Nov
08

Five White Candles

By on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 12:50 am

The setup: S&P futures post five consecutive white candlesticks (close > open)

The trade: Short a higher open, cover at the close.

The idea: After five consecutive white candles, intraday buying power is often at a short-term exhaustion point. Buyers may step in on a down open, but will likely hold off participating on an up open, producing a relatively low-risk shorting opportunity.

The history: Date shown is the first higher open after 5+ white candles, followed by the performance of S&P futures from open to close that day. Note only one signal per series…

S&P Futures Open Higher after Five or More White Candlesticks
09/20/11… S&P futures close -0.6% from open
07/07/11… S&P futures close +0.4% from open (*)
04/21/11… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
02/16/11… S&P futures close +0.2% from open
12/07/10… S&P futures close -0.9% from open
11/09/10… S&P futures close -1.0% from open
09/17/10… S&P futures close -0.5% from open
02/22/10… S&P futures close -0.3% from open
01/11/10… S&P futures close -0.3% from open
12/03/09… S&P futures close -1.1% from open
10/12/09… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
07/30/09… S&P futures close -0.2% from open
07/17/09… S&P futures close +0.1% from open
04/30/09… S&P futures close -1.1% from open
01/06/09… S&P futures close -0.4% from open
10/29/07… S&P futures close +0.1% from open
04/20/07… S&P futures close +0.2% from open
02/22/07… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
02/06/07… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
10/26/06… S&P futures close +0.1% from open
10/10/06… S&P futures close +0.1% from open
09/15/06… S&P futures close -0.3% from open
03/17/06… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
01/11/06… S&P futures close +0.2% from open
11/28/05… S&P futures close -0.8% from open
07/14/05… S&P futures close -0.1% from open
02/17/05… S&P futures close -0.8% from open
12/20/04… S&P futures close -0.2% from open
11/01/04… S&P futures close -0.0% from open
05/18/04… S&P futures close +0.1% from open

Over the last 30 separate occurrences since 2004, S&P futures closed below the day’s open 70% of the time, a significant edge over the 46% random chance for a close below the open.  In addition, note the extremely limited upside potential on those occasions when the signal produced a loss. The S&P closed more than 0.2% above the day’s open on only one occasion, and even that was less than 0.5%.

This signal goes into effect only on an open above SPZ 1257.50 on Tuesday. If we see a down open but another white candle at Tuesday’s close, this signal would still be triggered the next session on a higher open (continuing until either the string of white candlesticks is broken or S&P futures open higher).

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Disclaimer

Comments, data and trading signals herein are for informational purposes only and are not recommendations to buy or sell. All information presented is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed.