50% less rigs pumping & oil price is 50% lower

The amount of rigs in action are still below the peak seen in 2020 and 2019 and half the amount of rigs are in operation as when deployed between the years of 2011 – 2014.

At today’s $83 price of WTI, it’s 50% below the 2011-2014 price, with less production but is there less demand or have alternatives replaced that energy supply?

Here is this month’s Baker Hughes international rig count numbers.

I’ve highlighted the Canadian figures which rose month over month and LatAm is still holding rig counts at multi-year levels.

August 13, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Macro Extremes (week ending August 11, 2023)

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)

TBT

U.S. Government 30 year bond yields

Cotton

Gasoil

Heating Oil

Overbought (RSI > 70)

Russian 10 year government bond yields

U.S. 3 month bill yields

Russia’s MOEX

Turkiye’s BIST 100

And Chile’s IPSA equity index

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

None

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

Lithium

Newcastle Coal

AUD/GBP

JPY/GBP

AUD/CHF

Oversold (RSI < 30)

CLP/USD

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

None 

Notes & Ideas:

Equities mostly fell, albeit slightly compounding to last week’s weakness.

I say slightly, for only a few fell more than the 2% requisite to qualify for an appearance in the ‘largest’ decliners list.

The only indices to rise were the Nordics, Toronto’s TSX and the ASX 200.

All while Istanbul’s BIST 100 carries into its 8th consecutive week of gains, piling on gains of 9% in the past fortnight.

Commodities were mixed.

Gases and Coal were the winners while Agricultural’s and some metals were amongst the losers.

Equally, the S&P GSCI had the same sort of week (following a 5th winning a week) while Palladium saw a bullish version.

Cocoa performed an outside bearish reversal week as its breaks a 9 week winning streak 

Lean Hogs mean reverted.

In currencies, the AUD was weak everywhere and is in its 4th week of losses versus the USD.

The AUD/EUR and the AUD/GBP pairs saw their lowest closing prices since May 2020 and April 2020 respectively.

Many currency pairs streaks are into their 4th weeks on either side such as the DXY Index and the EUR/AUD is its 8th consecutive winning week.

Nd the EUR/JPY closed at its highest level since August 2008.

Bond yields rose meaning bonds were being sold off contradictory to the risk-off stance seen in equities.

Although, none of the yields made new highs.

The Australian 5 year bond yield had an outside bullish week as did the Swiss 10’s, the German 10’s and U.K. 5;s.

And the Aussie 10 year spread minus 5 year spread spent its 6th week in oversold territory.

The larger advancers over the past week comprised of;

Australian Coking Coal 2.2%, Rotterdam Coal 7.6%, China Coking Coal 2.1%, Cotton 4.3%, LNG 10%, Natural Gas 7.5%, Palladium 3.5%, Gasoline 6.5%, Sugar 2.7%, Dutch TTF Gas 22.3%, MOEX 2.1% and Istanbul’s BIST rose 4.2%

The group of decliners included;

Cocoa (4.4%), Lean Hogs (2.1%), Copper (3.3%), Coffee (2.3%), Lithium (2.7%), Newcastle Coal (2.2%), Nickel (3.1%), Silver (4.1%), Urea Gulf (4.3%), Silver in AUD (2.9%), Corn (2%),Soybeans (1.9%), Shanghai (3%), CSI 300 (3.4%), HSCEI (2.9%), Hang Seng (2.4%), Nasdaq Composite (1.9%) and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) fell 5%.

For some comparison, the KRE Regional Bank Index fell 1.6%, S&P 600 SmallCap Index declined 1.3%, the Nasdaq 100 retreated 1.6%, the S&P 500 eased 0.3%, the Russel 2000 and the Nasdaq 100 both waned 1.6%.

August 13, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Happy Birthday Luca….love from Dad

Some commodities are playing tricks

When the DXY Index registers an RSI (monthly) reading of over 65, it’s a reasonable signal to accumulate commodities.

This study is not be used in isolation nor disregard analysing the specific commodities of interest.

However, as I am preparing to accumulate certain commodities, this latest signal may be a short term bull trap, especially those chasing oil prices higher.

So my discipline will be to wait for my price and if I miss my entry price without an adequate margin of safety……then it can go on without me.

August 10, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Screenshot 2023-08-10 at 7.08.37 pm

Bullish trend in LNG is developing

I see a long trade in JKM LNG.

It has risen 4% today, currently trading at ¥1,775

The price action is constructive and first stop may be around ¥2,500.

It doesn’t matter if any rise is defined as a bounce, a rebound in demand, a short squeeze or mean reversion…..

JKM LNG (as priced in Yen) appeared in the Oversold list through the late May/early June editions of Macro Extremes when the price was around ¥1,550.

Since then, the margin of safety has faded so I’ll be sharp on this one.

This sentiment is a reversal of my warnings of peaking LNG prices over the past couple years. Those notes can be searched and found within my blog.

Furthermore, there is a reasonable correlation between LNG prices and the U.S. inflation rate……

August 8, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

* these are my own notes, not personal advice to the reader.

Cheap Australia and commodities

I think the UDUSD should hold around the 0.6460 region, thus USD buyers of Australian assets would be well advised to strike their transaction terms soon.

In turn, this renders AUD priced assets as being the cheapest since November 2022

This drop of a further penny or so, should correspond with an Iron Ore price visiting between the $92 – $98 mark.

It’s currently trading at $103.

and perhaps a price in BHP around A$43.35 although I prefer A$39.60.

August 8, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Chocolate prices in flux

There was a wicked daily bearish reversal in Cocoa trading today.

This should translate into a bearish weekly reversal.

Two months ago I highlighted the ‘rare air’ that Cocoa was trading at.

Corresponding within that June 2023 note, today’s closing price of Cocoa is 35% above its 200 week moving average.

While today’s intra-day high was 42% above the same mean.

While the Cocoa production is in deficit, stockpiles have grown and rising prices are curbing demand.

August 7, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

U.S. 30 year bonds yields are stretched

I think U.S. 30 year government bond yields ease back to somewhere between 3.16% to 3.36%.

What time frame?

Perhaps around July – December 2025…

but that matters less.

U.S. 30’s made an appearance in the overbought section of this week’s Macro Extremes.

They (the 30’s) don’t really have much business trading much more higher than where they are now. While the 200 week moving average should roll higher to honour the parabolic price move seen over the past 2 years.

…the study below tells me to buy bonds whilst waiting a little before locking in your borrowing rates.

August 7, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

Karri Asset Advisors

rob@karriasset.com.au

Macro Extremes (week ending August 4, 2023)

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. 10 year breakeven inflation rate

Japanese Government 10 year bond yield

TBT

U.S. Government 10, 20 & 30 year bond yields

U.S. 10 year yield minus German 10 year bond yield spread

Gasoil

Heating Oil

Straits Times Index

AEX

MIB

Overbought (RSI > 70)

Russian 10 year government bond yields

U.S. 3 month bill yields

Cocoa 

Urea Middle East price

Turkiye’s BIST 100

And Chile’s IPSA and IGPA equity indices

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

CHF/AUD

Russia’s MOEX equity index

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

TLT

Rubber

AUD/CAD

CLP/USD

Oversold (RSI < 30)

Newcastle Coal

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

None 

Notes & Ideas:

Equities had a poor showing this past week and amidst a sea of probability, it shouldn’t be a surprise considering the consecutive weeks that some bourses spent either extending winning weekly streaks or being overbought.

American indices aren’t in such territory anymore whether its the Nasdaq, Transports, Small Caps or Banks.

In fact, the DJ Industrials, DAX, CAC, MIB, Nasdaq Composite, Nasdaq 100, Nikkei 225, Russell 2000, SOX, TAEIX, FTSE 100, Mexico and Toronto’s TSX.,……all posted outside bearish reversal weeks

Furthermore, many stock market indices also broke weekly winning streaks such as Chile, U.S. KRE Regional Banks and DJ Transports along with the Nasdaq 100 ending its 10 week residence in the overbought arena. 

Amsterdam’s AEX gave exactly last week’s gains.

Russia’s MOEX and Turkiye’s BIST 100 extended their amazing bull runs to recently include consecutive winning streaks of 6 & 7 respectively. Avid readers of this periodical can recite that these numbers are where streaks are closer to being exhausted and ending.

On a jolly note, the Nasdaq SmallCap 700 had a pleasant week.

Commodities were active again.

With the decline across the agricultural, Wheat isn’t overbought anymore.

Cattle had a bullish outside reversal week while Silver (priced in AUD) performed the opposite feat, being a bearish outside reversal week.

Rubber entered the oversold arena as it posted its 5th consecutive losing week.

Orange Juice reversed all of last week’s gains.

On the other side of the ledger, the S&P GSCI, Gasoil (diesel) and Brent Crude Oil respectively are into their 5th, 6th and 6th week of rising prices.

and Cocoa is now in its 9th week of being overbought.

In currencies, the AUD was weaker across many pairs and approaching the oversold region.

The AUD/EUR has stretched its weekly losing streak to 7 weeks.

Last week’s bearish outside reversal week in the AUD/JPY portended this week’s weakness in ‘risk; as seen in equity markets.

The Euro was mostly firmer as was the USD against most.

While the GBP/AUD is new overbought levels.

The South African Rand fell 4% giving up recent gains.

The Colombian Peso (COP) posted a bearish outside week….

And the CHF/AUD extends its weekly rising streak to 7 as it makes a visit to the Overbought quinella this week.

Bond yields mainly declined, which is keeping with my broader view of abating and mean reverting yields….although for the week, the Germans, Spanish and French yields did rise.

The Japanese 10’s soared into overbought land.

The larger advancers over the past week comprised of;

Australian Coking Coal 6.5%, Brent Crude 1.8%, Baltic Dry Index 2.3%, China Coking Coal 13.2%, WTI Crude 2.4%, Iron Ore 2.3%, Gasoil 3.4%, Heating Oil 3.4%, Coffee 2.2%, Cattle 1.6%, Dutch TTF Gas 7.3%, Rice 1.9%, MOEX 2.8% and BIST 100 rose 4.7%.

The group of decliners included;

Lean Hogs (2.1%), Copper (2.2%), Hot Rolled Coil Steel (2%), Lumber (4.2%), Tin (5.1%), Newcastle Coal (2.2%), Natural Gas (2.4%), Orange Juice (4.9%), Gasoline (3.5%), Silver (3.1%), Urea U.S. Gulf & Middle East (5.9%), Silver in AUD (1.8%), Corn (7.1%), Soybeans (3.7%), Wheat (9.8%), AEX (2.7%), CAC (2.2%), DAX (3.1%), DJ Transports (2.3%), MIB (3.1%), Hang Seng (1.9%), IBEX (3.3%), Nasdaq Composite (2.9%), Nasdaq 100 (3%), Nikkei 225 (1.7%), Copenhagen (2.1%), Helsinki (2.1%), Stockholm (2%), Swiss SMI (1.9%), SOX (4%), S&P 500 (2.3%), Singapore’s Strait Times (2.3%), TAEIX (2.6%) and the Nasdaq Transports fell 3.4%. 

August 6, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

40 years of peaks in Australian bond yields

At what stage, during 7 distinct moments over the past 40 years should one have bet that the Australian 2 year bond yield should venture too much further beyond the extremes circled below?

Today, this yield is trading at 3.90%. Most recently, it spent 6 weeks between 4.10% and 4.30%.

See you at the mean reversion?

August 2, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au

Expanding breadth can be exhausting

Amidst waning volume, the Russell 2000 yet to make higher highs than January 2023, let alone last August of 2022, whilst presently trading at 2.5 standard deviations above its weekly mean.

#exhaustion

August 1, 2023

by Rob Zdravevski

rob@karriasset.com.au