1.  Its options expiration this Friday and the biggest story right now is this Russia/ Ukraine tension. Yesterday stocks surged after news was released that Russia was pulling back troops, but now we know that was not really the case. Today is "whipsaw Wednesday" which is usually the most choppy day of the week before the Friday expiration. So expect another wild session.

2. Energy is the strong industry group today. Yesterday, energy stocks were sold off sharply on hopes of Russian de-escalation, but oil and oil stocks are the standout right now. Oil looks poised to reach that psychological $100.00 level soon.  

3. Retail sales increased 3.8% in January, this was better than the expected estimate of 2.1%. It was really much better than the 2.5% decline in December that was a big miss. Either way, this stronger economic news is not helping stocks today. 

4. A look back at last week’s jobs number that was way too good to be true.

5. Gold futures (GC) dropped yesterday as it hit major resistance at $1880oz, but it's back up today. Bitcoin has held up well but beware. 47.5 to 48k is resistance.

1. Geopolitical Events are front and center this week. Everyone is talking about the Russia/ Ukraine tension. Honestly, I have no idea how this will really play out, but it is affecting oil prices, and the stock markets around the world. 

2. All of these Fed presidents are out speaking about the increasing rates. For the most part, they have been sounding a bit more hawkish. Everyone is talking about a special meeting that is going on today, but there have been very few details released.  

3. As you know, this Friday is options expiration so expect a lot of 'whipsaw' this week. Almost all of the recent rallies have been getting sold off so it is very important to take it slow this week. Understanding the chart pattern will be very important by the end of the week.

4. Gold is very strong today. This looks to be due to the geopolitical uncertainty. Gold futures (CG) still have a lot of resistance around the 1880 area at this time. 

5. Bitcoin trading firmly above 40k. Ethereum is still down and hasn’t confirmed Bitcoin’s move. Coinbase’s floating QR Code was the most popular Super Bowl ad and shut down the Coinbase site.

1. Stocks are in rally mode today so far. yesterday, the major indexes were finally able to hold up into the close and that certainly gave the bulls some confidence today. There are also a couple of fed presidents out trying to calm the markets and say that the fed may not raise rates more than 3 times this year. I call that damage control. 

2. Bond yields are stalling a little bit today, but they have made a huge move recently. The 10-year US Treasury note yield is at 1.933% down 2 basis points. The move up into 2.0% should be coming soon. That is going to be the real test for the markets, especially industry groups like homebuilders, commercial real estate, utilities, and also tech stocks. Mortgage applications are down, both purchases and refi’s. So Fed is in caution mode.

3. Gold is holding up well on the daily chart right now. It has moved back above the 20-day moving average and could make a run for the January highs. The larger time-frame pattern still has a lot of work to do.   

4. Bitcoin has been rallying and could hit 48,000 shortly, but beware.

1. Markets are starting the week slightly positive after the small Friday uptick. This is a very volatile and choppy environment, so traders must be very selective at this time. This is very little room for error when the bull-market is in a correction. 

2. Everyone is now watching the bond yields on the 10 year U.S.Treasury note. They are actually down a basis point today, but still above 1.90%. The next whole round number is 2.0% and that should not take long if you ask me. Higher yields really hurt the housing stocks last Friday. Today the housing stocks are catching a minor bid. This group can be tracked by watching stocks such as LEN, TOL, PHM, KBH and ITB.   `

3. Gold futures (GC) are catching a bid today. The precious metal is trading by nearly 9.00 points to $1816.30/oz. As I've said before, while the bigger time-frame pattern looks weak it is still hanging in there on the daily chart. Silver is up nearly 2% so far today.

4. Crypto is on fire today. Bitcoin and the other crypto assets are bouncing strong today. Someone wanted to repair the weah pattern and it's working today.

1. Better than expected job report for January. Nonfarm payrolls rose 467,000 in January, expectations were just 150K. So this was a bit of a surprise. It looks to have caused a spike in yields. The 10 year note is now above 1.90%. This number certainly puts pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise rates soon.

2. Earnings season is underways and we have seen some huge swings in both directions after these announcements. Today Amazon.com (AMZN) is catching a big bid to the upside. the stock is up 10.5% to 3073.00 a share. This move comes after Meta Platforms (FB) was crushed yesterday.

3. Gold futures (GC) are flat today. So while the pattern needs to get more constructive in order to move sharply higher it is holding right now. 

4. Bitcoin is catching a bid this morning trading back above 38,000. So far the popular crypto asset is being defended above that important 35,000 level. Traders must continue to watch the pattern closely going forward.

1. Stocks were defended this past Friday. They staged a big rally after struggling for most of the week. This is natural activity and that is why it is so important to understand volume trends at highs and lows. Today, the major stock indexes are seeing some follow through buying. This is usually common at the end of the month so it is not a surprise.

2. Gold is trading higher today after an ugly week. I'm still in the camp that gold has a lot of work to do before it gets constructive again. The chart remains weak as the price is below the 50 and 200-day moving averages.

3. Bitcoin is holding up at this time. The popular asset class is now trading back above the important 35,000 level. The chart pattern that forms over the next week or so will be critical moving forward.

1. Stocks are rebounding ahead of the highly anticipated FOMC announcement. Every trader is waiting to hear from Fed Chairman Jay Powell. Will they increase the speed of rate hikes. Right now, the central bank is still buying bonds if you can believe it.  

2. The markets got very oversold on Monday and then staged a high volume reversal day to the upside. That type of washout will generally last a little while, so pattern reading is again going to be very important going forward.

3. Gold is pulling back today. There does not seem to be anything bad here. Often, gold is going to be in play on Fed day. 1865-1875 is heavy resistance.

4. Bitcoin held up well so far after breaking below the key 35,000 level. That was certainly important support and now the pattern will tell me more going forward.

1. Markets are seeing some Monday morning pressure again. Most investors are now looking to the next FOMC (Federal Open market CommIttee) for help. The meeting starts tomorrow and concludes on Wednesday. I'm really not sure what the Fed can do this time around to help lift stocks, but you never know. Everyone is looking for capitulation or a wash out right now.

There are a lot of geopolitical events taking place right now. Russia/ Ukraine and China / Taiwan are just two in front of us.

2. Bitcoin hits the target just below 35,000 as the pattern suggested. Now it will be important to see what it does going forward. If it breaks 29,000, look out below.

3. Gold is flat and silver is under pressure. Silver is down .60 and under pressure. Gold is hanging in pretty well.

1. Markets remain weak at this time, but are starting to bounce back today. Believe it or not, we are nearing very overbought conditions, so there will likely be some short term bounces soon. Either way, this is a time to be nimble and very selective in the type of stocks that you own. Growth stocks are out of favor, but they will be the stocks that get the best counter trend bounces. If you are not a seasoned trader then just stay away right now.
 
2. Gold is holding up very well at this time. This could be due to the fear trade as the stock market drops. Even Bitcoin and the cryptos are falling and gold is holding. So much for crypto being the new gold. 

3. Bitcoin looks like it's on its way down to 35,000. Today, the popular crypto is trading down by 10% to the 38,000 level.