Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Phase Changes

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At the open Thursday morning there was a key common thread on SPX, NDX and RUT, in that all three were either close (SPX & NDX), or at (RUT) their key resistance trendlines from the all time highs. As I’ve been writing the falling channel resistance on SPX and falling wedge resistance on NDX have both broken, with RUT having already broken up earlier today.

What this means is that this move is entering a new phase, either setting retests of the all time highs or signalling retracement and consolidation before the next move down. The more obvious move is retracement and consolidation but we could see the high retests, and I’d note that the seasonality favors the bulls into late December, and that while all the hourly RSI 14 buy signals made target yesterday, the daily RSI 14 buy signals on SPX, NDX and RUT are still nowhere near target. (more…)

The Road Less Travelled

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The bull scenario initially looked good after my post last week, with clear breaks back over the daily middle band and 5dma on Friday. That triggered the 5dma Three Day Rule, which on a daily close back below the 5dma on Mon day or Tuesday would look for a retest of the most recent low. SPX then broke back below the daily middle band and 5dma at the close on Monday, and retested the 2670 low on Tuesday.

Now I was saying last week that the alternate bear scenario would look for a retest of the main retracement low at 2603.54 SPX. We have not yet seen that full test, but after the current rally, it’s likely that we will see that test. At that test SPX either finds support there on a marginal lower low, or extends lower to the 2018 low & annual pivot area 2530-40. (more…)

Santa’s Inflection Point

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On my last post I was talking about the expected significant backtest on SPX, and we have now seen that retracement which has reached the 61.8% fib retrace area. At this point I’m expecting the main rally into Xmas to start in the next couple of days and that may well be starting here. However ……..

I did mention in my last post that this retracement might extend lower into a full retest of the October low, and there is a possible setup to deliver that in this inflection point. That bear case rests on a decent quality H&S that has formed and broken down on ES with a target at that retest of the late October low, with a perfect backtest of the broken neckline in the 2717/8 area overnight. The original IHS on SPX looking for the 2910 has failed and this delivers a possible Janus Flag target at a retest of the prior low in the 2600 area. A sustained break below 2660 likely seals the deal for bears.

The bull case is that this is also what I would call a Janus Flag, in that it looks like a topping pattern that breaks down and rejects hard into the preceding high (2815 area). That case is backed up by the decent quality falling megaphone that has formed from the high and would obviously need some confirmation from breaks of upside resistance. The important upside levels on ES area possible double bottom support at 2718, and a sustained break above looks for the 2760 area. Falling megaphone resistance is in the 2730 area and a break above likely seals the deal for bulls. (more…)

Rallying Into FOMC

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Last week I was talking about a backtest into the 5dma / 50 hour MA support area and we saw that, and another leg up over the daily middle band and the 50% retracement level that brings SPX up into resistance at the 61.8% retracement level at 2812 and the September rally high at 2816.94. I have a decent looking rising wedge from the low that has slightly overthrown wedge resistance and a lot of negative divergence on the 15min chart particularly. SPX 15min chart:

SPX min (more…)

Just the Stats Ma’am

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The close on SPX yesterday was a clear close back over the 5dma, and as it has been a decline of more than 2% since the last break down, that puts SPX back on the Three Day Rule. That means that if SPX should deliver a clear close (4/5+ handles) back below the 5dma, currently at 2684, today or tomorrow, then SPX would very likely retest the October low in the following few days.

When SPX is trending in either direction I watch the 5dma and the 50 hour MA for trend support or resistance. The 50 hour MA is currently in the 2694 area, so that and the 50dma give us the short term support area.

On the resistance side there is a possible IHS neckline in the 2725 area, and that’s still in play potentially if SPX breaks back under the 2685-95. That would have an ideal right shoulder low in the 2651/2 area, but in practical terms in the event of a daily close back under the 5dma SPX would likely deliver at least a new retracement low. (more…)