The Futures Rundown 83: Unexpected Performance

The Futures Rundown 83: Unexpected Performance

Why are the futures markets acting so strange? In this episode of The Futures Rundown, host Mark Longo welcomes back Mr. Rich Excell, Director of the Derivatives and Trading Academy at the Gies College of Business (University of Illinois)—frequently dubbed the "Hogwarts for derivatives traders." Mark and Rich dive deep into the concept of "unexpected performance" across the tape. When prices fail to rally on good news or refuse to drop on bad news, it's a major indicator of crowded positioning. The duo dissects the anomaly of falling livestock prices despite record Midwest heat waves, the rock-bottom correlation compressing index-level volatility (VIX), and why everyone is watching the E-Mini technical chart patterns for an impending breakout. What's Inside This Episode: * The Trading Pit (Movers & Shakers): Analyzing why Natural Gas and Orange Juice (OJ) are stuck in the cellar, while Wheat variants and Ethereum (ETH) lead the charge to the green zone. * The Volume Breakdown: Breaking down the massive spikes in Nasdaq Micro contracts and why fixed-income volume is surging despite muted data reactions. * Equities & Macro Outlook: Why strong economic fundamentals and robust corporate earnings point toward a potential summer breakout, despite heavy confusion in the pit. * Foreign Exchange & Metals Focus: Rich shares his structural look at the Japanese Yen, the Aussie/Yen growth indicator, and whether Gold is settled into a long-term range trade. * The Futures Free-For-All: Answering listener questions on crypto hype, the possibility of a "water futures" contract, and whether the VIX is heading for the summer doldrums or a sudden spike.

The Futures Rundown 82: Blame the Kiwis!!!

Mark Longo welcomes veteran trader Dan "The Man" Gramza of Gramza Capital Management back to the trading pit to break down a wild, volatile week across the global macro landscape. Mark and Dan dive deep into the renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and why energy markets are suddenly dominating the tape again. From crude oil and heating oil surges to unexpected movements in crypto and commodities, they separate the signal from the noise. In this episode, they discuss: * The Energy Resurgence: Why crude oil, RBOB gasoline, and heating oil are lighting up the top performance lists. * Commodity Shockers: What is driving the massive 19%+ explosive move in Cocoa? * Crypto Volatility: A look at Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) as they struggle with ongoing volatility despite near-term spikes. * The "Teenie" B100: First impressions of Bloomberg's new index futures and potential spread trading opportunities against the Nasdaq. * Blame the Kiwis? The surprising history behind the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target and why New Zealand is at the root of it all. * Equity Market Outlook: Dan's technical predictions for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq neutral-zone bounds over the summer.

The Futures Rundown 81: A Blood-Red Week in Silver, Crude and Crypto

It was a brutal week across many of the most popular futures markets. On this episode of The Futures Rundown, Mark Longo breaks down a massive selloff that hammered precious metals, cryptocurrencies, and other key futures products. Silver led the losers, plunging nearly 20% on the week, while Bitcoin and Ether continued their painful year-to-date declines. Meanwhile, energy markets remained volatile as traders digested developments in the Middle East and watched fuel prices retreat from recent highs. Inside this episode: * Silver's stunning collapse and why traders are watching the July 40 puts * Bitcoin and Ether continue their 2026 bloodletting * Platinum and palladium join the precious metals selloff * Cocoa stages a surprising comeback * VIX futures catch a bid * The year's biggest winners and losers across the futures landscape * Record activity in Nasdaq Micro futures * RBOB gasoline and heating oil pull back from their recent highs * What futures traders should be watching next

The Futures Rundown 80: Revenge of the Losers

Welcome to another action-packed edition of The Futures Rundown! On this Fed week and shortened holiday session leading into Juneteenth, host Mark Longo breaks down a fascinating "bifurcated" tape. Is it finally time for the beaten-down assets to mount a comeback? We deep dive into a week dubbed the "Revenge of the Losers" as some of the year's biggest underperformers find their footing. Plus, we break down the latest interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve, massive volume spikes in equity micros, and the energy market wipeout. In this episode, we cover: * The Trading Pit: Weekly upside movers including Silver, Palladium, Cocoa, Coffee, and a surprising rally in Ether (ETH) futures. * The Energy annihilation: What's driving the massive downside in WTI, Brent crude, RBOB, and heating oil amidst Middle East detente rumors. * Fed Day Reality Check: How the markets reacted to the Fed holding rates steady under the new Fed governor, and why volume suddenly went wild in the second half of the session. * Volume Leaders: A look at the massive paper moving through Nasdaq Micros, 10-Year notes, and the E-mini. * Year-to-Date Movers & Shakers: Checking in on the biggest winners (spoiler: nonfat dry milk is still king) and the cellar-dwellers of 2026.

The Futures Rundown 79: It all Comes Back to Energy

The futures markets are reacting violently to changing geopolitical headlines, but are financial assets completely detached from physical reality? In this episode of The Futures Rundown, host Mark Longo welcomes back Brian Pieri, founder of Energy Rogue, to break down why the global commodity complex always finds its way back to energy. Mark and Brian take a deep dive into the massive physical vs. financial mispricing in the crude markets, the tightening Brent to WTI spread, and the global domino effect triggering massive supply-demand shocks. From the agricultural impacts of high diesel prices to the explosive moves in RBOB, heating oil, and soybean oil—discover how energy is fundamentally reshaping correlations across the entire market, including tech equities and crypto. In this episode, we cover: * The Physical vs. Financial Disconnect: Why physical barrels are clearing much higher than screen prices. * Trading the Spreads: Why the Brent/WTI and RBOB/Heating Oil spreads offer compelling opportunities right now. * The Diesel Crunch: How global shortages of sour crude are inflating everything from Amazon deliveries to livestock and wheat. * Equities & Crypto on a Cliff: A look at the top 10 volume movers and whether tech values are artificially inflated. * The Long-Term Commodity Outlook: Why metals (silver, palladium) and certain agricultural products are positioning for sustained growth.