This list shows which stocks are most likely to have their 50 day SMA cross above or below their 200 day SMA in the next trading session. This is an important trading signal for institutional traders. When the 50 day SMA crossed below the 200 day SMA, it is called a “death cross.” When the 50 crossed above the 200, it is called a “golden cross.”

We do not track the actual cross-over event. We focus on a smaller time scale. Many stock screeners focus on daily candlesticks; they would be the best place to find out what crossovers happened the previous day.

To predict which stocks are most likely to have a moving average crossover in the near future, we compare the two moving averages, then use the stock’s recent volatility to see how likely it is for the moving averages to cross in a fixed amount of time. Makes sense.

The formula for this list is absolute_value(50 day SMA of the closing prices – 200 day SMA of the closing prices) / volatility. The smallest value is shown at the top of the list.

As of July 11, 2006:

1. GPX – GP STRATEGIES CORP
2. ETR – ENTERGY CORP NEW
3. LRW – LABOR READY INC COM NEW
4. VZ – VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS
5. UPL – ULTRA PETROLEUM CORP
6. QLGC – QLOGIC CORP
7. BUSE – FIRST BUSEY CORP
8. HSP – HOSPIRA INC
9. DVD – DOVER MOTORSPORTS INC
10. HRH – HILB ROGAL & HOBBS CO

The latest list (that gets updated daily) is here (50 Day MA to Cross 200 Day MA). See Note below.

Here’s more information on moving averages.

Note: This list highlights some interesting stocks that we track. This interest is based strictly on the historical baseline information described above. Our real-time product generates far more specific lists based on this data, real-time price and volume information, and a more detailed user configuration screen. This screener updates once a day, at approximately 4am Eastern time.