This is not a correlated market. The USD is Up and Crude is Up which is not normal, and the 30 Year T-Bond is trading Higher. 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 Higher which is correlated. Gold is trading Higher which is not 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 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. Asia is trading Mixed. Currently all of Europe is trading Higher except the Spanish IBEX exchange which is Lower.

Possible challenges to traders

Unemployment Claims is out at 8:30 AM EST. This is Major.
Natural Gas Storage is out at 10:30 AM EST. This is Major.
30-y Bond Auction starts at 1 PM EST. This is Major.
FOMC Member Daly Speaks at 2 PM EST. This is Major.

Treasuries

Traders, please note that we've changed the Bond instrument from the 10 year (ZN) to the 30 year (ZB). 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 ZB migrated Higher at around 9 AM EST as the S&P hit a High at around that time and the ZB moved Higher. If you look at the charts below the ZB gave a signal at around 9 AM and started its Upward climb. Look at the charts below and you'll see a pattern for both assets. S&P moving Lower at around 9 AM and the ZB moving Higher at around the same time. 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 30-year note, as a trader you could have netted about 10 ticks per contract on this trade. Each tick is worth $31.25. Please note: the front month for both the ZB and the S&P are now Jun '24. I've changed the format to filled Candlesticks (not hollow) such that it may be more apparent and visible.

Charts courtesy of MultiCharts built on an AMP platform

ZN -Jun 2024 - 05/08/24

S&P - Jun 2024 - 05/08/24

Bias

Yesterday we gave the markets a downside bias as the USD and Gold were both trading Higher, and this usually represents a Down Day. The Dow traded Higher by 172 points, but the other indices closed Lower, so once again we have a Mixed day. Today we aren't dealing with a correlated market and our bias is to the Downside.

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

Commentary

I must say that of late these markets are getting tougher and tougher to handicap and determine direction. We aren't seeing all indices rise or fall at the same time. So, if folks are day trading look to make a swift profit and then exit the markets as they can change quickly. Today we have Unemployment Claims and the 30-year bond auction. Yesterday we had the 10-year bond auction, but the instruments didn't go anywhere in terms of numbers of ticks. We temporarily used the 30 year for today's illustration and may change back to the 10 year but we'll have to judge that going forward.

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.