US Treasuries: Bonds are used for a diversification tool, as well as income, in most portfolios. STA covers risk-free treasuries, rather than corporate bonds, in an attempt to further diversify this asset class (bonds) away from the corporate risk which is inherent in both equities and corporate bonds.
Commodities: In addition to Crude Oil and Gold, coverage includes the Continuous Commodity Index, CCI. This index was chosen due to its equal-weighting of various commodities (as opposed to the CRB's heavy weighting of crude oil). This approach should work better for those trying to allocate a portion of their portfolios to commodities.
Currencies: We follow the US Dollar, Euro, and the Japanese Yen. The Yen is a broadly traded, liquid currency and tracking it helps in trading the Nikkei, just as following the Dollar helps in trading US domestic markets.
The Commitments of Traders Report is released by the CFTC each Friday afternoon and shows how three classes of traders (large speculators (hedge funds), commercial users, and small speculators) are positioned in the various futures markets. This information is similar to a sentiment indicator in that it can show when a trade is tilted too far to one side.
MTA Podcasts: The Market Technicians Association sponsors a weekly interview with a technician of importance each week. Past guests have included Robert Prechter, Martin Pring, Tom DeMark, and Larry Williams.
Library: The library includes both videos and articles which should be of interest to anyone following the markets as well as those who would like to increase their knowledge of technical analysis.
