From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

I can’t stop talking about the softs trading on the NYMEX.

Coffee, cocoa, and OJ are all ripping higher. It seems only a matter of time before sugar and cotton join the fun.  

So can we extend an underlying bullish thesis for ag commodities to the grain contracts traded on the CBOT?

I don’t think it’s that simple. Regardless, I want to be prepared if and when the Chicago grain markets break out…

Let’s review the most actively traded contracts for corn and the soybean complex. First up…

Corn

Here’s the May corn futures contract:

There are two ways to play it.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

With the dollar beginning to rise, gold and silver are coming under some selling pressure.

Nevertheless, these shiny rocks and their related mining stocks are hanging tough.

Instead of getting bent out of shape, I plan on using the recent bout of selling as an opportunity.

When markets come under pressure, it’s time to identify the most resilient names. 

Why? 

The strongest stocks will likely lead the next leg higher.

Some call it the “beachball” effect. These names tend to rip higher after sellers fail to submerge these stocks.

And I have a potential beachball of a gold mining stock I want to share with you today…

It's the weekly commodity edition of What the FICC?

If you missed last month's breakout in Sugar, have no fear: It's offering us another opportunity to get long.…

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The New York Mercantile Exchange soft commodity contracts have been ripping.

Orange juice futures recently broke out of a decade-long base, coffee is up almost 20% in a month, and cocoa hit fresh 52-week highs yesterday.

Yet, of all the softs, I like sugar the most.

In fact, sugar held the No. 1 spot as my favorite chart heading into 2023. And it broke out last month!

I missed that move -- not for lack of initiative, more like access issues.

If you missed it, too, have no fear: Sugar is offering us another opportunity to get long.…

Check out the weekly chart:

It's the weekly commodity edition of What the FICC?

I want to share with you a trade idea I wouldn’t have considered a year ago...

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

I want to share with you a trade idea I wouldn’t have considered a year ago.

I balked at first. This trade’s simply not in my wheelhouse. But I’ve learned so much here at All Star Charts over the past three years.

And "to be open-minded" has been one of the most impactful lessons. 

Now, this setup has my full attention. Risk is well-defined, and the upside potential is heavily skewed in our favor.

I can see the spin on the pitch.

I’m talking about natural gas…

Before I lay out the levels, let’s step back and look at the big picture.

Natural gas stocks, represented by the Natural Gas ETF $FCG, haven't experienced the same extreme sell-off as natural gas futures $NGF:

This is the video recording of our February 6th Monthly Charts Live Strategy Session

It's the weekly commodity edition of What the FICC?

Since I've been under the weather this week, I wanted to share three of my favorite charts from the entire FICC space heading into the weekend.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Forget about what Powell said or whatever you heard on the street. 

We’re still looking for risk assets to buy.

That includes stocks and commodities. Despite the dollar applying downside pressure to risk assets this morning, I want to share one commodity that looks ready to rip…

Check out the weekly chart of Cotton futures:

Cotton experienced a sharp decline last year following an impressive run-up off the 2020 lows. Fast forward to today, and it’s challenging a critical retracement level from below at approximately 89.

The bulls have hammered this level since October of last year. And the way I learned it… 

The more times a level is tested, the higher the likelihood it breaks.

The Natural Gas ETF saw its highest volume of all time on Wednesday - by a long shot.

I mean, it wasn't even close.

When I see something like that, I think "Capitulation".

There's something going on here and I want to take a closer look.

So here's that look.

You can see the $UNG Natural Gas ETF back down to those 2020 levels.

This ETF rallied over 300% last time it was down here:

It's the weekly Gold Rush!

While Gold futures digest overhead supply, strength broadens across the metals space.

Check it out...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Plenty of gold bugs have Krugerrands buried in their backyard or basement –  if not secured in a safety deposit box at their local bank.

It’s no wonder gold falls under the “end-of-the-world” category of assets.

Regardless, gold prices can also rise with risk assets.

I raise this point not only as an important reminder but because it’s pivotal to understanding our bullish thesis for precious metals.

It’s a metals story….