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 #505. 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, May 1 close)
S&P 500 (SPY): Closed near 7,230.12, up about 0.3% on Friday and about 0.9% for the week.
Nasdaq Composite (QQQ): Around 25,114.44, up about 0.9% on Friday and about 1.1% for the week.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA): Approximately 49,499.27, down about 0.3% on Friday but still up about 0.5% for the week.
U.S. stocks finished the week with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq at fresh records, helped by Apple earnings, stronger corporate profits, lower oil prices, and easing Treasury yields.
Global Markets
FTSE 100 (UK): Slightly lower into Friday as European markets remained cautious with energy and geopolitical risk still in focus.
DAX (Germany): Mixed to firmer on the week, helped by improved risk appetite but still sensitive to energy and export concerns.
Nikkei 225 (Japan): Higher, helped by global tech momentum and weaker yen conditions.
Shanghai Composite (China): Mixed, with policy support hopes offset by softer domestic demand and property-sector concerns.
Global markets were uneven because several major exchanges were affected by the May Day holiday, but the broader tone improved as U.S. tech earnings and lower crude prices supported risk sentiment.
Commodities Snapshot (Friday close)
Gold: Around $4,626/oz, easing slightly on Friday but still historically elevated.
Silver: Near $76/oz, sharply stronger as industrial demand and safe-haven interest remained supportive.
Copper: Firm but volatile, with industrial demand expectations still supportive.
Crude Oil (WTI): Around $102/barrel, lower into Friday as Iran’s negotiation proposal eased some supply-fear premium.
Natural Gas: Near $2.78/MMBtu, rebounding modestly on Friday but still weak versus earlier in the year.
Commodities remained split: oil cooled from recent highs, gold stayed elevated, and silver continued to show unusual strength. That combination suggests inflation fear eased at the margin, but hedging demand did not disappear.
Cryptocurrency Market (Friday close)
Bitcoin (BTC): ≈ $78,000–$78,200, pushing toward the upper end of its recent range as ETF flows improved.
Ethereum (ETH): ≈ $2,275–$2,300, firmer on the week and following Bitcoin higher.
Solana (SOL): ≈ $90–$95, stabilizing but still lagging BTC’s leadership.
XRP (XRP): ≈ $1.40–$1.45, mostly flat and still consolidating.
BNB (BNB): ≈ $620–$640, holding steady among large-cap altcoins.
Cardano (ADA): ≈ $0.25–$0.26, still defensive but stabilizing.
Dogecoin (DOGE): ≈ $0.10–$0.11, modestly stronger as speculative interest improved slightly.
Crypto participated in the broader risk-on move, but leadership remained concentrated in Bitcoin. ETF inflows improved, Ethereum stabilized, and altcoins remained selective rather than broadly explosive.
Key Market Drivers
- Earnings carried the tape: Apple and other large companies beat expectations, helping push the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to record highs.
- AI and tech leadership stayed intact: Semiconductor and mega-cap tech strength continued to support the broader equity rally.
- Oil pullback helped risk appetite: Crude eased after Iran floated a new negotiation proposal, reducing some immediate inflation pressure.
- Treasury yields eased: Softer manufacturing signals and lower oil helped pull yields lower, which supported growth stocks.
- Crypto ETF flows improved: Bitcoin benefited from stronger ETF demand, including a notable pickup in spot ETF inflows.
This was a week where earnings strength, lower oil, and renewed tech leadership outweighed geopolitical concern. The market still has risks, but buyers continued to reward strong earnings and liquidity-sensitive assets.
Emerging Crypto Projects & Ecosystem News
- Bitcoin ETF demand remains a key driver: Spot ETF inflows improved sharply, reinforcing the institutional bid under BTC.
- Bitcoin supply dynamics remain supportive: Strong ETF demand and low exchange reserves continue to reinforce the scarcity narrative.
- Altcoin participation remains selective: ETH improved, DOGE showed some strength, but XRP, SOL, BNB, and ADA remained more measured.
- Regulatory progress helped sentiment: Crypto markets responded positively to signs of regulatory movement and improved institutional access.
- Infrastructure still leads speculation: Custody, ETF access, tokenized assets, AI-linked blockchain infrastructure, and institutional rails remain stronger narratives than pure meme-driven speculation.
The crypto market looks healthier, but it is still not a broad altcoin season. Bitcoin remains the leader, Ethereum is stabilizing, and altcoins need better breadth before the move looks fully risk-on.
Outlook for the Week Ahead
- Macro calendar: Markets will focus on Fed commentary, inflation interpretation, employment data, and continued earnings follow-through.
- Equities: The rally remains constructive, but with indexes at records, the market needs earnings confirmation to justify another leg higher.
- Crypto levels to watch:
BTC: Support around $76,500–$77,000, resistance around $80,000–$82,000.
ETH: Support around $2,250–$2,275, resistance around $2,400–$2,500.
SOL: Support around $88–$90, resistance around $98–$105.
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.
03rd May 2026
