Key points:
- The S&P 500’s Relative Strength Index has closed above a value of 50 for 98 straight trading sessions
- Similar price momentum preceded a 100% win rate over the following two, three, six, and twelve months
- The RSI range count for Financials has matched the S&P 500, with the highest reading since 1971
Bullish price momentum begets more bullish price momentum
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), created by J. Welles Wilder, is a popular technical indicator that measures price momentum. Too often, social media accounts and the press misrepresent the indicator’s meaning, especially the overbought and oversold levels.
When the RSI reverses from oversold to overbought, it represents positive price momentum that will likely persist, a scenario that occurred last fall. My colleague, Jay Kaepell, highlighted this event in a research report.
Equally important after a bearish to bullish shift is the ability of the RSI indicator to sustain itself at a relatively high level, which also indicates bullish price momentum. Some analysts refer to this condition as a bull range.
After shifting above 50 last fall, the S&P 500’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) has maintained a reading above that level for 98 consecutive trading sessions, the sixth-longest streak in history. The previous signal occurred in 2017 during a low volatility uptrend. |
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