'Santa rally' hopes shatter on S&P 500 selloff

'Santa rally' hopes shatter on S&P 500 selloff

3 minutes to read
KCL
Kim Cramer Larsson

Technical Analyst, Saxo Bank

Summary:  Bulls' hopes for a year-end rally in the S&P 500 were already on shaky ground following continued trade war noise surrounding the Huawei CFO arrest, but Friday's sell-off has likely put them to rest.


Bulls dreaming of a "Santa Claus rally" in the benchmark S&P 500 inxed saw their hopes shattered Friday with another sell-off taking the index down to crucial support at around 2,632. Support at this level is clear on an intraday chart like the one-hour chart below; the S&P 500 has dipped a few points below a few times but it has always jumped back.

Within the last hour of trading Friday, the S&P 500 managed to scramble just above this point to close at 2,633. A daily close below this area, however, could fuel a new sell-off and bulls will most likely have to forget about Santa coming around this year.

Renewed selling would most likely take the Index down to around 2,550. If – and it's a big 'if' – Santa changes his mind and comes around, do not expect many presents. Any rally at this point would likely not exceed a bounce back to 2,800 at best, where there seems to be strong resistance.

The Relative Strength Index is bearish, having been rejected at the 60 threshold; it has also broken its rising trendline.
S&P 500 hourly
S&P 500 (hourly, source: Saxo Bank)
S&P 500 (daily)
S&P 500 (daily, source: Saxo Bank)

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