Semiconductors Hammered

While markets experienced broad selling, it was semiconductors which took the brunt of sellers wrath on weak prospects for the sector. Unfortunately, given the importance of semiconductors at the heart of Technology and therefore, the global economy, there will likely be further repercussions going forward.  The near 7% loss in the Semiconductor Index paid no respect to daily support, opening up support levels on the weekly time frame. The 200-week MA has entered the 61.8% fib retracement zone and is a potential target for the months ahead.


Not surprisingly, Technology indices suffered a break of the August swing low, and cut through the 200-day MA too. However, given the loss in the semiconductor index I was surprised not to see more damage here.  Selling volume did soar in confirmed distribution.


The S&P didn't escape the selling, although the loss of just over 1% wasn't too damaging.  The index finished the day on its 200-day MA, a support level for bulls to work on Monday.


The Russell 2000 put some distance on the break of 1,090 support. A move back to 1,090 will off an entry opportunity for shorts with stops on a move above 1,100.


As a final mention, losses in Nasdaq breadth accelerated.  The Percentage of Nasdaq Stocks above the 50-day MA has dropped into the teens at just 16%. It has crossed below levels typical of a bounce; so a bounce likely isn't far away.


The Nasdaq Summation Index is very close to a strong bounce zone (below -800), although a cross of the 3- and 5-day EMA would be a better confirmation marker for a swing low.


Monday is positioned for a bounce, but it will take more than one day of gain to confirm a low. Aggressive longs may best wait for the first hour of action to see if a low is on the cards, or if the selling still has legs.


---

Accepting KIVA gift certificates to help support the work on this blog. All certificates gifted are converted into loans for those who need the help more.

All Contributions Welcome - Thank You!
Follow Me on Twitter





Dr. Declan Fallon is the Senior Market Technician and Community Director for Zignals.com, and Product Development Manager for ActivateClients.com. You can read what others are saying about Zignals on Investimonials.com.

JOIN ZIGNALS TODAY - IT'S FREE!

Popular posts from this blog

Friday's gap downs bring indices close to support. Semiconductor Index at 200-day MA.

Image
Friday's big gaps lower have the potential to become breakdown gaps, but for now, the near term oversell has for a possible move into the gap price vacuum. The index most likely to achieve this in the coming days is the Russell 2000 ($IWM). The Russell 2000 ($IWM) finished with a neutral doji, just above its 50-day MA and in a thick band of support between $207.50 and $210 marked by the summer swing highs. Technicals have followed price action with new 'sell' triggers in On-Balance-Volume and ADX, but intermediate term stochastics haven't reached the mid-line that is typical support in bull markets. Aggressive bulls can look for a move to test the underside of the 20-day MA. The S&P was unable to hold its 50-day MA on Friday's open, and instead found itself toying with the May swing high. More significant support is likely to be found around 5,265, so if there is an undercut of Friday's low then this will be the next port of call. More concer...
Read more

Upcoming "Death Cross" for Russell 2000 ($IWM)

Image
There was some modest buying today from the open, but volume was light and markets are below trading range support established during the latter part of 2024. It's hard to see where the buyers are going to come from given the chaos of Trump. I should add, I listened to Josh Brown's The Compound podcast and he showed an interesting chart of market returns in April-May in the year following a strong return in markets; in essence, selling to pay capital gains tax. Given the precarious nature of markets, and the possibility for this seasonal factor to play out, it's likely we have a couple more months of downward action before value buyers return. If we look at individual markets, the Russell 2000 ($IWM) is looking like the first to signal a long term shift in favor of bears with an upcoming "Death Cross" between the 50-day MA and 200-day MA - perhaps completing before the end of the week. Technicals are net bearish and the volume trend has collapsed since the st...
Read more

"Dead Cat" Bounce or Something Better?

Image
It's still a little too early to say, but the bounce is in play and "long" is the place to be. There is a huge amount of overhead resistance and the risk:reward remains tight with moves back to Thursday's lows well within expectations. For the S&P, I would be looking for a rally back to test the 200-day MA, or a fast-falling 20-day MA, whichever is the lowest. Real supply won't kick in until 5,700 is tested, and maybe it will have the juice to get to 5,775 before volume selling makes its presence felt. As the index makes this move I expect to see a decent On-Balance-Volume 'buy' signal, alongside what will be a weak MACD 'buy'; other technicals are likely to remain bearish.
Read more

Archive

Show more