Public ChartLists

TICK is a market pro's tool for monitoring the under-lying strength in the US stock market. $TICK specifically measures the number of up-tick trades against down-tick trades on the NYSE. By itself, the TICK patterns can be difficult to discern due to high volatility from minute to minute during the trading day. I have developed a smoothing mechanism which helps the viewer to see any trading strength patterns more clearly. From time to time, I have to adjust the trigger trip lines due to the amount of volatility in the markets. In May 2014, I had to adjust the lines inward (closer to the center) due to the lack of volatility (this can be compared to the low readings in the CBOE VIX index). When the overbought lines are reached, then it's time to take profits for day traders and also a good way for investors to maximize their profit-taking exit points. When the TICK is oversold, that means day-traders should consider buying and investors can find good entry points. When TICK is above the zero line, the market is generally going higher. Note that on days of extremes, the buy and sell signals may not always seem to work. As always, this indicator is one among many to watch, and in itself, should not be used as the only indicator upon which to make trading decisions. Always consult with your licensed broker or RIA before investing. I do NOT claim to be an investment advisor and my comments and charts are strictly for educational purposes only.



There are actually two lines to watch on this $TICK chart which updates every 5 minutes during the trading day (though the chart is on a 15 minute delay for viewers). The two lines to watch are the purple (thin) line which is the 8 EMA line and the other thicker line is the 21 EMA line (green). The purple 8 EMA line is the FAST LINE, and this line helps the trader to tease out fast movements within the TICK. The 21 EMA line is the SLOW LINE, though that is a relative term as the SLOW LINE is still capturing the fast rhythms of the market for many trader

Weekly chart for West Texas Intermediate Oil

UPDATE: on 4/12/16 Break-through of down-trend wedge line is bullish for both oil and stocks. See daily chart for more precise positions, resistance and support lines.

UPDATE on 3/28/2016: The Weekly Chart shows WTI trying to break up through a steep down-trend line (blue-dashed), but so far, the strong resistance of that down-trend line is holding. OIL is at a crossroads--depending on how it breaks, will likely determine the direction of equities and commodities in the next few weeks. One can see that if WTI should break higher, that the next key resistance area would be $48. See the daily chart for more precise day-to-day projections.

This chart is designed for INVESTORS, not traders. Using the popular Nasdaq 100 Index, there are certain buy-sell signals I watch for in terms of LONGER TERM TRADES or INVESTMENTS. This Index should offer good clues as to when to be long in the market....and when to exit or go short the market.

The 13-50 moving average crossovers are one such signal--this crossover serves as the accleration signal on my Mo-celerator charts, but it is also an important buy signal for INVESTORS who don't want to chase every short term signal.

Also, I watch for the 13 day EMA line on the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) Indicator with the CMF set at a 34 day lag on INDEX charts. I have found over time that when the 13 ema line on this graph crosses above the zero line, that this serves as confirmation of stronger, longer trend. It works especially well to the long (buy) side, and a negative crossover is often 'a final get out' signal if somehow you have not listened to earlier exit signals, which many investors do not do because they don't want to miss the next surge higher....I understand this as part of my portfolio is invested for the long term too.

Also, the Dynamic chart shows the Accumulation-Distribution (A-D) line with a 13 day EMA line...the crossovers on the 13-dma serve as an additional tandem confirmation along with CMF as to whether money is flowing into the momentum stocks of the Naz 100....or flowing out. Often, the 13 ema crossover of the A-D line will occur before action shows in the CMF, because CMF captures heavy money moves, while A-D captures the early trend setters whose cash flows are not easily detectable. The CMF then serves as a confirmation of the early trend-setters' A-D signals.

Finally, my charts always include the ADX graph, which is 'the holy grail' graph for me. For investors, the signal to watch is at least a 5-pt move of the black ADX line in the direction of the new trend...once you have a 5-pt move, the trend is considered solid and firm for investors. 7/14/12

UPDATE on 7/29/16: I just concluded a quite successful short trade on USO as the WTI OIl chart reaches my intermediate target at the 200 day line. Will wait for the bounce to play on out on oil, before looking to short USO again. Mike

Update October 23, 2015: Despite many pundits attempts to label gold as a lousy investment, it continues to sit near record levels vs. the commodity complex that it trades in. If gold is 'only a commodity,' well, it sure is out-performing all of its commodity brethren! More importantly, gold's value seems to be providing a much safer investment compared to almost any commodity or basic materials investment.

Gold can also be compared to all other commodities by using the CRB Index. Using this ratio, we can see that gold is NOT trading as a commodity! NO!!! It's trading mostly as an alternative currency to paper money. If it were trading like most commodities, then this ratio would be under 2.5 where it stood for many, many years. Mike.

Update on 7/7/2014-- From Bloomberg News: 'In the relative calm that is the market for U.S. Treasuries, a sense of unease over a vital cog in the financial system?s plumbing is beginning to rise.

The Federal Reserve's bond purchases combined with demand from banks to meet tightened regulatory requirements is making it harder for traders to easily borrow and lend certain desired securities in the $1.6 trillion-a-day market for repurchase agreements. That?s causing such trades to go uncompleted at some of the highest rates since the financial crisis.'

See the complete story at this link:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-06/bond-anxiety-grows-in-1-6-trillion-repo-market-as-failures-soar.html

The TED SPREAD is used by financial analysts and market pros working for the big trading houses. It is a comparison between interest rates on US dollars in the US versus US dollars trading in Europe using the 3 month money market rates. In general, since the 2008 Financial Crisis, when the TEDDY is falling, this is favorable to European markets and possibly (though not always) unfavorable to US markets. Vice versa, when the TEDDY is rising, it can translate into troubles in the European markets (though not always). This is a weekly chart graphed with historical news events.

NUGT tracks a group of Major Gold Mining stocks at a 3x levered ratio on a daily basis. It is a popular ETF among traders who like to ride a fast momentum trading vehicle.

UPDATE: May 24, 2016. GLD is in a short tail-spin...losing the 50 day support, but still well within its forming base. Also, notice that the major red candle drop on May 24th leaves GLD outside its standard deviation on the Bollinger Bands. This suggests that GLD is short -term oversold. I expect the US $ rally to end near 96,which should come in early June. At that time, i would expect that GLD will rebound.

UPDATE: July 25, 2015. The GLD daily chart fell out of a descending triangle in mid-July and gapped down more than one day. The gaps occurred on selling in the overnight Asian markets. On Friday, July 24, 2015, the price reversed and finished solidly higher on strong volume-- a possible bottom--if not a final bottom, it at least seems to mark an interim bottom. Keep in mind that triangle breakdown projections point toward a low of under $1,000, but rapid selling on gaps down can sometimes signal a bottom before the longer projected targets are reached. Watch for confirmation in the following week ahead.

UPDATE on Jan. 14, 2017: The 10s-2s Ratio continues to slide as the S&P continues to hang high. This wide divergence suggests that either the bond market or the stock market has it wrong regarding the future. Most economists and market pros believe that a falling yield spread (similar to this ratio) is contractionary for the economy. In most set-ups like this, the market veteran should favor the signal given by the 10s-2s ratio rather than the signal given by the over-exuberant stock market. Could Trump's inauguration day (Jan.20th) mark the top for the S&P 500?

The 10-2 Yield Spread is very similar to the Yield Curve. The Yield Curve is a component of the Leading Economic Indicators, a US government forecasting tool. The Yield Spread often foretells where the US stock market is headed. If the spread line is rising, that's considered bullish...and falling is bearish. This chart includes a line to measure the direction of the S&P 500 ($SPX).

I use www.StockCharts.com because I find they have the best on-line chart software, and their data feeds from the exchanges are always up to date. No need for maintaining difficult software on my computer hard-drive! I have been a loyal customer for over 8 years.

GBTC is an investment fund invested in BITCOIN