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

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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...
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Russell 2000 and Bitcoin Break Support

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The Russell 2000 ($IWM) delivered on its 'bull trap' as the reversal came all the way back to support before undercutting $288. Selling volume was high but not excessive as the index now looks on course to test its 200-day MA. Stochastics are oversold, and in a bear move these can stay like this for an extended period - so don't be banking on a bounce. What would be bullish is if we get a 'bear trap'; i.e. a close above $287. In the intermediate term (to the end of year) we are due a tradable bounce and a 'bull trap' would set up for one quite nicely.
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S&P And Nasdaq Hang On As Russell 2000 Comes Under Pressure

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Interesting times for markets this week. I'll start with the Russell 2000 ($IWM) as it finished the week with a bearish black candlestick just above trading range support. Candlestick like Friday's don't typically have a good ending, but if we some form of spike low down to $285 then I would look for a trade-worth low. Note how intermediate-term [39,1] stochastics are now oversold - another reason to pay attention to any reversal candlesticks that appear over the coming days.
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...And Then Sellers Pushed Hard

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I don't know if the equal-weighted S&P is a harbringer of things to come for other indices, but a second day of heavy selling has undercut the 50-day MA, and breakout support. Technicals shifted net bearish with a worrying undercut of mid-level stochastics. The next support level is down at 8,600s, but I want to see oversold stochastics on such a test. However, the ease at which existing support was lost is a concern.
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Bulls Have Something To Work With - Nasdaq, Dow and S&P Looking Good

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Friday's losses were modest, and traded volume below that of prior day's buying. This has established a baseline risk (a loss of last week's swing low) for any future upside reward. We won't want to see an extension of Friday's selling as this would put immediate pressure on those lows, particularly if buyers can't stage a comeback in early afternoon trading should losses kick off early. The Nasdaq is nicely positioned. It's range bound, so can flux either way, but traders do seem prepared to defend its 50-day MA, and given its below its 52-week high it will not have attracted the attention of momentum traders/algos yet. Wednesday's and Thursday's trading ranked as accumulation. The +DI edged above -DI (bull trend), but with the ADX below 20 it's only a weak trend - typical of a trading range.
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Indices Seeking Support With Trading Ranges In Play

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The equal-weighted S&P found buyers close to its 50-day MA, creating a higher high as momentum moves towards midline support of a bull cycle. Watch for a move down to test 8,725 - if this was to come on bullish spike (hammer or doji) it could be considered a good buying opportunity. The Russell 2000 ($IWM) is attempting a double bottom sub-$290. I would like to see Stochastics [39,1] below 20 to confirm. However, the 'bull trap' from August is the dominant influence, and such patterns typically result in a minimum test of prior support ($287), and often, something worse. As with the equal-weighted S&P, I would like to see a spike low to $285. The S&P is bouncing around just above breakout support of 7,600. This might be the best 'buy-now' play with the 50-day MA just below to lend additional support. Technicals are mixed, edging bearish, with momentum only drifting out of an overbought state. As trend trader you want to see this overbought, s...
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Selling Pressure Continues - Russell 2000 ($IWM) Net Bearish

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Indices continued to drift with the Russell 2000 ($IWM) experiencing the largest loss. Technicals for the Russell 2000 are net bearish with the index on course to test $287. Both 20-day and 50-day MAs are now cleanly undercut. Trading volume increased to register a second day of distribution in a row. Momentum has been in a bull cycle since April. It waivered in July before it recovered, but it's already in the same position now as it was then, with no price support nearby; further losses are likely.
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Small Caps Blink As Sellers Cash-In Their Chips

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Friday's selling looked worse than it did given the sequence of narrow trade days, but it did rank as selling, and in the case of the Russell 2000 (IWM), registered as distribution. Technicals for the Russell 2000 ($IWM) included a 'sell' trigger in the MACD and an acceleration in bearish ADX (+DI/-DI) metrics. Because of the earlier 'bear trap' it's now considered range bound, and now on course for a test of $287. The equal-weighted S&P eased back to its 20-day MA while remaining in a bullish trend. It will probably morph into a trading range, but it will take a high degree of selling to get there. Technicals are mostly bullish with only a 'weak' MACD sell to navigate. The weighted S&P maintained its breakout on a weak candlestick. It could tolerate a few more days of selling, but dropping below 7,600 would leave it open to a larger retracement back to 7,235. There is a weak MACD trigger 'sell' to navigate, but there are su...
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Last Chance To Grab a Bargain?

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What carried for the end of the last week still has relevance today. If you haven't been a buyer, you still have a chance now. There are a number of support opportunities across indices. The Russell 2000 ($IWM) is holding support of its converged 20-day and 50-day MAs. The 'bull trap' is still the dominant (bearish) play, so if there is an undercut of these moving averages, and by that, I mean an end-of-day close below these averages, then a move back to $287 is favored.
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Bitcoin Surge Kicks Off Right-Hand Base

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The long term 'buy' signal in Bitcoin has paid dividends (for now), and given those who wanted a short term trade a solid boost. It will ease back over the coming days, but long term buyers can safely hold as it's unlikely to come back to 65K anytime soon. As I mentioned before, this is a successful test of the 200-week MA. Only upside remains.
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Bitcoin Surge - Long Term Buyers Celebrate

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Bitcoin has traded around its 200-week MA for the best part of the summer, and I have been saying it was a long-term buy at this level. The past few days have seen this cryptocurrency surge, setting in motion the start of the development of the right-hand-base. This base started from the decline in the summer of 2025, and will likely require another year or two before it makes its way back to $125; realistically, it could spend another year trading between $65K and $83K.
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Media Talks Of "Slides" But Breakouts Not Done Yet

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One (semi-)bad day in markets does not make for a bear market. Today didn't deliver for markets the baby-step gains of recent days, but instead offered a large step down. The Russell 2000 ($IWM) edged a breakout last week, but today's loss took it back to breakout support. Another down day tomorrow will mean a 'bull trap' and a likely move down to (and below) $287, and would probably be a short play. Longer term, the 200-day MA would come into play.
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S&P Trades Tight Handle With Excellent Risk:Reward For Longs

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Bullish setups continue to present themselves for traders. Best of these look to be in the S&P, but there are good setups all around. The S&P is trading a narrow handle just above its initial breakout. Technicals are net bullish and showing no sign of negative divergence. Volume has been declining across this narrow pattern, as expected, but should pick up on the breakout. If there is a caveat, watch for the fakeout; this will show as a spike low - possibly as soon as tomorrow - with a close back in the range. The index should break higher the day after this happens. A fakeout spike would be an nice buy. Any fakeout shouldn't need to undercut 7,600.
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Bulls Take Friday's Finish As Breakouts Offer Excellent Risk:Reward Plays

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It was a good close to the end of week. Bulls have set things up nicely for next week, to the point that even buying at the open might be worth a shot (assuming no major gap higher). The Russell 2000 ($IWM) offers good risk:reward using a stop on Thursday's lows.
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Equal Weighted Nasdaq 100 Falls Back Inside Base

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It came, it saw, it conquered, then retreated. The equal weighted Nasdaq 100 edged a breakout earlier in the week, but has returned inside its base following the selling of the past few days. I have redrawn resistance as a result. The index has switched to a 'sell' in On-Balance-Volume, but other indicators are still bullish.
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Breakouts in Equal Weighted Nasdaq 100 and S&P

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There was good news across indices, but the big winners were the equal weighted Nasdaq 100 and S&P. The S&P posted a solid gain on modest volume. Technicals are net bullish, negating the 'bear flag' in the process. Interestingly, just as the S&P breaks from its summer consolidation, it starts to underperform relative to the Nasdaq. The equal weighted Nasdaq 100 has managed to return to a net bulllish technical picture with a relative performance gain over the equal-weighted S&P. The index has met the measured move target of the May breakout, but there is a good chance it will do so here. The equal-weighted S&P had sucessfully defended breakout support, posting a secons gain to bring it to new all-ttime closing highs. Technicals have retained a net bullish picture. There is no overhead supply bar psychological resistance at 10K. The Russell 2000 ($IWM) hasn't yet posted a new breakout, but it came very close to doing one today. As with...
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Potential 'Bear Trap' in Nasdaq as Equal Weighted S&P Tests Breakout Support

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Last week's winner was the equal-weighted S&P as it marked a clear breakout, but the index came back to breakout support (and stayed there) by Friday's close. The better news is the last two days have seen two doji/hammers with rebound support off the 20-day MA. Technicals have dropped out of a net bullish state with a MACD trigger 'sell'. It's a buying opportunity with a stop on a loss of Friday's low.
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Bitcoin Successfully Tests 50-day MA on Bullish Hammer

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Bitcoin is holding to a bullish setup with a nice looking bullish hammer/doji on the 50-day MA. When we look at reversal candlesticks we want to see these occur when momentum is oversold; and in the case of a bullish trend, this oversold state occurs at the midline (50), not sub 20. Bitcoin had suffered heavy selling to bring it to July lows, and while action since then has been a little scrappy, I still like bullish trades, particularly long term (6 months+).
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Scrappy Support Holds For Indices As Bitcoin Trades Near 50-day MA

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Summer trading dominates as indices trade near support levels while Bitcoin comes back off June highs. The equal weighted S&P recovered 8,600, returning its outperformance to the weighted S&P, a better scenario for the long term health of the S&P (weighted or unweighted). The recovery was enough for it to poke its head above its 20-day MA. The MACD continues to decline from its weak MACD trigger 'sell' but a couple more up days may be enough to see a new, strong 'buy' signal. Aggressive buyers could look to get in here to pre-empt this signal; a stop goes on a loss of 8,560.
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Market Drift Continues as Equal Weighted S&P Breaks Bull Trend

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The only index to mark any change was the break down in the equal-weighted S&P as it dropped out of its bullish trend into a trading range. If this is a trading range, then it finished at the first of a possible support level. If this breaks from here, then next support is the 50-day MA. Technicals are mixed with a weak 'sell' trigger on a trendless ADX, and momentum that has fallen out of an overbought state. Next target is the 50-day MA.
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Markets Drifting Lower

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Sellers took Friday's laurels with sizable enough gap downs for the S&P and Nasdaq. I consider both of these markets to be range bound, so the gaps are not as bearish as they might otherwise be had they occurred from a break of trend. The Nasdaq is under the most pressure as Friday's gap down has taken the index closest to support defined by the June swing lows. Even if this support is lost, there will be another level to aim for down at the 200-day MA currently at 23,877. Technicals are net bearish, with momentum not oversold. This means further selling can be exspected, but we don't have any crash conditions despite the bearishness of other indicators. One to watch.
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