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Aggressive Small Cap Indices Break Out Again

Tom Bowley

Tom Bowley

Chief Market Strategist, EarningsBeats.com

Both the Russell 2000 Index ($RUT) and S&P 600 Small Cap Index (SML) broke out to all-time highs last week as money continued to rotate towards aggressive small cap stocks and that should be seen as a bullish sign for equities.  In the case of the $RUT, a year long bullish continuation pattern - an inverse head & shoulders - finally resolved to the upside with a fresh target price of 1400 based on its measurement.  Heading into 2014, momentum began to slow for small cap stocks as a long-term negative divergence emerged in March 2014 on the weekly chart.  Many times that sets the stage for a selloff, or at least a long period of consolidation.  Consolidate is exactly what the Russell 2000 did.  Check out the chart:

While the S&P 500 was up nicely last week, it's still awaiting its next breakout.  Failure to break out, however, did not stop the S&P 600 Small Cap Index ($SML) from breaking out as the pattern here is quite similar to the Russell 2000 with the small cap area of the S&P surging to all-time highs.  Take a look at the SML:

Given the strength in small caps, it's very difficult to grow bearish equities at this time.

Happy trading!

Tom

 

Tom Bowley
About the author: is the Chief Market Strategist of EarningsBeats.com, a company providing a research and educational platform for both investment professionals and individual investors. Tom writes a comprehensive Daily Market Report (DMR), providing guidance to EB.com members every day that the stock market is open. Tom has contributed technical expertise here at StockCharts.com since 2006 and has a fundamental background in public accounting as well, blending a unique skill set to approach the U.S. stock market. Learn More