Saturday, February 7, 2026

Too Many Waves!

I mean that in a kind way. Markets are allowed to have whatever waves work. Counting them is another issue. The DJIA having broken out to a new higher high forces us to count a little differently - still with an extended first wave xⓘ. That is because some of the recent down waves were longer than other ones, and by degree-labeling definitions, then, they should be larger degree waves. I won't belabor - the weekly chart and count are below.

DJIA (YM) Futures - Weekly - Diagonal, Possibly Leading

The problem is that the Nov 2025 down wave, ((ii)), circle-ii, or minute-ii, is too large for the wave at minuet (b), and for the previous wave at brown ii, so that means it is likely of higher degree. I think the only way that happens is if the entire Minor A wave is a diagonal with minute-ii, circle-ii, as the second wave of the diagonal. It is outlined with blue trend lines. Otherwise, there are too many waves for a motive sequence. The down waves are almost impossibly short waves to be in a typical impulse structure. We could clearly see the impulse sequence within wave minuet (a), and we have labeled those waves i -> v. But now the (c) wave of minute-i, xⓘ, looks like it is a diagonal too, with overlaps galore but always trending higher. It is outlined with brown trend lines.

We don't make this wave count lightly. First, we note that the $NYAD (NY Advance/Decline Line) is at yet a new higher high on Friday. Again, we don't think a major bear market starts while this line is making new highs.  Second, there is room yet for the th wave to continue higher. Recall, it can be almost as long as the third wave. Third, this count implies that if Minor A is a diagonal, then Minor C should be an impulse wave. Fourth, we have recently commented that the DJIA divergence with the transports was cured with all-time new highs in the transportation index. Lastly, we note that while many of the Mag-7 stocks are having difficulties, the FED's FOMC still has the spigots open - which might counter some decline, provide money for company buy-backs, etc.

So again, we are patient, calm and recognize how long a Primary-sized diagonal  could take. Meanwhile, we have not even seen a 38% retrace in these waves. Hopefully, such a wave, or larger, would be a Minor B wave. I realize that it is easy to make mistakes counting waves. If this labeling is a mistake, then it is the $NYAD which is providing the false signal. Time will tell. 

This is the second post since Thursday. Have an excellent rest of the weekend,

TraderJoe


29 comments:

  1. NYAD making new highs sounds bullish, but it’s not the signal that matters right now.

    What matters is that the Mag 7… the stocks that actually drive this market are rolling over. Breadth almost always stays strong after leaders break. It doesn’t warn you first. Leadership does.

    We saw this in 2000. The Nasdaq peaked March 10. Microsoft topped March 27. Cisco March 20. Intel March 31. Meanwhile the rotation into safer stocks kept indexes looking okay and NYAD held up for a bit. Then breadth rolled and the bear market followed. Same pattern in February of 2020 when the NYAD confirmed the rally briefly — but breadth didn’t prevent the crash over the next few months.

    That’s why Mag 7 weakness is a MAJOR, MAJOR deal compared to the NYAD making new highs which may buy a week or two. When leaders are failing to participate, money rotates, the Dow can still make highs, and retail thinks everything’s fine. That’s almost always the 9th inning.

    Refer to the Dow 1929 channel chart you posted on Oct 4th, 2025. We are right against this upper channel line and the Mag 7 stocks are looking horrible. Almost all major market tops or bottoms occur between the February - April timeframe since 2020. This has to be a significant top.

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    1. Remove the contribution of the AI-frenzy-driven components and the NDX has been in a year-long bear market. Look at the number of stocks in that index trading well below their 200 day SMAs and the picture is not bullish. The AI fervor surrounding the Mag 7 has started to same as folk are now questioning whether the historic levels of capital outlays will yield a ROI that justifies the massive outlays. Amazing how few are talking about the risk exposure of these circular expenditures. Hard to envision sustained bull markets in the other indices if NDX collapses IMHO.



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    2. An interesting difference vs 2000 is concentration. Back then, even at the tech bubble peak, the biggest tech stocks were around 18% of the S&P. Today, the Mag 7 are roughly 35% of the entire index. Leadership matters way more now.

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    3. If the Nasdaq-100 corrects 38%, that only retests the April 2025 low. We would still be in a historically overvalued market. Tachyon you are right! No one knows what returns AI investments will generate, and it will take years before the true ROI becomes clear. This is what the IBM CEO said: "Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, says the AI data-center boom likely won’t pay off, warning there’s “no way” trillion-dollar buildouts generate acceptable returns. With facilities costing tens of billions and GPUs depreciating fast, he argues the math simply doesn’t work — making today’s AI ROI expectations impossible."

      Markets are pricing in certainty, while AI is still an expensive experiment.

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    4. @Tim; nah: don't put words in my mouth. I did not 'limit' the downside to 38%. I just said, "I want to see it, first." TJ.

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    5. I never mentioned that you are limiting the downside to 38%? I just thought it was interesting to point out that a 38% correction brings us back to the 2025 lows. That’s how insane this market bubble is.

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    6. @Tim; to be clear, I am referring to this 38% Fibonacci retracement (using NDX) which we have not seen, yet. I am not talking about 38% of the value of the index.

      https://www.tradingview.com/x/Sx52wGDR/

      TJ

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  2. I completely understand this argument, and it is possible to force a three wave up count to the high as a good alternate. But, there are such things as 1) rotation, 2) FED loosening, 3) fiscal stimulus - like seniors having to pay little or no Social Security tax for four years. I am providing the most conservative count, knowing much more is possible on the downside. But so far the market has resisted even a 38% correction. Let's see if we can get even that and go from there. TJ.

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  3. Several indices are showing MULTIPLE gaps higher on their 1 minute chart. I have NEVER seen that kind of price action in an index! Something's afoot...

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    1. Series gaps upward typically signal the start, or end, of bull runs.

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  4. Gaps higher occur as a result of large orders at market price. Highly unlikely futures action was the result of short-covering considering Friday's massive run higher. It certainly was not so-called "Smart Money" as those trades are now under water. Someone "worked" real hard only to fall victim to double exhaustion gaps it would appear. Who on earth could that be?! 😁
    .

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    1. The move from recent bottom is looking like 5 waves

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  5. The bullish could be LD from November as first wave the flat correction now 3rd wave
    https://www.tradingview.com/x/Tdmm9W57/

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  6. Alternate count ... as I have said before, the Dow "Industrials" are no longer a meaningful index, they are heavily financials, very heavily GS ...

    NQ tracks the tech sector,: AI, AI capex, AI inference, semiconductors, semi cap ex, etc. That's where the growth in this K-shaped economy is coming from. It also tracks second-order effects like the SaaS company meltdown supposedly due to AI.

    Recent action looks like an a-b-c correction of wave A (from the April, 2025 lows). Setting up for a C wave up starting with the April earnings season and further Fed easing as Warsh comes in and Trump steps on all possible economic levers for the mid-term elections.

    https://www.tradingview.com/x/7M2ZqmnG/

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    Replies
    1. Or.from.April 2025 we have one big ED. And we are in middle of 3 wave of that ed

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    2. The two counts (DOW & NQ) are not incompatible at all. Since the NQ made a 90% b wave, it could start down, as the DOW (eventually) starts a downward B wave, as well. They are 'different' indexes, with 'different' stocks. Treat them as such. Ignore neither. TJ.

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  7. SPY (cash) 5-min: on today's up move we have > 1.618, and now on the down move a 38.2%. But higher highs are needed for a 'five'.

    https://www.tradingview.com/x/Otj3T7VY/

    TJ

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    1. ..cash & futures now have a higher high; can go farther if they want. TJ.

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    2. here's the higher high.

      https://www.tradingview.com/x/a4bcnhfP/

      TJ

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  8. There was very, very little volume at the high of the day, so they are getting feisty. Last chance triangle or flat?

    https://www.tradingview.com/x/rGvp3FIZ/

    TJ

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  9. SPY (Cash) 10-min: can only say there is a legal diagonal off of the high. So, either we have a 'last chance Flat' or a failure at the high. The three-wave sequences of a triangle converted into a diagonal.

    https://www.tradingview.com/x/TsPlFj5p/

    TJ

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    1. SPY has the new high, eliminating the failure.

      https://www.tradingview.com/x/DmdVdSuB/

      TJ

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    2. The pattern suggests placing a wave-counting-stop at the morning low in SPY, as below.

      https://www.tradingview.com/x/0OOXrZbH/

      TJ

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    3. Interestingly enough the expanded diagonal count to downside is still not invalidated yet

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  10. SPY 10-min: the wave-counting-stop was just exceeded lower. One might try a "base channel parallel" to see if it is more fully broken lower.

    https://www.tradingview.com/x/JtrMcZR0/

    TJ

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  11. A new post is started for the next day.
    TJ

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