In the week ahead the U.S. equity market, broadly represented by the S&P 500 index, will be looking for direction as the level reaches its 200 day moving average (MA), which had served as firm support before dropping below that level on May 22, 2010 for the first time since mid July 2009. By our analysis, markets are now undergoing a sentiment shift, in turn morphing the 200 day MA into a resistance; twice tested but not yet broken since crossing below on May 22.

What is Quad Witching? Generally there’s a great deal of confusion concerning the term “quad witching” and what this day may constitute in financial markets. As a result, we would like to take this Quad Witching Friday, March 19, 2010, and demystify the phenomenon once and for all. “Witching” signifies the expiration of an entire group of
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