SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - Dog Days

Stocks traded in a sleepy updrift today with light volume and lower volatility, pretty much as I had expected.  I am glad I did not spend too much time watching the wiggles back and forth.

We will be getting a little more economic news action next week, along with the continuing dribble of earnings reports.

The weather here is simply baking, and is likely to be exceptionally warm this weekend.  It almost makes you wish for September.

Have a pleasant weekend.

An Interesting Development in the Composition of International Readership

As you probably know, Le Café has always enjoyed a broad readership with a world-wide presence. I do not know why, but this is how it has been, with views from a little over 190 countries.

Google blogger does provide some basic stats with the package, and I look at them occasionally.

Tonight I found it interesting that over the last week or so Le Cafe has had a remarkable surge in readers from the area around Russia, as shown in the second chart below.

Бог правду видит, да не скоро скажет.

Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - Comex Options Expiry and FOMC Next Week

"What was scattered gathers.
What was gathered blows away.”

Heraclitus

And so we did a bungee jump over the past two days, a trading phenomenon colloquially known hereabouts as 'shenanigans.'

These jokers are so obvious and tiresome since the regulators have been put to bed.  At least they are not too lazy to steal.

Intraday there was a simple performance comparison of the two gold funds OUNZ and PHYS.

Next week could be a bit of a challenge for the precious metals, as we have not only a relatively important expiration on the Comex on Tuesday the 26th, but on the next day on Wednesday the 27th the FOMC will be revealing their decision on interest rates.

I am not going to speculate on which way I think the punters and wiseguys will take the markets, but it is likely to be an up and down, or a down and up, or perhaps even a down and down with the up to follow later on.   Or as I suspect we will be seeing sometime this year, just an 'up, up, and away.'

I do not wish to encourage anyone to trade any of these jiggered markets on the short term, even those who at least theoretically prefer their markets on the wild and underregulated side, with a charming trust in the natural goodness and rationality of some of the worst moral actors you will ever find.

And if you are determined to trade these markets short term, then just put your big boy pants on and have at it, as you certainly do not need any help from me.

Longer term, dull reality intrudes. even on the half-fevered monetary dreamstates of statists and thieves.

And after many a summer, dies the swan.

Have a pleasant evening.

SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - How Are the Mighty Fallen

“Empires die, like all of us dancers in the strobe lit dark.

See how the light needs shadows.”

David Mitchell

Stocks were a bit off today, as the risk on stampede cooled off a bit, as the bulls began to dwindle away for the long Summer weekend that they desire.

VIX ticked up a bit, as the buyers looked around themselves and saw how far they had come, and heard the snickers of the pros as they helped them to mount ever higher.

Tomorrow will likely be a sleepier day, with the adults gone by noon if not before.

Have a pleasant evening.