Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) articles from January 2005

Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) archives from January 2005

Poor Ben's almanac.(copyrights)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... There's no doubt that founding father Benjamin Franklin may not have met Red State moral standards (whatever those are), but he certainly was an incredible human being. Any man who could work as a writer, printer, statesman, inventor--and be a...

No big brother.(Sound Off!)
January 1, 2005... Automated trading is a troubling development [see "A hands-on look at hands-off trading," November 2004]. [F]or the life of me I can't imagine why any normal small trader would think they could flip a switch and watch the profits roll in the...

In the dark on candles.(Sound Off!)
January 1, 2005... In the November issue ["Day-trading with candlesticks and moving averages"] your writer said "of the 50 or 60 candlestick signals, only 10 signals have been identified as signals worth spending the mental time and energy learning." Do tell!...

Correction.(column headings for securee amount and net capital were switched)(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2005... In our chart of the top 50 brokers in the December issue, the column headings for 2004 secured amount and 2004 adjusted net capital were switched. Futures regrets the error. Also, according to data submitted after deadline, American National...

New year, new rivals: Eurex US drops fees, takes on New York.(Trendlines)
January 1, 2005... As it approaches its one-year anniversary, Eurex US extends its offensive in its fight for market share in U.S. Treasury contracts while establishing another front in stock index products. In this latest effort, the exchange is listing Russell...

Russell plays the field: indexes ditch exclusive listing rights.(Trendlines)(Russell Investment Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Beginning as early as this month, you may be able to trade index options based on the Russell Investment Group's family of indexes at any U.S. options exchange. An exclusive agreement between Russell and the Chicago Board Options Exchange...

Trading SO2: Climate exchange goes online.(Trendlines)
January 1, 2005... Dec. 10 marked the start of futures trading on sulfur dioxide emission allowances on the newly established all-electronic Chicago Climate Futures Exchange (CCFE), a subsidiary of the Chicago Climate Exchange Inc. The contract, Sulfur Financial...

Chartview: riding the wave of FX growth.(Trendlines)(forex)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Forex trading isn't only growing on the cash side. Forex futures trading also is setting records. While the $79 billion total daily notional value of CME currency product trading still pales in comparison to the OTC market's $1.9 trillion, it's...

Free at last.(International News)(New York Board of Trade and eSpeed sign a deal)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The New York Board of Trade and eSpeed announced in December a renegotiated agreement that terminates all provisions of a previous agreement. This frees Nybot to pursue possible joint ventures or mergers. Since moving its operations into the...

Another 'Q' for you.(International News)
January 1, 2005... On Dec. 1 the Nasdaq 100 Index Tracking Stock (QQQ) switched its listing from the American Stock Exchange (Amex) to Nasdaq with the new trading and market data symbol QQQQ. As an OTC security, QQQQ is no longer subject to ITS rules,...

Uber-solution?(International News)(GL Trade purchased Ubitrade Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... GL Trade has purchased Ubitrade Group, an electronic trading and back office company. The deal lets GL Trade provide a fully integrated front-to-back solution for equity, derivative and OTC markets. GL Trade says this makes it the first...

Sleepless in Singapore.(International News)(Stock exchanges)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The CME is trying to expand global access to its markets by establishing its first Asian telecommunications hub in Singapore in the second quarter of 2005. The hub, which will reduce connectivity costs for customers in the Pacific Rim,...

32 years of futures ...(Trendlines)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Futures has thrived for more than three decades by providing unbiased tips, news, profiles, advice and current market analysis. Here, we spotlight some events Futures has covered during its 32 years. This flashback includes some articles from...

Two new commissioners at the CFTC.(Trading Places)(Commodity Futures Trading Commission )
January 1, 2005... Michael V. Dunn and Fred Hatfield were sworn in as commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in December. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dunn says his main goal is to work toward ensuring there's no fraud or manipulation...

Comeback kids.(Managed Money Review)
January 1, 2005... Strong returns in October and November put many commodity trading advisors (CTA) back in the black after what had been a difficult year. The Barclay CTA Index posted a preliminary return of 2.78% for November (78.9% reporting) following an...

Coffee higher ... eventually.(Hot Commodities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The notion that low prices take care of low prices is a basic tenet of the law of supply and demand. Jack Scoville, VP at Price Futures Group, sees the coffee rally as a sign of the return to a more historical valuation of the commodity...

Gold surprise.(Hot Commodities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Just as we were preparing to talk about the nearly uninterrupted three-month uptrend in gold futures, it up and tanks $15 in one day. Despite the dramatic Dec. 8 sell-off in gold, analysts Futures spoke with are still bullish--though a little...

Corn under pressure.(Hot Commodities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A record crop this fall coupled with declining export figures and higher than expected feed wheat production is putting pressure on corn, according to industry analysts. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Shawn McCambridge, senior grains analyst at...

Is crude rally over?(Hot Commodities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The mere volume of bullish news over the last year supporting higher crude oil prices had many analysts declaring a paradigm shift in oil pricing. Crude oil futures prices had never been able to sustain $30-plus levels for very long, but some...

Economic expansion: how solid is it? Rising interest rates, an enormous trade imbalance, a swelling current account deficit and a falling dollar. These are only a handful of the economic issues the U.S. economy will face this year. So how will the economy respond? Will this recovery stay on track?(MARKETS)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... Common catch phrases economists have used to describe their predictions for 2005 include 'moderate growth' and 'continued expansion.' But many agree that if a wild card is thrown into the mix--such as high oil prices--these economic forecasts...

T-bonds: waiting for the crash.(MARKETS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Amid a crashing dollar, rising global equity markets and a rate hiking Fed, U.S. Treasury market yields adjusted for inflation are at the lowest levels in history. From a fundamental perspective the opportunity to short bonds could not be...

Tech talk: more downside for the dollar.(MARKETS)
January 1, 2005... The U.S. dollar has now been in a pronounced downtrend for more than two years. Since the beginning of 2002, the dollar has fallen nearly 32% against the euro, 30% against the Swiss Franc, 25% against the British pound, 22% against the Japanese...

Europe and the euro: what goes up ...(MARKETS)
January 1, 2005... To every yin, its yang, and to every yen, its euro--or dollar, for that matter, since the surging euro and yen owe as much to the dollar's decline as to any domestic strengths of their own. In fact, for the year ahead, most economists see the...

Trend principles, tactics and new tools.(Forex Trader)
January 1, 2005... As 2005 gets underway, we are at extremes in the currency markets. More specifically, the U.S. dollar has been in a long-term downtrend. The phrase "the trend is your friend" has certainly shown itself to be a good mantra for those who have...

Intraday setup for E-mini trading: you don't have to be a computer whiz to trade today's electronic markets successfully. Here's a simple set-up for the E-mini markets that can provide significant profit opportunity--if you can manage the risk.(EQUITY TRADING TECHNIQUES)
January 1, 2005... There are numerous trading axioms that have been published ad nauseam--take your losses... never trade ahead of a major report... don't average losers--yet, traders who lack discipline consistently don't acknowledge these rules. However, just...

Fade the breadth: think you know how to trade market breadth? Think again. Depending on your time frame, past strength may mean anything but future bullish follow-through.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
January 1, 2005... One of the trading aphorisms that many of us have been taught is that market breadth is important. Market breadth refers to the number of individual shares participating in a move in a broader index that includes those shares. Supposedly, when...

Open-ended questions for closed-minded people: last year was all about the waiting. Is the wait over? We consult with the oats/notes spread to find out what's in store for the markets.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
January 1, 2005... Take it on faith, you take it to the heart Waiting is the hardest part --Tom Petty The sun is the same in the relative way, but you're older And shorter of breath and one day closer to death --Pink Floyd In homage to the...

Should forex traders battle the banks? Central banks have lost their ability to dictate trading ranges as they did in the 1980s, but their role in today's forex market is still significant. Here's what forex traders need to know.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
January 1, 2005... Foreign exchange markets have come a long way since the dark days of the Bretton Woods Accord, which kept currencies chained to each other in a range of only 1%. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the past 30 odd years, the globalization of the...

Setting the stage for option selling: traders should understand all viable means to exploiting market moves, and that includes selling options. For some traders in many market situations, short option positions might be the best way to trade the markets.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
January 1, 2005... Selling options can mystify new traders. Some of the factors that come into play are very different from conventional long or short trading. Buying a futures contract or option and selling at a higher price makes sense to most--as does selling...

Oscillators explained: if you need a trading tool to complement your primary indicator, these market measurers may be what you're seeking.(FUTURES 101)
January 1, 2005... Being a trader, and not a fortune teller, you have no idea what the markets you trade are going to do exactly, which is why you use indicators to help you narrow down your projections of what could happen after you place your trade. Oscillators...

How much are you paying? The fee structures for various managed futures products can vary greatly. While brokerage fees have been dropping dramatically, there are often several layers of fee takers involved before an end user sees profits. Before investing, it's important to know how much you are paying and for what service.(MANAGED MONEY)
January 1, 2005... The way managed futures funds are structured can lead to confusion over what an investor is paying and to whom. While many commodity trading advisors (CTA) have a straightforward fee structure usually involving a management fee of 1% to 2% and...

Patent this!(TRADE TRENDS)
January 1, 2005... When technology firm Trading Technologies was awarded patents for its depth of market order entry software, it sent a shudder through the industry. What does it mean for other software firms whose front-ends look similar to TTs? And with few...

Fidelity Investments.(Software)
January 1, 2005... Fidelity Investments has released Wealth-Lab Pro, trading software offering technical indicators, charting, portfolio analysis and simulation and real-time scanning. Wealth-Lab Pro also has 10 years of daily historical market trading data from...

TradingScreen Inc.(Software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... TradingScreen Inc. has launched TradeSmart version 2.0, a customizable trading front-end, which combines a redesigned user interface with enhanced functionality for electronic trading across multiple asset classes. The product enables buy-side...

DTN.(Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... DTN has released DTN ProphetX 2.5, a real-time market data tool and analytical workstation for futures traders. The program offers customizable charts and analytics. Traders can organize and display data from all domestic and major...

Interactive Brokers LLC (IB).(Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Interactive Brokers LLC (IB) has launched Inter-market Smart-Routing for Spread Orders, a new service that supports spread strategies for equities and options traded across multiple U.S. markets. The service supports spread trading between...

Algorithmics Inc. and Bloomberg LP have released Algo Risk version 1.6.(Services)
January 1, 2005... Algorithmics Inc. and Bloomberg LP have released Algo Risk version 1.6, which has features that enable users to customize user interfaces to their specific requirements with more control over how information is displayed, processed and...

Trend Following: How Great Traders Make Millions in Up or Down Markets.(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Trend Following: How Great Traders Make Millions in Up or Down Markets By Michael Covel Prentice Hall (2004) 311 pages, $27.50 Michael Covel had an intelligent, if somewhat ultimately slanted, approach to laying out this...

Candlesticks, Fibonacci and Chart Pattern Trading Tools: A Synergistic Strategy to Enhance Profits and Reduce Risk.(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Candlesticks, Fibonacci and Chart Pattern Trading Tools: A Synergistic Strategy to Enhance Profits and Reduce Risk By Robert Fischer and Jens Fischer John Wiley & Sons (2003) 256 pages, $89.95 The authors promise to provide...

Contract dates.(Dateline)(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... 3 FND: BM & F Alcohol F, Cotton F, Nybot Orange juice F. LTD: BM & F Alcohol OF. [TABLE OMITTED] 7 LTD: CME CME $ Index OF, Currencies OF, Live cattle OF, Nybot Currencies OF, Dollar index OF, Feb Cocoa OF. 10 LTD: BM & F Alcohol...

Events coming up.(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... Call the numbers listed for more information. For other seminars, see the classifieds on pages 76-81. GARP 2005 6th Annual Convention and Exhibition. JAN. 31-FEB. 3. Marriot Marquis Hotel, New York. +44 (0) 20 7626 9303....

Stefano Durdic: out with the old ...(Trader Profile)(Biography)
January 1, 2005... Stefano Durdic loves the rubbery flooring in the South Chicago Loop loft that houses proprietary trading house Speed Trading Group and high-end brokerage RedSky Securities. "It's the same stuff they have on the trading floor of the...

Categories of futures/options firms.
January 15, 2005... The firms listed in Futures' 2005 SourceBook are broken into four groups--brokers/advisors, information suppliers, electronic/computer services and professional services. Some categories are defined by the NFA or CFTC; some are...

Futures & options industry firms.(A-C)(Directory)
January 15, 2005... The following is an alphabetical listing of U.S. firms serving the futures and options industry that responded to our requests to be listed in the Futures' 2005 SourceBook. The basic listing includes the firm name in boldface type followed...

Futures & options industry firms.(D-I)(Directory)
January 15, 2005... D Dabbah Securities Corp. 6 East 46th St., Suite 300, New York, NY 10017. (212) 697-0055. Fax: (212) 697-9609. E-mail: dabbah@lovad.net. (IB) Daco Inc. 2703 Hall St., Suite 6, Hays, KS 67601. (785) 628-3037. (IB) D.A.C.S....

Futures & options industry firms.(J-R)(Directory)
January 15, 2005... J Jack Cushing 701 Concord St., Glendale, CA 91202. (818) 500-9120. Fax: (818) 500-8512. (CTA, CPO) Jackson Asset Management LLC 9465 Counselors Row, Suite #200, Indianapolis, IN 46240. (317) 805-4804. (CTA, CPO) Jackson...

Futures & options industry firms.(S-US VIRGIN ISLANDS)(Directory)
January 15, 2005... S Saddle River Futures Trading Group 111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60604. (312) 930-6830. Fax: (240) 414-2454. E-mail: info@srfutures.com. Web site: www.saddleriverfutures.com. (IB, IH, PSP, PSE) Saguaro Asset...

Futures & options exchanges.
January 15, 2005... Here we list the world's futures and options exchanges, U.S. exchanges first, then overseas exchanges, alphabetically by country. Only U.S. contracts with a minimum average daily volume of one, are listed, while only non-U.S. contracts with a...

Industry regulators.
January 15, 2005... CHECKING ON YOUR BROKER Most of us will be involved with an industry regulator only when checking on the disciplinary history of brokers and trading advisors. The best way to check on U.S.-based firms is through the National Futures...