The S&P 500 opened flat on options Friday and sold off methodically to its -0.73% intraday low. The index then zigzagged higher to its modest -0.33% closing loss. This was the sixth finish in the red in seven sessions. For the week the index is down 1.19%, its second weekly decline following a three-week rally.
The 10-Year note closed at 1.62%, up five basis points from the previous session.
Here is a snapshot of past five sessions in the S&P 500.
Here is a daily chart of the index. Trading volume reflects Friday's options trade. Market technicians are probably paying attention to the apparent resistance at the 50-day price moving average.
Here's a look at the VIX volatility index, the celebrated "fear gauge" market indicator. The intraday VIX trade remained below the 20 threshold.
A Perspective on Drawdowns
Here's a snapshot of selloffs since the 2009 trough.
Here is a more conventional log-scale chart with drawdowns highlighted.
Here is a linear scale version of the same chart with the 50- and 200-day moving averages.
A Perspective on Volatility
For a sense of the correlation between the closing price and intraday volatility, the chart below overlays the S&P 500 since 2007 with the intraday price range. We've also included a 20-day moving average to help identify trends in volatility.