From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Have you noticed these trends driving the markets?

Commodities are ripping. The energy sector is outperforming. Interest rates are climbing while US treasury bonds fall apart…  

Of course, we can’t forget about the US dollar’s rally.

I continue to err in the direction of these underlying trends. But the dollar rally will likely run out of gas soon…

Check out the US Dollar Index $DXY printing its highest level since November. 

My near-term DXY bias flipped bullish late last month. Aside from improving momentum and multiple tests of overhead supply, our bullish USD trades shifted my outlook.

The tactical shorts in the British pound and New Zealand dollar were in play and have...

Whether it’s a pullback in a position or a pullback in my portfolio, drawdowns are the hardest thing to endure as a trader.

However, let’s not forget that I first had to have a winning trade on to suffer a pullback. That’s good!

If I want to have a big winner, it must first start as a small winner. Then the hard work begins…

To grow from a small winner into a big winner, it’s very rare for the path to be a straight line. There will be pauses. There will be the occasional shakeout of weak hands. There will be people on social media or TV talking about how extended the move has become and how there’s a high risk of a correction.

There will seem to be a million reasons to take profits before they escape my grasp.

Amidst this messy tape, characterized by widespread volatility and a notable decline in market breadth, patient trading seems prudent.

Cryptocurrencies and equities are facing pressure amidst a strengthening US dollar, which increases the possibility of a prolonged sideways trend.

In today's Daily Digest, we'll review:

1. No new positions today.
2. Adjustment to ARKK position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.

Let's dig in!

From the Desk of Steve Strazza and Alfonso Depablos

The largest insider transaction on today’s list comes in multiple Form 4 filings by the CEO, the general counsel, and the executive vice president of operations of Science Applications International Corporation $SAIC.

Among them the three directors revealed combined purchases of $490,670 in SAIC shares.

Gold is one of the biggest winners so far in 2024.

But you can argue that it's really the commodities complex that is leading, and Gold is just one of them.

Check out the YTD returns here.

But the unwind in Gold stocks relative to other types of stocks looks to be just getting going.

Here is the Gold Bugs Index, which is loaded with all the top mining stocks, compared to the S&P500.

Notice the dramatic underperformance for so long, followed by a failed breakdown, and now the squeeze is just getting started:

I have three big ideas to take advantage of the current markets.

It's pretty obvious to everyone now that this year is not like last year.

Some people are pretending it still is.

You are welcome to lie to yourself if you'd like.

But I have the data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is flat so far in 2024. Small-caps are actually still down.

It's Crude Oil, Silver, Gold and Copper leading the way:

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza.

Welcome back to Under the Hood, where we'll cover all the action for the two weeks ended April 12, 2024. This report is published bi-weekly, in rotation with The Minor Leaguers.

What we do here is analyze the most popular stocks during the week and find opportunities to either join in and ride these momentum names higher, or fade the crowd and bet against them.

We use a variety of sources to generate the list of most popular names.

There are so many new data sources available that all we need to do is organize and curate them in a way that shows us exactly what we want: a list of stocks that are seeing an unusual increase in investor interest.

Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at our process.

Whether we’re measuring increasing interest based on large institutional purchases, unusual...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Readers often ask how long it will take for an open trade to reach our target. 

I wish I knew. 

Only the market can answer that question, as gold did last Friday…

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Readers often ask how long it will take for an open trade to reach our target. 

I wish I knew. 

Only the market can answer that question, as Gold did last Friday…

Six weeks!

It was only a matter of weeks — not months, not quarters — before gold futures hit our first objective:

What a face-ripper!

If this isn’t a clear indication of a new secular bull run for precious metals, what else do you need to see?

Luckily for anyone thinking about adding to positions or locking in profits, the extension level at approximately 2,450 marks a logical area for the rally to take a breather.

It doesn’t mean it will. Nevertheless, it’s still a good idea to take some profits here. 

Once buyers drive gold above 2,465, we can add to existing long positions (or open new ones) with a rough target of 3,300.

Meanwhile, Platinum and Palladium are looking juicy…

These low-profile precious metals offer excellent opportunities as gold digests its gains.

I highlighted Platinum last week as it challenges a critical breakout level. And our...

In today's Flow Show, me and Steve Strazza took a look at some potential directional bets, but we both agreed that the right trade for today is one that would benefit from some sideways trading action.

With the broader markets looking a bit indecisive here, making a strong directional bet (in either direction) feels like a high-risk proposition. But there's a big cap name currently stuck in a range that is offering us nice options premiums to bet on further sideways action. We'll likely have to hold through an earnings event to earn our profit, but with a defined risk and a large margin for error, I like our chances.

In today's Daily Digest, we'll review:

1. No new positions today.
2. Adjustment to XRT position.
3. No exits since the last report.
4. Current status of open campaigns.

Let's dig in!