S&P 500 index: Voting with its feet?
U.S. equity index futures slightly green; Nasdaq 100 up ~0.3%
Sep Intl trade balance -$84.4B vs -$84.1B est
Euro STOXX 600 index off ~0.1%
Dollar dips; gold, crude rally; bitcoin up ~2.5%
U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield edges up to ~4.33%
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S&P 500 INDEX: VOTING WITH ITS FEET?
The S&P 500 index .SPX saw another spooky turn in mid-October right on a Fibonacci-based weekly time projection from its October 2022 bear-market low.
With its 5,712.69 close on Tuesday, the benchmark index ended down 2.59% from its 5,864.67 October 18 record finish, and down 2.82% from its 5,878.46 October 17 record intraday high.
And of note, over the past three sessions, the S&P 500 has been testing support at its 50-day moving average (DMA):
The 50-DMA ended Monday at 5,703.30. The SPX last closed below it on September 10.
In the event this closely watched intermediate-term moving average were to give way, the next support can be found in a congestion band in the 5,674.00-5,651.62 area.
The 100-DMA ended Monday at 5,595.49. But the 20-week moving average, a proxy for the 100-DMA, has proven to be more significant. It ended Monday just over 5,614. Since reclaiming the 20-WMA on a weekly closing basis in early November 2023, the SPX has not registered a weekly close back below it.
The early-September trough was at 5,402.62 and the rising 200-DMA ended Monday just over 5,360.
Traders are watching the 14-day relative strength index (RSI), which now stands around 43, as it falls toward the 30.00 oversold level. It hit 41.7 on October 31. It bottomed at 40.9 in early September, at 30.6 in early August, at 31.3 in mid-April, and at 29 in late-October 2023.
On the upside, the October 31 gap requires an SPX rally to 5,811.28 for a fill.
A thrust to new highs would keep the S&P 500 focused on the 6k psychological level, as well as a long-term resistance line from its 1929 high, which, on a monthly basis, resides around 6,075 in November.
Meanwhile, heading into Election Day, the SPX is down about 0.3% WTD. It's up around 0.1% MTD. For the quarter, it's down about 0.9%.
However, for the year, the benchmark index is still up about 20%. In fact, through the end of October, the S&P 500 posted its best first 10 months of an election year since 1936.
(Terence Gabriel)
*****
FOR TUESDAY'S EARLIER LIVE MARKETS POSTS:
U.S. ELECTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE FED'S STEPS - CLICK HERE
IS BULLISH POSITIONING A RISK, GOING INTO US VOTE? - CLICK HERE
WHY EURO AREA INFLATION COULD STAY BELOW 2% FOR LONG - CLICK HERE
STOCKS HOLD THEIR BREATH AS AMERICA VOTES - CLICK HERE
EUROPEAN FUTURES STEADY AS ELECTION DAY ARRIVES - CLICK HERE
MARKETS BUCKLE UP FOR ELECTION DAY - CLICK HERE
SPX11052024 https://tmsnrt.rs/3Cfrnlt
(Terence Gabriel is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)
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