S&P 500: Will rally continue?

Stocks slightly extended their rally yesterday and the S&P 500 reached new all-time high above the 4,800 level. But will the uptrend continue?

The broad stock market index lost 0.10% on Tuesday, Dec. 28, as it fluctuated following the recent record-breaking rally. The broad stock market is now way above its local highs from November and December. Stocks broke above the consolidation and we had a Santa Claus rally. The new record high is at 4,807.02. Now we may see a consolidation or a downward correction. The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.1% lower this morning.

On Dec. 3 the index fell to the local low of 4,495.12 and it was 5.24% below the previous record high. So it was a pretty mild downward correction or just a consolidation following this year’s advances.

The nearest important resistance level remains at around 4,800. On the other hand, the support level is now at 4,740- 4,750, marked by the previous highs. The S&P 500 broke above its two-month-long consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart.

Nasdaq 100 remains below the November high

Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index is relatively weaker than the broad stock market’s gauge as it is still trading below the Nov. 22 record high of 16,764.85. The recent rally in stocks was driven by a handful of stocks and the technology stocks were just retracing their recent declines. However, the Nasdaq 100 broke above the resistance level of 16,400.

Apple’s market cap gets close to $3 trillion again

Apple stock got back close to its Dec. 13 record high of $182.13. The nearest important resistance level is at $180-182. The stock remains above its two-month-long upward trend line. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far, however, the market may be trading within a medium-term topping pattern. It’s getting very hard to fundamentally justify Apple’s current market capitalization of around $3 trillion.

Conclusion

The S&P 500 index will most likely fluctuate following the recent record-breaking rally. We may see some profit trading action and consolidation along the 4,800 level. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. However, there are some short-term overbought conditions.

Here’s the breakdown:

• The S&P 500 will likely fluctuate following the recent rally. We may see a consolidation or a downward correction at some point.

• In our opinion, no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view.

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