Hey everyone, Joe here. It's Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and time for my daily look at the ETFs I track using technical indicators like MACD, RSI, moving averages, Stochastic, Parabolic SAR, and a bunch of others.
As always, quick reminder: I'm just a former programmer who loves playing with numbers – not a professional advisor. These are my personal scans, and you should always do your own homework before making any trades.
Quick Overview
The overall picture today is still mostly bullish. Out of the 6 time frames I check (5 to 30 days ahead) and three different indicator styles, the maximum "buy" votes an ETF can get is 18. Today several are hitting the high teens – very encouraging.
Compared to my last scan a few days ago (January 17), the big story is:
- Continued strength in tech-heavy and retail ETFs
- A nice jump in homebuilders (XHB)
- A sharp drop in mining/metals (XME)
Top Bullish ETFs Today (most "buy" votes)
- QQQ (Nasdaq 100) – 15/18 buy signals, several strong "BUY" marks. Still one of the clearest bullish pictures.
- XRT (Retail) – Also 15/18, with multiple "BUY" labels. Retail continues to look solid.
- SPY (S&P 500) – 13/18, including strong "BUY" on 25- and 30-day horizons.
- XHB (Homebuilders) – 13/18 today (big improvement from only 4/18 last scan!). Multiple "BUY" signals here.
- IJH (Mid-cap) and XHS (Health Services) – both 13/18 with strong consensus on several periods.
- XLV (Healthcare) – 12/18, steady and reliable.
- DIA (Dow Jones) – 12/18 buy signals across the board.
Historical back-test accuracy on these calls averages 75–82% for the top names – pretty decent track record so far.
Areas of Caution
- XME (Metals & Mining) – 0/18 buy signals today. That's a big drop from 8/18 last time. Indicators are unanimously cautious here.
- XLK (Technology sector) – Only 2/18 buys. Strange split from QQQ's strength – maybe broader tech is lagging the big Nasdaq names.
- TQQQ (3x bullish Nasdaq) – Only 3/18 buys, some short-term "sell" flags. Leveraged ETFs are always volatile.
- BND (Bonds) and XLRE (Real Estate) – A couple of longer-term "sell" or "SELL" marks.
- XLB (Materials) – One clear "SELL" on the 20-day outlook.
Consensus Signals Table – January 21, 2026
Here's the simplified consensus view, grouped into Short (5-10 days), Medium (15-20 days), and Long (25-30 days). "Buy" means most of my indicator groups are flashing bullish for that bucket. "Strong Buy" means near-unanimous agreement. "Mixed" means split or weaker signals. "Sell" or "Caution" means bearish leans or clear sells showing up.
| ETF | Short (5-10 days) |
Medium (15-20 days) |
Long (25-30 days) |
Notes (Historical Accuracy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY (S&P 500) | Buy | Buy | Strong Buy | Very consistent broad-market signal, especially strong on 25-30 day horizons (85-90% historical range) |
| QQQ (Nasdaq 100) | Buy | Strong Buy | Buy | Cleanest overall picture again – multiple perfect 3/3 agreements (80-86% historical) |
| XRT (Retail) | Buy | Strong Buy | Buy | Retail keeps delivering strong consensus (75-80% historical) |
| IWM (Russell 2000 Small Caps) | Strong Buy | Mixed | Buy | Short-term standout, longer periods still positive (80-87% historical on good days) |
| IJH (Mid Caps) | Buy | Buy | Mixed | Solid short and medium strength (78-82% historical) |
| DIA (Dow Jones) | Buy | Buy | Buy | Reliable buys across most windows (78-84% historical) |
| XHB (Homebuilders) | Mixed | Buy | Buy | Big improvement this week – medium and long now clear buys (78-84% historical) |
| XLV (Healthcare) | Buy | Mixed | Buy | Longer horizons showing unanimous agreement (80-86% historical) |
| XES (Energy Services) | Buy | Buy | Buy | Consistent positive signals across all buckets |
| KBE (Regional Banks) | Mixed | Buy | Buy | Banks firming up nicely in medium and long |
| XBI (Biotech) | Mixed | Buy | Buy | Positive tilt starting at 15 days out |
| XLF (Financials) | Mixed | Buy | Mixed | Clear medium-term strength |
| GLD (Gold) | Buy | Mixed | Mixed | Short-term solid, longer periods more scattered |
| XLK (Tech Sector) | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Surprisingly weak compared to QQQ – worth watching |
| XME (Metals & Mining) | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | No buy signals anywhere this scan – big change from last week |
| XLB (Materials) | Mixed | Sell | Mixed | Clear unanimous sell at 20 days |
| BND (Bonds) | Mixed | Mixed | Sell | Longer-term caution appearing |
| XLRE (Real Estate) | Mixed | Mixed | Sell | 30-day unanimous sell signal |
| Leveraged (TQQQ, UPRO, URTY) | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Some buy pockets but more scattered and volatile than unleveraged |
Final Thoughts
Right now the scans are leaning bullish on broad market, tech (especially Nasdaq), retail, healthcare, and – new this week – homebuilders. Energy and mining are quieter or cautious.
I'll keep watching how these evolve day to day. If anything big shifts, you'll hear about it in the next update!
Thanks for reading – feel free to leave a comment if there's a particular ETF you'd like me to dig into more.
Take care and trade safe,
Joe
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