Merck Pulls Back from Record High
Drugmaker Merck has been pushing to new highs, and now it’s pulled back.
The first pattern on today’s chart is a pair of gaps. On February 1, earnings and revenue beat estimates. The second jump on March 27 followed approval of a lung-disease drug. Both of those gaps pushed the stock to record highs.
Next, MRK held last year’s previous all-time high in mid-March. Has old resistance become new support?
Third, the past week saw prices test below the April 26 close of $125.52 but keep closing above it. Is support now established at a higher level?
Next, the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) had a “golden cross” above the 200-day SMA in late January. That may suggest the long-term trend has grown more bullish.
Prices are now trying to stabilize at the rising 50-day SMA. Some dip buyers may see an opportunity at that intermediate-term trend indicator.
Finally, MRK reports earnings on April 25. It’s also an active underlier in the options market, with TradeStation data showing average daily volume of 29,500 contracts per day in the last month. Traders seeing potential of an earnings move could find it a potential candidate for a vertical spread.
TradeStation has, for decades, advanced the trading industry, providing access to stocks, options and futures. See our Overview for more.
Past performance, whether actual or indicated by historical tests of strategies, is no guarantee of future performance or success. There is a possibility that you may sustain a loss equal to or greater than your entire investment regardless of which asset class you trade (equities, options or futures); therefore, you should not invest or risk money that you cannot afford to lose. Online trading is not suitable for all investors. View the document titled Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options at https://www.TradeStation.com/DisclosureOptions. Before trading any asset class, customers must read the relevant risk disclosure statements on https://www.TradeStation.com/Important-Information/. System access and trade placement and execution may be delayed or fail due to market volatility and volume, quote delays, system and software errors, Internet traffic, outages and other factors.
Securities and futures trading is offered to self-directed customers by TradeStation Securities, Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a futures commission merchant licensed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission). TradeStation Securities is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the National Futures Association, and a number of exchanges.
TradeStation Securities, Inc. and TradeStation Technologies, Inc. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of TradeStation Group, Inc., both operating, and providing products and services, under the TradeStation brand and trademark. When applying for, or purchasing, accounts, subscriptions, products and services, it is important that you know which company you will be dealing with. Visit [url =tradestation.com/DisclosureTSCompanies] TradeStation.com/DisclosureTSCompanies for further important information explaining what this means.
Margin trading involves risks, and it is important that you fully understand those risks before trading on margin. The Margin Disclosure Statement outlines many of those risks, including that you can lose more funds than you deposit in your margin account; your brokerage firm can force the sale of securities in your account; your brokerage firm can sell your securities without contacting you; and you are not entitled to an extension of time on a margin call. Review the Margin Disclosure Statement at https://www.TradeStation.com/DisclosureMargin.
The first pattern on today’s chart is a pair of gaps. On February 1, earnings and revenue beat estimates. The second jump on March 27 followed approval of a lung-disease drug. Both of those gaps pushed the stock to record highs.
Next, MRK held last year’s previous all-time high in mid-March. Has old resistance become new support?
Third, the past week saw prices test below the April 26 close of $125.52 but keep closing above it. Is support now established at a higher level?
Next, the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) had a “golden cross” above the 200-day SMA in late January. That may suggest the long-term trend has grown more bullish.
Prices are now trying to stabilize at the rising 50-day SMA. Some dip buyers may see an opportunity at that intermediate-term trend indicator.
Finally, MRK reports earnings on April 25. It’s also an active underlier in the options market, with TradeStation data showing average daily volume of 29,500 contracts per day in the last month. Traders seeing potential of an earnings move could find it a potential candidate for a vertical spread.
TradeStation has, for decades, advanced the trading industry, providing access to stocks, options and futures. See our Overview for more.
Past performance, whether actual or indicated by historical tests of strategies, is no guarantee of future performance or success. There is a possibility that you may sustain a loss equal to or greater than your entire investment regardless of which asset class you trade (equities, options or futures); therefore, you should not invest or risk money that you cannot afford to lose. Online trading is not suitable for all investors. View the document titled Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options at https://www.TradeStation.com/DisclosureOptions. Before trading any asset class, customers must read the relevant risk disclosure statements on https://www.TradeStation.com/Important-Information/. System access and trade placement and execution may be delayed or fail due to market volatility and volume, quote delays, system and software errors, Internet traffic, outages and other factors.
Securities and futures trading is offered to self-directed customers by TradeStation Securities, Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a futures commission merchant licensed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission). TradeStation Securities is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the National Futures Association, and a number of exchanges.
TradeStation Securities, Inc. and TradeStation Technologies, Inc. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of TradeStation Group, Inc., both operating, and providing products and services, under the TradeStation brand and trademark. When applying for, or purchasing, accounts, subscriptions, products and services, it is important that you know which company you will be dealing with. Visit [url =tradestation.com/DisclosureTSCompanies] TradeStation.com/DisclosureTSCompanies for further important information explaining what this means.
Margin trading involves risks, and it is important that you fully understand those risks before trading on margin. The Margin Disclosure Statement outlines many of those risks, including that you can lose more funds than you deposit in your margin account; your brokerage firm can force the sale of securities in your account; your brokerage firm can sell your securities without contacting you; and you are not entitled to an extension of time on a margin call. Review the Margin Disclosure Statement at https://www.TradeStation.com/DisclosureMargin.
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