S&P 500 Index Due for ‘Stiff Correction’: Technical Analysis

The U.S. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index may be due for a “stiff” slump as it approaches a resistance level in coming weeks, according to Nader Naeimi, a strategist at AMP Capital Markets, which holds assets worth $75 billion.

The U.S. index’s 62 percent rally from its March low has brought it close to 1,121.4, which Naeimi says represents the 50 percent level Fibonacci analysts identify as a key resistance point. The performance of the index, which closed at 1,096.56 yesterday, is also diverging from measures of price and breadth momentum, pointing to a deeper “correction” than those that have occurred since the rally began, the strategist said.

“The divergences have started to build up over the past few weeks,” said Sydney-based Naeimi, whose firm went to “overweight” from “underweight” stocks in March. “The new highs the index is making aren’t being confirmed by the measures of momentum. The next push higher is likely to extend those divergences, which suggests we’ll see a deeper correction that lasts several weeks or longer, rather than just days.” (more)