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Despite news an upside day

USD: Sep '26 is Up at 101.105.  

Energies: Aug '26 Crude is Down at 68.80.

Financials: The Sep '26 30 Year T-Bond is Lower by 26 ticks and trading at 112.22.

Indices: The Jun '26 S&P 500 emini ES contract is 36 ticks Lower and trading at 7539.00

Gold: The Aug'26 Gold contract is trading Down at 4020.70.

Initial conclusion

This is not a correlated market. The USD is Up and Crude is Down which is normal, but the 30-Year T-Bond is trading Lower.  The Financials should always correlate with the US dollar such that if the dollar is Higher, then the bonds should follow and vice-versa. The S&P is Lower and Crude is trading Lower which is not correlated. Gold is trading Lower which is correlated with the US dollar trading Up.  I tend to believe that Gold has an inverse relationship with the US Dollar as when the US Dollar is down, Gold tends to rise in value and vice-versa. Think of it as a seesaw, when one goes Up the other goes Down. Asia traded Mixed All of Europe is trading Higher.  

Possible challenges to traders                                                  

  • Challenger Job Cuts y/y is out at 5:30 AM EST. Major.
  • ADP Non-Farm Employment Change is out at 8:15 AM EST.  Major.          
  • Fed Chairman Warsh Speaks at 9 AM EST. Major.
  • Final Manufacturing is out at 9:45 AM EST. Major.
  • ISM Manufacturing PMI is out at 10 AM EST. Major.
  • ISM Manufacturing Prices is out at 10 AM EST. Major.
  • Construction Spending m/m is out at 10 AM EST. Major.
  • Total Vehicle Sales - All Day by Brand. Major.
  • Crude Oil Inventories is out at 10:30 AM EST. Major.

Traders, please note that we've changed the Bond instrument from the 10 Year (ZN) to the 2 Year (ZT).  They work exactly the same.

We've elected to switch gears a bit and show correlation between the 2-year Treasury notes (ZT) and the S&P futures contract.  The YM contract is the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the purpose is to show reverse correlation between the two instruments.  Remember it's likened to a seesaw, when up goes up the other should go down and vice versa.

Yesterday the ZT dived Lower at around 8:30 AM EST with no news items released.   The Dow climbed Higher at around the same time.  Look at the charts below and you'll see a pattern for both assets. The ZT dived Lower at around 8:30 AM EST and the Dow climbed Higher around the same time.  These charts represent the newest version of Bar Charts, and I've changed the timeframe to a 15-minute chart to display better.  This represented a Short opportunity on the 2-year note, as a trader you could have netted 20 plus ticks per contract on this trade.  Each tick is worth $6.25.  Please note: the front month for the ZT is now Sep '26.  I've changed the format to filled Candlesticks (not hollow) such that it may be more apparent and visible.

Charts courtesy of BarCharts

Chart

ZT -Sep 26 - 6/30/26

Chart

Dow - Jun 2026- 6/30/26

Bias

Yesterday we gave the markets a Mixed or Neutral bias, but the markets migrated to the Upside.  All the indices posted gains despite the Supreme Court not giving everything to the president.  Today our bias is Mixed or Neutral.

Could this change? Of Course.  Remember anything can happen in a volatile market.

Commentary

The markets as of late are very confused between the situation is Iran and the affordability concerns.  It seems that each trading day someone is breaking the Iran MOU agreement so time will tell how this all works out.   Want to learn Market Correlation and determine market direction hours before the Opening Bell?

Author

Nick Mastrandrea

Nick Mastrandrea

Market Tea Leaves

Nick Mastrandrea over 20 years experience in trading and formerly held a NASD Series 7. He currently holds a NJ Life, Health and Variable Authority. Nick is a published writer and his work has appeared in Futures Magazine, TraderPlanet and others.

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