Countries & Regions Archives - Page 147 of 381

September 18, 2014

Defence With A “C”: The Russian Bear Cometh!

From Chris at Defence with a C:

Russia has spent the last decade talking about programs to upgrade its armed forces and spend more money on things like training, logistics and maintenance. The fruits of this investment, or even just the investment itself, appear to be taking a very long time to actually materialise.

This is not to say that NATO shouldn’t sleep with one eye open, or that NATO should stop investing in its collective defence. Vigilance is the first stage of preparedness after all. But to say that Russia is an imminent threat to NATO is over egging the pudding I feel….

September 18, 2014

Poroshenko: ‘Today Ukraine is bleeding for its independence and territorial integrity’

From Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s speech to the Canadian parliament in Ottawa on September 17:

Today Ukraine pays a very high price for defending what we believe in – democracy and freedom to choose our own future. For more than two decades we proudly stated that Ukraine gained its independence without shedding a single drop of blood.

Today Ukraine is bleeding for its independence and territorial integrity.

September 16, 2014

S&P 500 healthy bounce

The S&P 500 bounced off support at 1980/1985 and is once again testing resistance at 2000. Follow-through above 2010 would confirm a primary advance, targeting 2100*. Failure of short-term support at 1980 remains unlikely, but would warn of a correction to 1950.

S&P 500

* Target calculation: 2000 + ( 2000 – 1900 ) = 2100

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) retreated below 13, indicating low risk typical of a bull market.

VIX Index

Dow Jones Industrial Average breakout above 17150 would strengthen the bull signal, offering a target of 17500*. Rising 21-day Twiggs Money Flow suggests buying pressure. Reversal below support at 16950 is unlikely, but would warn of a correction.

Dow Jones Industrial Average

* Target calculation: 16500 + ( 16500 – 15500 ) = 17500

September 16, 2014

Putin Attacks the West’s Soft Underbelly | World Affairs Journal

From Arthur Milikh at the Heritage Foundation:

Alexander Hamilton lamented long ago, in Federalist 25, what may become our tendency to act as if “all that kind of policy by which nations anticipate distant danger and meet the gathering storm must be abstained from.” Putin knows we want to be deceived. But what nation would choose, as Hamilton puts it, to “receive the blow before we could even prepare to return it”?

Putin’s new genre of war in part stems from our Western intellectual deficiencies. He knows we cannot countenance full-on conventional warfare in such a critical region—but we can swallow ambiguity. He knows that we will likely intervene only on account of moralism or shame, but we will not act strategically, trusting in our judgment. Putin will provide us with empirical data to sufficiently muddy the waters and thereby destroy our confidence in our own intuition. The incursion of a “humanitarian” convoy of 200-plus trucks into Ukraine last month was a masterful example of this….

September 16, 2014

Putin’s Playbook | NYTimes.com

From Maxim Trudolyubov, opinion page editor of the business newspaper Vedomosti:

…So what is Mr. Putin up to, my American friends and colleagues keep asking. He is, quite simply, bent on preserving and expanding his personal and Russia’s international power. Some of his methods were inherited from the Soviets, some were developed in the absence of domestic political traditions, and some were borrowed from the West. There is no consistent ideology. Nor is there is anything particularly Russian about his beliefs. But the methodology in his playbook is constant and ruthless. It involves techniques that function when all past checks on power — institutional constraints and traditional values — are gone. If it’s true that much of the world is moving in this same ruthless direction, then, yes, Mr. Putin’s methods are indeed political guidelines for the future.

Read more at Putin's Playbook – NYTimes.com.

September 16, 2014

Aussie dollar leads ASX lower

The Australian Dollar found short-term support at $0.90 after last week’s fall. Reversal of 13-week Twiggs Momentum below zero warns of another decline, but expect support at $0.89/$0.90 and at $0.8650/$0.8700. Breach of the latter would confirm a target of $0.80*.

AUDUSD

* Target calculation: 0.87 – ( 0.94 – 0.87 ) = 0.80

The ASX 200 is testing a wide band of support between 5420 and 5460. Reversal of 21-day Twiggs Money Flow below zero warns of strong selling pressure. Breach of the rising trendline would suggest a correction to test the primary trendline around 5000. Support levels are indistinct because of frequent back-filling, however, and could establish anywhere between 5300 and 5450.

ASX 200

The ASX 200 VIX is rising, but levels below 20 are typical of a bull market.

ASX 200

September 16, 2014

Asian stocks cautious

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is retracing to test support at 24000. Rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates sustained buying pressure. Respect of 24000 would suggest another primary advance, while failure would warn of a correction. Breakout above 25000 would offer a target of 27000*.

Hang Seng Index

* Long-term target calculation: 24000 + ( 24000 – 21000 ) = 27000

China’s Shanghai Composite Index is consolidating at its 2013 high. Rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow reflects medium-term buying pressure. Breakout above 2340 would strengthen the primary up-trend, but retracement to test the new support level at 2250 remains as likely.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target calculation: 2250 + ( 2250 – 2000 ) = 2500

India’s Sensex retreated below short-term support at 27000. Bearish divergence on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow continues to warn of long-term selling pressure, but another trough above zero would negate this. Breach of the secondary rising trendline would warn of a correction, while respect would suggest further gains.

Sensex

* Target calculation: 21000 + ( 21000 – 15000 ) = 27000

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index is testing resistance at 16000. Rising 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term buying pressure. Breakout above 16300 would signal another advance. Reversal below 15500 is unlikely, but would warn of a correction.

Nikkei 225

* Target calculation: 16000 + ( 16000 – 14000 ) = 18000

September 16, 2014

DAX and Footsie show resilience

Germany’s DAX is retracing in a flag pattern after several weeks of healthy advance. Rising 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term buying pressure. Continuation is likely and breach of resistance at 9800 would indicate another test of 10000. Reversal below 9300 is unlikely.

DAX

Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 retreated from its recent high of 3300. Respect of 3200, however, would suggest an advance to 3600*; confirmed if the index breaks above 3300. Respect of the zero line by 13-week Twiggs Money Flow would indicate medium-term buying pressure, while reversal below zero would be bearish.

Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50

Long tails on the Footsie indicate support at 6800. A “no” vote in the Scottish independence referendum may precipitate another test of long-term resistance 6900, while a “yes” outcome would most likely cause a correction. But any losses are likely to be short-lived as any negotiations settle into a long, drawn-out process.

FTSE 100

* Target calculation: 7000 + ( 7000 – 6000 ) = 8000

September 16, 2014

Canada: TSX threatens breakout

Canada’s TSX 60 consolidating in a narrow range below resistance at the 2008 high of 900 is a bullish sign. Breakout would offer a medium-term target of 935*. 13-Week Twiggs Money Flow oscillating high above zero indicates healthy buying pressure. Reversal below 890 would warn of a test of support at 865/870, but penetration of the rising trendline is unlikely.

TSX 60

* Target calculation: 900 + ( 900 – 865 ) = 935

September 16, 2014

Dow finds support

Dow Jones Industrial Average found short-term support at 16950/17000. Follow-through above 17050 would indicate another attempt at 17150. And breakout above 17150 would offer a target of 17500*. Recovery of 21-day Twiggs Money Flow above 20% would indicate buying pressure. Reversal below support at 16950 is unlikely, but would test the rising trendline around 16700.

Dow Jones Industrial Average

* Target calculation: 16500 + ( 16500 – 15500 ) = 17500

The S&P 500 is testing support at 1980/1985. Monday’s long tail suggests short-term buying pressure; strengthened if 21-day Twiggs Money Flow starts to rise. Recovery above 2000 would indicate another rally. Follow-through above 2010 would signal an advance to 2100*. Failure of short-term support at 1980 is unlikely, but would warn of a correction to 1950.

S&P 500

* Target calculation: 2000 + ( 2000 – 1900 ) = 2100

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) readings remain low, typical of a bull market.

VIX Index

The Nasdaq 100 is retracing to test its new support level at 4000. Respect of support is likely and would suggest an advance to 4250*. Failure of support at 4000, however, would warn of a correction to the primary trendline, around 3850. Completion of another 13-week Twiggs Money Flow trough above zero would strengthen the bull signal.

Nasdaq 100

* Target calculation: 4000 + ( 4000 – 3750 ) = 4250