From the Desk of Ian Culley @Ianculley  

"Trade what’s in front of you."

We say it all the time.  And it sounds simple enough.

But, with an immense amount of information circulating, it can be difficult to distinguish what’s important. 

That’s why we focus on price. Price filters the noise and useless data.

At the end of the day, it's price that pays. 

So, if bonds are breaking out to fresh multi-month highs, we should buy bonds, right?

Here’s a quick look at the bond market buy signals triggered earlier in the month: 

All three are still in play.

The five, 10-, and 30-year Treasury futures continue to churn above our risk levels. As long as that’s the case, we want to remain long toward our upside objectives...

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

The forex and futures markets will provide bountiful ways to trade a weakening dollar.

But what's the best option?

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The forex and futures markets will provide bountiful ways to trade a weakening dollar.

Unfortunately, some of our initial attempts to capitalize on dollar weakness have fallen flat. 

We’re not surprised – especially since market conditions remain challenging. But that won’t deter us from moving forward and finding the best trade setups.

As always, a viable trade comes down to two critical components: a well-defined risk level and a risk/reward profile heavily skewed in our favor.

And, of course, you know how much we like relative strength. 

That brings us to a vehicle that challenges the definition of "currency." 

That's gold.

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

Not only are commodities losing their leaders, but the leaders are losing their former 2018 highs. As bearish as this sounds, commodities still deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Not only are commodities losing their leaders, but the leaders are losing their former 2018 highs.

Heating oil futures just posted their lowest level since February. Meanwhile, gasoline and crude have printed fresh year-to-date lows, taking out their prior cycle highs.

Now what? 

Should we expect broad selling pressure to hit the commodity space?

Not so fast…

If you believe impending weakness awaits commodities in the coming weeks and months, this chart is for you: our energy index overlaid with our broad commodity index (both equal-weight):

Energy contracts have led the way higher while relinquishing far less than the broader index – until now.

It’s a logical assumption that commodities as a whole will fall without the participation of the leadership group. But the EW33 index has yet to break...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @Ianculley

Bonds are flying under the radar.

While everyone focuses on the S&P 500 finding resistance at its 200-day moving average, bonds are posting their most substantial rally since the early 2020 peak.

Treasuries have represented downside risk for almost two years. We get it. Nobody's wanted bonds!

Neither have we – until now.

Here’s why…

Momentum

The long-term Treasury bond ETF $TLT has gained almost 20% since late October. In the process, it registered its largest four-week rate of change in a decade (aside from the covid related volatility).

This is what a momentum thrust looks like:

Notice the previous rallies in mid-2021 and earlier this summer (highlighted in yellow).

Both advances failed to produce sustained strength. It not only shows in price but also in the lackluster momentum readings that followed (highlighted yellow in the lower pane).

The...

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

Today we're highlighting three critical levels with huge implications for the US dollar.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US dollar Index $DXY is running into support at a shelf of former highs. 

How it reacts will influence how stocks fare heading into the year-end.

Let’s check out three charts and three levels to monitor.

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

Today we're checking back on two recent trades from October -- coffee and orange juice.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Precious metals shine as the dollar drops.

It makes sense our bullish metal trades are working in this environment. But how are less dollar-sensitive contracts faring?

Let’s check back on two recent trades from October, coffee and orange juice.

First up is the orange juice futures contract:

OJ came within striking distance of our upside objective last month.

It’s now carving out a near-term top while posting a bearish momentum divergence – not the most bullish price action.

Regardless, I want to give OJ the benefit of the doubt as long as it holds above our 191 risk level. All bets are off if it breaks below that mark.

At the same time, selling a breakdown here does not appeal to me. The price memory below 191 has "chop-fest" written all over it!

And,...

It's the weekly bond market edition of What the FICC?

Today we're tracking European yields for insight into the next big move in US interest rates.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @Ianculley

The strong US dollar and higher interest rates have dominated the conversation this year.

But the direction of the US Dollar Index $DXY has changed, breaking its year-to-date trendline earlier this month. 

Will interest rates follow?

Not yet! So far, the uptrend remains intact for the five-, 10-, and 30-year yields. We have to give these trends the benefit of the doubt, for now.

Despite their persistence, it seems more a matter of when not if rates do eventually roll over.

Based on information from the US bond market and developed-market European yields, it could happen sooner than you might expect.

Let’s break it down.

First, we can’t dismiss the middle-long end of the curve holding above year-to-date trendlines.

Our outlook remains higher for these yields as long as their trend lines hold. If they...