Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) articles from July 2008

Futures (Cedar Falls, IA) archives from July 2008

Economy hell.(EDITOR'S NOTE)(United States economic conditions)(Editorial)
July 1, 2008... It seems that in an election year, all analysis goes out the window. In speaking with someone the other day, he noted that the current market is volatile but "should calm down after the election." Apparently, he wasn't looking at the same...

Chartview: falling in line.(New York Mercantile Exchange acquiered by CME Group)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Since the announcement of the CME Group's proposed acquisition of the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), much has been made of the declinign value of CME stock by Nymex members. Their other objection is that the deal undervalues Nymex...

Grede takes rose off Bloom.(SETTLING SENTINEL)(Securities and Exchange Commission has filed charges against Sentinel Management Group Inc.)
July 1, 2008... In early June, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved two settlements that could return $1.0.7 million to Sentinel Management Group Inc.'s creditors. Sentinel's bankruptcy trustee Fred Grede had initially sought a $350 million recovery, but says the...

CBOE/CBOT settle feud.(WILD ERP)
July 1, 2008... Former members of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) will have to find something new to feud over. In early June, they reached an agreement in principle over CBOT member claims to an equity stake in...

Geltzeiler joins NYSE as CFO.(Trading Places)
July 1, 2008... Michael S. Geltzeiler was named chief financial officer and group EVP at NYSE Euronext. Previously he was president of school and educational services for the Reader's Digest Association. "I look forward to helping build on the success of NYSE...

Commodities remain hot.(Managed Money Review)
July 1, 2008... Commodities are hot. as are quant strategies. Allocations are pouring into commodity index funds, commodity trading advisors (CTAs) and commodity focused hedge funds. "We are starting to see programs coming in that are commodity focused....

Corn's underwater rally.(Hot Commodities)
July 1, 2008... Forget ethanol, corn is once again a weather play, trading above $7.30 per bushel from $5 in late March. As of June 1, 4 million acres had yet to be planted due to excessive rain. Now the resulting crop damage from persistent cold wet weather...

Getting gassy.(Hot Commodities)
July 1, 2008... Huge liquidity and an easy monetary policy have resulted in more investors looking at commodities as an asset class. "With that, the crude market, as the bell-wether of the energy complex has led everything higher, natural gas included," says...

10-year retreat.(Hot Commodities)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... From March to mid-June, 10-year note futures have plummeted from 120-01 to 111-09. "They have effectively been trading two-year and 10-year notes for mortgage backed securities," says Addison Wiggin, of investment research firm Agora Financial,...

Options strategy.
July 1, 2008... Question: How can you offset the risk of falling volatility when buying protective puts with the VIX above 30? Answer: VX Futures On March 14, options on Bear Stearns (BSC) were buzzing with activity. The stock was trading near $30 and...

The pip performance curve.(Forex Trader)
July 1, 2008... New forex traders often mistakenly try to master technical analysis as a first step in preparing to trade, and often they will use as many technical indicators as possible, leading to frustration because the list is extensive and many are not...

Where does the Fed go from here?(Market Watch)
July 1, 2008... Some are convinced the Federal Reserve is finished cutting interest rates and that its next move will be to raise them, but there is little certainty about either the timing or direction of monetary policy. The Fed's rate-setting Federal...

Recession hurts: many analysts claim the current subprime crisis has led to the greatest economic mess since the great depression. Others maintain that the worst is behind us and that the biggest threat is from pessimists' claims that the sky is falling. Our experts separate fact from fiction and provide a picture of where the economy is heading in this election year.(MARKETS)
July 1, 2008... Call it a slowdown, call it recession, but don't call it a depression. Not yet, anyway. In the first quarter of 2008, real U.S. gross domestic product increased by 0.9%, beating initial estimates of 0.6%, according to the Bureau of Economic...

Tech talk: 30-year bonds on fibonacci time.
July 1, 2008... The 30-year Treasury bond made an interesting top in January. After a series of higher highs, which were punctuated by excellent time windows, the action has turned south. A quick review shows the top came 262 (Fibonacci ratio) trading hours...

It's all about the numbers: numbers don't lie but sometimes politicians do. And over the years when numbers weren't to our leaders' liking, they have gotten creative in how they add them up.(FUTURES INTERVIEW)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... Economist Walter "John" Williams has been following economic reports for more than 25 years. He knows how they are calculated and has seen changes in the government's methodology for calculating them over the years. Most of these changes were...

Trading ETFs with round numbers: index-based, currency-based and commodity-based exchange-traded funds frequently find support or resistance at half-dollar and whole-dollar levels, often independently of other technical conditions. This phenomenon can help you profitably trade ETFs as well as associated futures and options.(EQUITY TRADING TECHNIQUES)
July 1, 2008... Trading tools do not have to be complicated. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that if you can count by whole- and half-dollar increments, you have a solid basis for tracking intraday movements in several markets. These levels often identify...

Always in the E-mini: if you enjoy the excitement of being in the market, you might want to consider an always-in approach to trading. Here's how to use price action analysis in an always-in swing strategy in the E-mini S&Ps.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
July 1, 2008... Most traders don't have the temperament to watch every tick of the market, finding it more profitable to specialize in intraday swing trading. You can trade successfully with just a five-minute chart and a 20-bar exponential moving average...

Day-trading with the Tick index: the Tick index has been a popular indicator with traders for years. Here, we apply it to high-frequency intraday data to defect extreme overbought conditions that often highlight trend changes in intraday trading.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
July 1, 2008... The original Tick index was introduced by the New York Stock Exchange many years ago. Since then, it has been employed by traders to analyze market momentum. Still, despite the index's popularity, it lends itself well to innovation. Our focus...

Follow the money to make more: aberrations created by large trader allocations can have profound effects on price movements in both stock indexes and Treasury markets. If traders know what price cues to key on, they can benefit from these asset allocation shifts and earn strong profits with relatively little effort.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
July 1, 2008... Professional investment vehicles allocate a fixed percentage of their portfolios to specific sectors, such as equities and fixed income. At various points in time, those professionals may adjust those allocations, creating huge movements of...

Collecting premium, with help from the Fed: the time may be right for a change of plan at the Federal Reserve. Here's one way you can profit even if you don't have perfect timing.(TRADING TECHNIQUES)
July 1, 2008... In 1975. the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) introduced interest rate futures to meet a growing demand for products that could protect against fluctuations in the cost of borrowing money. Treasury bonds and later T-notes became the most liquid...

How to read economic reports; Economic reports can contribute to major swings in the market and if you don't know what to expect from them, you're trading blind. Here are the most important reports to watch.(FUTURES 101)
July 1, 2008... Nearly every day, a new economic report is released. Some of these reports can rock the market and, if you don't know what to expect, your portfolio as well. However, studying the most important reports and following a few guidelines can help...

So who can 1 trust?
July 1, 2008... In the "Futures Interview" (page 32), economist John Williams describes how popular economic reports put out by the government have been skewed over time to present a rosy economy picture. However, he says there are some private numbers that...

Dateline.
July 1, 2008... JULY MONDAY 30 7 Germany production index, UK employment 14 21 Australia PPI 28 TUESDAY 1 8 Crop summary 15 Crop summary, PPI, France balance of payments, Germany balance of payments, UK PPI ...

Contract dates.(Calendar)
July 1, 2008... 1 LTD: BM&F IBrX-50 F, Alcohol OF 3 LTD: CBOT Ethanol F 4 LTD: Euronext-Liffe Jul Feed Wheat OF 5 LTD: CME Currencies OF, CME $ Index OF, Canadian dollar OF, O, Mexican Peso OF, Live Cattle OF, Eurex Bobl F, Bund F, Schatz F, Buxl...

Events coming up.(Calendar)(Brief article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2008... Visit the Web sites listed for more information. For other seminars, see the classifieds on pages 62-65 Futures I-Trade Show. On demand through August 8. www.futuremag.com SFOA 29th Burgenstock Meeting. September 3-6, 2008. Interlaken,...

Jones: exercising his passion.(Trader Profile)(James H. Jones)
July 1, 2008... After earning a BA in finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1972, James H. Jones' next scheduled stop was law school. But Jones, who had traded stocks since high school, made one last push to find a job with a stock brokerage. Each...

Alphabetical company listings.(Futures [R])
July 1, 2008... Listed here are companies that have electronic trading-related products and services featured in the list beginning on page 50. You will find each company's address, phone and fax numbers, and the categories in which it offers products. For...

Product listings.
July 1, 2008... This list contains the names of specific products and services offered by the companies listed in this year's guide. These are primarily product names, though some entries are simply descriptions. You will find contact information for companies...

Products & services.
July 1, 2008... This directory lists companies that offer products or services of interest to traders, investors and firms trading electronically. Listed in alphabetical order by company, each listing includes the product name(s), e-mail and Web page address,...