The Dow Jones Industrial Average got a lot of press this week after it succumbed to its first traditional “death cross” since 2011 when the index’s 50-day simple moving average (SMA) crossed below its 200-day SMA. Technical traders often view this crossover as a bearish long-term technical signal, but traders that sold the index and its components at the time of the cross sold the Dow following a drop of about 3.5 percent in less than a month.

The Concept Of Crossovers

The idea behind trading crossovers is that a short-term moving average above a long-term moving average is an indicator of upward momentum in a stock, and the opposite is true about a short-term average trading below a long-term average. This second scenario played out with the Dow this week when the 50-day SMA crossed below the 200-day SMA.

Are There Better Numbers?

The 50-day and 200-day SMAs are…

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