Gold & Precious Metals
Currencies:
The US Dollar Index was very strong in July…closing last week at its best levels since February…very close to a major chart breakout. The Euro closed at an 8 month low…we expect it to take out last year’s low (128) before the end of this year. CAD hit a 5 year low (8850) in mid-March…rallied to 9400 by early July but has since traded back below 9250. The 3 month CAD rally was fuelled by short covering…speculators actually became net long in July…we expect to see them reverse their positions again…we see 9400 as a roof and look for CAD to make new lows this year.

We think AUD and NZD are far too high and could easily slip 5 – 10% before the end of the year. Any news of China slowing would accelerate the move.
For our short term trading accounts we remain long the US Dollar Index, short CAD and AUD. We are staunchly bullish the US Dollar and we are looking for other opportunities to profit from that view. Longer term: We think the US Dollar will have a major multi-year rally against most currencies as global capital flows to the relative safety and opportunities in America.

Credit markets:
We are seeing growing evidence that the fabulous 5 year rally in junk and high yield bonds is over…we expect a possible rout in this market as so much money (and leverage)has been drawn here over the past several years as “everybody reached for yield.”
Stock markets:
It’s been an amazing bull market…33 months without so much as a 10% correction…people have been rewarded for buying dips…geo-political crisis don’t seem to matter…the obvious sentiment is, “Where else can you put your money?”
For our short term trading accounts we sold the S+P 500 short last week…let’s call it trader’s “gut feel” that this market is ripe for at least a modest correction…but we’ve got very tight stops…we respect the momentum of this rally…but…we sold it short.

Risk On / Risk Off:
We’ve been expecting the runaway “Risk On” Market Psychology to end…either from a geo-political shock and/or from a realization that the Fed will be raising rates faster and sooner than the market wants to believe. We expect this “switch” to “Risk Off” to manifest in:
1) A US Dollar rally as capital “comes back to the center,”
2) Credit spreads to widen as people “bail out” of weaker credits, and
3) A correction in the stock market.
We think the smart money is getting defensive…witness the US Dollar rally and the widening credit spreads…we expect a break in the stock market.
“that has resulted in constant labour turmoil, the loss of instructional days and the withdrawal of extracuricular activities is the principal reason for the….”
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- Small-caps sink
- Momentum fizzles
- Plus: How smart are stock traders?
The market is sending out a few critical warning signals this morning…
“But Greg,” you say. “Haven’t you been talking about a potential correction all summer? Last I checked, the market’s hitting new highs. Open your eyes, man!”
Well, you’re right.
The S&P 500 just clocked a new closing high last week, while the Dow and the Nasdaq both fell just short or their previous highs.
But under the surface, you’ll find a few bits of evidence pointing toward lower prices. For the record, I’m not calling for a market crash. I don’t think you should sell everything you own and move to the wilderness. However, I am seeing several warning signs that could point to market weakness.
Here are three reasons you should plan for a pullback sooner rather than later:
1. Small-cap performance is getting even worse.
We’ve discussed small-cap underperformance before. After leading the bull higher for years, small stocks are beginning to crack…

You can see where the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500 begin to diverge back in early April. And aside from playing catch-up for a hot second back in June, small-caps have underperformed their larger cousins by a huge margin. So far this year, the S&P 500 is up more than 7%, while the Russell 2000 has dropped more than 1.6% over the same period.
Small-cap performance is typically a good gauge of investors’ risk tolerance. That makes the flight to larger stocks a concern for the overall health of the market…
2. Momentum is fizzling at new highs.
Sure, “the market” is making new highs. But is the big index running out of steam?
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“We are seeing some cracks in the rally more recently,” comments our redident trading expert Jonas Elmerraji. “While the S&P 500 has been moving higher since June, our momentum gauge at the bottom of the chart has been trending lower. That disconnect is known as a bearish divergence, and it’s typically a precursor to a drop in price.”
3. The market needs a “reset”.
A bull market doesn’t move up in a straight line. Stocks occasionally need to blow off some steam. But since mid-April, the S&P has churned higher without as much as a pullback…

Pullbacks help keep the market’s wall of worry intact. They shake out the loose hands and offer investors strategic buying opportunities. We haven’t seen many of those lately. Instead, the market has been clinging to the very top of its trading range. Even if you’re longer-term bullish, you want to see stocks release some of this pressure and “reset” before heading higher.
Now, I don’t know what’s in store for stocks in the coming weeks. No one does. If we do see a pullback or a correction, I don’t know how far it will go. But I do know what you can do…
Stick to the plan we’ve discussed since earlier this summer. Keep your position sizes small and your stops tight. And stick to the mega-cap stocks that are helping the market stay afloat.

Today, a reader offers up a cruel statistic…
“As a loyal reader (and Mensan) I want to remind you that HALF of your readers are below average!” he says.
Touché, smarty-pants.
On a related note, I am sorry to report that Mensa rejected my application. I couldn’t find a pen and was forced to fill out the requisite information with an old crayon. They sent a note along with the rejection slip asking me not to bother filling out another one.
That’s a joke, of course. No one from Mensa has ever invited me to join…
Fortunately, the stock market doesn’t force you to fill out an IQ test to make a trade. You don’t have to be some sort of genius to learn a few basic trading rules. You just need to keep a level head and do your best to cut your losses when the market says so.
There are plenty of incredibly intelligent people who get burned by stocks every single day. They become enamored with a market theme or a stock idea… then it drops 20%. Then another 20%. Inevitably, they ride it to zero… and the genius idea that can’t lose ends up ruining them.
They’re used to being right. After all, they’re smart! Smarter than most…
Unfortunately, brains can’t save you from the realities of the markets.
Just remember– you’re not smarter than the market. No one is. Luckily, it’s not about being smart. It’s about making money.
Not sure if you’re even smart enough to book huge stock market gains? You have until tomorrow to figure it out. Click here to get started now…
[Ed. Note: Send your feedback here: rude@agorafinancial.com – and follow me on Twitter: @GregGuenthner]








