Japan & South Korea

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index is headed for a test of primary support at 8000 after breaking both support at 9000 and the rising trendline. 13-Week Twiggs Money Flow below zero warns of long-term selling pressure. Breach of 8000 would resume the primary down-trend, offering a long-term target of 6000*.

Nikkei 225 Index

* Target calculation: 8000 – ( 10000 – 8000 ) = 6000

Dow Jones South Korea Index is retracing to test resistance at 425 after a sharp fall below the rising trendline. Reversal of 63-day Twiggs Momentum below zero warns of a primary down-trend. Failure of primary support at 380 would confirm, signaling a decline to the 2011 low of 350.

Dow Jones South Korea Index

India & Singapore

India’s Sensex found short-term support at 16000, but 21-day Twiggs Money Flow below zero indicates continued selling pressure. Breach of 16000 would test the band of primary support at 15000.

BSE Sensex Index

The Nifty similarly found short-term support at 4800, but 63-day Twiggs Momentum below zero warns of a continuing primary down-trend. Failure of the 4800 level would test primary support at 4500.

NSE Nifty Index

Dow Jones Singapore Index found short-term support at 222 — the 61.8% Fibonacci level. Expect a rally to test 230 but respect would warn of a decline to test primary support at 203. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum crossed below zero, warning of a primary down-trend.

Dow Jones Singapore Index

UK & Europe: Closer to the breach

Europe inches closer to the point when the artificial levee, built to protect European banks from market forces, is breached. Germany and France delay the inevitable while they attempt to restore bank balance sheets — by widening interest margins at the expense of depositors and transferring risky bonds to the European Central Bank . They do their utmost to avert a Greek default, because of contagion risk to the rest of the euro-zone, but their actions merely encourage more strident demands from Greece. If the levee breaks, damage will be that much greater because of the build-up of market forces behind the artificial barrier.

Spain’s Madrid General Index broke support at the 2009 low of 700, signaling another primary decline with an immediate target of 600*. Reversal of 13-week Twiggs Money Flow below zero reinforces the signal.

Madrid General Index

* Target calculation: 750 – ( 900 – 750 ) = 600

Italy’s MIB Index broke primary support at 13000, confirming the earlier signal from 63-day Twiggs Momentum and offering a long-term target of 10000*. Recovery above 13500 is unlikely but would warn of a bear trap.

Italy MIB Index

* Target calculation: 13500 – ( 17000 – 13500 ) = 10000

Germany’s DAX broke support at 6500 and is testing the rising trendline. Support remains strong, with 13-week Twiggs Money Flow holding above zero, but breach of the rising trendline and breach of short-term support at 6200 would indicate a test of primary support at 5400.

Germany DAX Index

France’s CAC-40 is also headed for a test of primary support at 2800. Reversal of 13-week Twiggs Money Flow below zero warns of selling pressure. Failure of primary support would offer a long-term target of 2000*.

France CAC-40 Index

* Target calculation: 2800 – ( 3600 – 2800 ) = 2000

The FTSE 100 found short-term support at 5300 but breach of the rising trendline and 63-Day Twiggs Momentum below zero warn of a primary down-trend. Failure of primary support at 5000/5050 would offer a long-term target of 4000*.

FTSE 100 Index

* Target calculation: 5000 – ( 6000 – 5000 ) = 4000

Bad news for Canadian stocks

Canada’s TSX 60 index broke through primary support at 650, confirming the primary down-trend signaled by 63-day Twiggs Momentum. Expect a decline to 580*. Recovery above 650 is unlikely at present, but would warn of a bear trap.

TSX 60 Index

* Target calculation: 650 – ( 720 – 650 ) = 580

US: S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally

The S&P 500 rallied off support at 1290/1300, the 50% Fibonacci retracement level. Respect of resistance at 1350/1360 would indicate a strong correction. Likewise a 21-day Twiggs Money Flow peak below zero would be a strong bear signal. The primary trend remains upward, with support a long way off at 1150.

S&P 500 Index

On the weekly chart, the Nasdaq 100 displays a solid bounce off support at 2500 and the rising trendline. Respect of resistance at 2650 would indicate a test of 2400. A 63-day Twiggs Momentum trough above zero would reinforce the primary up-trend, but momentum is falling fast and penetration of the zero line would warn of reversal to a down-trend.

Nasdaq 100 Index

Chinese economics: Is iron ore demand real?

Reuters video: Nicholas Zhu, ANZ Bank head of macro-economic data Asia, examines iron ore stockpiles at Qingdao port.

[gigya src=’http://www.reuters.com/resources_v2/flash/video_embed.swf?videoId=235214214&edition=BETAUS’ type=’application/x-shockwave-flash’ allowfullscreen=’true’ allowScriptAccess=’always’ width=’460′ height=’259′ wmode=’transparent’]

Hat tip to Houses and Holes

EconoMonitor : EconoMonitor » Europe’s Depressing Prospects: Two Reasons Why Spain Will Leave the Euro

Michael Pettis: I think Spain [and all the peripheral European countries are similarly uncompetitive] will leave the euro because it seems to me that the country has already started on the self-reinforcing downward spiral that leads to a crisis, and there is no one big enough to reverse the spiral.

How does this process work? It turns out that it is pretty straightforward, and occurs during every one of the sovereign financial crises we have seen in modern history. When a sufficient level of doubt arises about sovereign credibility, all the major economic stakeholders in that country begin to change their behavior in ways that exacerbate the problem of credibility.

Of course as credibility is eroded, this further exacerbates the behavior of these stakeholders. In that case bankruptcy comes, as Hemingway is reported to have said, at first slowly, and then all of a sudden, as the country moves slowly at first and then rapidly towards a breakdown in its debt capacity.

via EconoMonitor : EconoMonitor » Europe’s Depressing Prospects: Two Reasons Why Spain Will Leave the Euro.

Forex: Japanese Yen

The US Dollar found support at ¥80 Japanese Yen. A 63-day Twiggs Momentum trough high above zero would indicate a strong up-trend. Recovery above the declining trendline and resistance at ¥82 would strengthen the signal. Failure of support is unlikely but would test primary support at ¥76.

USD/Japanese Yen

* Target calculation: 84 + ( 84 – 80 ) = 88

Forex: UK and Europe

The Euro is headed for a test of primary support at $1.26 against the greenback, after breaking support at $1.30. Respect of the zero line by 63-day Twiggs Momentum indicates continuation of the primary down-trend. Failure of support would signal a decline to $1.17*.

Euro/USD

* Target calculation: 1.26 – ( 1.35 – 1.26 ) = 1.17

Pound Sterling continues to strengthen against the euro, testing resistance at €1.26*. The 63-day Twiggs Momentum trough high above zero indicates a strong up-trend. Weak retracement which fails to test the new support level around  €1.22 would alert us to an accelerating/exponential up-trend.

Pound sterling/Euro

* Target calculation: 1.22 + ( 1.22 – 1.18 ) = 1.26