A Bear Market Ends – The Market Breadth

The bear market ends for the S&P 500 (SPY) as it gapped higher and cleared major resistance from an area of agitation, closing just below key Election Day resistance.

Stock Market Commentary And so a bear market ends, for the S&P 500 at least. The stock market enjoyed a strong follow-through day supported by previous oversold conditions. To represent the most recent technical developments, I created a well-defined area for the bear market called the “area of agitation”. The S&P 500’s breakout above this … Read more

Tariff Flexibility Countdown Underway – The Market Breadth

tariff flexibility (Credit: J. Mark Bertrand, https://www.flickr.com/photos/24906199@N00/2947844344)

Stock Market Commentary The market delivered a contradictory signal to end the week. For example, while swingtradebot flashed very bullish technical indicators, market breadth declined the last two days of the week. This divergence is symbolic of the swirling tensions in the air. After, the three-week sell-off into a bear market took advantage of rising … Read more

Powell Breathed More Life Into Market Breadth

Powell Breathes More Life Into Market Breadth (Source - Federal Reserve, March 19, 2025)

Stock Market Commentary The case for a sustainable low—but not necessarily a bottom—continues to develop. Today’s catalyst came from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who breathed more life into market breadth. Market breadth continued its steady expansion. Over the past three of four trading days, there has been clear expansion in breadth, now reaching a … Read more

Cool Follow-Through for the Bear Market Relief – The Market Breadth

cool follow-through for bear market relief

Stock Market Commentary The stock market saw a cool and strong follow-through day, reinforcing the potential for a sustainable low (NOT a bottom). Based on changes in market breadth, I discussed the potential for a sustainable low in “FINALLY, Some Convincing Bear Market Relief – The Market Breadth“. A flip in the short-term trends for … Read more

In A Bear Market There Is NO SUPPORT! – The Market Breadth

In A Bear Market There Is No Support

Stock Market Commentary There is no support in a bear market. The market is extremely volatile, and conditions are changing daily. The market is showing clear signs of weakness, with all major trends pointing downward. The mixed messages from yesterday (Thursday) are converging more clearly on the messages of a bear market. The long-term, mid-term, … Read more

A Fragile Rebound Creates Mixed Messages – The Market Breadth

A Fragile Rebound Creates Mixed Messages - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary The stock market presented mixed messages amidst ongoing volatility. While a “softer than expected” CPI report presumably triggered an initial fragile rebound, I see persistent underlying weakness. Apple Inc. (AAPL) represents this fragility with a continued bearish breakdown casting a shadow over the broader market. Apple Inc. (AAPL) declined 1.8% and confirmed … Read more

Bring the Pain – The Market Breadth

Bear Mountain - Bring the Pain

Stock Market Commentary The current administration’s policy of long-term growth through short-term pain in the form of austerity came into clear focus last week. I earlier introduced this concept in “Growth Scare or Overreaction – An Oversold Market or Something Worse?“. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the strategy in detailed economic … Read more

A Red Flag Pullback from the Edge of A Fresh Breakout – The Market Breadth

A Red Flag Pullback from the Edge of A Fresh Breakout – The Market Breadth (Credit: Alexey Ivanov, https://www.flickr.com/photos/39824826@N08/9705943143)

Stock Market Commentary The stock market looked ready to follow through on leaving its troubles behind. The S&P 500 even made a new all-time high. Everything seemed to fall apart on Friday. The final release of consumer expectations as measured by the University Michigan confirmed earlier preliminary numbers: inflation expectations soared and consumer sentiment tanked. … Read more

A Familiar Theme As Indices Leave Latest Troubles Behind – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Two weeks ago I wrote how a “A DeepSeek Dive and A Tariff Toll” created the next shift in the market’s technical outlook. I stepped back from a bullish position on the market as a result. Now, a familiar theme has unfolded with the stock market looking ready to leave its latest … Read more

A DeepSeek Dive and A Tariff Toll – The Market Breadth

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) failed to recover from its DeepSeek dive, barely clinging to 200DMA support.

Stock Market Commentary A DeepSeek dive stole the headlines from the Federal Reserve. At the same time, tariff headlines refused to go away. Assuming you have already gotten your fill of DeepSeek headlines, I will just summarize the drama by saying a Chinese start-up has apparently completely up-ended the economics of the AI universe. DeepSeek’s … Read more