Murray Gunn, HSBC warns of ‘Red Alert’ on sell-off of stocks, ‘very high’ chance of severe fail
In a note to clients released Wednesday, Murray Gunn, the head of technical analysis for HSBC, said he had become on “RED ALERT” for an imminent sell-off in stocks given the price action over the past few weeks.
Gunn uses a type of technical analysis called the Elliott Wave Principle, which tracks alternating patterns in the stock market to discern investors’ behavior and possible next moves.
There have been a lot of finger pointing to the 1987 stock market crash. Citi’s Tom Fitzpatrick also highlighted the market’s similarities to the 1987 crash just a few days ago.
On September 30, Gunn said stocks were under an “orange alert,” as they looked to him as if they had topped out.
A 200-drop this week indicates to Gunn the beginning is here.
“With the US stock market selling off aggressively on 11 October, we now issue a RED ALERT,” Gunn said in the note. “The fall was broad-based and the Traders Index (TRIN) showed intense selling pressure as the market moved to the lows of the day. The VIX index, a barometer of nervousness, has been making a series of higher lows since August.”
Gunn said the selling would truly set in if the Dow Jones Industrial Average were to fall below 17,992 or if the S&P 500 were to dip under 2,116. The Dow closed at 18,128 on Tuesday, while the S&P settled at 2,136.
“As long as those levels remain intact, the bulls still have a slight hope,” Gunn said.
“But should those levels break and the markets close below (which now seems more likely), it would be a clear sign that the bears have taken over and are starting to feast. The possibility of a severe fall in the stock market is now very high.”
Wall Street stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday – the Dow rose 15.54 points, or 0.09 percent, to 18,144.2.