The stock market is searching for direction, testing support and resistance levels each week. After threatening a waterfall decline last week, it instead found support and has rallied strongly. Today, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials joined the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 by rising above the important 200-day moving average.

Market volatility continues, with the Dow gapping down under 10,000 to start the day today before recovering nicely by the close. Most of the major indexes are still below their 200-day moving averages, but interestingly, the Nasdaq 100 (QQQQ) and the Russell 2000 (IWM) actually closed above theirs. I see this as bullish.

The stock market’s technical “topping formation” finally manifested in a correction in early May, and it resumed over the past several days. The 20-day moving average that had provided consistent support during the methodical rally has proven to be formidable resistance (along with the converging 50-day).

As earnings season gets underway with mixed results but a generally positive trend, Wall Street analysts are coming out with upgrades and downgrades to earnings estimates that are significantly impacting our sector rankings this week.