iBankCoin
I turn dials and fiddle with knobs to hone in on harmonic rotations
Joined Oct 26, 2011
4,121 Blog Posts

Raul shares his skincare routine

Hydration and exfoliation are the name of the game when it comes to skincare. But everyone’s skin is different. Being a somewhat swarthy southern european type, my skin is pretty oily.

The oils in my diet are important because they leech out onto the surface of my body at an accelerated rate. No seed oils. I keep two grades of single-origin olive oil in the pantry. One for cooking and one for dressing. Most of the fish meat in my diet is wild caught from Lake Superior. The trout is nice and oily.

No mammal or avian grease enters my system at any time. Disgusting.

I drink mostly from the tap, which I plumbed dechlorniation and carbon filtration into. These filters are changed quarterly. I drink 3 cups of water with breaking fast. If I am working around Mothership I will consume about 9-12 cups of water in a day. If I am toiling at the farm my water intake increases to about 30 cups.

I wear sunscreen every day. Even in the winter. Even inside. In the summertime and while snowboarding I wear Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protector which is water proof and Spf 50. The rest of the time I use Shisedo’s Urban Environment Oil-free Uv Protector, which turns the sun’s burning rays into healing rays.

I never take a razored blade to my thick facial hair. Instead I use Wahl peanut clipper to bring the stubble to varying lengths, depending on my mood and the season. Lately I am keeping my stubble tight, using a #1 guard about 2-3x per week. I clipper my face before showering.

The only soap that touches my face is Dr. Bronner’s. Liquid or bar. I prefer peppermint, tea tree or eucalyptus but will use rose or almond in a pinch. This is a strong soap but again, I have over active sebaceous glands. Still, I avoid the eye area and only keep the suds on my face for a few seconds, putting some extra effort into cleaning along the hairline, around the nose and behind the ears.

I make use of several masks. On clippered beard days I apply Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate. Considered the holy grail of exfoliator by industry professionals, this mask is clinically proven to smooth texture and improve pores to give the skin a radiant glow.

In the early spring, especially on a rainy day I like to apply a thick layer if Irish moor mud. Peter Thomas Roth has a clever formulation that women in Manhattan pay good money for and so do I. This mask is best applied after the shower and worn outside in the rain for a nice long sit. This mask would never be done on the same day as an exfoliation treatment.

In the summer or a particularly dry winter stretch the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator mask is a life saver.

After showers and masks, I gently pat my face dry with a towel. All towels are white and washed in a hot cycle with an appropriate amount of natural detergent like Ecos and a bit of oxyclean and bleach. The cup on the washing machine that most americans fill with a disgusting ‘fabric softener’ is filled with white vinegar. This serves to emulsify and remove any remaining detergent from the towels during the rinse.

Next I apply either a day or nighttime serum from Keihl’s. For daytime I use the cannabis oil formulation. At night, the ‘midnight recovery’. I use the pipette to drip the serum along my hairline and then onto my nose and cheekbones. Then I use my finger tips to gently drum the oil into my pores. Little rapid taps, sort of like jazz hands.

While this is setting up I use my right pinky (which was not involved in applying the serum) to put a small dot of eye cream under each eye. Lately I’ve been using the Keihl’s avocado creamy eye treatment. This can be worked all the way up to the bottom eyelids and the top eyelid gently.

Next I apply Dr. Brandt’s Cool Biotic Prebiotic Redness Relief Cream to my entire face. Dr. Brandt hung himself in the garage of his Miami home during the early morning hours of Sunday, April 5th 2015. Some consider that level of dedication to forever youth admirable. To me it was just down bad selfishness. The company floundered for several years after his death. The biggest blow to my skincare routine was when they put the kibosh on their Pores-No-More Pore Refining cream which was a little jar of heaven. I am convinced it was a loss leader. A product so perfect, yet so expensive to make it had to perish with the founder.

Next sunscreen is applied. If sunscreen needs to be reapplied prior to my next shower I make sure my hands are as clean as possible and reapply it to my dirty skin.

Finally I apply a thick coating of meadowfoam seed oil to my beard zone and neck, behind my ears. This is an excellent carrier oil. Not too greasy. Cheap but nice. Sometime I’ll add a bit of myrrh or cedar oil to the medowfoam oil if I am trying to smell fancy.

There you have it lads. This is my skincare routine. Pair it with a draconian commitment to exercise, a passion for fresh air, lots of naps, about 5 orgasms a day and plenty of dark leafy greens and you have the recipe for a deviant middle-aged chap who poses a constant threat to men and women alike.

Okay for now.

Raul Santos, November 4th 2021

Comments »

The calm before the Fed // here is NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into Wednesday with a slight gap up after an overnight session featuring normal range and volume. Price was balanced overnight, balancing along the upper half of Tuesday’s range. At 8:15am ADP employment data came out slightly better than expected, and as we approach cash open price is hovering up near the Tuesday high.

Also on the economic calendar today we have factory orders and ISM service index at 10am, crude oil inventories at 10:30am and the fomc announcement at 2pm followed by the 2:30pm Fed presser.

Yesterday we printed a normal variation up. The day began with a slight gap down in range. Buyers resolved the gap with a drive up. Said drive took price to a new all-time high. Sellers then worked price back to the midpoint, which aligned with the Monday high. Buyers defended here and we slowly worked to a range extension up around lunchtime. Price bounced along the mid for a few hours before ramping back to the highs during the close.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for sellers to gap fill down to 15,957.75 and then for tight chop between 15,950 and 16,000. Then look for the third reaction to the fomc announcement to dictate direction into the second half of the day.

Hypo 2 buyers gap-and-go, sustaining trade above 16,000 to set up a run to 16,050. Then look for the third reaction to the fomc announcement to dictate direction into the second half of the day.

Hypo 3 sellers press down through overnight low 15,937.75 setting up a tag of 15,900. Then look for the third reaction to the fomc announcement to dictate direction into the second half of the day.

Levels:

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

Gap down in range // here is Tuesday NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into Tuesday with a slight gap down after an overnight session featuring normal range and volume. Price was balanced overnight, balancing along the upper half of Monday’s range. As we approach cash open price is hovering up near the Monday high.

On the economic calendar today we have a 52-week T-bill auction at 11:30am.

Yesterday we printed a normal variation up. The day began with a gap up just beyond the Friday range. Sellers drove down into the open, effectively closing the overnight gap and continuing lower slightly overshooting the Friday volume point of control before a sharp excess low formed. There was a battle along the midpoint but before lunch buyers reclaimed the mid and by early afternoon the market went range extension up. Then price checked back to the mid, slightly overshooting it. Then price rallied hard into the close, closing up near the daily high.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for buyers to work into the overnight inventory and close the gap up to 15,879.75. From here buyers continue higher and tag 15,900.

Hypo 2 stronger buyers tag 15,935.

Hypo 3 sellers press down through overnight low 15,849.50. Look for buyers just below at 15,844.

Levels:

 

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

Nice clean 1st of the month on a Monday // here is NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into the new month with a slight gap up after an overnight session featuring elevated range and volume. Price was balanced overnight, balancing up above the Friday high. As we approach cash open price is hovering just above the Friday high.

On the economic calendar today we have ISM manufacturing and construction spending at 10am followed by 3- and 6-month T-bill auctions at 11:30am.

Last week featured a trend up Monday. Then continuation through Tuesday on the NASDAQ despite some weakness in the other indices. Then a continued rally for the rest of the week.

The last week performance of each major index is shown below:

On Friday the NASDAQ printed a trend up. The day began with a gap down to right along the Thursday low. After a brief open two-way auction buyers stepped in and made a strong push. There was a bit of a battle along the Thursday midpoint but by late morning buyers were back to campaigning higher. Midway through New York lunch buyers pushed up beyond the Thursday high and price spent several hours consolidating up on these highs before spiking higher into the close.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for sellers to work into the overnight inventory and close the gap down to 15,849.25 before two way trade ensues.

Hypo 2 stronger sellers trade down to 15,809.25 before two way trade ensues.

Hypo 3 buyers press up through overnight high 15,914.75 and tag 15,935.

Levels:

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

Likely the most deranged Halloween blog // Raul has gone mad

Allow this dusty old scarecrow to wish you the happiest of Halloweens here inside the hallowed halls of iBankingCoin dot gov dot io dort commmmmmmm.

I am dying. Every day the reaper takes a swipe at me, affixing another grey into mah beard and making mah bones all crotchety. My apex diet and expensive skincare routine only do so much to delay this inevitability. I take no prescriptions medications, opting instead to raw dog life like my ancestors from the old country.

It is very american to use pills for this-or-that, when most disease is associated with either consuming too much or not enough alcohol.

Am I an alcoholic?

We don’t know.

If I am it is one of those high functioning ones they write about in the psychology journals.

Because my goodness do I work too hard.

And sometimes smart.

But often just hardt.

I am hard on things and my body is no exception. I went out on a haunt last night, dressed as a like a rastafarian scarecrow or something, walking down the middle of dark city streets with a ten-foot tall sunflower stalk, daring vehicles to chal-lenge me. It was all quite unnerving to for the for the for the yes for the women, but I knew and soon they realized that a spooky apparition is the last thing anyone wants to trifle with.

Especially on devil’s night.

Folks are superstitious.

Not me though. I’m just a dusty old scarecrow. Heck, it is debatable whether I even have a brain.

I have spreadsheets. And little doohickeys whipped up by chaps who seem smart. Like Senior Traphouse’o’canna, who one year ago launched Stocking labs.

Let’s pause for a minute and give them/they/he/him a round of applause for the massive effort of building the cocked lab.

::applause go round::

But onto more pressing matters. I am going to die. And while I really dig Jackie Bitcoin’s style and swagger, and find his Twitter app to be most addicting, I have to say he is not moving fast enough building muh metaverse.

These augmented sex parties need to happen soon. While I still have this deviant cock jolting me awake like I fell on a rod of angle iron. And while I would rather be at a kinky vr orgy with Jacked Dorsel it seems like Toucan Mark and the Bongo Brigade are the ones who can actually build muh umm…web 3?

Do you understand what I am getting at here? Man?

I might sell everything and go all in on FB aka MVRS.

I know you guys. You like to smart your way through investing. With you big brains and tinkey winkeys you go hunting for some derivative shit stock that maybe just maybe will 5x its way into metaverse infamy. Me I just want the biggest, most immortally cruel giga corporation.

Googed gle. Microed soft. End vidia.

Like why would I ever own a stock like lucid when there’s Tesla? Gay-med stop when there’s Amazon?

I don’t have time for underdogs. I work too hardt, you hear me? But fine. Go be medium smart and sift a diamond from the endless stream of corporate shit.

Barbecue Mark might work too hardt I don’t know but what I do know is he has more money than god and he’s deploying it at a hot clip to build the metaverse.

Jack built a tip jar and a newsletter service.

All I’m trying to say here is I don’t have a brain but I have a pissed off rooster and if I don’t take it for a walk 4-5x a day nothing gets done around here. Before I take the big sleep someone needs to upload my conscious to the metaverse so raul can haunt these halls forever.

I want to die here.

Happy Halloween.

Raul Santos, October 31st 2021

Here is 362nd edition of Strategy Session.


Stocklabs Strategy Session: 11/01/21 – 11/05/21

I. Executive Summary

Raul’s bias score 3.55, medium bull*. Follow-thru rally through Wednesday morning. Then look for the third reaction to FOMC rate decision Wednesday afternoon to dictate direction into the second half of the week. Nonfarm payroll data due out Friday morning may serve to accelerate the predominant direction.

*extreme Rose Colored Sunglasses bullish bias triggered, see Section V.

II. RECAP OF THE ACTION

Trend up Monday. Continuation Tuesday on the NASDAQ despite some weakness in the other indices. Continued rally for the rest of the week.

The last week performance of each major index is shown below:

Rotational Report:

Strong rotations. Market rallied in all the right places.

bullish

For the week, the performance of each sector can be seen below:

Nine weeks back we had a major bullish skew that was never negated. Then two weeks back we had another major bullish skew.

Last week skewed slightly to the negative side.

neutral

Here are this week’s results:

III. Stocklabs ACADEMY

Indexmodel remains untouched

For now the oscillator thresholds remain untouched. Next time the signal fires off a bearish signal I will take a closer look at the model and how it behaved during similar scores in the past and assess.

Note: The next two sections are auction theory.

What is The Market Trying To Do?

Week ended searching for sellers

IV. THE WEEK AHEAD

What is The Market Likely To Do from Here?

Weekly forecast:

Follow-thru rally through Wednesday morning. Then look for the third reaction to FOMC rate decision Wednesday afternoon to dictate direction into the second half of the week. Nonfarm payroll data due out Friday morning may serve to accelerate the predominant direction.

Bias Book:

Here are the bias trades and price levels for this week:

Here are last week’s bias trade results:

Bias Book Performance [11/17/2014-Present]:

Here comes the tricky part of the overplay for the underlay

Markets fluctuate between two states—balance and discovery.  Discovery is an explosive directional move and can last for months.  In theory, the longer the compression leading up to a break, the more order flow energy to push the discovery phase.

We are monitoring two instruments, the Nasdaq Transportation Index and the PHLX Semiconductor Index.

Transports are gunning for all time highs after a drawn out consolidation down in that dip trough. Likely has enough energy to probe up beyond.

See below:

Semiconductors really set up that overplay for the underlay nicely. So far it is playing out exactly how we expected it to. This is the challenging part of the trick—it is back near the highs and this looks like a range. And it might go range bound here. Or, in true overplay for the underlay fashion it will probe the highs and accelerate to the upside.

Primary expectation remains that the PHLX semiconductor index is running the overplay for the underlay playbook and will accelerate to the upside.

V. INDEX MODEL

Bias model is extreme Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bullish for a second consecutive week after being bearish RCS for two consecutive weeks. Bias model was neutral four reports back after signaling Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bearish five weeks ago. It was neutral the prior two weeks after being Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bearish eight weeks back after being neutral nine reports back and Rose Colored Sunglasses bearish for the two consecutive weeks prior to that.

We had a Bunker Buster thirty five weeks ago.

Extreme Rose Colored sunglasses calls for a sideways drift, perhaps with a slight upward bias.

Here is the current spread:

VI. QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“A founder is not a job, it’s a role, an attitude.” – Jack Dorsey

Trade simple, trading is work

 

Comments »

re: twitter

The buck stops here. This is important. First off, that we’re clear on one thing. I own the outcome of any speculation I take. The short-dated bet I took on Twitter via the December 70 calls is likely a zero.The position I’ve built since the IPO via common TWTR shares is still doing okay but my goodness has it been a waste of time?

Maybe. Maybe had those funds been loose I would have spent them on cheap hootch and fast women. I mean a good chunk of that holding period was my twenties, yikes.

Could have indexed the funds. Sure. Been a terrific bore. Could have been bitcoin, the thought of a generation.

I dug back through the archives but couldn’t find the day I quit trading individual stocks. But around like 2016 or so I swore off stock picking and put the blinders on and only traded NASDAQ futures. I do well there. The feedback loop is much quicker. This is a game of cool-headed consistency.

Okay all this said, and believe me what I am about to write next borders on paranoid hyperbole, but bear with me because maybe we don’t know. Maybe these fuckers really are out to get me.

Twitter just reported a pretty heckin’ decent quarter. They grew revenues. They settled an old debt. Average daily active users were up. The call went okay. The analysts mentioned NOTHING about NFTs or crypto during Q&A. If it wasn’t for a question from a Twitter user we wouldn’t have even heard about bitcoin tipping.

No. These analysts, these wall street payroll chaps. Sucking from a withing vine. Employees who were once the seat of power, at places like Goldman Sachs, psychopaths in suits before noon every damn day doing all sorts of low-labor intellectual work, these people from these places are losing their might and they know it.

Protocols are rendering their jobs useless and making them look like dusty old fools along the way. Brave folks are offering the forbidden. 8,700% APY hoe. The rebels who are championing these initiatives are organizing on Twitter. The CEO of this cool kid hangout wears tie died shirt and hang out with Jay-Z.

Analysts on the other hand do nothing great. Spreadsheets and hamburgers. Withing heights.

Okay.

So we go to bed after a decent earnings call. Stock was indicating like +1.5% which meant nothing to me. Few folks are thanking me for my service. Rallying the boys around this great name. I reply nothing because I know the fat lady not only isn’t done singing, she really hasn’t even begun to sing.

7am rolls around and these analysts kick off a bear shitter campaign. To the neglect of their personal life they shave their pudgy faced and eat little cakes and squeeze into their suits. Then they go into their offices, yes their throne! And start downgrading Twitter. Maybe they called each other. Maybe there was some kind of nod and a wink. Maybe they were like, “Chaps we need to knock these twitter fuckers down a peg. They’re shouting Revolution and building things that render us obsolete. We are very fat and they are making us look fat and foolish.”  They take a look at the order book and see all these profiteers thinking they’re cunning. That they’re on to something. That they’ve piled into $70 dollar short-dated calls.  And they realize that if TWTR lingers above $60 too much longer these swarthy gamblers might have us on the run. Or worse.  They might have our heads.

Downgrade, downgrade, more more more, fuckers. Dowgrade this stock we need to put an end to these wonton speculators.

Then Bill Hwang rumors. Old black beard is putting the forks to Twitter with those draconian tactics he learned in the old country. Is it true? We don’t know.

All this micro risk. Happens fast.

Manipulative? I really couldn’t care less.

My job isn’t to cry foul. My job is to trade well and understand the factors at play. The big open interest at $70 was spotted. I saw it cross one of these option alert systems that I never use. But those doo-hickeys fire irrelevant signals all the time.

Analysts can’t play this kind of inside baseball with entire indices. Maybe they can with individual stocks. That’s why I do my best not to care about the intermediate term price oscillations of a ticker. I have to remember. One Vision. One Dream.

All that stated. My vibe is still off. It has been for weeks. I am still confidently shooting my shot. And I am still making proverbial baskets. I don’t feel shaken. Just a bit off. I don’t like this feeling. Maybe I need to really step out of the fish tank. Something this bohemian hasn’t done in some 20 odd months.

To recap: I remain bullish on Twitter. The analysts are maybe conspiring against TWTR short-term and doing a decent job of it. The proverbial they will likely keep TWTR pinned below 70 into year-end to dash the hopes and dreams of all the revolutionary privateers who had the gall to ask what if.

What if what if what if.

I spent the better part of the last few months hyping Twitter and I’ll own that. It has been wrong so far. My vibe is off and because of that I am taking tomorrow and likely the rest of the week off. Hell. It is hallowed ween anyhow and I have some haunting to do.

If I stand too close to any devices tomorrow I will probably end up buying more Twitter. Holding TWTR stock through year-after-year of mundane earnings is the bane of my existence. Twitter.com is a wonderful stream of alpha and joy and my greatest addiction.

Winter is coming.

Okay for now.

::nails dead crow to front door::

Raul Santos, October 27th 201

Comments »

Earnings skip day – here is Wednesday NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into Wednesday with a slight gap up after an overnight session featuring elevated range on extreme volume. Price was balanced overnight, balancing along the lower half of Tuesday’s range. Major NASDAQ components Microsoft and Alphabet are +2% and -0.5% respectively in premarket trade after reporting earnings Tuesday night. At 8:30am durable goods orders came out in-line with expectations, and as we approach cash open price is hovering about -35 points below the Tuesday midpoint.

There are no other high importance organizations reporting earnings today.

Also on the economic calendar today we have crude oil inventories at 10:30am followed by a 2-year note auction at 11:30am and a 5-year note auction at 1pm.

Yesterday we printed a normal variation down. The day began with a pro gap up. Buyers drove into the gap up, working price nearly to all-time high within the first hour of trade. Price stalled 0.50 points away from taking out the high and before the market could go range extension up sellers stepped in. They reclaimed the mid and they closed the overnight gap. We spent the rest of the session chopping in the lower quadrant of range, sort of in the gap zone.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for sellers to work into the overnight inventory and close the gap down to 15,541.50. Sellers continue lower, down through overnight low 15,507.25 before two way trade ensues.

Hypo 2 buyers press up through overnight high 15,592.75 and tag 15,603.75.

Hypo 3 stronger buyers rally price up to 15,674.25.

Levels:

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

Mr. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg kept a bid in the market // here is Tuesday NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into Tuesday gap up about +90 after an overnight session featuring extreme range and volume. Price was balanced overnight, steadily drifting higher in a balanced manner.  The move began shortly after closing bell Monday when major NASDAQ component Facebook reported earnings. The social media firm reported earnings slightly better-than-expected and announced a $50 billion dollar boost in share buyback authorization. Several analysts upgraded their price targets afterwards. Price action in the NASDAQ lifted to levels unseen since September 10th, and as we approach cash open price is hovering inside the 09/10 range.

Facebook shares are +1.13% in premarket trade.

On the economic calendar today we have new home sales and consumer confidence at 10am and a 2-year note auction at 1pm.

Major NASDAQ components Microsoft and Alphabet are set to report earnings after the bell.

Yesterday we printed a double distribution trend up. The day began with a gap up in range. After a brief open-test-higher sellers drove down into the range and resolved the overnight gap. Just below the gap fill responsive buyers stepped in and worked price back up through the daily midpoint. Price steadily ascended higher from here and by New York lunchtime price was range extension up. Price accelerated through the lunch hour taking out last week’s high before flagging a bit and then making another high. Price was fading off the high into the close before settlement action shot price back up to the daily high.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for sellers to work into the overnight inventory and close the gap down to 15,513.25 before two way trade ensues.

Hypo 2 buyers reject a move into Monday high 15,541.25 setting up a run up through overnight high 15,612.25.

Hypo 3 buyers gap-and-go higher, trading up to 15,677.25 before two way trade ensues.

Levels:

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

The calm // here is Monday NASDAQ trading plan

NASDAQ futures are coming into a busy week of tech earnings with a slight gap up after an overnight session featuring elevated volume and extreme range. Price was balanced overnight, balancing along the Friday midpoint. As we approach cash open price is hovering about +20 points above the Friday midpoint.

On the economic calendar today we have 3- and 6-month T-bill auctions at 11:30am.

After the bell major NASDAQ component Facebook is set to report earnings.

Last week saw equity prices trend up Monday and then a continuation rally into Tuesday. The rest of the week was choppy along the weekly high.

The last week performance of each major index is shown below:

On Friday the NASDAQ printed a normal variation down. The day began with a slight gap down in range. Buyers resolved the gap after a brief open two-way auction and worked a bit above it before finding responsive sellers who worked price down to the Thursday midpoint. Buyers defended the mid setting up a second push higher, a bit beyond the initial morning push. However this move stalled before 10:30am and before taking out the Thursday high. Sellers quickly regained the midpoint and then became initiative off the mid, pressing into an early range extension down. These sellers briefly took out the Tuesday-Thursday lows, poking into the Monday conviction range before buyers stepped in and worked price back to the mid. Sellers defended the mid twice and we ended the week chopping along the bottom-side of it.

Heading into today my primary expectation is for sellers to work into the overnight inventory and close the gap down to 15,336. Look for buyers down at 15,300 and for two way trade to ensue.

Hypo 2 buyers to gap and go higher, trading up 15,438 before two way trade ensues.

Hypo 3 stronger buyers tag 15,500 before two way trade ensues.

Levels:

Volume profiles, gaps and measured moves:

Comments »

Step aside Jim, our dear tech leaders will handle everything

I think we can all agree the entire notion of a nation having power over the global economy is being rapidly forgotten by the collective consciousness of western minds.

There are edge cases. Rural outcasts mostly. People who will lose a fortune long DWAC as it craters into the single digits. Folks who desperately cling to an archaic ethos long after the music has stopped. But prevailing sentiment and thus the hearts and minds of our children and grand childeren recognize these to be the true leaders of Earth:

Things have certainly become more fragmented. Decentralized, if you will. Uniting the people under the banner of one fairy tale worked for hundreds of year after the Romans lost their grip on Europe. That formula even held up into the New World for a few hundred years thanks to fake history.

But then the internet came along. Pandora’s box was opened. The gatekeepers of information were rendered obsolete and now pirates and profiteers reign supreme in the high seas of the interwebs.

Or metaverse, if you prefer.

Lads I was here for all of it. The serendipitous birthright of anyone who hit the jackpot and was born into the mid 1980s. After all the bleak crack stuff and crony corporatism gutted our inner cities but before the cellular telephone or even caller ID. I took a front seat to the greatest enlightenment period humankind has ever experienced. An enlightenment that is still happening now.

Thanks to brave lads like Steve Jobs (RIP). Trail blazers who said FUCK YOU RONALD REGAN, we’re taking LSD and building time machines. Thanks to these code-typing rebels the mold was broken. Lines on a map man. The borders are in your mind.

Not mine.

I swear allegiance to no nation or its leaders. The only political leader worthy of any reverence is Treasury Secretary Yellen. And even hers is more-and-more digressing into something more ceremonial. Like Buckingham Palace.

What is happening now. Today. At this very moment. There are no more days off. In this very moment thousands of protocols are vying for power. Who is going to win?

We don’t know.

Okay for now.

Raul Santos, October 24th 2021

And now the 361st strategy session. Enjoy:


Stocklabs Strategy Session: 10/25/21 – 10/29/21

I. Executive Summary

Raul’s bias score 3.55, medium bull*. Choppy Monday. Then look for price rally all week long, fueled by earnings from Big Tech.

Facebook Monday. Microsoft, Alphabet (Google) and Twitter Tuesday. Apple and Amazon Thursday. All reports due out after the bell.

*extreme Rose Colored Sunglasses bullish bias triggered, see Section V.

II. RECAP OF THE ACTION

Trend up Monday. Continuation Tuesday. Choppy for the rest of the week.

The last week performance of each major index is shown below:

Rotational Report:

Super low quality leadership last week. Perhaps Tech will assume leadership in the coming week.

neutral

For the week, the performance of each sector can be seen below:

Concentrated Money Flows:

Eight weeks back we had a major bullish skew that was never negated. Then last week we had another major bullish skew.

bullish

Here are this week’s results:

III. Stocklabs ACADEMY

Indexmodel might need to go in for maintenance

I was eyeballing recent data. Via the oscillator I keep on a spreadsheet. And it seems like the thresholds may need a tweaking.

I do not like ‘moving the goal posts’ on an algorithm/model. There is a risk of curve fitting the system to past performance when these types of tweaks are made. That is why I do not react quickly to oddities in the data.

Part of me expected to see a Bunker Buster signal during the September/October dip. That never happened. Which is fine.

But these RCS bearish signals. That may need to be addressed. They pose a risk to my performance.

I shall ponder making these tweaks into year-end. For now the model remains unchanged.

Note: The next two sections are auction theory.

What is The Market Trying To Do?

Week ended searching for buyers

IV. THE WEEK AHEAD

What is The Market Likely To Do from Here?

Weekly forecast:

Choppy Monday. Then look for price rally all week long, fueled by earnings from Big Tech.

Bias Book:

Here are the bias trades and price levels for this week:

Here are last week’s bias trade results:

Bias Book Performance [11/17/2014-Present]:

Overplay for the underlay

Markets fluctuate between two states—balance and discovery.  Discovery is an explosive directional move and can last for months.  In theory, the longer the compression leading up to a break, the more order flow energy to push the discovery phase.

We are monitoring two instruments, the Nasdaq Transportation Index and the PHLX Semiconductor Index.

Transports are in a steep discovery up. I expect buyers to continue to explore higher prices in the coming week.

See below:

Semiconductors more-and-more appear to be setting up the ‘overplay for the underlay’. What this set-up essentially equates to is a super-obvious chart setup (rising wedge) breaks lower. All of the technical analysis textbooks say this is a bearish set up. So it breaks lower. Some buyers liquidate their longs. Some short sellers position for further downside.

Then price rips up beyond the wedge and explores higher prices.

My primary expectation is that the PHLX semiconductor index is set up for an overplay for the underlay.

V. INDEX MODEL

Bias model is extreme Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bullish after being bearish RCS for two consecutive weeks. Bias model was neutral three reports back after signaling Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bearish four weeks ago. It was neutral the prior two weeks after being Rose Colored Sunglasses [RCS] bearish seven weeks back after being neutral eight reports back and Rose Colored Sunglasses bearish for the two consecutive weeks prior to that.

We had a Bunker Buster thirty four weeks ago.

Extreme Rose Colored sunglasses calls for a sideways drift, perhaps with a slight upward bias.

Here is the current spread:

VI. QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.” – Jack Dorsey

Trade simple, simplify everything

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