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SPY|QQQ Monday 4PM 8/18/2025

August 18, 2025 3 min read

Market Sentiment Analysis

Overall Market Sentiment:

  • SPY (S&P 500 ETF): Over the past 13 bars, SPY has traded in a relatively tight range, indicating a period of consolidation. The volume showed a spike at the 2nd bar, which might suggest a potential area of interest or support around that price level. If these volumes coincide with any moving average, they could act as dynamic support or resistance levels and would be crucial to monitor for a potential breakout or breakdown.

  • QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF): Similar to SPY, QQQ has also been trading within a tight range over recent bars, slightly suggesting indecision. The 15:30 bar shows a notable increase in volume, which may indicate liquidity or interest at that price and could be seen as potential support or resistance. A crossover of any intraday moving average could further signal immediate directional bias.

  • VXX (Volatility Index): The VXX demonstrates a slight decrease over recent bars, indicating a reduction in near-term market volatility. This could reflect a steadier sentiment concerning SPY and QQQ, implying calm conditions or reduced market anxiety.

Sector Analysis:

Among the sectors:

  • Strong Performers: The XLY (Consumer Discretionary) seems to have experienced a positive movement, indicating potential interest, particularly with volumes at 15:30 indicating positive rotation into this sector.
  • Weak Performers: XLV (Healthcare) showed a decline, particularly with increasing volume at 15:30, which may indicate sector weakness or a potential exit by participants.

A noticeable rotation out of traditionally defensive sectors like XLV could reflect growing risk appetites in favor of cyclical sectors like XLY, potentially hinting higher risk tolerance in the broader market.

Key Levels to Watch:

  • SPY:
    • Support: Look for support around recent volume lows, likely in the vicinity of the past 13-bar price lows.
    • Resistance: Resistance might appear near the 13-bar highs where earlier volume spikes occurred.
  • QQQ:
    • Support: Immediate support can likely be pegged around congestion zones within the recent 13 bars.
    • Resistance: Consider resistance at price highs coinciding with volume spikes.

Scenarios:

  • Bullish Scenario:
    • For both SPY and QQQ, breaking above recent highs with higher-than-average volume could signal bullish momentum. Trigger factors include positive earnings surprises from major components, favorable economic data (e.g., lower unemployment, higher GDP), or a technical breakout (e.g., moving averages crossover).
  • Bearish Scenario:
    • Conversely, a drop below the recent support levels, characterized by significant volume, could confirm a bearish trend. Factors include negative geopolitical developments, disappointing economic metrics, or technical breakdowns like support failures.

Overall Commentary:

The market currently seems to be reflecting a state of consolidation with potential bullish bias given sector activities. However, the reduction in volatility evidenced by VXX suggests herein investors may not be pricing dramatic movements. With various sectors displaying distinct behaviors, especially the transition towards more aggressive growth sectors like Consumer Discretionary, traders should remain vigilant for technical signals and macroeconomic indicators.

Charts:
finviz dynamic chart for  SPY
finviz dynamic chart for  QQQ
finviz dynamic chart for  VXX
finviz dynamic chart for  XLY
finviz dynamic chart for  XLV

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