US markets slip modestly as breadth narrows, utilities lead gains

The Nasdaq Composite closed at 26,797.54, down 0.09%. The Dow Jones finished at 51,349.92, down 0.26%. Bitcoin ended at 83,616.39, up 0.08%. Of 3,505 stocks, 1,389 advanced and 2,088 declined, giving a 39.63% advancing rate. Median change was -0.32% and cap‑weighted change was -0.09%. Only 23.71% of stocks were above their 50‑day SMA and 46.21% above the 200‑day SMA. There were 40 new 52‑week highs and 187 new lows. Utilities posted the strongest sector median gain of 0.61% with 67.72% of its 127 stocks advancing, while Energy lagged with a median decline of -1.41% and only 16.08% of its 143 stocks advancing.

Top gainers included Iovance Biotherapeutics (+31.48%), Carnival Corp (+13.55%), Warby Parker (+11.39%), Bloom Energy (+10.79%) and Magnite (+9.68%). Largest losers were uniQure (-37.31%), Fair Isaac (-26.59%), GeneDx (-11.76%), National Energy Services (-11.2%) and Maase (-10.19%). The most common signal was a 200‑day moving average touch, observed in 703 stocks. Historically, that signal has generated a median 20‑day move of 0.57% with 52.93% of events producing positive returns over the next 20 days, based on 53,309 events since 2022‑05‑18.

Chart pattern scans highlighted cup‑and‑handle formations on TAL (score 97.71), PBR (95.08), ASX (89.45) and ELPC (89.06), a horizontal support‑resistance on GJS (92.27) and a trendline support on BRK‑B (88.93). Insider buying clusters were led by Banco Bradesco (BBD) with 21 insiders filing on 2026‑09‑22 for a total of $26.95 million, followed by Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) with 8 insiders on 2026‑09‑17 for $6.92 million, and GameStop (GME) with 4 insiders on 2026‑09‑21 for $48.5 million.