The key to whether the market is bullish or bearish is $SPX support at 4370. Yesterday (August 19th), $SPX traded right down to that level and bounced from there again. That is the third time in less than a month that $SPX has bounced off of that level. Hence, it is valid and substantial support. If it gives way, there will likely be surge of selling. But as long as that support at 4370 holds, the $SPX chart is still bullish, with moving averages trending upward.
The two large-cap indices, $SPX and $DJX (the Dow) have moved to new all-time highs. But now $NDX is falling behind, and the Russell 2000 ($RUT) has been lagging badly all along. Of ourse, this pattern -- or similar ones -- has been in effect since mid-June (and really, even before that in the case of the Russell). As a result, negative divergences persist, but they can last for a long time even while $SPX is merrily moving to new highs.
On the surface, everything appears fine: $SPX made a new closing all-time high twice this week once after a swift upward reversal off of support near 4370. However, it has not made a new intraday all-time high since July 29th, so in reality it is trapped in a very tight trading range between 4370 and 4430 (the all-time highs) A breakout of this range in either direction should give the Index some short-term momentum.
Despite deteriorating internals in the market, $SPX plowed ahead to register a new all-time high on 13 of 14 consecutive trading days. That streak was interrupted yesterday.
Join Larry McMillan as he discusses the current state of the stock market on Monday, June 14th, 2021.
Leadership once again is in the $SPX Index, although the NASDAQ Composite and the NASDAQ-100 ($NDX; QQQ) are strong as well. Since the $SPX chart is our primary indicator, we retain a "core" bullish position as long as $SPX holds above support: 4260 (the early June highs), 4165, and 4060 the latter two being the twice-tested lows of June and May, respectively.
When $SPX broke out to new all-time highs in early June, it seemed labored, and that breakout quickly faded. But now, in late June and early July, $SPX has moved to new all-time highs with more authority -- having closed at a new all-time high for the sixth trading day in a row.
When NASDAQ leads the way, the market tends to respond strongly especially in the tech-dominated market of the last 15 months. That's what's happening low: both the NASDAQ Composite and the NASDAQ-100 ($NDX; QQQ) broke out to new all-time highs this week, after having lagged behind in May. Led by this strong move in NASDAQ, $SPX has once again closed at a new all-time high.
Join Larry McMillan as he discusses the current state of the stock market on Monday, August 10th, 2020.
Join Larry McMillan as he discusses the current state of the stock market on Monday, August 3rd, 2020.
