Divergences

Small cap stocks have been leading domestic markets higher. The Russell 2000 (RUT) is up well over 100% since the early 2009 lows.

Over the past week, the RUT has shown some weakness. In fact, the multi-month uptrend line in place since last summer was violated last week.

On the other hand, larger cap stock indexes such as the S&P 500 (SPX) continue to show strength. Uptrends are still technically in place.

This is an example of a 'divergence.' Divergences occur when market indicators that are 'supposed' to move together fail to do so. Often, divergences portend a change in market character. Perhaps investors are rotating out of small caps because they see relative value in large cap stocks. Maybe weak small caps reflect declining risk tolerance among investors.

Of course, perhaps this divergence is just a random phenomenon that merits no meaningful interpretation...

In any event, I've found it useful to look for divergences and keep them in mind when making sense of the tape.

position in SPX