Stock Market More Short-Term Fluctuations Along Record Highs - Which Direction Is Next?

By: Paul_Rejczak

Briefly: In our opinion, speculative short positions are favored (with stop-loss at 2,330, and profit target at 2,150, S&P 500 index).

Our intraday outlook remains bearish, and our short-term outlook is bearish. Our medium-term outlook remains neutral, following S&P 500 index breakout above last year's all-time high:

Intraday outlook (next 24 hours): bearish
Short-term outlook (next 1-2 weeks): bearish
Medium-term outlook (next 1-3 months): neutral
Long-term outlook (next year): neutral

The U.S. stock market indexes lost 0.1-0.4% on Friday, extending their short-term consolidation, as investors continued to take profits off the table following Wednesday's Fed's Rate Decision announcement. The S&P 500 index remains relatively close to its record high of 2,277.53. The nearest important level of resistance is at around 2,275-2,280. The next resistance level is at 2,300 mark. On the other hand, support level is at 2,240-2,250, marked by previous level of resistance. The next important support level remains at 2,200-2,220. The market broke above its medium-term upward trend line recently, as we can see on the daily chart:

Expectations before the opening of today's trading session are slightly positive, with index futures currently up 0.1-0.2%. The main European stock market indexes have been mixed so far. The S&P 500 futures contract trades within an intraday consolidation along the level of 2,260. The nearest important level of resistance is at around 2,270-2,280, marked by record highs. On the other hand, support level remains at 2,250, marked by Friday's local low:

The technology Nasdaq 100 futures contract follows a similar path, as it trades within an intraday consolidation. The nearest important resistance level is at around 4,950-4,960, marked by record high. On the other hand, support level is at 4,900-4,920, marked by previous level of resistance, as the 15-minute chart shows:

Concluding, the broad stock market continues to trade along its recent record highs, as the S&P 500 index trades above 2,250 mark. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. However, we can see technical overbought conditions. Therefore, we continue to maintain our speculative short position (opened on December 14 at 2,268.35 - opening price of the S&P 500 index). Stop-loss level is at 2,330 and potential profit target is at 2,150 (S&P 500 index). You can trade S&P 500 index using futures contracts (S&P 500 futures contract - SP, E-mini S&P 500 futures contract - ES) or an ETF like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF - SPY. It is always important to set some exit price level in case some events cause the price to move in the unlikely direction. Having safety measures in place helps limit potential losses while letting the gains grow.

To summarize: short position in S&P 500 index is justified from the risk/reward perspective with the following entry prices, stop-loss orders and profit target price levels:

S&P 500 index - short position: profit target level: 2,150; stop-loss level: 2,330
S&P 500 futures contract (March 2017) - short position: profit target level: 2,145; stop-loss level: 2,325
SPY ETF (SPDR S&P 500, not leveraged) - short position: profit target level: $214; stop-loss level: $232
SDS ETF (ProShares UltraShort S&P500, leveraged: -2x) - long position: profit target level: $16.35; stop-loss level: $14.00 (calculated using trade's opening price on Dec 14 at $14.78).

Thank you.

Paul Rejczak
Stock Trading Strategist
Stock Trading Alerts
SunshineProfits.com

Stock market strategist, who has been known for quality of his technical and fundamental analysis since the late nineties. He is interested in forecasting market behavior based on both traditional and innovative methods of technical analysis. Paul has made his name by developing mechanical trading systems. Paul is the author of Sunshine Profits’ premium service for stock traders: Stock Trading Alerts.

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