Tech Leads Pullback Toward 20-Day Lows Ahead of Full Moon

A sharp pullback in tech dragged the broader market below short-term moving averages at Thursday's close, pushing price action close to monthly floor levels. This momentum reset provides cycle traders a clean test environment as multiple planetary windows converge over the coming sessions.

SPY and QQQ Press Short-Term Floors

At the close on October 22, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) fell $9.13 (-1.18%) to $763.96 on volume of 54.03 million. The decline pulled SPY -0.88% below its 20-session simple moving average of $770.72 and -0.55% below its 50-session average of $768.17. Its 14-session relative strength index (RSI)—a gauge of momentum on a 0 to 100 scale—settled at 45, hovering just above its 20-session low of $758.79.

The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) suffered steeper losses, dropping $20.73 (-2.86%) to $704.47 on 64.22 million shares. QQQ ended -4.44% beneath its 20-session average of $737.24 and -3.01% under its 50-session average of $726.37. Its RSI dropped to 37 as the session tagged a fresh 20-session low at $701.90, testing institutional support.

Upcoming Astrological Timing Windows

The celestial calendar brings a dense cluster of potential inflection points over the next few sessions. Mercury stations retrograde on October 24, followed by Venus entering Libra on October 25 and a Full Moon on October 26.

Astrological transits serve as timing hypotheses to test rather than direct physical causes of market price moves. Cycle analysts look at these clustered dates to observe whether trend reversals or volatility expansions align with the calendar windows.

Testing Cycle Shifts Against Support

A cycle analyst evaluates this cluster by watching whether existing trends exhaust themselves as the window opens. Because SPY and QQQ arrive at this window already extended downward, traders test whether the Full Moon acts as an exhaustion pivot or a continuation trigger.

• Reversal confirmation: Daily closes back above the 50-session averages ($768.17 for SPY, $726.37 for QQQ) would suggest the cycle window marked a temporary low.
• Breakdown confirmation: Sustained trading below Thursday's lows ($758.79 for SPY, $701.90 for QQQ) would confirm that downside momentum remains dominant through the Mercury retrograde turn.

Key Levels for the Week Ahead

Watch whether SPY holds its 20-session low of $758.79 through the October 26 Full Moon. For QQQ, reclaiming the $726.37 50-session average is essential to halt the immediate technical breakdown. A decisive breach below $701.90 on QQQ would open the door toward its rising 200-session average at $676.89.

For educational purposes only; not financial advice.

Market data: SPY and QQQ as of October 22, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET. Moving averages and RSI are astrostock calculations from daily closes. Prices may be delayed.