The Dollar Index failed to confirm the primary up-trend, breaking support at 76 with a sharp fall in response to news of a resolution to the euro-zone debt crisis. Expect a test of primary support at 73. Breach of the rising trendline on 63-day Twiggs Momentum would confirm.
Expect gold and commodities to rally as a result of the weakening dollar.
The Dollar Index retraced to test the new support level at 76.00. Respect would confirm the primary up-trend, while failure would signal trend weakness. A trough above zero on 63-day Twiggs Momentum would strengthen the bull signal.
* Target calculation: 80 + ( 80 – 76 ) = 84
Gold broke through $1700/ounce in response to dollar weakness. Expect retracement to test the new support level. Respect would signal a primary advance to 1800*. The long-term (primary) trend remains upward.
* Target calculation: 1700 + ( 1700 – 1600 ) = 1800
The Amex Gold Bugs Index is testing medium-term resistance at 560. Breakout would test the upper border of broadening wedge pattern — around 650 — and support a similar advance for the spot metal.
Brent crude is also stronger, testing its upper trend channel at $110/barrel. Respect would indicate another test of the lower channel — and the ascending long-term trendline — while breakout would signal an advance to $120*.
* Target calculation: 110 + ( 110 – 100 ) = 120
The broader CRB Commodities Index is also headed for its upper trend channel. The ascending primary trendline remains intact but 63-day Twiggs Momentum respect of the zero line (from below) warns of a strong down-trend.
Spot iron ore prices have shed 19 percent so far this month in a sell-off largely fueled by slower construction steel demand in China, the world’s biggest buyer of imported iron ore at around 400 million tonnes a year.
In Europe, a more important market for Vale than Rio, steel markets have taken a knock given uncertainty surrounding the region’s debt crisis.
Growth of Europe’s steel production will slow in 2012 along with activity in the steel-using sectors, Eurofer, the European steel producers association, has forecast.
via Iron ore crash – macrobusiness.com.au | macrobusiness.com.au.
Spot gold remains in a strong primary up-trend on the monthly chart. Breakout below support at $1500 — or a 63-day Twiggs Momentum cross to below zero — would warn of a reversal, but respect of $1500 support would indicate another primary advance with a target of 2300*.
* Target calculation: 1900 + (1900 – 1500 ) = 2300
Brent crude is edging lower in a wide trend channel. Respect of the long-term ascending trendline (on the weekly chart) would suggest upward breakout from the channel — and a target of $150/barrel*. Recovery of 63-day Twiggs Momentum above zero would strengthen the signal.
* Target calculation: 125 + ( 125 – 100 ) = 150
The CRB Commodities index is similarly testing its long-term rising trendline at 300. Penetration of the secondary descending trendline would indicate another primary advance on the monthly chart. The 63-day Twiggs Momentum peak below zero [R], however, warns of a primary down-trend. Failure of support at 290 would strengthen the signal.
* Target calculation: 370 +( 370 – 290 ) = 450
Spot gold is headed for a test of support at $1600/ounce; failure would offer a target of $1500*. In the long term, the primary trend remains up and breakout above $1700 would signal an advance to $1900.
* Target calculation: 1700 – ( 1900 – 1700 ) = 1500
Amex Gold Bugs index ($HUI) is headed for a test of primary support at 500 on the weekly chart. Failure would signal a primary down-trend with an initial target of 400* — and warn of a similar reversal for spot gold. Declining 63-day Twiggs Momentum slipped below zero to strengthen the bear signal.
* Target calculation: 500 – ( 600 – 500 ) = 400
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) voted 3 to 2 today to limit trading in oil, wheat, gold and other commodities after a boom in raw-materials speculation, record- high prices and years of debate and delay.
The rule limits the number of contracts a single firm can hold and it limits traders to 25 percent of deliverable supply in the month nearest to delivery.
As a simple exercise to give you some idea of where we’re headed, let’s refer to Rumplestatskin this morning, who shows that iron ore alone represents almost 30% of the export basket that makes up the terms of trade. Coal makes up another large component above 20%:
……So, if we use the conservative Westpac projection of a 16% fall in the value of iron ore and a 5% fall in value of total coal exports (which is obviously a very conservative guess because we don’t know the coking coal weighting), that would translate to a terms of trade fall around 12% in January next year.
via Terms of trade shock brewing? – macrobusiness.com.au | macrobusiness.com.au.
Spot iron ore prices have fallen quite sharply over the last 2 weeks, down 8% to $158/t. In the last 4 weeks, Australian spot fines, as measured by the TSI, are down almost 12% landed in China.
Westpac forecast spot prices of around US$140/t by mid 2012.
Brent Crude rallied off support at $99/$100 per barrel, headed for a test of the upper trend channel. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum above its descending trendline warns that the down-trend is weakening. Breakout above the upper channel would test the 2011 high of $125/barrel.
CRB Commodities Index similarly rallied off support at 300. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum is still declining and failure to reach the upper trend channel (on the price chart) would warn of an accelerating down-trend.
