Revisiting Black Monday 1987

Back in the day, for those of you that are old enough to remember and have experienced one of the most incredible trader psychology driven stock market decline in recent history. The difference between “Black Monday” and most of the other recent stock market declines is that October 19, 1987, was driven by a true psychological panic, what we consider true price exploration, after an incredible price rally.

It is different than the DOT COM (2001) decline and vastly different than the Credit Market Crisis (2008-09) because both of those events were related to true fundamental and technical evaluations. In both of those instances, prices have been rising for quite some time, but the underlying fundamentals of the economics of the markets collapsed and the markets collapsed with future expectations. Before we get too deep, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals newsletter.

Our researchers believe the setup prior to the Black Monday collapse is strangely similar to the current setup across the global markets. In 1982, Ronald Reagan was elected into his second term as the US President. Since his election in 1980, the US stock market has risen over 300% by August 1987.

Reagan, much like President Trump, was elected after a long period of U.S. economic malaise and ushered in an economic boom cycle that really began to accelerate near August 1983 – near the end of his first term. The expansion from the lows of 1982, near 102.20, to the highs of 1987, near 337.90, in the S&P 500 prompted an incredible rally in the US markets for all global investors.

This is very similar to what has happened since 2015/16 in the markets and particularly after the November 2016 elections when the S&P500 bottomed near 1807.5 and has recently set hew highs near 3026.20 – a 67.4% price rally in just over 3 years.

One can simply make the assumption that global investors poured capital in the US markets in 1983 to 1986 as the US markets entered a rally mode just like we suspect global investors have poured capital into the US markets after the 2016 US elections and have continued to seek value, safety, and returns in the US markets since. These incredible price rallies setup a very real potential for “true price exploration” when investors suddenly realize valuations may be out of control.

So, what actually happened on October 19th, 1987 that was different than the last few market collapse events and why is it so similar to what is happening today?

On October 19, 1987, a different set of circumstances took place. This was almost a perfect storm of sorts for the markets. The US markets had risen nearly 44% by August 1987 from the previous yearly close – a huge rally had taken place. Computer trading, which some people suspected may have been a reason for the price decline on October 19, was largely in its infancy.

Floor traders were running the show in New York and Chicago. The London markets closed early the Friday, October 16, because of a weather event that was taking place. The “setup” of these events may have played a roll in the liquidity issues that became evident on Black Monday and pushed the US markets down 22.61% by the end of trading.

The US markets had set up a top near 2,722 in early August 1987 after rising nearly 44% from the 1986 end of year closing price level of 1,895. The SPX rotated lower from this peak to set up a sideways price channel near 315 throughout the end of August and through most of September. On October 5, 1987, the SPX started a downward price move that attempted to test the lower support channel near 312. On October 12, one week later, the SPX broke below this support channel and closed at 298.10 (below the psychological 300 level). The very next weekend was October 17 & 18 – the weekend before Black Monday.

Sunday night, October 18, in the US, the Asian markets opened for trading and a price sell-off began taking place in Hong Kong. Because the London markets has closed early on the 16th due to the storm, by the time they opened the UK markets began tanking almost immediately. Early in the day on Monday, October 19, the FTSE100 had collapsed over 136 points.

Our researchers believe the declines in the US markets in early October 1987 set up a breakdown event that, once support was broken, prompted a collapse event where liquidity issues accelerated the price decline volatility – much like the “flash crash”. Global investors were unprepared for the scale and scope of the price decline event and panicked at the speed of the price collapse.

In fact, at the height of the 1987 crash, systemic problems (mostly solvency and brokerage house operations) continued to threaten a much larger financial market collapse. Within days of Black Monday, it became evident that margin accounts and solvency issues related to operating capital, large scale risks and continued fear that the markets may continue to collapse presented a very real problem for the US and for the world. Have we re-entered another Black Monday type of setup across the global markets?

As new economic data continues to suggest the global markets are economically contracting and stagnating, the US Federal Reserve has started buying assets again while the foreign central banks continue to push negative interest rates while attempting to spark any signs of real economic growth. The US stock market has continued to push higher – almost attempting new all-time highs again just recently. The US stock market is up nearly 68% over the past 3.5 years since Trump was elected and as of Friday, October 18, 2019, the US stock markets fell nearly 0.75% on economic fears.

In Part II of this article, we’ll explore the potential of another Black Monday type of setup that may be playing out before our very eyes right now in the US stock market.

As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for both short term swing trading and long-term investment capital. The opportunities are massive/life changing if handled properly.

I urge you visit my ETF Wealth Building Newsletter and if you like what I offer, join me with the 1-year subscription to lock in the lowest rate possible and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial market and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis.

Join Today to Get a Free 1 ounce Silver Bar with a subscription – Offer Ends This Week!

Chris Vermeulen
The Technical Traders

Simple Chart Illustrates How Price Setup Shows a Top/Resistance Zone

Our research team here at the Technical Traders wanted to alert our followers to the incredible opportunities that continue to present themselves in the current market. While many people have been overly concerned about a market top and price rotation in the US majors, the Energy sector and many others have seen incredible price moves.

Take a look at this XLE chart as an example. Yes, we know that Oil has rallied from about $60 to closer to $70 recently, yet we want you to focus on the price pattern that setup this move in XLE. Specifically, we want you to focus on the Multi-Month Base pattern in price between early February and early April of 2018 as well as the upside breakout that followed.

In true technical analysis theory, price tells us everything and indicators assist us in relating current price movement/action to historical price movement/action. This simple chart illustrates how price setup a top/resistance zone near $78 in early January 2018, broke lower in early February, then setup a multi-month price support base for nearly 60+ days. This price support base because an extended bottom formation and a “price support zone” by testing and retesting the critical $65~66 price level while establishing a series downward sloping high price peaks. When it finally broke free of this support zone, near mid-April, price skyrocketed higher (+17% or more).

With the stock market showing all the signs that it is in the late stage of a bull market this is when traders need to start identifying the hot sectors or high probability continuation patterns. Why? because we have entered a stock pickers market. It’s simple really, it means all the stocks are not going to be rising together and if you put your money into the wrong sector you could lose money while the markets rise.

So where is the next hot sector? We believe a very similar pattern is setting up in the IYT (Transportation Index) just like we saw on the first chart of the XLE. We feel an upside breakout move is likely to happen within the next two weeks.

The setup of this price pattern is a bit broader and more volatile than the XLE Multi-Month Basing pattern – which means the IYT upside breakout could be more volatile and dramatic in form (possibly driving price +10% to 20% over an extended period).

Additionally, the high price peaks are setting up in a similar format with lower high price peaks over the span of the base. Support near $182.50 to $185 is critical and we believe the eventual upside breakout will be an incredible opportunity for traders.

This breakout will coincide with much of our other analysis of the US major markets which we have been sharing recently.

Our other recent trade alerts, that are up well over 10% each are UGAZ, FAS, and TECL. These have been rocketing higher – as we predicted. On Friday we closed our TECL position which hit our resistance level and we locked in the 18.3% gains with our members. The single point of success for all of us is to manage our assets well in an attempt to achieve greater long-term success.

If you have not seen or read much of our recent analysis, please visit The Technical Traders to learn more and review our work. Our exclusive members are already positioned for many moves like this in the markets and more continue to form each week.

We urge you to consider joining our Wealth Building Trading Newsletter as a member to receive our incredible insight, proprietary research, and trade alerts to assist your own trading success. We have delivered insights and research to our members that have clearly informed them of where we believe the markets are headed for many months in advance. Imagine how powerful that kind of research could be for you?

53 years experience in researching and trading makes analyzing the complex and ever-changing financial markets a natural process. We have a simple and highly effective way to provide our customers with the most convenient, accurate, and timely market forecasts available today. Our stock and ETF trading alerts are readily available through our exclusive membership service via email and SMS text. Our newsletter, Technical Trading Mastery book, and 3 Hour Trading Video Course are designed for both traders and investors. Also, some of our strategies have been fully automated for the ultimate trading experience.

Chris Vermeulen

Are Traders Interested in Living Longer and Feeling Better?

For some reason my trading partners and our readers seem to be more interested in their health and longevity than my friends or even family members. It's for that reason we are excited to give you a quick heads up about something we think is going to be very important to them. And it’s happening really soon.

On February 1st, at 6:00 p.m. est, the "Live Longer, Feel Better!" documentary will air its live first episode. And believe me, you won’t want to miss even ONE of the experts that director Michael Beattie has brought together.

I’ve had a sneak peek at it and this is absolutely going to change how you think about getting older and maintaining your health. If you're AT ALL concerned about where you'll be in 30 years time, you MUST see this.

Click Here to Watch the Trailer

The documentary series and everything that accompanies it, presents you with a real action plan to avoid disease as you enter and enjoy your later years. But the earlier you start, the better!

On February 1st, you will be able to see it all at NO cost, Right Here!

The current epidemic of Alzheimers, Diabetes and other avoidable diseases is stealing our futures and condemning thousands of people to a nursing home. No one has to go through that!

Let’s take that future back NOW.

Please make time to watch this, and help me spread the word if you can.

To your health,
Ray's Stock World

PS. One final note – Each episode of this incredible 7 part series will be online for only 24 hours from release. Make sure you register right now so you don’t miss a single thing. You’ll be excited by what you’re about to discover.

Below is a Quick One Minute+ Video Trailer We Below

2018 First Quarter Technical Analysis Price Forecast

As 2017 draws to a close, our analysis shows the first Quarter of 2018 should start off with a solid rally. Our researchers use our proprietary modeling and technical analysis systems to assist our members with detailed market analysis and timing triggers from expected intraday price action to a multi-month outlook.

These tools help us to keep our members informed of market trends, reversals, and big moves. Today, we are going to share some of our predictive modelings with you to show you why we believe the first three months of 2018 should continue higher.

One of our most impressive and predictive modeling systems is the Adaptive Dynamic Learning system. This system allows us to ask the market what will be the highest possible outcome of recent trading activity projected into the future. It accomplishes this by identifying Genetic Price/Pattern markers in the past and recording them into a Genome Map of price activity and probable outcomes.

This way, when we ask it to show us what it thinks will be the highest probable outcome for the future, it looks into this Genome Map, finds the closest relative Genetic Price/Pattern marker and then shows us what this Genome marker predicts as the more likely outcome.

This current Weekly chart of the SPY is showing us that the next few Weeks and Months of price activity should produce a minimum of a $5 – $7 rally. This means that we could see a continued 2~5% rally in US Equities early in 2018.

Additionally, the ES (S&P E-mini futures) is confirming this move in early 2018 with its own predictive analysis. The ADL modeling system is showing us that the ES is likely to move +100 pts from current levels before the end of the first Quarter 2018 equating to a +3.5% move (or higher). We can see from this analysis that a period of congestion or consolidation is expected near the end of January or early February 2018 – which would be a great entry opportunity.

The trends for both of these charts is strongly Bullish and the current ADL price predictions allow investors to understand the opportunities and expectations for the first three months of 2018. Imagine being able to know or understand that a predictive modeling system can assist you in making decisions regarding the next two to three months as well as assist you in planning and protecting your investments? How powerful would that technology be to you?

Our job at Technical Traders Ltd. is to assist our members in finding and executing profitable trades and to assist them in understanding market trends, reversals, and key movers. We offer a variety of analysis types within our service to support any level of a trader from novice to expert, and short term to long term investors.

Our specialized modeling systems allow us to provide one of a kind research and details that are not available anywhere else. Our team of researchers and traders are dedicated to helping us all find great success with our trading.

So, now that you know what to expect from the SPY and ES for the next few months, do you want to know what is going to happen in Gold, Silver, Bonds, FANGs, the US Dollar, Bitcoin, and more?

Join The Technical Traders Right Here to gain this insight and knowledge today.

Chris Vermeulen

Today's Gap Fill and Prediction Complete, What's Next?

Subscribers of our Technical Traders Wealth Building Newsletter were told before the market opened that stocks were set to gap higher and then fill the price gap. Only 12 minutes after the market opened the gap window was filled for a 9.5 pt move in the SP500, which is a quick $475 profit for those trading futures, or $103 profit per 100 shares traded of the SPY ETF.

Yesterdays Gap Fill Forecast

If you want to know what the market are going to do today, this week, and next month be sure to subscribe to our new and improved market trend forecast and trading newsletter....

Visit "The Technical Traders ETF Cycle Trader" Right Here

Utility Tokens and Cryptos Finally Properly Explained

We have asked our trading partner Teeka Tiwari to explain to us what crypto currencies are and the difference in a crypto currency and the many tokens being offered in the ICO markets right now. Please take a few minutes to read his entire response, when you are done you will have a complete grasp of cryptos and utility tokens....

Cryptos are a brand new asset class. They're completely different from stocks, bonds, and traditional currencies. But that was over 18 months ago. Since then, Bitcoin has risen 1,600% and ether (the coin for the Ethereum network) is up 2,563%.

Perhaps you feel that crypto assets aren't assets at all. Perhaps you've missed out on this incredible run and think it's too late to get in. I want to show you why cryptocurrencies are not like the Dutch Tulip Craze. In fact, we're still in the early days of the cryptocurrency boom.

According to billionaire hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz, the entire crypto market is set to become 25 times larger in the next 5 years. That would be a 2,400+% rise from today. And he's putting his money where his mouth is. Novogratz recently put 10% of his net worth into crypto assets.

That means this asset class still has plenty of room to run and there's still time for you to join the ride. What I'm about to share with you could be very valuable. Like the internet before them, cryptocurrencies have the potential to reshape the economy and they offer a rare opportunity for ordinary individuals to make life changing gains.

The Cryptocurrency Ecosystem

To kick off your education, you need to understand there are two types of crypto assets: cryptocurrencies and utility coins (also called app coins). Think of cryptocurrencies as the digital equivalent of traditional fiat currencies such as dollars, euros, and pounds.

You can use them as a medium of exchange or to store value. The only difference is they're exchanged over the blockchain. Think of utility coins as crypto equities. They're like buying shares in IBM, Walmart, or Apple. Instead, you're buying a stake in a blockchain venture.

Cryptocurrencies and utility coins are similar in that they both operate on a blockchain. The blockchain is like an online public ledger. It's used to track cryptocurrency transactions [Blockchain is a public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions executed. It's a shared network that can move value around and represent property ownership.]

Now that you know the two types of crypto assets, let me explain how each works.

A New Form of Money

Cryptocurrencies are the crypto asset that most folks are familiar with. So, we'll dive into this one first. The most common cryptocurrencies is Bitcoin. It was created to act as alternatives to fiat (paper) money. Two frequent questions we get are why would anyone buy a cryptocurrency that's backed by nothing and can be created by anyone.

These aren't only fair questions, but smart ones. Here's the thing to remember about money: It's whatever people mutually agree it is. In the past, beads, cowrie shells, silver, gold, and of course paper, have all been used as money. You'll notice that none of them have any intrinsic value.

At the end of the day, a sack of flour has more practical value than a $100 bill or even a bar of gold.

And yet, we value both far more than a sack of flour. That's the mutual agreement we've all come to.

When you think about it, it's not that rational. How does a piece of green paper or a bar of yellow metal hold more value to a human than a sack of flour that can be used to feed a family for weeks?

Because we all agree it does.

In my opinion, paper currency may be the most irrational form of money in human history. At least you can decorate yourself with gold, silver, beads, and cowrie shells. Not only that there's a limit to how much gold, silver, and shells that can be found. There's no limit on the amount of paper money that can be created.

The closest thing to true money (outside of food) is gold. Gold meets several historical rules that we use to judge value. It's prized for its beauty. It's difficult to find. It's expensive to extract. It's also a scarce resource. But there are problems with gold, too. We have to trust that the refineries that certify the gold's purity are telling the truth.

Gold is also difficult to transfer (think of carrying around bags of gold coins or chests of gold bars). And that makes it virtually useless as a practical medium of exchange in daily life. What I mean is you can't buy a new car, house, or even a book with gold bars.

Here's How Cryptocurrencies Are Creating Value

Well designed cryptocurrencies have many features that humans look for when measuring value. Let's talk about them now.

Pre-Programed Scarcity

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are pre programmed to create a set amount of coins. Once this limit is reached, no new coins will be created. This creates scarcity. For instance, the algorithm that governs Bitcoin will create no more than 21 million Bitcoins.

Think about this, there are 35 million millionaires in the world. That means if every millionaire wanted to own an entire Bitcoin, they wouldn't be able to. There literally is not enough to go around. Contrast that with paper money.

With paper money, there's no limit to how much can be created. However, gold is finite. That limits how much new gold can be refined each year. You can see that cryptocurrencies actually have more in common with gold than with paper money.

Difficult to Counterfeit

Cryptocurrencies rely on a technology called the "blockchain." This blockchain uses cryptography to secure transactions. These complex mathematical algorithms make counterfeiting cryptocurrencies almost impossible. Now, compare that to cash. It's estimated that almost a quarter billion dollars of counterfeit paper money sloshes around the U.S. every year.

What about gold? Fake gold will never fool an expert. But counterfeit gold could be passed off to someone with an untrained eye. Cryptocurrencies share two important criteria that give value to traditional assets: scarcity and irreproducibility (hard to counterfeit). These are necessary to create value. But you need something else, too.

A Final Criterion

For a thing to have value, it needs one final thing: Some form of utility. Even art (which some will argue is worth little more than the sum of its parts), creates massive utility by stirring deep emotions in the hearts of people that can appreciate it. That emotional response is a very valuable form of utility. It's the reason people spend billions on art annually. So, what type of utility do cryptocurrencies provide?

Rapid Transfer of Funds

Unlike the transfer of gold or even cash, cryptocurrencies can transfer value almost instantly. And they can do it at very low costs. On the Bitcoin network, you can send $50,000 for about $3. The receiver will get it in about 10 minutes.

Compare that to a traditional wire transfer. The fastest I've seen a wire hit is 24 hours. The cost to send a domestic wire can vary from $35 to $70. International wires can eat up 1%-15% of the total amount of money sent. As far as sending gold, it takes 3-14 days domestically and is very expensive. So, being able to quickly send money anywhere in the world is a very valuable utility that cryptocurrencies possess.

Free from Government Control

Over the years, both gold and cash have been either confiscated or severely restricted through capital controls. Capital controls are government restrictions on your ability to access or move your money.

Even here in the U.S., we have capital controls. For instance, you can't just stroll through airport security with more than $10,000 in cash.

Unless you declare it, you're breaking the law. Even though it's our money, the government insists we report when and where we're moving it. This is an outrageous demand that we accept because there are no alternatives. That is until cryptocurrencies came around.

With cryptocurrencies, we are in complete control of our own funds. We can store them on our own devices free from government intervention. If you store your cryptocurrencies properly, it is impossible for the government to confiscate or control them. This is a truly liberating utility that is very valuable.

Highly Secure Decentralized Payment Network

One common criticism of cryptocurrencies is that anyone can make one. How can something have value if you can create a currency with just a few lines of code? This criticism is spot on.

But remember, anyone can buy a printing press and start making his or her own paper money. What stops people is that no one would use it. The same is true in crypto. Only currencies that gain widespread adoption actually take off.

One of the ways we measure this widespread adoption is by looking at the number of computers that are in a cryptocurrency network. For instance, more than 7,000 separate computers are running the Bitcoin blockchain.

That widespread adoption is a vote of confidence by the market. It's a way for us to objectively identify "good" cryptocurrencies from bad ones. As the network of users grows, so does the volume of cryptocurrency being transacted. This in turn creates a network effect that snowballs.

For instance, $143 million per day of Bitcoin changed hands in 2016. Today, it's over $4 billion per day. The widespread use of this currency is giving it value. Thousands of people are coming together and agreeing to exchange goods and services for Bitcoin.

That is the true test for any currency. Are people accepting it? The answer is a resounding yes. For these reasons, we believe you'll see more people continue to adopt cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They offer utility that neither cash nor gold can. Just a few of those companies already accepting Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are....Overstock.com, Microsoft, Intuit, PayPal, DISH Network and many more.

A Second Type of Crypto Asset

Earlier, I told you there are two types of crypto assets. The first is cryptocurrencies (which I've just explained to you). The second type of crypto asset goes by several names. Some folks call them "application coins" others call them "utility coins."

The terms are interchangeable. So, what is a utility coin? A utility coin is a crypto asset that is used to secure or deliver a service. Our biggest gains have come from investing in utility coins.

That's why I want to spend the rest of this email talking about them. If you can understand how utility coins work, you can make a fortune in them. In my Palm Beach Confidential service, I have readers that are transforming $300 investments into six figure windfalls by getting in early on utility coins.

Three Themes Driving the Value of Utility Coins

Over 2017, I've been to conferences in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Las Vegas, New York City, Berlin, London, and Copenhagen. During these conferences, I've met with hundreds of people. I've met crypto project founders, venture capitalists, government regulators, central bankers, Fortune 500 executives, hedge fund managers, and digital currency miners.

These are the three primary themes that are driving their research, development, and investment decisions:

• Fat protocols
• Interoperability
• Scaling

If you don't know what these terms mean, don't worry. I'll explain each for you right now.

Theme 1: Fat Protocols

What is a "fat protocol"? I had to ask myself the same question. I stumbled upon this theme at the Consensus 2017 event in New York City in late May. And I heard about fat protocols in more detail in Berlin. Let's start with protocol. In the technology world, a protocol is a set of rules.

For instance, the internet is governed by two protocols: TCP and IP. TCP stands for transmission control protocol. This is a set of rules that governs the exchange of packets of data over the internet. IP stands for internet protocol. This is a set of rules that governs sending and receiving data at the internet address level.

IP by itself is something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts, so they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.

Nobody owns TCP/IP. But imagine if someone did. How valuable would the protocols be?

Think about this. According to a Harvard Business Review article, more than half the world's most valuable public companies have built business models on TCP/IP. That's $5.4 trillion dollars in value traced right back to TCP/IP. Think of the biggest names in the internet space: Amazon, Google, Facebook, Priceline, eBay, Netflix, Uber, etc... They are applications, not protocols.

In short: Applications (or "apps") are computer programs that run specific tasks. They include simple desktop apps like calculators, clocks, and word processors to mobile apps like media players, games, instant messengers, and maps. Google's YouTube, Facebook's Messenger, and Microsoft Word are examples of popular web applications. Companies own their applications.

Protocols are the rules computers use to communicate with each other. TCP and IP are examples of widely used protocols. Unlike applications, no one owns computer or internet protocols. For instance, the Ethereum platform has created a protocol for the issuance of crypto tokens (among many other things).

Ethereum has created rules that make it easy to launch and manage digital tokens. That's why more than 50% of new tokens coming to market are using the Ethereum platform. As more projects are launched on the Ethereum network, the demand for ether tokens increases. Said another way, the more the protocol is used, the more valuable the ether tokens become.

These protocols are called "fat" because most of the economic value and profits will be captured at the protocol level. All the tokens launched on the Ethereum platform are only worth $6.8 billion. But the Ethereum platform itself is now worth $34 billion.

Even as more and more companies go "public" on the Ethereum platform, we think Ethereum will be more valuable than the applications that end up running on it. The reason is that the more the protocol is used, the more demand is generated for the underlying protocol token. That's how utility coins like ether gain their value.

Theme 2: Interoperability

Hundreds of new blockchain ledgers are emerging. On top of that, there are hundreds of established centralized ledgers and payment networks. These established payment channels are used by banks and payment providers. We're talking about giants like JPMorgan, PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard.

As the world migrates from a centralized to a decentralized model, how do you get these different networks to communicate with one another? This is a huge problem. That's why we think the next boom will be in companies that allow different ledgers to "talk" to each other.

Imagine there's an English speaker, German speaker, and French speaker in the same room. And no one speaker understands any other speaker. This is the problem right now with blockchains and payment networks. They all "speak" different languages. But what if somebody could create a technology that would allow these different languages to understand one another? In the tech world, this is called "interoperability."

The Difference Between Financial Ledgers and Blockchain Ledgers

Today's financial system requires a lot of overlap. Financial institutions spend a lot of time and money maintaining their systems and even more time and money making sure their systems agree with other systems on common facts.

This is done so that there is no single point of control or single point of failure. The solution is decentralization. It eliminates single points of failure and the necessity for each institution to duplicate the data. The table below highlights the differences between a traditional ledger and a blockchain ledger.

Imagine a version of eBay or PayPal that can work with virtually any digital or fiat payment system. That's the goal of interoperability. Here's the key takeaway, The utility coins that are building in easy to use interoperability will be the ones that become highly valuable.

Theme 3: Scaling

While in Berlin, I met a group of executives from drug giant Merck. These folks oversee Merck's European innovation group. They are tasked with identifying and getting management "buy in" on implementing innovative technology. They have a terrific grasp of the blockchain. They know it could potentially save Merck millions of dollars in costs.

The problem is none of the current blockchain platforms scale. Meaning they just can't operate at the speed and level of complexity Merck requires. This is a common complaint. I've heard it from executives in London, Boston, Silicon Valley, New York City, and now Berlin.

The two most popular blockchains, Bitcoin and Ethereum, can only handle seven and 15 transactions per second, respectively. Like the old 56k telephone modems of the '90s, that's awful. But it would be a mistake to think that it will stay that way forever.

Just as those modems eventually transformed into the high speed internet we enjoy today, it's only a question of time before Bitcoin and Ethereum crack the scaling problem.

Bringing It All Together

The future for cryptocurrencies and utility coins is bright. As more people look to take control of their money, they'll turn to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and others. As I track the developments in fat protocols, interoperability, and scaling, I'm seeing more and more widespread adoption of utility coins like ether and many others.

But remember: These are still very early days. We'll see massive volatility ahead. It's unavoidable. The key to thriving in the chaos of the early days of a new technology is to remain rational. Friends, hear me when I tell you that it is irrational to expect the crypto market to be stable. Any market this new is highly unstable. The way we manage and profit from that instability is to use small position sizes. With crypto assets, we rely on asymmetric risk.

With crypto we can swing for the fences without putting the rest of our existing wealth at risk. This is a rare opportunity for ordinary people to make life changing gains without having to take life changing risk. That means we risk a small amount of money for a massive potential payoff. This strategy is working well for my readers.

The best part is this trend is just beginning. Right now, the entire crypto market is valued at about $195 billion. Novogratz, the hedge fund billionaire I mentioned earlier, sees the entire market growing to $5 trillion. That's 2,400+% upside ahead. That means we have many more opportunities in front of us to make life changing gains. So get out there. At the very least, buy some Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Remember, you don't have to own a whole Bitcoin. You can own just a fraction of a coin.

And as all these developments unfold – along with others like them – I'm confident that one day you'll be grateful you took action.

Let the Game Come to You!

Teeka Tiwari

Editor, Palm Beach Confidential

VIX Spikes Showing Massive Volatility Increase

Today, we are going to revisit some of our earlier analysis regarding the VIX and our beloved VIX Spikes.  Over the past 3+ months, we’ve been predicting a number of VIX Spikes based on our research and cycle analysis.  Our original analysis of the VIX Spike patterns has been accurate 3 out of 4 instances (75%).  Our analysis has predicted these spikes within 2 to 4 days of the exact spike date.  The most recent VIX Spike shot up 57% from the VIX lows.  What should we expect in the future?

Well, this is where we should warn you that our analysis is subjective and may not be 100% accurate as we can’t accurately predict what will happen in the future. Our research team at Active Trading Partners.com attempt to find highly correlative trading signals that allow our members to develop trading strategies and allow us to deliver detailed and important analysis of the US and global markets.

The research team at ATP is concerned that massive volatility is creeping back into the global markets. The most recent VIX spike was nearly DOUBLE the size of the previous spike. Even though the US markets are clearly range bound and rotating, we expect them to stay within ranges that would allow for the VIX to gradually increase through a succession of VIX spike patterns in the future.

Let’s review some of our earlier analysis before we attempt to make a case for the future. Our original VIX Spike article indicated we believed a massive VIX spike would happen near June 29th. We warned of this pattern nearly 3 weeks ahead of the spike date. Below, you will see the chart of the VIX and spikes we shared with our members. This forecast was originally created on June 7th and predicted potential spikes on June 9th or 12th and June 29th.

What would you do if you knew these spikes were happening?

Currently, we need to keep in mind the next VIX Spike Dates

Sept 11th or 12th and finally Sept 28th or 29th.

Our continued research has shown that the US markets are setting up for a potential massive Head-n-Shoulders pattern (clearly indicated in this NQ Chart). The basis of this analysis is that the US markets are reacting to Political and Geo-Economic headwinds by stalling/retracing. The rally after the US Presidential election was “elation” regarding possibilities for increased global economic activities. And, as such, we have seen an increase in manufacturing and GDP output over the past 6+ months. Yet, the US and global markets may have jumped the gun a bit and rallied into “hype” setting up a potential corrective move.

Currently, the NQ would have to fall an additional 4.5% to reach the Neck Line of the Head-n-Shoulders formation. One interesting facet of the current NQ chart is that is setting up in a FLAG FORMATION that would indicate a massive breakout/breakdown is imminent. The cycle dates that correspond to this move are the September 11th or 12th move.

Please understand that we are attempting to keep you informed as to the potential for a massive volatility spike in the US and Global markets related to what we believe are eminent Political and Geo-Economic factors. Central Banks have just met in Jackson Hole, WY and have been discussing their next moves as well as the US Fed reducing their balance sheets. Overall, the US economy appears to show some strength, yet as we have shown, delinquencies have started to rise and this is not a positive sign for a mature economic cycle. Expectations are that the US Fed will attempt another one or two rate raises before the end of 2017. Our analysis shows that Janet Yellen should be moving at a snail’s pace at this critical juncture.

So, now we get to the VIX Spike Data!

The last, most recent, VIX Spike was nearly DOUBLE the size of the previous Spike. This is an anomaly in the sense that the VIX has, with only a few exceptions, continued to contract as the global central banks continued to support the world’s economies. In other words, smooth sailing ahead as long as the global banks were supplying capital for the recovery.

Now that we are at a point where the central banks are attempting to remove capital from their balance sheets while raising rates and dealing with debt issues, the markets are looking at this with a fresh perspective and the VIX is showing us early warning signs that massive volatility may be reentering the global markets. Any future VIX Spike cycles that continue to increase in range would be a clear indication that FEAR is entering the markets again and that debt, contraction and decreased consumer participation are at play.

I don’t expect you to fully understand the chart and analysis below, but the take away is this. Pay attention to these dates: September 11, September 28 and October 16. These are the dates that will likely see increased price volatility associated with them and could prompt some very big moves.

This analysis brings us to an attempt at creating a conclusion for our readers. First, our current analysis of the Head-n-Shoulders pattern in the NQ is still valid. We do not have any indication of a change in trend or analysis at this moment. Thus, we are still operating under the presumption that this pattern will continue to form. Secondly, the current VIX spike aligns perfectly with our analysis that the markets are becoming more volatile as the VIX WEDGE tightens and as the potential for the Head-n-Shoulders pattern extends. Lastly, FEAR and CONCERN has begun to enter the market as we are seeing moves in the Metals and Equities that portend a general weakness by investors.

We will add the following that you won’t likely see from other researchers – the time to act is NOT NOW. Want to know why this is the case and why we believe our analysis will tell us exactly when to act to develop maximum profits from these moves?

Join the Active Trading Partners to learn why and to stay on top of these patterns as they unfold. We’ve been accurate with our VIX Spike predictions and we will soon see how our Head and Shoulders predictions play out. We’ve already alerted you to the new VIX Spike dates (these alone are extremely valuable). We are actively advising our ATP members regarding opportunities and trading signals that we believe will deliver superior profits. Isn’t it time you invested in your future and prepared for these moves?

Join the Active Trading Partners HERE today and Join a team dedicated to your success.

The Ultimate Way to Profit from Trump’s “America First” Platform

By Nick Giambruno

“It was the single most important financial event of my career.” That’s what my friend Rick Rule of Sprott Global recently told me of his experience in the uranium market. Rick was referring to Paladin Energy, a uranium company that leaped from one penny to $10 per share during uranium’s last bull market. That’s a 1,000-fold increase. In other words, a $10,000 investment could have exploded into $10 million

Even the worst-performing companies in the uranium sector delivered 20 to 1 returns. Uranium can deliver these almost unbelievable returns because of unique supply and demand quirks that create colossal bull and bear markets. Here’s a quick rundown….

The 1950s Uranium Bull Market

Uranium cycled through its first bull market in the 1950s. This bull was mainly driven by the nuclear arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. Back then, the only practical way an investor could get exposure was through uranium exploration companies trading on small regional stock exchanges, like the one in Salt Lake City (which closed in 1986). Those who did made a bundle.

The Late 1970s Uranium Bull Market

The uranium price increased more than tenfold during this bull market… from $3 to $43. Some uranium stocks shot up by a factor of 100. Greater nuclear power use was the main driver. It was a cheap alternative to high-priced oil. Disastrous power plant failures ended this bull market—first Three Mile Island and then Chernobyl, the final nail in the coffin. New production also came online and flooded the market just as demand was decreasing. The resulting bear market lasted for 20 years.

The 2001–2010 Uranium Bull Market

This bull market originated with the preceding 20 year bear market, where the uranium price decreased over 70%. It bottomed at $8 per pound in 2001. For many companies, the cost of producing uranium was higher than the spot price. Miners were producing uranium for around $18 per pound, but they could only sell it for about $9 per pound. So there was little incentive to increase or maintain production. Miners simply stopped producing. Production capacity plummeted. This sowed the seeds for another uranium bull market.

The market didn’t just settle into equilibrium. The supply destruction and increasing demand were so great that, eventually, uranium overshot the price needed to balance the market. After bottoming at $8 per pound in 2001, it skyrocketed to $130 in 2007. That alone is impressive. But uranium stocks had an even greater meteoric rise. This is when Paladin Energy, the company Rick Rule was talking about, soared from one penny to $10. A nuclear catastrophe ushered in a new bear market, just as it had with previous uranium runs. In 2011, a tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. It was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Afterward, Japan took all 52 of its nuclear power plants offline and switched to importing liquefied natural gas (LNG).

A major source of demand in the global uranium market was gone. And a global supply glut followed.
The uranium price crashed from around $85 to under $30. Then it continued sliding to around $18 per pound, where it sits today. Now, once again, the spot price of uranium is less than the cost of production. This is great news for us. The current uranium supply/demand imbalance has a lot in common with the last market cycle. It’s setting the stage for the next uranium boom. Now is the time to get positioned for the same kind of explosive returns we’ve seen in previous uranium bull markets.

The Next Uranium Bull Run

I can’t think of a commodity with more upside and less downside than uranium right now. While many commodities have bounced off their lows, uranium hasn’t. It’s still at or near the moment of maximum pessimism. The situation is screaming, “Bargain!” Psychology plays a big part here. People don’t like uranium. It’s yucky. It’s politically incorrect. Some hear “uranium” and think “cancer.” Many get emotional because of its association with Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and of course Fukushima.

Besides that, investors are terrified that uranium prices have fallen over 85% from previous highs. It’s hard to think of a market where the sentiment is worse. This is why I’m excited. Crises and extreme sentiment don't scare me. They attract my interest.

The whole point of investing in crisis markets is to take advantage of the aberrations of mass psychology and pick up elite companies and assets for pennies on the dollar. This describes the current opportunity in the uranium market perfectly. Simply put, nuclear power delivers immense value to its users, there’s no substitute for uranium, and production is falling while demand rises.

This situation has only two possible outcomes….

1. Uranium prices don’t go up. Miners have no incentive to produce. Nuclear power plants run out of uranium, and the lights go out for billions of people.

2. Uranium prices go up and incentivize enough production to meet the demand.

There are no other options. Which one do you think is more likely? Then there’s the Trump factor. Trump is strongly pro-energy, and pro-nuclear in particular. He has said, “I’m in favor of nuclear energy, very strongly in favor of nuclear energy.” Nuclear energy fits right in with Trump’s “America First” platform. It’s critical for securing the country’s energy independence.

For all these reasons, uranium is my #1 investment for 2017.

Last month I recommended a “best of breed” uranium company in Crisis Investing. Subscribers are already sitting on a gain of around 17% as of this writing. Now, I can’t tell you the name of this company. That would be unfair to subscribers. But I can tell you why I’m so bullish on it.

It has the upside of a junior exploration company, think 10 bagger or better. But it’s very low risk. This is the kind of trade we look for in crisis markets, with the risk/reward skewed in our favor. In the last uranium bull market, this company’s share price rocketed 3,600%. That’s a 10 bagger almost four times over. I expect it to do at least as well in the coming one as it did in the previous one.

You’ll find all the details in Crisis Investing. Click here to learn more.

The article The Ultimate Way to Profit from Trump’s “America First” Platform was originally published at caseyresearch.com.

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Hundreds of Oil Stocks Could Go to Zero…Will You Still Be Owning One of Them?

By Justin Spittler

The largest shale oil bankruptcy in years just happened. If you own oil stocks, you'll want to read today's essay very closely. Because there's a good chance hundreds more oil companies will go bankrupt soon. As you probably know, the oil market is a disaster. The price of oil has plunged 75% since 2014. In February, oil hit its lowest level since 2003.

Oil crashed for a simple reason: There’s too much of it. New methods like “fracking” have led to a huge spike in global oil production. Today, oil companies pump about 1 million more barrels a day than the world uses.

Last year, America’s biggest oil companies lost $67 billion..…

To offset low prices, oil companies have slashed spending by 60% over the past two years. They’ve laid off more than 120,000 workers. They’ve sold assets and abandoned projects. Some have even cut their prized dividends.

For many oil companies, deep spending cuts weren’t enough…

The number of bankruptcies in the oil industry has skyrocketed….

Bloomberg Business reported earlier this month:

Since the start of 2015, 130 North American oil and gas producers and service companies have filed for bankruptcy owing almost $44 billion, according to law firm Haynes & Boone.

And that doesn’t even include two “big name” bankruptcies in the last couple weeks. Two weeks ago, Linn Energy filed for bankruptcy, making it the largest shale oil bankruptcy since 2014. It owes lenders $8.3 billion.

A week later, SandRidge Energy declared bankruptcy. It became the second biggest shale oil company to go bankrupt. The company owes its lenders about $4.1 billion. Ultra Petroleum, Penn Virginia, Breitburn Energy, and Halcón Resources also filed for bankruptcy in the past couple weeks.

Hundreds more oil companies could go bankrupt this year..…

The Wall Street Journal reported last week:

This year, 175 oil and gas producers around the world are in danger of declaring bankruptcy, and the situation is nearly as dire for another 160 companies, many in the U.S., according to a report from Deloitte’s energy consultants.

Defaults by oil and gas companies are already skyrocketing. The Wall Street Journal continues:

Oil and gas companies this year have defaulted on $26 billion, according to Fitch Ratings data. That figure already surpasses the total for 2015, $17.5 billion.

Fitch, one of the nation’s largest credit agencies, expects 11% of U.S. energy bonds to default this year. That would be the highest default rate for the energy sector since 1999.

Many investors thought the oil crisis was over..…

That’s because the price of oil has surged 80% since February. Dispatch readers know better. For months, we’ve been warning there would be more bankruptcies and defaults. We said many oil companies need $50 oil to make money. The price of oil hasn’t topped $50 a barrel since last July. Even after its big rally, oil still trades for about half of what it did two years ago.

Oil prices will stay low as long as there’s too much oil..…

Although the world still has too much oil, the surplus has shrunk in the past few months. In February, the global economy was oversupplied by about 1.7 million barrels a day. Thanks to U.S. production cuts, the surplus is now just 1.0 million barrels a day. The number of rigs actively looking for oil in the U.S. has dropped by 80% since October. This month, the U.S. oil rig count hit its lowest level in 70 years.

However, many other countries aren’t cutting production at all. Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the world’s biggest oil-producing countries, are both pumping near-record amounts of oil. Frankly, these countries don’t have much choice. Oil sales account for 77% of Saudi Arabia’s economy. And oil accounts for 50% of Russia’s exports. If these countries stop pumping oil, their economies could collapse.

Low prices have made it impossible for some oil companies to pay their debts..…

U.S. oil companies borrowed nearly $200 billion between 2010 and 2014. If you’ve been reading the Dispatch, you know the Federal Reserve is mostly to blame for this. It’s held its key interest rate near zero since 2008. This made it incredibly cheap to borrow money. When oil prices were high, the debt wasn’t an issue. Companies made enough money to pay the bills. That’s no longer the case. Today, many oil companies are burning through cash to pay their debts.

To make matters worse, many weak oil companies have been cut off from the credit market..…

Before prices collapsed, oil companies could refinance their debt if they ran into trouble. This could buy them time to sort out their problems. These days, many banks will no longer lend oil companies money. Bloomberg Business reported last month:

Almost two years into the worst oil bust in a generation, lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. are slashing credit lines for struggling energy companies…
Since the start of 2016 lenders have yanked $5.6 billion of credit from 36 oil and gas producers, a reduction of 12 percent, making this the most severe retreat since crude began tumbling in mid-2014.

Oil stocks are still very risky..…

But that doesn’t mean you should avoid them entirely. As we’ve said before, oil stocks have likely entered a new phase. You see, when oil prices first tanked, investors sold oil stocks indiscriminately. Both strong and weak stocks plunged. In other words, investors “threw the baby out with the bath water.” You often see this behavior during a crisis.

Exxon Mobil (XOM), the world’s biggest oil company, fell 34% since 2014. Chevron (CVX), the world’s second biggest, dropped 48%. Now that oil has stabilized, the stronger companies are separating themselves from the weaker companies. This year, Exxon is up 15%. Chevron is up 11%. The crash in oil prices has given us a chance to buy world class oil companies at deep bargains.

If you want to own oil stocks, stick with the best companies..…

If you're going to invest in the sector, there are four key things to look for: 

Make sure you buy companies that can 1) make money at low oil prices. You should also look for companies with 2) healthy margins 3) plenty of cash and 4) little debt.

In March, Crisis Investing editor Nick Giambruno recommended a company that hits all of these checkmarks. It has a rock-solid balance sheet…some of the industry’s best profit margins…and “trophy assets” in America’s richest oil regions. It can even make money with oil as cheap as $35.

The stock is up 9% in two months. But Nick thinks it could just be getting started. After all, it’s still 30% below its 2014 high. You can get in on Nick’s oil pick by signing up for Crisis Investing. If interested, we encourage you to watch this short presentation. It explains how you can access Nick’s top investing ideas for $1,000 off our regular price.

This incredible deal ends soon. Click here to take advantage while you can.

You’ll also learn about an even bigger “crisis investing” opportunity on Nick’s radar. This coming crisis could radically change the financial future of every American. By watching this video, you’ll learn how to profit from it. Click here to watch.

Chart of the Day

Oil and gas companies are losing billions of dollars, we’re in earnings season right now. This is when companies tell investors if their earnings grew or shrunk last quarter. A good earnings season can send stocks higher. A bad one can drag stocks down.

As of Friday, 95% of the companies in the S&P 500 had shared first quarter results. Based on these results, the S&P 500 is on track to post a 6.8% decline in earnings. That would be the biggest drop in quarterly earnings since the 2009 financial crisis.

Oil and gas companies are a big reason U.S. stocks are having such a horrible earnings season.

As you can see below, first-quarter earnings for energy companies in the S&P 500 have plunged 107% since last year. Keep in mind, this group includes Exxon, Chevron, and other blue chip energy stocks.

Again, if you’re looking to buy oil stocks, make sure you “look under the company’s hood” before you buy it. Steer clear of companies that are losing money and have a lot of debt.

The article Hundreds of Oil Stocks Could Go to Zero…Will You Still Be Owning One of Them? was originally published at caseyresearch.com.

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