It appears that the bounce is complete as the Dow fell 176 points on about average volume. The advance/declines were negative but not as much as a down 176 market would suggest. The summation index is drifting higher. The overall market was much weaker than the Dow with the NASDAQ leading the way lower. That's not a positive. It looks like the S&P 500 is on its way to test last weeks lows as most of the short term technical indicators have rolled over. It is probably too late to buy the SPY January puts. Could things turn around tomorrow? It's possible but we'll need some kind of excuse to be buyers ahead of the long weekend. Gold dropped five bucks but did come up from its lows. The US dollar was a bit lower as were interest rates. The XAU fell 1 7/8, while GDX shed 1/2. Volume was light. I'm back to looking at the GDX February calls but in no hurry. The Bollinger bands are starting to contract in the precious metals complex, implying that a big move is on the way. Which way is the question but I'm leaning to the long side. Mentally I'm feeling OK. The VIX spiked higher and closed above its 50 and 200 day averages. It also finished above the 20 level. The short term indicators have turned up with room to go higher. This indicator is now saying volatilty is on the rise and prices are in decline. It fit the bill today. With only 5 days left in the January option cycle, the risk is high to take on a SPY trade. I'm pretty sure that I'll let tomorrow pass and take it from there. That seems to be the prudent path for me at the moment. Europe and Asia were mixed overnight. We'll finish up the trading week tomorrow.