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A small pullback remains above the short term invalidation point.

The AD line gives a signal today.

Summary: Overall, expect upwards movement to continue. On Balance Volume remains very bullish, and there is bullish divergence today between price and the AD line.

The next short term target is about 2,878; a consolidation lasting about one to two weeks may be expected at about this target. Following that, another consolidation lasting about two weeks may be expected about 2,915.

The invalidation point may now be moved up to the last swing low at 2,691.99.

The mid to longer term target is at 2,922 (Elliott wave) or 3,045 (classic analysis). Another multi week to multi month correction is expected at one of these targets.

The final target for this bull market to end remains at 3,616.

Pullbacks are an opportunity to join the trend.

Always practice good risk management. Always trade with stops and invest only 1-5% of equity on any one trade.

New updates to this analysis are in bold.

The biggest picture, Grand Super Cycle analysis, is here.

Last historic analysis with monthly charts is here, video is here.

ELLIOTT WAVE COUNT

WEEKLY CHART

S&P 500 Weekly 2018
Click chart to enlarge.

Cycle wave V must complete as a five structure, which should look clear at the weekly chart level and also now at the monthly chart level. It may only be an impulse or ending diagonal. At this stage, it is clear it is an impulse.

Within cycle wave V, the third waves at all degrees may only subdivide as impulses.

Intermediate wave (4) has breached an Elliott channel drawn using Elliott’s first technique. The channel is redrawn using Elliott’s second technique: the first trend line from the ends of intermediate waves (2) to (4), then a parallel copy on the end of intermediate wave (3). Intermediate wave (5) may end either midway within the channel, or about the upper edge.

Intermediate wave (4) may now be a complete regular contracting triangle lasting fourteen weeks, one longer than a Fibonacci thirteen. There is perfect alternation and excellent proportion between intermediate waves (2) and (4).

Within intermediate wave (5), no second wave correction may move beyond the start of its first wave below 2,594.62.

At this stage, the expectation is for the final target to me met in October 2019.

A multi week to multi month consolidation for primary wave 4 is expected on the way up to the final target.

The last bullish fifth wave of minor wave 5 to end intermediate wave (3) exhibited commodity like behaviour. It was strong and sustained. It is possible that the upcoming wave of minor wave 5 to end intermediate wave (5) to end primary wave 3 may exhibit similar behaviour, so we should be on the lookout for this possibility.

DAILY CHART

S&P 500 Daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge.

It is possible that intermediate wave (4) is a complete regular contracting triangle, the most common type of triangle. Minor wave E may have found support just below the 200 day moving average and ending reasonably short of the A-C trend line. This is the most common look for E waves of triangles.

Intermediate wave (3) exhibits no Fibonacci ratio to intermediate wave (1). It is more likely then that intermediate wave (5) may exhibit a Fibonacci ratio to either of intermediate waves (1) or (3). The most common Fibonacci ratio would be equality in length with intermediate wave (1), but in this instance that would expect a truncation. The next common Fibonacci ratio is used to calculate a target for intermediate wave (5) to end.

Price has clearly broken out above the upper triangle B-D trend line. This indicates that it should now be over if the triangle is correctly labelled.

A trend line in lilac is added to this chart. It is the same line as the upper edge of the symmetrical triangle on the daily technical analysis chart. Price found support about this line.

A target is now calculated for minute wave iii to end, which expects to see the most common Fibonacci ratio to minute wave i. Minute wave iii may last a few weeks. When it is complete, then minute wave iv may last about one to two weeks in order for it to exhibit reasonable proportion to minute wave ii. Minute wave iv must remain above minute wave i price territory.

Minute wave iii may have passed its middle strongest portion a few days ago. Although the structure could possibly be seen as complete at yesterday’s high, it has still not moved far enough above the end of minute wave i yet to allow room for minute wave iv to unfold and remain above minute wave i price territory. For that to happen it looks like minuette wave (v) may be a relatively long extension, so that minute wave iii moves higher.

A target is calculated for minor wave 3 to end, which expects to see the most common Fibonacci ratio to minor wave 1. Minor wave 3 may last several weeks in total and should look like an impulse at the daily chart level. When it is complete, then minor wave 4 may last about one to two weeks in order for it to exhibit reasonable proportion to minor wave 2. Minor wave 4 must remain above minor wave 1 price territory.

HOURLY CHART

S&P 500 Hourly 2018
Click chart to enlarge.

The target for minute wave iii to end is now widened to a rather large 6 point zone, now calculated at two degrees. Favour the lower edge of the target zone as it is calculated at a lower degree.

The target for minute wave iii to end would see it move far enough above the end of minute wave i to allow room for minute wave iv to unfold and remain above minute wave i price territory.

Minuette wave (v) may end about the upper edge of the green Elliott channel. If it behaves like a commodity, then it is possible it could overshoot the upper edge of the channel.

Within minuette wave (v), subminuette wave ii may not move beyond the start subminuette wave i below 2,789.24.

Downwards movement today may have been an expanded flat correction for subminuette wave ii. Within this expanded flat, micro wave B is a 1.31 length of micro wave A, which is within the common range of up to 1.38. If subminuette wave ii continues further, it may complete as a double combination.

This wave count so far still fits with MACD: the strongest middle portion has the strongest momentum.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

WEEKLY CHART

S&P 500 weekly 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

Because the week before last moved price higher but had lighter volume due to the 4th of July holiday, this may affect On Balance Volume. The short term bearish divergence between price and On Balance Volume noted on the chart may not be very significant for this reason.

What may be more significant is another strong upwards week and a gap that may be a breakaway gap. This gap may offer support; breakaway gaps remain open.

DAILY CHART

S&P 500 daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

The symmetrical triangle may now be complete. The base distance is 340.18. Added to the breakout point of 2,704.54 this gives a target at 3,044.72. This is above the Elliott wave target at 2,922, so the Elliott wave target may be inadequate.

Since the low on the 2nd of April, 2018, price has made a series of higher highs and higher lows. This is the definition of an upwards trend. But trends do not move in perfectly straight lines; there are pullbacks and bounces along the way. A higher high at the end of last week adds some confidence to this trend.

The measuring gap gives a short term target at 2,838. The gap has offered support. It remains open, and the target remains valid.

There is room still for price to continue higher: On Balance Volume remains extremely bullish, and RSI is not yet oversold. When On Balance Volume makes new all time highs before price, expect it is very likely that price shall follow through.

A slight increase in volume for a downwards day is only slightly bearish. This market has been rising on light and declining volume for years now at all time frames; a lack of support from volume for upwards movement in current market conditions does not mean that price cannot drift higher. The very small real body of today’s downwards day is not very convincing as a trend change. Price found support today about 2,800.

Stochastics may remain overbought for long periods of time when this market has a strong bullish trend. Only when it reaches overbought and then exhibits clear divergence with price, then it may be useful as an indicator of a possible high in place. That is not the case yet.

VOLATILITY – INVERTED VIX CHART

WEEKLY CHART

VIX daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com. So that colour blind members are included, bearish signals
will be noted with blue and bullish signals with yellow.

To keep an eye on the all time high for inverted VIX a weekly chart is required at this time.

Notice how inverted VIX has very strong bearish signals four weeks in a row just before the start of the last large fall in price. At the weekly chart level, this indicator may be useful again in timing the end of primary wave 3.

There is now short term bearish divergence between price and inverted VIX. This divergence is seen on both weekly and daily time frames. It is not very strong.

DAILY CHART

VIX daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com. So that colour blind members are included, bearish signals
will be noted with blue and bullish signals with yellow.

Normally, volatility should decline as price moves higher and increase as price moves lower. This means that normally inverted VIX should move in the same direction as price.

A downwards day may now resolve the last bearish divergence noted in yesterday’s analysis. Inverted VIX today has made a slight new low below the prior small swing low of two to three sessions higher, but price has not. This divergence is bearish, but it is weak.

BREADTH – AD LINE

WEEKLY CHART

AD Line daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

When primary wave 3 comes to an end, it may be valuable to watch the AD line at the weekly time frame as well as the daily.

At this stage, there is very strong bullish divergence between price and the AD line at the weekly time frame. With the AD line making new all time highs, expect price to follow through with new all time highs in coming weeks.

DAILY CHART

AD Line daily 2018
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

There is normally 4-6 months divergence between price and market breadth prior to a full fledged bear market. This has been so for all major bear markets within the last 90 odd years. With no longer term divergence yet at this point, any decline in price should be expected to be a pullback within an ongoing bull market and not necessarily the start of a bear market. New all time highs from the AD line means that any bear market may now be an absolute minimum of 4 months away. It may of course be a lot longer than that. My next expectation for the end of this bull market may now be October 2019.

Breadth should be read as a leading indicator.

Overall, recent new all time highs from the AD line remain extremely bullish for the longer term trend.

Price may reasonably be expected to follow through in coming weeks.

A downwards day today may resolve the last bearish divergence noted in yesterday’s analysis. Price moved lower today, but the AD line moved clearly higher. The fall in price today does not have support from declining market breadth. This divergence is bullish and reasonably strong for the short term.

DOW THEORY

The following lows need to be exceeded for Dow Theory to confirm the end of the bull market and a change to a bear market:

DJIA: 23,360.29.

DJT: 9,806.79.

S&P500: 2,532.69.

Nasdaq: 6,630.67.

Only Nasdaq at this stage is making new all time highs. DJIA and DJT need to make new all time highs for the ongoing bull market to be confirmed.

Charts showing each prior major swing low used for Dow Theory may be seen at the end of this analysis here.

Published @ 06:33 p.m. EST.