by Pebblewriter, Pebblewriter.com
I’ve been quite bearish since going short on April 11 at 1597 [Big Picture: 11:30 update.] Yesterday, though, SPX reached our initial downside target of 1540 and, as expected, paused.
As we’ve discussed, this was an important points for bulls to take a stand. It was also the ideal spot from which to launch the right shoulder of a Head & Shoulders Pattern as I posted on the 16th.
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So, we closed our short position late yesterday [Dollar Daze: 3:45 update in members section] and played “catch the falling knife” with a long position at 1541. This morning, we’re being rewarded with a nice bounce that should have legs.
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Whether it will form the right shoulder we’ve been expecting, or resume its QE-fueled race to the moon is open to debate. But, for now, the trend is higher.
Note that SPX formed a nice little falling wedge (in yellow above) that, if it plays out, supports the idea of a return to the idealized right shoulder height represented by the dashed yellow TL.
The falling white channel I’ve slapped on the chart, as regular readers know, probably won’t last. It’s rare for the initial slope of a decline to be maintained through the series of rallies and sell-offs that comprise a major move. But, it’s a good initial fit, so it will do for now.
UPDATE: 10:30 AM
The ideal right shoulder in a H&S Pattern is the same height as the left. But, it needn’t be in order for the pattern to play out. The high so far for the day is 1549.63, which represents a 14 point bounce off the neckline — compared to the left shoulder’s 33 points.
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UPDATE: 12:15 PM
SPX has reached the important Fib levels of 1553 and 1555 (the Crab Patterns from 1370-1074 and 1474-1343.) This would be a natural place for prices to reverse, so I’ll close my long position here at 1554 and go short.
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This constitutes a 20-pt rise off the neckline, so it’s technically enough of a right shoulder for the pattern to play out. And, the bears could really use a H&S Pattern completion to keep the downward momentum going.
A good reversal here – or, at least by 1574 – and we can write off the 1576-1597 rally as a prank, a juvenile burst of irrational exuberance.
Bulls, on the other hand, would greatly benefit from a push through the Fib lines that they completely dissed the first time around. And, they should have mattered. Take a look at yesterday’s Dollar Daze for a discussion of how the dollar confirmed the sell signal that a few good overnight ramp jobs were able to beat.
There are other logical turning points as well. This could quite likely be a short term trade to score a quick 10 points or so — unless 1535 is taken out and the H&S completes.
Choices, choices. We’ll take a look at different scenarios below.
