S&P 500: Do Bears Have Something To Crow About?
Jani Ziedins | May 21, 2015 01:30AM ET
The S&P 500 ended modestly lower on a day that saw it trade primarily between 2,125 and 2,130. There was an early dip to 2,122 that quickly bounced and a brief jump to 2,135 following the release of the Fed minutes. But neither divergence stuck and we finished inside the day’s range.
The market moved higher following the Fed minutes that pointed to a delayed rate hike, but we quickly returned to yesterday morning’s levels once everyone realized we already knew that. For all the build up, the minutes were forgotten barely two hours later.
But this retreat from the highs is giving bears something to crow about. It is surprising how vocal they are on a day that saw us set fresh highs. They complain about bullish optimism, but getting excited over a 0.4% dip is definitely stretching for something to gloat over.
This was the market’s fifth consecutive close above the widely followed 2,120 resistance level that stretches back to February. What was resistance becomes support and that appears to be the case here. Previous attempts at breaking 2,120 saw us retreat days later, so holding these levels for a week is encouraging. It’s not as great as seeing the market surge to new highs, but it shows we are not being overrun by a wave of profit-taking since the current crop of owners appear far more content holding on for higher prices. Their conviction keeps supply tight and makes it easier for us to keep going higher.
While this breakout feels different, we need to see it continue making progress. If we close materially under 2,120, that shows the lack of demand is even more powerful than owner’s confidence. Since confidence is so fragile in the face of falling prices, we need to be wary if we cannot hold support. The other risk is if we cannot escape 2,120 and continue trading sideways. The longer we over above support, the more likely it is we will slip under and trigger a wave technical and stop-loss selling.
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