McClellan Summation Index Indicator

New: Join our 3-hour live workshop with Spencer to learn the basics of trading and make your first live trade!

The McClellan Summation Index is a long-term market breadth indicator developed by Sherman and Marian McClellan.

It is essentially a cumulative version of the McClellan Oscillator, designed to track intermediate to major market trends and reversals.

Understanding the McClellan Summation Index

This index helps traders and analysts assess bullish or bearish market sentiment and the strength of trends.

Unlike traditional price-based indices such as the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the McClellan Summation Index provides a unique perspective by quantifying market movements based on stock advances and declines.

Key Levels and Interpretation

The McClellan Summation Index has a neutral reading around +1,000, but over time, the thresholds for overbought and oversold levels have expanded due to the increase in the number of stocks traded on exchanges like the NYSE.

Some basic rules of thumb for interpreting the index include:

  • Major market bottoms often occur below -1,300
  • Major tops are usually associated with divergence above +1,600
  • Large bull runs may be indicated when the index crosses above +1,900 after gaining 3,600 points from a prior low

Calculation of the McClellan Summation Index

The McClellan Summation Index is calculated by adding the current day’s McClellan Oscillator value to the previous day’s Summation Index value, making it a cumulative indicator of market movements.

This allows the index to reflect the ongoing impact of stock advances and declines over time, offering a long-term view of market trends.

Concluding Thoughts

The McClellan Summation Index is a powerful tool in technical analysis for identifying intermediate to major market trends.

Its ability to gauge market sentiment and signal potential tops and bottoms provides valuable insights for traders and investors seeking to navigate broad market movements beyond simple price-based analysis.



Banner 01 Trading Foundation Workshop New to Trading? Make your first live trade today in this workshop! Meet Spencer live for 3 hours of hands-on training! No prior experience required! Learn all the basics of trading, and step-by-step guidance to make your first trade!

Daily Trading Signals Banner Updated If you're looking for the best trading opportunities every day across various markets, and don't want to spend hours doing the research yourself, check out our private Telegram channel!
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *