Happy New Year!

Hi everybody,
On the last day of the year, our team congratulates all traders and investors, professional and non-professional alike, with the coming New Year and a new decade of the 21 century! What will it bring us all? God only knows. But with the tools like our ELP Program, I am sure we will be able to face the challenges that markets have in store for us. We wish you luck and wisdom, health and wealth, patience and courage, many friends and friendly relatives!
ELP finishes the year rather on a passive note, but this is nothing new for the Program. Overall, it has been out of the market (with a zero position) for more than 12% of all time. Conditions are gradually ripening for it to open an active position. Follow our signals, and all will be well.
Happy holidays,
ELP team

Weekly performance review

Hello everybody,
This is the last Saturday of the year. It is a little sad, just because of the fact that everything passes, good and bad, cool and uncool, rally and slump. But we are looking forward to the new year hoping - as usual - that at least we, in our personal life, will do better next time. Oh well... Here is our weekly performance review:

Period	ELP	S&P500
5 days	0% ($0)	0.58%
1 month	3.38% ($2,366)	3.15%
3 months	7.91% ($5,538)	9.39%
YTD	39.49% ($27,640)	29.25%
1 year	41.84% ($29,288)	30.34%

ELP Program has been neutral for some time now being reluctant to enter this over-confident market right now. Still, it has posted a solid performance this year if a little short of its average of 44.75 percent annual gain. Remember: it is in down years when ELP is at its best (see here Performance page). Subscribe to ELP Program to earn solid profit in S&P 500 up years and super profit in S&P 500 down years!
Good luck and a nice weekend,
ELP team

Options

Hello everybody,
And Merry Christmas to you again. People keep asking if ELP Program can be used to trade options on S&P 500 futures. While I understand advantages of options - limited risk and all - I do not recommend to trade options fully according to ELP Program. Fact is, trades according to ELP may be lengthy time-wise, you could keep a position for days, weeks and even months (rarely). And options have an intrinsic feature of losing value with time, the so-called time decay (theta). It is related to their probability of being exercised profitably, which obviously diminishes as time goes by and there is less and less time to expiration left.
That said, I can imagine a trader using ELP for trade direction, maybe as an additional tool to confirm his or her decision. But you should not maintain a position in options according to ELP! The option may expire useless (with you losing the premium you paid) before ELP gives a signal to close the trade.
I promise I will look into it deeper later and see if there is chance to use ELP in options trading at all. For now, we are sticking to the S&P 500 futures.
Have a good time,
ELP team

Weekly performance report

Hello everybody,
Here is our weekly performance review:

Period	ELP	S&P500
5 days	0% ($0)	1.65%
1 month	1.09% ($763)	3.57%
3 months	4.82% ($3,372)	7.66%
YTD	39.49% ($27,640)	28.50%
1 year	49.01% ($34,361)	33.29%

ELP Program has been neutral for some time now being reluctant to enter this over-confident market right now. Still, it has posted a solid performance this year if a little short of its average of 44.75 percent annual gain. Remember: it is in down years when ELP is at its best (see here Performance page). Subscribe to ELP Program to earn solid profit in S&P 500 up years and super profit in S&P 500 down years!
Good luck and a nice weekend,
ELP team

Still neutral

Hello everybody,
Well well well, the House impeached the President yesterday, but the market is not reacting. The calm before the storm? Quite possible, although it is not quite clear in which direction the storm will blow. Anyway, ELP Program is neutral. Maybe it will stay so through December, if such action as we now see persists. No matter - the result for the year is quite impressive, with $27,000 earned so far (39%).
I will not tire to reiterate that ELP Program is at its best when the markets perform poorly. If you are not yet subscribed - do not wait for such times but subscribe now for free and become a part of our small community! By the way, it will remain small - no more than 100 subscribers - so the number of vacant slots is really limited.
Good day and be patient,
ELP team

Neutral

Hello everybody,
ELP Program is still without a position. And this is no surprise, because in the past 24 years, it was without one for three years if we put together all the instances when it was not in the market, or 12% of all the time. Surely it takes some time for conditions to be quite right.
Impeachment, it seems, does not make much impression on the market participants so far. At least, not enough to make them close their positions in fear of serious consequences. But it does make people cautious and reluctant to enter the market right now. Economic news, on the other hand, are good enough for traders to keep their long positions in the hope of getting some more upward movement. Add to that the magic of round numbers, and as a result, the S&P 500 index is stuck right below the 3200 threshold.
We must continue to remain disciplined and wait for a signal from the Program. If it does not give one before Christmas and New Year, all the better: we will spend our holidays without fretting as to our gains or losses in the market. The year was good for ELP as it is - just short of 40% is a kind of return noone should be ashamed of.
Good day and be patient,
ELP team

Leo Tolstoy

Hi everybody,
First of all, a quick reminder that the third Friday is the day on which December S&P 500 futures will expire. According to ELP Program, rollover is on the second Friday, but since we had (and have) nothing to roll, any trader following our signals should note that going forward, all signal should be taken in March contracts.
As I have already said, we remain without a position for now, which, on the one hand, is a pity, since the trend is strong, but on the other hand is good, because we have to be disciplined and follow the Program strictly. Oherwise we may develop a habit of second-guessing and deviating from the plan based on our hunches and hearsay, and nothing is worse than that. As the great Russian writer Leo Tostoy said, 'the fulfillment of your plans constitutes the happiness of your life'. And he was a wise man.
It is a good time to review the ELP Program fundamentals. Once again - it is the best tool against the downturns of the market!
Good luck and good day,
ELP team

Weekly performance

Hello everybody,
As usual on Saturdays, our weekly performance review:

Period	ELP	S&P500
5 days	0% ($0)	0.73%
1 month	0.06% ($42)	1.55%
3 months	4.77% ($3,342)	5.37%
YTD	39.49% ($27,641)	26.41%
1 year	25.79% ($18,054)	21.88%

In spite of a solid, by any metrics, performance by the S&P 500, ELP Program still beats it long-term. Overall, as the year draws nearer to its close, we see that ELP is quite confidently completing the year with a slightly lower than average result. Now look at the Performance page: it is in down years when ELP is at its best. The results we see at present are just average ELP results, while they are stellar for the S&P 500. So: better not to try the fate but subscribe to ELP Program RIGHT NOW and be safe against the downturns of the market!
Good luck and a nice weekend,
ELP team

"New economy"?

Hi guys,
Much uncertainty surrounding the economy seems to be taken away. At least we know pretty for sure that the Fed will keep its rate unchanged all next year; that there is gonna be a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico; that Brexit will actually happen; and that the US-China trade deal will also take place unless someone in the high places has not yet made pocketfuls of money by manipulating the market. Fundamentals of the US economy remain strong, with an unprecedented unemployment showing of 3.5% etc.
As a result, the stock market has found its footing and seems ready for another strong day today. Still, our recommendations remain conservative - to be cautious and stay on the sidelines, because some technicals look rather scary and the feeling is that the market in going on on drugs irrespective of what might happen next. We experienced that kind of thinking in the days and years of "irrational exuberance" and "new economy"; but maybe not all remember. We remain neutral and recommend you to do the same. In case there is actually a signal, watch our signal page for our updated recommendations here.
Good luck,
ELP team

Strong economy

Hello everybody,
Fundamentals of the US economy remain strong: yesterday it was again confirmed by stronger than expected unemployment figure (3.5%). Moreover, Democrats in the Congress seem to be ready to support the new trade deal with Canada and Mexico proposed by Trump's administration and his other actions, despite of pressing on with impeachment. The Fed left the federal funds rate unchanged at 1.75%, which was expected. Erratic and undirectional trading continued yesterday, with much uncertainty remaining in the markets, although some of it has been dispelled. Our recommendations remain to be cautious and stay on the sidelines for now, until there is a clearer picture on the horizon, and wait till the current tensions and discrepancies, both technical and fundamental, have been resolved. We remain neutral unless there is a big movement in either direction. In case there is actually a movement, watch our signal page for our updated recommendations here.
Good luck,
ELP team

Undirectional trading

Hello everybody,
Erratic and undirectional trading continued yesterday, with much uncertainty remaining in the markets, so the S&P 500 and other stock indexes were hardly changed. Our recommendations remain to be cautious and stay on the sidelines for now, until there is a clearer picture on the horizon, and wait till the current tensions and discrepancies, both technical and fundamental, have been resolved. Of course ELP Program remain neutral too. Stay put unless there is a big movement in either direction. In case there is actually a movement, watch our signal page for our updated recommendations here.
Good luck,
Vlad

Uncertainty

Hello everybody,
There is still much uncertainty as to where the markets are heading. There is much to say for up, and as many arguments for down. So our recommendation remains to stay on the sidelines for now, until there is a clearer picture on the horizon, and wait till the current tensions and discrepancies, both technical and fundamental, have been resolved. By the way, I have noticed that more and more experts give the same advice to their audiences. If people who own stock (and that's more than half of the population of the US) listen and do accordingly, it would mean that more and more people will choose to wait out this period, meaning more selling, meaning dropping prices. Well, it seems logical enough. And I will tell you in secret: one component of our ELP Program is already short. But another one, the one that follows the trend, is still long. So as a result, we are neutral for now, and recommend the same to you. Unless there is a big move in any which direction, in which case we will tell you what to do: just watch our signals here. And remember: ELP is at its best in down years!
Good luck to you, your families and friends,
ELP team

Hello everybody,
Saturday today, so time for the Saturday weekly performance review: see the table below.

Period	ELP	S&P500
5 days	3.4% ($2,390)	0.16%
1 month	-0.57% (-$400)	1.71%
3 months	9.03% ($6,320)	5.61%
YTD	39.49% ($27,641)	25.49%
1 year	28.55% ($19,986)	19.48%

In spite of a solid performance by the S&P 500, by any counts, ELP Program is beating it so far. Overall, as the year draws nearer to its close, we see that ELP is quite confidently completing the year with a better than average result. Will it keep it up in bad years? Remember than it is in down years when ELP is at its best. Better not to try the fate but subscribe to ELP Program RIGHT NOW and be safe against the downturns of the market!
Good luck and a nice weekend,
Vlad

Food for thought

Hello everybody,
Well, it was touch and go yesterday as the index hovered above our lower signal line for some time before going down below it. As a result, we remain on the sidelines without a position. The volume of trading was low, about half the usual, with traders obviously undecided as to where the stocks are headed. With much uncertainty around (trade negotiations, impeachment, now NATO differences into the bargain etc.), we may well see another December slump as in 2018.
Meanwhile, an interesting figure from Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM (audit and consulting firm): US services companies have added 1.4 million jobs this year, compared with just 2,000 for manufacturing. That's some food for thought.
Anyway, good luck and happy trading,
Vlad

On the sidelines

Hello everybody,
For the time being, we are keeping on the sidelines of that rather crazy game around global trade conducted by Trump and China, in which I am sure many insiders take part profitably. But we are not insiders, we are straight guys here playing the game of probability only, so we are out - for now. But we are prepared to enter the fray if conditions are right - see the Signals page. The corridor where we are prepared to act is rather narrow, so we recommend to wait until we confirm the trade (if any) at 3.15 pm or sooner to our subscribers.

Good luck,
Vlad

Cherry-picking trades

Hello everybody,
So, the position is nil after yesterday's trading, and maybe it is in order to explain how come my simulated trading, which I conduct on the CME Simulated Trading platform, has produced different (worse) results from those by hypothetical trading according to ELP Program proper (see both on the "Current results" page).
Well, first of all, it again demonstrates that "systems work, traders don't". Fact is, when I started trading on Oct.31, ELP had given two conflicting signals some time before, so there should have been no position until Nov.7 when the long was closed out. But I "cherry-picked" the short position which I thought to be more "promising" (lol), and went short way too early at 3034.5 (instead of on Nov.7 at about 3090). This difference of c.55 points (in terms of E-mini S&P 500 futures) is exactly the difference between my sim. trading results and ELP's result for this (first on this site!) trade. So, in future, I promise I won't try to catch up but will strictly follow the ELP rules, so that simulated trading results as much as possible copy and resemble ELP's hypothetical results.
Don't try to beat the system, or "improve" it in the heat of the trading day!
Cheers, Vlad

November results

Hello everybody,
November is out, here's the results for ELP. The month saw a loss of -$2,790, or almost 4%. It was short 1 ESZ9 since November 7, but the index rose relentlessly until it dropped somewhat; but that was in December already, so doesn't count. Well, things happen, it is not a magic wand but only a tool based on probability, and probability can be wrong by definition.
Still, ELP remains well in the black for the year so far: plus 36% vs plus 26% for the S&P500.
Look up today's signals at sp500systems.com and happy trading!
Cheers, Vlad