Finding Leaders and Bullish Signals on the Price Chart

Divergences reflect a disconnect between price and the indicator. A bearish divergence forms when price forges a higher high and the indicator fails to confirm this high. In this case, we have the S&P 500 moving higher and fewer stocks

Gold is not the most exciting asset at the moment, but it is in a long-term uptrend and it is perhaps the strongest commodity out there. There are also signs that the January decline is ending as RSI hits a momentum support zone and a bullish continuation pattern forms.

This week’s analysis will stick with the multiple timeframe approach. Today we are featuring a biotech stock with a channel breakout on the weekly chart and a classic retracement on the daily chart. Moreover, a larger bullish reversal pattern could be forming on the daily chart.

Chartists looking to increase their odds should consider two timeframes for their analysis. The longer timeframe sets the strategic tone, while the shorter timeframe defines the trading tactics

Tech stocks were hit with selling pressure to start the year, but many are still in long-term trends and some are nearing support-reversal zones. In particular, Apple (AAPL) fell to a support-reversal zone and I am on alert for a bounce. Let’s investigate.

StockCharts users can chart the Zweig Breadth Thrust for the S&P 1500 or any other index that has Advance-Decline Percent data. All we have to do its convert the Zweig Breadth Thrust levels to their equivalents using Advance-Decline Percent.

Today’s report features the Zweig Breadth Thrust, which was developed by the late, and great, Marty Zweig. We will show how it works and look at some recent signals. Despite a long history, the indicator is missing something and we will propose a modern day alternative.

Correlations rise during bear markets. This means more stocks participate in broad market declines than broad market advances. In other words, the odds are stacked against us when picking stocks in bear markets. Traders are better off looking outside of the stock market for opportunities.

The Home Construction ETF (ITB) led the market the first seven months of the year, but fell on hard times the last two months and reversed its long-term uptrend. Today’s report/video will look at the trend reversal in ITB using the RSI Trend Range indicator

Today’s report will compare charts and performance for the Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) and the Semiconductor SPDR (XSD). SOXX represents large-caps and is holding up. XSD represents the average semiconductor stock and it is not

Despite a rough ride in September, the S&P 500 is still up 14% year-to-date and the Nasdaq 100 is up a whopping 40%. The gains here, however, do not tell the entire story because many stocks are

Chartists looking to get the jump on a bigger breakout can turn to the swings within a developing pattern. For example, a Symmetrical Triangle after an advance is a bullish

QQQ remains well above the rising 200-day SMA, but clearly shifted from bullish to bearish over the last two months. Today’s report/video will show this momentum shift and analyze the short-term continuation pattern taking shape.

The pockets of strength are shrinking as more stocks succumb to selling pressure. The Nasdaq 100 is the strongest of the major indexes, while the Finance sector is one of the weakest sectors. Today’s report will highlight two leaders within the Nasdaq 100 and two laggards within the finance sector.

Stocks were hit hard the last two weeks with the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) breaking below its August low. SPY also forged a lower high from July to August. Stocks and ETFs that held above their August lows are showing relative strength. With that in mind, the three cyber security ETFs stand out and one is stronger than the others.

Stocks fell sharply in September with the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) breaking below its August low. Chartists can now use this low as a benchmark low to gauge relative performance. Stocks that held above the August low are showing relative strength. This is valuable information because stocks that hold up better during declines have a better chance of moving higher. Let’s look at an example.

It has been a rough ride for most commodities this year and especially over the last 100 trading days (since May). Of the twelve spot prices I track, nine are up and three are down. Precious metals, base metals, lumber and grains are all down. The energy complex

A few large-caps and large-cap techs are holding up, but other areas of the market are showing weakness. Namely, the Retail SPDR (XRT) and Regional Bank ETF (KRE) are two of the weakest groups right now. These two groups are under selling pressure and this could bode ill for the broader market. Why? Because they represent key areas of the economy.

The Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) closed below the 200-day SMA for the first time since, well, June 1st. The last cross was not that long ago and recent crosses simply resulted in whipsaws. Truth be told, 200-day SMA crosses are not that relevant for IWM.

The S&P 500 SPDR bounced the last three weeks, but we did not see an improvement in breadth. Weak breadth is also reflected in performance for mid-caps and small-caps, which are lagging. Even so, SPY and QQQ are in short-term uptrends and I am watching the tech sector for clues.