Technical Analysis How the Market Is Technically Weaker By Richard Suttmeier Street.com Contributor 8/2/2007 3:06 PM EDT
I do not remember ever seeing the technicals for the major equity averages deteriorate this quickly. The Dow was solid gold at 14K on July 19 with a new record closing high of 14,000.41. It ended July at 13,211.99, down 5.7% in less than two weeks, and that close was below the June low. When an index closes below the prior month's low after a new record high, that's known as a "key reversal." This is a technical tool for timing a market top. The confirmation of a top requires lower monthly closes in August and September. Without the confirmation, odds favor a trading range. The Dow was not alone in having a monthly key reversal in July. So did the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 futures. July ended glass half-empty. As the table below shows, the Dow ended July up 6.0% year to date, but 5.8% below its July all-time high. Similar leakage is noted for the Nasdaq, which was up 5.4% YTD but down 6.5% from its multiyear high set in July. The Dow Transports is still up 10.3% year to date, but 8.3% off its all-time high set in July. The downside leader (or emptiest glasses) is the Dow Utilities index, which is still up 4.5% YTD but down 11.1% from its all-time high, set back in May. The small-caps as measured by the Russell 2000 futures look more like a cracked glass, given the amount of leakage there: The futures ended July down 2.0% YTD and 9.9% off the all-time high set in July. Market | 31-Jul Price | YTD Gains | 2006 Close | All Time highs | % Off Highs | The Dow | 13,212 | 6.00% | 12,463.15 | 14,021.95 | -5.80% | S&P 500 | 1,455.20 | 2.60% | 1,418.30 | 1,555.83 | -6.50% | Nasdaq | 2,546 | 5.40% | 2,415.29 | 2,724.74 | -6.60% | Utilities | 477.33 | 4.50% | 456.77 | 537.12 | -11.10% | Transports | 5,030 | 10.30% | 4,560.20 | 5,487.05 | -8.30% | Russell 2000 | 777 | -2.00% | 792.75 | 862 | -9.90% | Source: RightSide.com |
Look at technical momentum, too. My measure of momentum is the 12x3x3 slow stochastic readings on monthly, weekly and daily charts. A stochastic momentum reading is on a scale of zero to 100.00, where readings above 80.00 are overbought and readings below 20.00 are oversold. The table below shows how quickly technical momentum readings have deteriorated in just the past two weeks. Two weeks ago, the table read "Overbought" in almost every box shown. Market | Monthly Momentum | Weekly Momentum | Daily| Momentum | The Dow | Overbought | Declining | Declining | S&P 500 | Overbought | Declining | Declining | Nasdaq | Overbought | Declining | Declining | Utilities | Declining | Declining | Declining | Transports | Declining | Declining | Declining | Russell 2000 | Declining | Declining | Oversold | Source: RightSide.com |
Financials' Stealth Bear Market SpreadsThe weekly chart for the Philadelphia KBW Banking Index (BKX) is very important this week. The index reached a new 52-week low at 103.40 on Wednesday, which was also below its 200-week simple moving average of 104.04. This is the first trade below the 200-week SMA for the BKX since the last week of May 2003. A close on Friday below the 200-week SMA would be a sign of a deepening stealth bear market in financials. But the BKX is already indicative of the stealth bear market in financials. It ended July down 10.6% YTD, with the Dow up 6.0%. Again, the BKX has had weekly closes above the 200-week SMA since the end of May 2003. The Dow didn't trend above its 200-week SMA until the end of November 2003. (Keep in mind that if the Dow were to correct to its 200-week SMA at 11,047, that would be a 21% decline from 14,000 -- and that's not even a slide below the 200-week SMA, as on the BKX.) The BKX thus led the bull move by six months in 2003. I believe we'll find in six months that the BKX has once again led the downside by six months. You can't have a bull market for stocks with financials in a stealth bear market! (CHART UNTEN - Quelle: Reuters) Key Levels for the Rest of 2007Readers familiar with my model know that monthly closes are important and that my monthly, quarterly, semiannual and annual levels are based on the last nine years of closes. Whether or not you trust the trends, moving averages or momentum, my model provides the risk and reward levels over a rolling six-month horizon. The July closes were the latest key inputs. Dow: Annual supports are 13,036 and 12,492 with a quarterly pivot at 13,472 and monthly resistance at 13,607, which is well below my semiannual resistance at 13,925. Odds are that the Dow will not return to its all time high at 14,021.95 on July 17, and closing high at 14,000.41 on July 19. According to Dow theory, the Dow is still operating on a buy signal from October 2006 that was confirmed with the highs in July. The problem with following Dow theory is identifying when the signal is over! All I can say is that we have been in the final third of a bull market based upon Dow theory since October. S&P 500: Annual support is 1265.5 with quarterly and annual pivots at 1466.5 and 1482.30, and monthly and quarterly resistances at 1512.9 and 1525.1. I projected that the high for the year would not be above the March 23, 2000, high at 1553.11. The index's all-time is 1555.83, set July 16. Nasdaq: Annual support is 2483 with a monthly pivot at 3578 and quarterly resistance at 2648. The multi-year high at 2724.74 was set on July 19. Dow Utilities: Annual supports are 389.28 and 382.15 with quarterly, monthly and semiannual resistances at 507.22, 518.47 and 535.32. This index remains well below its all-time high of 537.12, set May 22. Dow Transports: Annual support is 3739 with quarterly and monthly pivots at 5138 and 5193 and semiannual resistance at 5400. This index set its all-time at 5487.05 on July 18, and closing high of 5446.49 on July 19. Russell 2000 Futures: Annual support is 763.20 with monthly resistance at 825.37. The all-time high here was set at 862.00 on July 13. ----- At time of publication, Suttmeier had no positions in any of the stocks mentioned in this column. |