To The Moon

What Is CFTC Data, Why Does It Matter, and What Should Investors Watch?  The Commitments of Traders (COT) report, published weekly by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is a key gauge of fund flows in global futures markets. Its main value lies in revealing who is driving prices. Market movements ultimately reflect competition among different types of capital, and CFTC data allow these participants to be analyzed separately.   The analysis follows three main steps: Identify the dominant capital.   For commodity futures such as WTI crude oil, gold and silver, the focus is on Managed Money net positions, which gauge the directional bias of speculative capital. Producer positions reveal commercial hedging pressure and help assess positioning structure and marke

Weekly Report: Key Views Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Macro Strategy Weekly. Each issue features market strategy insights from selected contributors with relevant professional expertise. We also track how these views perform each week. Here is a preview of this week’s key ideas: 1. Nvidia Straddle Closed for Profit; Lock In Option Gains Promptly: The previously discussed Nvidia straddle has been closed at a profit. Investors still holding the position should consider taking profits promptly. Profitable calls bought at lower levels should also be monetized into the rebound before lower implied volatility, time decay and weaker buying erode returns. 2. US Equity Selloff May Be Near Its End, Creating Conditions for a Rebound: Leveraged ETFs recorded a sharp

The latest US inflation data had raised concerns that the Federal Reserve could deliver three rate hikes this year. However, recent CME FedWatch data indicate little risk of an additional hike in October. Combined with the continued decline in Treasury yields, this suggests that risk on trading may dominate in the near term. As the fourth quarter approaches, however, any rally in risk assets could prove to be the “last dance.” Even a sharp advance should not be mistaken for a durable trend. $E-mini S&P 500 - main 2612(ESmain)$ $S&P 500(.SPX)$ $SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ 

Most of us assumed that CPI and the other data releases would stay relatively tame heading into the US midterms. Instead, the numbers came in hot. September CPI rose 3.7% year over year, a five-month high and above the 3.6% the market was looking for. The bigger surprise was core CPI, which strips out food and energy: it climbed to 2.6% year over year, also ahead of expectations and up from 2.4% the month before. As things stand, the market is already pricing in another Fed hike before year-end — CME's FedWatch Tool puts the odds at close to 90%. The most direct casualty of a higher-for-longer rate environment driven by sticky inflation is the cohort of tech companies that fund their capital spending with debt. To lock in the computing capacity that the next phase of AI development demands

🌟🌟🌟The Big Question for this week's $Meta Platforms, Inc.(META)$ Q3 26 report on October 21 is whether the immediate ad revenue lift can outrun the staggering cost of building Mark Zuckerberg's AI empire. Meta is investing a huge USD 145 billion a year on AI.  You don't spend the GDP of a small country unless the AI hype train is actually a rocket ship.  The demand for compute, data centers and smarter models isn't slowing down. Meta can only pull this off because their advertising cash cow is printing money.  Mark Zuckerberg is basically taking Instagram ad revenue and turning it into digital matrix juice. However if Capex is growing too fast,  investors may get anxious.  It is a big gamble. Right now, Meta Muse is the

Last night, I hosted a futures livestream on Tiger’s platform to discuss shifts in the U.S. dollar cycle. We explored whether it was time to buy the dip in gold, along with trading ideas for currencies, crude oil, and U.S. equities. If you missed the livestream, you can watch the replay here >> 點樣用一個策略交易油價波動？認識價差交易策略 Below, I have organized the key takeaways and trading views from the session by topic. For those who did not have time to attend, this should provide a quick overview of my current market outlook. First, a brief introduction to my background: Here are the key views I shared during the session: In this livestream,

[微笑]

Futures options are options on futures contracts. Trading volume and open interest reveal how capital is positioned across expiries and strike prices. They can help gauge market expectations, risk appetite, and potential support and resistance levels. However, they do not directly indicate a bullish or bearish view. Today, we examine the day-on-day changes in large futures options trades on October 14 versus October 13. These are the latest reported block trade flows and offer valuable market signals. The latest open interest distribution by strike shows no clear directional consensus on October 14. Crude oil positions remain defensive, while new flows are pricing tail risks in both directions. Nasdaq put options continue to lead in open interest, volume, and net additions, sending the str

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This week, the dominant cross-asset pricing driver shifted from geopolitical risk premia to a U.S. rates shock. As Middle East supply disruption risks eased at the margin, crude oil retreated sharply from its mid-month high. Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield jumped 30 basis points to 5.26%, its highest level since June 2007. Oil’s decline did little to ease pressure on long-end yields, suggesting that the latest rate surge was driven mainly by a widening term premium and mounting Treasury supply pressure. With elevated rates and tighter liquidity expectations weighing on markets, equities, industrial metals, and precious metals all came under broad pressure. $黃金主連 2612(GCmain)$

Weekly Report: Key Views Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Macro Strategy Weekly. Each issue features market strategy insights from selected contributors with relevant professional expertise. We also track how their views perform each week. Here is a preview of this week’s key ideas: 1. Near Term Direction for US Equities Remains Unclear, Pending CPI and TSMC Earnings The baseline scenario for US equities this week remains consolidation near current highs. A downside break is the next most likely outcome, followed by a move to new highs and a higher trading range. All three scenarios remain possible. Easing diplomatic tensions ahead of the election should support market stability and may delay a larger correction, although a modest near term pullback remains a risk. The

The U.S. equity market has reached a near-term high. The hardest task now is not finding opportunities, but determining what the current volatility actually means. A pullback could be a minor interruption within a consolidation phase, or it could mark the start of a decline. An attempt to move higher could quickly reverse, or it could shift the entire trading range to a higher level. This is the crossroads at which U.S. equities now stand. $标普500ETF(SPY)$ $标普500(.SPX)$ $标普500波动率指数(VIX)$ $SP500指数主连 2612(ESmain)$

As the midterm elections approach, there has been a steady flow of signs of easing tensions in Trump’s foreign policy. First came renewed talks with Iran over the strait: although they have produced no result, the situation has not deteriorated further. Then came a Russia–Ukraine “energy ceasefire” over the weekend. Taken together, these developments suggest that Trump does not want any major upheaval before the midterms and is aiming to keep things as stable as possible. The latest U.S. CPI data will be released this week. As long as the reading does not exceed market expectations, the probability of a Fed rate hike at its October meeting is unlikely to rise much. We therefore expect markets to be broadly range-bound this week. Gold Is Back Near 4,100: Another Chance to Buy the Dip? As lo

Comparing the changes in open interest on October 8 with October 7, the market’s collective positioning was far from aggressive: put open interest in crude oil and the Nasdaq-100 expanded significantly faster than call open interest, suggesting that market participants were paying for downside protection. Gold, by contrast, continued to see calls dominate both open interest and trading volume. Increases in options open interest can reflect hedging, premium collection by option sellers, or spread strategies, making them more useful for assessing risk appetite and identifying key areas of positioning. WTI Crude Oil: Stronger Demand for Downside Protection, with a Cautious Near-Term Outlook The defensive positioning in crude oil options strengthened further on October 8. Put open interest ros

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Markets saw little meaningful volatility during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, giving us a calm and enjoyable break. However, unusual moves emerged once trading resumed. The rebound in crude oil futures deserves the most attention. The continuous WTI crude oil contract opened at 90.40, reached a high of 93.68 and a low of 88.79, before closing at 92.91. The candle itself was not extraordinary. Its location was what mattered. My technical model provides a useful framework for tracking this market over time. Crude oil tends to respect key technical levels. This rebound began precisely at the long-term ascending trendline extending from the lows. Prices also held the previous consolidation range between 89.86 and 104.70 :

CFTC Data: What It Is, Why It Matters and What to Watch The CFTC publishes its Commitments of Traders report each week. Known as the COT report, it is a key gauge of positioning across global futures markets. Its main value lies in showing which investor groups are driving price action. Market moves ultimately reflect competition among different types of capital. CFTC data makes these forces visible by breaking positions down by trader category. The CFTC divides market positions into three main categories: Non-commercial: Speculative traders, mainly hedge funds and CTAs, that seek to profit from price moves. They are the most responsive and directional market participants. Commercial: Companies that use futures to hedge business risks. Their positions primarily reflect risk

🌟🌟🌟AI has not killed SaaS, at least not yet.  What we are witnessing isn't an extinction event. It is a brutal but beautiful evolution. In the future, we will not look at the number of seats but at the Agent and result based charging. The paradigm shift that will redefine the next decade of software is the total collapse of the per seat pricing. In an era where an AI agent can autonomously resolve 80% of those incoming tickets in seconds, charging per human head is an obsolete business model . We are moving into a high stakes economy built on outcomes, results and digital labour. The clear winner in the shift toward agent & result based pricing is $ServiceNow(NOW)$ .  Why? ServiceNow owns the digital workflow backbone for Fortune 50

🌟🌟🌟When a chip supplier like $Broadcom(AVGO)$ stops acting like a vendor & starts acting like a bank, the rules of reality break down.  By assembling billions to fund Anthropic's TPU leases, Broadcom isn't just capturing demand.  It is manufacturing in a closed loop system. The big question is if AI demand was naturally generating enough cash flow right now, AI labs would not require vendors to underwrite their balance sheet. My answer is 4:  The key is not funding but how much money Anthropic can make. It is important for Anthropic to translate this   closed loop financing into profitability.  In other words, show me the money, otherwise the entire foundation may buckle.

🌟The market is panicking over the recent news that Toshiba is planning to expand its capacity in the Philippines.  This resulted in a huge drop for $Seagate Technology PLC(STX)$ & $Western Digital(WDC)$ of over 10%. The reality is the factory has not been built yet.  Toshiba's expansion in the Philippines is slated for fiscal year 2027. Top tech specialists are already pointing out that this new capacity won't affect contract negotiations or flood the market until 2028 at the earliest. Wall Street is treating a distant 2028 supply projection like it is landing in data centres tomorrow morning. If you are a long term investor, this 10% drop is a gift from the market gods. As Warren Buffett l

What Is CFTC Data, Why Does It Matter, and What Should Investors Watch?  The Commitments of Traders (COT) report, published weekly by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is a key gauge of fund flows in global futures markets. Its main value lies in revealing who is driving prices. Market movements ultimately reflect competition among different types of capital, and CFTC data allow these participants to be analyzed separately.   The analysis follows three main steps: Identify the dominant capital.   For commodity futures such as WTI crude oil, gold and silver, the focus is on Managed Money net positions, which gauge the directional bias of speculative capital. Producer positions reveal commercial hedging pressure and help assess positioning structure and marke

Weekly Report: Key Views Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Macro Strategy Weekly. Each issue features market strategy insights from selected contributors with relevant professional expertise. We also track how these views perform each week. Here is a preview of this week’s key ideas: 1. Nvidia Straddle Closed for Profit; Lock In Option Gains Promptly: The previously discussed Nvidia straddle has been closed at a profit. Investors still holding the position should consider taking profits promptly. Profitable calls bought at lower levels should also be monetized into the rebound before lower implied volatility, time decay and weaker buying erode returns. 2. US Equity Selloff May Be Near Its End, Creating Conditions for a Rebound: Leveraged ETFs recorded a sharp

The latest US inflation data had raised concerns that the Federal Reserve could deliver three rate hikes this year. However, recent CME FedWatch data indicate little risk of an additional hike in October. Combined with the continued decline in Treasury yields, this suggests that risk on trading may dominate in the near term. As the fourth quarter approaches, however, any rally in risk assets could prove to be the “last dance.” Even a sharp advance should not be mistaken for a durable trend. $E-mini S&P 500 - main 2612(ESmain)$ $S&P 500(.SPX)$ $SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ 

Most of us assumed that CPI and the other data releases would stay relatively tame heading into the US midterms. Instead, the numbers came in hot. September CPI rose 3.7% year over year, a five-month high and above the 3.6% the market was looking for. The bigger surprise was core CPI, which strips out food and energy: it climbed to 2.6% year over year, also ahead of expectations and up from 2.4% the month before. As things stand, the market is already pricing in another Fed hike before year-end — CME's FedWatch Tool puts the odds at close to 90%. The most direct casualty of a higher-for-longer rate environment driven by sticky inflation is the cohort of tech companies that fund their capital spending with debt. To lock in the computing capacity that the next phase of AI development demands

🌟🌟🌟The Big Question for this week's $Meta Platforms, Inc.(META)$ Q3 26 report on October 21 is whether the immediate ad revenue lift can outrun the staggering cost of building Mark Zuckerberg's AI empire. Meta is investing a huge USD 145 billion a year on AI.  You don't spend the GDP of a small country unless the AI hype train is actually a rocket ship.  The demand for compute, data centers and smarter models isn't slowing down. Meta can only pull this off because their advertising cash cow is printing money.  Mark Zuckerberg is basically taking Instagram ad revenue and turning it into digital matrix juice. However if Capex is growing too fast,  investors may get anxious.  It is a big gamble. Right now, Meta Muse is the

Last night, I hosted a futures livestream on Tiger’s platform to discuss shifts in the U.S. dollar cycle. We explored whether it was time to buy the dip in gold, along with trading ideas for currencies, crude oil, and U.S. equities. If you missed the livestream, you can watch the replay here >> 點樣用一個策略交易油價波動？認識價差交易策略 Below, I have organized the key takeaways and trading views from the session by topic. For those who did not have time to attend, this should provide a quick overview of my current market outlook. First, a brief introduction to my background: Here are the key views I shared during the session: In this livestream,

Futures options are options on futures contracts. Trading volume and open interest reveal how capital is positioned across expiries and strike prices. They can help gauge market expectations, risk appetite, and potential support and resistance levels. However, they do not directly indicate a bullish or bearish view. Today, we examine the day-on-day changes in large futures options trades on October 14 versus October 13. These are the latest reported block trade flows and offer valuable market signals. The latest open interest distribution by strike shows no clear directional consensus on October 14. Crude oil positions remain defensive, while new flows are pricing tail risks in both directions. Nasdaq put options continue to lead in open interest, volume, and net additions, sending the str

[微笑]

gogogogo

Weekly Report: Key Views Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Macro Strategy Weekly. Each issue features market strategy insights from selected contributors with relevant professional expertise. We also track how their views perform each week. Here is a preview of this week’s key ideas: 1. Near Term Direction for US Equities Remains Unclear, Pending CPI and TSMC Earnings The baseline scenario for US equities this week remains consolidation near current highs. A downside break is the next most likely outcome, followed by a move to new highs and a higher trading range. All three scenarios remain possible. Easing diplomatic tensions ahead of the election should support market stability and may delay a larger correction, although a modest near term pullback remains a risk. The

This week, the dominant cross-asset pricing driver shifted from geopolitical risk premia to a U.S. rates shock. As Middle East supply disruption risks eased at the margin, crude oil retreated sharply from its mid-month high. Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield jumped 30 basis points to 5.26%, its highest level since June 2007. Oil’s decline did little to ease pressure on long-end yields, suggesting that the latest rate surge was driven mainly by a widening term premium and mounting Treasury supply pressure. With elevated rates and tighter liquidity expectations weighing on markets, equities, industrial metals, and precious metals all came under broad pressure. $黃金主連 2612(GCmain)$

The U.S. equity market has reached a near-term high. The hardest task now is not finding opportunities, but determining what the current volatility actually means. A pullback could be a minor interruption within a consolidation phase, or it could mark the start of a decline. An attempt to move higher could quickly reverse, or it could shift the entire trading range to a higher level. This is the crossroads at which U.S. equities now stand. $标普500ETF(SPY)$ $标普500(.SPX)$ $标普500波动率指数(VIX)$ $SP500指数主连 2612(ESmain)$

CFTC Data: What It Is, Why It Matters and What to Watch The CFTC publishes its Commitments of Traders report each week. Known as the COT report, it is a key gauge of positioning across global futures markets. Its main value lies in showing which investor groups are driving price action. Market moves ultimately reflect competition among different types of capital. CFTC data makes these forces visible by breaking positions down by trader category. The CFTC divides market positions into three main categories: Non-commercial: Speculative traders, mainly hedge funds and CTAs, that seek to profit from price moves. They are the most responsive and directional market participants. Commercial: Companies that use futures to hedge business risks. Their positions primarily reflect risk

Markets saw little meaningful volatility during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, giving us a calm and enjoyable break. However, unusual moves emerged once trading resumed. The rebound in crude oil futures deserves the most attention. The continuous WTI crude oil contract opened at 90.40, reached a high of 93.68 and a low of 88.79, before closing at 92.91. The candle itself was not extraordinary. Its location was what mattered. My technical model provides a useful framework for tracking this market over time. Crude oil tends to respect key technical levels. This rebound began precisely at the long-term ascending trendline extending from the lows. Prices also held the previous consolidation range between 89.86 and 104.70 :

Comparing the changes in open interest on October 8 with October 7, the market’s collective positioning was far from aggressive: put open interest in crude oil and the Nasdaq-100 expanded significantly faster than call open interest, suggesting that market participants were paying for downside protection. Gold, by contrast, continued to see calls dominate both open interest and trading volume. Increases in options open interest can reflect hedging, premium collection by option sellers, or spread strategies, making them more useful for assessing risk appetite and identifying key areas of positioning. WTI Crude Oil: Stronger Demand for Downside Protection, with a Cautious Near-Term Outlook The defensive positioning in crude oil options strengthened further on October 8. Put open interest ros

As the midterm elections approach, there has been a steady flow of signs of easing tensions in Trump’s foreign policy. First came renewed talks with Iran over the strait: although they have produced no result, the situation has not deteriorated further. Then came a Russia–Ukraine “energy ceasefire” over the weekend. Taken together, these developments suggest that Trump does not want any major upheaval before the midterms and is aiming to keep things as stable as possible. The latest U.S. CPI data will be released this week. As long as the reading does not exceed market expectations, the probability of a Fed rate hike at its October meeting is unlikely to rise much. We therefore expect markets to be broadly range-bound this week. Gold Is Back Near 4,100: Another Chance to Buy the Dip? As lo

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 25 basis points in September, lifting the target range for the federal funds rate to 3.75%–4.00%. With inflation pressure prompting a shift in policy, rate expectations have again become a key driver of asset prices. Options positioning on September 25 showed a defensive tilt even as Nasdaq 100 futures rebounded: traders added near-the-money puts. Gold call positions expanded at higher strikes alongside downside protection, while new Bitcoin call positions appeared to reflect a short-term test of the upside. Against the backdrop of the rate hike, traders have not moved uniformly toward risk. The next question is whether prices can confirm the signals at key levels. The charts below show trading volume and open interest across major CME Group futures opti

This week, the key pricing driver across major asset classes shifted from geopolitical risk premiums to a US rates shock. Oil prices retreated sharply from their mid-month peak as concerns over Middle East supply disruptions eased. Meanwhile, the 10-year US Treasury yield rose 30 basis points over the week to 5.26%, its highest level since June 2007. Falling oil prices failed to halt the rise in long-term yields, suggesting that term premiums and Treasury supply pressures had become the main drivers. As a result, equities, industrial metals and precious metals came under broad pressure.  $黃金主連 2612(GCmain)$ $微黃金2612(MGC2612)$

Recently, movements in the U.S. dollar, interest rates, and commodities have drawn considerable attention from investors. In response to investor requests, Tiger organized an in-person discussion this month with traders who had shared strong historical returns, and invited me to take part. On September 19, I gave users in Hong Kong an in-person presentation on trading techniques titled “From Macro Cycles to Trading Strategies: A Discussion of a 102.5% Historical Cumulative Return.” It was a substantive session. The presentation focused on methods and case studies, not specific investment advice. In this in-person session, I shared some of the ways I observe markets and use trading tools, centered on the theme “Finding Trends Through Macro Analysis, Managing Risk Through Trade-Level Decisio

Introduction 1. Further rate hikes remain firmly in play. CME FedWatch puts the chance of another October hike at 57.6%. The popular “dovish hike” narrative misreads the policy signal. If October payrolls remain strong, three hikes this year become a credible outcome. Volatility would rise accordingly. 2. The dollar may be entering a faster leg higher. September’s rate hike marked a turning point in the dollar cycle. Because rate differentials now drive the trend, commodity longs face a difficult backdrop. 3. US stocks remain strong, but beware the "last hurrah". Avoid excessive bullishness before the midterm elections. The Dow and Russell peaked in August, so October is the next window for a possible top in the Nasdaq and S&P 500. Limit exposure to tactical trades