This is not a correlated market. The dollar is Down, and Crude is Down which is not normal, but the 30 Year T-Bond is trading Higher. The Financials should always correlate with the US dollar such that if the dollar is lower, 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 not correlated with the US dollar trading Down. 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 is up the other should be down. I point this out to you to make you aware that when we don't have a correlated market, it means something is wrong. As traders you need to be aware of this and proceed with your eyes wide open. Currently all of Asia is trading Lower. All of Europe is trading Lower with the exception of the German Dax exchange which is Higher.

Possible challenges to traders today

Average Hourly Earnings is out at 8:30 AM EST. This is Major.
Non-Farm Employment Change is out at 8:30 AM EST. Major.
Unemployment Rate is out at 8:30 AM EST. Major.

Treasuries

Traders, please note that we've changed the Bond instrument from the 30 year (ZB) to the 10 year (ZN). They work exactly the same.

We've elected to switch gears a bit and show correlation between the 10-year bond (ZN) and the S&P futures contract. The S&P contract is the Standard and Poor's, 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 Bonds hit a Low at around 10:30 AM EST. The S&P hit a High at around that time and the Bonds moved Higher shortly thereafter. If you look at the charts below ZN gave a signal at around 10:30 AM and the S&P gave a signal at around the same time. Look at the charts below and you'll see a pattern for both assets. ZN hit a Low at around 10:30 AM and the S&P moved Lower shortly thereafter. These charts represent the newest version of MultiCharts and I've changed the timeframe to a 15-minute chart to display better. This represented a Long opportunity on the 10-year note, as a trader you could have netted about 30 ticks per contract on this trade. Each tick is worth $15.625. Please note: the front month for the ZN is now Dec '22. The S&P contract is also Dec' 22. I've changed the format to Renko Bars such that it may be more apparent and visible.

Charts courtesy of MultiCharts built on an AMP platform

ZN - Dec 2022 - 12/01/22

S&P - Dec 2022 - 12/01/22

Bias

Yesterday we gave the markets a Downside bias as only the USD was trading Lower Thursday morning and everything else was Higher. This usually reflects a Downside Day and the markets mostly didn't disappoint. The Dow closed Lower by 195 points, the S&P Lower by 4 but the Nasdaq closed Higher by about 14. Given that today is Jobs Friday our bias is Neutral or Mixed.

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

Commentary

Yesterday we had fairly decent economic reports in that Unemployment Claims were Lower (which is positive) and Personal Income and Spending were both Higher as well and this is good because consumer spending is the major substance of a robust economy. So, if the economic news was good why did the markets falter yesterday? My only answer to that is "it was correlated that way." Any follower of this newsletter should know that over the course of time rules of market correlation override simple logic. This has been the major reason as why certain things happen that don't at first glance make any sense. Do these rules work 100% of the time? No. Anyone who tells you their stuff works 100 percent of the time isn't being honest. Today our bias is Neutral because it is Jobs' Friday and historically speaking the markets have never behaved with any sense of normalcy on this day.

Author

Nick Mastrandrea

Market Tea Leaves

EUR/USD hits two-day highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD picks up pace and reaches two-day tops around 1.1820 at the end of the week. The pair’s move higher comes on the back of renewed weakness in the US Dollar amid growing talk that the Fed could deliver an interest rate cut as early as March. On the docket, the flash US Consumer Sentiment improves to 57.3 in February.

GBP/USD reclaims 1.3600 and above

GBP/USD reverses two straight days of losses, surpassing the key 1.3600 yardstick on Friday. Cable’s rebound comes as the Greenback slips away from two-week highs in response to some profit-taking mood and speculation of Fed rate cuts. In addition, hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill are also collaborating with the quid’s improvement.

Gold climbs further, focus is back to 45,000

Gold regains upside traction and surpasses the $4,900 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, shifting its attention to the critical $5,000 region. The move reflects a shift in risk sentiment, driving flows back towards traditional safe haven assets and supporting the yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid risk-off, $2.6 billion liquidation wave

Bitcoin edges up above $65,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as dust from the recent macro-triggered sell-off settles. The leading altcoin, Ethereum, hovers above $1,900, but resistance at $2,000 caps the upside. Meanwhile, Ripple has recorded the largest intraday jump among the three assets, up over 10% to $1.35.

Three scenarios for Japanese Yen ahead of snap election

The latest polls point to a dominant win for the ruling bloc at the upcoming Japanese snap election. The larger Sanae Takaichi’s mandate, the more investors fear faster implementation of tax cuts and spending plans.

XRP rally extends as modest ETF inflows support recovery

Ripple is accelerating its recovery, trading above $1.36 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors adjust their positions following a turbulent week in the broader crypto market. The remittance token is up over 21% from its intraday low of $1.12.