In the ancient philosophy of Yin-Yang, the concept of duality teaches that within every bad, there is something good, and within every good, there is something bad. This dynamic balance is not just a mystical idea; it has practical applications in various aspects of life, including investing.
Looking at the present market momentum, we see a classic example of the Yin-Yang principle in action. The Nifty50 and Nifty500 indices are both down more than 10% from their respective highs, signalling a bearish phase. Yet, despite the broad market pullback, some stocks continue to show outperformance, trading at or near their 52-week or all-time highs.
The Skyline Strategy
For traders with a Long-Only Strategy, focusing on stocks that are holding up well despite a broader market decline can be a smart strategy in challenging market conditions. We call this approach the Skyline Strategy. The idea is simple - identify stocks within a 10% range of their 52-week or all-time highs. These are stocks that have shown strong relative strength compared to the broader market and may continue to perform well, even as the rest of the market is struggling.
However, finding stocks near their highs alone is not enough to form a reliable trading strategy. To refine the approach further, we add a layer of volume-based filter. Specifically, we look for stocks where the trading volume is at its 10-week high. The rationale behind this is simple - strong volume at or near highs is often a sign of institutional interest and indicates that the stock has the necessary momentum to continue moving upward.
When using this strategy, it's important to scan for stocks using a weekly chart, as the 10-week volume criterion applies to weekly trading data. For traders using RZone, we have made the scanner for this strategy available in the public library, so you can quickly implement it and start identifying stocks that meet the criteria.
Backtesting and Risk Management
As with any trading strategy, it’s essential to backtest the Skyline Strategy to ensure it aligns with your risk tolerance and trading goals. We recommend a risk management approach where the stop loss is set at 10% below the entry price while the target is set at a 25% gain. This risk-to-reward ratio ensures that the potential reward justifies the risk even if a trade doesn’t work out.