Weekly Market Recap – December 4, 2020

In the Markets

The week ended with US coronavirus statistics hitting unprecedented levels. New cases numbered more than 210,000, hospitalizations exceeded 100,000 and the death toll surpassed 275,000 nationwide. On employment, analysts’ average expectation for November non-farm payrolls was 432,000, but the figure came in at 245,000. In terms of new jobs added, this is the smallest increase since the US recovery began in May. October’s NFP had been 610,000. Jobless claims by new applicants fell to 712,000 vs. 787,000 the previous week. 20.16 million Americans are receiving unemployment benefits, down from 20.51 million. As a monthly percentage, the unemployment rate slipped from 6.9% to 6.7%. October’s balance of trade level showed that the deficit grew by $1.0 billion, coming in at -$63.1 billion, compared to -$62.1 billion for September.

Equities indices stayed on their upward course all week, ending at all-time highs. The DJIA rose 307.89 (+1.0%), hitting 30,218.26 at Friday’s close; a 60.77 rise in the S&P 500 (+1.7%) took it to a 3,699.12 close. Likewise, the NASDAQ Composite index staged another record high with its 258.38 up move (+2.1%) to a 12,464.23 final mark. The Russell 2000 also gained 2.1% (+3.20 points), reaching 152.09 at week’s end. Volatility in equities has ticked slightly lower, as the CBOE VIX ended at 20.79 with a modest 0.05 decrease (-0.2%). In the currency market, the dollar weakened further, as the spot US Dollar Index ended at 90.80, a level that the index hadn’t traded since April 2018. The Canadian Dollar reached a two-year high at 77.61¢ per USD. In the S&P GSCI, the commodity gainers and losers canceled each other out, so the benchmark was marginally unchanged (+0.1%), up 0.48 and settling at 388.54 for the week.

As a sector, most metals strengthened. COMEX copper added 10.7¢ (+3.1%) closing at $3.5245/lb., its highest price in over seven years. LME three-month aluminum gained $45.50 (+2.3%), ending the week at $2,044.00 per metric ton. In the precious group, only palladium decreased, with its $81.90 price loss (-3.4%) to $2,357.80 per ounce. Due to palladium being less liquid than the other precious metals we follow, Friday’s drop might have been a technical matter involving the rolling of December contracts into March, which was compounded by the fact that CME is soon to change the palladium minimum price fluctuation increment from $0.10 to $0.50 per ounce. Allegedly, some analytic spread programs have issues with the increment change. On the other hand, platinum jumped $108.00 (+11.2%) to $1,072.80 where it settled. Platinum had not traded above $1,000 since August. Futures for gold and silver also moved on the plus side: gold rose by $51.90 (+2.9%) to $1,840.00 and silver increased by $1.614 to $24.253 (+7.1%).

Crude oil prices gained somewhat, as OPEC and key Russian oil-producing companies finally agreed on a production cut of 500,000 barrels per day. The cut was already “in the market” and had been mostly discounted. Petroleum futures ended the week up from the prior Friday. January WTI closed at $46.26, which was up $0.73 (+1.6%). ICE Brent rose 2.1%, gaining $1.00 to settle at $49.25 per barrel. In the refined products, heating oil rose 1.81¢ to close at $1.4030 (+1.3%), while RBOB gasoline gained 0.25¢, settling at $1.2685 (+0.2%). Natural gas traders are reacting to the longer-term weather outlooks that focus on La Niña. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and other forecasters are calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures in the Midwest, Northeast and West as winter approaches. January natgas futures tumbled 26.8¢ (-9.4%) during the course of the week, closing at $2.575, its lowest end-of-week level since March 6th ($2.471).

Prices of all nine of the agricultural products we regularly report in this recap decreased from the prior Friday. Wheat settled at $5.75½ per bushel, down 30½¢ (-5.0%). Corn, with its $4.20½ close, lost 13¼ ¢ (-3.1%) for the week. Soybeans went out at $11.65, after falling 27¾ ¢ (-2.3%). Livestock weakened as a round of coronavirus related news hit the meatpacking industry again. Cattle sagged 0.850 during the week (-0.8%) to a 112.400 close, while hogs ended at 66.570 for February, shedding 0.680 (-1.0%). Coffee decreased 6.65 (-5.4%) to 117.55 from the previous Friday. Sugar slid 0.38 (-2.6%) to its 14.44 settlement. Cocoa gave back $112 (-4.0%) for the week, closing at $2,654 per ton. March cotton retreated 1.67¢ (-2.3%) to its 71.57¢/lb. final price.


World Cup Trading Championships®

In Futures, Stefan Seibert held 1st with a 356.7% net return. Michael O’Keeffe remained in 2nd with a net return of 279.9%. Yuwen Cao remained in 3rd with a net return of 218.6%. Brent Carlile and Evgeny Kartashov rounded out the top 5 with net returns of 184.2% and 165.8% respectively.

In the Forex division, Patrick Nill held the top spot with a 243.6% net return. Sergey Shirko held 2nd with a 129.2% net return, with Jan Smolen in 3rd with a net return of 100.8%.  Scott Welsh and Raul Glavan rounded out the top 5 with net returns of 91.9% and 88% respectively.

In the futures division of the 2020-2021 Global Cup Trading Championship,  Stefan Seibert maintained first with a net return of 148%. M. Vontobel of Tirutrade AG climbed up to 2nd with a 119.2% net return. 3rd place is currently held by Patrick Nill with a net return of 105.9%. Jan Smolen and Fernando C. Piñeiro finished the week in 4th and 5th with 101% and 91.5% net returns respectively.

 

\\\"\\\"

Trading futures and forex involves significant risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. World Cup Championship (WCC ) accounts do not necessarily represent all the trading accounts controlled by a given competitor. WCC competitors may control accounts that produce results substantially different than the results achieved in their WCC accounts. WCC entrants may trade more than one account in the competition. CME Group is the trademark of CME Group, Inc. The Globe logo is a trademark of Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.

Scroll to Top

Privacy Policy

WorldCupChampionships.com (WCC) is committed to protecting your privacy. The information we collect from you comes primarily from requests for more information and includes contact information. It is necessary for us to obtain this information in order to fulfill requests for more information and to provide you with email notification services.  Although we provide secure areas on our site for you to enter your information, you may provide required information over the telephone or via email if you prefer. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to maintain the confidentiality of your information, and use reasonable security methods to protect the data that resides on our servers.

 

Access to information about you is provided only to entities affiliated with WorldCupChampionships.com and to those employees and authorized agents who need to know that information in order to provide requested products and services to you. We will not disclose your personal information to any other source, except when authorized by you or when we believe in good faith that we are required to do so by law or in order to protect our rights or property.

 

We may also disclose your personal information to third parties in the normal course of business, including but not limited to: (i) payment networks, and the members of such networks; (ii) electronic funds transfer networks; (iii) clearing and settlement banks; (iv) service companies that perform business operations for WCC, including but not limited to account statement preparation and mailing services; (v) courts, independent auditors, law enforcement agencies and other governmental authorities, regulatory bodies or agencies in response to subpoenas, to prevent fraud, during the course of an audit or examination or as required by law; and (vi) collection agencies, credit reporting agencies, business credit bureaus or other parties associated in collecting any debt owed to us.

 

Service companies also are prohibited from using personal information for any reason other than to provide the specific products or services intended. WCC reserves the right to transfer personal information in connection with the sale of all or part of its business or assets.

 

We use cookies (small data files containing information) to improve the functionality of our web site and enhance the member experience. The usage information we compile assists us in maintaining and improving our site.

 

WCC limits the collection of data to that which is necessary, and will only use personal data for the legitimate purpose for which the personal data is collected. Upon request, WCC will delete or transfer any personal data with consideration to regulatory restrictions and/or requirements imposed by the NFA (National Futures Association), CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission), FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) or other governing bodies and regulatory agencies.

 

All data processing is for a legitimate purpose. For regulatory purposes, WCC retains certain information pertaining to persons who access our system. WCC collects information in order to provide requested information about our services, which primarily includes only name, email address and telephone number. In certain cases we may collect other data used to send customized offers based on information you provide regarding your interests.

 

Periodically, we may invite you to participate in various promotions and offers offered by WorldCupChampionships.com or other sponsoring organizations. Your participation may require us to gather and share your personal information or may require you to provide personal information to the promotion sponsor. Participation in such programs will always be your choice.

 

We are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of sites we link to and have no control over the use or protection of information provided by you or collected by those sites. Whenever you elect to link to another web site, you may be asked to provide registration or other personal information. Remember, the information you are providing is going to a third party, and you should familiarize yourself with the privacy policy provided by that third party.

 

DATA RETENTION

Information collected may be retained for a period of five (5) years or more, depending on whether the information is transactional, marketing related or falls under requirements set forth by regulatory or government bodies including, but not limited to, the NFA, CFTC, or FINRA.

 

ACCESS TO DATA

Designated personnel have access to personal data stored by WCC. Additionally relevant client designated administrators may be granted access to personal data pertaining to the client’s employees. In some cases third-party vendors of WCC  (such as IT consultants) may need to access this data, however in all cases they will be required to comply with internal WCC Information Security Policies and Procedures.  You have the right to receive from WCC confirmation on whether your personal data has been processed or whether WCC holds your personal data.  Upon request, WCC will provide you with the personal data that WCC has regarding you.

 

RIGHTS AND MODIFICATIONS

WCC respects your rights as a data subject.

 

Transparency, information, and answers to requests: WCC adheres to the principle of transparency in processing.  For any questions regarding this policy, you may contact us at  info@worldcupchampionships.com. We will respond without undue delay and in any case within one week upon receipt of the request.

 

Access: You have the right to receive from WCC confirmation on whether your personal data has been processed or whether WCC holds your personal data.  Upon request, WCC will provide you with the personal data that WCC has regarding you.

 

Rectification: You have the right to require the rectification of inaccurate data relating to you without undue delay, as well as incomplete data if necessary for processing.

 

Erasure: You have the right to ask for the erasure of personal data concerning you without undue delay.  WCC will not proceed with the erasure of personal data if the data must be maintained for a legal obligation or in cases where the processing is required for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

 

Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request a restriction of processing if the accuracy of personal data is disputed, for that period of time that allows WCC to verify the accuracy of personal data or based on any other legitimate reason specified in applicable Data Protection Laws.

 

Data Portability: If technically feasible, you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable fashion as well as the right to request the direct transmission of personal data by WCC to another party.

 

Right to Object: If you receive promotional emails, you can remove yourself from the recipient’s list by selecting the “unsubscribe” link within the email content.

 

Complaint to Supervisory Authority: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the country of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of your personal data infringes Data Privacy Laws.

We may amend this privacy statement at any time, and will post the amended version on our website www.worldcupchampionships.com.

 

YOUR CONSENT

Your choice to use our website, enter our trading competitions, and/or to allow the downloading of cookies via your browser constitutes consent to this policy and consent to the use of your information as described.

 

GDPR COMPLIANCE

Our GDPR Compliance Statement is incorporated into this Privacy Policy.

Besides strengthening and standardizing user data privacy across the EU nations, GDPR imposes new or additional obligations on all organizations that handle EU citizens’ personal data, regardless of where the organizations themselves are located.

 

You have complete control over the emails you receive from us. WCC provides various notifications via email, including service-related communications, account-related notifications, informational messages, and other updates through a third-party provider. Subscribers may discontinue email communications by responding with “unsubscribe” in the subject line or clicking on the unsubscribe link in email communications.

 

It is your responsibility to maintain the accuracy and completeness of your account information.  You may also contact us at info@WorldCupChampionships.com or call us at 877-456-7111 to inquire about or update your account information.