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Upwards movement for Friday was not what the Elliott wave count expected.

Summary: The bear wave count will still be preferred while price has not made a new all time high. The target for a strong third wave down is at 1,281. The upwards trend is weak in volume, momentum, volatility and breadth. If price makes a new all time high at any time by any amount, then the bear wave count would be invalidated fully and finally. A new all time high would see price in a third wave up towards a target at 2,263.

Last published monthly charts are here.

New updates to this analysis are in bold.

BEAR ELLIOTT WAVE COUNT

WEEKLY CHART

S&P 500 weekly bear 2016
Click chart to enlarge.

The box is added to the weekly chart. Price has been range bound for months. A breakout will eventually happen. The S&P often forms slow rounding tops, and this looks like what is happening here at a monthly / weekly time frame.

Primary wave 1 is seen as complete as a leading expanding diagonal. Primary wave 2 would be expected to be complete here.

Leading diagonals are not rare, but they are not very common either. Leading diagonals are more often contracting than expanding. This wave count does not rely on a rare structure, but leading expanding diagonals are not common structures either.

Leading diagonals require sub waves 2 and 4 to be zigzags. Sub waves 1, 3 and 5 are most commonly zigzags but sometimes may appear to be impulses. In this case all subdivisions fit perfectly as zigzags and look like threes on the weekly and daily charts. There are no truncations and no rare structures in this wave count.

The fourth wave must overlap first wave price territory within a diagonal. It may not move beyond the end of the second wave.

Leading diagonals in first wave positions are often followed by very deep second wave corrections. Primary wave 2 would be the most common structure for a second wave, a zigzag, and fits the description of very deep. It may not move beyond the start of primary wave 1 above 2,134.72.

At the end of this week, price has closed just above the lilac trend line but has fallen slightly short of a new all time high. This wave count will remain valid while price has not made a new all time high. Second waves can correct right up to the start of the first wave, but no part of a second wave may move beyond the start of the first wave.

DAILY CHART

S&P 500 daily bear 2016
Click chart to enlarge.

Labelling within primary wave 2 has been changed to see it as a double zigzag. This resolves the small problem of the last wave counts (which saw it as a single zigzag) having to disregard the small correction labelled minute wave iv within minor wave A within intermediate wave (W) upwards. Now this small correction is counted as part of the wave count.

Now the current upwards movement which took price higher on Friday is a zigzag for intermediate wave (Y). It looks like a three on the daily chart.

Intermediate wave (X) is seen as a regular flat correction and all subdivisions fit. There are no truncations or rare structures.

Primary wave 2 has no room in which to move. If the bear wave count is correct, then it must be over here.

At 1,281 primary wave 3 would reach 2.618 the length of primary wave 1. This is the appropriate ratio to use when a second wave correction is almost 100% the length of the first wave.

HOURLY CHART

S&P 500 hourly bear 2016
Click chart to enlarge.

There is no Fibonacci ratio between minor waves A and C.

There is divergence between the ends of minor waves A and C with MACD. Minor wave C has made a new high but on weaker momentum.

A new low below 2,074.02 would mean the upwards impulse of minor wave C should be over. A new low below its start could not be a second wave correction within minor wave C.

Draw a channel using Elliott’s technique about this upwards zigzag. Price does not fit perfectly into it, but mostly. A clear break with downwards movement below the lower edge of the channel would indicate a possible trend change.

It is entirely possible that price could move a little higher when markets open on Monday while price remains within the channel.

BULL ELLIOTT WAVE COUNT

WEEKLY CHART

S&P 500 weekly 2016
Click chart to enlarge.

Cycle wave IV is seen as a complete flat correction. Within cycle wave IV, primary wave C is still seen as a five wave impulse.

Intermediate wave (3) has a strong three wave look to it on the weekly and daily charts. For the S&P, a large wave like this one at intermediate degree should look like an impulse at higher time frames. The three wave look substantially reduces the probability of this wave count. Subdivisions have been checked on the hourly chart, which will fit.

Cycle wave II was a shallow 0.41 zigzag lasting three months. Cycle wave IV may be a complete shallow 0.19 regular flat correction, exhibiting some alternation with cycle wave II and lasting nine months. Cycle wave IV would be grossly disproportionate to cycle wave II, and would have to move substantially out of a trend channel on the monthly chart, for it to continue further sideways as a double flat, triangle or combination. For this reason, although it is possible, it looks less likely that cycle wave IV would continue further. It should be over at the low as labelled.

At 2,500 cycle wave V would reach equality in length with cycle wave I.

Price has now broken a little above the bear market trend line. This line is drawn from the all time high at 2,134.72 to the swing high labelled primary wave B at 2,116.48 on November 2015. This line is drawn using the approach outlined by Magee in the classic “Technical Analysis of Stock Trends”. To use it correctly we should assume that a bear market remains intact until this line is breached by a close of 3% or more of market value. Now that the line is breached, the price point at which it is breached is calculated about 2,093.58. 3% of market value above this line would be 2,156.38, which would be above the all time high and the confirmation point.

This wave count requires price confirmation with a new all time high above 2,134.72.

While price has not made a new high this very bullish wave count comes with a strong caveat. I still do not have confidence in it. It is produced as an alternate, because all possibilities must be considered. Price managed to keep making new highs for years on light and declining volume, so it is possible that this pattern may continue to new all time highs for cycle wave V.

The invalidation point will remain on the weekly chart at 1,370.58. Cycle wave IV may not move into cycle wave I price territory.

This invalidation point allows for the possibility that cycle wave IV may not be complete and may continue sideways for another one to two years as a double flat or double combination. Because both double flats and double combinations are both sideways movements, a new low substantially below the end of primary wave C at 1,810.10 should see this wave count discarded on the basis of a very low probability long before price makes a new low below 1,370.58.

DAILY CHART

S&P 500 daily 2016
Click chart to enlarge.

Primary wave 2 may be a complete flat correction over as labelled, or this may be again moved down one degree and primary wave 2 may be continuing further sideways and lower.

Primary wave 2 may not move beyond the start of primary wave 1 at 1,810.10.

If primary wave 2 is over as labelled, then primary wave 3 upwards may have begun. At 2,292 primary wave 3 would reach equality in length with primary wave 1. This is an appropriate ratio to use for the target as primary wave 2 is relatively shallow and it fits with the higher target for cycle wave V. At 2,500 cycle wave V would reach equality in length with cycle wave I.

Within primary wave 3, intermediate waves (1) and (2) may be complete. At 2,263 intermediate wave (3) would reach 1.618 the length of intermediate wave (1).

Although targets are now provided for this bullish alternate, this does not mean I have any confidence in it. It still requires a new all time high before it may be reasonably considered. Targets are provided so that if a new all time high is made we have a road map for what should happen next.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

WEEKLY CHART

S&P 500 weekly 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.


Upwards movement for the week comes on lighter volume than last week. However, although the difference looks stark it is not so great. Last week’s volume includes a substantial amount of downwards movement and an options expiry date.

On Balance Volume now shows double bearish divergence with price: OBV has made two corresponding lower highs while price has made two new swing highs on the weekly chart. This indicates weakness in upwards movement from price, with the last upwards swing weaker than the one before.

There is no divergence at the weekly chart level with price and RSI: RSI also made a very slight new high as price made a new high on Friday.

DAILY CHART

S&P 500 daily 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

Price has broken above the upper area of consolidation, but the breakout comes with relatively weak volume. This upwards breakout is weaker than the prior downwards breakout of 27th of June, and that break was proven to be false. This upwards break should be assumed to be also false until proven otherwise.

The rise in price is not supported by volume. Volume is clearly declining over the last eight days from the last swing low. This is concerning for any bullish wave count.

ADX is still declining indicating the market is not trending. The +DX and -DX lines are whipsawing about each other.

ATR at the end of this week is overall flat, mostly in agreement with ADX.

On Balance Volume continues to find resistance at the lower purple trend line. Each time this line is tested and holds the strength is reinforced. It now has some reasonable technical strength as it has been tested three times in the last few days. There is divergence now between OBV and price: OBV has not made a corresponding new high, but price has made a new high above the prior high on 8th of June. This indicates weakness in price.

There is the same divergence between the two points between price and RSI indicated by yellow lines. RSI has not managed to make new highs as price has made new highs, indicating weakness in price.

There is the same divergence between price and Stochastics.

There is now double negative divergence between price and MACD.

This upwards movement lacks strength, volume and momentum. It looks to be weak, so it is likely to be unsustainable. This does not indicate exactly when and where price will turn, but it does indicate that this upwards movement is highly likely to be deeply or fully retraced, and sooner rather than later.

VOLATILITY – INVERTED VIX MONTHLY CHART

VIX Monthly 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

Several instances of large divergence between price and VIX (inverted) are noted here. Blue is bearish divergence and yellow is bullish divergence (rather than red and green, for our colour blind members).

Volatility declines as inverted VIX rises, which is normal for a bull market. Volatility increases as inverted VIX declines, which is normal for a bear market. Each time there is strong multi month divergence between price and VIX, it was followed by a strong movement from price: bearish divergence was followed by a fall in price and bullish divergence was followed by a rise in price.

There is no longer current multi month divergence between price and VIX between highs of April 2016 to 8th of June, 2016. Price has made a slight new high and VIX also has made a slight new high. It could be that the multi month divergence was resolved by the strong downwards movement of 24th and 27th of June.

VOLATILITY – INVERTED VIX DAILY CHART

VIX daily 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

VIX from StockCharts is inverted. As price moves higher, inverted VIX should also move higher indicating a decline in volatility which is normal as price moves higher. As price moves lower, inverted VIX should also move lower indicating an increase in volatility which is normal with falling price.

Price made a new high this week, on Friday, above the prior swing high of 8th of June. However, VIX has made a lower high. The new high on Friday has not come with a decline in volatility beyond that seen back on 8th of June. This divergence is bearish and indicates price is weak.

BREADTH – ADVANCE DECLINE LINE

S&P 500 daily 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

With the AD line increasing, this indicates the number of advancing stocks exceeds the number of declining stocks. This indicates that there is breadth to prior upwards movement.

Taking a look at the bigger picture, the AD line is making substantial new highs but price so far has not. While market breadth is increasing beyond the point it was at in May 2015, this has not translated (yet) into a corresponding rise in price. Price is weak. This is hidden bearish divergence (long blue lines).

The shorter term bearish divergence noted in last analysis has disappeared as price made new highs on Friday. Divergence between price and the AD line is not always reliable.

BREADTH – McCLELLAN OSCILLATOR

S&P 500 daily 2016
Click chart to enlarge. Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

Price has made a new high above the prior high of 8th of June, but the McClellan Oscillator has failed to make a corresponding new high. This indicates weakness in breadth to this upwards movement. However, the divergence is slight.

DOW THEORY

The last major lows within the bull market are noted below. Both the industrials and transportation indicies have closed below these price points on a daily closing basis; original Dow Theory has confirmed a bear market. By adding in the S&P500 and Nasdaq a modified Dow Theory has not confirmed a new bear market.

Within the new bear market, major highs are noted. For original Dow Theory to confirm the end of the current bear market and the start of a new bull market, the transportation index needs to confirm. It has not done so yet.

Major lows within the prior bull market:

DJIA: 15,855.12 (15th October, 2014) – closed below on 25th August, 2015.

DJT: 7,700.49 (12th October, 2014) – closed below on 24th August, 2015.

S&P500: 1,821.61 (15th October, 2014) – has not closed below this point yet.

Nasdaq: 4,117.84 (15th October, 2014) – has not closed below this point yet.

Major highs within the new bear market:

DJIA: 17,977.85 (4th November, 2015) – closed above on 18th April, 2016.

DJT: 8,358.20 (20th November, 2015) – has not closed above this point yet.

S&P500: 2,116.48 (3rd Nobember, 2015) – has now closed above this point on 8th June, 2016.

Nasdaq: 5,176.77 (2nd December, 2015) – has not closed above this point yet.

It is a reasonable conclusion that the indices are currently in a bear market. The trend remains the same until proven otherwise.

At the end of this week, while the S&P has come very close to its all time high the Transportations are strongly failing to confirm a new bull market.

This analysis is published @ 06:57 p.m. EST on 9th July, 2016.

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