One of the frustrating elements for traders since the 2008 credit crisis slashed value is the way markets have traded and reacted to fundamental news. There were no trends, just a constant risk-on/risk-off world where opportunity gave way to fear and fear to opportunity, not so much based on the analysis of market fundamentals but on how the Federal Reserve and other central banks would manage the so-called “new normal.”
This appeared as if it may give way this summer as the Federal Reserve acknowledged that the open-ended quantitative easing (QE3) launched in 2012 would have to come to an end. The plan was to begin tapering the $85 billion in monthly fixed income purchases near the end of 2013 and get down to zero by mid-2014.
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of Modern Trader, Daniel Collins is a 25-year veteran of the futures industry having worked on the trading floors of both the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dan joined Futures magazine in 2001, before the name change to Modern Trader, and in 2005 he was promoted to Managing Editor, responsible for overseeing all the content that went into Futures and futuresmag.com. Dan’s incisive reporting and no-holds barred commentary places him among the most recognized national media figures covering futures, derivative trading and alternative investments.