Taking One Bearish Signal and Using It to Discover a Potential Problem for an Entire Industry
With the overall market screaming higher in recent weeks and with so many stocks in overbought territory, I went looking for bearish trade ideas that could be used to hedge my long portfolio.
I started my search with a quick screen of bearish signals produced by Tickeron's platform. There were 10 stocks that appeared from the screen, one of which was Alcoa (NYSE: AA). When I pulled Alcoa up specifically and started looking at other aluminum companies, I discovered a potential problem for the group as a whole.
The aluminum theme refers to companies engaged in making aluminum components and products. Crown Holdings, Inc., for example, designs and manufactures steel and aluminum cans. Tredegar Corp. produces plastic films and aluminum extrusions. SIFCO Industries Inc. makes metalworking products. Alcoa itself produces aluminum used by other companies in their own products.
For Alcoa, there was a bearish signal from the Bollinger Bands as the upper band was broken. A price fall is expected as the ticker heads toward the middle band, which invites the trader to consider selling or shorting the ticker or exploring put options. In 25 of 35 cases where AA's price broke its higher Bollinger Band, its price dropped further during the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 71%.
I also pulled up the fundamental analysis ratings on Tickeron and noticed that the Profit Vs. Risk Rating was a 100—the worst possible score a stock can get. It also got a poor score of 88 on the P/E Growth Rating. This led me to look at other companies in the aluminum industry and so I pulled up the group.
Looking at the fundamental analysis screener I found there were 10 stocks in the group. Seven of the 10 scored 100 on the Profit Vs. Risk rating while the other three stocks had scores of 93, 84, and 62. In other words, every single stock in the group is below average when it comes to Profit Vs. Risk right now. The only one that gets a score that is even close to average is Crown Holdings (NYSE: CCK).
After finding this information a little concerning, I jumped over to the technical analysis screener for the group. What I found there was that Alcoa wasn't the only stock in the group that had received a bearish signal from its Bollinger Bands. Eight of the 10 stocks have received bearish signals from the Bollinger Bands indicator within the last few weeks with five of them coming within the past week.
Looking at the success percentages, six of the 10 stocks with bearish signals show a probability of success of 70% or higher. That's a really high percentage for a group of six stocks.
The aluminum industry tends to be very dependent on growth in the overall economy for its own growth. If the economy is growing, the aluminum industry tends to grow as well. If the economy is shrinking, the industry tends to see a decline in earnings and revenue. This can be explained by looking at the products where aluminum is used. A lot of aluminum is used in packaging—soft drink cans, beer cans, etc. While many of these products are considered staples, they still tend to be somewhat dependent on overall economic growth.
Momentum for the market as a whole is clearly to the upside at this time. However, there will come a time where the euphoria wears off and we will see some selling hit the market. When it does, the aluminum industry could be one that gets hit particularly hard. This is based on the incredibly high Profit Vs. Risk ratings and the confidence levels from the bearish Bollinger Band signals.
Aroon Indicator for AA shows an upward move is likely
AA's Aroon Indicator triggered a bullish signal on December 06, 2024. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor detected that the AroonUp green line is above 70 while the AroonDown red line is below 30. When the up indicator moves above 70 and the down indicator remains below 30, it is a sign that the stock could be setting up for a bullish move. Traders may want to buy the stock or look to buy calls options. A.I.dvisor looked at 244 similar instances where the Aroon Indicator showed a similar pattern. In of the 244 cases, the stock moved higher in the days that followed. This puts the odds of a move higher at .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The RSI Oscillator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where AA's RSI Oscillator exited the oversold zone, of 28 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Stochastic Oscillator suggests the stock price trend may be in a reversal from a downward trend to an upward trend. of 50 cases where AA's Stochastic Oscillator exited the oversold zone resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where AA advanced for three days, in of 295 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
AA may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on December 06, 2024. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on AA as a result. In of 88 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for AA turned negative on December 03, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 44 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 44 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
AA moved below its 50-day moving average on December 09, 2024 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
The 10-day moving average for AA crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on December 16, 2024. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In of 18 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where AA declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (1.900) is normal, around the industry mean (1.884). P/E Ratio (0.000) is within average values for comparable stocks, (30.304). AA has a moderately low Dividend Yield (0.010) as compared to the industry average of (0.044). P/S Ratio (0.675) is also within normal values, averaging (0.801).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. AA’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. AA’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 81, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating weak sales and an unprofitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
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Fundamental Analysis Ratings
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
General Information
a miner of bauxite and aluminum
Industry Aluminum