InvestMacro

COT Soft Commodities Charts: Speculator bets led by Sugar, Cotton & Coffee

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) reports data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 25th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by Sugar, Cotton & Coffee

The COT soft commodities markets speculator bets were lower this week as just three out of the eleven softs markets we cover had higher positioning while the other eight markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the softs markets was Sugar (18,663 contracts) with Cotton (3,789 contracts) and Coffee (3,163 contracts) also having positive weeks.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were Corn (-93,072 contracts), Soybeans (-36,877 contracts), Soybean Oil (-28,553 contracts), Wheat (-17,962 contracts), Lean Hogs (-11,565 contracts), Soybean Meal (-11,451 contracts), Cocoa (-4,384 contracts) and Live Cattle (-3,732 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Soft Commodities Net Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by Coffee

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that Coffee (95 percent) leads the softs markets this week. Soybean Meal (64 percent) comes in as the next highest market.

On the downside, Soybean Oil (0 percent), Cotton (3 percent), Lean Hogs (8 percent), Corn (12 percent) and Sugar (14 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Corn (12.3 percent) vs Corn previous week (24.1 percent)
Sugar (13.5 percent) vs Sugar previous week (7.4 percent)
Coffee (94.8 percent) vs Coffee previous week (91.7 percent)
Soybeans (20.3 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (29.0 percent)
Soybean Oil (0.0 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (15.6 percent)
Soybean Meal (64.3 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (69.0 percent)
Live Cattle (31.5 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (35.5 percent)
Lean Hogs (7.9 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (17.4 percent)
Cotton (2.5 percent) vs Cotton previous week (0.0 percent)
Cocoa (39.9 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (44.4 percent)
Wheat (36.6 percent) vs Wheat previous week (49.1 percent)

Coffee & Sugar top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that Coffee (13 percent) and Sugar (4 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for soft commodities. Live Cattle (4 percent), Soybean Meal (3 percent) and Cocoa (1 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

Lean Hogs (-48 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with Wheat (-27 percent), Corn (-22 percent) and Cotton (-20 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Corn (-21.6 percent) vs Corn previous week (-5.8 percent)
Sugar (3.7 percent) vs Sugar previous week (-3.3 percent)
Coffee (13.1 percent) vs Coffee previous week (4.5 percent)
Soybeans (-10.7 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (-3.4 percent)
Soybean Oil (-13.8 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (2.4 percent)
Soybean Meal (3.0 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (11.3 percent)
Live Cattle (4.4 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (9.7 percent)
Lean Hogs (-48.1 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (-43.8 percent)
Cotton (-20.4 percent) vs Cotton previous week (-24.1 percent)
Cocoa (1.4 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (7.3 percent)
Wheat (-27.2 percent) vs Wheat previous week (-6.1 percent)

Individual Soft Commodities Markets:

CORN Futures:

The CORN large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -169,783 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -93,072 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -76,711 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 75.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

CORN Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	23.1	43.5	10.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	34.3	30.8	11.6
– Net Position:	-169,783	193,911	-24,128
– Gross Longs:	350,579	661,385	151,802
– Gross Shorts:	520,362	467,474	175,930
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.4 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	12.3	88.2	75.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-21.6	20.4	21.9

SUGAR Futures:

The SUGAR large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 37,187 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 18,663 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 18,524 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SUGAR Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	22.3	55.0	9.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	17.7	60.4	8.2
– Net Position:	37,187	-43,286	6,099
– Gross Longs:	180,313	445,248	72,600
– Gross Shorts:	143,126	488,534	66,501
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	13.5	85.0	27.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.7	-8.6	26.7

COFFEE Futures:

The COFFEE large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 70,712 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 3,163 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 67,549 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COFFEE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	41.0	33.6	3.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	7.0	69.0	2.2
– Net Position:	70,712	-73,719	3,007
– Gross Longs:	85,222	69,889	7,628
– Gross Shorts:	14,510	143,608	4,621
– Long to Short Ratio:	5.9 to 1	0.5 to 1	1.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	94.8	5.0	62.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	13.1	-13.6	8.1

SOYBEANS Futures:

The SOYBEANS large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -111,179 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -36,877 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -74,302 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 20.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 78.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: New Sell – Short Position.

SOYBEANS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.4	57.8	7.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.1	42.2	7.9
– Net Position:	-111,179	118,244	-7,065
– Gross Longs:	132,269	438,467	52,892
– Gross Shorts:	243,448	320,223	59,957
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.4 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	20.3	78.0	94.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-10.7	9.1	22.3

SOYBEAN OIL Futures:

The SOYBEAN OIL large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -75,739 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -28,553 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -47,186 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEAN OIL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	20.7	55.4	5.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	33.7	42.4	5.4
– Net Position:	-75,739	75,083	656
– Gross Longs:	119,940	321,287	31,856
– Gross Shorts:	195,679	246,204	31,200
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	16.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-13.8	13.8	-10.4

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures:

The SOYBEAN MEAL large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 89,981 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -11,451 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 101,432 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 64.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 37.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	29.7	38.4	8.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	11.7	58.8	6.2
– Net Position:	89,981	-101,575	11,594
– Gross Longs:	148,158	191,411	42,356
– Gross Shorts:	58,177	292,986	30,762
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.5 to 1	0.7 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	64.3	37.5	7.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.0	3.1	-67.6

LIVE CATTLE Futures:

The LIVE CATTLE large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 48,715 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -3,732 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 52,447 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 31.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 73.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 46.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

LIVE CATTLE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	41.0	31.2	9.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	24.6	44.9	12.1
– Net Position:	48,715	-40,548	-8,167
– Gross Longs:	121,955	93,017	27,814
– Gross Shorts:	73,240	133,565	35,981
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.7 to 1	0.7 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	31.5	73.2	46.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.4	-3.4	-6.7

LEAN HOGS Futures:

The LEAN HOGS large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -26,470 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -11,565 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -14,905 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

LEAN HOGS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	30.5	40.7	8.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	40.5	30.2	8.5
– Net Position:	-26,470	27,687	-1,217
– Gross Longs:	80,465	107,333	21,319
– Gross Shorts:	106,935	79,646	22,536
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	7.9	93.6	77.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-48.1	51.3	19.6

COTTON Futures:

The COTTON large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -23,975 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 3,789 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -27,764 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 2.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

COTTON Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	28.5	49.5	5.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	39.8	37.4	5.9
– Net Position:	-23,975	25,842	-1,867
– Gross Longs:	60,552	105,223	10,719
– Gross Shorts:	84,527	79,381	12,586
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	2.5	97.9	4.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-20.4	18.5	1.7

COCOA Futures:

The COCOA large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 29,357 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -4,384 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 33,741 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COCOA Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	32.0	36.9	8.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	10.2	63.2	3.8
– Net Position:	29,357	-35,345	5,988
– Gross Longs:	43,025	49,716	11,159
– Gross Shorts:	13,668	85,061	5,171
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.1 to 1	0.6 to 1	2.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	39.9	56.6	63.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	1.4	-1.8	3.2

WHEAT Futures:

The WHEAT large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -44,532 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -17,962 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -26,570 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 36.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

WHEAT Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	29.7	41.0	8.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	40.8	29.4	9.3
– Net Position:	-44,532	46,557	-2,025
– Gross Longs:	119,255	164,798	35,487
– Gross Shorts:	163,787	118,241	37,512
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.4 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	36.6	61.3	57.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-27.2	24.0	29.2

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets.

The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting). See CFTC criteria here.

29 Jun

COT Stock Market Charts: Speculator bets led by S&P500 & Nasdaq

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday June 25th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by S&P500-Mini & Nasdaq-Mini

The COT stock markets speculator bets were slightly higher this week as four out of the seven stock markets we cover had higher positioning while the other three markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the stock markets was the S&P500-Mini (48,863 contracts) with the Nasdaq-Mini (11,220 contracts), the Russell-Mini (7,827 contracts) and the Nikkei 225 (288 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were the VIX (-11,606 contracts) with the MSCI EAFE-Mini (-2,331 contracts) and the DowJones-Mini (-2,038 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Stock Market Net Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by the DowJones-Mini

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the DowJones-Mini (59 percent) leads the stock markets this week. The S&P500-Mini (55 percent) and Nasdaq-Mini (51 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the Nikkei 225 (38 percent) comes in at the lowest strength level currently with the next lowest strength score is the MSCI EAFE-Mini (41 percent).

Strength Statistics:
VIX (49.1 percent) vs VIX previous week (61.6 percent)
S&P500-Mini (55.0 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (47.7 percent)
DowJones-Mini (59.5 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (62.8 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (50.6 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (33.2 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (49.6 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (44.1 percent)
Nikkei USD (38.4 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (35.9 percent)
EAFE-Mini (40.7 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (43.1 percent)

Nasdaq-Mini & MSCI EAFE-Mini top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the Nasdaq-Mini (7 percent) leads the past six weeks trends for the stock markets. The MSCI EAFE-Mini (3 percent) was the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

The DowJones-Mini (-26 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Nikkei USD (-18 percent) coming in as the next market with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
VIX (-14.0 percent) vs VIX previous week (-11.4 percent)
S&P500-Mini (-6.0 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (-15.6 percent)
DowJones-Mini (-26.5 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (-11.6 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (6.5 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (-12.8 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (-12.7 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (-14.1 percent)
Nikkei USD (-18.3 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (-15.2 percent)
EAFE-Mini (2.7 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (-8.8 percent)

Individual Stock Market Charts:

VIX Volatility Futures:

The VIX Volatility large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -61,035 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -11,606 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -49,429 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 49.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 49.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

VIX Volatility Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	18.6	45.7	6.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	33.3	30.4	7.1
– Net Position:	-61,035	63,589	-2,554
– Gross Longs:	76,905	189,466	27,000
– Gross Shorts:	137,940	125,877	29,554
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.5 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	49.1	49.4	80.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-14.0	17.3	-13.4

S&P500 Mini Futures:

The S&P500 Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -65,247 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 48,863 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -114,110 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 55.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

S&P500 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	13.8	70.9	13.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	17.1	73.2	7.9
– Net Position:	-65,247	-46,099	111,346
– Gross Longs:	271,908	1,400,848	266,961
– Gross Shorts:	337,155	1,446,947	155,615
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	55.0	33.5	83.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-6.0	3.7	5.3

Dow Jones Mini Futures:

The Dow Jones Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -514 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -2,038 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,524 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 59.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 36.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Dow Jones Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	19.1	60.6	16.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	19.7	62.2	13.8
– Net Position:	-514	-1,345	1,859
– Gross Longs:	16,170	51,415	13,578
– Gross Shorts:	16,684	52,760	11,719
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.0 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	59.5	36.3	57.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-26.5	25.9	-8.1

Nasdaq Mini Futures:

The Nasdaq Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 7,395 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 11,220 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,825 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 50.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Nasdaq Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	27.5	52.7	16.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	24.5	60.1	12.2
– Net Position:	7,395	-18,260	10,865
– Gross Longs:	67,869	129,886	41,034
– Gross Shorts:	60,474	148,146	30,169
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.1 to 1	0.9 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	50.6	32.5	96.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	6.5	-7.9	7.2

Russell 2000 Mini Futures:

The Russell 2000 Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -50,021 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 7,827 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -57,848 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 49.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 48.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 50.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: New Sell – Short Position.

Russell 2000 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	14.3	78.1	6.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	26.3	67.7	4.7
– Net Position:	-50,021	43,649	6,372
– Gross Longs:	59,883	327,132	26,052
– Gross Shorts:	109,904	283,483	19,680
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	49.6	48.5	50.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-12.7	13.0	-8.0

Nikkei Stock Average (USD) Futures:

The Nikkei Stock Average (USD) large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -4,901 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 288 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -5,189 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 53.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

Nikkei Stock Average Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	5.4	67.5	27.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	41.6	38.6	19.8
– Net Position:	-4,901	3,918	983
– Gross Longs:	734	9,151	3,667
– Gross Shorts:	5,635	5,233	2,684
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.1 to 1	1.7 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	38.4	53.8	53.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-18.3	18.0	-7.1

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures:

The MSCI EAFE Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -24,818 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -2,331 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -22,487 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 40.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 51.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	7.6	89.2	2.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	13.6	84.9	1.1
– Net Position:	-24,818	17,870	6,948
– Gross Longs:	31,609	369,935	11,558
– Gross Shorts:	56,427	352,065	4,610
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	2.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	40.7	55.4	51.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	2.7	-3.4	3.6

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Stock Market News

29 Jun

Speculator Extremes: Australian Dollar, Soybean Oil lead weekly Positions

By InvestMacro

The latest update for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report was released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday for data ending on June 25th.

This weekly Extreme Positions report highlights the Most Bullish and Most Bearish Positions for the speculator category. Extreme positioning in these markets can foreshadow strong moves in the underlying market.

To signify an extreme position, we use the Strength Index (also known as the COT Index) of each instrument, a common method of measuring COT data. The Strength Index is simply a comparison of current trader positions against the range of positions over the previous 3 years. We use over 80 percent as extremely bullish and under 20 percent as extremely bearish. (Compare Strength Index scores across all markets in the data table or cot leaders table)

Speculators or Non-Commercials Notes:
Speculators, classified as non-commercial traders by the CFTC, are made up of large commodity funds, hedge funds and other significant for-profit participants. The Specs are generally regarded as trend-followers in their behavior towards price action – net speculator bets and prices tend to go in the same directions. These traders often look to buy when prices are rising and sell when prices are falling. To illustrate this point, many times speculator contracts can be found at their most extremes (bullish or bearish) when prices are also close to their highest or lowest levels.
These extreme levels can be dangerous for the large speculators as the trade is most crowded, there is less trading ammunition still sitting on the sidelines to push the trend further and prices have moved a significant distance. When the trend becomes exhausted, some speculators take profits while others look to also exit positions when prices fail to continue in the same direction. This process usually plays out over many months to years and can ultimately create a reverse effect where prices start to fall and speculators start a process of selling when prices are falling.

Here Are This Week’s Most Bullish Speculator Positions:

Australian Dollar

The Australian Dollar speculator position comes in as the most bullish extreme standing this week. The Australian Dollar speculator level is currently at a 100.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score totaled 63.8 this week. The overall net speculator position was a total of -23,676 net contracts this week with a jump of 17,980 contract in the weekly speculator bets.

New Zealand Dollar

The New Zealand Dollar speculator position comes next in the extreme standings this week. The New Zealand Dollar speculator level is now at a 100.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score was 79.0 this week. The speculator position registered 26,642 net contracts this week with a weekly boost of 6,313 contracts in speculator bets.

Silver

The Silver speculator position comes in third this week in the extreme standings. The Silver speculator level resides at a 94.9 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score came in at -4.8 this week. The overall speculator position was 55,978 net contracts this week with a gain of 4,077 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Coffee

The Coffee speculator position comes up number four in the extreme standings this week. The Coffee speculator level is at a 94.8 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score totaled a change of 13.1 this week. The overall speculator position was 70,712 net contracts this week with a rise of 3,163 contracts in the speculator bets.

Gold

The Gold speculator position rounds out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The Gold speculator level sits at a 87.3 percent score of its 3-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was 18.8 this week.

The speculator position was 246,229 net contracts this week with an increase by 3,145 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

This Week’s Most Bearish Speculator Positions:

Soybean Oil

The Soybean Oil speculator position comes in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The Soybean Oil speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -13.8 this week. The overall speculator position was -75,739 net contracts this week with a drop of -28,553 contracts in the speculator bets.

Cotton

The Cotton speculator position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The Cotton speculator level is at a 2.5 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -20.4 this week. The speculator position was -23,975 net contracts this week with a rise of 3,789 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Japanese Yen

The Japanese Yen speculator position comes in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The Japanese Yen speculator level resides at a 3.8 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -29.9 this week. The overall speculator position was -173,900 net contracts this week with a large drop by -26,147 contracts in the speculator bets.

5-Year Bond

The 5-Year Bond speculator position comes in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The 5-Year Bond speculator level is at a 5.2 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -9.6 this week. The speculator position was -1,486,197 net contracts this week with a decline of -32,797 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Palladium

Finally, the Palladium speculator position comes in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The Palladium speculator level is at a 6.2 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -12.3 this week. The speculator position was -12,906 net contracts this week with an edge higher by 650 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Opinions

28 Jun

Is a China-Taiwan Conflict Likely? Watch the Region’s Stock Market Indexes

By Mark Galasiewski | Elliott Wave International

The U.S. government in early May sanctioned 300 Chinese entities for supplying machine tools and parts to Russia for its war against Ukraine, while in mid-May Russian president Vladimir Putin made a two-day visit to China. In turn I found myself thinking about how tensions between China and the United States could lead to open conflict, specifically over Taiwan.

The likelihood of conflict depends in part on the region’s social mood, as reflected in Asia’s stock market indexes. When social mood is negative, countries are more likely to behave aggressively.

Tensions in the region have been high. On May 23, China conducted a military drill that sent 111 warplanes plus several navy destroyers and frigates close to Taiwan and its outer islands. China said the drill meant to punish Taiwan for an offense committed by its new head of state, Lai Ching-te, who used his May 20 inauguration speech to suggest that Taiwan is not part of China.

Yet China appeared to end the provocative move after just two days, much like Iran quickly ended its reprisal drone attack on Israel in April. Both examples reflect the desire to limit the scope of new conflicts, consistent with the improving social mood and burgeoning rally in emerging markets.

As our “Bull versus Bear” chart shows, the mood in Taiwan remains positive amid the global tech boom: The Taiwan Index rose right through the military drill. In contrast, the mood in China remains severely negative, as reflected in the Shanghai Composite’s long-term pattern. That does raise the risk of Chinese aggression — or at the least increases the risk of accidents and miscalculations. As Singapore’s deputy prime minister Gan Kim Yong recently said at the Nikkei Forum in Tokyo, bad outcomes tend to follow during periods “when each side views the other as an adversary.”

Some geopolitical observers frame the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a proxy battle in a new cold war between the United States and its democratic allies, versus the China-dominated axis of autocratic states that includes Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Long-term charts offer perspective.

In 2020, the MSCI Asia-Pacific Ex-Japan Index ended a 26-year sideways pattern, while the MSCI World Ex-U.S. Index ended its own, similar 20-year-long sideways trend. This two-decade period is comparable to the 1929-1949 corrective period in the U.S. stock market. The Covid pandemic erupted toward the end of the triangless much like the 1948-1955 polio epidemic spread across the globe and killed half a million people a year at its peak.

The first proxy battle in the current cold war — Russia-Ukraine — erupted two years post-Covid during the correction in the index, much like the first proxy battle — the Korean War — in the earlier Cold War erupted in 1950 and lasted until 1953. The Russia-Ukraine war could follow that precedent by ending in a stalemate sooner than most observers imagine, even as the developing bull market in world ex-U.S. stocks contributes to years of relative peace. Then, once China becomes much stronger militarily, the next proxy battle in the cold war rivalry — perhaps over Taiwan — would be analogous to the Vietnam War when the U.S. dramatically escalated the fighting in 1965 and pulled out eight years later, as the communist government of North Vietnam in turn took over South Vietnam to reunite the country.

We’re watching the region’s stock market indexes closely.

If you’d like to learn more about Elliott wave price patterns, including the triangles mentioned above, EWI has made available the entire online version of the book Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior.

Economics & Fundamentals Financial News

28 Jun

Today, the focus of investors’ attention is on the PCE index data

By JustMarkets

On Wednesday, the US stock indices ended trading with an increase. The Dow Jones Index (US30) gained 0.09% on Thursday, and the S&P 500 Index (US500) added 0.09%. The NASDAQ Technology Index (US100) closed positive 0.30%. Stocks were supported amid weaker-than-expected US economic reports that lowered bond yields and reinforced speculation that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates this year.

Markets are awaiting Friday’s release of PCE deflator data for May, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, to see if price pressures are easing. The year-over-year PCE Index is expected to fall to 2.6% from 2.7%. On a monthly basis, it is expected to rise 0.1%. The latest PCE Index data did not match expectations — US inflation unexpectedly halted in April. Overall, if the PCE Price Index report shows a further decline in inflationary pressures, it could further reinforce expectations of a Fed rate cut (70% as of today). This would likely hurt the US dollar. But suppose the inflation data does not show progress in reducing inflationary pressures. In that case, the likelihood of a rate cut in September would decrease, which would play into the hands of the US dollar and have a negative impact on risk assets and precious metals.

Boeing (BA) is up more than 2% after reporting that China’s safety regulator has cleared it to resume deliveries of wide-body airplanes to China.

Bitcoin stabilized above the $61,000 mark on Friday after falling to a near two-month low earlier this week amid renewed inflows into the US spot bitcoin ETFs. Data showed that inflows into the US spot bitcoin ETFs turned positive on June 25 and 26 after seven consecutive days of outflows. US fund assets also increased from $47 billion in early May to more than $52 billion as of June 26.

Equity markets in Europe were mostly down on Thursday. Germany’s DAX (DE40) rose by 0.30%, France’s CAC 40 (FR40) closed yesterday down 1.03%, Spain’s IBEX 35 (ES35) fell by 0.72%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 (UK100) closed negative 0.55%. The Eurozone Economic Confidence Index for June unexpectedly fell 0.2 to 95.9 versus expectations of a rise to 96.1. Eurozone M3 money supply for May rose 1.6% y/y, exceeding expectations of 1.5% y/y and the largest increase in 14 months. ECB Governing Council spokesman Kazimir said yesterday that he still sees significant upside risks to inflation, and the ECB can expect only one more interest rate cut this year. Swaps discount the odds of an ECB rate cut by 25 bps at 9% for the July 18 meeting and 67% for the September 12 meeting.

The UK economy grew 0.7% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2024, slightly above initial estimates of 0.6%. This is the strongest growth in two years, ending the recession that began last year. Services grew by 0.8%, up from 0.7% in the first estimate. The manufacturing sector grew by 0.6%, down from the 0.8% previously reported.

Sweden’s Central Bank left interest rates unchanged but changed its estimate for further rate cuts this year to “two or three” from two. Riksbank Governor Erik Thedeen said the inflation outlook had become more positive, especially for inflation expectations and wage growth, but two or three cuts were “an estimate, not a promise.” The Riksbank became one of the first major central banks to begin easing monetary policy this cycle in May when it cut rates by 25 basis points.

WTI crude oil prices rose above $82 a barrel on Friday as the escalating conflict in the Middle East overshadowed uncertainty on the demand side. Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have escalated after Hezbollah stepped up rocket fire and drone attacks on northern Israel in recent weeks, putting additional pressure on an Israeli government already mired in a war with Hamas. Major oil producer Iran may be drawn into the wider conflict, while Turkish President Erdogan expressed solidarity with Lebanon and called for regional support.

Asian markets were predominantly decreasing yesterday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (JP225) was down 0.82%, China’s FTSE China A50 (CHA50) lost 0.32%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HK50) was down 2.06%, and Australia’s ASX 200 (AU200) was negative 0.30%.

Japan’s Core Consumer Price Index in Tokyo in June 2024 rose by 2.1% year-on-year in June, beating market expectations and the Bank of Japan’s 2% target, strengthening the case for the central bank to continue policy normalization. Tokyo’s core inflation rate also accelerated for the second consecutive month after rising 1.6% in May. The Bank of Japan has been under sustained pressure to raise interest rates again as rising wages have boosted consumption. The Central Bank is also expected to defend its currency as the yen fell to a 38-year low, pushing up the cost of imports. Tokyo’s inflation data is widely seen as a leading indicator of nationwide price trends.

S&P 500 (US500) 5,482.87 +4.97 (+0.091%)

Dow Jones (US30) 39,164.06 +36.26 (+0.093%)

DAX (DE40) 18,210.55 +55.31 (+0.30%)

FTSE 100 (UK100) 8,179.68 −45.65 (−0.55%)

USD Index 106.05 +0.44 (+0.41%)

Important events today:

– Japan Tokyo Core CPI (m/m) at 02:30 (GMT+3);
– Japan Unemployment Rate (m/m) at 02:30 (GMT+3);
– UK GDP (q/q) at 09:00 (GMT+3);
– German Retail Sales (m/m) at 09:00 (GMT+3);
– Switzerland KOF Economic Barometer (m/m) at 10:00 (GMT+3);
– German Unemployment Rate (m/m) at 10:55 (GMT+3);
– US PCE Price index (m/m) at 15:30 (GMT+3);
– Canada GDP (m/m) at 15:30 (GMT+3);
– US Chicago PMI (m/m) at 16:45 (GMT+3);
– US Michigan Consumer Sentiment (m/m) at 17:00 (GMT+3).

By JustMarkets

This article reflects a personal opinion and should not be interpreted as an investment advice, and/or offer, and/or a persistent request for carrying out financial transactions, and/or a guarantee, and/or a forecast of future events.

Economics & Fundamentals Financial News

28 Jun

Week Ahead: FRA40 braced for French elections

By ForexTime

H2 kicks off with French/UK elections, ECB forum & NFP

FRA40 ↓ 5.4% since Macron call for snap election

National Rally currently leading polls

Index bearish on D1 but RSI near oversold

Key points of interest – 7700, 200-day SMA, 7470

An exceptional list of high-risk events may rattle global markets in the week ahead!

The second half of 2024 kicks off with elections in France and the United Kingdom, to the ECB forum and US jobs report among other key data:

Sunday, 30th June

CN50: China manufacturing & non-manufacturing PMIs
USDInd: New York Fed President John Williams speech
FRA40: First round of French legislative elections

Monday, 1st July

CN50: China Caixin manufacturing PMI
AU200: Australia retail sales, Melbourne Institute inflation
EU50: Eurozone Manufacturing PMI
FRA40: France Manufacturing PMI
GER40: Germany Manufacturing PMI, CPI
UK100: UK Manufacturing PMI
US500: ISM Manufacturing

Tuesday, 2nd July

AU200: RBA meeting minutes
EU50: Eurozone CPI, unemployment, ECB President Lagarde speech
US500: Fed Chair Jerome Powell speech

Wednesday, 3rd July

CN50: China Caixin service PMI
EU50: Eurozone Services PMI, PPI
USDInd: US FOMC minutes, ISM services, initial jobless claims, Fed speak

Thursday, 4th July

GER40: Germany factory orders
EU50: ECB meeting minutes
UK100: UK general elections
US Markets closed – Independence Day holiday

Friday, 5th July

CAD: Canada unemployment
EU50: Eurozone retail sales
FRA40: France trade, industrial production
GER40: Germany industrial production
SG20: Singapore retail sales
TWN: Taiwan CPI
US500: US June NFP report

FXTM’s FRA40 demands our attention due to the first round of French parliamentary elections over the weekend.

The FRA40 tracks the underlying CAC 40 index, which represents the 40 largest companies listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

The lowdown…

The French political scene was thrown into chaos on June 9th after President Macron unexpectedly dissolved parliament following his defeat by the far right in EU elections.

Since then, the FRA40 has tumbled as much as 6.5% and heading for its biggest monthly loss in almost two years.

The bigger picture

In a two-round process on 30th June and 7th July, France will go to the polls to elect a new parliament after Macron called for snap elections.

If one candidate gains more than 50% of the vote, representing at least 25% of registered voters, they automatically win the elections. But this is an unlikely outcome given the current polls.

Any party that has obtained more than 12.5% of the vote can advance to the second round.

National Rally (far-right): 36%

New Popular Front (left-wing): 29%

Renaissance and allies (centrist): 21%

Note: President Macron belongs to Renaissance and allies.

Taking a deeper dive

President Macron will remain president regardless of how the election plays out.

However, he could be stuck with a prime minister and a government from a different party. This is the crux of the matter, especially when considering how unaligned Macron and the National Rally are on economic policies.

What does this mean?

This snap election could not have come at a worse time for the French economy.

Just last month its credit rating was downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, while the economy continues to experience subdued growth. If Macron is rendered powerless and unable to push reforms, this could mean more trouble for the French economy as political uncertainty becomes a key theme.

How will the elections impact the FRA40?

Investors have already been given a taste of how political jitters can rock the FRA40.

A shock outcome that sees an absolute majority for either the National Rally or New Popular Front could send the FRA40 tumbling as uncertainty over France’s policy future intensifies.

An outcome where all 3 parties make it into the second round of voting may also trigger volatility.

Technical outlook

The FRA40 is under intense pressure on the daily charts with prices respecting a bearish channel. Although the candlesticks are trading below the 50, 100 and 200-day SMA, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is signalling that prices are approaching oversold levels.

Sustained weakness below the 200-day SMA, may signal a decline toward 7470, 7400 and 7290.

Should prices push back above the 200-day SMA, bulls could challenge 7700 and 7790.

Article by ForexTime

ForexTime Ltd (FXTM) is an award winning international online forex broker regulated by CySEC 185/12 www.forextime.com

Financial News Stock Market News

28 Jun

EUR/USD continues to struggle amid US inflation concerns

By RoboForex Analytical Department

EUR/USD is on a downward trajectory on Friday, hovering around 1.0686 after a short-lived pause. The dollar experienced a temporary dip due to mixed American economic indicators and market anticipation ahead of the critical Core PCE inflation report, a significant factor in Federal Reserve decision-making.

Yesterday’s data showed a larger-than-expected decrease in US unemployment claims and a modest rise in Durable Goods Orders for May, although Core PCE dipped. The final GDP figures for Q1 2024 were slightly adjusted upward, showing the US economy grew by 1.4% compared to the previously estimated 1.3%, in contrast to the 3.4% growth seen in Q4 2023.

US Treasury yields also saw a minor decline, contributing to the dollar’s brief retreat. However, market dynamics are shifting as focus intensifies on today’s economic releases, including the Core PCE data, personal income and expenditures, and the University of Michigan’s May consumer sentiment index.

EUR/USD technical analysis

The EUR/USD has completed a downward movement to 1.0666 and corrected up to 1.0715. Currently, the market is forming another downward wave, targeting 1.0655. Should this level be reached, a rebound to 1.0690 is possible before continuing the downward trend towards at least 1.0577. This bearish outlook is supported by the MACD indicator, which remains below zero with a firm downward trajectory.

On the H1 chart, EUR/USD is consolidating around 1.0690. A downward breakout could lead to a continuation of the decline to 1.0655. Subsequently, a corrective move to 1.0690 may occur before a further drop to 1.0640. The Stochastic oscillator, hovering near 20, suggests potential for further declines before a rebound to 80 could happen, indicating volatile short-term movements.

Market outlook

Investors are advised to closely monitor the upcoming US economic data, which will likely influence Federal Reserve policy expectations and impact EUR/USD movements. The currency pair remains sensitive to shifts in US economic indicators and Federal Reserve signals regarding interest rates.

Disclaimer

Any forecasts contained herein are based on the author’s particular opinion. This analysis may not be treated as trading advice. RoboForex bears no responsibility for trading results based on trading recommendations and reviews contained herein.

Financial News Forex and Currency News

27 Jun

Mid-Year Review: Monster Movers & Shakers

By ForexTime

Bitcoin ↑ almost 45% in H1

Gold ↑ 12% year-to-date, but are bulls tired?

US500 party to roll on or hit final hour?

The first half of 2024 has been remarkable for global financial markets.

Shifting monetary policy expectations, geopolitical tensions, elections across the globe and the A.I mania set the tone.

At the start of the year, we picked 3 assets that could see big moves.

Here’s how they have performed so far:

1) Bitcoin set to boom or bust?

What we discussed in the 2024 outlook

We were bullish on the “OG” crypto and suggested how the “hype could go into overdrive due to the approval of Bitcoin ETFs by January and halving event in April”.

How things played out in H1

Bitcoin rallied as much as 74% in the first quarter of 2024, hitting an all-time high at $73,850.

The approval of Bitcoin ETFs along with expectations of lower US interest rates sent prices skyrocketing. However, gains were capped in Q2 due to escalating geopolitical tensions and uncertainty over monetary policy despite the halving in April.

As the first half of 2024 concludes, Bitcoin is under pressure thanks to cooling demand for Bitcoin ETFs and developments concerning the failed Mt. Gox exchange.

What could happen over the next 6 months

Other than US interest rates, the next major risk event for Bitcoin could be the US presidential elections.

And Biden’s opposition, Trump the catalyst. His pro stance towards cryptocurrencies may boost sentiment towards Bitcoin should he triumph.

To be clear, determining what influence Trump will have on the SEC is uncertain – but the idea of a pro-crypto US president may translate to fresh upside gains across the crypto space.

Technical outlook

Our technical section initially pointed out $50,000 as a key level of interest with a bullish breakout opening a path toward $69,000 and $100,000.

Before

Prices remain trapped within a weekly range with support at $60,000 and resistance at $71,000.

Sustained weakness below may open a path back towards $50,000 and potentially lower.

Should $60,000 prove reliable support, prices may rebound towards $71,000 and the all-time high at $73,850.

After

2) Gold bulls running on fumes?

What we discussed in the 2024 outlook

We examined how gold could deliver glittering returns this year due to lower interest rates, a weaker dollar, and geopolitical risks.

How things played out in H1

Despite the slow start to the year, gold prices surged almost 10% in March amid growing bets around lower interest rates. The precious metal was propelled higher by escalating geopolitical tensions and central bank buying, with prices hitting an all-time high at $2450 in May.

But bulls have struggled to keep up the momentum in recent weeks thanks to cooling rate cut bets and the PBoC’s decision to end its 18-month of gold buying. Still, prices are up roughly 12% year-to-date.

What could happen over the next 6 months…

While US election uncertainty could translate to increased volatility for gold, it’s all about what actions the Fed takes in the second half of 2024.

At the start of the year, the central bank was expected to cut rates by as much as 150 basis points. However, due to sticky inflation and stronger-than-expected data – traders are only expecting one rate 25 bp cut by November with 75% probability of a second cut by December.

Given how gold pays no interest, the prospect of higher for longer rates could be an invitation for bears to pounce.

Technical outlook

Our technical section flagged $2000 as a reliable support that may open doors to fresh all-time highs.

Before

Gold is under pressure on the weekly charts with key support at $2290.

A solid break below this point could spark a selloff towards $2235 and $2147.

Should $2290 prove to be reliable support, prices may rebound toward $2350, $2425 and $2450.

After

3) US500 bull party approaching final hour?

What we discussed in the 2024 outlook

After gaining almost 25% in 2023, we were firmly bullish on the US500 and anticipated volatility due to the US presidential elections in November.

How things played out in H1

The Index was initially supported by Fed cut bets with solid corporate earnings and the A.I hype turbocharging upside gains. Nvidia, the poster child of the AI boom was able to satisfy investors lofty expectations by posting solid earnings in February and May.

Although the US500 is up 15% year-to-date and remains in an uptrend, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is screaming that prices are heavily overbought.

What could happen over the next 6 months…

After repeatedly hitting record highs, the question is whether bulls can maintain their hunger for gains?

A combination of U.S election jitters and cooling expectations around Fed rate cuts could limit upside gains. It is worth noting that earnings season is around the corner with the bar set high for Nvidia and other tech giants to deliver blockbuster results.

Regarding the US elections, whatever the outcome it could inject fresh levels of volatility into the US500.

Technical outlook

Back in January, we highlighted how “a strong close above 4820 could open the doors towards fresh the all-time highs”

Before

The US500 continues to respect a bullish channel but the RSI signals that a technical “throwback” could be around the corner.

A solid weekly close above 5500 could pave the way to fresh all-time highs.

Should 5500 prove to be a tough nut to crack, this may trigger a decline back toward 5300 and possibly lower.

After

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Economics & Fundamentals Opinions

27 Jun

Is It Time To Unload Nvidia?

Source: Streetwise Reports (6/26/24)

Some financial experts say yes, others no. Read on to learn the rationale behind the conclusions and stance of several.

The movement of Nvidia Corp.’s (NVDA:NASDAQ) stock during June, rising to its all-time high and then plunging, has investors debating now whether to jump into it, bolster their existing position, or abandon it altogether. Whereas financial analysts and other experts generally agree the information technology (IT) stock has been overbought since early June, they differ, some radically, in their current recommendations on it.

“Nvidia has likely become one of the most overheated stocks we’ve witnessed in a quarter century,” Eric Fry of Fry’s Investment Report said in an InvestorPlace interview.

On June 18, Nvidia ousted Microsoft Corp. (MSFT:NASDAQ) from its spot as the world’s most valuable company, and last week, Nvidia’s stock peaked at US$140.76 per share. Since, it dropped to third place, therein suffering a loss of about US$500 billion ($500B) in value, Seeking Alpha reported on June 25. However, NVDA maintains about a 140% year-to-date gain and thus is the second-best performer in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index.

Is it OK To Buy?

None of the factors behind the stock’s recent descent into its current correction constitutes a sound reason to “turn gloomy on Nvidia,” Garfield Reynolds, Bloomberg’s Markets Live Asia team leader, wrote in a June 24 article. The five causes were expiring options, insider sales, the stock’s technically overbought state, investor reassessment of the stock after it dethroned Apple Inc. (AAPL:NASDAQ) and Microsoft, and a long squeeze.

“The bull case for the artificial intelligence (AI) darling along with the broader tech sector remains strong over the short to medium term, at the very least,” he wrote.

It would take a major event, such as a broad economic slump or a big earnings miss, to keep Nvidia down for long, asserted Reynolds.

Certainly, numerous analysts recommend Nvidia as a Buy. According to TipRanks, of the 41 analysts who rated the stock at some point in the last three months, 38 have it Buy, three Hold, and none Sell. Zacks Investment Research, for instance, has a Strong Buy rating on it.

“Even with those concerns about overconcentration lingering,” he added, “the selloff would need to extend significantly further to change the narrative away from the consensus call that the AI revolution will keep going and that Nvidia stands to benefit hugely as a result.”

As such, Reynolds expects new buyers of the stock on future price dips, he wrote.

Certainly, numerous analysts recommend Nvidia as a Buy. According to TipRanks, of the 41 analysts who rated the stock at some point in the last three months, 38 have it Buy, three Hold, and none Sell. Zacks Investment Research, for instance, has a Strong Buy rating on it.

In a June 22 article, The Motley Fool’s Edward Shelton suggested that investors should consider three points when deciding what to do regarding Nvidia.

One, Nvidia stock being overbought does not preclude it from climbing further. Case in point, he said, is the stock’s last pullback, in March, of 20%, after which the price soared to its highest point ever.

Two, NVDA is not in a bubble, despite what analysts say, because the fundamentals support its valuation.

Three, the company’s earnings per share (EPS) guidance for 2025 of US$3.61 could be conservative. Should earnings turn out to be higher (some analysts predict US$5), the stock would look cheap.

Ballanger Says Think Twice Before Buying

According to Michael Ballanger, editor & publisher of GGM Advisory Inc., investors should take seriously Nvidia’s recent shift into a correction. The stock is coming down from its peak “with a full bearish moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) rollover and ‘sell signal’ now complete,” he described in a June 24 email alert.

A sector rotation out of tech stocks and into more conservative Dow Jones Industrial Average blue chip stocks is underway, he noted, but the whiplashing of this a long-time market leader into a correction could be a harbinger of what is to come.

“If ‘AI’ starts to correct,” Ballanger warned, “the entire market is going with it, including the Dow and the S&P 500.”

Newsletter Writers Say Do Not Buy Now

Chris Johnson, Money Morning qualitative specialist, implied that it might be better to wait to Buy Nvidia as there is a good chance the stock will present a short-term opportunity to do so on a future pullback.

“If ‘AI’ starts to correct,” Michael Ballanger of GGM Advisory Inc. warned, “the entire market is going with it, including the Dow and the S&P 500.”

These opportunities often arise with heavily traded stocks after they experience persisting overbought conditions and the pullbacks that typically follow.

“Investors looking for a deeper correction in the stock should consider the US$100 price target as an ideal price for longer-term support for Nvidia shares,” he noted in a June 24 article. (At close today, the tech company was at US$126 per share.)

Kimberley Koenig with Investor’s Business Daily flat out advised against buying Nvidia right now. Instead, she recommended on June 25, “Wait for selling to subside and another base to form or follow-on buy point to present itself to buy the AI chip stock.”

One Expert Says Sell It All Today

The advice of Technical Analyst Clive Maund, based on his interpretations of the stock’s 10-year and two-year charts, is to sell Nvidia.

“The main takeaways for us are that Nvidia should be ‘avoided like the plague’ simply because it has gone up so much and is massively overbought,” he wrote in a June 23 report. “Anyone holding should, of course, take profits soon.”

He explained that on the charts, the MACD indicator shows the stock has become “insanely overbought.” However, he noted, “Recent volume does not look terminal as it has not (yet) risen to become climactic, and the accumulation line remains strong.” These indicators suggest that rather than immediately plunging, the stock may form a large top pattern over some months, during which time it could even creep higher.

Eric Fry of Fry’s Investment Report suggested investors follow the lead of the country’s billionaires and unload not just Nvidia stock but also the other tech giants’ stock now because, he said, an entire tech market crash is coming.

“There’s an undeniable tension gripping the markets right now, and if your gut is telling you that something monumental is lurking just over the horizon, trust me, your instincts are dead on,” he said.

Fry likened Nvidia stock today to Cisco stock in the 1990s. Though Cisco then had nearly twice the earnings power of Nvidia today, he said, when the dot-com bubble burst, it dropped about 87% from its peak.

Yes, there is room for growth in the AI market, and yes, Nvidia could be an AI star over the long term, said Fry. However, world-changing stocks go through their own boom and bust periods.

“I do want people to be aware of the cyclical risks involved here, at these crazy valuations,” he added.

Fry forecasted a future “tidal wave of selling to engulf the tech titans of Wall Street — Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta and more” — in what he’s calling The 2024 Tech Reset. Billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg, have already started selling tech stocks, even their own company’s stock. They are moving their money into next-gen stocks, which Fry defined as “stocks of businesses that are essential for the growth and prosperity of society as a whole.”

This massive selloff Fry predicted will cause tech stocks to plummet from their record highs and will, in the process, drag down thousands of other stocks, he warned. It will “erase years of investors’ gains, in the blink of an eye.”

Sector to Hit $29 Trillion by 2030

Currently IT is facing some challenges, and in the short term “the demand environment remains uncertain as enterprises add more scrutiny to the budgeting process and reduce discretionary IT spending,” CIBC wrote in a June 20 report. The current environment has dampened the expectation held since last year that demand would start improving in H2/24.

The report asserted that the initial “gen AI boom” is in the rear-view mirror, and what is happening now is a “period of resetting expectations.” Despite most companies knowing they need AI strategies, they are still deciding on what these will be, the analysts said.

The long-term outlook for IT is brighter. Growth for the IT market is forecasted up to 2030, at a 15% compound annual growth rate, according to Exactitude Consultancy, a market research and consulting services firm. By 2030, the market is projected to increase to US$28.99 trillion ($28.99T) in value from US$10.9T in 2023.

Streetwise Ownership Overview*

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA:NASDAQ)

	Institutions: 67.7%
	Retail: 28.02%
	Management & Insiders: 4.23%
	Strategic Investors: 0.05%

67.7%

28.0%

4.2%

^*Share Structure as of 6/26/2024

Source: Thomson Reuters

Accelerated advancement in AI, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and cybersecurity is the primary growth driver, noted Exactitude.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Reuters, 4.23% of the company is held by management and insiders.

0.05% is with strategic investors. Milestone Resources Group Ltd. has 0.02%, with 4.39 million, and Banco Santander SA has 0.01%, with 2.10 million.

67.70% is held by institutions. The VanGuard Group Inc. has 8.63%, with 2,122.88 million shares. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. has 4.82%, with 1,186.45 million. Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC. has 4.51%, with 1,109.18 million.

The rest is with retail investors.

Nvidia has 24.6 billion (24.6B) shares outstanding and 23.5B free float traded shares.

The company’s market cap is US$3.1 trillion. Its stock has traded between US$39.23 and US$140.76 per share over the past 52 weeks.

Important Disclosures:

Doresa Banning wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor.
This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports’ terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.

For additional disclosures, please click here.

Opinions Stock Market News

27 Jun

Young investors: Here’s some tips for getting into the market

By Sorin Rizeanu, University of Victoria

You’ve likely heard of Minecraft. It’s a simple game where you slowly place blocks and craft items from containers to castles and entire cities. You’ve probably also heard of the first-person shooter Call of Duty (COD), where players navigate fast-paced war zones.

Like gaming, investing is all about how you approach it. You can build slow but safe, like in Minecraft, or you can go fast and risk more, like in COD.

If you’re a young person who has just gotten your first paycheck or saved a tidy sum from your first job, you might be thinking about how to invest your money.

However, the stock market can be a daunting place. Fortunes are built and lost in days. You can take the fast approach and risk it all on getting the big win. Or, with the proper temperament, you can build a significant source of additional income one block at a time. But where to start? And how does it all work?

Investing 101

You’ve probably heard of investment apps like Robinhood or Wealthsimple, or ones like Coinbase that allow you to invest in crypto currencies.

Investing is pretty much what you make of it. It can be like Minecraft, slowly placing blocks to develop a long-term diversified set of assets through investment funds, like exchange traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds.

Most investment funds hold portfolios of stocks, bonds and other investments. ETFs trade on exchanges just like stocks, and most passively track an index, with little or no active management by fund managers. Mutual funds are more actively managed and they generally have higher fees than ETFs.

If you’re more of a risk-taker, investing can also be fast-paced like COD: shooting with options, penny stocks, crypto and other speculative tools.

Similar to gaming, you are only one participant in a much bigger world. There are days when you will lose and days when you win. Strategies that work in some situations but not in other situations. Expert players and novices.

If you’re completely new to things, try out an investing simulation. Some trading platforms allow you to use a version of their app or website where you can make simulated investments. Some of them are free or cost around $10-$15, like TradingView and eToro. MarketWatch even lets you create an investing game that you can invite your friends to participate in.

Next, you’ll need an investment account. Most big banks offer self-managed investment accounts. If you want to save a bit, check out discount brokers that charge lower or no commission (but read the fine print and know what other fees they might charge you).

Be sure to check out any tax-free investing accounts available in your country, like the TFSA in Canada or Roth IRA in the United States. These are a valuable way to grow your net worth without paying additional tax.

What kind of investing should I get into?

Take a lesson from Bob, the world’s worst market timer. He starts investing at 22, and every time he does, the market crashes. You’d guess he loses all his money, right? Not really, over his working life Bob invests $184,000, but ends up with a total of $1.1 million at retirement.

How? Bob put his money into an S&P 500 index fund and kept it to retirement, through good or bad.

The moral of the story is that you don’t have to be lucky or very savvy. Most important is to have a diverse portfolio and stay in the market. Don’t sell or buy in a panic, keep contributing. Buy diversified funds, rather than individual stocks, at least in the beginning. Then, as you learn, you can pick stocks and even invest part of your portfolio in riskier assets.

You still have decades to slowly get your millions.

Some strategies that have proven their worth

The value investing strategy, made famous by financial analyst Benjamin Graham and championed by the likes of American investor Warren Buffett, is summarized by with the motto: “This too will pass.”

Basically, pick a good company, in a moment when it’s undervalued for some reason: bad news, lost contract, temporary mismanagement etc. Buffett has likened good companies to castles with a deep moat around them – that is they have a competitive edge durable in time, an unique product, customer loyalty or pricing power. Think Apple, American Express or Coca Cola.

The growth investing strategy, championed by fund manager Cathie Wood, tries to identify companies whose earnings will grow very fast (but could crash equally fast). Companies like Tesla, Coinbase, UiPath, Roku etc. AI has given a huge boost to this strategy recently, but in long term, it’s hard to tell if it’s better than the value strategy.

A different approach, favoured by investors that prefer a more stable stream of income, is the dividend strategy. Dividends are the money distributed to shareholders from company’s profits.
Historically, dividend stocks have outperformed the S&P 500, and with less volatility. Think about it: you get a return on investment from stock price growth as well as dividends that you can reinvest.

In sum, pick a strategy that fits you and get to work. You can pick stocks, or you can pick diversified funds. As investor Peter Lynch insisted, “know what you own, and know why you own it.” Invest in stocks or funds whose business model you understand. Love cars? Study different manufacturers, see what different companies are working on, what customers like this year, and figure out who’s making money before quarterly statements are pointing out the winners and losers.

What should I be careful about?

Many new investors buy on the hype. Imagine there’s some good news coming up about Tesla. You wake up, and while having your coffee, you see the news and buy the stock.

But think. Investors following TSLA already know what the article is about. By the time you’ve read the news, people with deep pockets on Wall Street are already placing their bets. By the time you buy the stock, the market will have already integrated that news and now the price will probably go down.

Same with the long-term hype: when your cab driver is giving stock or crypto advice it’s time to get out of the market.

Another pitfall is the quick money, speculation, dopamine addiction. Subreddits like r/wallstreetbets provide many great examples of this. If you turn your life into a casino, you will win some times, but in the end the house always wins. A bet here and there can be fun though.

As a young person, you have an advantage: time. As you get older you will understand the long-term trends and market drivers — economy, geo-politics, innovation and so forth. As you progress in your career, you will understand more about your industry and this too may turn into profits. Over the years, eight per cent per year, with compounding, goes very far.

Finally, as ethical people, we need to walk the talk. We can’t pretend to want to save the Earth if our money is going to heavy polluters. Beware of pretenders — many are just deceptively mimicking behaviours to get high environmental, social and governance scores.

Research well your investment and its entire supply chain. Think about what goes into making the product, the people behind it and what impact it has on our world. Are you morally comfortable giving your money to certain companies?

Put in the time and don’t rush in, some investments are for life.

About the Author:

Sorin Rizeanu, Assistant Professor, Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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