Portfolio Cafe | Nov 05, 2012 05:12AM ET
One of the most widely discussed stocks right now is Apple (AAPL) given its recent correction after hitting a high of $705 on 9/21. What has caused many investors to take notice is the fact that the stock has also declined beneath its 200-dma, perhaps the most popular of all technical indicators.
While the recent decline in AAPL may have surprised some investors, it should not have. One of the very first things I learned in my studies of technical analysis was to look for divergences…negative divergences at tops and positive divergences at bottoms. AAPL has just provided us with a textbook example of a negative divergence.
The final nail shows up on the daily chart:
Once that level gave away, prices have quickly now come down to test (and penetrate) the all-important 200-dma. And while I dont have it pictured, I will point out that on a Point-and-Figure chart AAPL has also issued a successive series of sell signals at $655, $625, and again at $610. Will prices continue lower? I think so.
On the weekly chart I have placed levels which I think will attract some buying interest. I don’t necessarily think the market will make a beeline for these levels but for right now all you need to know is that supply is greater than demand.
It’s hard to comment on AAPL without also taking a look at the broader markets. When a recent market leader is taken to the woodshed, what does that portend for the general market. Not surprising, the action in AAPL and the general market closely parallel each other. Below is a chart of the SPY (SPDR S&P 500).
The same pattern is uniform across the market. Here is the Russell 2000 (IWM):
The biotechs, one of this year’s leaders, are also showing signs of breaking down:
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