S&P
The First Trade & Pre-open Tour Recording… On the way to the forum.
Proper context can start the day with a solid win and make all the difference.
DAILY SCHEDULE
First, watch the pre-open Tour recording HERE <<==
Then, meet in the chaRTroom here by 9:15 ET for updates and Q&A
Through the prior close…
Friday’s Employment Situation report was greeted optimistically, but not so optimistically as to be bearish from a contrarian perspective. In fact, the 10-point rally from 2918.00 to 2928.00 greeted Friday’s open at 2934.00. Then it extended to 2949.00 into the afternoon bias environment. But no traction was gained and the balance of the session ranged sideways as the cash session closed at 2946.00. The afternoon’s bias-up had just triggered and its 2951.75 target was left outstanding. Also left outstanding was an intraday retest of Wednesday’s 2961.75 overnight high.
Overnight action’s new info…
Reports of difficulties in China trade talks were confirmed Sunday when Trump tweeted that tariffs will rise on Friday. Globex gapped down 28 points to Thursday’s 2918.00 close and collapsed another 24 points from there to 2893.50. A bounce resolved down to 2883.50, and a more gradual reaction up to 2903.50 has defined a trading range that persisted through Europe’s opens.
If, then… (notes to accompany the Tour recording)
Any downside with a greater purpose than simply backing-and-filling would require gapping down sharply — at the very least, under Friday’s 2931.50 post-open lows. That doesn’t seem to be a problem based on current indications. Of course, opening too much deeper without gaining traction along the way can inhibit sponsorship, let alone reinforcements. The overnight collapse’s catalyst isn’t organic. Rather, it is in reaction to China trade talks developments. Fading reactions to those headlines has been highly reliable. Exiting the open back above 2920.00 would start to signal that sellers weren’t gaining traction. Recovering 2931.50 would still be necessary for putting into play a retest of last week’s highs. Otherwise, breaking under 2886.00-2892.00 through a relevant timing window would next target 2846.00-2851.00.
First Trade…
[Click here to view the Bias parameters] Price is too far removed from this morning’s bias parameters to escape renewing the bias-down signal.
Morning Bias
| MON morning signal (triggered at 10:15 ET) | SPX | ES |
| Bias-up: above | 2949.75 | 2951.50 |
| …would target | 2956.25 | 2958.00 |
| Bias-down: under | 2942.00 | 2944.00 |
| …would target | 2936.00 | 2938.00 |
| Signal status: BIAS-DOWN, BIAS-DOWN TARGET EXCEEDED | . | |
| BIAS VIDEOS… INTRO // EXAMPLE | ||
1. At 10:15, trading above the bias-up signal or under the bias-down signal would put into play a test of its bias-up or bias-down target.
2. Not triggering either bias signal at 10:15 would be “no-bias,” and the bias signals should define the bias environment’s range.
— A test of the opposite bias signal would be targeted if one bias signal was tested before triggering no-bias.
3. Touching the bias signal within 3 minutes either way of 10:15 would invoke a grace period through 10:30 to trigger a late signal.
— “Late” signals don’t require testing the opposite bias signal, but it’s still likely.
4. Still testing the bias signal at 10:30 after invoking the grace period would trigger “noN-bias,” with no bias influence.
Market Wrap (recording & summary)
Friday’s Employment Situation report was greeted by an optimistic overnight rally from 2918.00. Not too optimistic as to be bearish from a contrarian perspective. In fact, Friday’s 2934.00 open was greeted higher, and the rally extended to 2949.00 into the afternoon bias environment. No traction was gained and the balance of the session ranged sideways, but not before triggering bias-up.
The afternoon’s 2951.75 target was left outstanding. Resistance along the way to it at 2950 (+/-) would be more predictive than influential, meaning that the resolution to its test would be more influential than it would fulfill buying pressure. Above the 2950.00 area would target a retest of 2956.00, and there’s little reason to even visit it other than to break higher. Unfinished business above remains outstanding at 2961.75, which could be tested up to 2969.00.
Any downside with a greater purpose than backing-and-filling would require gapping down sharply — at the very least, under Friday’s 2931.50 post-open lows. Any less weaker weak open would likely be only temporary backing-and-filling intent upon recovering to fulfill the above paragraph’s objectives.
Details and other markets coverage are discussed in the post-market Wrap recording here.
JOIN US AT 9:30 ET FOR THIS WEEKEND’S SATURDAY REVIEW.
Daily Spot…
A daily summary of high-profile members of several complexes… View a more detailed discussion of each chart at the end of today’s Market Wrap.
Eurodollar Jun Contract (EC, ETF: (FXE, UUP))
The pullback had a little extra room down to 1.1200 and it was probed before Friday’s open down to 1.1175. But the morning recovered it and continued firming back into positive territory at downtrending resistance at 1.1235. Not resuming the pullback will allow a bottoming pattern to form.
Gold Jun Contract (GC, ETF: (GLD))
Thursday’s plunge from a multi-session range had held prior lows, recovering an intraday probe of fresh lows testing 1267.50 to help trap shorts, but not decisively recovering 1271.50. Rallying in reaction to the Employment Situation report extended sharply higher to fill the gap back up to Wednesday’s 1284.00 close. A second consecutive higher close on Monday could seal a bottom.
Silver Jul Contract (SI, ETF: (SLV))
Two consecutive sharply lower drops down to 14.56, confirming Wednesday’s breakout from a multi-session range, didn’t prevent Friday’s Employment Situation reaction from surging back into that broken range up to 15.00. The original 14.88 buy signal and adjusted 14.81 buy signal were recovered, so a second consecutive higher close Monday must be avoided to resume the requirement for at least an eventual fresh low close.
30-year Treasury Jun Contract (US, ETF: (TLT))
Friday’s knee-jerk reaction to the Employment Situation report touched 146-21 and bounced back up to “higher prior lows” at 147-21. But greeting the report from a position of weakness suggests the bounce will be rejected back under the 147-04 sell signal to resume the next downleg targeting 145-24.
Crude Oil Jun Contract (CL, ETF: (USO, USL) (UWTI-long, DWTI-short))
Flat-to-higher ranging Friday up to 62.50 remained under the 63.25 buy signal, which must still trigger to reinstate the 67.00 target.
Natural Gas Jun Contract (NG, ETF: (UNG, UNL))
Firming overnight to further test 2.61 was retraced by Friday’s open by a dip testing 2.55 support. The pullback is still likely to resolve up and trigger another buy signal.
Mid-day Update… BIAS-UP.
Gravitating higher.
Resistance at 2936.00 was probed momentarily during the first hour, above 2938.00. 
But it took a return to the opening range’s 2931.50 low for another probe above 2936.00 to extend. That attacked 2943.00, and its reaction tested 2938.00 as support.
But the bias environment’s exit recovered 2940.00, and the noon hour extended to fresh highs. Now this afternoon’s 2944.50 bias-up signal has triggered, targeting 2951.75. Already a fresh high is touching 2948.25.
Interim resistance in the 2950.00 area could challenge the path to 2951.75, or else it had better support a reaction down from 2951.75. If the afternoon continues drifting higher as Friday afternoons often do, the next higher objective is 2956.00. Meanwhile, a reaction down has room to 2941.75 before even beginning to suggest momentum is reversing down.