Volatility

What we witnessed last night and during today’s session reminded me of the markets when COVID first broke out and we saw limit moves across the board.

Temporarily: Most of our platforms now require 50% margins even for day trading!

tomorrow we have FOMC minutes!!

As of this typing stock index futures and other futures contracts have experienced single-day volatility moves not seen in years. Below you will see the range between high and lows made today for E-Mini stock index contracts:

→ E-mini Dow Jones: 2,173 points

→ E-mini S&P 500: 364 points

→ E-mini Nasdaq: 1,384 points

With tomorrow FOMC minutes and the furtherance of what looks to be the beginning of a global trade war,

expect no drop-off in market volatility.

Traders not only need to be extra cautious in making trading decisions, it’s also important to be aware of important aspects of the markets they’re trading.

Key among these are the daily price limits of the markets you’re trading. A price limit is the maximum price range permitted for a futures contract in each trading session. When markets hit the price limit, different actions occur depending on the product being traded.

Some markets may temporarily halt until price limits can be expanded or trading may be stopped for the day based on regulatory rules. Different futures contracts will have different price limit rules; i.e. Equity Index futures have different rules than Agricultural futures.

Price limits are re-calculated daily and remain in effect for all trading days (except in certain physically-deliverable markets, where price limits are lifted prior to expiration so that futures prices are not prevented from converging on prices for the underlying commodity).

Equity Indexes futures have a three level expansion: 7%, 13% and 20% to the downside, and a 7% limit up and down in overnight trading.

Follow the links below to the CME Group web site to find more information on price limits generally and specific price limits for the markets you’re trading:

Find daily price limits for CME Group Agricultural, Cryptocurrency, Energy, Equity Index, Interest Rates, and Metals products: click here.

May Feeder Cattle

May feeder cattle accelerated lower and satisfied the second downside PriceCount objective. The chart is trying to correct but if it can resume the slide into new sustained lows, the third count would project a possible run to the 256.38 area.

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.