BIG POST! | How To Beat SP500?
S&P 500 Performance: +35% since 2022.
My Selected Portfolio Performance: +62%, with an 82% hit rate.
Top Performing Stocks: NVDA (+735%), ANET (+343%), META (+209%), and more.
Technical Analysis Tools Used: Price action, trendlines, Fibonacci levels, round numbers, and more.
It’s been nearly three years since I posted my analysis of S&P 500 stocks on February 23, 2022. Back then, I reviewed all 500 stocks, applied some quick technical analysis, and identified 75 stocks that stood out for me. Importantly, I relied solely on technical analysis to make my picks. Fast forward to today, and the results speak for themselves. Most of these selections have significantly outperformed the broader market, proving the power and importance of technical analysis.
While many investors rely solely on fundamentals, technical analysis brings a dynamic edge that’s often underestimated. By focusing on price action and market behavior, technical analysis allows us to spot opportunities that others might miss, especially it gives a massive psychological edge while the markets are making corrections. The market doesn't care what you know, the market cares what you do!
Here’s what I used for my analysis:
It's kind of pure price action - previous yearly highs, trendlines, a 50% retracement from the top, round numbers, Fibonacci levels, equal waves, and channel projections. For breakout trades, determined strong and waited for confirmation before pulling the trigger.
The Results
While the S&P 500 has gained around 35% over this period , my selected stocks from the same list have made +62%! Out of the 75 stocks I picked, 67 have hit my target zones and 54 are currently in the green. That’s an 82% hit rate, and for me, that’s a good number!
Now, for those who favor fundamental analysis, don’t get me wrong, it has its place. But remember, fundamentals tell you what to buy, while technicals tell you when to buy - to be a perfect investor, you need them both. You could hold a fundamentally strong stock for years, waiting for it to catch up to its "true value," while a technical analyst might ride multiple trends and capture far superior returns during that same time. Also, the opposite can happen – you may see a great technical setup, but if the fundamental factors are against it, you could end up with your money stuck in a bad trade.
To put these ideas in perspective, starting with a simulated portfolio of $76,000, where each stock had an equal investment of around $1,000–$1,100, the portfolio is now worth around $124,000. The results are based on buying at marked zones and holding until today. I calculated entries from the middle of the target zone, as it’s a more realistic and optimal approach compared to aiming for perfect lows (which, frankly, feels a bit scammy) to get much(!) higher returns. This method reflects real-world trading.
Before we dive in, here are the current Top 5 stocks from My Picks:
NVDA: +735%
ANET: +343%
TT: +227%
META: +209%
LEN: +164%
These numbers demonstrate the effectiveness of a solid technical strategy. Many say it's tough to beat the market with individual stock picks, but these results show it’s not just possible, it’s absolutely achievable with the right tools and approach.
Now, let's dive into the charts!
1. Apple (AAPL) - a load-it-up type of setup has worked out nicely. Used previously worked resistance levels. If the stocks performing well and the market cap is big enough then these levels can help you to get on board.
Current profit 65%
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2. Adobe (ADBE) - came down sharply, but the price reached the optimal area and reversed.
Current profi 38%.
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3. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - round number, strong resistance level becomes support and the climb can continue.
Current profit 101%
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4. Amazon (AMZN) - came down from high prices to the marked levels and those who were patient enough got rewarded nicely.
Current profit 66%
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5. Arista Networks (ANET) - retest of the round nr. worked perfectly, as a momentum price level, after the strong breakout.
Current profit 343%
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6. Aptiv PLC (APTV): Came down quite sharply and it will take some time to start growing from here, if at all. The setup was quite solid but probably fundamentals got weaker after the all-time high.
Current loss -24%
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7. American Express (AXP) - firstly the round nr. 200 worked as a strong resistance level. Another example is to avoid buying if the stock price approaches bigger round numbers the first time. Came to a previous resistance level and rejection from there…
Current profit 104%
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8. Bio-Rad Laboratories (BIO) - in general I like the price action, kind of smoothly to the optimal zone. It might take some time to start growing from here but also fundamentals need to look over.
Current loss 6%
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9. BlackRock (BLK) - kind of flawless. All criteria are in place and worked perfectly.
Current profit 81%
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10. Ball Corporation (BALL) - a perfect example of why you should wait for a breakout to get a confirmed move. No trade.
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11) Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) - Buy the dip. Again, as Apple, a big and well-known company - all you need to do is to determine the round numbers, and small previous resistances that act as support levels, and you should be good.
Current avg. profit from two purchases 64%
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12) Cardinal Health (CAH) - the retest isn't as deep as wanted but still a confirmed breakout and rally afterward. Still, the bias was correct!
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13) Ceridian HCM Holding (DAY) - found support from the shown area but not much momentum.
Current profit 20%
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14) Charter Communications (CHTR) - technically speaking it is a quite good price action but kind of slow momentum from the shown area. Probably came too sharply and did not have enough previous yearly highs to support the fall.
Current loss -10%
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15) Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) - got liquidity from new lows, pumped up quickly, and is currently fairly solid.
Current profit 10%
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16) Cummins (CMI) - got rejected from 2028 and 2019 clear highs, fairly hot stock, and off it goes.
Current profit 80%
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17) Salesforce.com (CRM) - perfect. 50% drop, strong horizontal area, and mid-round nr did the work.
Current profit 83%
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18) Cisco Systems (CSCO) - worked and slow grind upwards can continue.
Current profit 30%
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19) Caesars Entertainment (CZR) - not in good shape imo. It has taken too much time and the majority of that is sideways movement. Again, came too sharply to the optimal entry area.
Current loss -16%
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20) Devon Energy (DVN) - inside the area and actually active atm. Still, now I’m seeing a bit deeper correction than shown.
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21) Electric Arts (EA) - 6 years of failed attempts to get a monthly close above $150 have ended here. It got it and we are ready to ride with it to the higher levels.
Current profit: kind of BE
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22) eBay (EBAY) - it took some time but again, worked nicely.
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23) Enphase Energy (ENPH) - got a breakout, got a retest, and did a ~76% rally after that! If you still hold it, as I do statistics, then…
Current loss -59%
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24) Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD) - kind of worked but didn't reach. No trade.
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25) Meta Platforms (META) - the bottom rejection from the round number $100 is like a goddamn textbook :D At that time 160 and 200 were also a good area to enter. Here are several examples of the sharp falls/drops/declines - watch out for that, everything should come fairly smoothly. Still, it ended up nicely and we have a massive winner here...
Current profit 209%
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26) FedEx (FDX) - I love the outcome of this. Very solid price action and multiple criteria worked as they should. Perfect.
Current profit 60%
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27) First Republic Bank (FRC) - firstly got a solid 30 to 35% gain from the shown area but...we cannot fight with the fundamentals.
Current loss 99%
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28) General Motors (GM) - finally found some liquidity between strong areas and we are moving up.
Current profit 47%
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29) Alphabet (GOOG) - load it up 3.0, a good and strong company, and use every previous historical resistance level to jump in.
Current avg. profit after three different price level purchases 63%
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30) Genuine Parts (GPC) - coming and it looks solid.
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31) Goldman Sachs (GS) - really close one.
Current profit 86%
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32) Hormel Foods (HRL) - quite bad performance here. Two trades, two losses.
The current loss combined these two together is 35%
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33) Intel (INTC) - at first perfect area from where it found liquidity, peaked at 65%. Still, I make statistics if you still holding it then…
Current loss -21%
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34) Ingersoll Rand (IR) - beautiful!
Current profit 144%
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35) Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) - the trendline, 50% drop, strong horizontal area. Ready, set, go!
Current profit 157%
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36) Johnson Controls International (JCI) - second rest of the area and then it started to move finally..
Current profit 55%
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37) Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Buy the dip and we had only one dip :)
Current profit 13%
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38) CarMax (KMX) - the area is strong but not enough momentum in it so I take it as a weakness.
Current profit kind of BE
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39) Kroger Company (KR) - without that peak it is like walking on my lines
Current profit 15%
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40) Lennar Corp. (LEN) - strong resistance level becomes strong support. Beautiful!
Current profit 164%
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41) LKQ Corp. (LKQ) - just reached and it should be solid. Probably takes some time, not the strongest setup but still valid I would say.
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42) Southwest Airlines (LUV) - no breakout = no trade! Don’t cheat! Your money can be stuck forever but in the meantime, other stocks are flying as you also see in this post. If there is a solid resistance, wait for the breakout and possibly retest afterward! Currently only lower lows and lower highs.
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43) Las Vegas Sands (LVS) - channel inside a channel projection ;) TA its own goodness!
Current profit 70%
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44) Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP) - worked!
Current profit 37%
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45) Altria Group (MO) - got a bit deeper retest, liquidity from lower areas, and probably a second try..
Currently kind of BE
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46) Moderna (MRNA) - "seasonal stocks", again too sharp and we are at a loss…
Current loss -37%
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47) Morgan Stanley (MS) - the first stop has worked, and got some nice movements.
Current profit 62%
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48) Microsoft (MSFT) - Load it up 4.0, buy the dip has worked again with well-known stock.
Three purchases and avg. return from these are amazing 70%
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49) Match Group (MTCH) - it happens..
Current loss -53%
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50) Netflix (NFLX) - almost the same as Meta. Came quite sharply but the recovery has been also quick. Another proof is that technical analysis should give you a psychological advantage to buy these big stocks on deep corrections.
Current profit 153%
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51) NRG Energy (NRG) - Perfect weekly close, perfect retest…
Current profit 90%
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52) NVIDIA (NVDA) lol - let this speak for itself!
Current profit 735%
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53) NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) - usually the sweet spot stays in the middle of the box, and also as I look over these ideas quite a few have started to climb from the first half of the box. Touched the previous highs.
Current profit 74%
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54) Pfizer (PFE) - actually quite ugly, TA is not the strongest. Probably results-oriented but yeah..
Current loss -25%
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55) PerkinElmer - “after” is EUR chart but you get the point.
Current profit 25%
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56) Pentair (PNR) - worked correctly, 50% drop combined with the horizontal area, easily recognizable, and the results speak for themselves.
Current profit 124%
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57) Public Storage (PSA) - again, previous yearly highs and the trendline did the job.
Current profit 36%
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58) PayPal (PYPL) - the area just lowers the speed of dropping, but slowly has started to recover.
Current loss -14%
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59) Qorvo (QRVO) - slow, no momentum.
Current profit 10%
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60) Rockwell Automation (ROK) - previous yearly high again, plus some confluence factors.
Current profit 32%
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61) Rollins (ROL) - after posting it didn’t come to retest the shown area. Being late for a couple of weeks. Worked but cannot count it in, the only thing I can count is that my bias was correct ;)
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62) Snap-On Incorporated (SNA) - same story!
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63) Seagate Technology (STX) - firstly it came there! Look how far it was, the technical levels are like magnets, the price needs to find some liquidity for further growth and these areas can offer it. I like this a lot, almost all the criteria are in place there.
Current profit 73%
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64) Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) - one of the textbook examples of how trendline, 50% drop, round nr. and strong horizontal price zone should match. Still a bit slow and it will decrease the changes a bit.
Kind of BE
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65) TE Connectivity (TEL) - came down, and got a rejection. “Simple” as that.
Current profit 37%
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66) Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) - mister Ranging Market.
Current profit 19%
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67) Trimble (TRMB) - finally has started to move a bit. Got liquidity from previous highs again and..
Current profit 45%
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68) Tesla (TSLA) - made a split. Have been successfully recommended many times after that here and there but two years ago we traded in these price levels and..
Current profit 19%
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69) Train Technologies (TT) - dipped the box and off it goes! Epic!
Current profit 227%
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70) Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) - I like this analysis a lot. Worked as a clockwork.
Current profit 60%
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71) United Rentals (URI) - WHYY you didn’t reach there :D Cannot count it.
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72) Waters Corp. (WAT) - came to the box as it should be slow and steady. As the plane came to the runway.
Current profit 41%
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73) Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) - another escaped winner. Didn’t come down to retest my retest area so, missed it.
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74) Xylem (XYL) - perfect trendline, good previous highs, 50% drop from the peak and..
Current profit 76%
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75) Autodesk (ADSK) - took a bit of time to start climbing but everything looks perfect. Nice trendline, 50% drop from ATH, previous yearly highs - quite clean!
Current profit 66%
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The strategies above show how useful price action, key levels, and psychology can be for investing. By spotting breakouts, and pullbacks, or focusing on round numbers and past highs, technical analysis helps give traders an edge in understanding the market.
Regards,
Vaido
