Nonfarm Payrolls in Focus: Will Gold Hold as Equity Indices Reassess?
Following last weekend’s Jackson Hole symposium, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a relatively hawkish message, prompting the market to reassess and reprice the timing of U.S. interest-rate hikes. According to the current FedWatch data, the probability of a rate hike at the end of September is slightly above 50%. This implies that the next round of nonfarm payroll and inflation data to be released next month could play an important role. From a data perspective, the probability of a rate hike surged by nearly 20 percentage points within just one week, driven entirely by Warsh’s remarks rather than by any other major economic data releases. However, based on historical experience, only probabilities above 70% tend to produce near-certain outcomes. With the current probability still below 60%
U.S. Equity Technicals Turn Bearish? Several Opportunities Worth Watching (Recent Yield Sharing)
The market did not take long to choose a short- to medium-term direction. Last week, gold and crypto assets both surged, making it clear that the market had entered a new phase of rebound. The previous trading logic can therefore be carried forward naturally, and risk assets are expected to remain resilient through the period before the fourth quarter. The only factor requiring particular caution is the speed of the advance. The logic chain of crypto assets—gold—risk assets changed slightly during last week’s trading. Following the news that the U.S. Treasury would purchase bonds, gold reacted most quickly. However, in terms of both absolute gains and the pace of appreciation, Bitcoin and Ethereum—whose volatility is inherently higher—soon staged a catch-up move and outperformed the earlie
US Treasury Bond Purchases: Gold Surges, Dollar Plunges—But Is a Bull Market Really Here?
Last night, I shared my latest assessment of gold, equity indices, crypto assets, and the US dollar in the futures livestream room on the Tiger Brokers platform following the release of news regarding US Treasury purchases of government bonds. The central focus of the livestream was how to determine whether the market had shifted from a consolidation phase into a new trending phase by analyzing correlations among different asset classes. For those who were unable to attend, the replay of the video course is available below: Massive US Treasury Rescue Buying! Gold Surges, the Dollar Plunges: What Trading Opportunities Lie Ahead? I will now categorize and summarize the key information and trading-related insights fro
Are Asset Rebounds Near an End? How to Trade Bitcoin and Gold’s Key Levels
After the sharp pullback and subsequent rebound in the previous phase, major asset classes have returned to a relatively calm pattern. However, the fact that some assets have stalled should not be viewed as a positive signal. If they fail to extend their rebound or make new highs over the coming weeks, it may indicate that another leg lower is approaching. The first market to watch is crypto, which we have consistently treated as a leading indicator. Although its reference value has deteriorated meaningfully compared with one to two years ago, it has still shown signs of acting as an early mover in the current market cycle. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum rebounded sharply from late June, but have spent the past six weeks hovering near their lower ranges.
Why I Think Gold Is the Biggest Opportunity Right Now: The Most Critical Price Levels to Watch!
The long-awaited breakout in gold’s rebound finally arrived last week. With a 7% gain in a single week, gold quickly achieved the measured target of its daily-chart double-bottom breakout. The question now is whether the rebound can continue—and, if so, where the next major resistance levels may emerge. To answer that question, we should first compare the price action of gold futures and spot gold. After the front-month futures contract rolled over to December, the time-related premium created a spread of roughly 1.5%, or approximately $60–$70, between futures and spot prices. More importantly, futures have already broken out of the descending channel that had been in place since the beginning of the year, while spot gold has yet to make a similar breakout. In the spot market, the key resi
Stock Market Correction May Be Over, but It’s Too Early to Call a Rally
The low-side bid we had kept sitting under the Nasdaq for two weeks was never filled. With the index stabilising and rebounding off 27,000, and with several other headline developments turning, the correction that has run for more than a month may now be close to its end. What we do expect from here is dispersion: the divide between what stays strong and what has already topped out should become considerably more visible. Set against the S&P and the Dow, the Nasdaq was clearly the US index that gave back the most in this round of correction. Gains and losses share the same source, so it is no surprise that AI and technology names — the hardest-hit group — were what dragged the index lower. In practice, though, the pullback did not even reach the 61.8% retracement. That is an indirect r
Is the Tech Slump Only Just Beginning? Reading the Signal from Japan and Korea
The global tech-stock sell-off has now run for more than three weeks, and most markets have pulled back to varying degrees. Among them, the sharply-corrected Korean market has even slipped into a technical bear. So is the current decline the eve of a major reversal, or just another routine technical pullback as so often before? Beyond Korea, Japan's market may offer the more valuable reference point. The valuation debate over tech stocks (AI-related) has raged for a long time, and trying to read it from a purely fundamental angle only ends in a dialogue of the deaf. Optimists believe the AI revolution will ultimately arrive; pessimists are convinced the bursting of the bubble is only a matter of time. In truth, for a trader, who is right or wrong is not the point—the point is which moment
Why the US–Iran War Scare Is Overdone — and Watch WTI's $80 Line
Last week the Middle East situation produced fresh news again — from the U.S. air strikes on Iran to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz — as if the old script were playing out once more. We noted before that the U.S.–Iran contest is unlikely to end peacefully, and will most probably reignite in the fourth quarter. So will the current developments bring the new fighting forward? On the whole, the probability is relatively limited, because the timing on the U.S. (Trump) side is not yet fully ready, and market behavior also shows that overall sentiment remains relatively stable. From the standpoint of long-term goals, taking Iran down — or at least striking it thoroughly — is the core demand for the U.S. However, both the military situation and inflation pressure previously meant the stalemate