+2% year-on-year) of sugarcane in 2022/23, lower than the initial estimates for more than 100mt of cane. This has resulted in sugar output of around 11mt. Lower-than-expected output from Thailand, combined with lower Indian supply, continues to support sugar prices, which have recently broken above USc23/lb. Key for the market in the coming months is how the CS Brazil crop develops. CS Brazil is expected to produce its second-largest amount of sugar on record this season. However, there are concerns about whether Brazil will be able to export all of this supply with increased competition for logistics following record domestic soybean and corn crops. Read this article on THINK TagsWinter wheat Sugar Speculators Russian oil ban OPEC+ Oil Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The commodities complex held up well yesterday despite the IMF downgrading its global growth forecasts. For today, all attention will be on US CPI data, which is expected to show a further slowing Source: Shutterstock Energy: Middle distillate market under pressure Despite the IMF slightly lowering its global growth forecasts for the year and signalling that risks are skewed to the downside, the oil market still managed to close higher yesterday. ICE Brent settled 1.7% higher on the day. A weaker USD provided some support not just to oil but to the broader commodities complex. For today though attention will be on US CPI, where the market is expecting to see a further slowing. The year-on-year and month-on-month CPI are expected to come in at 5.1% and 0.2%, respectively. Clearly, any surprises to the upside could prove negative for risk assets with the market likely having to readjust its expectations on how much more tightening we will see from the Federal Reserve. The EIA released its latest Short Term Energy Outlook, where US crude oil production estimates were slightly increased. The EIA revised its 2023 US supply growth number from 560Mbbls/d last month to 660Mbbls/d this month, which would leave output averaging 12.54MMbbls/d. The EIA also expects slightly stronger growth over 2024 with supply set to grow by 210Mbbls/d, which would see output averaging 12.75MMbbls/d. Read next: FX Daily: IMF warns of a ‘perilous phase’| FXMAG.COM Overnight, the API released US inventory data. US crude oil inventories are reported to have increased by a marginal 400Mbbls, although the market was expecting a draw of closer to 1MMbbls. However, crude inventories held at Cushing are reported to have fallen by 1.4MMbbls. Stocks at Cushing have been declining for several weeks now, which has provided some support to the prompt WTI timespread with it having shifted from contango into a small backwardation. Meanwhile, we are seeing a further easing in strike action in France, which has plagued the French energy industry for the last month. TotalEnergies has said that it is restarting its 247Mbbls/d Normandy refinery, whilst the restart of the 219Mbbls/d Donges refinery is already in progress. This is after workers voted to end strike action and follows ExxonMobil workers also voting to end strike action last week. The increase in French refinery runs and broader concerns over global growth have weighed heavily on gasoil cracks with the prompt crack trading below US$20/bbl for the first time since February last year. In addition, nearby ICE gasoil timespreads have collapsed. Metals: Higher zinc treatment charges The latest reports suggest that zinc smelters have agreed to a 19% YoY increase in treatment charges for 2023 supply. Korea Zinc Co. and Teck Resources Ltd. have agreed on a treatment charge of US$274/t, up from US$230/t last year and the highest in three years. European smelter closures would have played a large role in these higher treatment charges, although lower energy prices should see some of these smelters restart production. The latest data from the LME shows that the share of Russian aluminium stocks in LME warehouses has climbed to 53% (220,575 tonnes) in March, compared to 46% and 41% reported in February and January, respectively. Agriculture: USDA cuts Argentine corn and soybean production The USDA left its estimates for US corn ending stocks for 2022/23 unchanged at 1.34b bushels in the April WASDE update. Although this was higher than expectations of around 1.32b bushels. The global corn balance saw 2022/23 ending stocks lowered from 296.5mt to 295.4mt, which was largely in line with market expectations. There were some fairly large revisions lower in output. Given the unfavourable weather in Argentina, the crop was downgraded from 40mt to 37mt, whilst EU output was also lowered from 54.2mt to 52.97mt. These reductions were partly offset by a 1.83mt revision higher in Russian output. Overall, the report was slightly bearish for corn prices. For soybeans, yesterday’s price action was surprising given that both US and global ending stocks came in above market expectations. The US domestic balance saw 2022/23 ending stocks left unchanged at 210m bushels, whilst expectations were for a number closer to 198m bushels. As for the global balance, 2022/23 ending stocks were increased slightly from 100mt to 100.3mt, higher than the 98.6mt expected.  Higher projected stocks come despite Argentine production being cut from 33mt to 27mt. This reduction was partly offset by a 1mt increase in Brazilian output, whilst consumption was also lowered by a little more than 5mt. Wheat prices came under pressure with US 2022/23 ending stocks increased from 568m bushels to 598m bushels, which is higher than the roughly 574m bushels the market was expecting. The revision higher was a result of largely weaker domestic demand. Changes to the global balance were more supportive. Global 2022/23 ending stocks were lowered from 267.2mt to 265.1mt, which is lower than the roughly 267mt the market was expecting. Projected ending stocks for this season are the lowest since 2015/16. The decline was driven by stronger feed demand from both China and the EU. Read this article on THINK TagsZinc WASDE USDA Oil Diesel Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

US CPI data came in below expectations which provided a boost to large parts of the commodities complex. NYMEX WTI hit year-to-date highs, while gold appears well supported above US$2,000/oz. For today, the market will be keeping an eye on OPEC’s latest outlook for the oil market Source: iStock Energy: WTI hits YTD highs Oil prices continued to surge yesterday with ICE Brent settling more than 2% higher on the day, leaving prices above US$87/bbl. Meanwhile, NYMEX WTI managed to trade to its highest levels so far this year. US CPI data was supportive with both month-on-month and year-on-year numbers coming in slightly below market expectations. Following the data, our US economist still expects one more hike of 25bp in May and then for the Federal Reserve to start cutting rates towards the end of this year. Comments from the US energy secretary would have provided further support to the market. Jennifer Granholm suggested that the US administration would look to start refilling the US Special Petroleum Reserve this year if it is advantageous to taxpayers. Given that we see higher prices throughout the year, this means it is unlikely that the refill will happen this year. Read next: Rates Spark: Compression pressure| FXMAG.COM Along with the strength in the flat price, timespreads for both Brent and WTI have strengthened. The recently announced OPEC+ cuts mean that the market will be even tighter than originally thought, which suggests the potential for further strength in timespreads later in the year. While we see a tighter market, there are clearly demand concerns and that is well reflected in weakening refinery margins, which have been largely driven by weakness in middle distillates. OPEC+ supply cuts have also meant a narrowing in the Brent/Dubai spread. This spread has been trending lower for much of the year on the back of hopes of a strong Asian demand recovery with the China reopening. OPEC+ cuts, which will predominantly come from Middle Eastern producers, only offer further support to Dubai relative to Brent. The market paid little attention to EIA weekly inventory data with all eyes instead on US CPI. US commercial crude oil inventories increased by 597Mbbls over the week, although crude stocks at Cushing fell by 409Mbbls. Meanwhile, gasoline and distillate fuel oil inventories declined by 330Mbbls and 606Mbbls, respectively.    The latest trade data from China this morning shows that crude oil imports in March surged to 12.37MMbbls/d, this is up from 10.66MMbbls/d in February and the largest volume seen since June 2020. Coal imports also grew by 41% MoM to 41.17mt - the strongest monthly import flows seen since January 2020. Strong import flows are likely a result of expectations of a recovery in domestic demand.   For today, OPEC will be releasing its latest monthly oil market report. The market will be eager to see what demand revisions, if any, the group make following the recently announced supply cuts from a number of members. Last month, OPEC forecast that global oil demand would grow by 2.32MMbbls/d in 2023. Metals: China's copper imports fall Gold continued to trade comfortably above $2,000/oz (rising for a third straight session) yesterday as US inflation eased slightly. Total known ETF holdings for gold rose by 106.7koz (biggest daily addition since last Thursday) to 93.4moz. China released its preliminary trade data for March this morning, which shows total monthly imports for unwrought copper fell 19% YoY to 408kt, while cumulative imports also declined 12.6% YoY to 1.29mt over the first three months of the year. Meanwhile, imports of copper concentrate fell 11.3% YoY and 7.5% MoM to 2.02mt last month. However, cumulative imports are still up around 5% YoY to 6.66mt. Iron ore imports were stronger, rising almost 15% YoY to 100.23mt in March, while year-to-date imports are up around 10% YoY to 294.34mt. On the exports side, China’s unwrought aluminium and aluminium products shipments fell 16.3% YoY to 497kt in March, while year-to-date exports declined 15.4% YoY. Meanwhile, exports of steel products jumped almost 53% YoY to 20.1mt over the first three months of the year. Read this article on THINK TagsWTI Refinery margin OPEC+ Oil Iron ore Copper China trade Brent Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Summary:  Today we look at the market posting a strong session as US data was benign and as the US dollar rolled over to new cycle lows. Hard to read too much into local price action, however, as we await the Q1 earnings season kick-off today with the large US banks reporting and a heavy earnings calendar next week. We also delve into metals and commodity performance generally here, the end of the EuroDollar futures market as SOFR futures take over, the macro calendar for the week ahead and much more. Today's podcast features Peter Garnry on equities, Ole Hansen on commodities and John J. Hardy hosting and on FX. Listen to today’s podcast - slides are available via the link. Follow Saxo Market Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple Spotify PodBean Sticher If you are not able to find the podcast on your favourite podcast app when searching for Saxo Market Call, please drop us an email at marketcall@saxobank.com and we'll look into it.   Read next: Raw sugar traded in NY and White sugar in London both trade near a decade high on persistent worries about tight global supplies | FXMAG.COM   Questions and comments, please! We invite you to send any questions and comments you might have for the podcast team. Whether feedback on the show's content, questions about specific topics, or requests for more focus on a given market area in an upcoming podcast, please get in touch at marketcall@saxobank.com.   Source: Podcast: Market in goldilocks mode, with massive earnings week ahead. | Saxo Group (home.saxo)

Oil prices came under pressure yesterday on the back of a stronger USD. For today, all attention will be on Chinese 1Q23 GDP and March activity data Energy - progress on Northern Iraqi oil exports Oil prices started the trading week on a weak footing. ICE Brent settled 1.8% lower yesterday with a stronger USD weighing on the market. In addition, there appears to be more progress in negotiations between the Iraqi and Kurdish governments, according to Reuters, which would see a resumption of oil flows from Northern Iraq via the Ceyhan export terminal in Turkey. Oil flows of around 450Mbbls/d were halted back in late March after the International Chamber of Commerce ruled in favour of the Iraqi government, which claimed that these oil exports via Turkey were unauthorised.  The EIA released its latest Drilling Productivity Report yesterday, in which it forecast that US shale oil output will grow by 49Mbbls/d MoM to 9.33MMbbls/d in May. In addition, the number of drilled but uncompleted wells (DUCs) in the US fell by 10 over March to 4,676, the lowest DUC inventory seen since March 2014. Drilling activity is higher than levels seen over 2021 and 2022, but still remains below pre-Covid levels and is clearly not keeping up with the pace of completion of wells. US natural gas prices saw a lot of strength yesterday with Henry Hub rallying more than 7.6% on the day. Forecasts for colder-than-usual weather across parts of the US later in the week have boosted sentiment in the expectation of higher heating demand. In addition, we have seen record volumes of gas sent to LNG export terminals in recent days as they return to normal following the extended Freeport LNG outage. Metals- Myanmar mining ban plan Tin prices settled more than 10% higher yesterday, and traded to their highest level since 21 February on news of a mining ban in Myanmar, a major producer of the soldering metal. Myanmar’s Wa State, the country’s largest ethnic armed group, which controls the tin-mining area, will suspend mining resources exploration from August, according to Bloomberg. Myanmar has the world’s third largest reserves of tin, behind China and Indonesia, according to the US Geological Survey. China is particularly dependent on Myanmar tin ore, which accounted for 77% of China’s tin ore imports in 2022, according to Chinese customs data. Prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed 10.5% higher at their daily limit. Read next: Asia Morning Bites - 18.04.2023| FXMAG.COM China’s alumina supply will outpace demand this year, rising 3.1% to 82.2m tonnes this year, while demand will grow by 2.2%, according to estimates from Antaike. Chinese alumina capacity could expand by 8.4m tonnes over 2023 and 2024 from 99.55m tonnes as of 2022, according to the group. Norsk Hydro warned of delivery delays as trade union members at its Karmoy and Ardal facilities go on strike from Monday. The strike action will gradually affect operations at the facilities and shipping activities will be strictly limited for both sites, the company said in a press release. Agriculture – Black Sea Grain Initiative uncertainty Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said that Russia stopped inspecting grain vessels exported via Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The Ministry further added that the “grain initiative is under threat of shutdown”, which has once again ignited fears over the smooth movement of grains from three key ports. Nonetheless, the latest data from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) showed that the volume of crops under the grain deal leaving Ukrainian ports rose 7% WoW to about 702.3kt as of 16th April, compared with 656kt in the previous week. The USDA’s latest weekly crop progress report for the US shows that the winter wheat crop condition remains poor due to extended drought conditions in major producing regions. The agency rated around 27% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition compared to around 30% at the same stage last year. Meanwhile, corn and soybean plantings appear to be progressing well. The USDA reported that domestic corn plantings stood at 8% for the week ending 16th April, higher than the 4% planted at this stage last season and also above the 5-year average of 5%. US soybean plantings were reported to be 4% complete, ahead of the 1% seen at this stage last year. Read this article on THINK TagsUSDA USD strength Tin Oil Natural gas Grains Black Sea Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The commodities complex came under pressure yesterday with a stronger USD weighing on markets. Demand also remains a key concern for the oil market, while for grain markets, a resumption of Black Sea shipments has helped ease some supply worries Energy - demand worries grow The oil market came under further pressure yesterday with ICE Brent falling to its lowest level this month. The 100-day and 50-day moving averages should provide some immediate support to the market. However, if these support levels fail, it could trigger some further selling. A stronger dollar weighed on large parts of the commodities complex yesterday, whilst specifically for oil, demand remains a key concern. The weakness seen in refinery margins is not a great demand signal and this weakness could start to see refiners trimming run rates. EIA data did not help ease these demand concerns. Implied US gasoline demand fell by 417Mbbls/d WoW to a little over 8.5MMbbls/d, which is down from around 8.9MMbbls/d at the same stage in 2022. Implied demand for distillate fuel oil was largely flat WoW. Weaker gasoline demand helped lead to the 1.3MMbbls build seen in US gasoline inventories over the week. Inventory changes for crude were more supportive with US commercial crude oil inventories falling by 4.58MMbbls. In addition, crude stocks at Cushing declined by 1.09MMbbls, leaving stocks at the WTI delivery hub at 32.75MMbbls- the lowest level since January. However, clearly, the market was more interested in the demand data. Read next: Asia Morning Bites - 20.04.2023| FXMAG.COM Oil flows from Northern Iraq via Ceyhan in Turkey remain halted, which is keeping around 450Mbbls/d of supply from the market. The Iraqi prime minister had said that flows could resume this week, after coming to an agreement with the Kurdish regional government. However, Iraq still needs to reach a settlement with Turkey before these flows can restart. Oil supplies via Ceyhan were halted in late March after the International Chamber of Commerce ruled in favour of Iraq, which claimed that oil from the Kurdish region was being exported via Ceyhan without the Iraqi government’s approval. Metals – Global steel demand to recover The World Steel Association expects global steel demand to rise by 2.3% YoY to 1,822.3mt in 2023 and then a further increase in 2024 of 1.7% YoY to 1,854mt amid recovering manufacturing activity. Looking at China, domestic steel demand declined by 3.5% YoY in 2022 and it is now expected to grow by 2% YoY in 2023 following supportive government measures, especially for the real estate sector. Meanwhile, Chinese steel demand growth is expected to remain flat in 2024. The group also expects steel demand in developed economies to recover after declining sharply last year due to monetary tightening and high energy costs. Demand from these economies is forecast to grow by 1.3% YoY in 2023 and 3.2% YoY in 2024. As for developing economies (ex-China), steel demand is expected to rise this year by 3.6% and then by a further 3.9% in 2024. In mine supply, Antofagasta reported that its copper mining output rose over 5% YoY to 145.9kt in 1Q23. Although, production fell by 25% on a QoQ basis mainly due to temporary output losses at the Los Pelambres mine and scheduled maintenance at the Centinela mine. The miner expects its copper production to remain healthy for the remainder of the year and maintained its full-year production guidance of between 670kt-710kt for 2023. In ferrous metals, iron ore prices came under pressure yesterday as China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it would protect the market’s normal order and crack down on unreasonable price gains in the iron ore market. The group also pledged to continue strengthening the exploration of domestic resources, accelerate project building, and improve used-steel recycling. Brazilian miner, Vale SA released its latest quarterly update, which showed that its iron ore production fell 17% QoQ to 66.8mt in 1Q23. It is fairly normal to see production impacted over the first quarter of the year, given it is the rainy season in Brazil. However, production YoY was still up 5.8%. Vale maintained its annual production guidance of 310mt-320mt for the year.  Agriculture – Black Sea grain shipments resume Inspections of grain vessels shipped from Ukrainian ports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative resumed yesterday after being blocked for two days. This move would have helped ease some supply concerns in the global market, but there are still risks around these flows. The Brazilian Corn Ethanol Union (UNEM) estimates that the sector will produce 6b litres of corn-based ethanol in the 2023/24 season. This would account for about 20% of total domestic ethanol production. The union further added that the future growth in Brazil’s biofuel supply will come from corn, in a country where sugarcane has dominated the market. If this is a trend that continues, it clearly would be supportive of corn prices, whilst also potentially leaving more sugarcane for sugar production. Read this article on THINK TagsSugar Steel Russia-Ukraine Oil Iron ore Iraq Grains EIA Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Oil had its first weekly decline since mid-March as demand worries linger Source: Shutterstock Energy - Strong Indian refining activity Oil prices settled lower last week for the first time since mid-March. ICE Brent fell by almost 5.4% last week due to demand worries. Refinery margins remain under pressure, largely a result of weakness in middle distillates. However, gasoline cracks have also started to see some weakness. For gasoil, time spreads have weakened considerably over the last month with the prompt spread not too far from slipping into contango. It is currently trading in a backwardation of a little over US$2/t. Surprisingly, despite the weakness in gasoil, the speculative net long in ICE gasoil increased by 1,020 lots to 18,317 lots. The net long is still, however, some distance from the 80k lots seen back in January. ICE Brent also saw speculators increase their net longs, despite settling lower. The managed money net long increased by  7,946 lots to 241,987 lots. This move was predominantly driven by fresh longs, suggesting that some market participants feel that oil is underpriced at the moment. The latest government data from India shows that domestic refiners processed a record 23mt (5.44MMbbls/d) of crude oil in March, up a little over 3% YoY. This leaves the total amount of crude processed over the 2022/23 fiscal year at 255.2mt (5.13MMbbls/d), up 5.6% YoY. As a result, it is not surprising that stronger crude oil imports were also observed. March crude imports came in at 20.5mt (4.85MMbbls/d), up 7.9% YoY, whilst total imports over the 2022/23 fiscal year came in at 232.4mt (4.67MMbbls/d), up 9.4% YoY Metals – North Chile's protests hit Codelco mines There are reports that copper operations at Codelco’s mines were disrupted due to ongoing anti-crime protests in northern Chile. Codelco said that access to the Chuquicamata, Radomiro Tomic, Gabriela Mistral and Ministro Hales mines has been blocked since early Friday and operations were running at minimum levels. Recent data from the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) shows that weekly exchange inventories for zinc fell 8% WoW to 79,941 tonnes- the lowest since the last week of January and the sixth consecutive week of declines. In other metals, lead inventories declined 32% WoW to 25,285 tonnes, while nickel stocks fell 34% WoW, taking total stocks to 1,496 tonnes - the lowest level since July. Read next: Central banks: Our latest calls ahead of a dramatic month| FXMAG.COM In ferrous metals, iron ore fell to its lowest level since December as weaker-than-expected demand in China and ample supplies weighed on the raw material. Mysteel reported that some 52 of 126 blast furnaces in Tangshan province (a major steel-producing hub) in China have gone into maintenance, which will reduce capacity by around 765.5kt. Agriculture – Argentine soybean output The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange slashed its 2022/23 soybean production forecast to 22.5mt from 25mt due to lower yield estimates. The group left corn production estimates unchanged at 36mt for the current season. The latest data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that total grain exports from Ukraine dropped 11% YoY to 40.6mt so far in the 2022/23 season. The fall in exports was largely anticipated following the headwinds faced. Ukraine’s wheat exports fell 25% YoY to 13.9mt, while corn exports stood at 23.9mt (+15% YoY). Following the large price movements seen in sugar and coffee, it was surprising that the latest positioning data from the CFTC shows only a marginal increase in the speculative net long in sugar. Speculators increased their net long in No.11 sugar by 5,805 lots to 226,058 lots. Arabica coffee saw a more meaningful increase with speculators buying 11,785 lots to leave them with a net long of 33,557 lots. Read this article on THINK TagsSpeculators Soybeans Oil Iron ore Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The sell-off in the oil market continued yesterday despite a constructive US inventory report. Sentiment remains clearly negative and it's hard to see a turnaround until we see some signs of strength in the refined products market Source: Flickr Energy: Brent back below pre-OPEC+ levels The oil market saw yet another day of weakness with ICE Brent selling off a little more than 3.8% yesterday, pushing it well below US$80/bbl and back below levels it was trading at prior to the surprise OPEC+ supply cuts earlier this month. There was little in the way of fresh developments to justify the sell-off, but clearly sentiment in the market remains negative as a result of the macro outlook. The prompt ICE Brent timepsread has also fallen back into a small contango, suggesting a more comfortable prompt market in terms of supply. The price action we have seen in the last two weeks would suggest that OPEC+ made the right decision to announce further supply cuts. However, our balance sees significant tightening over the second half of the year, which should still mean that the market moves higher. For now though, it’s a bit tricky to figure out where the floor for the market is. The potential refill of the US Special Petroleum Reserve was meant to provide some support to prices, with the US administration originally saying it would look to refill the SPR if WTI traded down to the US$67-72/bbl range. However, the market traded down to those levels in March and we saw no action (due to maintenance and mandated SPR releases). Instead, the start of any potential refill may only happen in the second half of the year, if prices are attractive enough. This once again leaves OPEC+ as the most likely candidate to provide support to the market, and noise of further intervention is only likely to grow if we were to see Brent trading down towards US$70/bbl. Trading significantly lower than this would see oil prices below the fiscal breakeven for a number of Middle Eastern producers. The market ignored what was largely a constructive inventory report from the EIA. The EIA reported that US commercial crude oil inventories fell by 5.05MMbbls over the last week, which was more than the 1-1.5MMbbls draw the market was expecting. In addition, gasoline and distillate stocks fell by 2.41MMbbls and 577Mbbls, respectively. Implied gasoline demand also saw a strong recovery over the week, increasing by 992Mbbls/d to 9.51MMbbls/d. Metals: MMG copper output drops 13% YoY MMG reported that its copper mining output fell 13% year-on-year to 68,954 tonnes in the first quarter mainly due to lower milled ore grades at its Las Bambas mine in Peru. However, the miner maintained its annual copper production guidance at 305kt-353kt for the year. Amongst other metals, the company reported that zinc production declined 38% YoY to 30,650 tonnes in the first quarter due to the suspension of operations at Dugald River in Australia during mid-February. However, operations have since resumed. MMG lowered its full-year zinc production guidance to 190kt-215kt for 2023 following the 34-day suspension at the mine. Meanwhile, First Quantum Minerals reported a 33% decline quarter-on-quarter in its copper production to 138.7kt in 1Q23 due to a 15-day temporary production suspension at Cobre Panama and the rainy season in Zambia. The company left its annual copper production guidance unchanged at 770kt-840kt for the year. Agriculture: Sugar prices surge on supply woes The Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) revised down its Indian sugar production estimate for the 2022/23 season by 3.5% to 32.8mt. This almost guarantees that we will not see the government issue any further export quotas for the season. Prompt tightness in the sugar market and growing concerns over El Nino risks for next season have seen the No.11 Jul-23 contract rally by more than 8% over the last week. The No.11 May-23 contract also expires this Friday, and given the tightness in the prompt market we would not expect a large delivery. Although open interest in the contract still stands at 36,804 lots (1.87mt) as of Tuesday. Read next: Asia Morning Bites - 27.04.2023| FXMAG.COM The latest report from Statistics Canada shows that Canadian farmers are expecting to plant the largest wheat crop in more than two decades this season amid strong demand for wheat. Statistics Canada forecast all-wheat plantings at 27m acres, up 6.2% from last year. Corn and soybean area were also revised up by 2.8% and 4.5%, respectively. Improved weather conditions and growing demand prompted domestic producers to increase grain plantings. Read this article on THINK TagsZinc Sugar OPEC+ Oil Grains EIA Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The oil market saw a second day of gains yesterday with Friday’s strong US jobs report providing support. In addition, the oil market is seeing further supply disruptions Energy – Canadian supply disruptions The oil market continued its recovery yesterday with ICE Brent settling almost 2.3% higher on the day. Friday’s stronger-than-expected US jobs report provided some further support to the oil market. In addition, supply issues remain. Firstly, the market is still awaiting the resumption of Northern Iraqi oil flows via Ceyhan in Turkey, which is keeping in the region of 450Mbbls/d from the market. And secondly, wildfires in parts of Alberta, Canada has led to the shut-in of oil and gas infrastructure. The fires are affecting the key gas production region. According to Bloomberg, at least 234Mbbls/d of oil and gas production has been shut in as a result of the fires. This has seen differentials for both Edmonton mixed sweet and Syncrude sweet crude strengthen. For West Canada Select, there has been little change in differentials with fires not affecting the oil sands production areas. The latest trade data from China this morning shows that crude oil imports in April averaged 10.36MMbbls/d, this is down from 12.37MMbbls/d in the previous month and also lower than the 10.52MMbbls/d imported in April last year. Weaker imports are not too much of a surprise given that refiners had reduced operating rates due to maintenance. However, cumulative imports for the year are still up 4.6% year-on-year to average 10.92MMbbls/d. As for refined product exports, these totalled 3.75mt in April, down from 5.45mt in March and 1.8% lower YoY. Cumulative product exports are still up 44.3% YoY to total 21.9mt. Later today, the EIA will release its short-term energy outlook, which will include its latest forecasts for US crude oil production. In last month’s report, output for 2023 was forecast to grow 657Mbbls/d YoY to average a record 12.54MMbbls/d, whilst for 2024 production was forecast to grow by a more modest 211Mbbls/d YoY to 12.75MMbbls/d. Metals – China continues to boost gold reserves China continued to increase its gold reserves for a sixth consecutive month in April, according to data from China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). The People’s Bank of China raised its gold reserves by about 8.09t to a total of 2,076t in April and this is after adding more than 120t over the previous five months. This is a trend we continue to see globally with Word Gold Council data showing that total gold reserves rose by 228t (+176% YoY) in the first quarter of the year. These purchases were driven mainly by Asia, whilst Turkey added 30t over the quarter. Recent data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) show that steel inventories at major Chinese steel mills fell to 18.1mt in late April, down 2.3% compared to mid-April. Similarly, crude steel production at major mills decreased by 3.6% from the above-mentioned period to 2.21mt/d in late April. Meanwhile, steel mills in the Fengnan district of Tangshan City have been officially asked by the local authorities to curb crude steel output by working on production plans throughout the year. This would be the first batch of steel mills in China to observe another administrative year-on-year reduction in crude steel output after repeated cuts in 2021 and 2022. Agriculture – Black Sea Grain deal negotiations Wheat prices remain fairly volatile with still plenty of uncertainty over the Black Sea grain initiative. Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry stated that Russia once again blocked the inspection of vessels shipped from Ukrainian ports. The deal is set to expire on 18 May and whilst there are ongoing negotiations to extend once again, Russia has threatened not to renew the deal unless its demands are met. The USDA’s weekly US crop progress report for the week ending 7 May shows that corn and soybean plantings remained strong, whilst crop conditions for winter wheat continue to improve. The agency reported that domestic corn plantings stood at 49% complete, up from 26% planted last week and 21% planted a year ago. It’s also above the five-year average of 42%. US soybean plantings are 35% complete as of 7 May, compared to 11% a year ago and the five-year average of 21%. Meanwhile, the agency rated around 29% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 28% a week ago, and in line with levels seen last year. Read next: Rates Spark: Crunch time| FXMAG.COM The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 4 May shows that US grain shipments remained weak over the last week. US weekly inspections of corn exports stood at 963.4kt, down from 1,518.6kt in the previous week and 1477.2kt reported a year ago. For soybean, export inspections stood at 394.8kt, lower than the 408kt seen last week, as well as the 506.9kt seen for the same period last year. Wheat export inspections also came in lower at 209.1kt, down from 358.3kt a week ago and 262.9kt a year ago. Read this article on THINK TagsSteel Oil Iron ore Grains Gold EIA China trade Canada Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Commodities came under pressure yesterday with US CPI numbers calling into question whether the Federal Reserve is done with its current hiking cycle. For oil, the market will be keeping an eye on today's OPEC report Energy: US CPI weighs on energy complex Oil’s four-day streak of gains finally came to an end yesterday with ICE Brent settling more than 1.3% lower on the day. This was part of a broader move with most of the commodities complex coming under pressure. US CPI numbers probably raised some doubts over whether the Fed’s hiking cycle is truly over. The headline CPI number in April increased by 0.4% month-on-month and 4.9% year-on-year. As our US economist points out we need to see MoM prints averaging around 0.17% over time in order to bring inflation down to around 2%. The EIA weekly inventory reports would have also done little to help sentiment. US commercial crude oil inventories increased by 2.95MMbbls over the last week, slightly lower than what the API reported the previous day, but still above market expectations. In addition, crude inventories at Cushing edged up by 397Mbbls. Product numbers were more constructive with gasoline and distillate fuel oil inventories falling by 3.17MMbbls and 4.17MMbbls, respectively. Implied demand was also stronger over the week, driven by gasoline, which increased by 685Mbbls/d week-on-week. As a result, four-week rolling average gasoline demand is just short of 9MMbbls/d, but above levels seen at the same stage in both 2021 and 2022.   In recent days there has also been somewhat of a recovery in middle distillates. For much of the year, a weaker middle distillates complex has weighed heavily on refinery margins. However, gasoil cracks have once again been trending higher since the beginning of May. However, with the ICE gasoil crack trading at a little over US$16/bbl, it is still well below the more than US$45/bbl seen back in January. It is also worth pointing out that speculators hold a sizeable short position in ICE gasoil. Positioning data from last week shows that speculators hold a net short of 32,542 lots, after selling 31,857 lots over the week. This selling has been largely fresh shorts rather than longs liquidating and so any sustained strength in gasoil prices could force these relatively fresh shorts to run to cover.     OPEC will release its latest monthly market report later today, which will include April production numbers for the group, as well as OPEC’s latest outlook for the market. In last month’s report, OPEC forecast 2023 oil demand growth at 2.32MMbbls/d, of which 94% is expected to be driven by non-OECD countries. Metals: Chinese origin LME copper inventories grow China is now the largest source of copper stored in LME warehouses, surpassing Russia, according to the latest report from the exchange. Volumes of copper originating from China rose to 26,675 tonnes in April, up from 15,575 tonnes in March, whilst copper of Russian origin rose slightly to 23,200 tonnes, from 22,275 tonnes in March. China has seen a sizeable increase in refined copper exports over the last couple of months, suggesting that domestic demand is not as strong as many were expecting. Meanwhile, LME copper cancelled warrants fell to 225 tonnes yesterday – the lowest on record, signalling weakening consumer demand. In other metals, Russian aluminium stocks stood at 256,125 tonnes in April, from 220,575 tonnes in March. India was the second largest source of LME aluminium at 228,800 tonnes. Read this article on THINK Tags OPEC Oil LME Gasoil EIA CPI Copper Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The commodities complex has come under further pressure. China demand concerns, lingering banking sector worries, and uncertainty over the US debt ceiling have all weighed on the complex There appears to be some progress on the resumption of Kurdish oil flows via Ceyhan in Turkey Energy – possible restart in Kurdish oil flows After a strong start to the week, the oil market has come under renewed pressure more recently with Brent settling almost 1.9% lower yesterday. Most of the commodities complex came under pressure due to lingering banking concerns, worries over the US debt ceiling and questions growing over how strong a Chinese recovery we are seeing. Chinese consumer inflation data for April came in at just 0.1% year-on-year, which was below market expectations. Similarly, the producer price index also came in below expectations. During testimony, the US energy secretary said that the Department of Energy (DoE) could start to refill the strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) once mandated releases come to an end in June. Originally the US administration had said that it would look to start refilling the SPR if WTI traded down to the US$67-72/bbl area. The market has traded down to these levels this year, but we have seen no signs of refilling. The DoE had said previously it would be difficult to refill the SPR until later in the year due to mandated releases and maintenance at storage sites. On the supply side, there appears to be some progress on the resumption of Kurdish oil flows via Ceyhan in Turkey. Iraq’s oil minister has said that exports via Ceyhan would resume on 13 May with Iraq’s state-run oil company informing Turkey’s Botas of the resumption. Although, there does not appear to be confirmation from Turkey yet. A return of this oil would bring in the region of 450Mbbls/d back to the market. Markets will need to keep an eye on wildfires in Canada. Up until now, it has been the gas-producing regions within Alberta that have been affected by the fires. However, there are concerns that rising temperatures over the weekend could increase the risk of wildfires in Northern Alberta, which could affect output in the oil sands. OPEC’s monthly market report yesterday had very little in the way of changes. The group left its non-OPEC supply growth estimate for 2023 unchanged at 1.43MMbbls/d, whilst global demand growth was also left virtually unchanged at 2.33MMbbls/d for 2023. The group also reported that OPEC production fell by 191Mbbls/d MoM to 28.6MMbbls/d in April. This decline was largely driven by Iraq and Nigeria. Metals – Copper gives up 2023 gains Copper slumped to its lowest level since November after China’s inflation data added to concerns over the strength of the country’s economic recovery. Both CPI and PPI numbers for April came in below market expectations, with CPI close to zero and PPI in negative territory. Copper climbed to a high of $9,550.50/t in January amid bets of a revival in Chinese demand following the end of Covid-19 lockdowns, but it has now given back all of the 2023 gains. In aluminium, LME on-warrant stockpiles fell by 132,675 tonnes, the most since 2019, according to data from the exchange. Most of the outflows were reported from warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia. Meanwhile, cancelled warrants for aluminium rose by 132,500 tonnes following two consecutive days of declines, to 197,375 tonnes, the highest since 19 January, and signalling potential further outflows. On the supply side, the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) reported that aluminium capacity in China is expected to rise significantly in the second half of the year. Operating rates of aluminium smelters in major producing regions of Shandong, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia remained high in March. The combined capacity in the three provinces totals around 20.65mt, which is nearly half of the country’s total capacity. The group believes that roughly 930kt of aluminium capacity has been resumed as of 20 April while 212kt was newly commissioned, which almost equates to the 1.2mt of capacity reductions seen earlier. SMM estimates that another 2.63mt of aluminium capacity will be resumed while 1.57mt of new capacity will be commissioned later this year. In steel, Mysteel reported that Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., the top steel producer in China, trimmed its factory-gate prices of steel products by CNY200/t in June due to subdued demand. The producer said that the orders for June have weakened when compared to the current month, while slow overseas consumption has resulted in lower exports. Agriculture – UNICA reports lower cane crush The latest fortnightly report from UNICA shows that sugar cane crushing in Centre-South Brazil stood at 21mt over the second half of April, down 12.5% from a year ago as excessive rains disrupted crushing activity. The group reported that mills lost about 10 days of crushing in April due to the above-average rainfall. The market was expecting a number closer to 26mt. However, the cumulative cane crush is still up 18.8% YoY this season to stand at 34.8mt. Read next: Rates Spark: Balancing data and risk factors| FXMAG.COM Sugar production stood at 989kt over the fortnight, with around 43.8% of cane allocated to sugar production. Cumulative sugar production rose by 43.7% YoY to 1.5mt. UNICA said that around 197 mills had started processing cane for the season by the end of April, higher than the 184 mills that had started by the same stage last season. Read this article on THINK Tags Sugar SPR OPEC Oil Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The oil market strengthened yesterday on the back of the US announcing it will start refilling its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Meanwhile, today’s Chinese industrial output data was mostly disappointing, however, Chinese oil refining activity and apparent demand over April should be supportive Source: Shutterstock Energy – US set to start SPR refill Oil prices finally managed to settle higher yesterday with ICE Brent closing more than 1.4% up on the day, and this strength has continued in early morning trading today. While large parts of the commodities complex moved higher yesterday, for oil, part of the move was driven by the US Department of Energy (DoE) announcing that it will be looking to buy up to 3MMbbls of sour crude oil for the SPR. Delivery of the oil will be for August and results will be announced in June. The volumes are relatively small, particularly when you consider the DoE released more than 220MMbbls from the SPR in 2022. However, the move does show that the US administration is serious about refilling the SPR, something that the market started doubting in recent months. The latest activity data from China shows that Chinese refiners processed 14.88MMbbls/d of crude oil in April, down from 14.94MMbbls/d in March, but up 17.6% year-on-year. The month-on-month decline in refinery activity should not be a surprise due to refinery maintenance. The latest activity data and April trade data suggest that domestic apparent oil demand exceeded 15MMbls/d over the month – record levels. The numbers also suggest that crude oil inventories fell by around 300Mbbls/d in April. The IEA will release its latest monthly oil market report later today and the market will likely be focusing on whether the agency made any revisions to its demand growth forecasts for the year, given growing concerns over the outlook. In last month’s report, the IEA forecast that 2023 oil demand would grow by 2MMbbls/d – 90% of this growth is expected to come from non-OECD countries. Metals – Copper mine halts operations in China China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. said that mining operations were halted at one of its mines in Tibet following an accident. The mine is one of three mines run by Tibet Julong Copper Co. and has a total production capacity of 160kt per year. In zinc and lead, data from the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) show that the global zinc market remained in a supply surplus of 44kt in the first three months of the year compared to a supply surplus of 116kt a year earlier. Total refined production remained almost flat at 3.36mt, while total consumption rose by 1.7% YoY to 3.32mt between January and March 2023. As for lead, total production reported gains of 2.7% YoY to 3.08mt, while consumption fell by 1.3% YoY to 3.1mt in the first three months of the year. The lead market was estimated to have seen a marginal supply deficit of 19kt in the first quarter of the year, lower than the 143kt deficit during the same time last year. Recent data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) show that steel inventories at major Chinese steel mills fell to 17.6mt in early May, down 2.8% compared to late April. Crude steel production at major mills increased by 2% in the period to 2.25mt/d in early April. Agriculture– Potential sugar release from China There are reports that the Chinese government is planning to release roughly 1mt of sugar from the state reserves given the strength that we have seen in global sugar prices. Given China is a key raw sugar importer, any significant release of sugar from government reserves potentially means lower imports from China, which would offer some relief to the global sugar market. The latest data from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority show that Uganda’s coffee shipment fell 23% month-on-month and 8% YoY to 373,610 bags of coffee (the lowest since October) in April as an early drought hit yields. Cumulative shipments for the season (October to April) stood at 3.16m bags, down 4% YoY. Read next: Disappointing activity data in China suggests more fiscal support is needed| FXMAG.COM The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 11 May show that US corn and wheat shipments rose while soybean exports slowed over the last week. US weekly inspection of corn exports stood at 1,173.8kt, higher than the 974.5kt in the previous week and 1,060.6kt reported a year ago. For wheat, export inspections stood at 242.3kt, up from 214.5kt last week but lower than 348.9kt seen for the same period last year. Soybean export inspections stood at 147.9kt, lower than 397.8kt from a week ago and 804.1kt from a year ago. Read this article on THINK Tags Sugar Steel SPR Oil IEA Grains Copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The latest positioning data shows that speculators remain bearish towards the oil market. Meanwhile, US producers continue to reduce drilling activity Source: iStockphoto Energy - Specs continue to cut Oil managed its first week of gains since mid-April. ICE Brent settled 1.9% higher over the last week, which has left it trading above US$75/bbl. Despite this, speculators remain negative towards the market with the net speculative long in ICE Brent falling by 6,020 lots over the last reporting week to 106,722 lots as of last Tuesday. This is the smallest position that speculators have held this year. Looking deeper into the data reveals that the move was driven by longs liquidating, while the gross short position is fairly sizeable at 94,880 lots. Meanwhile, ICE gasoil continued to see further short covering over the last week. Speculators bought back 7,059 lots over the last reporting week to leave them with a net short of 20,652 lots. This still leaves speculators holding a large net short in gasoil, which suggests that there is still the risk of a short covering rally. Drilling activity in the US continues to slow. The latest data from Baker Hughes shows that the oil rig count fell by 11 over the last week to 575. This is the lowest count since June 2022 and the rig count has now fallen by 48 from a YTD peak of 623 seen back in January. A slowdown in US drilling activity is a concern for the oil market, which is expected to see a sizeable deficit over the second half of this year. Producers appear to be responding to the weaker price environment, rather than expectations for a tighter market later in the year. The macro picture is also likely making producers a little more hesitant. However, the trend will be good news for OPEC+, as it suggests that they will be able to continue supporting prices without the risk of losing market share to US producers. Metals - China metal output rises Recent data from the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) shows that weekly inventories for all base metals declined over the last week. Copper weekly stocks fell by 15,872 tonnes to 102,511 tonnes as of Friday. Among other metals, weekly exchange inventories for nickel fell sharply by 48% WoW to a fresh low of 908 tonnes, while aluminium inventories fell 9% WoW, and zinc and lead stocks fell 7.6% and 20.2% WoW respectively as of Friday. The recent numbers from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that refined copper output in China rose 14% YoY to 1.06mt in April, while zinc and lead output rose 13% YoY to 594kt and 4% YoY to 614kt respectively. The latest trade data from China Customs show that imports of unwrought aluminium and products rose 27% YoY to 223kt in April. This leaves cumulative imports over the first four months of the year at 797.6kt, up 12.6% YoY. On the export side, alumina exports jumped 56.4% YoY to 70kt last month, while YTD exports have risen by 100% YoY to 380kt. This increase is driven largely by stronger flows to Russia. Agriculture – China's corn imports fall The latest trade numbers from China Customs show that corn imports declined significantly by 54.6% YoY to 1.0mt last month, which leaves cumulative imports so far this year at 8.5mt, down 8.4% YoY. While corn imports came under pressure, wheat imports surged 141% YoY to 1.68mt in April, which takes cumulative imports over the first four months of the year to 6.03mt, up 61% YoY. Read next: FX Daily: This could be another good week for the dollar| FXMAG.COM The latest CFTC data shows that money managers reduced their net bearish bets in CBOT corn by 17,658 lots over the last week to 91,985 lots as of 16 May. The move was predominantly driven by an increase in gross longs. Similarly, the speculative net short position in CBOT wheat decreased by 4,137 lots to 112,769 lots over the last reporting week. However, the pressure seen on prices since the reporting week, due to an extension in the Black Sea grain deal, suggests that speculators have likely increased their net shorts in both corn and wheat more recently. Read this article on THINK Tags Speculators Rigs Oil Metals Grains China trade Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Oil has managed to hold up relatively well, despite little progress in US debt ceiling talks as well as some more hawkish comments from US Fed officials A US debt ceiling deal inches closer as talks continue Energy - oil edges higher The oil market managed to edge higher yesterday despite there still being little progress in US debt ceiling talks as well as some hawkish comments from Fed officials. A couple of officials suggested that the Fed may still have to hike rates further. Obviously, the more the Fed increases rates, the more likely we are to see a hard landing, which would hit oil demand hard.  For now, we are assuming that 2023 US oil demand will be largely flat year-on-year. Despite the move higher yesterday, sentiment still remains mostly negative in the oil market and this is evident in positioning data which shows that speculators have reduced their net long in ICE Brent significantly in recent weeks. Positioning data shows that there is still a sizeable gross short in ICE Brent, however, these shorts will want to be careful as we approach the next OPEC+ meeting, which is scheduled for 4 June. OPEC+ have surprised the market a couple of times recently, so market participants may be reluctant to carry too much risk into this meeting. The 650Mbbls/d Dangote oil refinery in Nigeria has finally opened after years of delays. While the refiner has said it will start shipping refined products by July or August, it is still unclear how quickly it will be able to ramp up operations. According to reports, there has been little in the way of commercial activity from the refiner, which suggests that any meaningful volumes coming out of the refinery will still be several months away at least. The refinery will be important for both crude and product trade flows when fully operating, potentially meaning reduced crude exports as well as reduced imports of refined products. Metals – Global aluminium output remains flat The latest numbers from the International Aluminium Association (IAI) show that daily global primary aluminium output stood at 187.6kt in April, compared to 187.5kt a month earlier. Total monthly output for the metal remained almost flat year-on-year at 5.63mt in April, although it was down 3.2% MoM.  Cumulative aluminium production over the first four months of the year rose 2% YoY to 22.6mt. Chinese output is estimated to have fallen 3.2% MoM, while remaining flat YoY at 3.3mt in April. Although YTD production is still up 3.3% to 13.3mt.  Production in Western and Central Europe is still under pressure, falling 2.6% MoM and 8.2% YoY to 262kt in April. Read next: Asia Morning Bites - 23.05.2023| FXMAG.COM Agriculture – ISO expects global sugar surplus to shrink In its latest report, the International Sugar Organization (ISO) expects the global sugar surplus to fall to 852kt in 2022/23, down about 79% from its previous estimate. Total sugar output projections were trimmed to 177.4mt for 2022/23, compared to a previous estimate of 180.4mt, due to lower output from the EU, India and Thailand. In contrast, the group expects global consumption to increase to 176.5mt in 2022/23, up by 233kt from its previous estimate. The latest reports from the Joint Coordination Centre showed that Ukraine’s exports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative stood at 118.3kt for the week ending 21 May, down 78% WoW. While the deal has been extended for two months, no inbound vessels were cleared in that week which led to a significant drop in volumes. However, considering the recent extension, we may see a revival in Ukrainian exports in the weeks ahead. The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 18 May show that US corn and wheat shipments rose while soybean exports eased over the last week. US weekly inspections of corn for export stood at 1,323.1kt, up from 1,173.8kt in the previous week but lower than the 1,752.5kt reported a year ago. For wheat, export inspections stood at 407.7kt, up from 263.4kt last week and 275.5kt seen for the same period last year. Soybean export inspections stood at 155.1kt, lower than 186.8kt from a week ago and 582.3kt from a year ago. The USDA’s latest crop progress report continues to show that US corn plantings are progressing well with 81% of plantings completed, this is up from 69% at the same stage last year and also above the 5-year average of 75%. Similarly, soybean plantings are advancing quickly with 66% planted as of 21 May, well above the 47% seen at the same stage last year and also above the 5-year average of 52%. Meanwhile, spring wheat plantings are 64% complete, which is above the 48% planted at the same stage last season, but still below the 5-year average of 73% for this time of year. Read this article on THINK Tags USDA Sugar Refined product Grains Federal Reseve Debt ceiling Aluminium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

Copper plummeted below the key $8,000/t mark as hopes for higher demand in China are dimming. The red metal has now lost all of the gains it made this year. We believe there are more downside risks in the near term Workers on a copper foil production line in Jiangxi Province Copper price gives back 2023 gains Source: LME, ING Research Copper drops below key $8,000/t level The LME copper price has dropped by around 11% this quarter and is now trading near its lowest level since November. The red metal is now back to where it was before China ended Covid-19 restrictions. Copper was one the biggest winners following China’s reopening amid expectations that China’s support for the property market will kickstart demand for industrial metals. The red metal climbed to a seven-month high in January after the end of Covid lockdowns in China, but it has now given back all of its gains. The LME copper price fell from year-to-date high of $9,550.50/t in January to recently trade at a low of $7,944/t on weaker-than-expected China demand, in what is normally a peak construction season, and subdued demand in the US and Europe, with interest rises weighing on economic growth. Copper is also weighed down by a strengthening US dollar, which makes copper more expensive for Chinese buyers. Meanwhile, speculators have been decreasing their bullish LME copper bets – the net-long position is now the least bullish in more than 19 weeks at 38,416, as weekly exchange data on futures and options show.   Net bullish LME bets are at a 19-week low Source: LME, ING Research China rebound hopes fade Hope for higher demand from China has now faded with recent disappointing data showing a mixed picture for the world’s biggest consumer of copper. Although China last month reported annual quarterly GDP growth of 4.5%, ahead of expectations – and much faster than the 2.9% for the fourth quarter of 2022 – there are concerns about whether the pace of growth can be sustained. The recovery in China has been mainly driven by consumer spending while the manufacturing sector has continued to lag. Both National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Caixin PMIs dropped below 50 in April, with the total new order index falling to 48.8 from 53.6, according to NBS, and the corresponding export index dropping to 47.6 from 50.4. The weaker-than-expected rebound in the property sector, which contributes heavily to demand for copper, has also hit sentiment. China’s home price growth slowed in April, adding to signs that the property recovery is weakening. New-home prices in 70 cities, excluding state-subsidised housing, rose 0.32% last month from March, when they grew 0.44%, NBS data showed. Chinese imports slump as output hits records China’s copper imports slumped in April – China imported 407,294 tonnes of unwrought copper and copper products in April, the lowest since October. The premium paid for refined metal at the port of Yangshan, which acts a measure of import demand, has been on a downtrend too. It recently stood at $30/t, down from its record highs of $152.50/t in October last year. Imports of copper ore and concentrate in April came to 2.103 million tonnes, up 11.7% on a year ago, driven by higher record domestic production of refined metal. In April, China copper output rose 14.1% year-on-year to 1.059 million tonnes. LME stocks continue to rise LME warehouse inventories of copper have almost doubled in the past month, a sign that supplies are outstripping demand from end users, pressuring the price lower. Stocks of copper in LME warehouses have risen by more than 85% since the middle of April to 96,675 tonnes. Copper stocks have been steadily increasing in LME warehouses for the past few weeks and they now stand at the highest level since October last year. China has now also overtaken Russia as the largest source of copper stored in the LME warehouses. Chinese-origin copper rose to 26,675 tonnes in April, from 15,575 tonnes in March, according to data from the exchange. China is usually a net importer of copper. Rising Chinese origin copper stockpiles suggest Chinese smelters have been selling more metal outside China as domestic demand in the country remains weak. LME stocks nearly double since mid-April Source: LME, ING Research Copper sinks lower into contango Rising copper stocks created a discount for the cash over the three-month contract of $66/t. The spread is in its widest contango in data going back to 1994. Contango, a bearish market structure, is pointing out to healthy spot supply and could indicate prices have a bit further to go on their way down. We remain cautious on the first half of the year outlook for copper, with sluggish demand from China pointing to lower prices. In the near term, copper prices are likely to continue to be dictated by the pace of China’s economic recovery as well as the Fed’s interest rate hiking path. We expect copper prices to remain volatile as the market will continue to react to any policy change from China. We expect prices to average $8,970/t in 2023. In the longer term, copper’s fundamentals as an EV and green energy metal will support higher prices over the next few years, but for now, the market will remain focused on the disappointing demand picture from China.   Copper is in widest contango since the early 1990s Source: LME, ING Research Read this article on THINK Tags Copper prices China and copper Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more

The Commodities Feed: Copper spread tightens on inventory withdrawals Oil prices are trading under pressure this morning on demand side uncertainties as Saudi Arabia increased the official selling price for July deliveries for all regions. LME copper continues to see inventory withdrawals as demand in Asia picks up.   Energy – Saudi increases the official selling price for oil Saudi Arabia increased its official selling price for all regions for July, a day after the nation pledged an additional oil supply cut for the same month. Saudi Aramco will sell the Arab Light crude for buyers in Asia at a US$3/bbl premium for July deliveries, an increase of US¢45/bbl compared to June 2023.The premium for the US and European deliveries has increased by US¢90/bbl, while buyers in the Mediterranean region will see an increase of US¢60/bbl. The hike in premium comes as a surprise considering ongoing demand concerns and that Saudi Arabia has been pushing for supply cuts to bring the oil market into balance.   Metals – Declining copper on-warrant stocks tighten LME spread Recent LME data shows that total on-warrant stocks for copper dropped by 17,750 tonnes – the biggest daily decline since October 2021 – for a second consecutive session to 71,575 tonnes (the lowest level in almost a month) as of yesterday. The majority of the outflows were reported from South Korea’s Busan warehouses. Meanwhile, cancelled warrants for copper rose by 18,025 tonnes after declining for three consecutive sessions to 27,375 tonnes yesterday, signalling potential further outflows. The cash/3m for copper stood at a contango of just US$4/t as of yesterday – compared to YTD highs of a contango of US$66.26/t from 23 May – indicating supply tightness in the physical market.   In mine supply, Peru’s latest official numbers show that copper output in the country rose 30.5% year-on-year (+1.2% month-on-month) to 222kt in April. The majority of the annual production gains came from the higher output levels from mines like Southern Peru Copper, the Las Bambas and Cerro. Cumulatively, copper production grew 15.7% YoY to 837.5kt in the first four months of the year. Among other metals, zinc production in the nation increased 31.4% YoY to 130.6kt in April.   In ferrous metals, the most active contract of iron ore trading at the Singapore Exchange extended its upward rally for a fifth consecutive session and traded above US$108/t this morning on speculations of more supportive steps from China to accelerate its economic growth. The recent market reports suggest that the People’s Bank of China is likely to cut the reserve-requirement ratio for banks and might also lower interest rates in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, BBG also reported that the Chinese government is preparing a new batch of measures to push growth in the property market.     Agriculture – US crop planting maintains the pace The USDA’s latest crop progress report shows that US corn plantings continue to rise with 96% of plantings completed as on 4 June, compared to 93% of planting done at this point in the season last year and the 5-year average of 91%. Similarly, soybean plantings are also growing, with 91% planted as of 4 June – well above the 76% seen at the same stage last year and the 5-year average of 76%. Meanwhile, spring wheat plantings are 93% complete. This is above the 81% planted at the same stage last season and in line with the 5-year average. Meanwhile, the agency rated around 36% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 34% a week ago and 30% seen last year.   The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 1 June indicated a drop in demand for US grains over last week. The agency stated that US corn export inspections stood at 1,181kt, lower from 1,346.4kt in the previous week and 1,458.5kt reported a year ago. For wheat, export inspections stood at 291.6kt, down from 391.3kt from the previous week and 355.3kt reported a year ago. Similarly, soybean export inspections fell to 214.2kt, compared to 243.1kt from a week ago and 370kt from a year ago.   The director general of the Ivory Coast's cocoa regulator, Conseil Café Cacao, stated that the domestic cocoa crop is expected to improve in 2022-23 (compared to the previous year) despite intensifying concerns about a potential outbreak of the swollen shoot virus. Ivory Coast cocoa production is stabilizing despite a slow start, taking the season's harvest projections between 2mt-2.2mt. Last week, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) projected an increase of 4% in Ivory Coast's cocoa output this season, reaching 2.20mt.

The Commodities Feed: China's imports recover China’s crude oil and natural gas imports recovered strongly in May, which could help improve market sentiment. For copper, China’s concentrate imports jumped to a fresh high, while unwrought copper imports remain soft.   Energy – China's crude oil imports recover China’s crude oil imports recovered to 51.44mt or around 12.16MMbbls/d (up 17% month-on-month and 12% year-on-year) in May 2023, as some of the refineries increased their utilisation rate after concluding maintenance. Demand slowdown from China has been a major concern for the crude oil market recently, and a recovery in oil imports is likely to provide some comfort to the oil market. Higher refinery utilisation has also increased refined product supplies in the Chinese market, with China reverting to being a net exporter of refined products last month. Among other energy products, natural gas imports into China increased 17.3% YoY to 10.6mt in May as lower gas prices in the Asian market supported demand for storage.   In its latest short-term energy outlook report, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) revised higher domestic oil production estimates, as the decision by OPEC+ to extend output cuts could push oil prices higher and bring more investments into exploration.   The administration revised higher the production estimates to 12.61MMbbls/d for 2023 compared to earlier estimates of 12.53MMbbls/d and output of 11.88MMbbls/d in 2022. For 2024, production estimates are revised higher to 12.77MMbbls/d compared to earlier estimates of 12.69MMbbls/d. On the other hand, US demand for crude oil is revised down from 20.47MMbbls/d to 20.42MMbbls/d on slow demand for distillates – although this is still higher than the 20.28MMbbls/d of consumption in 2022.   Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that the US crude oil inventories decreased by 1.71MMbbls over the last week, in contrast to market expectations for the addition of around 350Mbbls. Cushing crude oil stocks are reported to have increased by 1.53MMbbls. On the products side, API reported that gasoline and distillates inventories rose by 2.42MMbbls and 4.5MMbbls respectively over the week ending 2 June. The more widely followed EIA report will be released later today.     Metals – Chinese copper concentrate imports at record highs China released its preliminary trade data for metals this morning, which shows total monthly imports for unwrought copper fell 4.6% YoY to 444kt in May, largely on account of higher domestic production of the refined metal. Cumulatively, unwrought copper imports fell 11% YoY to 2.14mt in the first five months of the year.   Meanwhile, imports of copper concentrate rose 16.7% YoY to a fresh record of 2.56mt last month, with year-to-date imports up 8.8% YoY to 11.31mt from January to May this year. In ferrous metals, iron ore monthly imports rose 3.9% YoY (+6.3% MoM) to 96.17mt last month, while cumulative imports are up 7.7% YoY to 480.7mt from January to May.   On the exports side, China’s unwrought aluminium and aluminium products shipments fell 29.7% YoY to 475.4kt last month while year-to-date exports declined 20.2% YoY to 2.32mt in the first five months of the year. Exports of steel products jumped 41% YoY to 36.4mt from January to May this year.   Meanwhile, data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau shows that nickel output in the Philippines rose 5.4% YoY to 3.9dmt in 1Q23 despite only a few mines being in production. The bureau reported that only 13 out of the nation’s 33 operating mines reported output for the above-mentioned period, as some were impacted by unfavourable weather conditions while few were undergoing scheduled maintenance.   However, the bureau remains optimistic about the outlook for the mining industry over the long term, following the expected recovery of the global economy and strong demand for nickel ore.     Agriculture – Chinese soybean imports surge The latest trade numbers from Chinese Customs show that soybean imports in China rose 24.3% YoY (+65.6% MoM) to a record high of 12.02mt in May. The imports surged sharply as the delayed cargoes (due to last month's strict inspections) were finally unloaded at ports. Cumulatively, soybean imports rose 11.2% YoY to 42.3mt over the first five months of the year.   Weekly data from the European Commission show that soft wheat shipments from the EU reached 28.9mt for the season as of 4 June, up 11.4% compared to 25.9mt from the same period last year. Morocco, Algeria, and Nigeria were the top destinations for these shipments. Meanwhile, the EU’s corn imports stood at 24.6mt, compared to 15.3mt reported a year ago.

Metals: China continues to boost gold reserves The latest data from the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) shows that China increased its gold reserves for a seventh straight month amid ongoing strong demand for safe assets. The nation raised its gold reserves by about 0.5mOz to a total of 67.27mOz at the end of May 2023.   China has added over 2.6mOz of gold to its reserves since the start of the year and nearly 4.6mOz since restarting gold purchases in November 2022. A recent survey by World Gold Council (WGC) conducted in May shows that about a quarter of central banks plan to increase their gold holdings over the next 12 months as the future role of the US dollar comes into question.   Meanwhile, a recent survey from Shanghai Metals Market shows that China’s primary aluminium output rose to 3.47mt in May as some smelters in Guizhou province restarted operations. The group further believes the nation’s aluminium output could rise in June, as smelters in Yunnan province are expected to restart operations on increased power supplies. Among other metals, refined nickel output rose 30.3% YoY (+5.7% MoM) to 18.6kt last month as producers ramped up production levels.   Agriculture: Ukraine grain shipments decline The latest data from Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry shows that domestic grain exports so far in the 2022/23 season stood at 46mt, a marginal decline of 3% YoY. The above includes wheat exports of 15.7mt, down 15.7% YoY and corn exports at 27.3mt, up 21% YoY. The fall in exports is in line with the series of obstacles faced by Ukrainian shipments in recent months. Recent data from Brazil’s Trade Ministry shows that Brazil’s soybean exports rose 46.5% YoY to 15.6mt in May, while cumulative shipments increased by 14% YoY to 49mt in the first five months of the year. Shipments to China jumped 60% YoY to 10.3mt in May 2023 whilst exports to Argentina reached a record high of 979kt. In contrast, corn exports fell 64.6% YoY to 385kt in May. However, year-to-date shipments expanded from 5.3mt to 10.64mt in Jan’23-May’23.

The Commodities Feed: China surprises with a cut in short-term rates The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) estimates that US shale oil production could remain flat in July, with drilled but uncompleted wells (DUCs) inventory falling further in May. For metals, China’s surprise cut in short-term rates has been supportive of prices as Beijing appears to be taking measures to support economic growth   Energy – US shale production flat In its latest drilling productivity report, the EIA estimates that US shale oil production could be flat at around 9.38MMbbls/d in July compared to an estimated 9.37MMbbls/d in June. The report also showed that drilled but uncompleted wells dropped by 30 over the month of May 2023 to 4,834 wells, the lowest level since May 2014. DUCs have been falling continuously since the start of the year with a year-to-date drop of around 270 wells since the end of 2022, reflecting lower investment in oil exploration for the year. A low inventory of DUCs could also make it challenging for the US to increase production quickly even if prices move up.   Canada is witnessing an increase in wildfires once again which could hurt oil and gas production in the region. The Alberta province reported 76 active wildfires on Monday compared to 71 on the previous Friday, while across Canada, around 431 wildfires were reported of which around 208 were reported to be out of control. Last month, the country faced an oil and gas production disruption of around 200-300Mbbls/d at one point, although some of the oil fields have subsequently restarted production since then. Spreading wildfires could increase disruption again this month as well. The WCS discount over the WTI has dropped back to US$12.9/bbl currently after increasing to around $15/bbl at the start of the month.

Metals – Share of Russian aluminium in LME warehouses grows Industrial metals (except for nickel) edged higher in the morning session as China trimmed its short-term policy interest rate unexpectedly. The People’s Bank of China lowered its 7-day reverse repurchase rate by 10bps to 1.9% in a sign that Beijing has been taking measures to support flagging economic growth. The move also provides some confidence to the market that China could take further steps to push up economic growth.   Recent data from LME shows that the share of Russian aluminium inventory out of total exchange inventory increased to 68% in May from 52% in April following increased withdrawals of aluminium from LME warehouses in Asia. The data shows that there was a total of 263,125 tonnes of Russian aluminium in exchange warehouses, while Indian-origin aluminium stood at 116,800 tonnes falling from 46.5% in April to 30% in May. Meanwhile, the exchange said that 19% of the 167,550 tonnes of aluminium requested for delivery in May was still Russian metal.   Agriculture – USDA slashes weekly corn crop ratings on dry weather The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA’s) latest crop progress report shows that US soybean plantings continue to rise with 96% planted as of 11 June, well above the 87% seen at the same stage last year and above the five-year average of 86%.     Similarly, spring wheat plantings are 97% complete, which is above the 92% planted at the same stage last season, and in line with the five-year average. On the crop condition, the agency rated around 38% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 36% a week ago, and 31% seen last year. On the other hand, the USDA rated 61% of the corn crop in good-to-excellent condition as of 11 June, lower from 64% a week ago and 72% seen at the same stage last year, largely on account of dry weather.   The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 8 June pointed towards weakening demand for US grains. USDA’s export inspections of corn stood at 1,169.1kt in the abovementioned period, lower than the 1,206.8kt in the previous week and 1,221.8kt reported a year ago. For wheat, US export inspections stood at 246.6kt, down from 304.4kt from a week ago and 411.9kt reported a year ago. Meanwhile, US soybean export inspections fell to 140.2kt compared to 222.3kt from a week ago and 609kt from a year ago.

Metals – Copper spreads strengthen While LME copper prices remain under pressure given concerns over Chinese demand and a more hawkish Fed, LME copper spreads continue to strengthen, reflecting some tightness in the prompt market. The cash/3m spread rallied by more than $12/t yesterday to a backwardation of $31/t – the strongest we have seen this spread since November last year. Available inventories in LME warehouses continue to fall with on-warrant stocks yesterday falling by 4,400 tonnes to just 25,725 tonnes, the lowest since October 2021. Recent data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) show that steel inventories at major Chinese steel mills climbed for a second consecutive week to 16.2mt in mid-June, up 2.64% compared to early June. Meanwhile, crude steel production at major mills rose by 1.4% from the abovementioned period to 2.26mt/d in mid-June.

Metals – LME aluminium on-warrant stocks decline The LME copper cash/3-month spread eased slightly yesterday, falling back to a backwardation of $19/t after the LME reported an increase in on-warrant stocks. These inventories increased by 6,175 tonnes yesterday to 31,900 tonnes, while cancelled warrants fell by 9,225 tonnes to 45,150 tonnes. Meanwhile, LME on-warrant aluminium stocks fell by 28,500 tonnes (the biggest daily decline since 2 June) to 258,875 tonnes yesterday. Cancelled warrants for aluminium also rose by 27,150 tonnes to 277,550 tonnes. The cash/3m spread did not react to changes in aluminium inventory numbers, although the flat price did settle more than 2% higher on the day. However, this was more likely on the back of hopes for more Chinese stimulus.

Metals – Risk-off sentiment weighs on the complex The prevailing risk-off sentiment in the broader financial markets weighed on the industrial metals complex with prices of most of the metals trading under pressure this morning. LME copper extended the declines for a third consecutive day after falling by more than 1% yesterday to close at the lowest level since 2 June. LME copper cash/3m backwardation eased to US$4.5/t as of yesterday, after reaching its year-to-date high of US$31/t of backwardation early this week. Meanwhile, copper exchange inventories at LME warehouses extended the declines for a second straight session with total stocks falling by 1,775 tonnes to 75,275 tonnes as of yesterday, the lowest since 9 May. A stronger US dollar, following hawkish comments from the US Fed and a soft set of economic data from China, weighed on the complex. A stronger USD has also weighed on precious metals with gold prices softening to US$1,905/t in the morning session today, the lowest levels in around three months. Hawkish comments from the Fed and the ECB at this week's Sintra conference in Portugal have pushed money away from gold. Total ETF gold holdings have dropped by around 0.8mOz over the past week and around 1.5mOz from the recent peak in May 2023.

Metals – Zinc and lead on-warrant stocks climb Recent LME data shows that total on-warrant stocks for lead increased by 1,075 tonnes to 41,225 tonnes as of yesterday, the highest since February 2022. The majority of the additions came from the warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia. As for zinc, on-warrant stocks rose by 2,625 tonnes to 68,350 tonnes.     Agriculture – IGC lowers corn output estimates In its latest monthly update, the International Grains Council (IGC) lowered its 2023/24 global corn output forecasts from 1,217mt to 1,211mt, while consumption projections were reduced to 1,205mt from a previous forecast of 1,211mt. Weaker consumption means that global corn ending stocks are expected to increase from 272mt to 276mt. For wheat, the council revised its global ending stock estimates down from 271mt to 264mt, despite a slight increase in output forecasts. The reduction in stocks was driven by expectations of stronger demand.   The USDA’s weekly net export sales for the week ending 22 June showed strong demand for US corn and wheat, while soybean shipments dropped over the previous week. US corn shipments surged to 263.9kt, compared to the 83.1kt reported in the previous week and 208.1kt from a year ago. Similarly, wheat exports rose to 155.2kt, higher than the 123.9kt reported a week ago but lower in comparison to 496.7kt from a year ago. Finally, soybean shipments stood at 244.4kt, lower than the 626.3kt reported a week ago.

Metals – Chile copper output declines The latest data from the National Statistics Institute of Chile shows that domestic copper output contracted for a second consecutive month by 1.1% MoM and 14% YoY to 413kt in May following a series of operational issues. Cumulative output declined 4.7% YoY and totalled 2.1mt in the first five months of the year. Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that Codelco halted mining activities at its El Teniente copper mine in Chile on Friday, following an accident at the mine while installing a generator. In aluminium, the latest LME data shows that on-warrant stockpiles rose by 13,725 tonnes (the biggest daily addition since 23 May) to 271,475 tonnes on Friday. Most of the rise came from warehouses in Gwangyang, South Korea. Net outflows for June were still higher at 126,025 tonnes, compared to outflows of 94,175 tonnes a month earlier. Total LME exchange inventories for aluminium rose by 11,925 tonnes to 543,150 tonnes on Friday, after having declined for seventeen consecutive sessions. Weekly data from Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) show that inventories for base metals remained mixed over the last week. Aluminium weekly stocks fell by 32,994 tonnes (-25% WoW) to 98,079 tonnes (the lowest since the start of the year). Copper inventories rose by 7,889 tonnes (+13% WoW) to 68,313 tonnes, while nickel inventories declined by 319 tonnes (-9.2% WoW) to 3,133 tonnes at the end of last week.

Metals: Record high temperatures in Sichuan risk output cuts Record high temperatures in China’s Sichuan province have raised the chances of electricity supply curbs for metal producers over the coming days. Power consumption in Sichuan, a region already struggling with low hydro levels, reached a record high on Monday. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), hydro generation across China fell about 33% YoY in May. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) reported that aluminium smelters near the provincial capital of Chengdu have been ordered to reduce their power consumption, which might result in 50kt of annualised capacity of the metal being idled. Sichuan is home to roughly 1mt of China’s total aluminium capacity of over 40mt. However, the planned resumption of about 1mt of aluminium capacity in the Yunnan province by next month could help offset these supply risks.   In terms of mine supply, Peru’s latest official numbers show that domestic copper output rose almost 35% YoY (+5.8% MoM) to 234.8kt in May. Cumulative production over the first five months of the year increased by 19.4% YoY to 1.07mt. Meanwhile, zinc output declined 8.2% YoY to 126.9kt in May. The latest SMM survey shows that China’s copper cathode production fell 4.3% MoM to 918kt in June, as around nine smelters undertook maintenance resulting in a total output impact of about 50kt. However, copper output still grew 7.1% YoY, whilst cumulative production also rose by 11% YoY to 5.6mt in the first half of the year. Chinese primary aluminium production remained almost flat on an annual basis at 3.4mt in June, although cumulative output rose 2.8% YoY to 20.1mt. Meanwhile, refined zinc output fell 13% YoY to 525.5kt, while lead output rose 24.6% YoY to 293kt last month.

Metals – Edging up on dollar weakness Spot gold rose to its highest level in almost four weeks, while industrial metals edged higher yesterday as easing inflation in the US pushed the dollar index to its lowest level since April 2022. Rising market speculation that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes may soon be nearing an end further lifted overall optimism across risk assets. China released its preliminary trade data for metals yesterday, which shows total monthly imports for unwrought copper falling 16.4% YoY to 449.6kt in June amid weak demand from the property market. Higher domestic production of the metal also impacted demand for imported copper. Cumulative unwrought copper imports fell 12% YoY to 2.6mt in the first half of the year. In contrast, imports of copper concentrate rose 3.2% YoY to 2.13mt last month, while year-to-date imports rose 7.9% YoY to 13.4mt. In ferrous metals, iron ore monthly imports rose 7.4% YoY to 95.5mt, while cumulative imports are also up 7.7% YoY to a total of 576mt in the first half of the year. On the exports side, China’s unwrought aluminium and aluminium products shipments fell 19% YoY to 492.6kt last month, while year-to-date exports declined 20% YoY to 2.81mt in the first half of 2023. Exports of steel products jumped 31% YoY to 43.6mt over the first half of the year. Recent data from China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) shows that steel inventories at major Chinese steel mills fell to 15.9mt in early July, down 7.6% compared to late June. Meanwhile, crude steel production at major mills fell marginally by 0.3% to 2.24mt/d in early July.

Metals: Codelco lowers copper output guidance Codelco has lowered its 2023 annual production guidance to 1.31mt-1.35mt, from its previous guidance of 1.35mt-1.42mt, as it expects more production halts in the second half of the year. The revised output guidance includes the recent damage at its El Teniente underground mine which is expected to curb production levels. Codelco’s copper output has declined 14% year-on-year to 633kt over the first half of the year, while quarterly output also declined 17% YoY in 2Q23, primarily due to project delays and accidents at mines. Weekly data from the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) shows that inventories for base metals remained mixed over the last week. Copper weekly stocks fell by 16,608 tonnes (-21.3% week-on-week) for a second consecutive week to 61,290 tonnes, while aluminium inventories declined by 2,049 tonnes (-1.8% WoW) to 110,996 tonnes as of Friday. In contrast, weekly exchange inventories for zinc, lead and nickel rose by 7.7%, 20.4% and 13.9%, respectively, at the end of last week. In steel, US Steel confirmed that it has idled a blast furnace out of three in Slovakia. A blast furnace at US Steel Kosice has been temporarily idled for about 40 days amid seasonally weak demand. The shipments from the facility ar