The last few FOMC meetings I looked for trades until around 930 AM Central time and then somewhat “took a step back”.
I would then follow closely around 1 PM Central when the announcement comes out but try to not pull the trigger until 1:15/ 1:30 when the smoke clears.
This is of course just my personal preferences and every trader is different.
Take notes after the trading session so you can look back and refer the next FOMC meeting….
Below are some additional tips/observations I have taken notes of for myself:
· ·Reduce trading size
· Be extra picky = no trade is better than a bad trade
· Choose entry points wisely. Look at longer time frame support and resistance for entry. Take the approach of entering at points where you normally would have placed protective stops. Example, trader x looking to go long the mini SP at 4425.00 with a stop at 4419.00, instead “stretch the price bands” due to volatility and place an entry order to buy at 4419.75 and place a stop a few points below in this hypothetical example ( consider current volatility along with support and resistance levels).
· Expect the higher volatility during and right after the announcement
· Expect to see some “vacuum” ( low volume, big zigzags) right before the number.
· Consider using automated stops and limits attached to your entry order as the market can move very fast at times.
· Know what the market was expecting, learn what came out and observe market reaction for clues
· The rate announcement comes out exactly at 1 PM central. As of this morning there is a 98% chance of no change in rates.
· Traders will pay EXTRA attention to the language and the Q&A which starts at 1:30 PM Central
* This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Important Notices – 2024 World Cup Trading Championship
Trading Resource of the Week – FREE Trader’s Consultation
Hot Market of the Week – April Hogs
Broker’s Trading System of the Week – NQ Swing Trading System
Trading Levels for Next Week
Trading Reports for Next Week
Important Notices –
The 2024 World Cup Trading Championships® are just around the corner.
You are invited to enter the ultimate trading challenge, where some of the world’s best Futures and Forex traders compete.
The World Cup Trading Championships have been held since 1983 and are the most prestigious trading competitions in the industry. The winners of each division will prove that they are the best of the best.
The top profitable Entrants will be eligible to receive a magnificent pewter Bull and Bear trophy or a beautiful crystal Bull and Bear Trophy.
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Take on traders from across the globe to compete for coveted Bull & Bear trophies, glory, and new career opportunities.
Contact us at 1-310-859-9572 or Visit Us on the Web
Trading Resource of the Week : Book a Trading Consultation ( FREE, no obligation!)with a Cannon Trading Series 3 Broker
Available to both Clients and prospects!
Immediately increase your software and computer competence
Valuable order entry tips
Help create a personalized workspace
Compare multiple trading software
Get to know your Broker
Learning Options strategies
In this complimentary call or screen share session, which can last up to 30 minutes, you will have the opportunity to seek guidance and pose questions to our expert on a wide range of topics. These topics include, but are not limited to:
– Gaining insight into day trading margins.
– Assessing and reviewing various trading platforms and technologies.
Hot market of the week is provided by QT Market Center, A Swiss army knife charting package that’s not just for Hedgers, Cooperatives and Farmers alike but also for Spread traders, Swing traders and shorter time frame application for intraday traders with a unique proprietary indicator that can be applied to your specific trading needs.
April hogs stabilized their slide after completing the first downside PriceCount objective. Now, on the correction higher, the chart has activated upside counts and is taking aim at the first target in the 84.98 area.
PriceCounts – Not about where we’ve been , but where we might be going next!
The PriceCount study is a tool that can help to project the distance of a move in price. The counts are not intended to be an ‘exact’ science but rather offer a target area for the four objectives which are based off the first leg of a move with each subsequent count having a smaller percentage of being achieved. It is normal for the chart to react by correcting or consolidating at an objective and then either resuming its move or reversing trend. Best utilized in conjunction with other technical tools, PriceCounts offer one more way to analyze charts and help to manage your positions and risk. Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com
Trading in futures, options, securities, derivatives or OTC products entails significant risks which must be understood prior to trading and may not be appropriate for all investors. Past performance of actual trades or strategies is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Broker’s Trading System of the Week
With algorithmic trading systems becoming more prevalent in portfolio diversification, the following system has been selected as the broker’s choice for this month.
The performance shown above is hypothetical in that the chart represents returns in a model account. The model account rises or falls by the average single contract profit and loss achieved by clients trading actual money pursuant to the listed system’s trading signals on the appropriate dates (client fills), or if no actual client profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by the system’s trading signals on that day in real time (real‐time) less slippage, or if no real time profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by running the system logic backwards on back adjusted data. Please read full disclaimer HERE.
Would you like to receive daily support & resistance levels?
* This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Over 1 Trillion $$ in Market Cap report Q4 ’23 earnings on Friday the 15th.
Those reporting: JPM(Chase), UNH (United Healthcare), BAC (Bank of America), WFC (Wells Fargo), C (Citibank), BLK (BlackRock)
In the Ag sector, what is touted as “the biggest USDA data dump of the year, presenting the opportunity for the most market-moving surprises” by Arlan Suderman StoneX lead Ag analyst.
USDA Supply/Demand and Annual Crop production numbers to be released @11:00 a.m. CST
Real Time Email Alerts
Directly to your Phone!
You will receive an email each time there is an entry or exit in a simple language along with the current price for that specific market.
A licensed series 3 broker at your fingertips
Email alerts available to US and Canada and Int’l clients
With algorithmic trading systems becoming more prevalent in portfolio diversification, the following system has been selected as the broker’s choice for this month.
The performance shown above is hypothetical in that the chart represents returns in a model account. The model account rises or falls by the average single contract profit and loss achieved by clients trading actual money pursuant to the listed system’s trading signals on the appropriate dates (client fills), or if no actual client profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by the system’s trading signals on that day in real time (real‐time) less slippage, or if no real time profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by running the system logic backwards on back adjusted data. Please read full disclaimer HERE.
Questions about the markets? trading? platforms? technology? trading systems? Get answers with a complimentary, confidential consultation with a Cannon Trading Company series 3 broker.
Would you like to receive daily support & resistance levels?
First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week: www.mrci.com
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading.
Good Trading!
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time.
Big NFP / unemployment report tomorrow an hour before the stock market opens.
This is a market moving report and indices, bonds, currencies, metals and other markets will see some large swings.
I personally like to be out before the report, wait a few minutes for the zig zag to relax and then look to re-enter.
Intraday day chart of the NQ from last month below for your review! Dec. 8th NFP report.
Over 100 points move in less than a minute!! that is approx. $2,000 per one contract of the NQ ( against you or in your favor…)
Emini Nasdaq 1 minute Chart
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Stock Index December contracts (i.e., E-mini and Micro S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones and Russell 2000.) expire Friday, December 15th (8:30 A.M., Central Time). At that point, trading in these contracts halts. Stock index futures are CASH SETTLED contracts. If you hold any December futures contracts through 8:30 A.M., Central Time on Friday, Dec. 15th, they will be offset with the cash settlement price, as set by the exchange.
FRONT MONTH IS NOW MARCH , the symbol is H24, example for mini SP is ESH24
Monday, December 18th is Last Trading Day for December currency futures. It is of the utmost importance for currency traders to exit all December futures contracts by Friday, December 15th and to start trading the March futures. Currency futures are DELIVERABLE contracts.
The month code for March is ‘H.’ Please consider carefully how you place orders when changing over.
US$ Daily Chart below:
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
The following are my PERSONAL OPINION on trading during FOMC days:
Reduce trading size
Be extra picky = no trade is better than a bad trade
Choose entry points wisely. Look at longer time frame support and resistance for entry. Take the approach of entering at points where you normally would have placed protective stops. Example, trader x looking to go long the mini SP at 4425.00 with a stop at 4419.00, instead “stretch the price bands” due to volatility and place an entry order to buy at 4419.75 and place a stop a few points below in this hypothetical example ( consider current volatility along with support and resistance levels).
Expect the higher volatility during and right after the announcement
Expect to see some “vacuum” ( low volume, big zigzags) right before the number.
Consider using automated stops and limits attached to your entry order as the market can move very fast at times.
Know what the market was expecting, learn what came out and observe market reaction for clues
The rate announcement comes out exactly at 1 PM central. As of this morning there is a 98% chance of no change in rates.
Traders will pay EXTRA attention to the language and the Q&A which starts at 1:30 PM Central
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Tuesday morning the telling CPI number will be released early, 7:30 am CST.
Past volatility in index markets as a result of earnings will take a back seat to much anticipated economic numbers this week. We will have a few earnings releases after the close but the highlights for the indices, bonds, crypto, metals and yes even the energy complex may hinge on the CPI and PPI numbers in addition to the somewhat surprising Non Farm Payroll numbers on Friday that reflected uncommon and persistent strength in the wake of the longest string of interest rate increases in 40 years.
PPI Wednesday 7:30 am CST
Any deviation from the consensus will move markets in unnatural ways. The same for the PPI on Wednesday morning and the FED voting members will have a clearer picture of their desires in March, something we will be listening for in the language Chairman Powell uses on Wednesday when he hosts his final for the year Q and A 30 minutes after the Rate decision is announced. That decision is expected to be a no rate change with the CME FedWatch tool weighing in today as a 98.4% probability for rates to remain untouched.
ADBE will be reporting Earnings after the close Wednesday and Costco after the close on Thursday.
Inventories, jobless claims retail sales all early Thursday morning and Friday, a few more data points to throw into the mix. Capacity utilization and Industrial production, all sectors that are dependent on the cost of money.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
*NOTE: if you like to get the March stock index levels (NQ, ES etc.), please reply back to this email and we will send you the levels for March tomorrow morning!
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Volume in the December contracts will begin to drop off until their expiration Friday, December 15th (8:30 A.M., Central Time). At that point, trading in these contracts halts. Stock index futures are CASH SETTLED contracts. If you hold any December futures contracts through 8:30 A.M., Central Time on Friday, Dec. 15th, they will be offset with the cash settlement price, as set by the exchange.
FRONT MONTH IS NOW MARCH , the symbol is H24, example for mini SP is ESH24
Monday, December 18th is Last Trading Day for December currency futures. It is of the utmost importance for currency traders to exit all December futures contracts by Friday, December 15th and to start trading the March futures. Currency futures are DELIVERABLE contracts.
The month code for March is ‘H.’ Please consider carefully how you place orders when changing over.
Watch the video below on how to rollover your market depth and charts!
Trading Resource of the Week
Get An Edge With the Trading Psychology Course
Many experienced traders say that the stiffest challenge you’ll face in becoming a futures trader is conquering your own psyche. Why? Because losing is part of trading, and people hate to lose.
In this “Trading Psychology” Course you will learn:
How to examine your patterns and behaviors and recognize when they are holding you back
Maintaining self-confidence as a trader even in the face of inexperience
The mathematical expectation model and how it can decrease your losses
Determining the trading plan that is right for your trading personality
Understanding and using Motivation – Risk – Reward to its full advantage
Hot market of the week is provided by QT Market Center, A swiss army knife charting package that’s not just for Hedgers, Cooperatives and Farmers alike but also for Spread traders, Swing traders and shorter time frame application for intraday traders with a unique proprietary indicator that can be applied to your specific trading needs.
The March Wheat – Corn spread accelerated to its third upside PriceCount objective to the $1.52 area and is consolidating its trade. At this point, IF the chart can resume its rally with new sustained highs, we are left with the low percentage fourth count to aim for around $2.27 which would be consistent with a challenge of the summer high.
PriceCounts – Not about where we’ve been , but where we might be going next!
The PriceCount study is a tool that can help to project the distance of a move in price. The counts are not intended to be an ‘exact’ science but rather offer a target area for the four objectives which are based off the first leg of a move with each subsequent count having a smaller percentage of being achieved. It is normal for the chart to react by correcting or consolidating at an objective and then either resuming its move or reversing trend. Best utilized in conjunction with other technical tools, PriceCounts offer one more way to analyze charts and help to manage your positions and risk. Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com
Trading in futures, options, securities, derivatives or OTC products entails significant risks which must be understood prior to trading and may not be appropriate for all investors. Past performance of actual trades or strategies is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Broker’s Trading System of the Week
With algorithmic trading systems becoming more prevalent in portfolio diversification, the following system has been selected as the broker’s choice for this month.
The performance shown above is hypothetical in that the chart represents returns in a model account. The model account rises or falls by the average single contract profit and loss achieved by clients trading actual money pursuant to the listed system’s trading signals on the appropriate dates (client fills), or if no actual client profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by the system’s trading signals on that day in real time (real‐time) less slippage, or if no real time profit or loss available – by the hypothetical single contract profit and loss of trades generated by running the system logic backwards on back adjusted data. Please read full disclaimer HERE.
Questions about the markets? trading? platforms? technology? trading systems? Get answers with a complimentary, confidential consultation with a Cannon Trading Company series 3 broker.
Would you like to receive daily support & resistance levels?
First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week: www.mrci.com
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading.
Good Trading!
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Reports a variety, Main Focus Friday, NFP 7:30am, WASDE 10am and 1st day of Hanukkah all times CST
The Role of Expectations for the NFP report
Expectations are typically baked into future prices. Rarely can a more direct correlation to this reality be found than in our futures markets as they are affected by expectations of NFP .
There are a number of indicators the Federal Reserve Board and investors watch prior to the NFP release, these all become reflected in asset prices and if there is a surprise NFP release, the market can adjust violently to the new perception of the health of the economy and therefore the affect on future Interest rate decisions. For instance, The Labor Department’s JOLTS report tracks monthly change in job openings and offers rates on hiring and quits. The reporting period lags other employment data including the employment situation report. Then there is the ADP report The national employment report from Automated Data Processing Inc. and is computed from ADP payroll data and offers advance indications on the U.S. private workforce. Are to name but two. Contact your broker for more detail.
This Friday @ 7:30 a.m. CST the BLS will release it’s monthly employment update called the NFP which stands for Non-Farm Payroll and this specific economic event is always released on the first Friday of every month. Rarely, the NFP figure may be postponed to the second Friday if the first Friday is the first of the month or a public holiday. This Friday is one of those rare exceptions. The NFP figure is a report which shows how many individuals are employed within the US but excludes specific industries such as agriculture.
When individuals wish to invest in stocks, bonds and a currency, they prefer currencies backed by a strong economy with a robust employment sector. In addition, if employment is high, the Federal Reserve is also likely to increase interest rates or keep them high; again, this can support demand for the Dollar.
A higher-than-expected NFP figure is positive for the Dollar.
A lower-than-expected NFP figure is negative for the Dollar. The inverse would be true for the Euro currency
The NFP figure can affect the US Stock Market in 2 ways. A higher-than-expected NFP figure can indicate a resilient economy and higher consumer demand. As a result, companies perform better; earnings are higher, as is investor confidence. This can cause the stock market to rise. But be wary as it can also trigger current belief by the FED that interest rate increases will be necessary to cool the employment trend.
On the other hand, if the Federal Reserve is increasing interest rates, positive employment figures may support a further increase. Interest rates can significantly pressure the stock market. A lower than expected figure during the current environment may rally stocks as the FED would NOT need to raise rates further yet as they wait and see if their tight money policy is being effective
The price of Gold is largely inversely correlated with the cost of the Dollar. As a result, the NFP can influence the price of gold. Whether the horse leads the cart or the cart leads the horse is for you to determine as you lock those contracts onto your trading screens.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
RISK DISCLOSURE: Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in futures trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.
