Charts show recent volatility marks change of character from steady advance

With the S & P 500 enduring a few sharp declines recently, today we'll review three key technical indicators that we're keeping a close eye on for potential warning signs of a bigger downturn. We'll be discussing two-way volatility, comparing the index's recent pullback to prior drawdowns the last few months, and breaking down the MACD indicator (which is now flashing a sell signal). Two-Way Volatility has Returned One of the key characteristics of an uptrend is low volatility. We track this by monitoring the number of absolute 1% daily moves for the S & P 500 on a rolling monthly basis. Conditions have remained historically calm since April, with only one month — October — registering more than four absolute 1% moves. Last month saw three gains and two losses of at least 1%. After Tuesday