S6E6: Keeping Trends on Your Side: A Technical Approach to 2026 Markets w/ Katie Stockton
In this episode of Financial Perspectives, host Tanya Suba-Tang sits down with Katie Stockton, CMT, Founder and Managing Partner of Fairlead Strategies, to pull back the curtain on the technical signals driving today's markets. As the market navigates a more volatile 2026, Katie explains how technical analysis provides an objective framework for interpreting price action, sentiment, and the significant sector rotations currently underway.
Katie breaks down why the energy sector is seeing a massive breakout while traditional tech leaders are struggling. She also shares her "go-to" toolkit for navigating a corrective tape, including how indicators like the VIX and key support levels help professional investors stay on the right side of a trend. From the breakout in energy to the shifting momentum in mega-cap tech, this conversation is a deep dive into the mechanics of market transitions.
The episode explores:
- The Dynamics of Sector Rotation: Interpreting the wide performance spread between energy’s long-term breakouts and the recent underperformance in technology.
- Sentiment as a Contrarian Gauge: How to utilize transactional indicators like the VIX and the Fear & Greed Index to identify market extremes.
- The Art of Support Discovery: How to recognize potential areas of buying pressure and the technical signals that suggest a corrective phase is maturing.
- Trend Following vs. Predictive Analysis: Why technical analysis focuses on maintaining alignment with existing trends rather than setting rigid price targets.
- Intermarket Relationships: Understanding how high-risk asset classes can serve as informational signals for broader equity market posturing.
Whether you are managing risk or looking for the next intermediate-term catalyst, this conversation offers actionable insights into keeping the trends on your side.
Podcast Speaker
Katie Stockton, CMT
Katie is a CNBC Contributor known for her objective coverage of U.S. equities and bitcoin, and is frequently featured in major financial media.
With over two decades of Wall Street experience, Katie has provided technical research and insights to leading institutional investors. Previously, she held senior roles at BTIG, MKM Partners, Morgan Stanley, and Wit Soundview.
Katie earned the CMT® designation in 2001, served as Vice President of the CMT Association, and holds a BSBA with honors from the University of Richmond.
