|

Are stocks reversing their medium-term uptrend?

The S&P 500 remains below 4,600 – is this a topping pattern?

The broad stock market index lost 0.27% on Tuesday, as it extended a short-term consolidation following its last week’s Thursday’s-Friday’s volatility. The S&P 500 continues to trade below the 4,600 level as investors await the important quarterly earnings releases from AAPL and AMZN tomorrow and the monthly jobs data release on Friday.

Last week on Thursday the market reached new medium-term high of 4,607.07. It was the highest since March of 2022. There is still a lot of uncertainty concerning monetary policy, some technology/AI stocks’ valuation concerns, but the investors’ sentiment remains bullish.

Stocks are expected to open 0.6% lower today as global markets react to news about the U.S. credit rating downgrade from Fitch. The S&P 500 remains above a two-month-long upward trend line as we can see on the daily chart:

Chart

Futures contract extends a consolidation

Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. It continues to trade relatively close to the 4,600 level. The nearest important resistance level is at around 4,600-4,620, and the support level is at 4,560.

Chart

Conclusion

The S&P 500 index will likely open lower again. The market may extend its consolidation following negative U.S. credit rating news. However, investors will be waiting for the important earnings releases from AAPL and AMZN and Friday’s jobs data release. It still looks like a consolidation and a relatively flat correction within an uptrend.

Here’s the breakdown:

The S&P 500 will likely open lower following Fitch’s U.S. credit rating news..

  • Investors will wait for quarterly earnings releases.

  • In my opinion, the short-term outlook is still bullish.


Want free follow-ups to the above article and details not available to 99%+ investors? Sign up to our free newsletter today!


Want free follow-ups to the above article and details not available to 99%+ investors? Sign up to our free newsletter today!

Author

Paul Rejczak

Paul Rejczak

Sunshine Profits

Paul Rejczak is a stock market strategist who has been known for the quality of his technical and fundamental analysis since the late nineties.

More from Paul Rejczak
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD retreats toward 1.1700 on modest USD recovery

EUR/USD stays under mild bearish pressure and trades below 1.1750 on Friday. Although trading conditions remain thin following the New Year holiday and ahead of the weekend, the modest recovery seen in the US Dollar causes the pair to edge lower. The economic calendar will not feature any high-impact data releases.

GBP/USD struggles to gain traction, stabilizes near 1.3450

After testing 1.3400 on the last day of 2025, GBP/USD managed to stage a rebound. Nevertheless, the pair finds it difficult to gather momentum and trades marginally lower on the day at around 1.3450 as market participants remain in holiday mood.

Gold climbs toward $4,400 following deep correction

Gold advances toward $4,400 and gains more than 1.5% on the day after suffering heavy losses amid profit-taking heading into the end of the year. Growing expectations for a dovish Fed policy and persistent geopolitical risks seem to be helping XAU/USD stretch higher.

Cardano gains early New Year momentum, bulls target falling wedge breakout

Cardano kicks off the New Year on a positive note and is extending gains, trading above $0.36 at the time of writing on Friday. Improving on-chain and derivatives data point to growing bullish interest, while the technical outlook keeps an upside breakout in focus.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).