Thursday’s gain felt a little too strong to trust, and sure enough, it didn’t last. The S&P 500 fell 0.66% on Friday, leaving it squarely in the middle of equally important support and resistance levels.
General Electric (NYSE:GE) was the proverbial problem child. It fell more than 3%, logging its seventh loss in eight sessions as worries about its turnaround resurfaced. Smaller Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) posted the decidedly larger loss though, giving up nearly 30% of its value after the company reported a production issue with one of the drugs in a key trial right now.
One noteworthy winner … Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) rallied 6% on the heels of news it has won a case involving the patent on its Enbrel. There just weren’t enough names like Amgen to finish the week on a high note.
As the new trading week kicks off, take a closer look at the stock charts of News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA), Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD). They’re all positioned for major moves, with just the right nudge.
Gilead Sciences (GILD)
For the better part of June and July, Gilead Sciences was working on a break above a couple of different resistance levels. Although they were tough, a move above them could mark the beginning of a prolonged move higher. Unfortunately, before that advance had a chance to fully take hold, it petered out in the latter part of July.
It may be too soon to give up on GILD stock just yet though. Last week it found support at a (very) familiar spot, and in the meantime we’ve moved to within reach of what could prove to be a hugely catalytic technical event.
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Xilinx (XLNX)
Xilinx shares have been fighting a losing battle since July 24, when a budding rally quickly rolled over and turned into a selloff. Broad concerns about trade with China and specific concerns about its relationship with Huawei up-ended the bullish effort.
The selloff initially looked manageable. Although the dip wasn’t small, shares hinted as if they would find support where they most needed to (and where they did the last time support was found). Thursday’s sharp gain largely solidified the bullish backdrop. Friday’s big stumble, however, may have cemented more weakness in place.
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News Corp (NWSA)
It was wholly inspired by its fourth-quarter earnings beat. Nonetheless, News Corp shares demonstrated impressive technical strength on Friday, finding support where it ideally would. The big move carried shares to a huge line in the sand as well, and though it didn’t push shares past that line, NWSA stock is perfectly positioned to punch through that mark this week. It may just need to peel back a little bit first to get a good running start.
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As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can learn more about James at his site, jamesbrumley.com, or follow him on Twitter, at @jbrumley.
