Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Call, your trusted source for high-quality commodity setups and trading strategies. Since October 2016, our approach has delivered an impressive 777% return, and we continue to share the insights and methodologies that drive these results with this post #523. This week, we’ll explore the latest market trends, actionable trade setups, and global economic factors influencing commodities like sugar, coffee, live cattle, and gold.
U.S. Markets (Friday, August 28 Close)
S&P 500: Closed at 7,711.76, declining approximately 0.2% Friday but gaining about 0.5% for the week.
Nasdaq Composite: Closed at 26,402.42, falling approximately 0.5% Friday while gaining about 0.8% for the week.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Closed at 53,559.99, essentially unchanged Friday and gaining approximately 0.5% for the week.
U.S. equities finished another positive week, but Friday’s session highlighted the market’s sensitivity to interest rates.
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh used his Jackson Hole speech to emphasize that inflation remains too high and that additional policy tightening may be necessary if underlying inflation does not move convincingly toward the Fed’s 2% target.
The comments caused short-term Treasury yields to rise and pushed market expectations for a September rate increase sharply higher.
Technology shares experienced the greatest pressure Friday, with Nvidia retreating despite another exceptionally strong earnings report. The reaction demonstrated how high expectations have become across the artificial-intelligence sector.
Global Markets
FTSE 100 (United Kingdom): Closed near 10,824, gaining modestly Friday and finishing the week essentially unchanged.
DAX (Germany): Closed near 26,570, advancing Friday and posting a solid weekly gain.
Nikkei 225 (Japan): Closed near 66,400, remaining close to historic highs as technology and financial companies continued to perform well.
Shanghai Composite (China): Closed near 3,950, ending the week modestly higher as investors balanced additional policy support against weak domestic demand.
Global equities remained resilient despite rising U.S. rate expectations.
European markets benefited from improving corporate sentiment, while Japanese equities continued to benefit from strong earnings and technology-sector demand.
China remained the weakest major growth story as consumer demand, property conditions, and credit creation remained subdued.
Commodities Snapshot (Friday Close)
Gold: Approximately $4,567/oz, falling sharply Friday after Warsh’s hawkish comments strengthened the dollar and raised short-term interest-rate expectations.
Silver: Approximately $66.81/oz, also retreating Friday after a strong August rally.
Copper: Approximately $6.71/lb, remaining near record levels as constrained supply and infrastructure demand continued supporting prices.
WTI Crude Oil: Settled near $83.40/barrel, declining modestly Friday and more than 4% for the week.
Brent Crude Oil: Settled near $89.31/barrel, falling approximately 5% for the week.
Natural Gas: Approximately $2.89/MMBtu, strengthening modestly as summer power demand improved.
Precious metals experienced a significant reversal Friday as investors reassessed interest-rate expectations.
Copper remained comparatively strong because of limited new mining capacity and rapidly expanding demand from power grids, electrification, manufacturing, and AI-related infrastructure.
Oil declined as expectations increased that shipping conditions through the Strait of Hormuz could gradually normalize. Geopolitical risk remains elevated, however, and energy markets remain vulnerable to another sharp move.
Cryptocurrency Market (Early Sunday, August 30)
Bitcoin (BTC): Approximately $78,000, consolidating after briefly moving above $80,000 during the week.
Ethereum (ETH): Approximately $2,455, continuing its strong August recovery.
Solana (SOL): Approximately $105, holding above the important $100 level and remaining one of the strongest major altcoins.
XRP: Approximately $1.39, consolidating after strong institutional-driven gains earlier this month.
BNB: Approximately $693, continuing to demonstrate strong relative performance.
Cardano (ADA): Approximately $0.20, pulling back modestly following the broader altcoin rally.
Dogecoin (DOGE): Approximately $0.085, consolidating after renewed speculative participation during August.
Bitcoin remained resilient despite Friday’s increase in Treasury yields and more hawkish Federal Reserve expectations.
The more significant development continues to be broader participation. Ethereum and Solana have strengthened substantially, while ETF demand and institutional capital increasingly extend beyond Bitcoin.
Key Market Drivers
- Kevin Warsh delivered a hawkish Jackson Hole message. The Federal Reserve chair indicated that additional tightening remains possible if inflation does not decline convincingly.
- September rate-hike expectations increased sharply. Futures markets moved to roughly a 57% probability of a September increase following the speech.
- Treasury yields rose. Short-term yields moved higher immediately following Warsh’s comments, pressuring growth and technology shares.
- Nvidia delivered another exceptional earnings report. Revenue and earnings again exceeded expectations, reinforcing the strength of AI infrastructure demand.
- Nvidia’s stock reaction highlighted valuation risk. Even extraordinary earnings were not enough to prevent Friday profit-taking.
- Salesforce surged after strong results. The company raised guidance and expanded its artificial-intelligence partnership with Anthropic.
- Inflation remains above target. The Fed’s preferred inflation measure remained elevated, reinforcing the argument for maintaining restrictive monetary policy.
- Oil declined during the week. Reduced concerns surrounding Strait of Hormuz shipping lowered some of the geopolitical premium.
- Bitcoin ETF inflows improved materially. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded multiple consecutive days of positive flows, supporting the recent breakout.
- Crypto-market breadth continued improving. Ethereum, Solana, BNB, XRP, and selected DeFi assets remained considerably stronger than they were earlier this summer.
The market enters September with unusually strong corporate earnings but a Federal Reserve that remains uncomfortable with inflation.
Emerging Crypto Projects & Ecosystem News
- Bitcoin ETF inflows continued improving. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a multiday inflow streak totaling nearly $2 billion, reinforcing institutional support around the $75,000–$80,000 area.
- Ethereum institutional participation strengthened. Ethereum investment products increasingly participated alongside Bitcoin rather than remaining a secondary trade.
- Solana remained one of the strongest institutional altcoin themes. SOL’s ability to remain above $100 reflected increasing institutional and ETF demand.
- Tokenized securities continued expanding. Treasury securities, money-market funds, equities, private credit, and commodities continue migrating toward blockchain-based issuance and settlement.
- Stablecoin adoption remained strong. Banks and payment networks continued expanding payment, custody, reserve-management, and settlement products around regulated digital dollars.
- Tokenized bank deposits gained attention. Traditional financial institutions are increasingly exploring blockchain-based deposits as an institutional alternative or complement to stablecoins.
- Chainlink remained strategically important. Interoperability, pricing, proof-of-reserves, and cross-chain settlement become increasingly important as institutions deploy assets across multiple blockchain networks.
- Corporate crypto treasury strategies continued evolving. Companies are beginning to experiment with Ethereum and other digital assets in addition to Bitcoin.
- Bitcoin mining infrastructure continued shifting toward AI. Mining companies increasingly view their power, land, fiber, and cooling infrastructure as valuable for artificial-intelligence and high-performance computing workloads.
- Regulatory clarity continued improving gradually. SEC and CFTC efforts to establish clearer fundraising, trading, and classification rules remain important long-term institutional catalysts.
The strongest long-term crypto themes remain Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, regulated stablecoins, tokenized deposits, tokenized securities, institutional custody, interoperability, and blockchain-based financial settlement.
Outlook for the Week Ahead
- August employment report: Friday’s payroll report is likely to be the most important economic release of the week. Another weak jobs report could quickly reverse expectations for a September rate increase.
- Federal Reserve: Markets will continue evaluating whether Warsh’s Jackson Hole message translates into an actual September hike.
- ISM manufacturing: Investors will watch whether U.S. manufacturing continues benefiting from AI infrastructure and industrial investment.
- ISM services: Services-sector strength remains important because it represents the largest portion of the U.S. economy.
- Broadcom earnings: Broadcom becomes the next major semiconductor and AI-networking test following Nvidia.
- Software earnings: Salesforce, Snowflake, Palo Alto Networks, and other enterprise software companies remain important indicators of corporate AI adoption.
- Treasury yields: Bond-market volatility remains one of the largest risks to technology, precious metals, and cryptocurrency.
- China: August economic surveys will provide another indication of whether the Chinese economy is stabilizing.
- Oil and geopolitics: Iran sanctions and shipping conditions through the Strait of Hormuz remain important energy-market risks.
- Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin ETF flows, Ethereum participation, Solana institutional demand, and Bitcoin’s ability to defend its August breakout remain the most important indicators.
Key Levels to Watch
S&P 500: Support 7,600–7,650 | Resistance 7,750–7,800
Nasdaq Composite: Support 26,000–26,100 | Resistance 26,600–26,700
Bitcoin: Support $75,000–$76,000 | Major Support $72,000–$74,000 | Resistance $80,000–$82,000
Ethereum: Support $2,350–$2,400 | Resistance $2,500–$2,600
Solana: Support $100–$102 | Resistance $110–$115
Gold: Support $4,500–$4,550 | Resistance $4,650–$4,700
Silver: Support $64–$65 | Resistance $69–$70
Copper: Support $6.50–$6.60 | Resistance $6.75–$6.80
WTI Crude Oil: Support $80–$82 | Resistance $86–$88
As always, stay informed and adjust your strategies based on the evolving market conditions. All trades are posted on our Private Twitter Feed for subscribers and are included in the track record posted below under Completed Trades. I am currently trading 15 lots given the account balance and will adjust as necessary based on market developments.
Trading futures contracts and commodity options involves substantial risk of loss, and may not be appropriate for all investors. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please see our Disclaimer for more information.
The trades below are discussed on the Daily Update: – Click Here for a FREE Trial
Sugar
Coffee
Live Cattle
Gold (GC)
Come see what we are trading – Try our 30 day FREE trial – Click Here
COMPLETED TRADES
Track Record of Completed Trades
The purpose of this blog is to demonstrate how to swing trade futures using our methodology to select high-quality setups and manage the trade with our risk management approach. This track record is based on entries and exits as posted in this blog. I am currently using 15 lots for the Striker trades which is based on this account being over $375,000. Each lot for auto trading at Striker requires $25,000 per lot. See the videos below for more information.
Track Record January 2022 thru December 2022 Click Here.
Track Record January 2021 thru December 2021 Click Here.
Track Record January 2020 thru December 2020 Click Here.
Track Record January 2019 thru December 2019 Click Here.
Track Record January 2018 thru December 2018 Click Here.
Track Record October 2016 – December 2017 Click Here.
*** Trading futures contracts and futures options involves substantial risk of loss, and may not be appropriate for all investors. By reading this web site, you acknowledge and accept that all trading decisions are your sole responsibility. Trading strategies referenced on this web site and associated documents and emails are only suggestions, no representation is being made that they will achieve profits or losses. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.. See our disclaimer here.
Completed trade in Cattle as of November 28th
We expect subscribers to have captured 60% of the swing in live cattle which is over $14,500 in profit using a margin of only $5,115. A great example of using leverage in futures.
Completed Trade in Coffee as of December 12th
The total swing was $37.00 and we expect subscribers to have captured 60% of a wing or $22 in coffee for a profit of over $25,500 using a margin of $8,850. A great example of using leverage in futures. See the video below for the review of the trade.
Completed Trade in Natural Gas as of January 2nd
We were stopped out of out last 1/3 position as weather-related news created a gap down on January 2nd and a possible flat with support at 3.196. This concludes our trade with natural gas; we exit with 550 ticks on 2/3s of a position with $8,500 in profit.
Completed Trade in Coffee as of January 19th
We exited the coffee trade on January 19th with $17 or over $15,000 in profit using a margin of $8,850. A great example of using leverage in futures.
Completed Trade in Gold as of February 8th
We exited the gold trade on February 8th with over $14,000 in profit. We entered on January 3rd and held the trade into the high window. We will re-enter gold in a few weeks after a backtest.
30th Aug 2026
