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BPNYA TURNS DOWN FROM OVERBOUGHT TERRITORY

John Murphy

John Murphy

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

I recently showed the NYSE Bullish Percent Index (BPNYA) having reached overbought territory over 70. the BPNYA is the percent of NYSE stocks that are in point & figure uptrends. I suggested that a drop below the May trough at 68 could signal a short-term top. Chart 1 shows that downturn has taken place as the breath indicator has fallen to 65% and formed a small "double top" in the process. Chart 2 shows the point & figure version of the same indicator. A three-box reversal into the down column also took place this week. That's another sign that the current uptrend is losing some breadth momentum. [Arthur Hill showed a similar downturn in the number of NYSE stocks trading over their 50-day moving averages]. Those are at least two reasons to be a little more cautious at current levels.

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John Murphy
About the author: is the Chief Technical Analyst at StockCharts.com, a renowned author in the investment field and a former technical analyst for CNBC, and is considered the father of inter-market technical analysis. With over 40 years of market experience, he is the author of numerous popular works including “Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets” and “Trading with Intermarket Analysis”. Before joining StockCharts, John was the technical analyst for CNBC-TV for seven years on the popular show Tech Talk, and has authored three best-selling books on the subject: Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Trading with Intermarket Analysis and The Visual Investor. Learn More