Category: Crude Oil & Natural Gas

Posted on

Crude breaks support at $45 / New Twiggs Trend Index

Nymex Light Crude retreated below support at $45/barrel, confirming a primary down-trend. Breach of $40 would strengthen the bear signal, offering a target of the 2008/2016 lows between $25 and $30. Declining Twiggs Trend Index, with a peak below zero, warns of a primary down-trend. Follow-through below the last trough at -1.0% would strengthen the warning.

Nymex Light Crude

Twiggs Trend Index is a new proprietary indicator that will be released with the next upgrade of Incredible Charts. The indicator combines Market Sentiment (as in Twiggs Money Flow) over Volatility rather than Volume (in Twiggs Money Flow). Signals are read in a similar way to Twiggs Money Flow but it just gives readers a slightly different perspective on the market while avoiding some of the occasional distortions caused by massive volume spikes that affect Twiggs Money Flow. I will publish more detail in a separate newsletter next week.

Posted on

Gold-Oil ratio warns of further easing

I don’t attach much significance to the Gold-Oil ratio on its own but it’s back in overbought territory, above 25.

Spot Gold/Light Crude

The chart below — plotting inflation-adjusted prices (over CPI) — far better depicts the relationship between gold and crude oil. Each major spike in crude prices over the last 50 years has been followed by a rising gold price.

Spot Gold/Brent Crude

Falling crude prices are likely to weaken demand for gold over the next few years, both through lower inflation and declining foreign reserves of major oil producing nations.

Posted on

Gold finds support at $1250

The Dollar Index continues to test support at 96.50. The primary trend is down and breach of support is likely, signaling a decline to test the 2016 low at 92/93.

Dollar Index

Spot Gold found support at $1250. A weaker Dollar and rising political uncertainty both favor an up-trend but rising interest rates are expected to weaken demand. Respect of support at $1250 would confirm the up-trend, while breach of $1200 would warn of another decline.

Spot Gold

Posted on

Crude headed for $30 if OPEC fails to deepen cuts

Crude could fall to $30/barrel next year — and stay there for two years — according to Fereidun Fesharaki, chairman of consultants FGE.

Nymex Light Crude breached support at $45/barrel, signaling a primary decline. Expect further support at $40 but penetration of this would target the 2008 low at $30 and the 2016 low at $25 a barrel.

Nymex Light Crude

Posted on

Crude tests support at $45/barrel

Nymex Light Crude is testing support at $45/barrel. Breach would offer an immediate target of $40. Follow-through below $40 would signal another test of the 2008/2016 lows at $30.

Nymex Light Crude

The chart below plots long-term crude prices adjusted for inflation. Recent falls show real crude prices returning to their previous trading range (0.1 to 0.2) before the 2004 to 2015 “China boom”.

Nymex Light Crude/CPI

The 2004 to 2015 surge in crude prices is very likely a major cause of low global growth over the last decade. Return to the previous trading range would be a bullish sign for the global economy.

Posted on

OPEC extends output cuts but “caught in a pincer”

From Stanley Reed at The Age:

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries extended oil production cuts through March 2018, Khalid A. al-Falih, the Saudi energy minister, said in Vienna overnight. The move follows a decision this month by Saudi Arabia and Russia to do so.

The earlier announcement helped lift prices from a low of $US46. But on Thursday, prices shed more than 4 per cent with more than a billion barrels traded….

“Opec is being caught in a pincer movement of technology and policy that will, over time, erode oil use,” said Bill Farren-Price, chief executive of Petroleum Policy Intelligence, an advisory firm for hedge funds and other investors. “This meeting is more about forestalling an oil price collapse than driving prices higher.”

Read more at: OPEC agrees to extend output cuts through March 2018

Posted on

Crude falls are likely

Nymex Light Crude broke support at $47/barrel, signaling a down-trend. Follow-through below $45 would confirm.

Nymex Light Crude

Lars Christensen shows that projected oil demand is closely linked to monetary conditions, with a down-turn in oil prices whenever the Fed announces further rate hikes. At present both the PBOC and the Fed are adopting a restrictive stance which should be bearish for crude oil.

Posted on

Crude falls below $50

June Light Crude fell sharply last week, ending below $50/barrel in response to rising US inventories.

June Light Crude

Respect of the lower trend channel would suggest that this is a secondary movement and the primary up-trend is intact. Breach of the lower channel would warn that the primary trend is weakening.

Posted on

Crude stalls

December Light Crude retreated below support at $50/barrel, suggesting another test of primary support at $42/barrel.

December Light Crude

Respect of primary support would suggest further ranging between $42 and $52/barrel. Breach of support, which seemed so unlikely only two weeks ago, is now a possibility and would warn of another test of the January trough at $35/barrel.

Powered by WordPress / WordPress Maintenance Service By Website Helper