Strong Stock Market Indices Still Fail To Move The Needle

 | Nov 06, 2017 06:20AM ET

AT40 = 52.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)
AT200 = 55.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs
VIX = 9.1 (a new all-time low!)
Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish

Commentary
A week ago, I complained that AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their 40-day moving averages (DMAs), barely budged relative to the big move in the S&P 500 (via SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY)). I was looking for the week to bring a broadening of the rally and an assuring confirmation of the bullishness in the indices. Not only did the market fail to deliver, but the rally actually narrowed further. The S&P 500 ended the week at another all-time high on the heels of a strong response to Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) earnings. The index gained 0.3% on the day. The volatility index (VIX) plunged again, this time to another all-time low, and lost 8.0%. Yet, AT40 dropped to a new 6-week low at 52.9%. AT40 lost a little over 6 percentage points for the week.