Crude Oil Couldn't Care Less About "Fundamentals"

Instead, here's historic evidence it adheres to Elliott waves

By Elliott Wave International

If there's one financial market that investors evaluate based on "market fundamentals," it's crude oil.

This Feb. 10 Reuters news item provides an example:

Oil may resume its rally in 2023 as Chinese demand recovers after COVID curbs were scrapped and lack of investment limits growth in supply, OPEC country officials told Reuters, with a growing number seeing a possible return to $100 a barrel.

Of course, whether the price of crude oil rises to $100 this year remains to be seen. The point is to show you a typical forecast based on "fundamentals."

Yet, over the decades, there have been scores of crude oil forecasts based on "fundamentals" which have simply not panned out. Indeed, quite a few times, prices will move in the opposite direction from the consensus of the "fundamentalists."

However, Elliott Wave International has observed that crude oil tends to follow Elliott wave patterns of investor psychology.

Let's look at a historical example. Back in 2008, crude hit an all-time high of almost $150 a barrel. Predictably, the mainstream saw more upside; calls for $200 a barrel were common. But here's a chart from our June 2008 Global Market Perspective with the "5" wave label (indicating an Elliott wave end to oil's rise). The commentary from that issue is below the chart:

The fifth wave has carried to the upper line, which signals that the rally is nearing an end. Oftentimes, prices will "throw over" the upper channel for a brief period.

As you can see at the bottom of the chart, the Daily Sentiment Index (courtesy trade-futures.com) revealed that 90% of traders were expecting oil's price to keep rising. Many energy observers were citing "fundamentals" as the reason why. Meanwhile, both Elliott waves and sentiment agreed: A major top was near.

Indeed, a dramatic "throw over" did occur as crude oil topped a little more than month later. Prices then plummeted 78% in just 5 months, as this chart shows:

Mind you, no analytical method can offer a guarantee about a financial market, and that includes the Elliott wave method.

That said, Elliott wave patterns are far preferrable to "fundamentals" as a way of anticipating crude oil's turns and trends.

If you'd like to learn how the Elliott wave method can help you in your analysis of financial markets, read Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- the Wall Street classic by Frost & Prechter. Here's a quote from the book:

Although it is the best forecasting tool in existence, the Wave Principle is not primarily a forecasting tool; it is a detailed description of how markets behave. Nevertheless, that description does impart an immense amount of knowledge about the market's position within the behavioral continuum and therefore about its probable ensuing path. The primary value of the Wave Principle is that it provides a context for market analysis. This context provides both a basis for disciplined thinking and a perspective on the market's general position and outlook. At times, its accuracy in identifying, and even anticipating, changes in direction is almost unbelievable.

If you'd like to read the entire online version of the book, you may do so for free once you join Club EWI, the world's largest Elliott wave educational community. A Club EWI membership costs nothing, yet members enjoy complimentary access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on investing and trading without any obligation.

Become a Club EWI member now and enjoy the benefits, including free access to Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior (just follow this highlighted link to get started).

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Crude Oil Couldn't Care Less About "Fundamentals". EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

Gold: What "Colossal" Central Bank Buying May Mean

"Central banks are so confident that gold prices will continue rising that they are..."

By Elliott Wave International

Central banks have been scooping up gold with a vengeance.

Here's a Jan. 31 Financial Times headline:

'Colossal' central bank buying drives gold demand to decade high

Interestingly, just a few days later on Feb. 3, the precious metal dropped by more than 2%. But setting aside near-term price moves in gold, what you need to know is that government is nearly always the last to act on a financial trend. In other words, when government acts, a financial trend is either nearly or already over.

In the case of gold, consider that central banks were furiously buying it in mid-2011. As you may recall, gold had been strongly rallying. Well, just three months later in September of that year, gold hit a top and fell 46% during the next four years.

Going back in history a little further to around 1999 and 2000, there was the gold selling episode which amusingly came to be known as "Brown's Bottom" -- referring to Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, Gordon Brown.

Brown was fervently selling from Britain's gold reserves after gold had been in a multi-year downtrend.

You no doubt know the rest of the story: After Brown's gold selling, the precious metal then entered a multi-year uptrend.

But let's get back to the present, namely, an instructive chart and commentary from our recently published February 2023 Elliott Wave Financial Forecast:

Central banks are so confident that gold prices will continue rising that they are committing generational amounts to its purchase. Central bank behavior is not a short-term timing tool, but it does provide key input for judging sentiment, which appears strongly bullish.

If you would like to get near-term analysis of gold, as well as more of this broader perspective, you can find it in Elliott Wave International's flagship Financial Forecast Service.

Or you can apply Elliott wave analysis to gold's price chart yourself -- as well as other financial markets.

If you're unfamiliar with the Elliott wave model, read Frost & Prechter's book, Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here's a quote:

The practical goal of any analytical method is to identify market lows suitable for buying (or covering shorts) and market highs suitable for selling (or selling short). When developing a system of trading or investing, you should adopt certain patterns of thought that will help you remain both flexible and decisive, both defensive and aggressive, depending upon the demands of the situation. The Elliott Wave Principle is not such a system, but is unparalleled as a basis for creating one.

Learn more by reading the entire online version of the book for free. That's right -- you can access Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior for free once you become a member of Club EWI -- the world's largest Elliott wave educational community.

A Club EWI membership is also free and members get complimentary access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on financial markets, investing and trading.

Join Club EWI now (no obligations as a member) by following this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- get free and instant access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Gold: What "Colossal" Central Bank Buying May Mean. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

How This Pattern from the Prior Housing Bust is Repeating

Here's when homes will likely sell for once-in-a-lifetime bargains

By Elliott Wave International

Just like the gold "in them thar hills" motivated people from all walks of life to become miners way back when, real estate booms have motivated people from far and wide to become agents.

In both cases, easy riches seemed to be there for the taking.

But easy riches can be hard to get sometimes, as this New York Times headline indicates:

As Housing Market Cools, Far Fewer Become Agents

You might think that was from the past few months. No, the date of the headline's publication was Sept. 7, 2007.

This next one is recent -- a New York Post headline from Jan. 31 of this year:

Real estate agents vanish en masse as market slows -- even in once red-hot Miami

So, agents are closing shop again -- just like 15 or 16 years ago -- before the worst of the prior housing bust.

The question is: Will this latest weakness in the property market turn out to be as severe as the last time?

No one knows for sure, of course, but Elliott Wave International's analysis strongly suggests that real estate agents, homeowners, would-be buyers and would-be sellers might want to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

As Robert Prechter noted in his book, Last Chance to Conquer the Crash:

At the bottom, buy the home, office building or business facility of your dreams for ten cents or less per dollar of its peak value.

Remember, financial changes can happen quickly and dramatically.

That was the case with the 2007-2009 financial crisis. And, as indicated, changes are already underway in real estate again. This chart and commentary from our February Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, a monthly publication which covers major U.S. financial markets, provide more insight:

The monthly chart of existing home prices shows that the June-to-November decline brought the first break of the 12-month moving average since the first quarter of 2020. This is not unusual; the chart shows a seasonal tendency for prices to decline in the second half of the year. What is highly unusual, however, is the seasonal decline's refusal to break below the 12-month average in 2020 and 2021. The sharp decline in sales, the five wave rise from the 1960s in home prices and the ability for prices to stay above the 12-month average for two straight years suggest that the current move below the 12-month average is no ordinary decline.

The bottom line is that it's best to prepare now for swift changes ahead -- not only in housing, but in financial markets and the economy generally.

Begin your preparation by starting to read Last Chance to Conquer the Crash now -- 100% free.

Find out how to get instant access to Robert Prechter’s “must-read” wealth protection guide by following this link now.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline How This Pattern from the Prior Housing Bust is Repeating. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

Why the Recession Consensus Might Be Too Optimistic
"Major stock market declines lead directly to..."

By Elliott Wave International

The verdict seems to be in: The economy is headed for a recession.

These headlines from the past few months show what I'm talking about:

• A 2023 recession would mean job losses for most industries ... (USA Today, Feb. 3)
• Recession watch: U.S. economy is on shaky ground (MarketWatch, Jan. 28)
• There's close to 100% certainty there will be a recession in the U.S. this year, CIO says (CNBC, Jan. 25)
• Bank of America CEO sees 'mild recession' in 2023 (Fox Business, Jan. 21)
• Guggenheim CIO: We are predicting the recession to start mid-year (CNBC, Jan. 18)
• World Bank ... says globe is 'perilously close' to recession (CNBC, Jan. 10)
• A Recession Is Widely Expected. Here's How to Prepare (Time, Dec. 10)

This is a way whittled down list of headlines. I included as many as I did to emphasize that the expectations for recession are widespread.

Yet, the consensus is rarely correct. So, this might mean that there will not be a recession. On the other hand, it could imply that the expectations for a recession are way too conservative -- too optimistic. In other words, something worse might be ahead.

This speculation is not just based on the majority being wrong most of the time, but on the historical observation that the economy tends to follow the stock market.

In other words, if the stock market gets into a great bull market, a major economic boom tends to follow. On the other hand, if stocks experience a major bear market (think 1929-1932), the economy tends to suffer a depression.

As Robert Prechter noted in Last Chance to Conquer the Crash:

Major stock market declines lead directly to depressions.

This chart is from that must-read book:

Robert Prechter shows that three of the biggest market declines of the past 300 years did indeed lead to economic depression: 1720-1784, 1835-1842 and 1929-1932.

Many people believe economic conditions lead to depressions. But as the chart makes plain, the stock market leads the economy.

If the stock market declines deeply in 2023 (and perhaps beyond), a depression may follow.

Indeed, here's what Robert Prechter wrote in his must-read book, Last Chance to Conquer the Crash:

For the purposes of this book, all you need to know is that the degree of the economic contraction that I anticipate is too large to be labeled a "recession" such as our economy has experienced thirteen times since 1933. If my outlook is correct, by the time the...

Learn more -- waymore -- by getting free access to the first two chapters of Last Chance to Conquer the Crash.

Just follow this link and you can have the first two chapters of Last Chance to Conquer the Crash on your screen in moments -- FREE.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Why the Recession Consensus Might Be Too Optimistic. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

Gold and Inflation: Here's a Market Myth

"If you believe in Gold as a consumer price inflation hedge then..."

By Elliott Wave International

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, an ounce of gold could buy a Roman a well-made toga, belt and finely crafted sandals.

In modern day Rome, lo and behold, a businessman can become sharply dressed via the value of that same ounce of gold.

So, yes, gold has maintained its store of value over the centuries.

However, in the relative short term -- which can last years -- gold may not be the inflation hedge that gold bugs believe it to be.

In a moment, I'll show you how this relates to what's going on with gold and inflation now. However, let's first get insights from a chart and commentary from our February 2022 Global Market Perspective, which published when inflation was really getting going (The monthly Global Market Perspective is an Elliott Wave International publication which covers 50-plus global financial markets):

The chart shows the U.S. dollar price of Gold versus the annualized rate-of-change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI). If you believe in Gold as a consumer price inflation hedge then, as the CPI is accelerating, the Gold price should be advancing. The green shaded areas show that there have been five occasions since 1980 when the opposite was true, the last year being a good example. On the other side, the Gold-Inflation myth would allude to the price of Gold declining as CPI was decelerating. The grey shaded areas show five occasions since 1970 when this was not the case, 2007 to 2010 being a prime example.

Fast forward to today and we have these headlines:

• US inflation eases grip on economy, falling for a 6th month (AP News, Jan. 23)
• Inflation in U.S. could turn negative by midyear, says [this] billionaire investor ... (MarketWatch, Jan. 28)

What's happened to the price of gold? It's steadily climbed in the face of easing inflation. Of course, this is just the opposite of what was occurring around this time last year. In both cases, the price of gold went in the opposite direction from what many would expect.

On Sept. 28, gold was trading at $1613.75 and has been in an overall uptrend since. The precious metal traded as high as $1949.46 on Jan. 26 (as of this writing on Jan. 30).

The bottom-line takeaway is that the widespread expected relationship between gold and inflation is not always there -- indeed, there have been several instances in the past several decades where the opposite is the case.

Know that Elliott wave analysis, which is by no means a crystal ball, can nonetheless help you anticipate gold's next big price move.

If you're unfamiliar with Elliott wave analysis, read Frost & Prechter's Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here's a quote from the book:

The Wave Principle is governed by man's social nature, and since he has such a nature, its expression generates forms. As the forms are repetitive, they have predictive value.

Learn about these "forms" for free as a Club EWI member.

That's right -- you can gain free access to the entire online version of this Wall Street classic by joining Club EWI -- the world's largest Elliott wave educational community. A Club EWI membership is also free, and members enjoy complimentary access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on investing and trading.

Get started right away by following this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- get free and instant access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Gold and Inflation: Here's a Market Myth. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.