3:30 p.m. New York time
Half an hour before the closing bell. The S&P 500 futures continued to rise during the session, reaching a high of 7552, and then fell into the 7470s as the closing bell approached.
Elliott Wave Theory. The movement did nothing to clarify the analysis. Rising wave D{-5} remains the more likely interpretation, but it is still possible that falling wave E{-5} began from the June 15 peak, 7648.75. Neither scenario has been verified.
Decision Points. A rise above the session high, 7552, would renew the advance and shift attention toward 7632 and the June 15 peak, 7648.75. A break above 7648.75 would confirm that wave D{-5} continued beyond June 15. A sustained decline below the 7480s would strengthen the immediate bearish case, while a break below 7357.25 would materially increase the likelihood that falling wave E{-5} is underway.
9:35 a.m. New York time
What’s happening now? The S&P 500 E-mini futures rose overnight from 7482 to 7545.25, then pulled back into the 7520s.
What does it mean? The Elliott Wave Theory position remains unchanged. Rising wave D{-5} appears to be underway and in its final subwave, wave C{-6}. Since June 2, however, the price has remained within a relatively narrow range—from the 7230s to the 7640s—leaving a degree of uncertainty: Is wave D{-5} still underway, or did it end at the June 15 peak, with falling wave E{-5} beginning from that point?
For now, the wave D{-5} scenario appears more likely. But neither scenario has been verified.
The price has remained above the upper boundary of the wave 4{-4} expanding triangle since April 30. Such a throw-over can occur under Elliott Wave Theory, but the duration of this one is unusual.
Decision Points. A rise above the overnight high, 7545.25, would continue the advance and shift attention toward 7632 and the June 15 peak, 7648.75. A break above 7648.75 would confirm that wave D{-5} continued beyond June 15. A decline below 7482 would erase the overnight rise. A move below 7357.25 would materially strengthen the case that falling wave E{-5} is underway, with a break below 7232.25 providing stronger evidence.
The Leading Economic Index at 10 a.m. New York time could produce brief volatility, but war-related developments—particularly those affecting Gulf shipping and oil prices—remain the larger source of unscheduled market risk.
The Chart. Today’s chart focuses on wave 4{-4}, a downward correction that began on October 29, 2025. The blue lines trace the upper and lower boundaries of the expanding triangle form wave 4{-4} has taken. It is the parent wave of rising wave D{-5} and falling wave E{-5}.

[S&P 500 E-mini futures 3:30 p.m., 1-day bars with volume]
Waves Now Underway
These are the waves currently in progress under my principal analysis. Each line on the list shows the wave number, with the subscript in curly brackets, the traditional degree name, the starting date, the starting price of the S&P 500 E-mini futures, and the direction of the wave.
- S&P 500 Index:
- 5{+3} Supercycle, 7/8/1932, 4.40 (up)
- 5{+2} Cycle, 12/9/1974, 60.96 (up)
- 5{+1} Primary, 3/6/2009, 666.79 (up)
- 5{0} Intermediate, 2/11/2016, 1810.10 (up)
- 3{-1} Minor, 3/23/2020, 2191.36 (up)
- 1{-2} Minute, 7/31/2025, 6468.50 (down)
- S&P 500 E-mini futures
- 5{-3} Minuette 8/1/2025, 6239.50 (up}
- 4{-4} Subminutte 10/29/2025, 6953.75 (down}
- D{-5} Micro, 3/30/2026, 6353.25 (up}
- C{-6} Submicro, 6/11/2026, 7232.25 (up)
Reading the chart. Price movements — waves – – in Elliott Wave Theory analysis are labeled with numbers within trending waves and letters with corrective waves. The subscripts — numbers in curly brackets — designate the wave’s degree, which, in Elliott Wave analysis, means the relative position of a wave within the larger and smaller structures that make up the chart.R.N. Elliott, who in the 1930s developed the form of analysis that bears his name, viewed the chart as a complex structure of smaller waves nested within larger waves, which in turn are nested within still larger waves. In mathematics it’s called a fractal structure, where at every scale the pattern is similar to the others.
Learning and other resources. Elliott Wave analysis provides context, not prophecy. As the 20th century semanticist Alfred Korzybski put it in his book Science and Sanity(1933), “The map is not the territory… The only usefulness of a map depends on similarity of structure between the empirical world and the map.” And I would add, in the ever-changing markets, we can judge that similarity of structure only after the fact.
See the menu pageAnalytical Methodsfor a rundown on where to go for information on Elliott Wave analysis.
By Tim Bovee, Portland, Oregon, July 20, 2026
Disclaimer
Tim Bovee, Private Trader tracks the analysis and trades of a private trader managing his own accounts. The content reflects my interpretation of market structure, including Elliott Wave Theory and related tools.
Nothing in this blog constitutes a recommendation to buy or sell stocks, options, or any other financial instrument, or to pursue any particular strategy. The purpose of this blog is education and entertainment.
No trader is ever 100 percent successful. Trading in stock and options markets involves risk and uncertainty. Each trader must make decisions for his or her own account and accept full responsibility for the outcomes.
Charts and tools are used to support my personal analysis. Any data displayed is illustrative of that analytical process and is not presented as a source of market data for redistribution.
All content on Tim Bovee, Private Trader byTimothy K. Boveeis licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Based on work atwww.timbovee.com









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