Annoucements

NYMEX:CL1! NYMEX:MCL1! Markets Overview Markets have largely shrugged off the U.S. government shutdown, with major indices pressing to fresh all-time highs. While the headline optimism continues, it’s important to note that over one million federal employees remain furloughed, leading to delays in key economic data releases and potential short-term distortions in macro readings. Despite the Atlanta Fed GDPNow model projecting stronger growth, underlying household dynamics suggest stress ahead. Lower-income consumers, already contending with tighter credit and depleted savings, are likely to see further deterioration in spending and sentiment, which may weigh on Q4 consumption trends. Market Positioning & Flows While equities appear to be in a new leg of the bull market, positioning data suggests this may not be entirely organic. According to publicly available data many hedge funds continue to under-perform the S&P 500, forcing catch-up buying after missing the April lows. This dynamic may also be contributing to the current momentum-driven equity strength, even as macro headwinds persist. Metals Performance Precious metals have been standout performers year-to-date, reflecting declining real yields and persistent inflation hedging flows: • Gold: +42.46% YTD • Silver: +56.88% YTD • Platinum: +71.29% YTD (Source: Finviz YTD Futures Performance) This rally underscores a broader rotation toward real assets, consistent with expectations of lower real interest rates and a weaker U.S. dollar trajectory. Crude Oil Technical & Trade Setup Crude oil prices reached $66.42 in September before retracing lower. The recent OPEC+ announcement of additional voluntary cut unwinding at a pace of 137 kbpd for November adds a modest supply-side loosening. From a technical perspective, price action has bounced at the yearly Volume Profile’s Value Area Low (VAL), a key area of structural support. Current positioning shows: • Price trading below Q2 VAL • Price trading above yearly VAL (yVAL) Scenario 1: Long on Reclaim of Q2 VAL • Setup: Watch for crude to confirm acceptance back above the Q2 VAL as a support level. • Trigger: Long entry on confirmation of acceptance above VAL. • Target: o First target: 2025 mid-range at $62.97 o Secondary target: Yearly open at $65.17 Scenario 2 : Long on Deeper Retest • Setup: Should price reject Q2 VAL, patience is warranted. • Entry Zone: Wait for price to move lower toward yVAL and March 2025 low confluence. • Target: Return move toward 2025 mid-range ($62.97). Despite near-term noise from policy uncertainty and supply adjustments, the broader technical structure favors accumulation on weakness rather than chasing momentum. Crude remains range-bound but biased for upside stabilization into Q4, supported by resilient demand and disciplined OPEC+ management.

ECONOMICS:USCBBS CBOT:ZB1! CBOT:ZN1! CME_MINI:NQ1! There is growing market speculation that the Fed may tolerate inflation above 2% for longer, consistent with its Average Inflation Targeting (AIT) framework introduced in 2020. This also implies that real rates i.e., nominal rates minus inflation are likely to fall significantly. Given this, we anticipate gold to continue trending higher as the U.S. dollar's purchasing power erodes with mounting debt, persistently higher inflation, and falling real yields. What is QE? Quantitative Easing (QE) refers to the Fed injecting liquidity into financial markets by purchasing large quantities of assets such as Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) and U.S. Treasuries, especially during periods of economic stress like the Global Financial Crisis (2007–2008) and the COVID-19 downturn. How Does QE Work? Asset Purchases: The Fed buys large volumes of Treasuries and MBS from financial institutions. Balance Sheet Expansion: These purchases expand the Fed's balance sheet (now hovering near $6.6 trillion, per FRED). Increased Liquidity: Banks receive excess reserves in exchange, increasing system-wide liquidity. Lower Interest Rates: Demand for bonds pushes prices higher and yields lower. Economic Stimulus: Lower borrowing costs promote credit creation, investment, and consumer spending. However, a key drawback of QE is asset price inflation. As seen between the GFC and the COVID-19 pandemic, low rates and excess liquidity drove significant appreciation in equities, housing, and other financial assets, even while consumer inflation remained near target. QE vs. Stimulus Checks If traditional interest rate policy is Monetary Policy 1 (MP1), then QE is MP2. Stimulus checks, or government handouts, fall under MP, a fusion of monetary and fiscal policy. While QE primarily injects liquidity into financial institutions, stimulus checks inject purchasing power directly into households. This approach where the Treasury issues debt and the Fed purchases that debt, stimulates demand for real goods and services. We saw this during the post-COVID recovery, which brought a sharp rebound in consumer activity but also a surge in inflation, reaching a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 (CPI YoY). QE impacts Asset Price Inflation Stimulus Checks impact Goods & Services Inflation What is YCC? (Yield Curve Control) Yield Curve Control (YCC) is a policy whereby the central bank buys government debt across various maturities to control yields not just at the short end (via rates), but across the entire yield curve. A prime example is the Bank of Japan, which has used YCC since 2016 to anchor 10-year JGB yields near zero. The Fed has not formally adopted YCC, but market participants believe it may lean in that direction in the future especially during crises where long-end rates rise undesirably. Mounting US debt and rising long end yields may prompt the Fed to step in and adopt YCC like BoJ has done previously. Front-End Control: Managed via policy rates Long-End Control: Central bank buys 5Y, 10Y, 20Y, 30Y Treasuries to anchor yields Potential Risks of YCC: Credibility Risk: If inflation rises while the central bank suppresses yields, it may lose market trust. Currency Pressure: Artificially low yields may trigger speculative pressure on the currency (as seen with the yen under BoJ YCC). We’ve kept this concise and digestible for now, but there’s more to unpack—especially on the long-term implications of coordinated monetary-fiscal policy (MP3), debt sustainability, and central bank credibility. The Fed’s balance sheet chart shows how Fed’s balance sheet has increased: Aug 1, 2008: $909.98B Jul 1, 2017: $4.47T Aug 1, 2019: $3.76T Feb 1, 2020: $4.16T Mar 1, 2022: $8.94T Aug 1, 2025: $6.61T Note that this is not just a US phenomenon. It is a world wide phenomena looking at many of the developed and emerging markets. The Debt to GDP ratios are increasing, Central Banks balance sheets are rising in tandem with rising government debt. With the rate cutting cycle starting, it is a matter of time that we also see QE restarting. If you’d like us to dive deeper into any of these topics in future educational blogs, let us know. We're happy to build on this foundation with more insights.

Let’s start with the biggest event this week. Unless, of course, some unexpected headline swoops in and steals the spotlight — because markets love a good plot twist. Emotions are running high, and volatility is flying around like confetti at a surprise party nobody asked for. But don’t worry, Chair Powell might just play the role of the calm voice in the chaos. Markets are pricing in a 25 bps rate cut by the Fed this week. Interestingly, the future path of rate cut expectations has been in the doldrums. Is it a bird or a plane? No, it’s Superman. Likewise here, is it 1 cut or 2 cuts? No, it’s 3 cuts priced at this moment until the end of 2025. Excuse the humor, but what fun is it if you cannot entertain yourself while analyzing the complexities of markets day in and day out. Execution is boring; risk management is much like dementors sucking out life force when risk is not respected. And analyzing and preparation is where the creativity and fun is. And as Kurt Angle would say, it is “ True ”. Index futures including ES futures and NQ futures have all climbed steadily higher since September 2 low. Markets are turning higher in anticipation of a new bull run. Gold futures are rallying, currently trading above $3700. Since the Jackson Hole dovish pivot, gold has not looked back and has rocketed higher above major resistance. Our focus is on the Fed meeting. All eyes will be on the forward guidance; risks to inflation, risks for the labor market and FED’s SEP (Summary of Economic Projections). This also includes GDP forecasts and the most anticipated Dot Plot. Which of the two mandates will the Fed prioritize, labor market weakness or sticky inflation? The interesting thing to note is that despite sticky inflation, markets are anticipating 3 cuts of 25 bps for each of the meetings this year. Thus far, as we have previously mentioned, the Fed will likely be moving away from their 2% inflation target to an average inflation target in the range of 2% to 3%. This also implies that real rates i.e., nominal less inflation are going to fall sharply lower. Given this, we anticipate gold to continue higher as the US Dollar's purchasing power erodes away, with mounting debt, higher inflation and falling real yields. The real question we should be asking is: What if the meeting outcome is hawkish with the Fed delivering just 1 cut in the September meeting and staying on hold for the remainder of the year? What other risks are there that could pull stocks and indexes lower? And bonds higher? Tariffs at this point seem like an old talk unless something reinvigorates and puts them on the front and center of market worries. Based on these thoughts, here are our scenarios: Base Case: 25 bps cuts and dovish guidance but iterates meeting by meeting approach. ES & NQ: Data dependent Fed, that is likely behind the curve and markets may translate this as Fed too slow to react to emerging risks, risks of recession goes higher. In this case, although stocks may push higher with rates coming down initially, in our view, much of this is priced in and this may be ‘sell the fact moment’. Portfolio adjustment: Sell index futures, Buy Gold and Bonds. Ultra-Dovish: Fed’s dot plot confirms 2 additional rate cuts of 25 bps for Oct and Dec meeting and further 4 cuts till end of 2026 to bring terminal rate lower to 250-275. USD weakens further, real rates sink, reinforcing gold bid. Portfolio adjustment: Buy everything. Buy the dip. Hawkish Surprise Only 25 bps in September, then pause ES & NQ: • Sharp pullback as equities reprice for tighter liquidity. • ES could retrace recent gains, downside risk toward 4,900–5,000 zone. • NQ likely hit harder due to tech sensitivity to discount rate. GC: • Short-term correction as USD firms and yields spike. • However, downside may be limited if market shifts focus back to debt & long-term inflation risks. Risk-Off External Shock- Geopolitical event, tariffs ES & NQ: • Drop as risk sentiment sours; defensives outperform growth. • Bonds rally, yields fall, curve steepens if Fed cut expectations accelerate. GC: • Strong safe-haven bid, spikes higher regardless of Fed stance. Comment with your thoughts and let us know how you see the markets shaping up this week