Starbucks Is Starting to Cool Off
Starbucks (SBUX) is hardly percolating as corporate leaders deal with an increased labor movement in its ranks. Let's check the temperature of the charts and indicators of the Seattle-based coffee giant.
In the daily bar chart of SBUX, below, we can see a weakening picture. Prices made a low in May and a retest in June. A rally unfolded into September but beneath the surface the indicators weakened. Trading volume did not expand with the rally and then spiked higher at the September high.
The On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line moved only modestly higher from May to September. The OBV line is pointed lower now. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) oscillator made a lower high in September versus August for a bearish divergence. The oscillator is hugging the zero line and could easily turn bearish.
In the weekly Japanese candlestick chart of SBUX, below, we can see a number of upper shadows in September and October telling us that traders have been rejecting the highs. This typically means that the path of least resistance will be lower. The slope of the 40-week moving average line is still negative even though prices are just above the line now.
The weekly OBV line shows some improvement into the middle of October but that could end soon. The MACD oscillator is below the zero line and narrowing which tells us that the trend strength is weakening.
In this daily Point and Figure chart of SBUX, below, we can see a potential upside price target in the $102 area. A trade at $94 is needed to refresh the uptrend. A trade at $85 or lower is likely to weaken this chart.
In this weekly Point and Figure chart of SBUX, below, we can see an upside price target but a trade at $83.91 is going to weaken things as it will be a new short-term low on this chart.
Bottom-line strategy: SBUX is cooling off and poised to renew its longer-term decline. Avoid the long side. (Not all encore performances are good.)
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