200-Day Moving Average Scanner

The 200-day moving average is the most widely watched long-term trend indicator in equity markets. It smooths roughly ten months of price data and is used by pension funds, trend-following strategies, and technical analysts to define the macro direction of a stock. When a stock trades above its 200-DMA, the prevailing regime is considered bullish; below it, bearish. Because so many participants use it, the 200-DMA often becomes self-fulfilling: support attracts buyers, and breakdowns trigger systematic selling.

• Trend definition: the slope of the 200-DMA itself tells you whether the long-term trend is rising, flat, or falling.
• Institutional footprint: large funds often use the 200-DMA as a risk-management threshold; breaches can trigger rebalancing flows.
• Psychological anchor: media and research desks reference the 200-DMA constantly, reinforcing its importance.
• Not a magic line: it is a smoothed historical average — it does not predict the future, but it summarizes where the consensus has been.

The most actionable 200-DMA events are not the slow grinds — they are the decisive interactions. A reclaim occurs when a stock that was trading below its 200-DMA closes back above it, ideally on above-average volume. This signals that selling pressure has been absorbed and demand has regained control of the long-term trend. A rejection happens when a stock rallies into the 200-DMA from below but fails to close above it, often on fading volume, and then turns lower. Rejections confirm that overhead supply remains strong and the downtrend is intact.

• Reclaim confirmation: close above the 200-DMA + volume above the 20-day average + follow-through within 2–3 sessions.
• Rejection warning: intraday push above the 200-DMA fails, body of the candle closes below, volume is light — sellers are still in control.
• Multiple tests: a stock that tests the 200-DMA several times and then reclaims is often more durable than one that blasts through on the first try.
• Timeframe: daily closes matter more than intraday wicks; our scanner uses closing prices to avoid noise.

Support and breakdown are mirror-image concepts centered on the 200-DMA. Support means the 200-DMA is acting as a floor: price declines toward it, demand emerges, and the stock bounces. This is most reliable when the 200-DMA is rising and the stock has a history of respecting it. Breakdown means the 200-DMA has been violated decisively: price closes below it, follow-through selling appears, and what was support becomes resistance. The distinction is not about a single tick — it is about confirmation, volume, and context.

• Support check: does the stock have at least two prior successful tests of the 200-DMA in the last 12 months?
• Breakdown confirmation: a close 3–5% below the 200-DMA on expanded volume is more reliable than a fractional pierce.
• Failed breakdown: sometimes a stock dips below the 200-DMA for 1–2 days and snaps back — a bear trap. This is actually bullish if volume is high on the reclaim.
• Slope matters: a rising 200-DMA provides stronger support than a flat or falling one; a falling 200-DMA makes breakdowns more likely to follow through.