Overview
The September 9 scan logged 208 total 20-week signals: 126 bullish (60.6%) versus 82 bearish (39.4%). This 60.6% bullish tilt falls into the balanced (40–70%) zone, signaling mixed institutional sentiment rather than aggressive accumulation. Despite the positive skew in raw signal count, the broader SA Regime reads Cautious-Bearish, with only 38.2% of stocks above their SMA-40 and bearish sentiment readings across the board. Energy, Health Care, and Communication Services are the only sectors showing constructive ATR%, while Utilities, Industrials, and Real Estate are actively deteriorating.
Quality Score: 3/5. Per regime-quality rules, Cautious-Bearish conditions cap conviction at 3 even where individual setups look technically strong. Institutional fund data was largely undisclosed (0 funds reported across all top movers), reinforcing a defensive, selective posture rather than broad-based buying conviction.
Top 5 Bullish Picks
VLO ($388.89) — Energy / Oil&Gas-Refining/Mktg
Valero posted the standout move of the session with an ATR Multiple of 7.77, the strongest breakout thrust on this list, trading just 1.2% below its 52-week high. Energy is the top-performing sector (ATR% 3.0%), and VLO’s relative volume of 1.1 confirms real demand behind the dollar move.
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry | $388.89 |
| Risk (1x ATR) | $378.10 |
| Target (2x ATR) | $410.47 |
Institutional Interest: Bucket all_unique_bucket_2_stocks; fund count undisclosed this session.
SMTC ($163.94) — Chips / Elec-Semiconductor Fabless
SMTC’s ATR Multiple of 3.46 and rel volume of 1.0 (in-line with average) show a well-supported breakout just 7.6% off 52-week highs, with the stock up 185.1% off its 52-week low, underscoring sustained fabless-semi demand.
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry | $163.94 |
| Risk (1x ATR) | $153.04 |
| Target (2x ATR) | $185.74 |
Institutional Interest: Bucket funds_500; fund count undisclosed this session.
SNOW ($331.60) — Software / Comp Sftwr-Enterprise
Snowflake’s ATR Multiple of 2.04 combined with the tightest LOD Risk ATR% on this list (3.5%) points to controlled, low-volatility upside — a favorable risk profile even in a cautious tape.
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry | $331.60 |
| Risk (1x ATR) | $314.86 |
| Target (2x ATR) | $365.08 |
Institutional Interest: Bucket all_unique_bucket_2_stocks; fund count undisclosed this session.
WCC ($355.35) — Electronics / Electronic-Parts
WCC shows a healthy ATR Multiple of 1.17 with price just 7.8% off its 52-week high and a strong 74.7% gain off its 52-week low, though relative volume of 0.8 suggests the move needs confirmation on higher participation.
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry | $355.35 |
| Risk (1x ATR) | $343.23 |
| Target (2x ATR) | $379.59 |
Institutional Interest: Bucket funds_500; fund count undisclosed this session.
DOCN ($132.67) — Software / Comp Sftwr-Enterprise
DigitalOcean’s rel volume of 1.2 exceeds its average, and the ATR Multiple of 0.99 reflects steady accumulation. Note the elevated LOD Risk ATR% (79.0%), so intraday volatility should be respected on entries.
| Level | Price |
|---|---|
| Entry | $132.67 |
| Risk (1x ATR) | $123.39 |
| Target (2x ATR) | $151.23 |
Institutional Interest: Bucket bucket_0_youth_ipo_less_5yrs; fund count undisclosed this session.
Bearish Alerts
TDG (Aerospace/Defense) shows a sharp ATR Multiple of -3.67 and sits just 0.3% off its 52-week low — a notable breakdown for a historically resilient sector. LIN (Chemicals-Specialty) mirrors this with -3.66 ATR Multiple. EXPE (Leisure-Travel Booking) is breaking down on elevated rel volume of 1.7, the highest among bearish names, indicating active distribution. MELI and INTU round out the list with milder ATR readings but still 20%+ weekly downside moves. Weak sectors: Aerospace/Defense, Chemicals, Leisure/Travel, Retail-Internet, and Software-Financial.
Sector Theme
Despite the Cautious-Bearish regime, Chips/Semiconductors (ONTO, ALAB, SMTC) and Software (SNOW, DOCN) dominate the bullish list, suggesting selective rotation into growth despite broad market softness. Energy’s VLO leads on sector-relative strength, consistent with Energy topping the ATR% sector rankings. Conversely, Utilities, Industrials, and Real Estate weakness aligns with the bearish alerts in Aerospace/Defense and Chemicals — cyclical, rate-sensitive areas are under the most pressure.
Institutional Summary
Fund-count data was undisclosed (0 funds, undefined% increase) across all featured tickers this session, limiting direct accumulation confirmation. Bucket classifications offer indirect insight: VLO and SNOW sit in all_unique_bucket_2_stocks (established mid/large caps), WCC and SMTC in funds_500 (moderate institutional coverage), and DOCN in the bucket_0_youth_ipo_less_5yrs tier, reflecting its smaller-cap, higher-volatility profile. Given the absence of fresh fund data, traders should treat these as technically-driven breakouts and monitor for institutional confirmation in subsequent sessions.