Ok, so, while it may not be quite so technical and hideous as the Hindenburg Omen...the gastropod omen may/usually signifies pressure in the "markets!" What you may ask is the dreaded "gastropod" omen...Brent crude has a higher price than west Texas crude. I can only postulate that this is because some European players are SERIOUSLY hedging against bad credit in Europe...why? The answer is that west Texas crude is generally a lot better for distilling into finished products than Brent Sea crude.."generally" world buyers will pay a premium for WTI...when, as it is now, Brent has a higher price...bad things are going on in the European markets! Now don't forget kids - the hideous "gastropod" omen appearing...and a $3.50 in your pocket will get you a nice cup of coffee at your local (reasonable) eatery like Dunkins or 7-11!!!! http://noir.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/cfutures.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmark_(crude_oil) -gastropod
Oh yeah, it has appeared before (no charts or data here...I leave it to the reader ;-) ) The results have usually been that first the European markets tank...then the US markets tank. Again...only postulating here...but, I think that has to do with the "credit" markets. It seems like the European markets will head south...because companies/corporations in the Eurozone will have a hard time getting money...so, they tank...the same is feared will happen in the US markets...because, US credit markets are so tied to European credit markets...and, poof, US markets tank. If you REALLY want to delve more into the "gastropod" omen...I suggest checking out WTI versus Brent during the "Greek" problems. If somebody has access and can pull up that stuff - please share! -gastropod
OK...I guess there is more historical info on this "omen"... http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article874.html It looks like it was happening in April 2007...about three months before the you know what hit the fan and the markets began to collapse!! -gastropod