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Energy Volatility Amidst FOMC Decision PLUS: June US Dollar Index, CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 19th, 2026

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Cannon Operations

FOMC Decision, Energy Volatility

By Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4717.80	4783.40	4902.70	4968.30	5087.60
Silver (SI) — May. (#SI)	72.65	74.36	77.34	79.04	82.02
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	88.73	93.22	95.95	100.44	103.17
June Bonds (ZB) — June. (#ZB)	113 10/32	113 24/32	114 17/32	114 31/32	115 24/32

General:

For the second consecutive meeting, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady today and preserved a path to cutting rates this year. Fed officials voted 11-1 to hold the benchmark federal-funds rate in a range between 3.5% and 3.75%. Twelve of the nineteen meeting participants penciled in at least one cut this year, the same as in December.

The Fed’s post-meeting statement acknowledged uncertainty from the war in the Middle East as higher energy prices from the Iran war threaten to prolong their yearslong inflation fight.

Energy:

Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, the largest such facility in the world, prompting immediate threats of retaliation from Iran. The Iran government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that it considered refineries and other energy infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to be “legitimate and prime targets.” Gulf oil officials said evacuations have already started for the sites on the list, as well as for other energy facilities in the region.

Oil:

Oil prices jumped on the news with Brent Crude oil on the ICE Exchange trading within pennies of $110/barrel intraday. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures traded on CME Group’s NYMEX Exchange reached $99.41/barrel overnight last night (basis the April contract) as is poised to close at its second highest price level since the start of the Middle East conflict.

Heads up (reiterating from last week):

Keep in mind that day trading margins can change at your clearing firm / FCM – for certain markets, entire asset classes, i.e., energies, precious metals, stock indexes, etc., particular gateways, i.e., Rithmic, CQG, Sierra/Teton. They can also vary during overnight hours and prior to certain events, i.e., important economic report releases, scheduled statements by important people, agencies, etc. Contact your Cannon Trading Co. broker for specifics.

Plan your trades and trade your plans

Cannon Edge for March 19th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

June US Dollar Index

The June US Dollar Index satisfied its first upside PriceCount objective early this month and corrected. The chart resumed its rally into a new high but faltered. If it can sustain further strength, the second count projects a possible run to the 100.83 area.

FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

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.

Daily Levels for March 19th, 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day!

Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

provided by: ForexFactory.com

All times are Central Time ( Chicago)

Find us on Trustpilot

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.

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FOMC Rate decision tomorrow PLUS: May Cotton, CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 18th, 2026

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Cannon Operations

FOMC Rate decision tomorrow

1:00 pm CDT, Powell presser 1:30 pm CDT

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4939.87	4975.13	5012.27	5047.53	5084.67
Silver (SI) — May. (#SI)	75.76	77.53	80.15	81.92	84.53
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	91.55	93.85	96.14	98.44	100.73
June Bonds (ZB) — June. (#ZB)	113 25/32	114 11/32	114 21/32	115 7/32	115 17/32

Don’t forget! June (M) is front month for stock index futures like MES, NQ and others. ESM26

fomc

The following are suggestions 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 6825.00 with a stop at 6815.00, instead “stretch the price bands” due to volatility and place an entry order to buy at 6810.00 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

· Be patient and be disciplined

· If in doubt, stay out!!

I am sharing a very important question I had with a prospective client recently.

He asked me, “How many day trades are too many with a $10,000.00 account valuation?”.

This question is more important than most think as we see too many accounts that overtrade leading to a kind of Hari Kari in this industry.

There isn’t a fixed “too many,” but with a 10,000‑dollar futures account you should anchor everything to risk per trade and max daily loss, not trade count.

Start from RISK PER TRADE

That means your stop distance and contract size must be chosen so a full stop‑out costs no more than that amount; if you can’t get the stop that tight, you must drop size ( e.g., use micros)

Common guideline is risking about 0.5–1% of the account per trade when you’re still building consistency, so roughly 50-100 dollars per trade in a $10,000.00 account.

Define a Hard Daily Loss Limit

A Typical daily loss limit for a 10,000 dollar account is 2-3% of equity. roughly 2-300 dollars per day.

What that implies for “How Many” day trades.

If you risk 15 per trade and cap a daily loss at 3%, then 3 full trades is your daily limit: you’re done for the day if you’re wrong 3 times.

If you risk .5% per trade, that’s 4-6 trades before you hit your max loss of 2-3% per day even if you haven’t used all the slots!

Why “Too Many” is dangerous for a small account

As the number of intraday trades rises, you will tend to: overtrade marginal set-ups, pay more in commissions/fees, and increase the chance of revenge trading.

A reasonable starting point for a $10,000.00 account might be something like 2-5 trades per day and a rule you live by that you also stop if you exceed a certain number of consecutive losers.

What to discuss with me, myself and I

Discipline is essential to success. Plan your trades and trade your plans.

Tell your Broker

If you tell your broker what market(s) you’re trading and your typical risk per trade in ticks or points, he or she can translate this into a concrete max contract(s) and a sensible max contracts per day given the avg. volatility for the contracts you like to trade (they may even suggest different contracts that may be more suitable given your style and account size)

Don’t forget! June (M) is front month for stock index futures like MES, NQ and others. ESM26

Cannon Edge for March 18th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

May Cotton

May Cotton accelerated its rally to complete the third upside PriceCount objective. It would be normal to get a near term reaction from this level in the form of a consolidation or corrective trade, at least. IF the chart can sustain further strength, the low percentage fourth count would project a possible run to the 74. 34 area.

FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Daily Levels for March 18th, 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day!

Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

provided by: ForexFactory.com

All times are Central Time ( Chicago)

Find us on Trustpilot

Call Now

Join our Private Facebook group

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Listen to our podcast: Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Amazon

or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Market Updates for The Week Ahead PLUS: CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 4 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 17th, 2026

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Cannon Operations

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4937.00	4978.30	5011.40	5052.70	5085.80
Silver (SI) — May. (#SI)	75.32	78.20	80.01	82.90	84.71
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	86.77	90.12	96.28	99.63	105.79
June Bonds (ZB) — June. (#ZB)	113 6/32	113 27/32	114 8/32	114 29/32	115 10/32

Weekly Market Update: March 16, 2026

By Eli Gal Levy, Series 3 Broker

This week I will start with the technical take as I think its reaching some crucial price points.

Technical Picture — SPX

For the past few weeks I mentioned the support we kept holding these past few month was the 100 day moving average. And I mentioned that the more we test support, eventually it can break. That is what happened with the 100-day moving average last week. The selling continued and we are now below the 100 day moving average (we will now look to see if the 100 day moving average will act as resistance) on Friday we almost reached the 200-day moving average, which currently sits around 6,604 on my charts the SPX was as low as 6,623.

There are 3 ways I see this playing out.

a) The SPX holds and bounces of the 200-day moving average, we get some positive news about the straights of Hormuz and the 200 day is support and the bulls keep on running.

b) The SPX holds the 200-day moving average we get a short-term bounce to the 100 or 50 day moving average or some Fibonacci resistance and we trade back down.

c) The SPX penetrates through the 200-day moving average and we keep on going down. Or we get a bear trap at the 200 day.

Nothing I expect has to materialize we can get a consolidation around the 200 day as well. Yet I still expect the index to originally bounce off the 200. The RSI has fallen to the mid-30s territory, technically oversold, but oversold can stay oversold in a trending move.

The 100 DMA can now likely flip to resistance on any bounce attempts. The pattern we saw last week — opening down and bouncing, only to close lower — continued. I will watch for that trend to persist until proven otherwise, or until we see meaningful progress on the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch out for continued volatility. And while the spike in oil prices ($119) and the VIX (35) on Monday, along with their subsequent pullback could represent a near-term capitulation “peak” for markets, I’m not convinced because historically there has been a corresponding “V” response in stocks. I’m not sure stocks ever fully “capitulated” and Friday the major indices fell to fresh multi-month lows.

Summary: there is the technical set-up heading into this week. The Nasdaq Composite ($COMP) is currently below its 200-day SMA and the S&P 500 (SPX) is less than 1% above its 200-day SMA. The Dow is also near its 200-day moving average. If oil push higher and stocks continue to drop, there could additionally selling pressure if these indices lose key support at their respective 200-day SMAs.

My chart of the week is the 10-year yield: I know there is a lot going on in the chart but if you notice we just broke out of the yellow channel.

OIL

Oil remains the most important chart to watch. Last week we saw extreme volatility — Brent crude touched $119.50 per barrel early in the week, up from around $70 before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, before declining back toward the $90 range. By Friday, WTI crude futures settled at $98.71 per barrel and Brent settled above $103, closing above $100 for the first time since August 2022.

The reason for the continued pressure is straightforward: Iran borders the Strait of Hormuz, the most important passageway for global energy, carrying 20–25% of the world’s oil and liquid natural gas. The Strait has been effectively closed since fighting started, and despite the U.S. offering to provide ships safety and insurance guarantees, shipping companies may still believe it’s too risky for transit.

The degree and duration question I raised last week is becoming clearer, and it is not encouraging. Analysts note that the lost Gulf supply could reach 11–16 million barrels per day, raising doubts about whether emergency stockpiles can fully offset the deficit. The IEA has cut its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2026 by roughly 25% to 640,000 barrels per day, reflecting weaker economic activity and higher fuel costs.

On the consumer side, Wells Fargo has calculated that sustained oil prices at $130 per barrel — a 100% increase from the pre-conflict baseline — would result in back-to-back contractions in quarterly personal consumption, materially raising the risk of recession. We are not there yet, but we are watching the direction closely.

There were two significant turns in sentiment during the week. On Monday, markets opened sharply lower — the Dow was down nearly 900 points at its session low and the Nasdaq COMPX dipped below its 200-day moving average for the first time since May 2025 — before a remarkable reversal. President Trump told a CBS News reporter that “the war is very complete, pretty much,” adding that Iran “has no navy, no communications, no Air Force,” and markets bounced hard, with the S&P 500 closing up 0.83% and the Nasdaq jumping 1.38%.

By Thursday, a second catalyst emerged: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration was taking concrete steps to try to cap surging oil prices, sparking a strong Friday rally in equities and crypto alike. Despite these intraday bounces, the trend for the week remained down. The S&P 500 posted a 1.6% loss on the week, notching its first three-week losing streak in about a year. The Dow slid about 2%, while the Nasdaq fell 1.3%.

Stagflation Risk Grows

The big story from Friday was the GDP revision. Q4 2025 GDP was revised sharply down to just 0.7% annualized growth from the initial estimate of 1.4%, well below the 2.5% economists had originally expected. At the same time, core PCE inflation for January came in at 3.1% year-over-year — still well above the Fed’s 2% target — with core PCE rising 0.4% on the month.

As one analyst put it, “the big downward revision in GDP is a gut check going into this energy crunch, increasing the risk of stagflation.” The economy entered this oil shock weaker than many realized.

Midweek, the February CPI report offered a brief respite. The headline CPI rose 0.3% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.4%. Core CPI posted a 0.2% monthly reading and a 2.5% annual rate — both in line with Wall Street estimates. However, the market largely looked through that print. Stocks slumped and Treasury yields spiked after the release, as traders were focused on the oil price surge and what it will mean for March and April data.

“CPI inflation for February was along expectations but this is the calm before the storm,” said Carson Group’s chief macro strategist. Economists estimate that if crude oil averages around $100 per barrel for the rest of the year, CPI inflation could rise to 3.5% by year-end, and gasoline prices could hit nearly $5 per gallon in the second quarter.

The Fed Is in a Bind

As I noted last week, the Fed is in a tough spot. Markets have largely abandoned expectations of rate cuts this year, with several Wall Street economists including TD Securities, Barclays, and Goldman Sachs pushing back the timing of their expected next cut.

The probability of a cut at this week’s meeting has almost disappeared, and markets are now pricing around 20 basis points of easing for all of 2026 — less than one full 25-basis-point cut. The FOMC decision comes Wednesday, March 19.

No rate change is expected, but the updated dot plot and Chair Powell’s press conference will be closely scrutinized for any signals about the path ahead — particularly any hint that hikes could come back on the table if oil-driven inflation persists.

Russell 2000

Small caps continued to underperform, and for the same reasons as last week. Higher oil raises input costs and compresses margins, while elevated Treasury yields make financing more expensive for smaller companies that rely more heavily on debt. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed 14 basis points on the week to 4.28%, and the 30-year rose 14 basis points to 4.90%. Until we see a reversal in oil and yields, we can see the Russell to continue lagging the large-cap indices.

Private Credit

Private credit continued to generate headlines. Last week Blackstone’s BCRED hit record redemption requests; this week BlackRock said it is limiting withdrawals from one of its private credit funds following a surge in redemption requests — investors sought roughly $1.2 billion in redemptions but only $620 million was paid out. I continue to monitor bond prices of private credit issuers as a leading stress indicator. This is a slow-developing story but one that warrants close attention.

AI Buildout

Deutsche Bank upgraded software to overweight and raised its rating on tech overall to neutral from overweight, citing software stocks’ outperformance last week — even amid the broader turmoil — as a sign that the group may have finally bottomed after months of AI disruption concerns weighing on valuations. I continue to watch the bonds and stocks of the major AI infrastructure investors as a barometer of confidence in the buildout thesis. Such as ORCL and Softbank.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin was a standout performer this week, showing meaningful relative strength against equities. Bitcoin rose about 8.5% this week and more than 13% since the Middle East conflict escalated, outperforming tech stocks, gold, and U.S. equities. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $1.3 billion in net inflows so far in March, potentially marking the first positive month for flows since October.

A notable milestone: on March 9, the Bitcoin network mined its 20 millionth coin, leaving only 1 million BTC to be issued over the next 114 years.

Technically, Bitcoin is approaching a key level. BTC is trading around $73,000, and a decisive move above $74,000 on strong volume could trigger a rally toward $80,000, a former support level. On the downside, $65,000 — roughly the network’s estimated production cost — remains the first key support, followed by $60,000. The Fed meeting on Wednesday is the next macro event that could move crypto meaningfully in either direction.

Any hawkish surprise from Powell would likely hit risk assets including Bitcoin hard.

The Week Ahead: March 16–20, 2026

The highlight of the week is the FOMC decision Wednesday, March 19. No rate change is expected (current target range 3.50%–3.75%), but the updated Summary of Economic Projections — the dot plot — and Powell’s press conference will be the most closely watched events of the week.

Nvidia’s annual Global Technology Conference (GTC) kicks off Monday and runs through Thursday. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will likely deliver several AI-related headlines, which could have an impact on tech stocks.

There will also be several monetary policy meetings from global central banks–the U.S. Federal Reserve (Tue-Wed), the Bank of Japan (Wed-Thur), and the European Central Bank (ECB) (Thur). On Wednesday after the bell, we’ll also get an earnings report from memory and storage specialist Micron Technology, which has been one of the best-performing stocks over the past year.

Economic:

Monday (Mar. 16): Capacity Utilization, Empire State Manufacturing, Industrial Production
Tuesday (Mar. 17): Building Permits, Housing Starts, NAHB Housing Market Index, Pending Home Sales
Wednesday (Mar. 18): Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Rate Decision, Producer Price Index (PPI), EIA Crude Oil Inventories, Mortgage Applications Index, Net Long-Term TIC, BOJ starts two-day Monetary Policy Meeting
Thursday (Mar. 19): ECB Governing Council monetary policy meeting, Continuing Claims, EIA Natural Gas Inventories, Initial Claims, New Home Sales, Philadelphia Fed Index, Wholesale Inventories
Friday (Mar. 20): no reports

Earnings:

Monday (Mar. 16): Annexon Inc. (ANNX), Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR), Forgent Power Solutions Inc. (FPS), Ke Holdings Inc. (BEKE), MBX Biosciences Inc. MBX), Oruka Therapeutics Inc. (ORKA), Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Semtech Corp. (SMTC), VinFast Auto Ltd. (VFS)
Tuesday (Mar. 17): Academy Sports and Outdoors Inc. (ASO), Alour Lifestyle Holdings Ltd. (ATAT), Corporacion America Airports SA (CAAP), DocuSign Inc. (DOCU), Elbit Systems Ltd. (ESLT), GDS Holdings Ltd. (GDS), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LULU), New Gold Inc. (NGD), Oklo Inc. (OKLO), Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME)
Wednesday (Mar. 18): Dlocal Ltd. (DLO), Equipmentshare.com Inc. (EQPT), Five Below Inc. (FIVE), General Mills Inc. (GIS), H World Group Ltd. (HTHT), Jabil Inc. (JBL), Macy’s Inc. (M), Micron Technology Inc. (MU), Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM)
Thursday (Mar. 19): Accenture PLC (ACN), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA), Carnival Corp. (CCL), Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI), Erasca Inc. (ERAS), FedEx Corp. (FDX), PDD Holdings Inc. (PDD), Planet Labs (PL), Signet Jewelers Ltd. (SIG)
Friday (Mar. 20): SANUWAVE Health Inc. (SNWV), Xpeng Inc. (XPEV)

Disclaimer: Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions and other financial instruments involve substantial risk of loss and are not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Carefully consider if 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. I am registered solely as a commodities broker. Any references, recommendations & information contained in this article are of opinion only, should not be considered investment advice, and do not guarantee any profits.

Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot for March 17th

Daily Levels for March 17th 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day! Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

provided by: ForexFactory.com

All times are Central Time ( Chicago)

Find us on Trustpilot

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Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Listen to our podcast: Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Amazon

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FOMC Rate Decision, Roll into June Equity Contracts PLUS: Futures 102 – How to Use the RSI while in a Trade, May KC – Chicago Wheat Spread, CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 6 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures the Week of March 16th, 2026

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Cannon Operations

Cannon Futures Weekly Letter

In Today’s Issue #1282

The Week Ahead – Iran Crude Oil, FOMC & More!
Futures 102 – Trading Video – How to Use the RSI while in a Trade
Cannon Edge – Your Futures trading Map for the week ahead!
Hot Market of the Week – May KC – Chicago Wheat Spread
Broker’s Trading System of the Week – Gold Swing Trading System
Trading Levels for Next Week
Trading Reports for Next Week

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4937.43	4979.07	5055.73	5097.37	5174.03
Silver (SI) — May. (#SI)	75.73	78.04	81.83	84.14	87.93
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	89.25	93.74	96.53	101.02	103.81
June Bonds (ZB) — June. (#ZB)	113 3/32	113 13/32	113 30/32	114 8/32	114 25/32

What Futures Traders Should Watch This Week

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

FOMC Rate Decision, Roll into June Equity contracts

equity

Fertilizer and the continuing conflicts in the Middle East.

Jerome Powell’s second to last presser will be on Wednesday, 1:30 pm CDT. After the FOMC rate decision. The CME FedWatch tool is reflecting a 99% probability, as of today, remaining in the .035-.0375 % range. Investors will pay close attention to the language in the speech and q&a to follow and adjust their market positions accordingly, especially since the U.S. is heavily engaged in the Middle East conflict.

His final speech will be the April FOMC meeting before Trump’s man, Kevin Warsh, assumes the chairmanship. Warsh has expressed belief that, artificial Intelligence can boost productivity and lower costs, potentially offsetting inflation. Known as a Hawk on rates, his first meeting May, will be met with great anticipation given the current administration prefers a more dovish tone.

As many investors have been watching the fog of the “Energy Sector” rally from the supply shock potential as a result of the fighting in the middle east, there are also substitutes in production for commodity contracts we also trade and have had the same directional bias. The Biofuels; Soybeans, Corn, Bean oil, Ethanol, these markets are all conducive to spread trading, spot vs deferreds, option spreads, product vs product like the traditional WTI, Unleaded , Heating oil and Nat. Gas markets.

The Urea market trades at the CME as well as the fertilizer market too has exploded with the threat of the Straits of Hormuz closing at the worst time for American farmers as they purchase the bulk of fertilizer in the spring time and over 20% of U.S. row crop fertilizer travels through the straights. Reach out to your broker if you are interested in these other products that a extremely liquid as well.

Begin trading the M26 contracts June, M26 is the next month and year designation. Here is a quick Youtube Video on how to change your contract on CannonX (cqg StoneX) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzeOgBa5HwA

We’ll see you next week! Please enjoy a safe and memorable weekend.

Earnings Next Week:

· Mon. Dollar Tree,

· Tue. Lululemon

· Wed. Tencent, Micron

· Thu. FedeX, Darden Restaurants

· Fri. Carnival

FED SPEECHES: (all times CST)

· Mon. quiet

· Tues. quiet

· Wed. Jerome Powell 1:30 p.m. CDT

· Thu. quiet

· Fri. quiet

Econ Data: (all times CST)

· Mon. NY Empire State mfg Index, Cap. Utilization, Industrial Production

· Tue. ADP Weekly, Redbook, NAHB Housing, Pending Home Sales, API Crude Stock Change

· Wed. Core PPI, Factory Orders, EIA Crude stocks, Fed Rate Decision, Economic projections, net long term tic flows

· Thu. Building Permits, Initial Jobless claims, Philly Fed, new home sales Nat Gas Stocks, Fed Balance Sheet

· Fri. Baker Hughes Rig Count

Futures 102: Using RSI as Your Trade‑Management GPS

In this week’s Futures 102 feature, broker Eli Gal Levy breaks down how he uses the Relative Strength Index (RSI) as a real‑time “GPS” while managing open trades ( in this video Crude Oil Futures).

Instead of treating RSI as a simple overbought/oversold indicator, Eli shows how it can guide position adjustments, confirm momentum, and help traders stay disciplined during fast markets.

Watch the video, and if you’d like to explore how tools like RSI can fit into your own trading plan, we’re offering a free consultation or free platform demo to help you take the next step with confidence

WATCH VIDEO HERE

thumbnail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FU7Ke M03ETY%2Fhqdefault

Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Insight for the Next Trading Day! Cannon Edge for March 16th 2026

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets.

Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals
Coverage across equity indices, metals, energies, currencies, and ags

Whether you’re scanning for breakout setups, trend reversals, or just staying informed — Cannon Edge puts the data in your hands before the open.

Built for speed. Backed by insight. Powered by CQG.

Hot Market of the Week

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.

Free Trial Available

May KC – Chicago Wheat Spread

After testing contract lows last month, the May KC – Chicago wheat spread came roaring back, erasing the winter highs and activating upside PriceCount objectives in the process. The first count projects a possible run to the 27.5 area.

Learn more spreads and seasonal patterns in commodity futures HERE

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Brokers Trading System of the Week

Edvardus – Breakout Gold Trading System SID#:3528

***Past performance may not be necessarily indicative of future results.

To learn more about this system, contact 800-454-9572 / 310-859-9572 or info@cannontrading.com .

This system is available for the 100 OZ gold contract and results below are based on the 100 oz contract – However, you can trade the same system logic and execution with the 10 Oz contract going as low as one micro gold which is 1/10 of the large contract.

System Description

Market Sector: Metals

Markets Traded: GC , MGC

System Type: Swing Trading

Risk per Trade: varies

Trading Rules: Partially Disclosed

Suggested Capital: $60,000/ $6,000

Developer Fee per contract: $300.00/ $30 Monthly Subscription

System Description:

Edvardus Breakout GOLD is a breakout swing trading strategy. It has passed robustness testing such as walk-forward analysis.

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Disclaimer The risk of trading can be substantial and each investor and/or trader must consider whether this is a suitable investment. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

System Trades Disclosure:

System Description

“System Description” is based upon information obtained from specific system marketing documents, system developers and/or system vendors themselves. While the information is believed to be reliable, we cannot guarantee its completeness or accuracy.

Actual Monthly Performance

The table and charts represent the monthly/quarterly/annual summation of actual trades based on system-specified contract(s) executed through Striker Securities, Inc. using the referenced trading system or system vendor for the stated time period. Commissions and monthly vendor fees are deducted from the tabulation. Results are based on 1 contract. If a client trades 2 contracts his gain or loss is twice as displayed (and so on).

This table is presented for information purposes only and is not a solicitation for the referenced system or vendor. The purpose of this information is for clients to compare their brokerage statements to what is displayed on Striker’s site. Striker as a matter of policy has no ownership with the referenced system or vendor or any other trading system or vendor. Past trade history may not be indicative of future results.

The results indicated here may or may not be typical of the performance of this system and, ALTHOUGH WE BELIEVE THIS INFORMATION TO BE ACCURATE, CANNON TRADING COMPANY MAKES NO ENDORSEMENT OF THIS OR ANY SYSTEM NOR WARRANTS ITS PERFORMANCE. This is not the only trading system that Striker executes for its clients. Potential traders should carefully investigate, evaluate and compare trading systems before investing capital. Some or all trading systems may involve an inappropriate level of risk for potential traders.

It is the nature of commodity trading that where there is the opportunity for profit, there is also the risk of loss. In opening an account through CANNON TRADING COMPANY, Customer acknowledges and agrees that he/she will rely solely upon the information that CANNON TRADING COMPANYprovides to you. Thus, all prior third-party materials provided are superseded by the information and disclosures provided by CANNON TRADING COMPANY.

Important Information About this Trading System Analysis

Statistics, tables, charts and other information on trading system monthly performance are based on actual trading unless otherwise specified. Actual dollar and percentage gains/losses experienced by investors would depend on many factors not accounted for in these statistics, including, but not limited to, starting account balances, market behavior, developer fees, incidence of split fills and other variations in order execution, and the duration and extent of individual investor participation in the specified system.

While the information and statistics given are believed to be complete and accurate we cannot guarantee their completeness or accuracy as they results are key punched and subject to human error. Performance information is not the performance of a single account, but a compilation of several accounts over time, and is based on the physical trading ticket.

THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR EDUCATIONAL/ INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND USED BY CURRENT CLIENTS TO AUDIT THEIR STATEMENTS TO STRIKER SITE. These results are not indicative of, and have no bearing on, any individual results that may be attained by the trading system in the future.

This trading system, like any other, may involve an inappropriate level of risk for prospective investors. THE RISK OF LOSS IN TRADING COMMODITY FUTURES AND OPTIONS CAN BE SUBSTANTIAL AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL INVESTORS. Prior to purchasing or leasing a trading system from this or any other system vendor or investing in a trading system with a registered commodity trading representative, investors need to carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for them in light of their own specific financial condition. In some cases, futures accounts are subject to substantial charges for commission, management, incentive or advisory fees.

It may be necessary for accounts subject to these charges to make substantial trading profits to avoid depletion or exhaustion of their assets. In addition, one should carefully study the accompanying prospectus, account forms, disclosure documents and/or risk disclosure statements required by the CFTC or NFA, which are provided directly by the system vendor and/or CTA’s.

The information contained in this report is provided with the objective of “standardizing” trading systems measurements, and it is intended for educational /informational purposes only. All information is offered with the understanding that an investor considering purchasing or leasing a system must carry out his/her own research and due diligence in deciding whether to purchase or lease any trading system noted within or without this report. This report does not constitute a solicitation to purchase or invest in any trading system which may be mentioned herein.

CANNON TRADING COMPANY AND STRIKER SECURITES, INC. MAKES NO ENDORSEMENT OF THIS OR ANY OTHER TRADING SYSTEM NOR WARRANTS ITS PERFORMANCE. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE TO ANY TRADING SYSTEM.

Futures Trading Disclaimer:

Transactions in securities futures, commodity and index futures and options on futures carry a high degree of risk. The amount of initial margin is small relative to the value of the futures contract, meaning that transactions are heavily “leveraged”. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds you have deposited or will have to deposit: this may work against you as well as for you. You may sustain a total loss of initial margin funds and any additional funds deposited with the clearing firm to maintain your position.

If the market moves against your position or margin levels are increased, you may be called upon to pay substantial additional funds on short notice to maintain your position.

If you fail to comply with a request for additional funds within the time prescribed, your position may be liquidated at a loss and you will be liable for any resulting deficit.

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Daily Levels for March 16th, 2026

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Trading Reports for Next Week

First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:

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CPI February Out Tomorrow! PLUS: November Soybeans, CannonEdge Snapshot, Levels, Reports; Your 4 Important Useful Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 11th, 2026

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Cannon Operations

Energy Markets and the Inflationary Benchmark, CPI

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	5072.20	5138.90	5193.80	5260.50	5315.40
Silver (SI) — May. (#SI)	85.06	86.89	88.64	90.47	92.22
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	70.19	78.41	84.94	93.16	99.69
June Bonds (ZB) — June. (#ZB)	115 3/32	115 15/32	116 4/32	116 16/32	117 5/32

CPI February Tomorrow Morning!

cpi

The Consumer Price Index for February is released tomorrow morning. Although the Fed (rate decision next week) would rather pin their forecasts and create decisions based on the Core PCE, the CPI has created much more market volatility than Core PCE ever has.

Why CPI moves markets more

Timing: CPI hits about two weeks before PCE, so CPI effectively becomes the market’s first look at monthly inflation; PCE is treated more like a “revision” unless it sharply contradicts CPI.
Habit and coordination: Most traders and media still frame “inflation day” around CPI, so liquidity, positioning, and optionality cluster around that release, reinforcing CPI’s impact despite the Fed’s formal preference for PCE.
Headline profile: CPI typically runs a bit higher than PCE (about 0.4 percentage points on average since 2000), which can make surprises feel more acute and headline‑worthy.
Policy signal vs. tradable catalyst: The Fed leans on PCE because of its broader coverage and more frequently updated weights, but markets prioritize “flawed data now” over “better data later” and trade the earlier CPI release more aggressively.

Practical trading takeaway

For short‑term index, vol, and USD trades, CPI is typically the higher‑octane event: implied and realized vol around the release are generally higher, and positioning is more crowded into CPI Day.
PCE still matters for repricing the path of Fed policy, especially if it diverges meaningfully from CPI, but its average impact on realized equity volatility is smaller and more conditional on surprise magnitude.

While the Iran War and many other geopolitical genuflections effect the perception of supply shortages, energy prices experienced extreme volatility by exploding higher over the last week followed by a severe retracement to date, economists say February’s CPI data was collected before the start of the conflict and won’t reflect the surge in energy prices.

The data generating this release of the CPI is from before the recent conflict in the Middle East broke out, so it’s not going to give us a whole lot of information on how prices are starting to respond to that. That’s going to be a March and April dynamic.

Graphical representations of the recent historical relationships Between CPI and Core CPI then CPI and Core PCE are below.

Plan your trades and trade your plans

Cannon Edge for March 11th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

November Soybeans

The rally in November Soybeans came close enough to satisfy the third upside PriceCount objective. It would be normal to get a near term reaction from this level in the form of a consolidation or corrective trade, at least. At this point, IF the chart can resume its move with new sustained highs, we are left with the low percentage fourth count to aim for in the $13.68 area.

FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Daily Levels for March 11th, 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day! Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

provided by: ForexFactory.com

All times are Central Time ( Chicago)

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NFP; War & Unemployment PLUS: CannonEdge Snapshot, May Dollar Index, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on March 5th, 2026

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Cannon Operations

War & Unemployment; NFP hits Friday

By Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	5029.50	5091.70	5155.00	5217.20	5280.50
Silver (SI) — Mar. (#SI)	78.83	81.25	84.16	86.58	89.49
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	71.53	73.72	75.48	77.67	79.43
Mar. Bonds (ZB) — Mar. (#ZB)	116 6/32	116 17/32	117	117 11/32	117 26/32

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP); Unemployment FYIs

nfp

Volatility in major commodity futures remained high as the crisis in the Mideast expanded into a wider international crisis today after NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkey, the United States sank an Iranian navy ship in international waters, and several European nations deployed military assets to the region to protect their interests.

Stock index futures advanced today with the E-mini Nasdaq leading the way as U.S. futures markets appeared to set aside some of their fears over the Middle East conflict.

This week’s run-up in crude oil futures oil prices paused, with West Texas Intermediate turning slightly higher and stabilized around $75 a barrel in afternoon trading.

More General:

Private sector hiring was a bit better than expected in February. The payrolls processing firm ADP reported today that companies added a seasonally adjusted 63,000 workers during the month, an improvement from the downwardly revised 11,000 in January and better than the consensus estimate for 48,000.

The issue of breadth continued to be a problem for the labor market.

Education and health services added 58,000 jobs for the month, easily leading all sectors.
In second place, construction contributed 19,000.
Professional and business services saw a decline of 30,000 positions.
Manufacturing lost 5,000, continuing a months-long decline.
Trade, transportation and utilities were off 1,000.
Other than a gain of 11,000 in information services, there was little movement elsewhere.

In short, two industries offset stagnant growth across most other sectors.

Up next, the Labor Dept. releases its monthly non-farm payrolls report this Friday.

It’s widely considered to be one of the most important and influential measures of the U.S. economy. The report is released at 7:30 A.M., Central Time.

Cannon Edge for March 5th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

March Dollar Index

The March US Dollar Index has broken out above the February highs and activated upside PriceCount objectives while also negating the remaining unmet downside counts. The chart is completing its first objective to the 99.67 area. From here, the rally will have to contend with the fall highs but further strength would project a possible run to the second count in the 101.20 area.

FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Daily Levels for March 5th, 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day! Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

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Futures Trading

Posted on February 25, 2026February 25, 2026 by Cannon Operations

Automated Futures Trading

The landscape of modern finance has been fundamentally reshaped by the rise of automated futures trading. No longer the exclusive domain of institutional giants and high-frequency hedge funds, systematic execution has become the gold standard for traders seeking precision, speed, and emotional discipline. As we navigate the complexities of 2026, the integration of artificial intelligence and low-latency infrastructure has turned futures trading into a high-tech discipline where the right partnership with a brokerage can make the difference between a failing strategy and a flourishing portfolio.

Learn More HERE

The Technological Frontier of Automated Futures Trading

The current era of automated futures trading is defined by a shift from static, rule-based systems to dynamic, self-evolving algorithms. Historically, a trading bot might have been programmed with a simple instruction: “If the 50-day moving average crosses the 200-day moving average, buy one E-mini S&P 500 contract.” Today, the technology has transcended these linear boundaries.

Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics

Modern systems now leverage supervised and unsupervised machine learning models. These algorithms do not just follow a set of instructions; they analyze terabytes of historical and real-time data from the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) to identify non-linear patterns. For instance, an algorithm might detect that a specific volatility signature in the 10-Year Treasury Note futures often precedes a price breakout in equity indices. By training on decades of tick data, these systems can adjust their entry and exit parameters in real-time to account for shifting market regimes.

Infrastructure and Low-Latency Execution

In the world of futures trading, speed is measured in microseconds. The technological advancement of co-location—placing a trading server in the same data center as the exchange’s matching engine—has become essential. For example, by co-locating near the CME Globex servers in Aurora, Illinois, traders can minimize “slippage,” which is the difference between the expected price of a trade and the price at which the trade is actually executed. This infrastructure ensures that when an automated signal is triggered, the order reaches the exchange before the market has a chance to move against the position.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Automated Futures Trading

One of the most significant advancements in automated futures trading is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

How AI Is Reshaping Futures Trading

Modern systems can:

Analyze historical and real-time tick data
Detect non-linear relationships between markets
Adapt to volatility regime changes
Optimize parameters dynamically

Unlike traditional rule-based systems, machine learning models can retrain themselves as new data becomes available. In futures trading, this adaptability can be critical during economic shifts, interest rate changes, or geopolitical events.

For example, a volatility-adaptive strategy in automated futures trading might automatically reduce position size during unexpected CME-reported margin changes or increased market volatility. This type of dynamic risk management was difficult to implement in older systems.

Broker Support for AI-Driven Systems

A broker plays a vital role in enabling AI-powered automated futures trading. This includes:

Providing high-quality historical CME data for model training
Offering API access for algorithm deployment
Ensuring low-latency routing for real-time execution
Supporting platform integrations such as CQG-based infrastructure

Cannon Trading Company assists traders in connecting algorithmic systems to professional-grade platforms, helping ensure that automated futures trading systems operate efficiently within exchange specifications.

Low-Latency Infrastructure and Co-Location

Speed remains one of the defining elements of automated futures trading. In highly liquid futures trading contracts—such as E-mini S&P 500 futures—microseconds can matter.

Technological Advancements in Execution Speed

Modern advancements include:

Fiber-optic connectivity
Microwave transmission lines
Exchange co-location services
Hardware acceleration

Co-location allows automated futures trading systems to operate physically close to exchange servers, reducing latency and improving fill consistency.

For traders running arbitrage, spread trading, or order book imbalance strategies, these improvements significantly impact performance in futures trading environments.

How Brokers Help With Infrastructure

A knowledgeable broker can:

Facilitate access to co-location services
Assist with routing configuration
Provide guidance on order types supported by CME
Ensure compliance with exchange rules

Cannon Trading Company works with traders using high-speed execution strategies, ensuring that their automated futures trading systems align with exchange connectivity standards and margin requirements.

Advanced Order Types and Smart Routing

The CME continues to enhance electronic functionality, and modern automated futures trading systems now use advanced order types such as:

Iceberg orders
Stop-limit orders
Trailing stops
Market-if-touched (MIT) orders
Algorithmic execution orders

These tools allow traders to minimize slippage and reduce market impact.

Smart Order Routing

Smart routing technology in automated futures trading enables systems to:

Detect liquidity pockets
Avoid thin order book zones
Optimize entry and exit timing

In high-volume futures trading contracts, intelligent routing can dramatically improve execution quality.

Broker Assistance in Order Optimization

A broker helps traders:

Understand which advanced order types are supported
Configure automated order logic
Monitor rejected or partial fills
Troubleshoot execution anomalies

Cannon Trading Company provides personalized support, helping traders align automated futures trading systems with proper order handling and execution standards.

Cloud Computing and Data Analytics

Cloud technology has become a cornerstone of automated futures trading development.

Benefits of Cloud Infrastructure

Modern automated futures trading systems leverage cloud environments for:

Massive historical data storage
Distributed backtesting
Strategy optimization across multiple instruments
Remote system monitoring

Cloud-based futures trading allows traders to deploy systems without maintaining physical servers.

Broker Role in Data Access

Reliable futures trading depends on accurate and timely data. Brokers facilitate:

CME market data subscriptions
Historical tick data access
Real-time streaming feeds
Risk reporting dashboards

Cannon Trading Company ensures clients have access to institutional-grade data solutions necessary for building and maintaining automated futures trading systems.

Risk Management Automation

Automation is not just about entry and exit signals. Risk control is one of the most important advancements in automated futures trading.

Modern Risk Controls Include:

Real-time margin monitoring
Auto-liquidation safeguards
Volatility-based position sizing
Portfolio-level exposure limits

Futures trading carries leverage risk, and automated risk controls help reduce catastrophic losses.

Broker Support in Risk Monitoring

A broker provides:

Margin updates from CME
Intraday risk alerts
Account performance analytics
Regulatory compliance oversight

Cannon Trading Company’s risk management infrastructure helps traders integrate automated futures trading systems while maintaining disciplined oversight.

Integration With Professional Trading Platforms

Automated futures trading now integrates seamlessly with professional-grade platforms such as CQG-based systems, which offer:

Advanced charting
API access
Strategy automation modules
Custom scripting environments

These platforms allow traders to design, test, and deploy automated futures trading strategies directly within professional ecosystems.

Cannon Trading Company supports traders using such platforms and offers technical guidance on platform configuration and execution.

How Your Broker Navigates Technological Advancements

A premier brokerage does not simply provide a gateway to the markets; it acts as a technological liaison. Navigating the advancements in automated futures trading requires more than just a fast internet connection; it requires a broker that provides the “plumbing” for sophisticated strategies.

API Integration and Custom Environments

Advanced brokers offer robust Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow traders to connect their custom-coded scripts—written in Python, C++, or Java—directly to the market. This is where E-futures platforms shine. By providing a stable API environment, a broker ensures that your automated futures trading logic can communicate seamlessly with the exchange’s order book. This prevents the “hanging order” syndrome, where a strategy sends a command that the broker’s server fails to process due to outdated software architecture.

Enhanced Risk Management Protocols

As automation increases, the risk of “runaway algorithms” also grows. Leading brokers have integrated server-side risk controls that act as a fail-safe. If an automated system begins to malfunction—perhaps by sending too many orders in a single second or exceeding a pre-set loss limit—the broker’s infrastructure can automatically “kill” the strategy and flatten all open positions. This level of institutional-grade protection is a cornerstone of professional futures trading.

Access to Specialized Products like E-mini and Micro Contracts

Brokers help traders scale their automation by providing access to various contract sizes. The introduction of E-mini and Micro E-mini contracts by the CME has revolutionized the space. Your broker helps you navigate these by allowing your automated systems to “ladder” into positions. An algorithm might be programmed to start a position with Micro contracts and only scale into the full-sized E-mini contracts once the trade has moved into a specific profit threshold.

Why Cannon Trading Company has been a Top Choice for Decades

futures trading

For nearly 40 years, Cannon Trading Company has remained at the forefront of the industry. Since its founding in 1988, the firm has transitioned through the era of pit trading into the digital revolution of automated futures trading without losing its core identity.

Stability and Longevity in a Volatile Industry

While many “flash-in-the-pan” brokerages have disappeared during market crashes, Cannon Trading Company has provided a stable harbor for traders since 1988. This longevity is a testament to their conservative management and commitment to regulatory compliance. They are a long-standing member of the National Futures Association (NFA) and registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The Hybrid Service Model

What sets Cannon Trading Company apart is its unique blend of cutting-edge technology and human expertise. In an age where most brokers have replaced their support staff with chatbots, Cannon provides a licensed broker to answer the phone. For those engaged in automated futures trading, this is invaluable. If a technical glitch occurs or a global news event creates unprecedented volatility, having a “real person” at the trade desk who understands the nuances of the CME markets can be the difference between a minor hiccup and a catastrophic loss.

Unmatched Platform Diversity

Cannon Trading Company does not force traders into a “one size fits all” box. They offer access to over a dozen different trading platforms, including E-futures, Sierra Chart, and MultiCharts. This diversity allows a trader to select the specific environment that best supports their automated logic. Whether you need the heavy-duty backtesting capabilities of a quant-focused platform or the streamlined execution of a mobile-friendly interface, Cannon provides the tools.

Reputation and Verified Success

According to reviews on Trustpilot, Cannon Trading Company consistently maintains one of the highest ratings in the brokerage industry. Traders frequently cite their transparency regarding fees and their proactive approach to customer service. In the world of futures trading, where trust is the primary currency, Cannon’s reputation for integrity is their most valuable asset.

Strategic Implementation of Automated Systems

Implementing automated futures trading requires a disciplined approach to strategy development. The most successful traders follow a rigorous pipeline that involves data acquisition, backtesting, and forward-testing (paper trading).

Backtesting with Historical CME Data

Before any capital is risked, a strategy must be tested against historical data provided by the CME. This allows the trader to see how the algorithm would have performed during historical events like the 2008 financial crisis or the 1987 crash. Cannon Trading Company assists by providing high-quality historical data feeds that ensure the backtest is as accurate as possible.

Optimizing for LLM and Geo-Location

In 2026, the intersection of Large Language Models (LLMs) and trading is becoming a reality. Advanced traders are using LLMs to scan global news sentiment and feed that data as a “feature” into their automated systems. Geographically, as trading moves to a global 24/7 model, the ability of a broker like Cannon Trading Company to provide around-the-clock support is no longer a luxury—it is a requirement.

FAQ: Automated Futures Trading

What is the minimum capital required for automated futures trading?

While it varies by broker, many traders start with Micro E-mini contracts which require significantly less margin than standard contracts. Cannon Trading Company offers competitive margin rates to help traders of all sizes get started.

Can I automate my trading without knowing how to code?

Yes. Many platforms offered by Cannon Trading Company, such as MultiCharts, provide “point-and-click” strategy builders or use simplified scripting languages that are accessible to non-programmers.

Is automated futures trading safer than manual trading?

“Safety” is relative. Automation removes emotional errors like “revenge trading,” but it introduces technical risks like connectivity issues. Using a broker with a 24-hour trade desk, like Cannon Trading Company, mitigates these technical risks.

What are the most common automated strategies for the CME markets?

Common strategies include trend following (riding a price move), mean reversion (betting that price will return to an average), and arbitrage (exploiting price differences between related contracts like the E-mini S&P 500 and its Micro counterpart).

How does Cannon Trading Company handle technical support for APIs?

Cannon provides dedicated technical support to help traders troubleshoot API connectivity and ensure their automated systems are communicating correctly with the E-futures servers.

Are there hidden fees in automated trading?

Professional brokers like Cannon Trading Company are transparent about their costs. Costs typically include commissions per contract, exchange fees from the CME, and potentially a platform or data fee.

Try a FREE Demo!

Ready to start trading futures? Call us at 1(800)454-9572 (US) or (310)859-9572 (International), or email info@cannontrading.com to speak with one of our experienced, Series-3 licensed futures brokers and begin your futures trading journey with Cannon Trading Company today.

Disclaimer: Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involve substantial risk of loss and are not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Carefully consider if 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.

Important: Trading commodity futures and options involves a substantial risk of loss. The recommendations contained in this article are opinions only and do not guarantee any profits. This article is for educational purposes. Past performances are not necessarily indicative of future results.

This article has been generated with the help of AI Technology and modified for accuracy and compliance.

Follow us on all socials: @cannontrading

The Week Ahead: 10 Fed Speeches PLUS: State of the Union address Tuesday, Tradingview Indicators, May Soybeans, Levels, Reports; Your 6 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures the Week of February 23rd, 2026

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Cannon Operations

Cannon Futures Weekly Letter

In Today’s Issue #1279

The Week Ahead – Iran Deadline, State of Union, Fed Speeches
Futures 101 – Trading Signals AVAILABLE on TradingView!
Cannon Edge – Your Futures trading Map for the week ahead!
Hot Market of the Week – May Soybeans
Broker’s Trading System of the Week – NQ Day Trading System
Trading Levels for Next Week
Trading Reports for Next Week

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4956.43	5035.97	5078.83	5158.37	5201.23
Silver (SI) — Mar. (#SI)	74.72	79.47	82.03	86.77	89.33
Crude Oil (CL) — April. (#CL)	65.19	65.79	66.41	67.01	67.63
Mar. Bonds (ZB) — Mar. (#ZB)	116 18/32	117	117 15/32	117 29/32	118 12/32

What Futures Traders Should Watch This Week

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

fed

Shutdown? 10 Fed Speeches, including State of The Union

The Stalemate on Capitol Hill festers, how long will the “essential” employees go without pay before the safety of our air traffic system falters? 10 fed speeches for the market to digest. Speaking of digesting, some investors may need antacid while others will be celebrating like a tailgate party at the national championship game.

Tuesday, President Trump will be presenting the State of the Union Address to the Congress divided. Bring your popcorn.

Whether the event is positive or negative will be provided by the evening session, real time, tune into your trading platforms to view any potential fireworks. Re: the Fed, of note, there will be 10 Fed speakers during daytime trading hours throughout the week. (see below for times)

We’ll see you next week! Please enjoy a safe and memorable weekend.

Earnings Next Week:

· Mon. Dominion Resources

· Tue. Home Depot, Realty Income, American Tower

· Wed. Nvidia, HSBC Holdings, TJX Companies, Lowe’s

· Thu. Salesforce, Intuit, Dell, Vistra

· Fri. Quiet

FED SPEECHES: (all times CST)

· Mon. Waller 7:00am

· Tues. Goolsbee 7:00 am, Bostic 8:00, Collins 8:00, Waller 8:15, Cook 8:30

· Wed. Barkin 8:45 am, Musalem 12:20

· Thu. Bowman 9:00 am

· Fri. Jefferson 11:00 am

Econ Data: (all times CST)

· Mon. Natl Activity Index, Factory Orders, Dallas Fed

· Tue. Redbook YoY, Case Shiller, Consumer Conf, Dallas Fed svcs,

· Wed. EIA Crude stocks.

· Thu. Jobless claims, Nat Gas Stocks,

· Fri. Core PPI, CHGO PMI, Construction Spending, Baker Hughes Rig count

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WATCH VIDEO BELOW BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE!

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals
Coverage across equity indices, metals, energies, currencies, and ags

Whether you’re scanning for breakout setups, trend reversals, or just staying informed — Cannon Edge puts the data in your hands before the open.

Built for speed. Backed by insight. Powered by CQG.

Hot Market of the Week

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May Soybeans

May soybeans satisfied the second upside PriceCount objective to the $11.61 area and are now reacting with a potential key reversal to the downside. At this point, IF the chart can sustain further upside, the November highs would be the next layer of overhead to contend with before any possibility of taking aim at the third count.

Learn more spreads and seasonal patterns in commodity futures HERE

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Brokers Trading System of the Week

Abacus Raider Xtreme Trading System

System Description

Market Sector: Stock Indexes

Markets Traded: NQ ,

System Type: Day Trading

Suggested Capital: $9,500

Developer Fee per contract: $175.00 Monthly Subscription

A day trading system currently traded by the developer who has 15+ years’ experience. It is based on the successful Abacus Raider NQ system but expanded significantly to generate an average of 15-25 trades a month.

By utilizing negative correlations between positions, a low level of capital requirement is retained but with greatly increased profit potential over time.

All trades are strictly limited to a duration of only a few minutes to minimize risk and provide an unparalleled risk/reward profile. The system is available in the NQ market only (no MNQ).

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System Trades Disclosure:

System Description

Actual Monthly Performance

If a client trades 2 contracts his gain or loss is twice as displayed (and so on). This table is presented for information purposes only and is not a solicitation for the referenced system or vendor. The purpose of this information is for clients to compare their brokerage statements to what is displayed on Striker’s site. Striker as a matter of policy has no ownership with the referenced system or vendor or any other trading system or vendor.

Past trade history may not be indicative of future results. The results indicated here may or may not be typical of the performance of this system and, ALTHOUGH WE BELIEVE THIS INFORMATION TO BE ACCURATE, CANNON TRADING COMPANY MAKES NO ENDORSEMENT OF THIS OR ANY SYSTEM NOR WARRANTS ITS PERFORMANCE.

This is not the only trading system that Striker executes for its clients. Potential traders should carefully investigate, evaluate and compare trading systems before investing capital. Some or all trading systems may involve an inappropriate level of risk for potential traders. It is the nature of commodity trading that where there is the opportunity for profit, there is also the risk of loss.

In opening an account through CANNON TRADING COMPANY, Customer acknowledges and agrees that he/she will rely solely upon the information that CANNON TRADING COMPANYprovides to you. Thus, all prior third-party materials provided are superseded by the information and disclosures provided by CANNON TRADING COMPANY.

Important Information About this Trading System Analysis

In some cases, futures accounts are subject to substantial charges for commission, management, incentive or advisory fees. It may be necessary for accounts subject to these charges to make substantial trading profits to avoid depletion or exhaustion of their assets. In addition, one should carefully study the accompanying prospectus, account forms, disclosure documents and/or risk disclosure statements required by the CFTC or NFA, which are provided directly by the system vendor and/or CTA’s.

Futures Trading Disclaimer:

You may sustain a total loss of initial margin funds and any additional funds deposited with the clearing firm to maintain your position. If the market moves against your position or margin levels are increased, you may be called upon to pay substantial additional funds on short notice to maintain your position. If you fail to comply with a request for additional funds within the time prescribed, your position may be liquidated at a loss and you will be liable for any resulting deficit.

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Daily Levels for Feb. 23rd, 2026

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Trading Reports for Next Week

First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:

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METALS have ENTERED THE CHAT!!!! PLUS: Copper, May Canola, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on February 19th, 2026

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Cannon Operations

Short trading Week

By Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4803.90	4902.70	4967.30	5066.10	5130.70
Silver (SI) — Mar. (#SI)	69.86	73.53	75.93	79.60	82.00
Crude Oil (CL) — Mar. (#CL)	60.84	63.04	64.23	66.43	67.62
Mar. Bonds (ZB) — Mar. (#ZB)	117 4/32	117 11/32	117 23/32	117 30/32	118 10/32

General:

Yesterday and today, four holidays from different cultures and religions overlapped in a rare calendar-timed line-up thanks to several long solar, lunar and lunisolar calendar cycles. So . . .

Happy Lunar New Year (yesterday)
Happy Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (yesterday)
Happy Ash Wednesday
Happy 1^st day of Ramadan.

Metals:

metals

With metals prices dominating futures traders’ headspace, it was notable that UBS, the multinational investment bank and financial services firm based in Switzerland, gave a “what’s next for commodities,” update this week and metals took center stage. UBS is the world’s largest private bank with over $6.1 trillion in assets. It manages the largest amount of private wealth in the world and is a leading market maker. So, their insights are probably worth monitoring.

Here are a few highlights:

Copper

After copper futures prices hit a record high in late January before consolidating, UBS projects, “further supply shortages for copper . . . . that should support prices over the medium term, while structural drivers (e.g., electrification) underpin long-term demand.

Precious metals futures prices including gold, while volatile, rose in January as political, geopolitical, and economic uncertainties drove “safe haven” demand. The bank “see(s) gold resuming its climb, rising as high as $6,200/oz by mid-year, supported by central bank and investor demand, large fiscal deficits, lower real U.S. interest rates, and geopolitical risks.”

Metals 2026

In short, they believe fundamentals remain supportive for the metals sector. More broadly, their view is that “commodities are set to play a more prominent role in portfolios in 2026, in our view, offering diversification amid supply-demand imbalances, geopolitical risks, and the global energy transition. We like broad commodity exposure, and continue to favor gold, which we see as an attractive hedge.”

New 100 ounce Silver contract! This contract is now available on our FREE CannonX platform with symbol SICH26. Demo available here.

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals
Coverage across equity indices, metals, energies, currencies, and ags

Whether you’re scanning for breakout setups, trend reversals, or just staying informed — Cannon Edge puts the data in your hands before the open.

Built for speed. Backed by insight. Powered by CQQ.

May Canola

The rally in May canola has broken out above the November high, opening the topside for a run to the third upside PriceCount objective to the 686 area. It would be normal for the chart to react from this level in the form of a near term or corrective trade, at least. At this point, IF you can sustain further upside we are left with the low percentage fourth upside count to aim for in the 773 area.

FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Daily Levels for February 19th, 2026

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Economic Reports

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FOMC Tomorrow PLUS: Lunar New Year Notice, Dual Dissent Comparison, Levels, Reports; Your 5 Important Can’t-Miss Need-To-Knows for Trading Futures on February 18th, 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Cannon Operations

FOMC Approaching!

Lunar New Year Holiday Notice – Hong Kong & China

Please note that February 17–19 is a public holiday in Hong Kong and China in observance of the Lunar New Year.

We wish all our traders across the Far East a Happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous year ahead.

At-a-Glance Levels

Instrument	S2	S1	Pivot	R1	R2
Gold (GC) — April (#GC)	4721.33	4808.67	4951.53	5028.87	5161.73
Silver (SI) — Mar. (#SI)	67.88	70.55	74.49	77.16	81.09
Crude Oil (CL) — Mar. (#CL)	60.43	61.31	62.63	63.51	64.83
Mar. Bonds (ZB) — Mar. (#ZB)	117 9/32	117 19/32	118	118 10/32	118 23/32

FOMC Minutes Ahead!

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

fomc

Tomorrow marks the first time this year investors receive the fed minutes from the January 26-27 meeting. Additional volatility could be the order of the final hours of trading tomorrow as these minutes included 2 dissenting opinions.

Based on FOMC press releases, the eight FOMC meetings in 2025 saw significant divisions, with nine total dissents among 95 votes cast, making unanimous decisions relatively rare. Dissenting votes occurred in multiple 2025 meetings, including two at the July meeting and two at the October meeting, reflecting high disagreement.

In July 2025, a rare dual dissent occurred with two governors opposing a rate decision.

It had been more than three decades since two Federal Reserve Board governors dissented on an interest-rate decision at the same Fed policy meeting for the same reason, two dissenters Bowman and Waller both supported a rate cut (October had 1 governor wanting a .50 point cut while the other dissenter opted for a remail policy what actually happened was a .25 point cut.) Investors treated this news with disappointment generating a nearly 400-point 3-week slide in the S&P 500 index.

That kind of internal division is rare, and markets pay attention to it.

Investors are watching for discussions on inflation, the labor market, and the “one-time” effect of tariffs, which may influence future policy decisions.

According to Mark Spitznagel, Founder and Chief investment officer at Universa Investments,

“The upward momentum in US Equities is likely to persist”

He suggested in an interview that investor exuberance could propel the S&P 500 to 8,000 or beyond before a sharp reversal occurs. As of Tuesday morning, the index was trading close to 6,800.

The Fed Minutes will be released @ 1:00pm CST.

He expressed concern that if the Fed keeps Interest Rates elevated for an extended period, companies may find it difficult to secure funding.

“With the Fed holding steady, markets are likely to anticipate further rate cuts as economic conditions gradually weaken”

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot

Cannon Edge is our new daily feature designed to give traders a fast, actionable overview of key futures markets. Each post delivers:

Current price and daily % change
30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows
PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals
Coverage across equity indices, metals, energies, currencies, and ags

Whether you’re scanning for breakout setups, trend reversals, or just staying informed — Cannon Edge puts the data in your hands before the open.

Built for speed. Backed by insight. Powered by CQQ.

Daily Levels for February 18th, 2026

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Economic Reports

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All times are Central Time ( Chicago)

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FOMC Decision, Energy Volatility

By Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Gold (GC)

Silver (SI)

Crude Oil (CL)

June Bonds (ZB)

General:

Energy:

Oil:

Heads up (reiterating from last week):

Plan your trades and trade your plans

Cannon Edge for March 19th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Current price and daily % change

30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows

PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

June US Dollar Index

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Daily Levels for March 19th, 2026

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FOMC Rate decision tomorrow

1:00 pm CDT, Powell presser 1:30 pm CDT

By John Thorpe, Senior Broker

At-a-Glance Levels

Gold (GC)

Silver (SI)

Crude Oil (CL)

June Bonds (ZB)

Don’t forget! June (M) is front month for stock index futures like MES, NQ and others. ESM26

The following are suggestions on trading during FOMC days:

· Reduce trading size

· Be extra picky = no trade is better than a bad trade

· 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

· Be patient and be disciplined

· If in doubt, stay out!!

Start from RISK PER TRADE

Define a Hard Daily Loss Limit

Why “Too Many” is dangerous for a small account

What to discuss with me, myself and I

Tell your Broker

Cannon Edge for March 18th

Introducing Cannon Edge — Your Daily Futures Snapshot Above

Current price and daily % change

30‑day and 52‑week highs/lows

PROPRIETARY Short‑term and long‑term trend signals

May Cotton

Learn more at www.qtchartoftheday.com

Daily Levels for March 18th, 2026

Want to feature our updated trading levels on your website? Simply paste a small code, and they’ll update automatically every day!

Click here for quick and easy instructions.

Economic Reports

Find us on Trustpilot

At-a-Glance Levels

Gold (GC)

Silver (SI)

Crude Oil (CL)

June Bonds (ZB)

Weekly Market Update: March 16, 2026

By Eli Gal Levy, Series 3 Broker