Monday, March 24, 2014

2014/03/23 AAPL Apple squeezed in weekly and daily charts setting up for a dynamic break-out

AAPL - Apple


Since the December 2013, Apple (AAPL) has formed a triangle pattern, squeezing the price now at the tip of the triangle in a narrow range between 526 to 535. Because of the symmetry of this triangle, the patter is neither bearish nor bullish. At the same time, the TTM-Squeeze indicator with four red dots the weekly and daily charts indicates that a dynamic move is just ahead of us. If triggered this move will likely push the price for 8-10 weeks in one or the other direction (i.e. about 8-10 momentum bars of the weekly TTM-Squeeze). At this time, we don't know in which direction the journey will go, but we might use the squeeze of the 30-minute chart as a trigger. 

My personal scheme to enter the trade with a 30-min trigger follows the rules:

1) The 8 EMA (green line ) needs to cross over the 20 SME (red mid-line of the Keltner Channel) in the 30-min chart
2)  The 30-min candle needs to close above the swing high 533.75 (long) or below the swing low 526.33 (short)
3) The TTM_Squeeze needs to have fired after the close of the 30-min bar (one green dot after a series of red dots) with either a blue momentum bar up (long) or a red momentum bar down (short)


Monday, March 10, 2014

2014/03/10 Review: DAX after the daily, 2-hour, 30-min and 5-min squeezes have fired

German DAX - FDAX


As covered in this blog on Thursday March 6, 2014, the German DAX (FDAX) was setting up for a bigger move with multiple squeezes in place. In addition to a daily squeeze, the chart also pictured 2-hour, 30-min and 5-min squeezes. The expectation was that a larger move would occur. 

Have a look at the chart today and compare it to the post of 2014/3/6 (The grey areas of the chart indicate the time of the earlier post). It is clear that all three squeezes on the charts (see "Sq" in the indicator below) fired one after the other, resulting in a 300 point move south of the DAX. The five minute chart on the right shows only a small portion of that move so that one of the frequent 5-min squeezes could have been used trigger to enter into the large move. When entering in the trade, the TRIX and MACD indicators help finding the direction of the squeeze momentum.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

2014/03/06 DAX daily, 2-hour, 30-min and 5-min squeezes - watch out for a MOVE!

German DAX - FDAX
  



The German DAX (FDAX) is setting up for a bigger move with multiple squeezes in place. In the chart you find the 2-hour, 30-min and 5-min squeeze, but there's also a two-day old squeeze forming on the daily chart. The 30-min chart indicates one possible outcome for a move after today's ECB-decision at 13:45 CET , but a breakout in the opposite direction is equally likely. My approach here is to use the 5-min and 30-min squeezes as trigger to then  ride on the 2-hour and daily momentum of the move. 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

2014/03/05 BIDU in weekly and 4-hour squeeze with Fibinacci targets at 185/190

Baidu - BIDU



Baidu (BIDU) has been coiled in a weekly squeeze for the last seven weeks. Yesterday it also entered into a 4-hour squeeze that might fire today or within the next few days. This four-hour momentum could be used as a trigger for the expected longer-term move from the weekly squeeze. Fibonacci targets are 185 and 190. Additional support comes from seasonality, which indicates that Baidu favors the upside during the months March through October (see T. Bopp at traders-mag)

Monday, January 27, 2014

2014/01/27 Nice example of a 30-min squeeze trigger in the S&P 500 (ES, SPY, SPX, RUT, IWM)

S&P 500


Just as forecasted in the blog below of January 21, a larger move occurred in the S&P 500 (and most other indexes) after the tipple-squeeze had built up "over pressure" that need to be released. In the earlier blog it was also mentioned that the 30-min squeeze could be used as a trigger in order to decide, in which direction the S&P 500 would fire (long or short). This trigger decision has worked out beautifully in this case and is therefore displayed here as a generic example. 

In the figure above the cursor resides on the Jan 23 candle in the daily chart. The program automatically highlights the time period of Jan 23 in the 4-h and 30-min charts. While the squeezes of all three charts fired short on Jan 23, the 30-min squeeze was the first one to do so. In order to catch the big move, one would use the firing 30-min squeeze as the trigger, and then carefully observe if the other squeezes follow suit in the same direction. The stop loss would be placed fairly tightly in the 30-min chart, preferably above a Fibonacci Cluster or some other resistance level.  

Once triggered, the release of the over pressure typically takes place during 6-8 bars before the squeeze momentum dies down. This also applies to the S&P 500 daily chart, which today is only three days (=bars) into the momentum release triggered on Jan 23. So I expect more movement downwards ...

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2014/01/21 S&P 500 and Russel 2000 consolidating with daily-squeeze and 4hour-squeeze patterns - expect a larger move ! (ES, SPY, SPX, RUT, IWM)

 S&P 500


Russel 2000



Two important indices, the S&P 500 and the Russel 2000 are consolidating with daily- and 4-hour squeeze patterns (the Russel even features a 30-min squeeze, too). When squeezed too hard, these "babies" like to escape from their cages, and they tend to do this at an accelerated pace that might last for a few days. While the direction of this move is still unclear, the momentum indicators on the 4-hour charts hint for higher levels of those indices. The 30-min squeeze of the Russel 2000 could be used as a trigger, when it fires long or short. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

2014/01/14 ES (SPY, SPX) at strong Fibonacci Cluster Support - will it hold?



After yesterday's significant sell-off, the E-mini S&P 500 Futures formed a large red candle that has reached an important Fibonacci support cluster. Today's price action will show if this support level can hold. If so, the rally might continue with upside targets in the 1852 - 1857 range. 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

2013/11/07 DAX Double-Whammy UPDATE: Squeeze fired long on interest rate news


 UPDATE: DAX and its squeeze release double-whammy :) 


(compare with post this morning)

2013/11/07 DAX Double-Whammy Squeeze: 4h and 1h power waiting for today's news releases


The DAX and many other indices are setting up for a double-whammy: pressure is building before the news releases today, and the indices are squeezed into narrow ranges. The DAX has a Squeeze in the 1h and the 4h chart, just waiting to release the pressure in one or the other direction. Two-sided strategies that speculate on larger movements are favored in this situation. 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

2013/11/04 DAX 1h-Squeeze breakout - the impulsive move has started

 
After getting squeezed twice in a short time, the DAX has finally blown the pressure valve an moved impulsively to the downside this morning. And, there might be much more downside potential! Also check out other indices like FTSE 100 and S&P 500, the impulsive moves are similar and the downside potential too. 
 

 

Friday, November 1, 2013

2013/11/01 DAX 1h-Squeeze forming - be prepared for impulsive move


The DAX has entered into a 1h-Squeeze (the Bollinger Bands entering into the Keltner Channel). Frequently, during a squeeze pressure is building up that needs to be released in an impulsive move, once the squeeze fires to one or the other side. The TRIX and the MACD indicate decreasing momentum, so the squeeze firing to the downside would be the more likely scenario. 
 
Option traders like squeezes, because they mean fast and furious moves - great for long delta 70 options plays. So be prepared ... :)