Nasdaq futures traded a below normal range and volume overnight as the market heads into the halfway mark of a week featuring an economic data backload. At 8:30 am US Building Permits and Housing Starts numbers were released but show little impact on index prices. Instead it appears the market is more interested in the 2pm FOMC minutes and perhaps Thursday premarket when CPI data will be released.
My typical expectation on an FOMC day is an active open featuring 1-2 prominent rotations before the session turns into a grind ahead of the announcement. Yesterday’s strength was interesting early on because the open had a drive-like aspect to it that occasionally portends trend days. It was enough buyer conviction to keep me from putting any shorts on intra day and an interesting piece of context to carry through the session and into today. Buyers did manage to range extend higher and upon doing so discovered responsive selling. The high end of yesterday’s profile looks like absorption. The VPOC shifted to the high end of the profile and we pressed lower right into the bell.
The short term dividing point between the responsive seller and buyers is a low volume node at 4240.25. Even overnight, when prices briefly popped above this level, sellers were active. I have noted this level, all other key price levels, and an LVN slide zone on the following volume profile chart:
