Tag: ONH – Overnight High

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Commentary

Daily Brief For May 17, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures in balance.

  • Themes: Inflation, COVID outbreaks.
  • Ahead: Manufacturing, housing data.
  • Indices are lower but holding up well.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures auctioned lower, overnight, alongside a so-called flight to safety. Bonds and metals were higher while risk assets, like equities and cryptocurrencies, were down.

At the same time, supply-side disruptions continue with coronavirus outbreaks in Asia; Taiwan’s benchmark index fell nearly 4% during overnight trade.

In terms of releases, participants are looking forward to Empire Manufacturing and the NAHB housing market index for May. Also, an Atlanta Fed conference begins, today.

Graphic updated at 7:00 AM EST.

What To Expect: Monday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) in the S&P 500 will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for immediate directional opportunity.

Adding, during Friday’s regular trade, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by initiative trade up to the $4,177.25 high volume area (HVNode). This is significant because that level marks a major pivot on the composite profile (i.e., above = bullish, below = bearish-to-neutral). To note, however, participants were unable to introduce meaningful excess at the recovery high.

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

Excess: A proper end to price discovery; the market travels too far while advertising prices. Responsive, other-timeframe (OTF) participants aggressively enter the market, leaving tails or gaps which denote unfair prices.

It is important to touch on the push-pull dynamic in markets, over the past few weeks. 

Historically speaking, equities are in a seasonally weak period. At the same time, inflation and uninspiring economic data are major worries investors are attempting to price in. Despite these emerging themes, JPMorgan Chase & Co’s (NYSE: JPM) Marko Kolanovic, in a CNBC appearance, said that the market is a little oversold, and his S&P 500 target of $4,400.00 remains in play.

“I think market is now actually getting cheap, in some sense,” Kolanovic said. “I think we’re at the end of this upset. I think the market is going to go higher here. That said, we do still again prefer reflationary themes.”

Given the brief fundamental context, for today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,177.25 HVNode pivot may reach as high as the $4,227.00 POC. Initiative trade beyond the POC targets the $4,238.00 overnight high (ONH).

POCs: POCs (like HVNodes described above) are valuable as they denote areas where two-sided trade was most prevalent. Participants will respond to future tests of value as they offer favorable entry and exit.

Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below $4,177.25 has the potential to reach down, through the $4,129.25 and $4,069.25 HVNodes, to the $4,050.75 low volume area (LVNode). 

Trading beyond the LVNode, caution longs. The S&P 500 may rapidly discover lower prices, repairing the poor, low-volume structure down to the $3,979.50 Fibonacci retracement. Closeby is the $3,953.25 HVNode and $3,908.25 composite HVNode (a key response area).

Graphic: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Daily candlestick charts of the S&P 500 (top left), Nasdaq 100 (top right), Russell 2000 (bottom left), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (bottom right).
Graphic: SHIFT search suggests participants were most interested in put strikes at and below current prices in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX) and Nasdaq 100 Index (INDEX: NDX), last week. It appears that participants were positioning themselves in strikes across further-dated expiries (e.g., June 18, 2021) suggesting more commitment.

News And Analysis

Trade | Surging corporate demand is upending global supply chains. (BBG)

Credit | Fiscal stimulus, borrower discipline behind loan asset quality. (Moody’s)

Economy | Households and most U.S. children to get monthly stimulus. (REU)

Travel | United to add more than 400 daily flights in July amid demand. (REU)

Trade | EU agrees to a partial truce with the U.S. over old Trump tariffs. (REU)

Markets | Companies flush with cash, ready to pad shareholder pockets. (WSJ)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

Travel | Bankers flee Wall Street, head home to virus-free Australia. (BBG)

FinTech | Crypto, blockchain must accept problems, lead in sustainability. (TC)

Energy | The electrification of everything: what you need to know. (WSJ)

FinTech | How you can build a DIY robot-advisor using Passiv. (BZ)

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

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Commentary

Weekly Brief For May 16, 2021

Market Commentary

Key Takeaways: Index futures are back in balance.

  • Economic data failing to surprise.
  • JPM: “Market is a little oversold.”
  • Indices reject lower prices, rotate.

What Happened: Last week, U.S. stock index futures auctioned lower alongside the release of uninspiring economic data.

In particular, the S&P 500 advertised prices below a key consolidation area but failed to solicit aggressive selling. Thereafter, participants rotated the index back inside the aforementioned consolidation, suggesting they were seeking more information to base a directional move. 

As stated in the last few weekly commentaries, participants have a lot to account for in positioning themselves during one of the weakest stretches of the year. Among their worries are inflation expectations – in part due to “choke points in global supply chains” – and stalling retail sales, as well as consumer price and job data misses. At the same time, sentiment and positioning metrics are waning while inflows remain strong, across the globe, and many year-end index targets remain clustered at and above current prices.

Of all the factors mentioned, inflation is a key concern. Why? Generally speaking, inflation and rates move inverse to each other. Low rates stimulate demand for loans (i.e., borrowing money more attractive). With the rapid recovery, though, market participants are fearful that rates may have to rise to protect the economy from overheating.

Higher rates have the potential to reduce the present value of future earnings, making stocks, especially those that are high growth, less attractive. To note, however, rates remain rangebound; rates on the 10 Year T-Note sit below their March high and are likely to continue higher, which, according to research by JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM), the market will likely absorb.

In fact, JPMorgan’s Marko Kolanovic, in a CNBC appearance, said that the market is a little oversold, and his S&P 500 target of $4,400.00 remains in play.

“I think market is now actually getting cheap, in some sense,” Kolanovic said. “I think we’re at the end of this upset. I think the market is going to go higher here. That said, we do still again prefer reflationary themes.”

Looking back, also, according to The Market Ear, even during the so-called Taper Tantrum, in the early 2010s, rates settled in a wide range, and equities rallied big. 

Graphic: Nasdaq 100 rallies in 2013 after rates settle in a wide range, via The Market Ear.

To add, technically speaking, after testing into a composite low volume area (LVNode), the S&P 500 rejected lower prices and quickly traded back to the valuable $4,177.25 high volume area (HVNode).

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

This volatility was expected; coming into the May 13 reversal, stock indexes were positioning for a vicious rebound as near-term downside discovery reached a potential limit, based on market liquidity metrics and the inventory positioning of participants. According to SqueezeMetrics, the steepness of the GammaVol (GXV) curve suggested there was more risk to the upside than the downside.

More On Gamma: In the simplest way, gamma is the sensitivity of an option to changes in the underlying price. Dealers that take the other side of options trades to hedge their exposure to risk by buying and selling the underlying. When dealers are short-gamma, they hedge by buying into strength and selling into weakness. When dealers are long-gamma, they hedge by selling into strength and buying into weakness. The former exacerbates volatility. The latter calms volatility.

What To Expect: In the coming sessions, participants will want to focus their attention on where the S&P 500 trades in relation to the $4,177.25 HVNode pivot.

That said, participants can trade from the following frameworks.

In the best case, the index trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,177.25 HVNode may reach as high as the $4,227.00 POC. Initiative trade beyond the POC could reach as high as $4,238.00 overnight high (ONH) and $4,294.75 Fibonacci price extension, a typical recovery target.

POCs: POCs (like HVNodes described above) are valuable as they denote areas where two-sided trade was most prevalent. Participants will respond to future tests of value as they offer favorable entry and exit.

Overnight Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

In the worst case, the index trades lower; activity below the $4,177.25 HVNode has the potential to reach the $4,136.25 HVNode. Beyond that level, of interest is the $4,122.25 HVNode, the $4,104.75 LVNode, and the $4,069.25 HVNode. 

Trading below the $4,029.25 overnight low (ONL) suggests a continuation of the bear trend. Caution longs.

Graphic: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Weekly candlestick charts of the S&P 500 (top left), Nasdaq 100 (top right), Russell 2000 (bottom left), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (bottom right).
Graphic: SHIFT search suggests participants were most interested in put strikes at and below current prices in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX) and Nasdaq 100 Index (INDEX: NDX), last week. It appears that participants were positioning themselves in strikes across further-dated expiries (e.g., June 18, 2021) suggesting more commitment.

News And Analysis

Markets | Rates remain resilient after the recent inflation scare. (MND)

Markets | Caught-short strategists are a stealth market accelerant. (BBG)

Ratings | Out-of-court restructurings may lead to repeat defaults. (S&P)

Energy | Oil, and gas benefiting from rising crude, value rotation. (BBG)

Energy | Colonial Pipeline resumes normal operations after hack. (Axios)

Markets | Selected indicators – global automotive manufacturing. (REU)

Ratings | Risk of supply chain financing, partial asset sell-downs. (S&P)

Economy | U.K.’s worse recession to turn into a stronger recovery. (S&P)

Economy | Don’t you dare say stagflation; safeguards are slipping. (BBG)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

Working | Reimagining the workplace – adapting to new normals. (S&P)

Banking | US banks could cut nearly 200K jobs over the next decade. (FT)

Space | China has made history with its successful Mars landing. (Axios)

FinTech | Cryptocurrency, and blockchain must lead in sustainability. (TC)

Energy | California Governor proposes a $3.2B EV investment plan. (TC)

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

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Commentary

Daily Brief For May 10, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures in balance.

  • Inflation talk; reflation back in play.
  • Ahead is Fed speak and earnings.
  • Indices divergent. Expecting chop.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures were divergent. 

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average discovered higher prices while the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 backed off into the prior range.

Graphic updated at 7:25 AM EST.

What To Expect: Monday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) in the S&P 500 will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for immediate directional opportunity. 

Adding, during the prior session’s regular trade, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by initiative trade above the $4,210.75 rally-high, which is significant because that was the highest mark achieved during a prior failed break from balance.

This comes as market participants double down on the so-called “reflation” trade. JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) strategists, led by Marko Kolanovic, warned many managers will “need to quickly switch gears from their deflationary playbook or risk an ‘inflation shock,’” according to Bloomberg.

Beyond that snippet of fundamental information, we move to what matters right now, technically. Further, for today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,238.00 overnight high (ONH) puts in play the $4,266.50 Fibonacci-derived price extension.

Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below the $4,216.00 low-volume area (LVNode) puts in play the $4,210.75 rally-high. Thereafter, if lower, the HVNodes at $4,199.25, $4,190.75, and $4,177.25 (a major pivot) all become in play.

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high-volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high-volume for favorable entry or exit.
Graphic: 65-minute profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Daily candlestick charts of the S&P 500 (top left), Nasdaq 100 (top right), Russell 2000 (bottom left), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (bottom right). The Dow is the strongest of the four. The Nasdaq is the weakest.
Graphic: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for the week ending May 7, 2021. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short-dated tenors, in strikes as low as $404.00, which corresponds with $4,030.00 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).

News And Analysis

Commodities | Gasoline futures rise after cyberattack shuts down a vital pipeline. (CNBC)

Recovery | Dr. Fauci says masks could become seasonal after COVID pandemic. (CNBC)

Economy | Euro zone investor morale rises to the highest level since March 2018. (REU)

Markets | Second-biggest cryptocurrency ethereum breaks $4,000 to hit a record. (REU)

Economy | Consumer on one of the healthiest footings in decades, post-COVID-19. (BLK)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

Business | UBS dangles $40,000 bonuses to slow junior banker defections. (BBG)

FinTech | Signalling privacy is coming to DeFi, Sienna Network raises $11.2M. (TC)

Trade | Japan mulling alternatives to Suez Canal after the Ever Given shock. (AJ)

ESG | Blackrock insider explains how the ESG investing ‘fantasy’ is distracting. (FP)

Markets | Nasdaq gets the green light from SEC for volatility index options. (TTN)

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

 Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

Subscribe
Categories
Commentary

Daily Brief For April 28, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures balance, trade sideways.

  • Traders honed in on a Fed taper.
  • A heavy day of earnings, FOMC.
  • Expect chop or responsive trade. 

What Happened: Ahead of key economic developments, U.S. stock index futures auctioned sideways-to-lower overnight. Yields and the dollar rose.

This activity comes alongside reports of strong earnings from heavily weighted index constituents. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) were some of the most anticipated reports.

Today, Joe Biden will unveil his “American Families Plan” in an address to Congress, the Federal Reserve will provide clarity on its monetary easing plan, and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), among others, will report their earnings.

Graphic updated at 8:20 AM EST.

What To Expect: Wednesday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for immediate directional opportunity. 

Adding, over the past few sessions, volumes have dwindled and responsive trade has been the course of action. This is in anticipation of impactful fundamental developments, like the FOMC meeting, today.

Responsive Buying (Selling): Buying (selling) in response to prices below (above) area of recent price acceptance.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) expects the Fed to keep rate hikes off the table until mid-2023. Given that labor slack remains high, the odds of tapering are rather slim.
Graphic: Goldman Sachs’ timeline for Federal Reserve tapering, via ForexLive.

That said, today’s trade will likely be volatile and participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,186.75 ledge targets the $4,191.75 overnight high (ONH). Initiative trade beyond the ONH may introduce excess and could reach as high as the Fibonacci-derived price targets, $4,197.25-$4,263.00. 

Ledges: Flattened area on the profile which suggests responsive participants are in control, or initiative participants lack the confidence to continue the discovery process. The ledge will either hold and force participants to liquidate (cover) their positions, or crack and offer support (resistance).

Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

Excess: A proper end to price discovery; the market travels too far while advertising prices. Responsive, other-timeframe (OTF) participants aggressively enter the market, leaving tails or gaps which denote unfair prices.

In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below $4,166.75 regular-trade low (RTH Low) targets the $4,164.25 high-volume area (HVNode). Thereafter, if lower, participants can look for responses at the $4,163.25, $4,137.25, and $4,122.75 HVNodes.

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

As long as prices remain within the prior day’s range, responsive trade is the course of action. Participants should approach today’s session with extra caution, given the potential for headline-driven initiative activity. Big picture, though, the bullish narrative remains intact unless the S&P 500 is able to auction and spend time below the $4,110.50 minimal excess low (also the balance-area low). 

Initiative Buying (Selling): Buying (selling) within or above (below) the previous day’s value area.

Balance (Two-Timeframe Or Bracket): Rotational trade that denotes current prices offer favorable entry and exit. Balance-areas make it easy to spot change in the market (i.e., the transition from two-time frame trade, or balance, to one-time frame trade, or trend).
Graphic: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: SHIFT search maps out the trade of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for April 27. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short-dated tenors, in strikes near current prices. Data suggests participants, in insignificant amounts, added call-side exposure into the beginning of May. Sentiment flips into the end of May, beginning of June. 

News And Analysis

Economy | Biden unveils a massive family aid plan funded by taxing the rich. (BBG)

Economy | Fed to stay patient as U.S. outlook improves: decision-day guide. (BBG)

Commodities | Goldman sees commodities rallying over the next six months. (FP)

Markets | Tesla accused by EPA of auto-coating emissions reporting failure. (BBG)

Markets | Airbus unit has pleaded guilty to corruption over Saudi contracts. (BBG)

Commodities | OPEC+ is sticking to plan to ease oil output cuts from May 1. (REU)

Markets | Local banks, like their giant rivals, are finding loan growth elusive. (BBG)

Markets | Turning tide signals ebbing of liquidity ocean, analysis suggests. (REU)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

Markets | Chatting with Cathie Wood, the CEO, and CIO at ARK Invest. (MM)

FinTech | Trader-inspired brokerage Edge Clear launches new platform. (BZ)

FinTech | Barclays taps amount over end-to-end digital banking solutions. (BZ)

Financing | IRR in emerging tech hubs starting to overtake Silicon Valley. (TC)

FinTech | ICE introduces ultra-low-latency wireless services in Europe. (MM)

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

Subscribe
Categories
Commentary

Daily Brief For April 27, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures auction sideways, validating higher prices.

  • 80% of companies beat expectations.
  • Ahead: FOMC, Biden Address, GDP.
  • Indices balance and correct with time.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures auctioned sideways, overnight, while Treasury yields and commodities posted substantive gains.

This price action comes as nearly 80% of companies that reported their earnings have either met or beaten expectations. The muted response suggests much the optimism has already been priced in. Now, participants are looking for more information to base their next move. 

See here for information on how to read an earnings report.

Ahead, is data on home prices, consumer confidence, and manufacturing. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will hold a conference on central bank policy. On the same day, Joe Biden will address Congress. Thursday, U.S. GDP will likely show improvement in the first quarter, 2021.

Graphic updated 8:30 AM EST.

What To Expect: Tuesday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for immediate directional opportunity. 

Adding, during the prior day’s regular trade, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by sideways trade just shy of the $4,186.75 balance-area high. 

Balance (Two-Timeframe Or Bracket): Rotational trade that denotes current prices offer favorable entry and exit. Balance-areas make it easy to spot change in the market (i.e., the transition from two-time frame trade, or balance, to one-time frame trade, or trend).

All this comes after a substantial advance. The S&P 500 is up nearly 13% since the start of March and it could be said that the product has been marked up, enough. Given the busy calendar, the odds favor sideways trade. The reason being: a market in balance tends to stay in balance unless some exogenous factor provides participants more information to base their next move.

Adding, Jeff Buchbinder, Equity Strategist for LPL Financial says: “[W]hile sentiment may be overly optimistic and a pickup in volatility would be totally normal, strong breadth measures suggest stocks still may have more upside. This week we tackle that same topic of peak optimism, but by looking at some valuation metrics. While valuations are elevated, they still appear reasonable when factoring in interest rates and inflation.”

Moving on, for today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,186.75 ledge targets the $4,191.75 overnight high (ONH). Initiative trade beyond the ONH may introduce excess and could reach as high as the Fibonacci-derived price targets, $4,197.25-$4,263.00. 

In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below $4,173.25 regular-trade low (RTH Low) targets the $4,164.25 high-volume area (HVNode). Thereafter, if lower, participants can look for responses at the $4,163.25, $4,137.25, and $4,122.75 HVNodes.

Ledges: Flattened area on the profile which suggests responsive participants are in control, or initiative participants lack the confidence to continue the discovery process. The ledge will either hold and force participants to liquidate (cover) their positions, or crack and offer support (resistance).

Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

Initiative Trade: Buying (selling) within or above (below the previous day’s value area.

Excess: A proper end to price discovery; the market travels too far while advertising prices. Responsive, other-timeframe (OTF) participants aggressively enter the market, leaving tails or gaps which denote unfair prices.

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

As long as the S&P 500 remains in the $4,186.75-$4,110.50 balance area, the course of action is responsive trade.

Graphic: 65-minute profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: SHIFT search maps out the trade of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for April 26. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short-dated tenors, in strikes near current prices. To put it simply, not much is going on, yet.

News And Analysis

Banking | Nomura, UBS take global banks’ Archegos hit to $10B. (BBG)

Economy | U.S. auto dealers are winners as chip shortage lifts profit. (REU)

Markets | Goldman Sachs watching total margin loans after blow-ups. (REU)

M&A | New York Community Bancorp will buy Flagstar Bancorp. (REU)

Economy | France, and Germany support U.S. 21% corporate tax plan. (BBG)

Travel | The E.U. set to let vaccinated U.S. tourists visit this summer. (NYT)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

FinTech | Citi eyes mortgage tech in push to close the wealth gap. (BBG)

Innovation | Germany to spend recovery money on green, digital goals. (REU)

FinTech | Mobile bank Current raises $220M Series D, tripling value. (TC)

FinTech | S!NG wants creators to lean on NFTs to protect their IP. (TC) 

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity. 

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

Subscribe
Categories
Commentary

Daily Brief For April 20, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures auction lower, attempt to validate higher prices.

  • Investors weigh earnings, taxes.
  • Light calendar, earnings pick up.
  • Indices correct in time and price.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures auctioned lower overnight as investors weighed the risks of exposure given the potential for surprise earnings results and a recent spike in virus cases, among other factors. 

What To Expect: Tuesday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) in the S&P 500 will likely open outside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a higher-than-normal potential for directional opportunity. 

During the prior day’s regular trade, the worst-case outcome occurred, evidenced by trade below the $4,171.00 VPOC, which is significant because it marks an area where participants found it most valuable to conduct business during a prior session. Thereafter, overnight, participants discovered lower prices and solicited responsive buying at the $4,137.00 high-volume area (HVNode).

Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high volume. Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test).

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

This price action is occurring on the heels of an outstanding rally, fueled by vaccine rollouts, supportive central banks, and improved consumer finances. In a statement, JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) expressed its optimism on a sustained equity market boom. 

“We would not be cutting stocks exposure on a 6-9 months horizon, and continue to see any dips as buying opportunities,” JPMorgan analysts said. “We would not expect to see a more sustained pullback before Q4.”

Further, as stated in prior commentaries, equity markets are positioned bullish, but there exists an increased potential to correct in time and price. Should there be a drastic turn and spike in volatility, participants must be ready to accept the possibility of a violent liquidation, given poor structure left behind prior price discovery and increased put selling, among other factors. 

Price Discovery (One-Timeframe Or Trend): Elongation and range expansion denotes a market seeking new prices to establish value, or acceptance (i.e., more than 30-minutes of trade at a particular price level).

For today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,142.00 regular trade low (RTH Low) targets the $4,155.00 HVNode. Initiative trade beyond the HVNode could reach as high as $4,167.50 overnight high (ONH).

In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below $4,142.00 targets the $4,122.75 HVNode. Thereafter, if lower, participants can look for a repair of the poor structure sitting at the $4,113.00 low. Trading below $4,104.00 suggests a test as low as the $4,069.25 HVNode is likely.

Graphic: 65-minute profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for April 19, 2021. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short-dated tenors, in strikes as low as $403, which corresponds with $4,030 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).

News And Analysis

Economy | Equity markets haven’t priced in Biden’s corporate tax hikes, yet. (BBG)

Recovery | More than half of U.S. adults vaccinated. Why are cases rising? (AB)

Trade | Why the chip shortage is so hard to overcome despite recent efforts. (WSJ)

Economy | Fannie Mae seeing a brighter outlook for housing and economy. (MND)

Economy | Fearing foreclosure crisis, watchdog cracks down on servicers. (REU)

Politics | Xi is challenging U.S. global leadership, warns against decoupling. (BBG)

Markets | Dogecoin’s surge was fueled by retail and institutional participants. (TB)

Markets | Credit Suisse halts trader’s fund on risk concerns, post-Archegos. (BBG)

Markets | China’s yuan is overvalued, and that could stoke global inflation. (BBG)

Markets | Stock shorts collapsed as no hedge fund wants head ripped off. (BBG)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

Markets | Large hidden bond market problem poses a whole new set of risks. (BBG)

FinTech | Here is how the big brokerage firms are breaking into bitcoin trading. (TB)

FinTech | Intercontinental Exchange-owned Bakkt targeting innovation, NFTs. (BZ)

Markets | The OCC has announced a reduction of its clearing fee to two cents. (TM)

Venture | Where the startup world sees money in the $2.3T infrastructure plan. (CN)

 About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

 Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

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Commentary

Daily Brief For April 14, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures in attempting to balance and validate higher prices.

  • The Fed worried about disinflation.
  • Economic Club hosts Fed’s Powell.
  • Growth and inflation already priced.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures balanced overnight as participants positioned themselves for a strong earnings season.

What To Expect: Wednesday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for immediate directional opportunity. 

Adding, during the prior day’s regular trade in the S&P 500, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by initiative trade above $4,127.00, which is significant because it marked an overnight-high (ONH).

More On Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

It seems that nearly every day this commentary goes out, U.S. index futures are trading sideways or higher. Is that a reason to become bearish? Absolutely not. 

Much of the advance comes in light of a historically bullish period for markets. As a result of supportive structural flows and the pricing in of positive earnings expectations, the S&P 500 is up over 11% since the start of March.

Graphic: April, historically speaking, is usually a good month for equity investors. 

Taking a step back, based on speculative derivatives activity, participants are opportunistically hedging their downside. This is evidenced by ask-side activity in long-dated puts, which provide holders with the right to sell an asset, at a certain price, at some point in the future.

Graphic: The Balance explains how call and put options work. 

At the same time, volatility is falling off of a cliff causing the sensitivity of options to changes in underlying price to increase. As a result, because option dealers are typically long calls and short puts, the “long-gamma” dynamic — crushed volatility and momentum — becomes more pronounced; amid associated hedging, liquidity increases and movement declines. This dynamic will likely resolve itself come April’s monthly options expiration.

Option Expiration (OPEX) Significance: Option expiries mark an end to pinning (i.e, the theory that market makers and institutions short options move stocks to the point where the greatest dollar value of contracts will expire worthless) and the reduction dealer gamma exposure.

For today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above $4,139.75 excess high targets $4,143.00, a price extension. Initiative trade beyond the $4,143.00 level could reach as high as $4,197.25. In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below the $4,120.00 pull-back low targets the $4,112.75 high-volume area (HVNode) and $4,104.00 spike base. 

More On Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high-volume (HVNode). Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area (LVNode) which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.

More On Spikes: Spike’s mark the beginning of a break from value. Spikes higher (lower) are validated by trade at or above (below) the spike base (i.e., the origin of the spike).
Graphic: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for April 13. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short- and long-dated tenors, in strikes near $412, which corresponds with $4,120 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).
Graphic: SHIFT search shows that trade in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) was scattered across call and put strikes near current prices.

News And Analysis

Travel | Airlines can’t get the world flying again despite the U.S. boom. (BBG)

Recovery | Amsterdam’s recovery from a deadly outbreak in 1665. (BBG)

Energy | Overhang in oil inventories worked off, outlook improving. (IEA)

Crypto | Yellen, crypto fearmongers get pushback from CIA director. (Forbes)

Markets | Nomura, Credit Suisse tighten financing in hedge fund units. (BBG)

Recovery | Pfizer, and BioNTech on track to beat Q2 EU vaccine goal. (BBG)

Earnings | JPMorgan’s net profit soars 5-fold to $14.3B, the stock slipped. (MW)

Economy | National delinquency rate posted a fifth consecutive decline. (MND)

Economy | Fed needs to do more to keep short-term rates above zero. (REU)

Crypto | IRS says crypto reporting standards would help close the tax gap. (TB)

Markets | SPACs may cast a wider net as competition for targets increases. (CB)

World | Japan to release contaminated Fukushima water after treatment. (REU)

What People Are Saying

Innovation And Emerging Trends

FinTech | Banks, wealth managers, fintech to create ‘Goldilocks’ product. (TA)

NFT | New York Stock Exchange debuts ‘First Trade’ non-fungible tokens. (FN)

 

About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

 Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

Categories
Commentary

Daily Brief For April 13, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures are attempting to balance and validate higher prices.

  • U.S. calls for pause to one vaccine.
  • Participants await data on inflation.
  • Futures off new highs, but in-range.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures auctioned higher overnight before liquidating alongside calls to stop using the Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) vaccine after clotting cases.

What To Expect: Tuesday’s regular session (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a low potential for immediate directional opportunity.

Adding, during the prior day’s regular trade, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by range-bound trade above the $4,104.00 spike base, which is significant because it validated Friday’s late-day knee-jerk rally away from value, or the fairest price to do business for that session.

Coming up, consumer-price index numbers will be released at 8:30 a.m. EST; participants increasingly see the risks of inflation and taxes as a big headwind. 

As an aside, as noted in the Weekly Brief, Friday, April 16, will mark an end to the monthly options expiration. As that date approaches, and volatility continues to drop, given how participants are positioned, odds of sustained directional resolve are low.

For today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,104.00 spike base targets $4,117.25, the 50% overnight retracement. Initiative trade beyond the 50% retracement could reach as high as the $4,127.00 ONH. In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below $4,104.00 puts the rally on hold and targets the $4,069.00 and $3,943.00 high-volume areas (HVNodes).

More On Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

More On Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high-volume (HVNode). Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area (LVNode) which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.
Graphic: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for April 12. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short-dated tenors, in strikes as low as $398, which corresponds with $3,980 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).
Graphic: SHIFT search shows that trade in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX) was concentrated in put strikes below current prices. 
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News And Analysis

Technology | Nvidia challenges Intel with Arm-based ‘Grace’ server chip. (REU)

Markets | Large U.S. Treasury auctions could restart the rise in yields. (REU)

Markets | Bank returns to rebound dramatically amid reserve releases. (S&P)

Markets | U.S. put off derivatives rule for a decade before Archegos failure. (FT)

Markets | Extreme contango in Bitcoin futures curve is raising eyebrows. (BBG)

Markets | The SEC announced a review of the WisdomTree Bitcoin ETF. (CD)

Markets | Yellen plans to spare China from a currency manipulator label. (BBG)

Recovery | COVID strain that emerged in U.K. not as deadly as feared. (BBG)

Economy | Simple mathematics is about to cause an inflation problem. (BBG)

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What People Are Saying

https://twitter.com/WallStJesus/status/1381810193357504513?s=20
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Innovation And Emerging Trends

FinTech | Coinbase’s direct listing to drive a wave of crypto innovation. (CB)

FinTech | Binance launches tokenized stock trading, starting with Tesla. (TB)

FinTech | State Street allows use of platform for cryptocurrency trading. (BD)

Banking | Crypto shadow banking explained and why yields are so high. (BBG)

FinTech | Machine learning futures algo trading surges at JPMorgan. (TT)

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About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

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Categories
Commentary

Daily Brief For April 12, 2021

Market Commentary

Index futures are attempting to balance and validate higher prices.

  • Pay attention to economic reports.
  • Earnings season officially starting.
  • Balance-to-higher into April OPEX.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures balanced overnight ahead of first-quarter earnings reports by large financial firms.

What To Expect: Monday’s regular session in the S&P 500 (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST) will likely open inside of prior-range and -value, suggesting a limited potential for directional opportunity. 

Adding, during prior regular trade, the best case outcome occurred, evidenced by initiative trade above the S&P 500’s $4,100.00 high-interest strike, which will act as a magnet into Friday’s monthly options expiration (OPEX). 

Option Expiration (OPEX) Significance: Option expiries mark an end to pinning (i.e, the theory that market makers and institutions short options move stocks to the point where the greatest dollar value of contracts will expire worthless) and the reduction dealer gamma exposure.

As a result, given low trading volumes, and because of how impactful activity in the derivatives market is, traders should consider the potential for further balance or digestion of higher prices.

Further, for today, participants can trade from the following frameworks. 

In the best case, the S&P 500 trades sideways or higher; activity above the $4,104.00 spike base targets the $4,121.50 overnight-high (ONH). Initiative trade beyond the ONH could reach as high as the $4,197.25 price extension. In the worst case, the S&P 500 trades lower; activity below the $4,104.00 spike base targets the $4,069.00 and $3,943.00 high-volume areas (HVNode).

More On Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

More On Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high-volume (HVNode). Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area (LVNode) which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.
Graphic 1: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
Graphic 2: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for the week ending April 9, 2021. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short- and long-dated tenors, in put strikes as low as $340, which corresponds with $3,400 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).
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News And Analysis

Markets | U.S. economic recovery underpins dollar strength. (Moody’s)

FinTech | Jack Ma’s Ant Group bows to Beijing with an overhaul. (WSJ)

Trade | U.S. freight traffic posted its biggest annual gain ever. (Axios)

Housing | U.S. housing frenzy driven by an inventory shortage. (Axios)

FinTech | Biden team eyes potential threat from Digital Yuan plans. (BBG)

Economy | Survey suggests 53% of Canadians near insolvency. (BNN)

Hedge Funds | How Ken Griffin rebuilt Citadel’s ramparts post-2008. (FT)

Markets | Bloomberg analysts arguing over $400K bitcoin target. (CD)

FinTech | Coinbase experiences brisk user growth ahead of IPO. (VC)

Economy | Five reasons why COVID herd immunity is impossible. (Nature)

Politics | U.S., China deploy carriers in South China amid tension. (CNN)

Economy | Goldman Sachs warns Biden Tax Plan will cut earnings. (BBG)

Banking | Credit Suisse faces tough choices on investment bank. (WSJ)

Economy | In unprecedented times, don’t rely on precedent. (BR)

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What People Are Saying

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Innovation And Emerging Trends

Markets | Financial industry supports cutting equities settlement. (MM)

Technology | Businesses taking a hurry-up-and-wait approach to AI. (WSJ)

FinTech | Charles Schwab is looking to shape crypto procedures. (Block)

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About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

Subscribe
Categories
Commentary

Weekly Brief For April 11, 2021

Editor’s Note

Welcome to Market Intelligence, Physik Invest’s response to the many newsletters that seldom provide actionable market insights, free.

Through this newsletter you will get a glimpse into the following:

  • The implications of credit and positioning.
  • Impactful events in finance and technology.
  • Technical commentary for index products.
  • Media on emerging trends and hot topics.

Again, thanks for joining! Physik Invest looks forward to providing you an objective view into the who, what, when, where, why, and how in finance and technology.

Regards,

Renato Leonard Capelj

Market Commentary

Index futures are in price discovery mode.

  • Institutions bullish but risks add up.
  • Earnings season to start this week.
  • Balance-to-higher into April OPEX.

What Happened: U.S. stock index futures closed higher, last week.

What Does It Mean: The S&P 500 closed above $4,100 for the first time as investors looked to price in an economic “‘Goldilocks moment’—fast, sustained growth alongside inflation and interest rates that drift slowly upward.”

According to a letter by JPMorgan Chase & Co’s (NYSE: JPM) Jamie Dimon, strong consumer savings, an increased pace in COVID-19 coronavirus vaccinations, and unprecedented efforts to spur economic activity could mean that a boom lasts as long as 2023. 

This perspective differs from Dimon’s comments a year ago; he warned of a recession in which GDP could fall nearly 35%. Is Dimon one to fade? Likely not, given the fact that (1) he heads one of the biggest banks and (2) most forecasts by other institutions support Dimon’s perspectives.

Further, the CBOE Volatility Index (INDEX: VIX), a measure of the stock market’s expectation of volatility based on S&P 500 (INDEX: SPX) options, traded to its lowest level since February 2020.

At the same time, participants saw blocks of VIX call spreads — bets that serenity won’t last — hit the tape; the unknown participant(s) bought nearly 200,000 contracts.

Graphic 1: Risk graph of the 25/40 VIX call spread in question via MarketEar. 

“With VIX being priced in the low 17 area, I would imagine we would see more of these larger-sized bets going forward,” Kris Sidial, co-chief investment officer at Ambrus Group, told Bloomberg. “I think smart money understands that, although volatility has contracted a lot in these last two months, we are still seeing signs of excess market fragility appear from many different angles.”

Graphic 2: Volatility declines to its lowest level since February 2020.

As stated last week, the market is in a historically bullish period, ahead of the upcoming corporate earnings season, with structural flows supporting the ongoing narrative into the coming April monthly options expiration (OPEX).

Option Expiration (OPEX) Significance: Option expiries mark an end to pinning (i.e, the theory that market makers and institutions short options move stocks to the point where the greatest dollar value of contracts will expire worthless) and the reduction dealer gamma exposure.

Adding, most funds are committed to holding long positions. In the interest of lower volatility returns, these funds will collar off their positions, selling calls to finance the purchase of downside put protection.

As a result of this activity, options dealers are long upside and short downside protection.

This exposure must be hedged; dealers will sell into strength as their call (put) positions gain (lose) value and buy into weakness as their call (put) positions lose (gain) value.

Now, unlike theory suggests, dealers will hedge call losses (gains) quicker (slower). This leads to “long-gamma,” a dynamic that crushes volatility and promotes momentum, observed by lengthy sprints — like the one the market is currently in — followed by rapid de-risking events as the market transitions into “short-gamma.”

What To Expect: Balance-to-higher.

Important to note is that equity market inflows, over the past 5 months, exceeded inflows of the prior 12 years, total. Think about the supply and demand dynamics of the market; in case of an equity market sell-off, a lot of late buyers will have poor location which may leave a thick area of supply above the market, putting a dampener on future rallies. 

“You should definitely be worried about valuations and all the more so when people start justifying extremely high valuations. We are risk-on, but we haven’t put our foot down on the accelerator because of valuations in some parts of the market,” said Fahad Kamal, chief investment officer at Kleinwort Hambros.

Adding to the narrative, metrics, like DIX, confirm increased buying pressure while divergences in options activity suggest opportunistic hedging, especially with puts trading at their cheapest level, relative to calls the same delta.

Graphic 3: 1-month 25 delta risk-reversal, via SpotGamma, suggests puts are trading cheap.
More On DIX: For every buyer is a seller (usually a market maker). Using DIX — which is derived from short sales (i.e., liquidity provision on the market-making side) — we can measure buying pressure.
Graphic 4: Physik Invest maps out the purchase of call and put options in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), for the week ending April 9, 2021. Activity in the options market was primarily concentrated in short- and long-dated tenors, in put strikes as low as $340, which corresponds with $3,400 in the cash-settled S&P 500 Index (INDEX: SPX).

What To Do: In the coming sessions, participants will want to pay attention to where the S&P 500 trades in relation to Friday’s end-of-day spike higher.

More On Spikes: Spike’s mark the beginning of a break from value. Spikes higher (lower) are validated by trade at or above (below) the spike base (i.e., the origin of the spike).

In the best case, the S&P 500 remains above the $4,104.00 spike base. Doing so means that the participants are validating the prices caused by the late-day knee-jerk rally. 

In the case of higher prices, given that the 161.80% and 127.20% Fibonacci price extensions were achieved, and after-market trade established an overnight high at $4,121.50, participants can target prices as high as the $4,197.25 price extension.

More On Overnight Rally Highs (Lows): Typically, there is a low historical probability associated with overnight rally-highs (lows) ending the upside (downside) discovery process.

Any activity below the $4,104.00 spike base puts the rally on hold and calls for balance or an attempt to digest higher prices.

Balance (Two-Timeframe Or Bracket): Rotational trade that denotes current prices offer favorable entry and exit. Balance-areas make it easy to spot a change in the market (i.e., the transition from two-time frame trade, or balance, to one-time frame trade, or trend).

In the case of lower prices, participants can look to whether a test of the $4,069.00 high-volume area (HVNode) solicits a response. If not, initiative trade could take prices as low as $3,943.00, the next most valuable price area in the chain.

More On Volume Areas: A structurally sound market will build on past areas of high-volume (HVNode). Should the market trend for long periods of time, it will lack sound structure (identified as a low-volume area (LVNode) which denotes directional conviction and ought to offer support on any test). 

If participants were to auction and find acceptance into areas of prior low-volume, then future discovery ought to be volatile and quick as participants look to areas of high volume for favorable entry or exit.
Graphic 5: 4-hour profile chart of the Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures.
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News And Analysis

Economy | No elevated default risk expected until 2023. (Moody’s)

Economy | China looks to curtail loan growth amid bubble fears. (BBG)

Markets | Pre-IPO, Coinbase releases blowout Q1 2021 results. (BW)

Markets | Growing signs that equity bull market overheating. (Axios)

Economy | CFPB warns lenders of a wave of distressed mortgages. (MP)

Markets | Cboe extends global trading for VIX and SPX options. (Cboe)

Markets | Unpacking the feedback loop that is distorting markets. (RV)

Trade | Global trade disruptions after the Suez Canal incident. (S&P)

Economy | U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rates to plateau in April. (Surgo)

Markets | Treasuries rally signaling bets on Fed hikes pared back. (BBG)

Markets | Bitcoin fills a demand for alternatives to fiat currencies. (BBG)

Economy | Powell says the economy poised for stronger growth. (BBG)

Markets | Earnings season starts with banks reporting this week. (WSJ)

Markets | Citadel Securities feels the heat of the political spotlight. (BBG)

Markets | Oil sideways. Gold, DXY higher. Copper, aluminum lower. (REU)

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What People Are Saying

https://twitter.com/tastytrade/status/1381029136119037955?s=20
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Innovation And Emerging Trends

Strategy | Strategies one VC believes made Stripe so successful. (BI)

FinTech | Fidelity, Square, and others, form crypto trade group. (WSJ)

FinTech | WealthCharts expands offer, tackles emerging trends. (BZ)

FinTech | SoftBank invests $500M in mortgage lender Better. (CNBC)

FinTech | Rarible co-founder says NFTs to stay, growth robust. (BZ)

FinTech | JPMorgan’s Dimon acknowledges fintech’s big threat. (BZ)

FinTech | Vesica launches a search engine for the options market. (BZ)

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About

Renato founded Physik Invest after going through years of self-education, strategy development, and trial-and-error. His work reporting in the finance and technology space, interviewing leaders such as John Chambers, founder, and CEO, JC2 Ventures, Kevin O’Leary, Canadian businessman and Shark Tank host, Catherine Wood, CEO and CIO, ARK Invest, among others, afforded him the perspective and know-how very few come by.

Having worked in engineering and majored in economics, Renato is very detailed and analytical. His approach to the markets isn’t built on hope or guessing. Instead, he leverages the unique dynamics of time and volatility to efficiently act on opportunity.

Disclaimer

At this time, Physik Invest does not manage outside capital and is not licensed. In no way should the materials herein be construed as advice. Derivatives carry a substantial risk of loss. All content is for informational purposes only.

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Cover photo by Kammeran Gonzalez-Keola from Pexels.