United Kingdom Ishares MSCI ETF (EWU)’s MFI Reading Under The Lens

The Money Flow Indicator for United Kingdom Ishares MSCI ETF (EWU) has touched above 60 and has found a place on investor’s radar as it potentially nears the key 70 mark.  The MFI indicator is an oscillator which ranges between fixed values of 0 and 100 and as with most oscillators divergences form a major part of trading with the MFI indicator.  Traders look for divergence between the indicator and the price action. If the price trends higher and the MFI trends lower (or vice versa), a reversal may be imminent.  Market tops tend to occur when the MFI is above 70 or 80. Market bottoms tend to occur when the MFI is below 20.

Investors should however be wary of trading these levels blindly. As the warning goes, an overbought market can remain overbought for an extended period. Strong trends can present a problem for these classic overbought and oversold levels. The MFI can become overbought, and prices can simply continue higher when the uptrend is strong. Conversely, the MFI can become oversold, and prices can simply continue lower when the downtrend persists.  Like the RSI, this indicator is best used in conjunction with another indicator as confirmation. 

Investors may be digging through all of the most recent earnings report trying to locate a few names that are poised to make a run. Investors often take notice when a company beats or misses analyst projections by a wide margin. Once identifying these stocks, investors may want to look back at earnings history over the past few quarters. While one or two sub-par quarters may not be a legitimate cause for alarm, a long string of underperformance may be worth looking into. On the flip side, one or two great quarters may not be telling the complete picture either. Going behind the curtain and investigating the numbers may help the investor locate the next batch of stocks to add to the portfolio.

Taking a deeper look into the technicals, United Kingdom Ishares MSCI ETF (EWU) currently has a 50-day Moving Average of 33.22, the 200-day Moving Average is 32.16, and the 7-day is noted at 33.66. Following moving averages with different time frames may help offer a wide variety of stock information. A longer average like the 200-day may serve as a smoothing tool when striving to evaluate longer term trends. On the flip side, a shorter MA like the 50-day may help with identifying shorter term trading signals. Moving averages may also function well as a tool for determining support and resistance levels.

Traders may be relying in part on technical stock analysis. United Kingdom Ishares MSCI ETF (EWU) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -18.53. Despite the name, CCI can be used on other investment tools such as stocks. The CCI was designed to typically stay within the reading of -100 to +100. Traders may use the indicator to determine stock trends or to identify overbought/oversold conditions. A CCI reading above +100 would imply that the stock is overbought and possibly ready for a correction. On the other hand, a reading of -100 would imply that the stock is oversold and possibly set for a rally.

At the time of writing, the 14-day ADX for United Kingdom Ishares MSCI ETF (EWU) is 21.03. 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.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is one of multiple popular technical indicators created by J. Welles Wilder. Wilder introduced RSI in his book “New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems” which was published in 1978. RSI measures the magnitude and velocity of directional price movements. The data is represented graphically by fluctuating between a value of 0 and 100. The indicator is computed by using the average losses and gains of a stock over a certain time period. RSI can be used to help spot overbought or oversold conditions. An RSI reading over 70 would be considered overbought, and a reading under 30 would indicate oversold conditions. A level of 50 would indicate neutral market momentum. The 14-day RSI is currently sitting at 57.23, the 7-day is at 56.26, and the 3-day is spotted at 71.84.

The investing community is always using the terms bulls and bears. They are terms used to label market trends. Upward trends are considered bullish while downward trends are considered bearish. The overall market trend has been bullish for a long period of time. Trends can be long-term, short-term, or intermediate. These terms are used universally and may apply to entire markets or specific stocks. While there is money to be made in bull and bear markets, investors may want to concoct a stock strategy that will perform well during any conditions. Investors who are successful throughout any market conditions are typically highly focused, disciplined, and consistent with their trading maneuvers. Whether optimism or pessimism rules the sentiment, investors need to be able to capitalize when the time comes.