BoJ: Will they keep markets guessing?

Around the start of the year there was constant speculation that the BoJ would be soon exiting their ultra loose monetary policy. This speculation was fuelled by the move nn December 20 last year where the bank unexpectedly tweaked the yield curve control band by increasing it to +/- 0.50%. This speculation led to a … Read more

Candlestick chart patterns: The piercing pattern

Some candlestick price patterns are well known like shooting stars, hammer reversal bars, and engulfing bars. However, some of the less well known candlestick price patterns are worth noting for reading price charts. This is particularly helpful for when you are a managing a position on the longer term charts. Two patterns we are discussing … Read more

The U.S. debt ceiling is suspended, but long term challenges persist

A recent opinion piece in Bloomberg highlighted that the latest budget deal successfully suspended the debt ceiling, averting a potential debt default. However, it also pointed out that this measure does little to address the United States’ long-term fiscal challenges, as US deficits continue to accelerate. Escalating US debts According to the Congressional Budget Office, … Read more

Calculating the monthly move of the S&P500

Calculating the daily expected move of the S&P500 for the month aheadThe VIX is the so called ‘fear index’ that traders use to evaluate how concerned investors are. The VIX is an indicator of 30-day implied volatility from the use of S&P500 index options prices. The way it looks is like this. When S&P500 traders … Read more