SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE)’s Stochastic Momentum Index is cruising higher and has passed the key level of +40, indicating possible oversold territory. The SMI indicator was developed by William Blau ad presented in Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities magazine in 1993, ten years after the original stochastic was invented. The oscillator fluctuates between -100 and 100, and as such the indicator can be readily used to identify overbought and oversold levels. Readings above +40 occur when the market is trading near the top of its recent price range. Readings below -40 occur when the market is trading near the bottom of its recent price range.
Investors are often dealing with the decision of whether to sell a stock that has been a solid performer or hold on to it for more profit. This can be almost as trying as deciding when to buy a certain stock. Once investors have latched on to a certain stock, they may find it hard to let go. On the flip side, investors may also have to deal with cutting ties with a losing stock. With both scenarios, it may be important for investors to try to keep emotion out of the decision making process. Investors may feel that giving up on a losing stock can be admitting that a mistake was made. No matter what the circumstance, not letting go of a losing stock may lead to poor portfolio performance in the long run. Constantly keeping a close watching on fundamental and technical data can provide important information needed to stay afloat in the equity markets.
When undertaking stock analysis, investors and traders may choose to view multiple technical levels. SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 205.73. Investors and traders may use this indicator to help spot price reversals, price extremes, and the strength of a trend. Many investors will use the CCI in conjunction with other indicators when evaluating a trade. The CCI may be used to spot if a stock is entering overbought (+100) and oversold (-100) territory.
We can also do some further technical analysis on the stock. At the time of writing, the 14-day ADX for SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE) is 12.82. Many technical chart analysts believe that an ADX value over 25 would suggest a strong trend. A reading under 20 would indicate no trend, and a reading from 20-25 would suggest that there is no clear trend signal. The ADX is typically plotted along with two other directional movement indicator lines, the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI). Some analysts believe that the ADX is one of the best trend strength indicators available.
Interested investors may be watching the Williams Percent Range or Williams %R. Williams %R is a popular technical indicator created by Larry Williams to help identify overbought and oversold situations. Investors will commonly use Williams %R in conjunction with other trend indicators to help spot possible stock turning points. SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R currently sits at 0.00. In general, if the indicator goes above -20, the stock may be considered overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes below -80, this may point to the stock being oversold.
Tracking other technical indicators, the 14-day RSI is presently standing at 62.52, the 7-day sits at 72.12, and the 3-day is resting at 85.97. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is an often employed momentum oscillator that is used to measure the speed and change of stock price movements. When charted, the RSI can serve as a visual means to monitor historical and current strength or weakness in a certain market. This measurement is based on closing prices over a specific period of time. As a momentum oscillator, the RSI operates in a set range. This range falls on a scale between 0 and 100. If the RSI is closer to 100, this may indicate a period of stronger momentum. On the flip side, an RSI near 0 may signal weaker momentum. The RSI was originally created by J. Welles Wilder which was introduced in his 1978 book “New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems”.
For further review, we can take a look at another popular technical indicator. In terms of moving averages, the 200-day is currently at 1.22, the 50-day is 1.45, and the 7-day is resting at 1.42. Moving averages are a popular trading tool among investors. Moving averages can be used to help filter out the day to day noise created by other factors. MA’s may be used to identify uptrends or downtrends, and they can be a prominent indicator for detecting a shift in momentum for a particular stock. Many traders will use moving averages for different periods of time in conjunction with other indicators to help gauge future stock price action.
As the next earnings season comes into focus, investors will be keeping watch on the performance of companies that they own. A company that continually exceeds earnings projections is most likely on the right track. On the other end of the spectrum, a company that frequently misses earnings projections might provide some insight to the fact that something isn’t right. Although it is important to keep track of earnings estimates and results, it shouldn’t be the only thing that the investor is looking at regarding the stock. Just because a company misses or beats expectations for one quarter may not mean anything super special. Tracking performance over a longer period of time can help paint the bigger picture of what is going on with the company. Sharp investors often have the ability to look deeper into the numbers to see the actual causes of an earnings hit or miss. Of course estimates are just that, estimates, and some analysts may be more accurate than others.