iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ: IBB) Looks Ready For Another Cycle Lower

Stocks were hit with another round of selling on Tuesday and once again we saw all four indices open lower and remain in negative territory throughout the day. The Russell was the worst performing index for the second straight day and this time it was a loss of 1.89%. The Nasdaq dropped 0.92% and was once again the second worst performer.

The Dow fell 0.75% and the S&P lost 0.68%.

Seven of the 10 main sectors moved lower on the day as the three biggest defensive sectors moved higher. The energy sector tumbled 2.56% as the worst performing sector and it was followed by the financial sector with a drop of 1.81%.

The utilities sector jumped 1.29% to lead the way and it was followed by the consumer staples sector with a gain of 0.55%. The healthcare sector joined those two in positive territory with a gain of 0.38%.

My scans remained negative and they turned slightly more negative on Tuesday. There were 57 bearish signals and only seven bullish signals last night.

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The barometer dipped to -38.9 from -35.9 once these results were added in to the calculation. The barometer has now been in negative territory for 10 straight days.

There weren’t very many trade setups that I liked on either side last night, but there was one that stood out and it was on the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (Nasdaq: IBB). The ETF was on the bearish list and it also got a bearish signal from Tickeron’s AI Trend Prediction tool. The data showed the odds of a move lower over the next month were at 90%.

We see on the chart how the IBB moved below its 50-day moving average back in late February and it is still below that trend line. We also see that there has been a series of lower highs over the last month and the stock just hit the trend line that connects those points. It looks as though the fund is ready for another cycle lower.

Buy to open the June 155-strike puts on IBB at $7.70 or better. These options expire on June 18, 2021. I suggest a target gain of 75% and that means the stock will need to drop to $141.50. That target is slightly below the low from March, but I believe it is reachable. I suggest a stop at $155.00.

— Rick Pendergraft

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Rick Pendergraft, Trades Of The Day

Rick Pendergraft has been studying, trading, analyzing and writing about the investment markets for over 30 years. He has worked for some of the largest financial publishers in the world and he has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times and the Washington Post. In addition, he has been interviewed on Bloomberg, CNBC and Fox Business News. Rick's analysis process includes fundamental, sentiment and technical analysis.