The last two weeks have been tough. In all honesty, the reason this blog post is only being posted now is because I found it difficult to not express an opinion on the current happenings in our country. It is deeply concerning. I must have written and rewritten this first paragraph at least ten times. It just feels disingenuous to write up a blog post that optimistically looks for opportunities, while our cities are burning. So with a heavy heart, I have to force myself to clear my mind of the anxiety and noise and focus on the charts.
The charts posted below were all done on Sunday, so they do not include Monday’s trading action.
So, deep breath, clear mind. Let’s look at some trades.
Offshore trade ideas
S&P 500 (SPY)
So much fear and loathing of the selloff during the last week, only to end at an all-time record high. The trend truly is your friend.
Russell 2000 (IWM)
The bias is still bullish here. As was the case last week, there is no trade on this index ETF for us until the range is broken.
Nasdaq (QQQ)
QQQ did not manage to make a new high on Friday, although by the looks of the chart, it will likely make a new high in the week.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (IYY)
IYY also made a record high at the close on Friday. It seems that the market is feeling unstoppable at this stage.
Dow Jones Transportation Average (DTX)
DTX did not bounce off the trend line as we anticipated. It did make an inside day candle formation on Friday though. Given the context of strong markets above, our bias here is bullish. Even though the trend line has broken, we think it might be a fake break out. Time will tell.
U.S. Dollar Index (DXY)
DXY put in a decent reversal on Thursday and Friday last week. Perhaps we see a pullback to the $91.50 zone before the bulls take charge again?
USDZAR
The R14.50 level has been rock solid. We’d like to say that we could see a stronger ZAR from here, although given the events of the weekend, we’re not so optimistic.
Gold
Looking at a weekly chart on Gold. Gold has broken it’s weekly downtrend and seems to have successfully tested and bounced off the previous resistance. Dare we say that we are bullish Gold here? Also, inflation is not transitory.
Brent Crude Oil
We look at both the daily and weekly charts here.
On the daily chart Oil is looking rather bullish and likely to keep pushing to make a new high. On the weekly chart though, we see a hanging man candle formation. This could lead to a pullback similar to the one shown in the first green circle on the daily chart. Thus, for the week ahead we have no play on Oil. We do think that weakness is worth buying into though.
VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX)
Nice buying opportunity on GDX here in our book. Clear stop loss with the potential to catch the start of a medium-term trend here.
Wells Fargo (WFC)
WFC setting up for a nice bullish break out by the looks of it. Depending on your risk tolerance, it may be wise to wait for a confirmed break out before entering a long trade.
Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE)
XLE giving a nice opportunity to get long in the ‘buying zone’. More conservative traders can wait for a confirmed break out from the short-term downtrend.
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South African trade ideas
Aspen Pharmacare (APN)
APN once again closed above the R168 level, which triggers a long trade with an eye on R185 as a target price. Be mindful though, last time this was a fake break so keep a tight stop loss.
Coronation Fund Managers (CML)
CML setting up really nicely for a push to a new high. The first stop should be gap close, then if it can get above R52, we might be looking at a new high.
Discovery (DSY)
DSY is being a little tricky, although as long as the R120 level holds, we remain bullish. For the range trade to R150, we think DSY offers a great risk-reward.
Truworths (TRU)
This is a technical breakout on TRU… but this also the wild west, so who knows what happens. We are already long here, so we will not be taking another position in this stock.
ABSA Group (ABG)
ABG setup shown a while ago seems to be working out rather well.
Bidvest (BVT)
BVT seems to be setting up for another trend following move, this time aiming above R200.
Gold Fields (GFI)
More ‘hopium’ for the gold bugs. This does look like a decent level to be long from.
MTN (MTN)
What? Someone is in trouble in Nigeria and it’s not MTN? Bullish!
In all seriousness, this looks like a clean trend following break higher.
Nedbank (NED)
No trigger yet, but worth watching this range for a break out.
The Foschini Group (TFG)
TFG looking similar to NED. Again, no trigger just yet, but something worth keeping on the radar.
Joining HCA trading
HCA trading offers a number of different trading accounts to suit different types of traders. Our offshore trading accounts allow traders to buy shares, ETFs, CFDs and even fractional shares in the United States for only $2 a trade. Locally, we offer shares, ETFs and CFDs at good rates with robust and reliable trading platforms. All our trading, including CFDs, is done on a Direct Market Access basis and thus our clients are able to interact directly with the real equity market and not have to worry about excessive counterparty or liquidity risk. Our prime broker locally is a big four bank and offshore we make use of one of the largest non-bank prime brokers in the world.
Local stockbroking rates
| Trading instrument | Brokerage rate | Margin rate | Minimum trade charge |
| JSE listed equities and ETFs | 0.30% | 100% | R150 |
| CFDs on JSE listed equities | 0.20% | 10% – 25% | R50 |
| SAFEX listed index futures (ALSI) | R20 | 6% – 8% | R20 per contract |
Offshore stockbroking rates
| Trading instrument | Brokerage rate | Margin rate | Minimum trade charge |
| U.S. listed equities and ETFs | USD 1 cents per share | 100% | USD 2 |
| Canada listed equities and ETFs | CAD 2 cents per share | 100% | CAD 2 |
| U.K. listed equities and ETFs | GBP 12 + 0.1% | 100% | GBP 12 |
| Germany listed equities and ETFs | 0.20% | 100% | EUR 8 |
| Forex | 0.40% | 100% | USD 4 |
*Please note that these trade ideas form part of a larger weekly plan and the value of financial products can increase as well as decrease over time, depending on the value of the underlying securities and market conditions. The risk of loss arising from trading in Contracts for Difference can be substantial. You should carefully consider whether such investments are suitable for you in the light of your circumstances and financial resources.