Fibonacci sequence is a mystery to some, a curse to others, and a Godsend to a few. To me it's a marvel, as is the clarity of a bee's honey comb (natural Fib sequence). To embrace it, or to grasp the Golden Ratio, is to embrace the notion that the market has more symmetry than most are willing to admit. However, since I have centuries of French Catholicism locked up in my genes, it's easy to believe that sin and redemption, Good and Bad, are balanced, or symmetrical in human existence. Therefore, I expect to see repetitive patterns in human behavior as mirrored in our charts. After all we are measuring and exploiting greed vs. fear, as they constantly repeat, aren't we?
I regularly look for Fib retracement levels on the weekly SPY chart just as I look for OB/OS readings on the 5-week RSI and bullish/bearish divergences on the weekly MACD-H. These are my little friends, my play pals, the tools that for good or bad, profit or loss, I hang my hat on week after week. Last Friday, April 16, SPY traded right into the 85-87 range, which was the .786 Fib retracement from the Oct. high of 159 to the Jan 65 low. It also corresponded with RSI hitting OB, and MACD up there too. The little pals were tugging at my arm, whispering that the bear mojo was starting to stir. Weekly price was at a Fib resistance, 5-week RSI was OB and the rally was 6 weeks old, about right for some time symmetry.
The daily chart was just as vivid. Friday's price action was classic churning, lots of Sturm und Drang but in the end a Little Worm or false breakout. The daily momemtum boys--RSI, MACD and FI--pointed, respectively, to short-term overbought on the RSI, declining on the MACD, and a wimpy lack of juice on the FI. To make it more interesting, Friday was the intersection of some long-term trendlines. All my little pals, the ones I grasp when I shut my eyes and dive with Alice down the rabbit hole, said the same thing, buy the 2X inverse ETFs at the close. Along the way down, the hooka smoking catepillar flashed a smile and mouthed, "while your at it grab some of that 3x FAZ."
Now, of course, with the SPX down 37 points at Monday's close cash is the position of choice, the Mad Queen is strutting across the chessboard, the Greatfull Dead are on their way to Terrapin Station, and the little friends are skipping back to that magical place whence they came. We are left trying to figure out how far down is down for this retracement. For that I have no answer, but eventually, we'll get to OS and it will be time to rustle the leaves, play the flute, and invite the little friends to saddle up their hobby horses and go fat rabbit hunting again. But for now, I don't plan to buy the dips, but look for chances to sell the rips.
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Grant,
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis. The time symmetry on the weekly is very interesting. - Same as you, I also look at Fibonacci retracement (and extension) levels, particularly with indices such as SPX. - Also the so-called "two-step-pattern setup" is very interesting when price makes a lower high and the next leg is developing. It offers the possibility either to go long again when the setup holds or to go short if the trend continues down. You can find a description on http://books.google.de/books?id=raWcnlo6d-oC&pg=PA127&lpg=PA127&dq=two-step+pattern+setup&source=bl&ots=68wcPEXYgN&sig=b6IgfbcAJbxKgWKBoKZFOfT_3Go&hl=de&ei=BkbwSc-BJs-E_QbmkrXtCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
Rodryk
Rodryk,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks. I've seen this two-step pattern in the market, just never knew what it was. I'll pay attention to it now.
Again, thanks.
Grant
Nice analysis Grant. Very well thought out. I've been thinking a lot about this crazy market that has seemed to be so good at climbing the wall of worry. I remember 3 important lessons I learned during the last recession/bear market. I held a position (long) thru the deepest part and even added to it because all of the indicators were screaming oversold. I remember the agony as I watched it stay oversold for what seemed like an eternity. The magnitude of the push down had enough inertia to take it to depths I never thought possible. The Second lesson I learned was during the bottoming/recovery period. People kept expecting corrections and pull backs. But then - as now - it was occurring during tax season, there was a lot of retirement contribution $ waiting to jump in, there was a mile long line of shorts waiting desperately to cover and last but not least, there was the Plunge Protection team busy manipulating. Lower prices seemed to be rejected when the sentiment indicators were saying they should fall lower. So for what it's worth, there is a lot of power behind this move not to mention manipulation once again by many of the same people who were present during the last go around.
ReplyDeleteThe third lesson was with regards to how to jump on this train in this volatile start-stop market. It seems like those who bought pull backs to value were often worse performers and often continued to drop on low volume from a lack of buyers. On the other hand, those who bought breakouts above resistance seemed to attract the greatest buy volume from the explosive squeeze conditions. In addition, it was extremely hard to get filled at value as some of these stocks waved goodbye and briskly stair stepped up. So perhaps “The Greater Fool Theory” should be redefined for this particular season in that the greater fool is one who buys below resistance vs above. I believe that – thou it is contrary to value trading – it is the most consistent way to perform better in this stage of the market. Could this be the reason why the sloppy amateurs do so well in this kind of market due to their inclination to chase a stock that is breaking out and running from a short squeeze? Could it also be the reason why the Pros get chopped to death despite their A+ entries?
Happy Trading,
Stephen M