No one is buying Wheat

Wheat is at an all-time low.

In the chart below I circled the buying frenzy when #Russia invaded #Ukraine and the whole wold became experts on #wheat shipments out of Odessa.

This was supplemented with pundit commentary that the world was facing a calorie shortage.

Today, wheat is nearing an oversold extreme and no one is talking about it.

Is being ‘Gluten Free’ the new Electric Vehicles dictum?

The 2nd derivative is that food companies now have cheaper inputs.

I wish Barilla #pasta was publicly listed.

Its good for the importers, bad for the exporters.

Good for the processors, bad for the growers.

March 17, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

Karri Asset Advisors

rob@karriasset.com.au

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Parabolic Cocoa

The parabolic move of the year (so far) goes to Cocoa.

Historically, such parabolas are usually thumped and mean reversion is honoured quickly.

The most recent #parabolic price moves were seen in Natural Gas and Wheat in the earlier phases of the Russian/Ukrainian War.

The attached monthly chart goes back to 1984.

The Empirical Rule states that 99.7% of data or prices observed following a normal distribution lies within 3 standard deviations.

Today, #cocoa is at 3.5 standard deviations.

While the upward move is astonishing, but I do wonder, with such probabilities, who is buying Cocoa at such prices?

Other extremes are seen in the distance above moving averages and the width of the Bollinger bands.

In the meantime, the stock prices of Hershey, Nestle and Barry Callebaut are wallowing at their recent lows.

March 16, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

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My take on Iron Ore prices

3 months ago, Iron Ore appeared in the overbought category of my corresponding weekly editions of ‘Macro Extremes’.

That observation (along with my other metrics) tells industry participants and traders a) you have little business establishing new long positions and b) sellers should consider selling.

As #ironore prices approach oversold territory, the downward trend has strength.

I’ll look for a lower entry price and that translate into the equity prices of related companies.

p.s. #steel companies will have a better time to buy as well.

March 14, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

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An expected move in the VIX

I think there is a change of direction approaching in the #VIX.

Subjectively, it seems there is complacency in equity #risk or at least expected volatility.

Factually, weekly bollinger bands are at their narrowest since February 2007.

This is when I look at putting on my #hedges or ‘fade exposure’.

You remove hedges at the other end of the pendulum.

March 11, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Macro Extremes (week ending March 8, 2024)

A weekly Macro, Cross Asset review of prices trading at extremes which may generate future investment ideas and opportunities.

The following assets (on a weekly timeframe) either registered an Overbought or Oversold reading and/or have traded more than 2.5 standard deviations above or below its rolling mean.

Extremes “above” the Mean (at least 2.5 standard deviations

U.S. 3 month bill yield

Russian 10 year bond yield

Rotterdam Coal

Cotton

Gold in GBP and ZAR

Overbought (RSI > 70)

Japanese 2 year bond yield

Cocoa

Robusta Coffee 

Rubber

FTSE All World (developed ex-USA) index

AEX

Budapest

CAC 30

DAX

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Italy’s MIB

KLSE

S&P MidCap 400

Nikkei 225

NIFTY 50

OMX Copenhagen

SENSEX 

Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX)

Nasdaq Transportation Index

And the S&P 500 Index

The Overbought Quinella – Both Overbought and Traded at > 2.5 standard deviations above the weekly mean)

Gold in AUD, CAD, JPY, EUR and USD

Egypt 30 Index

TAIEX

Extremes “below” the Mean (at least 2.5 standard deviations)

Wheat

Oversold (RSI < 30)

JKM LNG

Lithium Hydroxide

The Oversold Quinella – Both Oversold and Traded at < 2.5 standard deviations below the weekly mean)

Chinese 10 year government bond yields

Notes & Ideas:

Government bond yields were lower with most of them using after their recent rise to their rolling weekly means.

All yields were lower, except for the Japanese, again.

The yield for the Japanese 2’s and 5’s are in their respective 8 and 5 week rising streaks.

The Chinese 10’s are the notable oversold extreme in this week’s list.

While the Chilean 10’s and German 2’s broke their 4 week winning (yield) run.

Equities were mostly higher with many continuing to appear in the list of overbought extremes.

The Shanghai Composite and the CSI 300 have put together a 4 week winning streak, the DAX is at 5 weeks, the Philippines main index has risen for 7 straight weeks while the S&P Midcaps have closed higher for 9 consecutive weeks. 

The Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq 100 aren’t overbought anymore.

Mexico has fallen for 5 straight weeks.

Brazil’s BOVESPA has bucked the direction of most global bourses by falling 5.2% since its Christmas overbought reading.

Russia’s MOEX 10 closed at another all-time high.

Last week’s bullish outside reversal week for Copenhagen’s OMX 25 saw it follow through with a 2% rise.

The S&P 500 is still overbought. This week’s decline of 0.3% means it has only declined for 3 weeks of the past 19 weeks.

The CAC, the AEX and DAX resumed posting new all-time highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has now spent the past 13 weeks in overbought territory.

The Philippines Stock Exchange has put together a 6 week winning streak.

Australia’s ASX 200 is nearing overbought levels.

And Italy’s MIB has traded to its highest point since May 2008.

Commodities were mixed.

The big news is that the price of Gold (in 5 major currencies) is in this week’s overbought quinella category.

Over the past 3 weeks, Gold in USD and AUD have risen 8% and 6.5% respectively.

So much, that Gold as priced in AUD is 24% above its 200 week moving average.

Coking Coal, Gas and Oils were weaker.

Raw Cane Sugar had a terrible week.

Grains, Precious Metals and Industrial Metals were firmer.

Corn and Soybeans are not oversold anymore. In fact, Soybeans have risen for the past 2 weeks after snapping their recent 10 week losing streak.

Cocoa has spent 20 weeks in overbought land.

The Copper/Gold ratio is nearing lower extremes.

Nickel has risen 12% in the past 4 weeks.

Uranium is in a 5 week losing streak.

Rotterdam Coal has risen 18% in the past fortnight.

The Baltic Dry Index has risen for 5 consecutive weeks.

Cattle broke its 9 week rising run.

And Lithium Hydroxide has now spent 35 consecutive weeks in weekly oversold territory.

Currencies saw a firmer Aussie, Yen and British Pound.

Although in a contest between two of these stronger currencies, the GBP fell for a 2nd week against the Yen, thus easing it away from its highest point since mid 2015.

The following AUD pairs saw them perform weekly bullish outside reversals, AUDINR, AUDUSD and the AUD CAD.

The Loonie was weaker, so much that the CAD/EUR is in a 4 week losing streak.

The Euro was also weaker against everyone except the USD.

The DXY Index lost 1.1% for the week

And the USDSEK has fallen for 5 straight weeks.

The larger advancers over the past week comprised of;

Rotterdam Coal 3.8%, Baltic Dry Index 6.5%, Hot Rolled Coil Steel 3.8%, JKM LNG 1.9%, Tin 2.3%, Nickel 2%, Palladium 6.5%, Platinum 3%, Robusta Coffee 4.4%, Silver 5.1%, Rubber 2.4%, Dutch TTF Gas 2.3%, Silver in AUD 3.5%, Gold in AUD 3.1%, Gold in CAD 4.1%, Gold in USD 4.6%, Corn 3.5%, Soybeans 2.8%, KBW Regional Banks 3%, Egypt 8.1%, IBEX 2.4%, Indonesia 2.3%, KRE Regional Banks 4.1%, S&P MidCap 400 1.5%, Copenhagen 1.9%, TAIEX 4.5% and the ASX 200 rose 1.3%.

The group of largest decliners from the week included;

Australian Coking Coal (2%), China Coking Coal (2%), WTI Crude (2.5%), Lean Hogs (3.8%), Heating Oil (2.6%), Lithium Hydroxide (7.2%), Natural Gas (1.6%), Gasoline (3.3%), Raw Cane Sugar (4.9%), Brent Crude (1.8%), Gasoil (2.9%), Urea Middle East (2.3%), Uranium (3%), Oats (2.4%), Rice (3.9%), Wheat (3.6%), Nasdaq Composite (1.2%), Chile (2.2%) and the Nasdaq 100 fell 1.6%.

March 10, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

No bubbles in Non-U.S. equities

The FTSE Developed (ex USA) All World equity index has traded into weekly overbought territory for the first time in 3 years……

This index of non-U.S. equities is not yet ‘bubble-esque’.

It can grind higher as its upward trend has strength, but it’s not a bargain.

March 10, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

#assetallocation

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My March 2024 newsletter

My latest newsletter summarises my posts from over the past 2 months.

It saves you lots of reading and scrolling time.

https://mailchi.mp/karriasset/summarising-my-notes-over-the-past-2-months

There are forced buyers amongst us

Amongst those who manage equity portfolios, I’m sensing increasing pressure that they need to deploy capital for various reasons related to their ‘masters’ or mandates.

I’ve heard of forced sellers.

Sometimes we come across forced buyers.

I said it was too early to buy Gold

I wrote this note in late September 2023, suggesting that it was too early to buy #gold and that prices had a little lower to travel.

It was too early and prices did fall.

The date of that note (September 22, 2023) are highlighted within the charts below.

Also in that note, I was looking for the price of #Newmont (NEM:US) to trade down to $32.50.

It has now done so…..but I don’t think it has bottomed.

I’ll look for lower prices in Newmont stock before becoming interested.

As for the gold price, AUD gold is becoming ‘full’ and while CAD and USD Gold may trend higher, this is not an entry point for me, but merely a mid to late stage participatory trend.

You don’t have to be there because there are other #commodities to consider.

March 4, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

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Another case for lower interest rates

The orange line (Australian #inflation) is falling and catching up to the blue line (U.S. #naturalgas).

In a note dated June 29, 2023, I said so.

The green line (#Australian 2 year government interest rates) should fall and catch to orange and blue.

March 3, 2024

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

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