Golden Cross: The S&P 500’s Bullish Technical Signal

Golden Cross: The S&P 500’s Bullish Technical Signal

The S&P 500 is sending a positive signal, according to a recent article in Bloomberg.

The so-called golden cross—when the S&P 500’s 50-day moving average breaks above its 200-day level—is seen by some technical analysts as a “positive omen as it frequently precedes sustained rallies.” Specifically, according to data from Sundial Capital Research, golden crosses for the S&P 500 have reportedly “corresponded with the end of every major bear market in the last 70 years.”

While the article notes that following such signals in today’s unusual market environment is not a foolproof strategy, “there’s value in viewing a suite of technical and fundamental indicators together, and this one mostly sits on the positive side of the ledger.”

According to the article, “what’s notable this time, though, is that the price pattern signals a reversal of what was a very negative spread between the two averages, with the 50-day average dipping more than 9% below the 200-day average.” While Sundial president Jason Goepfert said he wouldn’t bank on the golden cross by itself, he commented that “the biggest reason for optimism is that it has reversed what had been a very negative medium- vs long-term trend, and that has led to big gains over the next 6-12 months every time over the past 70 years.”