The Russell 2000 is taking the brunt of the broader market’s selloff, as the small-capitalization companies tracker is sinking 2.4% to put it on track for the lowest close since Jan. 29, 2021. The index has tumbled 13.6% since it closed at a record 2,442.74 a little over two months ago (Nov. 8). The selloff puts the index on the verge of producing a “death cross” chart pattern for the first time since March 2020. A “death cross” appears when the 50-day moving average crosses (DMA) below the 200-DMA, which many chart watchers say marks the spot a short-term pullback graduates to a longer-term downtrend, but they’re not always good market-timing tool given that their appearances are usually well telegraphed. The Russell 2000’s 50-DMA came in at 2,255.33 on Tuesday, and has been falling by a little over 4 points per day over the past week, while the 200-DMA came in at 2,253.30 and has been falling by about 0.4 points per day. The last “death cross” appeared on March 19, 2020, which was the day after the index closed at its post-pandemic low of 991.16. A “death cross” came within about 0.4 points from appearing in October 2021, just before a renewed rally took the index to its record close in early November. In comparison, for the S&P 500 , which was down 1.6% on Tuesday, the 50-DMA is at 4,679.20 and the 200-DMA is at 4,423.39.
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