From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Tuesday I posted a mystery chart and asked you all to let me know what you would do. Buy, sell, or do nothing. Most of you said you'd be short or doing nothing until the range resolves lower, while only one or two of you said you'd be long with a tight stop or were waiting for an upside break.

Given how closely this chart resembles the S&P 500 or other major US Indexes, I wasn't surprised by those responses. It still feels like many people have a short bias, so continued churn at current levels or a slow grind higher could leave a lot of people left behind.

Anyway, here's the actual chart and why I feel it's relevant.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Last week was our first Mystery Chart and Reveal Post of 2019.

This week we're doing that same exercise with a new chart, x and y-axes and and all labels eliminated to minimize bias. As a reminder, this chart can be any security in any asset class on any timeframe on an absolute or relative basis. It can even be inverted or a custom index.

For those thinking "I know what that is!", I'll save you the time and say you're wrong. Instead, tell me what you would do with it right here.

Buy, Sell, or Do Nothing?

Last week was our first Mystery Chart and Reveal Post of 2019.

This week we're doing that same exercise with a new chart, x and y-axes and and all labels eliminated to minimize bias. As a reminder, this chart can be any security in any asset class on any timeframe on an absolute or relative basis. It can even be inverted or a custom index.

The point here is to not guess what it is, but instead to think about what you would do right now. Buy, Sell, or Do Nothing?

This past week during our first Conference Call of 2019, we discussed the continued lack of direction in the indexes and how the relative strength in Financial Services and Consumer Goods stocks was being offset by the weakness in IT and Energy.

By Friday we finally saw some rotation back into Energy, but there are signs that the major indices won't be off to the races just yet.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Tuesday I posted a mystery chart and asked you all to let me know what you would do. Buy, sell, or do nothing. By my unprecise and unscientific count, many of you said you'd do nothing and wait for the range to resolve itself, while others were anticipating a breakout.

So today, I want to reveal the full chart and share why I feel it's relevant.

Tuesday I posted a mystery chart and asked you all to let me know what you would do. Buy, sell, or do nothing. Many said that it looked like a downtrend and that a neutral/bearish approach appeared best. I agreed.

So today, I want to reveal the full chart and share why I feel it's relevant.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

One of my favorite exercises in our process is the use of "mystery charts." Essentially, we take out the x and y-axes and and all labels to eliminate any biases. The chart can be any security in any asset class on any timeframe on an absolute or relative basis. It can even be inverted.

The point here is to not guess what it actually is (though most of you will try), but instead to think about what you would do. Buy, Sell, or Do Nothing?

One of my favorite exercises in our process is the use of "mystery charts." Essentially, we take out the x and y-axes and and all labels to eliminate any biases. The chart can be any security in any asset class on any timeframe on an absolute or relative basis. It can even be inverted.

The point here is to not guess what it actually is (though most of you will try), but instead to think about what you would do. Buy, Sell, or Do Nothing?

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

As part of my weekly review I went through the entire S&P 1500 across on both the weekly and daily timeframes to identify long and short opportunities, as well as any major market themes.

Unfortunately the evidence is still mixed when it comes to the market's next directional move, but there was one chart that I wanted to point out because it reminded that opportunity can often lie where you least expect.

This weekend I was updating our chartbooks for members and preparing for Wednesday's Members-Only Conference Call when I stumbled upon a chart that's too good not to share.

It's a great trade idea, but it also is a great reminder that while the major stock market indexes may not be trending, there's still plenty of opportunity on both the long and short side of this "market of stocks".

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

Yesterday I discussed how we use ratio charts to identify trends for both trading opportunities and information that we can use to make inferences about the stock market's next major move. Today I want to look at an inter-market relationship between Base Metals and Precious Metals that may help provide information about where interest rates are headed.

From the desk of Tom Bruni @BruniCharting

The S&P 500 has rallied more than 10% off its late December lows, making the reward/risk on the long side a lot less favorable as many of the major indexes and sectors approach overhead supply. When the market is at a point on an absolute basis where the weight of the evidence is mixed, the use of ratio charts to identify the trends that are happening under the surface becomes even more valuable.