2/8 – 3:10 p.m. New York time

I entered no positions and exited none. I considered entering a bear call spread on one of the two fossil fuel ETFs that I track: UNG and OIH, but declined both trades without a full analysis. UNG has a very low implied volatility percentile, and OIH has bid/ask spread too wide to meet my standards.

2/8 – 1:45 p.m. New York time

Of the 44 exchange-traded funds that I track, only six remain uptrending on the daily chart using the Fisher Transform (FT) metric. Three are contrarian funds — if their underlying goes up, they go down, and vice versa: VXX, SPXU and TBT. The remaining three are XHB (the home builders), XRT (retail) and UUP (the U.S. dollar).

Of the 38 ETFs that are downtrending on the daily chart FT, X show a mismatch with their uptrending 3-hour FTs, a smaller level of granularity. They are the volatility measure VIX, the metals (GDXJ, GLD, SLV and NUGT), bond and bond-like funds (IEF, TLT and the utilities, XLU), and the U.S. dollar/Euro exchange (FXE).

This pattern puts my GLD position on watch, although I shall continue to hold it unless the daily-chart FT also turns uptrending.

That leaves 30 ETFs that are downtrending on both the daily and 3-hour FT measures. An embarrassment of prospects:

Symbol	IV_Percentile	Market Cap
DIA	86.96	16,591 M
IWM	82.40	32,324 M
QQQ	98.11	57,053 M
SPY	64.91	236,147 M
IYR	97.72	3,116 M
KRE	100.00	3,702 M
OIH	100.00	1,674 M
XBI	100.00	2,278 M
XLB	80.75	5,005 M
XLE	100.00	6,423 M
XLF	100.00	25,282 M
XLI	100.00	11,400 M
XLK	96.63	23,667 M
XLP	74.16	7,137 M
XLV	88.55	12,421 M
XLY	85.21	11,233 M
XME	46.53	506 M
XOP	89.25	412 M
UNG	0.00	558 M
LQD	100.00	35,547 M
DXJ	100.00	7,961 M
EEM	100.00	41,325 M
EFA	100.00	77,777 M
EWI	71.85	729 M
EWW	97.71	1,068 M
EWY	100.00	4,031 M
EWZ	60.69	8,206 M
FXI	100.00	4,178 M
RSX	85.35	2,054 M

Long story short, the U.S. stock markets are downtrending, along with some foreign markets.  I have exposure to the blue chips through my position in QQQ. I’m lacking exposure to fossil fuels (UNG, OIH). Oddly, corporate bonds (LQD) are unreservedly downtrending, whereas government instruments are showing a mismatch between levels of granularity.

2/8 – 1:05 p.m. New York time

I have no prospective earnings plays using options. I’m disregarding potential shares plays; they are by definition bullish, and the continued fall of the markets after a 50% retracement is a classic pattern used in Elliott Wave analysis that convinces me that the downtrend is more than a passing event. I shall be moving funds from my shares account over to an options account, where they can be used for downtrending positions.

2/8 – 10:50 a.m. New York time

I exited no positions in the opening bell’s first rush. My two shares positions, HUN and MTX, which I entered on Wednesday, have moved to a downtrending posture on the 3-hour Fisher Transform (FT) metric. If the one-day FT follows, then I shall exit them.

By Tim Bovee, Portland, Oregon, Feb. 8, 2018

Disclaimer

Tim Bovee, Private Trader tracks the analysis and trades of a private trader for his own accounts. Nothing in this blog constitutes a recommendation to buy or sell stocks, options or any other financial instrument. The only purpose of this blog is to provide education and entertainment.

No trader is ever 100 percent successful in his or her trades. Trading in the stock and option markets is risky and uncertain. Each trader must make trading decisions for his or her own account, and take responsibility for the consequences.

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Based on a work at www.timbovee.com.