As U.S. stocks test the top of a range that has held for months, two widely used analytical styles appear to be painting conflicting scenarios for where they might go next.
“Everybody is very, very negative,” but from a technical perspective, the market looks good, he said.The S&P 500 has traded in a 9.7 percentage point range year-to-date, its narrowest range for comparable periods since 2017. With the index now at 4,129.79 and 16% above its October lows, technicians see evidence it can extend its gains.
Paradoxically, some technical analysts are also heartened by the amount of pessimism remaining in the market, believing good news can push sidelined investors into stocks - a dynamic that drove several sharp rallies last year. While the market has lately tended to rally on bad economic news on expectations it could lead the Fed to cut rates sooner, Kaser believes investors will eventually see weak data as evidence of an approaching recession that could hurt stocks.