Less Liquidity In Summer Months Could Lead To More VolatilityThe Memorial Day weekend is the start of the summer season. In many markets, seasonal factors can impact prices. The old saying, “sell in May and go away,” may not be applicable in the stock market as stocks have been on a rocky path lower in 2022. In commodities, gasoline, meats, grains, and other raw material prices often increase as demand peaks. Heating oil and other winter commodities often move to the downside. However, 2022 is anything but an ordinary year in markets.
Thin markets are more volatile than liquid markets
Market participants are tired and frustrated in 2022
Lockdowns over the past years could lead to extended summer vacations
Lots of head-fake moves on the horizon
Expect the unexpected- Volatility leads to opportunity
Over the past two years, the global pandemic distorted prices. Stocks rose as artificially low interest rates made the stock market the only alternative with fixed income yields at historical lows. Rates are rising in 2022, with a hawkish Fed and falling bond market. Supply chain bottlenecks continue to plague commodities, and the war in Ukraine has only exacerbated pricing and availability issues. Mid-term elections in the US, and a Presidential contest in Brazil, a leading commodity-producing country, are on the horizon later this year. The geopolitical bifurcation between nuclear powers is another issue facing markets that reflect the economic and geopolitical landscapes.
Market participants are exhausted as 2022 has brought a new set of concerns. We could see liquidity in markets dry up over the coming weeks and months as the summer has arrived, and vacations will limit participation in markets across all asset classes.
Thin markets are more volatile than liquid markets
Liquidity is a critical ingredient for smooth-running markets. Liquidity tends to reduce price variance as more market participants increase buying and selling interests at various levels.
Commodities tend to be more volatile than other assets, sans cryptocurrencies, but some raw material markets experience far more volatility than others. Lumber and crude oil are two highly volatile commodities, but one has minimal liquidity while the other experiences far more participation.
The daily chart of CME lumber futures shows that daily volume tends to be well below 500 contracts. Open interest at 2,293 contracts makes lumber an illiquid market. Daily historical volatility at over 62% is a function of the lack of volume and open interest, leading to price gaps and limit-up and limit-down price moves where buying disappears during bearish periods and selling evaporates when the price moves higher.
Meanwhile, on a typical trading session, NYMEX crude oil futures trade well over 400,000 contracts, with open interest at above 1.81 million contracts on June 2. Daily historical volatility at below 20% reflects that the highly liquid oil market has buyers and sellers at all price levels.
The bid-offer spreads in liquid markets are far tighter than in illiquid markets. As liquidity declines, markets tend to experience far more price variance.
Market participants are tired and frustrated in 2022
In early 2022, market participants were breathing sighs of relief as the global pandemic was beginning to fade in the rearview mirror. Health concerns may have declined, but financial woes increased with prices.
Monetary and fiscal policies planted inflationary seeds that have caused prices to explode higher, while supply chain bottlenecks continue to exacerbate inflationary pressures. Meanwhile, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is another crisis following on the heels of two years of pandemic panic. Sanctions and Russian retaliation exacerbate inflation. Moreover, Russia’s “no-limits” cooperation with China creates a geopolitical bifurcation of the world’s nuclear powers.
We live in interesting and exhausting times, with people tired and frustrated with the events since 2020.
Lockdowns over the past years could lead to extended summer vacations
Lockdowns ended in the US as vaccines went into arms. People have returned to work and school. In China, the COVID-19 restrictions appear to be easing. In early June 2022, the coming summer months offer the opportunity to rest, relax and recharge internal batteries for the second half of 2022. The demand for travel, hotel rooms, and other vacation-related consumer products has soared. Inflation and supply chain bottlenecks have only increased prices, but the demand is robust.
As market participants take a few weeks off over the coming months, they are likely to turn off their screens and ignore the market action that could interfere with good times with friends and family. Increased vacations may bolster earnings for travel-related businesses, but it will reduce market liquidity as a vacation for many includes a rest period from watching or participating in markets across all asset classes.
Lots of head-fake moves on the horizon
As liquidity declines because of a lack of participation, markets will likely become a lot bumpier over the coming weeks and months. Selling could lead to downdrafts and buying may create rip-your-face-off rallies. These events cause head-fake moves that can cause even the most experienced traders and investors more than a bit of indigestion.
A decline in liquidity could dramatically increase price variance. The geopolitical and economic landscapes will not take any vacation during the summer of 2022.
Expect the unexpected- Volatility leads to opportunity
Expecting the unexpected will reduce the stress-related with sudden market volatility. Moreover, higher price variance increases opportunities for nimble traders and investors with their fingers on the pulse of markets.
Approach markets with a sold risk-reward plan that avoids open-ended risks. Even though declining liquidity can cause markets to rise or fall to irrational price levels, always remember the current price is always the correct price because it is the level where buyers and sellers meet in a transparent environment, the marketplace. Do not be afraid to take small losses and remember to take those profits or adjust risk levels to protect them when markets reach targets. Trading or investing with a plan and sticking to it avoids the ego-related mistakes that cause us to believe we are always right, and the market is wrong. The market price is never wrong.
Meanwhile, combinations of put and call options can protect the downside, hedging portfolios while allowing for upside participation that will enable you to enjoy your time off from the daily grind. Enjoy the summer but keep your eyes open for opportunities. Adjust your mindset to expect the unexpected and embrace the higher volatility that comes alongside lower liquidity. Price variance is a nightmare for the passive, but it creates a world of opportunity for the dynamic.
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Trading advice given in this communication, if any, is based on information taken from trades and statistical services and other sources that we believe are reliable. The author does not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects the author’s good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice the author provides will result in profitable trades. There is risk of loss in all futures and options trading. Any investment involves substantial risks, including, but not limited to, pricing volatility, inadequate liquidity, and the potential complete loss of principal. This article does not in any way constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investment, security, or commodity discussed herein, or any security in any jurisdiction in which such an offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
