What Happened: During Thursday’s regular trading in the S&P 500, market participants lacked conviction to break above the initial balance, which lead to a liquidation that found buyers just above Tuesday’s excess low.
Alongside news that president-elect Joe Biden cemented his Arizona victory and U.S. states began reimposing COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions, buyers cautiously extended range overnight, auctioning toward the upper-end of the three-day balance area.
What Does It Mean: As of now, the market remains rotational between the $3,506 excess low and $3,580 spike base.
Further, the market’s failure to negate Monday’s end-of-day spike points the possibility of a failed higher time frame breakout, and keeps initiative sellers in control. Trade below the aforementioned excess low would confirm the failure of a higher time frame breakout.
Moreover, given the likelihood of an open in prior-range and -value, there’s the potential for more balance and rotation in an area where the greatest volume of trade took place over the past three days. This scenario is supported by current positioning. If the market was to initiate outside of this area, then participants will have conviction to follow-through (in whatever direction that may be).
As a result, participants start the day off with a clear framework; in such case, if price is accepted outside of the balance area, we should be inclined to place trades in the direction of the activity. Otherwise, the market will stay range-bound, favoring short-term, responsive trade.
Levels Of Interest: $3,580 spike, $3,506 excess low, the high-volume areas at $3,600, $3,540, and $3,500, as well as the low volume areas at $3,520, $3,575, and $3,608.