What the Recent String of Poor Closes Could Mean for Today

Where the market closes within its daily range can be an indicator of sentiment.  Over the years I have shown studies indicating persistent closes in one direction often lead to a reversion. An example of overly-optimistic closes was shown in the July 5, 2012 blog post. We are now seeing a setup suggesting excessive pessimism. Tuesday was the fifth day in a row that SPY closed in the lower half of its daily range. The study below was shown in the 12/20/11 subscriber letter (and again last night).  It examines 1-day returns following similar strings of poor closes.

The numbers here appear to be strongly compelling and indicate a possible upside edge for Wednesday.

Also, a reminder to readers that I will be speaking at the Las Vegas Traders Expo on Saturday.  In my talk I will be sharing a lot of my favorite overnight research.  I look forward to meeting several of you!