LIVE MARKETS-As Mag 7 and chips slide, Nasdaq breadth offers a glimmer of hope 

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AS MAG 7 AND CHIPS SLIDE, NASDAQ BREADTH OFFERS A GLIMMER OF HOPE

The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC slipped 0.2% on Monday to close at 24,932.08, its lowest finish since April 30, as continued weakness in the Magnificent Seven group and semiconductor stocks weighed on the market.

The decline leaves the tech-heavy index nearly 8% below its June 2 record closing high of 27,093.901 and about 8.3% below its June 1 record intraday peak of 27,190.207.

The pressure has been even more pronounced among market leaders. The Magnificent Seven ETF MAGS.K is down more than 11% from its May high, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index .SOX has tumbled more than 21% from its June peak.

And the selling may not be finished. Ahead of Tuesday’s open, E-mini Nasdaq 100 futures NQc1 are down around 0.6%, reflecting ongoing caution toward AI chip stocks and suggesting the Nasdaq could remain under pressure in the near term.

Still, one closely watched measure of market breadth is beginning to show some encouraging signs. The Nasdaq New High/New Low (NH/NL) Index has fallen back into the same range that marked its lows during late-2025 pullbacks. Yet despite Monday's decline in the Nasdaq, the indicator actually edged higher, hinting that underlying market participation may be starting to improve.

The NH/NL Index finished Friday at 33.1% and rose to 34.1% on Monday. For context, the indicator bottomed between 29.7% and 35.0% during several late-2025 pullbacks.

The big question is whether this latest bounce is the start of something more meaningful. Historically, the NH/NL Index has often formed sharp V-shaped reversals around important Nasdaq lows. Bulls would likely want to see the indicator accelerate higher and regain its declining 10-day moving average, which is expected to be around 40% on Tuesday.

A move above that level would suggest market breadth is improving and could bolster the argument that the Nasdaq's recent pullback is running out of steam. On the other hand, a break below 29.7% would signal worsening internal weakness and raise the risk of further instability.

For reference, the NH/NL Index fell to 17.6% in late March this year and 7.8% in early April 2025.

(Terence Gabriel)

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(Terence Gabriel is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)