To The Moon

Summary Agricultural commodity prices have retreated from their peaks in 2022, but there have been profitable trading opportunities in 2023. The Soybean/Corn ratio, like the Gold/Silver ratio, offers insights into the relative prices of these commodities. Instead of using futures, the aforementioned pairs trade could also be executed using the corn and soybean ETFs, which are the Teucrium Corn Fund and Teucrium Soybean Fund. SimonSkafar By Andrew Prochnow Agricultural commodity prices have significantly retreated from the peaks observed in 2022. Nevertheless, it's important to note that there have been profitable trading opportunities within this sector of the financial markets in 2023. One such opportunity emerged at the end of August, and those who acted swiftly by investing in an eleva

Summary Bearish sentiment has dominated the financial markets since mid-September. Most sectors of the stock market have produced negative returns over the last 30 days. Technology and communications sectors remain strong, while utilities and consumer staples sectors have declined significantly. wildpixel By Andrew Prochnow Bearish sentiment has dominated the financial markets since mid-September, but the 2023 stock market rally stalled out well before that. The year-to-date highs in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were set in July, after which the stock market traded mostly sideways for about two months. Since mid-September, however, the vast majority of the stock market has traded in negative territory. As highlighted below, virtually every sector of the market has produced negative

Summary The market likely reached a trough this year after suppliers Mosaic and Nutrien decided to sell potash to China at a figure well below prices in Brazil. There is a good case for a rebound in potash prices over the next 18 months, driven by increasing demand and higher mine utilization. Intrepid Potash is a potential value investment in the potash sector, with a cheap valuation compared to peers and solid fundamentals. SergeyMihalenko By Garrett Baldwin Investors have been taken aback by the crash in global prices of a little-known agricultural input - potash. It consists of several potassium compounds, including potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and potassium chloride (KCl). It's critical for the growth of plants, making it a key ingredient of fertilizer. Miners dig it up mostly in Canad

Summary Recent attacks by terrorists from the Gaza Strip on Israel have raised concerns about the stability of global energy markets. Crude oil has been one of the most dynamic commodities in the market in 2023, surging from $70 per barrel to $95 per barrel (a 35% increase) since July 1. The potential involvement of Iran in the hostilities and the risk of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz pose threats to global energy markets. imaginima By Andrew Prochnow As the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to unfold in Eastern Europe, another tragic incident occurred on October 7, when terrorists from the Gaza Strip executed a heinous surprise assault on Israel. While the geopolitical consequences of this event are of immense significance, the immediate focus for global investors and traders revolves a

simonkr/E+ via Getty Images Interest in the financial markets surged during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, as remote workers and others with extra time funneled their disposable income into cryptocurrencies, stocks, options and other financial instruments. However, things haven't reverted back to "normal" in the wake of the pandemic, instead, trading volumes continue to surge. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been the domestic options market. Last year, total options trading volume in the U.S. climbed above 10 billion contracts for the first time in history. That's more than double the figure observed in 2019, when annual volumes were closer to 5 billion contracts. Moreover, estimates suggest that the total options trading volume in 2023 will likely set a new record, and

Vladimir Zakharov After a strong run in Q2, the major market indices have been trading in a more subdued fashion during the last month. With Q2 earnings season mostly in the books, investors and traders may be considering new trading approaches in the stock market. One potential strategy to consider - especially for those market participants that are expecting sideways (aka rangebound) movement - is the iron condor. Much like covered calls and short strangles/straddles, iron condors perform optimally when the underlying trades sideways during the life of the options. In fact, the iron condor is essentially a variation of a short strangle, but with less risk. An iron condor is constructed by combining a short stran

Maksim Safaniuk/iStock via Getty Images The great thing about the financial markets is that there's always something moving. And as of early September, one of those things is orange juice futures. Orange juice futures are currently trading at record highs, after a steady rally that started all the way back in early 2022. At the start of last year, orange juice futures were trading for roughly $1.25/pound. Today, however, that same contract is trading for nearly triple that value-about $3.50/pound. That's significant because prior to the start of this year, the previous all-time high in orange juice futures during the 21st century was about $2.20/pound. Like all commodities markets, orange juice prices are driven by supply and demand dynamics in the marketplace. And since the middle of last

Ingenious Buddy One of the world's most influential—and arguably most understated—technology companies is set to go public in September 2023. The company in question is known as ARM Limited (NASDAQ:ARM), and is based in the United Kingdom. This development is big news not only because it's set to supercharge the market for initial public offerings (IPO), but also because ARM's story is so closely intertwined with that of Nvidia (NVDA)—a company that's seen its fortunes soar to record heights in 2023. ARM is somewhat unique in the tech world because instead of manufacturing advanced processors, the company designs them,

Torsten Asmus Prevailing interest rates have been one of the biggest stories in the global financial markets during the last three years, and with benchmark rates recently surging to 22-year highs, they will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Along those lines, the next two meetings of the Federal Reserve are scheduled for Sept. 19 and 20, and after that, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Currently, the interest rates market is projecting that the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady during the September meeting, according to data compiled by the CME Group. The interest rates market is p

naphtalina/iStock via Getty Images After a blockbuster Q1 earnings report on May 24, Nvidia is scheduled to release its Q2 earnings report on Aug. 23 One of the biggest events of the Q2 earnings season is slated for Aug. 23, which is when Nvidia (NVDA) is scheduled to release its latest earnings report. Back on May 24, Nvidia released a blockbuster Q1 earnings report that triggered a stunning 24% one-day rally in the company's underlying shares. Year-to-date, Nvidia's stock is up more than 200%, making it one of the top performers in the stock market—especially of the large-cap variety. Dr. Michael Rechenthin, tastytrade Back in Q1, one o