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Category: Index Futures

Introduced in the year 1982, Index futures or stock index futures are extremely popular among trading commodities today. While trading, an index future is settled in cash on the value of a certain stock market index. One of the most traded indices is the S&P500.

These are quoted on the basis of either an underlying or a spot price for an index value. There are a number of technicalities involved, most of which you should understand. However, even if you find it tough to comprehend what Index futures are, you can take assistance from the trade experts at Cannon Trading.

We at Cannon Trading want you to understand the basics and the details about Index Futures like our experts do. There are a number of blogs that we list here in our category archive. We recommend that you read these to know for yourself what Index Futures trading is all about.

News on Stock Indices, Economic Reports & Levels 8.26.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Stock Indices continue to make new highs but on VERY light volume….although I think the trend is up and the chart is more bullish than bearish, it is extremely hard for me to enter fresh longs at these prices because of two main reasons:

1. Very light volume

2. Extremely volatile Geo political arena

 

Even though I think there is a higher probability of a move higher, the chances for a BIG move is larger to the down side. So for now….I am staying on the sidelines ( swing trading wise).

 

As I sometimes like to do on Mondays, in order to have a perspective on the fundamentals behind the market, I share the weekly recap from our friends atwww.TradeTheNews.com

 

TradeTheNews.com Weekly Market Update: Feasting on Doves

– A slightly more hawkish tone was heard from the Fed this week, in the minutes of the July FOMC meeting and in speeches from leading officials. Fed Chair Yellen’s presentation at Jackson Hole was restrained and balanced, but the dovish Williams and moderate Lockhart both conceded that rate hikes would likely begin by mid-2015. The US yield curve flattened notably after all the talk. August Flash PMI manufacturing readings provided a view of the global economy at the midpoint of the third quarter: in the US, the Markit survey hit its highest level since April 2010, with big gains in all sub-indices; in Europe, the French data sank deeper into contraction while Germany flat-lined; in Asia, the China HSBC manufacturing PMI sank to a three-month low, while Japan’s rose to a five-month high. Violence in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine kept markets jumpy, although it hardly prevented material gains in equities worldwide. For the week, the DJIA gained 2%, the S&P500 rose 1.7% and the Nasdaq added 1.6%.

– The FOMC minutes out on Wednesday indicated that the Fed appears to be shifting to a more balanced view of the economy from a more dovish position. The changes were of tone rather than anything material, although the minutes also showed a growing debate regarding the labor market. The minutes added a controversial new statement: “…a range of labor market indicators suggested that there remained significant underutilization of labor resources.” Both Bullard and Plosser have disagreed with the novel use of “significant” to describe labor resource underutilization. Yellen’s speech at Jackson Hole on Friday was balanced and pragmatic, noting both the positive developments in the jobs market and more negative trends, including slack in the mortgage market.

– The Ukraine situation seemed to be easing early in the week, as Kiev and Russian officials met and seemed to agree to protocols for allowing the Russian humanitarian mission into Ukraine. Meanwhile the Ukraine armed forces made even more gains against the rebels. By Friday, relations between Kiev and Moscow had soured again after the Russian side forced in the convoy without permission, prompting the Ukrainians to call it an invasion. In Iraq, the killing of a US journalist by ISIS hardened the US stance against the group, prompting very hawkish rhetoric out of administration figures, who suggested airstrikes against ISIS might be expanded into Syria.

– Shares of major US homebuilders gained steadily this week thanks to another month of strong gains in the August NAHB report and the July housing starts. The NAHB’s 55 reading was the third month of gains for the index, while July housing starts rose 8%, halting two straight months of declines. Some skeptics pointed out that multi-family units were the lion’s share of the gain, but single-family starts also saw solid improvement.

– Target’s earnings slid as its Canada operations continued to drag on results, and management cuts its FY view for the second time as traffic declined, even as the firm has ramped up promotional activity. TJX saw its earnings grow by single digits and the firm hiked its FY guidance. Teen retailer American Eagle topped very low expectations on a negative comp. L Brands saw modest growth and positive comps. Both Home Depot and Lowes saw very good quarterly results, and Home Depot said the housing market remains a modest tailwind for its business, and it observed an acceleration of big-ticket spending in the quarter.

– Bank of America reached a $16.7 billion agreement with DoJ to settle charges it misled investors into buying troubled MBS, confirming numerous reports from earlier in August. BoA will pay a $9.65 billion in cash and provide $7 billion of consumer relief to struggling homeowners and communities. The deal resolves nearly all of the legacy issues left over from the hastily-arranged crisis-era acquisitions of Countrywide and Merrill Lynch. The accord is expected to reduce Q3 earnings by about $5.3 billion, or about $0.43/share.

– Various long-running M&A dramas saw new developments this week. Valeant extended the expiration of its exchange offer to acquire Allergan to December 31, and there were reports that Allergan had approached Salix Pharmaceuticals or Jazz about a possible merger to fend off Valeant’s advances. CNBC threw cold water on the story, reporting that any potential deal could be months away, perhaps in December. Dollar General rolled out a $9.7 billion cash offer for Family Dollar, topping the $8.95 billion bid made in late July by Dollar Tree. Family Dollar rejected the proposal on the basis of antitrust regulatory considerations, although there were unconfirmed reports that it was open to concessions to resolve the compliance issues.

– EUR/USD hit one-year lows around 1.3220 this week as headwinds strengthened for the European economy. The Ukraine conflict continues to weigh on the single currency, and the opposite trajectories for EU and US monetary policy become even starker. Cable slumped to its lowest level since April thanks to soft July UK CPI inflation data and a significant decline in July PPI inflation numbers. GBP/USD tested below 1.6565 on Friday afternoon. The minutes for the BoE’s August meeting disclosed the first dissent on the committee since July 2011. The vote was 7-2, with Weale and Mccafferty dissenting.

– The surprise slowdown in China manufacturing in the first half of August prompted fresh speculation over a further policy stimulus from Beijing. The August HSBC flash manufacturing PMI turned lower for the first time since March, hitting a 3-month low of 50.3 and widely missing consensus of 51.5. Growth in new orders slowed and disinflationary trends resurfaced with a decrease in both input and output price components. Later on the Friday, China’s MIIT warned the economy is faced with strong downward pressure, while analysts with Barclays noted this PMI slump could result in as many as two interest rate cuts by the PBoC before the end of 2014.

– An underwhelming run of July economic data in Japan continued with a wider than expected trade deficit. Exports rose for the first time in three months, but soft yen boosted the import value of energy, contributing to the 25th consecutive month of negative trade. On Thursday, local press reported that Japan is looking to set aside as much as ¥1.0T in stimulus funds in the 2015 budget supporting small business, presumably to help soften any further blow to the economy if PM Abe decides to proceed with a second increase in consumption tax.

 

Source: http://www.tradethenews.com/?storyId=1590961

 

Continue reading “News on Stock Indices, Economic Reports & Levels 8.26.2014”

Levex Trading Algo, Mini S&P futures insight 8.20.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

 

Last week I wrote about symmetry in the SP 500 and shared some support levels between 1885-1895. As it turns, these levels held well and the market has since bounced and bounced pretty powerful. To some this may bit surprising as there are just too many Geo political events out there that should have injected some risk premium into the markets but as I learn every day, there is no point of arguing or fighting price action….

At this point the main question is what next?

The next key level to observe is 1985.75, the high made on September SP 500 futures back on July 24th 2014. If we can get a close above that level, we may see another strong leg up as projected in the  chart below where I have taken the magnitude of the move up from lows made April 14th to highs made July 24th and projected into the future where you can see some possible levels in case we can get a close above 1986.

This is in addition for 3 bullish signals I like to use which appear in the chart ( diamond, + sign and my topaz indicator)

 

That being said, keep in mind the Geo Political environment is pretty fragile….

825

 

If you are interested in having a free trial to some of the ALGOs and indicators I display in the chart above such as the “diamond” topaz” and others, please visit:

https://www.cannontrading.com/tools/intraday-futures-trading-signals 

 

Continue reading “Levex Trading Algo, Mini S&P futures insight 8.20.2014”

SP 500 Futures Testing Major Support Zone – Levels & Reports for 8.8.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

SP 500 made new lows and about to test a series of support levels as one can see in the daily chart below:

We have few levels of support between 1885 and 1896.50 in case we break again below the psychological 1900 mark.

I mentioned a couple of days ago support of 1795 by mistake and was asked by few of the readers. That was a typo the support I meant to write is 1895.

Looks like we will visit that level and zone very soon, maybe as early as night session. My best guess is for an initial bounce of that level. Just a guess. Either way I will look to see what kind of reaction we get if and when we get down there.

A strong bounce may signal some more upside, however a break below 1895-1885 level may actually make my 1795 typo into a reality… 822

Continue reading “SP 500 Futures Testing Major Support Zone – Levels & Reports for 8.8.2014”

Crude Oil Futures Testing Major Weekly Support Level, SP500 Volatility Higher + Levels for 8.6.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Volatility has picked up again! Make sure you adapt as markets are always changing and what may work for range bound/ low volatility days will not work for wide range/ higher volatility days.

I see major support for SP500 at 1795 and it will be interesting to see price reaction if we test this level in the next few days.

On a different note, I wrote a quick analysis along with chart for Crude Oil futures at:

http://experts.forexmagnates.com/crude-oil-attempting-break-lower/

Continue reading “Crude Oil Futures Testing Major Weekly Support Level, SP500 Volatility Higher + Levels for 8.6.2014”

Volatility Returns to Stock Index Futures – Levels & reports for August 5th

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

As I do from time to time, I like to share resources I feel are worthy of exploring, such is the one below by www.factset.com :

Overview:

  • US equities came under pressure this week as the S&P 500 suffered its biggest weekly pullback in over two years. Despite the magnitude of the move, there was not an overriding theme that captured the price action.
  • Widely cited headwinds included Fed angst, geopolitical tensions, disappointing earnings, the latest flare-up on the Eurozone periphery, the slowdown in the housing recovery, Argentina’s default, fatigue, technical and continued worries about stretched valuations and crowded trades.
  • However, there were notable pockets of reprieve surrounding some of these concerns, particularly when it came to monetary policy and earnings. In addition, geopolitics has not proved to be a sustainable directional driver, while the tipping point search has been in play for a while.
  • While largely on the backburner, there were some positive dynamics at work this week. The pickup in strategic M&A activity continued, while there more signs of stabilization in China, where the Shanghai Composite bucked the sell off in global equities with a nearly 3% rally.
  • There did not seem to be any great signals from the sector performance this week with the broad-based nature of the risk-off trade and company-specific takeaways from a very busy week of earnings. Energy and industrials put in the worst performance, while telecom held up the best.

Fed angst finds some reprieve:

  • Worries about the Fed being behind the curve and the potential for an earlier and more aggressive start to the policy normalization process continued to get a lot of attention as a source of market angst this week. There were two particular areas of focus. One was the 4% growth in Q2 GDP, which was a full point ahead of the consensus. The other was the 0.7% increase in the Q2 employment cost index (ECI), which was ahead of the 0.5% consensus and marked the fast growth in six years. The hotter ECI print was of particular interest because it followed on the heels of an FOMC statement that hedged an upgrade of the assessment of the labor market by noting that a range of indicators suggest a significant underutilization of labor resources. However, there was some reprieve late in the week as average hourly earnings were flat in July, leaving them up just 2.0% y/y. This compared to expectations for a 0.2% m/m and 2.2% y/y increase. In addition, while a sixth straight month of nonfarm payrolls growth above 200K kept the recovery traction theme in focus, the 209K was slightly below expectations and not robust enough to impact liftoff expectations. Finally, despite the hype surrounding Fed fears, yields in the front and belly of the curve were actually lower on the week.

Continue reading “Volatility Returns to Stock Index Futures – Levels & reports for August 5th”

Stock Indices React to FOMC with Largest One Day Drop in 4 Months – Aug 1st Levels

Posted on by Ilan

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

I have noticed many times in the past that the “real direction to FOMC announcements, will usually come the following day”. Today was a perfect example of it…..

Last time we had a meaningful correction in the SP500 was April 4th. The correction lasted 10 days and measured 90 SP points from peak to valley 1885 to 1795 as you can see in the chart below ( sounds like I am talking about earthquakes….).If symmetry decides to give us a similar reaction we can see 1896 as the next target. In between we have a support zone at 1913 – 1918 first.

 

Daily chart of the Sept. mini SP 500 with the different levels for your review below:

 

EP - E-Mini S&P 500 Equalized Active Daily Continuation
EP – E-Mini S&P 500 Equalized Active Daily Continuation

Continue reading “Stock Indices React to FOMC with Largest One Day Drop in 4 Months – Aug 1st Levels”

Earnings Season Started & Economic Reports 07.10.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday July 10, 2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

 

Earnings season has started. Make sure you are aware of when major market movers are reporting.

The calendar can be found at: http://www.morningstar.com/earnings/earnings-calendar.aspx

Today I want to refresh our blog readers with what I call “there is life after mini SP for day-traders….” One of my favorite markets for day-trading is the 30 year bonds.

Too many of our clients trade the mini SP 500 and that’s it. I think that if one has the capital/ time/ knowledge, one should be looking to trade more than one market for purposes of diversification.

Each market has a different personality and behavior is dependent on the time of day when it’s most active.. If you are finding that the ES ( mini SP) is not giving you enough risk/opportunities then start monitoring a couple of other markets and perhaps explore them in the demo / simulated mode.

 

There are more than a few markets that I think are suitable for day-trading. Below you will find some observations, tips along with what is unique about these markets, their personality and the most active trading hours.

 

Interest Rates, 10 year and 30 year.

 

In most platforms, the symbols are ZB for 30 year bonds and ZN for 10 year notes. The current front month is September which is U. So ZBU4 for example.

Product Symbol ZB
Contract Size The unit of trading shall be U.S. Treasury Bonds having a face value at maturity of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or multiples thereof
Price Quotation Points ($1,000) and 1/32 of a point. For example, 134-16 represents 134 16/32. Par is on the basis of 100 points.
Product Symbol ZN

 

Underlying Unit One U.S. Treasury note having a face value at maturity of $100,000.
Deliverable Grades U.S. Treasury notes with a remaining term to maturity of at least six and a half years, but not more than 10 years, from the first day of the delivery month. The invoice price equals the futures settlement price times a conversion factor, plus accrued interest. The conversion factor is the price of the delivered note ($1 par value) to yield 6 percent.
Price Quote Points ($1,000) and halves of 1/32 of a point. For example, 126-16 represents 126 16/32 and 126-165 represents 126 16.5/32. Par is on the basis of 100 points.
Tick Size
(minimum fluctuation)		 One-half of one thirty-second (1/32) of one point ($15.625, rounded up to the nearest cent per contract), except for intermonth spreads, where the minimum price fluctuation shall be one-quarter of one thirty-second of one point ($7.8125 per contract).
Contract Months The first five consecutive contracts in the March, June, September, and December quarterly cycle.

These contracts are often affected by many of the economic reports that come out at 8:30 Am Eastern and there is very active volume between the hours of 8 am EST and 3 PM EST

Volume on both contracts is very good. Ten years will often have 1 million contracts traded per day

(might be the second most active US futures market after the mini SP 500) and the bonds will avg. around 300,000 contracts.

These markets can experience very volatile movements during and right after different reports but then will often trade smooth or in an intraday trend the rest of the day.

 

 

If you like the information we share? We would appreciate your positive reviews on our new yelp!! Continue reading “Earnings Season Started & Economic Reports 07.10.2014”

Futures Levels & Economic Reports 7.09.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Wednesday July 9, 2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

I am not sure if it is the overbought conditions stock index futures are in, perhaps fear of the start of earning season or maybe it is the tense situation over in Israel/ Middle East – but the result today was one of the more meaningful down days of the last few months along with above avg. volume.


Not sure it is anything more than normal market action after indices made all time highs last week….I am a little more skeptic now days when it comes to the short side of the indices. That been said, if September SP500 can break below 1952 ( just a bit below today’s lows) I think we have higher chances of a continuation lower.

In between, know what time frame you are trading, know your rules, your objectives, accept the fact that you will have good and bad trading days and measure your progress after you define what it is.

Volatility in the S&P Futures Markets and Mini S&P Chart 4.25.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Friday April 25, 2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

WOW! Volatility the first 90 minutes of cash open reminded me almost of the summer of 2008…..
Market gaped higher based on APPLE earnings yesterday but when cash opened took a nose dive based on news from Ukraine….

Times like that are dangerous for MOST traders. yes, some of the more experienced or perhaps well capitalized traders look for days like this but for many others the fast and powerful moves can be a little too much…..

My advice? Know who you are as trader, learn to trade with stops, learn to lower your exposure/ trading quantity when volatility picks up and most of all if at any time you feel VERY UNCOMFORTABLE…take a few minutes, step away from the machine, take some deep breaths and decide if and how to continue….

In between see below my mini SP 500 chart ( 8 ticks range chart) along with my proprietary indicators/ ALGO from today:

EP - E-mini S&P 500, Equalized Active Continuation, Primary Session: : Range Bar, 8 Tick Units
EP – E-mini S&P 500, Equalized Active Continuation, Primary Session: : Range Bar, 8 Tick Units

Would you like to have access to my DIAMOND and TOPAZ ALGOs as shown above and be able to apply for any market and any time frame on your own PC ?  You can now have a three weeks free trial where I enable the ALGO along with few studies for your own sierra/ ATcharts OR CQG Q Trader.

Continue reading “Volatility in the S&P Futures Markets and Mini S&P Chart 4.25.2014”

Futures Market Observations and Economic Reports 4.24.2014

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday April 24, 2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Getting Clues from other markets?

When day-trading a specific market do you only look at the chart for that specific market? maybe you took it a step further and you are viewing multiple time frame charts for the same market which is a good step in my eyes.

Now lets take this even one step further by observing what markets have correlation, direct or inverse to the market you are trading, perhaps this can help you make decisions when trading.

I will give a few examples from my experience:

When I am in a position in the mini SP 500, I will often observe what the bonds are doing ( many times inverse correlation), I will take notice of what the Dow, Russell and NASDAQ are doing as well ( direct correlation)

If I am trading crude oil, I will many times pay attention to what unleaded gas and heating oil are doing (very close, although not direct correlation) as well as what WTI crude is doing.

One more example may be when I have a position trade in beans and I will try to get a feel for the overall direction of the grain markets (is there a trend? are they sideways?) by looking at corn, wheat in general and then look to see what bean oil and soy meal which are by products of beans are doing.

One question that can be asked is “what do you mean observe this or that market”? and a good example will be:

Lets say I am short the mini SP 500 and I am not sure if to take profit or not. I look at the mini Russell and see that mini Russell just made new lows, that will give me more confidence to stay in my short position as I feel there might be more room to the downside.

Continue reading “Futures Market Observations and Economic Reports 4.24.2014”

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.