Short Covering Rallies Promote Volatility

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Over the years, many of you have heard me discuss short covering rallies, and how they end up. Tuesday is a perfect example, as the rally in gas ran up to key resistance and lost its mojo — all while total open interest declined. That is a pure definition of a short covering rally. Due to lack of buying from longer term interests, when the shorts cleared it opened the potential for profit taking and position re-assessment, which is what we got yesterday. I was startled that the $2.029 area did not find more buyers as that was near term support. The dip buyers didn’t show up until the market chased Monday’s lows. These types of $.10-$.15 daily swings may be on the way as the market redefines its directional bias. Keep you eyes on the Winter Strip and Calendar 2021 as they will hold the key for long term directional bias and not the prompt month whose directional movements are related more to daily fundamental data (pipeline issues and positioning for upcoming storage expectations). While prompt was clocked losing nearly $.20 the winter declined 25% of that. A note for traders, the Dec -20 contract is having a hard time at $3.00, keep an eye on that– trade the range but watch for any break on that contract.

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Expected Break Out Occurs

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Mentioned over the last couple of weeks that it looked like the potential of a break above the key resistance level was garnering support with higher lows and continual testing of the resistance zone. It happened yesterday with the breakout above that zone ($2.029) and the short covering took prices up to resistance from the 200 day SMA of June contract. Now the market should challenge the support from the break out with tests of those areas over the next few days. Look for buying the dips during these tests of support.

Major Support: $1.82, $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support:$2.029, $1.794, $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $2.062,$2.08-$2.102$2.108,$2.139-$2.16, $2.255
Minor Resistance:

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Break Out Upon Us

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I waited to write the Daily until trade open at 4:00 pm Rocky Mountain time and it soon became obvious that, as mentioned yesterday, it was not a matter of if but when that the break our above was going to occur. Now the key is the short covering that comes with the break out. I suspect that a large amount of covering has occurred and the June contract is going to run into additional resistance from $2.10 onward. Trade with length cautiously and wait for confirmation that dips will be supported.

Major Support: $1.82, $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support:$2.029, $1.794, $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $2.062,$2.08-$2.102$2.108,$2.139-$2.16
Minor Resistance:

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Higher Weekly Close

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Spot June Contract

Added the spot contract as it also points to some gathering bullishness in the price action. It did not rally to its previous high versus the Continuous pattern, and closed just above its 50 day SMA. Before fading, June traded through the April high for the 15th time in the last 20 years. June ended the week lower ($.005) than last week but was the only contract month of the current 12 month strip to do so. June may continue to fade, as the two daily reversal last week suggest, but significant support will commence at $1.73-$1.75 (three previous weekly closes).

Major Support: $1.733, $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968

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Prices Rebound and Look to Test Resistance

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After a brief decline, prices rebounded yesterday, well after the storage release data. The market seems to want to test and, possibly, break above the key resistance area at $2.00. I have alluded to the effect of a break above this area, but it is key to near term price action through the summer. There will be some of the potential impacts of a break above (when-ever it happens) in the website next week and the coming weeks. You notice that I said “when” not “if” as I think the market is telling us that if you look to the strips and outer curves. Only a matter of time.

Major Support: $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968

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Expiration Within Expectations

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Just a reminder — this will be the last week that the Daily will arrive in your email unless you subscribe to the website. Effective May 1, you will have to subscribe to the website to receive the Daily. This market seems to be forming a bias change and ecomenergy will be leading the analysis during the transition.

The May contract expired at the high end of my expectations discussed on Monday ($1.61-$1.833) at $1.794. This was after two days of $.22 and $.25 daily ranges — whats that all about. My thoughts were that prices in June prompt would try to close with May’s prices but it is at the high end of the range that has held resistance for an extended period of time. Perhaps prices will collapse down into the support zone from May and April, or as the differed price action has indicated, future strength will control the market. The expiration of May at the high end and the strong differential to June needs to be addressed near term.

Major Support: $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968

Interesting Options Expiration

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When I wrote yesterday’s Daily Call I did not expect the range for expiration of the May contract to be the range of day before expiration (options expiration). Noticing the trade early in the day, I was startled with the severity of the declines and the potential for expiration below that of April’s expiration. A cup of coffee later, the market rebounded a dime and continued the rally to the high side of my aforementioned expiration range. Currently, there is little insight as to how and where expiration occurs. The May contract has traded only a dime discount to the June contract which represents a significant reduction in the spread. As a trader, I will take a step back to watch for the expiration today, referring back to a series of comments over the last couple of weeks regarding the importance of this expiration.

Major Support: $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968

May Expiration Continues Weakly

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Just a reminder — this will be the last week that the Daily will arrive in your email unless you subscribe to the website. Effective May 1, you will have to subscribe to the website to receive the Daily. This market seems to be forming a bias change and ecomenergy will be leading the analysis during the transition.

Prices closed the week just about where they started ($1.746 vs $1.753) the week after providing a solid rally to test resistance from the Feb and March highs ($2.025-$1.998) only to fail once again as discussed in the Daily last week. Only a couple of trading days remain in the May contract, and I would bet on a settlement between $1.61-$1.833.

Major Support: $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968

Traders May Be Giving Up on May

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Just a reminder — this will be the last week that the Daily will arrive in your email unless you subscribe to the website. Effective May 1, you will have to subscribe to the website to receive the Daily. This market seems to be forming a bias change and ecomenergy will be leading the analysis during the transition.

The market failed again to break above the key resistance on the storage report and it looks like the trade has give up on the May contract as the June contract traded back out to $.13. It looks like May will fall subject to positioning going into expiration next Tuesday. As mentioned a while ago on this website — the key to prices into the summer was going to be how expiration of May behaved and the differential to June. Will keep you posted.

Major Support: $1.611, $1.555-$1.519
Minor Support: $1.83, $1.78-$1.765
Major Resistance: $1.993-$2.025, $2.062,$2.08-$2.102
Minor Resistance: $1.968