From "Corpse Art" To "Skullmania"
Why has our collective percepton of art changed so dramatically over the past decade?

We call a urinal "the most influential work of art of the 20th century" and flock to see dead bodies set as sculptures. Is there a connection between the recent popularity of “all things melancholic” and the state of our collective spirits? We at Elliott Wave Internatonal think there is. Watch this free documentary for the answers.

Category: Cultural Trends 

Sugar: On Track To Opportunity

In the real world, the supposed well-oiled "machines" of financial markets respond less like KITT, the obedient car of TV’s “Knight Rider” and more like the demon-possessed trucks of Stephen King’s horror flick “Maximum Overdrive.” Case in point, the mid-April news reports claiming SUGAR's uptrend was being driven by High Crude Oil...

Category: Commodities 

Why Oil Prices Change – Part III
And Seven Reasons Why Not

For the most part, my research time proved an exercise in myth busting -- which is to say, I realized that I needed to explain what does not change oil prices before I could explain what does....

Category: Energy 

Cocoa: You Don't Want To Miss Next Wave
Are Cocoa prices positioned for a decline?

You may know that one of the Three Rules of Elliott states that, "Wave 2 can never retrace more than 100% of wave 1." By applying this rule in your trading, you always know the exact price point where your "wave 2" is no longer a wave two. Which means that you always know the exact price point where to place your stop-loss...

Category: Commodities 

Fed Rate Cut History – as Predictable as Spam in Your Inbox

"And forecasting fed rate cuts isn’t all it's cracked up to be, or at least it doesn’t appear to warrant the countless hours of discussion devoted to it on financial television. As we’ve discussed numerous times in our newsletters, the Fed follows the market, not leads it."

Category: Interest Rates 

Why Oil Prices Change -- Part II

These days, there’s more round-the-clock press coverage of soaring oil prices than of the Democratic party's primary elections. And, much like those political contests, each day the mainstream “experts” offer a new twist on the outcome...

Category: Energy 

VIDEO: Why Oil Prices Change -- Part I
What affects the price of oil more: market sentiment or news headlines?

Question: A militant attack on the Nigerian oil station happened on Sunday, May 4. The report projecting strong demand for oil from China came out on Tuesday, May 6. However, EWI's Energy Specialty Service made a bullish forecast for oil last Friday, May 2. How in the world did ESS know about those events two days in advance? Answer: It didn't...

Category: Energy 

Forex: Euro Vs. Dollar – Up or Down?
When "fundamentals" get confusing, technical analysis helps you cut to the chase.

You've probably noticed how conflicting the mainstream financial media's analysis of the U.S. dollar vs. euro exchange rate has been over the past few days. The European Central Bank meets on May 8 -- will that be bullish or bearish for the euro-dollar exchange rate?

Category: Currencies 

Japan: Look At This Opportunity in the Nikkei
Or, How One Chart Can Offer a Whole Education

The chart tells a six-year-plus story that features patterns in the country's main stock market, plus the accompanying psychological trends as revealed by two indicators: First by a sentiment index, and second by magazine covers. Yes, magazine covers. The "magazine cover" indicator remains one of the best-kept secrets in the financial world, though not from any lack of discussion about it on our part. Even so, U.S. markets are the traditional focus of analysts and investors who do follow the magazine cover indicator. Yet as you can see, it's clear that this indicator applies elsewhere -- namely in Japan...

Category: Asian Markets 

Coffee: Opportunity Brews

Category: Commodities 

VIDEO: "Gold, Silver: Expect A Bounce, Then – A Devastating Decline"
It's been exciting to watch Gold and Silver follow Elliott wave-based forecasts so precisely.

It's been exciting to watch Gold and Silver, two of the many markets editor Mike Drakulich covers in his Metals Specialty Service, follow his forecasts so precisely over the past month or so. Just watch this video Mike recorded on April 23, for example -- it will "blow your socks off," as Mike puts it.

Category: Precious Metals 

Treasury Notes, Trends, and Subprime Mortgages (revisited)
Or, the Latest Chapter in the Story of "What The Fed Can't Do"

All of that brings us to this week -- or, to be succinct, "new chapter, same story." On Wednesday (April 30), the Fed cut its key lending rate again; according to The Wall Street Journal, this latest cut means that the current campaign "exceeds even the rapid rate cutting of the first eight months of 2001, before the economy was shocked by 9/11." But, after a brief bout of volatility, 10-year Treasury Note yields resumed their upward path, with Friday's yields reaching the highest level on the week. As for mortgage rates, here's the latest from Bankrate.com...

Category: Interest Rates 

U.S. Dollar: Death By Deficit?

News Flash: Cinco De Mayo is NOT the celebration of Mexico's Independence from Spain. And, in lieu of the non-event event, consider one of the most common misconceptions of mainstream financial wisdom; namely: That a widening deficit decreases the value of the dollar, and vice versa.

Category: Currencies 

Bear Stearns Explained: How Financial Values Can Disappear

The big question that still remains about the demise of Bear Stearns is, how did its mortgage-backed securities lose their value so quickly? It's a question that Bob Prechter has pondered in a more general way for his best-selling business book, Conquer the Crash. In this excerpt, Bob carefully explains exactly how financial values can disappear.

Category: Classic Prechter 

6 Ways Elliott Wave Helps You Trade Better
Learning Elliott wave analysis may be a challenge, but it's well worth it.

Category: Stocks 

3 Ways to React to the Price of Gold

One reaction to the high price of gold is to find a way to turn old dental work with gold into money. But wouldn't you rather have a useful forecast for gold first before you ask your dentist to give you back that old gold crown?

Category: Precious Metals 

Soybeans: A Sizable Move Ahead?

Something curious has happened on the way to the “Great Commodity Boom” taking the agricultural world by storm -- one of the most significant grains out there has been heading d-o-w-n, down: Soybeans...

Category: Commodities 

Silver Standard Resources (SSRI): Clear, Unmistakable Opportunity
Does Elliott wave analysis work stock by stock?

Category: Stocks 

Sugar and Orange Juice: Two Markets To Focus On
Markets rarely travel in a straight line.

Sugar prices have been falling this week. "Of course, it's nice that prices are falling since we're looking down," writes Elliott Wave International's Senior Commodity Analyst Jeffrey Kennedy. "However, markets rarely travel in a straight line. So, within wave (1), where exactly are we?"

Category: Commodities 

Part II: "Transparent Markets"?
Sure They're Transparent -- As Long and Words and Meaning Don't Matter

I'll be the first to acknowledge that hindsight is 20/20 -- there's not much rocket science in figuring out why something blew up after it explodes. At the same time, it is fair to point out that any rational assessment of risk -- whether it's risks to competitiveness, or systemic risks to the financial structure itself -- must begin with probabilities. I say this because it is hard to imagine a scenario whereby the broken tort system or excessive regulation would cause a behemoth like Bear Stearns to implode in a matter of days. On the other hand, it is easy to imagine the rapid demise of any financial institution, if its depositors suddenly lose confidence in the quality of that institution's capital reserves....

Category: Economy