Technical Analysis – US 500 pares post-NFP gains
- US 500 index is edging lower, erasing part of Friday’s rally
- It remains a tad below its all-time high, inside a pattern
- Momentum indicators could turn bearish soon
The US 500 cash index is edging lower today but remains very close to its recent all-time high. Friday’s strong US jobs report caused a significant repricing of Fed rate cut expectations and resulted in an unexpectedly positive reaction in US equities. However, this move is proving short-lived as today’s price action is erasing a good part of Friday’s rally. With the market’s attention gradually shifting to Thursday’s US CPI report, the US 500 index continues to trade inside a rising wedge, potentially opening the door to a bearish reaction.
In the meantime, the momentum indicators remain hesitantly bullish. The Average Directional Movement Index (ADX) is trading sideways, potentially signalling the end of the recent bullish move. Similarly, the RSI is hovering a tad above its midpoint area, and it appears unable to record a higher high at this stage. Interestingly, the stochastic oscillator is still trading inside its overbought territory (OB), but it could be preparing for a downward breakout. Should this move take place, it would be seen as a strong bearish signal.
Should the bulls remain confident, they can try to overcome the October 27, 2023 upward sloping trendline and then record a new all-time high. The next plausible target is the 5,800 level, with the upper boundary of the developing pattern standing in the bulls' way next.
On the other hand, the bears are trying to retake market control and push the US 500 index lower towards the busier 5,638-5,673 area, which is populated by the July 16, 2024 high and the 161.8% Fibonacci extension of the January 4, 2022 – October 12, 2022 downtrend. A break below the rising wedge pattern could help the bears tackle the expectedly strong support to be met at the 5,505-5,560 region.
To conclude, the US 500 index’s failure to record a high higher coupled with the mixed momentum indicators and the developing pattern, could open the door to a bearish move soon.
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
