InvestMacro

By Adinah Brown

At last count there are more than 800 cryptocurrency coins out there and that list is growing. The far majority of these are ICO’s, meaning Initial Coin Offerings, that work like a cross between an IPO and crowd funding. Traders effectively purchase tokens in an ICO, that can then later be sold in exchange for the more concrete cryber-encrypted currencies of Bitcoin or Ethereum, the industry’s grandfathers.

Smart or just plain stupid, in this article we provide a list of some the more obscure or at least eye-brow-raising cryptocurrencies out there.

Mooncoin – Perhaps one for the loony bin, Mooncoin still has high ambitions to revolutionize investing the way we know it. Instead of researching companies or markets, you can monetize your preferred investment choices, by earning Mooncoins when others like them too. Sounds strange? Well, not to all of us. Their market cap is at $21 million.

Dogecoin – AKA the Doge. Initially issued as a joke currency, it soared to popularity with its famous broken-English meme that went viral, turning the dodge into a coin-market star. With its $280 million market cap, it’s taken on some ambitious projects such as sponsoring Nasdaq race cars, paid homage to Cool Runnings by sending a Jamaican bobsled team to the Winter Olympics and funded the digging of water wells in Africa.

Potcoin – The preferred crypto-currency of choice for potheads. Specifically built for the cannabis consuming community, with its market cap of $22 million it has sponsored some equally controversial projects, such as bringing Dennis Rodman to North Korea.

Legend’s Room – An only-in-Las-Vegas enterprise, this ICO provides holders with a lifetime VIP membership to a strip club that’s run by a former martial arts fighter, Phil “New York Bad Ass” Baroni. The privilege only goes to those holding 5,000 tokens, and even than you still have to pay for your drinks.

TrumpCoin – Many attribute Trump’s campaign success to Twitter, but truth be told that’s not the only modern medium he took advantage of to succeed in his electoral campaign. Trump created his own ICO for the said purpose of, you guessed it, “Making America Great Again”. Coin holders, aka TrumpCoin Ambassadors, earn more tokens by posting weekly articles that support Trump on their Facebook page. At its height a Trump Coin was worth 51 cents with a total value of $3.38 million, this has since slumped a fair bit to 6 cents or $427,000.

Insanecoin – Hosting a more obscure concept than most others, the website claims “Insane Coin is more than just a coin, it is a happening… a state of mind”. Ah, Okay? While there is no prerequisite for insanity to buy the coin, we assume you’d have to be at least close to mental instability. Its ambitions are to open an Insane Space storefront in England and establish a voting system, perhaps an intergalactic one? I’m not really sure…?

About the Author:

Adinah Brown is a professional writer who has worked in a wide range of industry settings, including corporate industry, government and non-government organizations. Within many of these positions, Adinah has provided skilled marketing and advertising services and is currently the Content Manager at Leverate.

Article By RoboForex.com

USD CHF, “US Dollar vs Swiss Franc”

At the H4 chart, the USD/CHF pair is still moving to reach the target at the 8/8 level at 0.9765.

As we can see at the H1 chart, the pair may break the 5/8 level at 0.9674 and, as a result, break the consolidation range. In this case, the price may continue growing to reach 0.9765.

USD JPY, “US Dollar vs. Japanese Yen”

As we can see at the H4 chart, the USD/JPY pair has been finally broken the 0/8 level at 109.37, which means that the price may start growing with the first target at the 3/8 level at 111.71.

At the H1 chart, the price broke the 0/8 level at 109.37 as well and has been moving above it ever since. If the pair returns to this level, there will be another chance to open a long position with the first upside target at 111.71.

RoboForex Analytical Department

Article By RoboForex.com

Attention!
Forecasts presented in this section only reflect the author’s private opinion and should not be considered as guidance for trading. RoboForex LP bears no responsibility for trading results based on trading recommendations described in these analytical reviews.

By Gabriel Ojimadu, Alpari

By CountingPips.com

Here is a quick summary and this week’s links (below) to the latest Commitment of Traders changes.

– US Dollar Speculators pushed USD bets to lowest since 2013

– WTI Crude Oil Speculator bets slide after 6 weeks of gains

– 10-Year Note Speculators added to bullish bets after 2 down weeks

– Gold bets continued to gain sharply for 3rd straight week

– Large S&P500 Speculators edged bets higher, still in small bearish position

– Silver Speculator bets boosted for 3rd week to best level since June 27th

– Copper bets advanced higher for 3rd week, highest level since February 28th

Currency Speculators reduced US Dollar bets for 7th week

US Dollar net speculator positions leveled at $-10.23 billion as of Tuesday

The latest data for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report, released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday, showed that large traders and currency speculators continued to push their bets lower for the US dollar this week for a seventh straight week. See full article

WTI Crude Oil Speculators pulled back on bullish bets for 1st time in 6 weeks

The non-commercial contracts of WTI crude futures totaled a net position of 480,629 contracts, according to data from last week. This was a slide of -6,136 contracts from the previous weekly total. See full article

Gold Speculators sharply raised bullish net positions for 3rd straight week

The large speculator contracts of gold futures totaled a net position of 148,837 contracts. This was a weekly advance of 19,165 contracts from the previous week. See full article

10-Year Note Speculators advanced bullish bets after 2 down weeks

The large speculator contracts of 10-year treasury note futures totaled a net position of 229,836 contracts. This was a weekly increase of 18,956 contracts from the previous week. See full article

S&P500 Speculators slightly edged their bets higher this week

The large speculator contracts of S&P 500 futures totaled a net position of -132 contracts. This was a rise of 259 contracts from the reported data of the previous week. See full article

Silver Speculators boosted their bullish positions for 3rd week

The non-commercial contracts of silver futures totaled a net position of 33,864 contracts, according to data from last week. This was a weekly gain of 3,105 contracts from the previous totals. See full article

Copper Speculators lifted bullish net positions for 4th week

The large speculator contracts of copper futures totaled a net position of 33,136 contracts. This was a weekly boost of 1,921 contracts from the data of the previous week. See full article

Article by CountingPips.com

The Commitment of Traders report data is published in raw form every Friday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and shows the futures positions of market participants as of the previous Tuesday (data is reported 3 days behind).

To learn more about this data please visit the CFTC website at http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/index.htm

By CountingPips.com – Get our weekly COT Reports by Email

US Dollar aggregate speculator positions fell to $-10.23 billion this week

The latest data for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report, released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday, showed that large traders and currency speculators continued to push their bets lower for the US dollar this week for a seventh straight week.

Non-commercial large futures traders, including hedge funds and large speculators, had an overall US dollar aggregate position totaling $-10.23 billion as of Tuesday August 8th, according to the latest data from the CFTC and dollar amount calculations by Reuters. This was a weekly decline of $-4.91 billion from the $-5.32 billion total position that was registered the previous week, according to the Reuters calculation (totals of the US dollar contracts against the combined contracts of the euro, British pound, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar and the Swiss franc).

Speculative positions have now been net short for four consecutive weeks with this week’s short position being the most bearish level since January 22nd of 2013 when the aggregate position was at $-13.26 billion.

Weekly Speculator Contract Changes:

The individual major currencies saw three weekly changes above the (+ or -) 10,000 contract mark this week in the speculators category.

• Canadian dollar positions jumped by over +22,000 contracts this week and rose for an eleventh straight week. CAD positions are now in bullish territory for a fourth straight week after crossing over three weeks ago.
• Japanese yen positions advanced by over +16,000 contracts this week and have gained for three consecutive weeks. The overall JPY position, which remains very bearish, fell below the -100,000 net contract level for the first time in five weeks.
• The euro position increased by over 11,000 contracts this week after falling for two straight weeks. The overall euro standing is now at the highest level since May 3rd 2011 when the net position totaled +99,516 contracts.

The major currencies that rose against the US dollar last week were the euro (11,048 weekly change in contracts), British pound sterling (4,292 contracts), Japanese yen (16,383 contracts) and the Canadian dollar (22,183 contracts).

The currencies whose speculative bets fell last week versus the dollar were the Swiss franc (-2,842 contracts), Australian dollar (-2,703 contracts), New Zealand dollar (-1,453 contracts) and the Mexican peso (-7,112 contracts).

Table of Weekly Commercial Traders and Speculators Levels & Changes:

 

This latest COT data is through Tuesday and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. All currency positions are in direct relation to the US dollar where, for example, a bet for the euro is a bet that the euro will rise versus the dollar while a bet against the euro will be a bet that the dollar will gain versus the euro.

 

Weekly Charts: Large Trader Weekly Positions vs Price

EuroFX:

British Pound Sterling:

Japanese Yen:

Swiss Franc:

Canadian Dollar:

Australian Dollar:

New Zealand Dollar:

Mexican Peso:

*COT Report: The weekly commitment of traders report summarizes the total trader positions for open contracts in the futures trading markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

The Commitment of Traders report is published every Friday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and shows futures positions data that was reported as of the previous Tuesday (3 days behind).

Each currency contract is a quote for that currency directly against the U.S. dollar, a net short amount of contracts means that more speculators are betting that currency to fall against the dollar and a net long position expect that currency to rise versus the dollar.

(The charts overlay the forex closing price of each Tuesday when COT trader positions are reported for each corresponding spot currency pair.) See more information and explanation on the weekly COT report from the CFTC website.

Article by CountingPips.com

By CountingPips.com – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email

WTI Crude Oil Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Speculators reduced their bullish net positions in the WTI Crude Oil futures markets this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

The non-commercial futures contracts of WTI Crude Oil futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of 480,629 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 8th. This was a weekly decrease of -6,136 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 486,765 net contracts.

Speculative positions had risen for five straight weeks and by just over 159,000 contracts in that time frame before this week’s decline. Despite the weekly shortfall, net bullish positions are above the +400,000 contract level for a third consecutive week.

WTI Crude Oil Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders position, categorized by the CFTC as hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -476,742 contracts on the week. This was a weekly advance of 8,393 contracts from the total net of -485,135 contracts reported the previous week.

USO:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the USO Crude Oil ETF, which tracks the price of WTI crude oil, closed at approximately $10.06 which was a edge lower of $-0.03 from the previous close of $10.09, according to unofficial market data.

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

Article by CountingPips.com – Weekly COT Report

By CountingPips.com – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email

10-Year Note Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Large speculators lifted their bullish net positions in the 10-Year Note futures markets this week for the first time in three weeks, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

The non-commercial futures contracts of 10-Year Note futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of 229,836 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 8th. This was a weekly increase of 18,956 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 210,880 net contracts.

Speculative bets had fallen the previous two weeks by a total of -71,449 net positions before this week’s turnaround. The overall spec level is now under the +250,000 contract level for a second week after staying above this level for the previous seven weeks in a row.

10-Year Note Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders position, categorized by the CFTC as hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -46,704 contracts on the week. This was a weekly drop of -1,648 contracts from the total net of -45,056 contracts reported the previous week.

IEF ETF:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) closed at approximately $106.90 which was a shortfall of $-0.05 from the previous close of $106.95, according to unofficial market data.

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

Article by CountingPips.com – Weekly COT Report

By CountingPips.com – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email

Gold Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Large speculators strongly boosted their bullish net positions in the Gold futures markets this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

The non-commercial futures contracts of Gold futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of 148,837 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 8th. This was a weekly lift of 19,165 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 129,672 net contracts.

Spec positions rose by over +10,000 contracts for a third consecutive week for a total gain of 88,699 net positions in that period and have now pushed the net position total to a seven week high.

Gold Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders position, categorized by the CFTC as hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -159,511 contracts on the week. This was a weekly decline of -16,126 contracts from the total net of -143,385 contracts reported the previous week.

GLD ETF:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the GLD ETF, which tracks the price of gold, closed at approximately $119.86 which was a decline of $-0.79 from the previous close of $120.65, according to unofficial market data.

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

Article by CountingPips.com – Weekly COT Report

By CountingPips.com – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email

S&P500 Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Large speculators edged their net positions in the S&P500 futures markets slightly higher this week to an almost neutral position, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

The non-commercial futures contracts of S&P500 futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of -132 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 8th. This was a weekly lift of 259 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -391 net contracts.

Speculator positions have been in a very small overall short position for two straight weeks following six straight weeks in bullish territory.

S&P500 Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders position, categorized by the CFTC as hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -16,037 contracts on the week. This was a weekly rise of 1,439 contracts from the total net of -17,476 contracts reported the previous week.

SPY ETF:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the SPY ETF, which tracks the price of S&P500 Index, closed at approximately $247.26 which was a fall of $-0.06 from the previous close of $247.32, according to unofficial market data.

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

Article by CountingPips.com – Weekly COT Report

By CountingPips.com – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email

Silver Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Speculators continued to increase their bullish net positions in the Silver futures markets to a six week high this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

The non-commercial futures contracts of Silver futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of 33,864 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 8th. This was a weekly rise of 3,105 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 30,759 net contracts.

Spec positions have advanced for three straight weeks and gained by over +24,000 contracts in that time period to push the net position to the highest level since June 27th.

Silver Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders position, categorized by the CFTC as hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -39,561 contracts on the week. This was a weekly uptick of just 106 contracts from the total net of -39,667 contracts reported the previous week.

SLV ETF:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the SLV ishares ETF, which tracks the price of silver, closed at approximately $15.56 which was a fall of $-0.23 from the previous close of $15.79, according to unofficial market data.

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) as well as the commercial traders (hedgers & traders for business purposes) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).

Article by CountingPips.com – Weekly COT Report