Uptrend Under Pressure 100
Institutional selling is building — 7 distribution days in the last 25 sessions. Severe risk · 100/100 · 7 distribution days (SPY) Oct 26 Full briefing →
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MRK · Merck & Company, Inc.

$140.61 -3.21% Oct 26 close
Detected setup Partial Move · Setup Score 86/100

Stand aside — setup invalidated

Setup score 86, but distribution days reach 5 or more — stand aside until the condition resets.

1 independent risk warning also present. Review before relying on the bullish setup.

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$MRK

Merck & Company, Inc.

Merck & Company, Inc. is a mega-cap Pharmaceuticals: Major company in the Health Technology sector with a market cap of $347B.

Health Technology Pharmaceuticals: Major stock Stage 2 · Advancing Base 1 Scan vol↑ 1.8×
$140.61 latest close
Market Structure
Trend structure: downtrend
Latest event: structure_shift (bullish)
Support 122.19–123.46 · 6 touches · strong
Support 113.82–114.62 · 4 touches · moderate
Support 106.93–107.59 · 3 touches · moderate
Support 110.94–111.57 · 3 touches · moderate
Momentum Turn Watch
Bollinger Squeeze + Lower-Band Support Bollinger band width (7.7%) is in the bottom quartile of its last 120 sessions — Legend's width-percentile squeeze (not a TTM/Keltner squeeze), so volatility is compressed and a sharper move often follows. Price ($140.61) is holding just above the lower Bollinger band ($139.22; %B 12) — support at the bottom of the bands.
Early technical context only. Wait for price, volume, and the canonical setup trigger to confirm; this signal does not change readiness or the setup score.
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Historical record

No active setup in the latest scan — this page shows the last detection Legend AI made for $MRK. Every level, score and criterion below is computed from the Oct 26 close session (latest session), and may no longer hold.

Historical verdict · setup score 86/100 · data Oct 26 close · latest session

Stand aside — setup invalidated

Setup score 86, but distribution days reach 5 or more — stand aside until the condition resets.

Review six verdicts Inspect chart
Recent price action · daily
$140$160AugSepOct$141

What would change this verdict

What needs to turn for this to become buyable — the top failing checks across the legend council:

  • Minervini 1.5 Price > 50-day MA — Price $140.61 vs MA50 $146.74
  • Minervini 2. Quarterly EPS growth ≥ 25% — -161.2% QoQ
  • O'Neil C: Quarterly EPS acceleration ≥ 25% — -161.2% QoQ
  • O'Neil M: Market in confirmed uptrend — Market phase: uptrend_under_pressure
  • Weinstein Volume expansion above average — Volume ratio 1.23x
  • Dennis S1: 20-day Donchian breakout
Minority view — the council disagrees here
  • Minervini: avoid Trend-template read: fails Price > 50-day MA.
  • O'Neil: avoid CANSLIM read: fails C: Quarterly EPS acceleration ≥ 25%.
  • Weinstein: watch Stage-analysis read: Stage 2 is present; 1 supporting checks need improvement.
66 Strong
Legend Score · rates the stock Strong (66/100) — held back by eps growth

Our proprietary 0-100 rating — the answer to Wall Street's black-box scores. Five pillars, each computed from real scan data, each explained below in plain English.

  • Relative Strength (25%) 90
  • Trend Template (25%) 100
  • Institutional Footprint (20%) 38
  • EPS Growth (15%) 29
  • Quality (SMR-like) (15%) 44

RS rank 89: beating most of the market. Trend template 8/8: price above rising 50/150/200-day lines — textbook uptrend structure. Institutional score 38: mild distribution — sellers active. EPS -2% last quarter — no earnings momentum. Quality 44: weak fundamentals (sales growth 30, return on equity 41, leverage 100). Updated 2026-10-23.

Earnings

Pre-earnings setup

Next earnings Thursday, October 29, 2026 Before market open Exact clock time not supplied by source

Deterministic evidence

MRK-3.21%
Sector proxy · XLV+0.00%
Broad market · SPY+0.71%
Same completed session window ending 2026-10-26. MRK was -3.21 points vs XLV. -3.92 points vs SPY.
CatalystPending Stock reactionNegative Sector reactionWeak Opening surgePending Event riskEarnings-driven

Session internals Weak

Rule: closed flat-to-down and in the bottom third of the range. Judged on internals, not on the size of the move.

Vs prior close-3.21% From the open-3.62% Range position10% GapNo gap
QQQ confirmationDiverging (+1.11%) SMH confirmationDiverging (+2.74%)
Short-term conviction -2 points.
  • QQQ, SMH moved against the stock — no index confirmation.
  • A sourced earnings report is still pending inside the risk window; ordinary technical conviction is reduced until it is out.
Price bars, sourced event fields, and benchmark math only. This can adjust displayed short-term conviction; it does not change the stored scanner score or readiness.

Ask a Legend to interpret this evidence → Commentary only — never scanner evidence or a sizing recommendation.

Price $140.61 -3.2% Oct 26 close
52W High $156.92 10.4% below high
Wks Since High 8w
Base Depth 11.5%
RS Rank 75 percentile of scan
SMA 50 $146.74
Avg Vol 10,678,409
Rel Vol (Oct 26) 1.23× 0.78× on up days
More stats
52W Low $82.01
Tight Wks 0
Base B1
SMA 200 $126.01
RS Line vs High -5.6%
RS Line Slope -0.1% ▼
Group Rank #13/65
ADR% 2.8%
ATR(14) $4.79 (3.4%)
Vol Pace (live) N/A
A/D Days 7A / 9D
A/D Rating D
VDU Bars 0/10 d
Earnings in 2d
Position in 52-week range 78thpercentile of the 52-week range
$82.01low
$156.92high

MRK Chart

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Technical Analysis Report Card

$MRK · $140.61 · as of 2026-10-26 · multi-factor read
49
/ 100
Technicals 49/100
Reference read from price & volume only — the verdict at the top of the page decides the action.

Trend · Daily / Weekly / Monthly

Daily ▼ Downtrend
Weekly ▬ Sideways / consolidating
Monthly ▬ Sideways / consolidating

Moving Averages

50-day$146.74 ↓
100-day$136.11 ↑
200-day$126.01 ↑
Bullish (50 > 200)

RSI (14)

Reading42.5 · Bearish

Bearish momentum — sellers in control.

MACD (12/26/9)

StateBearish
Histogram-0.207

Bearish — MACD below its signal line and below zero. Histogram contracting.

Bollinger Bands (20,2)

%B / Width12% · 7.7%
Squeeze — volatility compressing

Near the lower band — under pressure or oversold. Bands are squeezing — volatility is compressing, often a precursor to a sharp move.

Volume · Buyer vs Seller

Up/Down vol0.78 · Neutral
Rel volume1.23×
Pocket pivots · 10d0
5d vs 50d vol116%
Heavy vol up / down0 / 1

Balanced — up/down volume is roughly even; no clear hand. Recent volume is expanding versus its baseline.

  • 1 heavy-volume down day vs 0 up in the last 20 sessions — supply is showing.

Support & Resistance

R · $153.19swing level
R · $156.9252-week high
Price · $140.61now
S · $138.80swing level
S · $126.22swing level
S · $120.16swing level

Fibonacci · Uptrend swing

23.6%$146.07
38.2% ◄ price here$139.36
50.0%$133.93
61.8%$128.50
78.6%$120.78

Retracement support zones measured from the recent swing low up to the high.

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Daily downtrendAbove 200-day MA50/200 bullishRS 89 (leader)
Want this read in a legend's voice? Ask a Legend about MRK
Generic technical analysis generated mechanically from price & volume — educational research only, not financial advice or a personalized recommendation. Levels are illustrative; confirm on your own chart. New to these terms? →
Legend Verdicts 6 methodology checks

Who would consider this setup, why it qualifies, and what blocks it — calculated from the same deterministic methodology rules used across Legend AI.
How to read the numbers: the setup score (86/100, in the verdict band) rates this trade setup. Each legend's A–D grade rates the same setup against that legend's own checklist — so a high score next to a C grade is not a contradiction. The setup can be strong without fitting that legend's style. When the council disagrees, the verdict band breaks the tie.

Council consensus: 6 of 9 legends are Watching — building, not yet a confirmed buy.
Minervini Avoid C Trend-template read: fails Price > 50-day MA.

partialRule check says AVOID (9/13 checks passed) — Trend-template read: fails Price > 50-day MA.

Passing evidence
1.1 Price > 150-day MA AND 200-day MAPrice $140.61, MA150 $129.43, MA200 $126.01
1.2 150-day MA > 200-day MAMA150 $129.43 vs MA200 $126.01
Failing evidence
1.5 Price > 50-day MAPrice $140.61 vs MA50 $146.74
2. Quarterly EPS growth ≥ 25%-161.2% QoQ
9/13 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
O'Neil Avoid D CANSLIM read: fails C: Quarterly EPS acceleration ≥ 25%.

partialRule check says AVOID (4/8 checks passed) — CANSLIM read: fails C: Quarterly EPS acceleration ≥ 25%.

Passing evidence
L: RS rank ≥ 80 (IBD leadership)RS rank 89
A: Annual earnings & revenue qualityRev +1.3% | ROE 17.9%
Failing evidence
C: Quarterly EPS acceleration ≥ 25%-161.2% QoQ
M: Market in confirmed uptrendMarket phase: uptrend_under_pressure
4/8 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
Weinstein Watch B Stage-analysis read: Stage 2 is present; 1 supporting checks need improvement.

mediumClassic Stage 2 advancing phase — strong weekly trend confirms uptrend. This is Weinstein's sweet spot: buy and hold while price remains above the 30-week MA.

Passing evidence
Stage 2 (Advancing phase) confirmedStage 2 (Advancing)
Price above 30-week MA (200-day proxy)Price $140.61 vs MA200 $126.01
Failing evidence
Volume expansion above averageVolume ratio 1.23x
6/7 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
dennis Watch B Turtle read: no Donchian signal. The system stays flat until price takes out the 20-day high.
Passing evidence
No breakdown below the 20-day channel20-day low $138.80
Volatility-unit sizing (1N ≈ 1% of equity)1N = $4.27 (3.03% of price); the Turtles size 1 unit so a 1N move ≈ 1% of equity, making the 2N stop ≈ 2% equity risk
Failing evidence
S1: 20-day Donchian breakoutNot confirmed
S2: 55-day Donchian breakoutNot confirmed
6/8 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
zanger Avoid C Zanger read: a hard gate is broken — either the pattern is not one of his six, or the entry is more than 5% past the breakout. He would not touch this.
Passing evidence
Not extended (≤5% above the breakout point)Measured as passing
Partial-profit plan: sell 20-30% at +15-20%Scale 20-30% at $161.70-$168.73; trail the rest
Failing evidence
Named Zanger pattern onlyPartial Move is not one of Zanger's six
Breakout volume 1.5-2.0x averageNot confirmed
4/6 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
zweig Watch D Zweig read: part of his screen passes but not all: EPS growth above the market (≥15% QoQ); Insider buying — wait for the full growth screen before treating this as a Zweig setup.
Passing evidence
Reasonable price for the growth (P/E ≤ 35)Trailing P/E 19.3x — no PEG or forward P/E stored
Price strength (RS ≥ 70)RS score 89 — Zweig buys strength, not bargains
Failing evidence
EPS growth above the market (≥15% QoQ)-161.2% QoQ — Zweig wants growth above the S&P average
Insider buyingNo insider buying flagged
4/8 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
Livermore Watch B Pivotal-point read: constructive evidence is present, but volume vs average is unresolved.
Passing evidence
Price$140.61
Relative strengthRS 89
Failing evidence
Volume vs average1.23x
Pivotal point cleared on expanding volumeNot confirmed
4/6 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
Darvas Watch B Box-theory read: constructive evidence is present, but volume vs average is unresolved.

mediumBuilding the top of the box (6.2% from 52W high) — watch for a box breakout with volume expansion.

Passing evidence
Price$140.61
Relative strengthRS 89
Failing evidence
Volume vs average1.23x
Box top broken on heavy volumeNot confirmed
4/6 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
Wyckoff Watch B Supply-and-demand read: constructive evidence is present, but volume vs average is unresolved.
Passing evidence
Price$140.61
Relative strengthRS 89
Failing evidence
Volume vs average1.23x
Sign of Strength confirmed on expanding volumePrice hasn't cleared the pivot yet — confirmation pending
4/6 checks
Method → Playbook → Ask →
Base & Breakout
Breakout follow-through

No active breakout tracked — Legend AI monitors daily for pivot-point breaks. What's a breakout?

Latest candle: Bearish Engulfing — Today's down candle engulfs yesterday's up candle — a bearish reversal warning, most significant after an extended advance.

Unlock Base & Breakout Tracking
RS Line vs SPY 52-week relative strength · blue = RS line · dashed = MA50 · dot = NH ▼ Falling
143RS Line (52W)
Accumulation / Distribution last 65 sessions · green = acc on high vol · red = dist on high vol Net -6 D
A: 9 D: 15 Net: -665 sessions
Minervini · Grade Card
Fundamentals & leadership quality — Minervini’s published criteria · 5/7 met
B 5/7 criteria
Separate score from the Minervini Trend Template (7/8): the Trend Template grades the price structure, this grades the company & leadership (earnings, sales, margins, RS rank). A stock can ride a clean trend while its fundamentals lag, so the two often differ by design — they are not the same checklist.
✗ EPS acceleration ≥25% QoQ -161%
✗ Revenue growth ≥20% YoY +1%
✓ Gross margin ≥30% 78%
✓ ROE ≥17% 18%
✓ RS rating ≥80 (leadership) 89
✓ Stage 2 uptrend (Weinstein) Stage 2
✓ Within 25% of 52W high -10.4%

Method Playbook

Trade it like Livermore EXACT LEVELS · PRO
Livermore B · Watch — The deterministic methodology check is Watch; wait for the failing or incomplete criteria to improve before the trigger can qualify.
Pivot
Pro level
Published-method rule: Treat the resistance break as a pivotal point only while the primary trend and relative strength remain aligned.
Evidence: Canonical setup geometry is available with Pro.
Entry trigger
Pro level
Published-method rule: Wait for price and volume to confirm the pivotal-point break; anticipation below the line is not confirmation.
Evidence: Canonical setup geometry is available with Pro.
Initial stop
Pro level
Published-method rule: Place the initial stop below the pivotal line or the reaction low that would prove the breakout false.
Evidence: Canonical setup geometry is available with Pro.
Trail
Rule-based
Published-method rule: Raise protection beneath successive higher reaction lows as the trend advances; never move a protective line farther away.
Evidence: Planned management rule; no stored stop or broker order is changed automatically.
Exit / invalidation
Pro level
Published-method rule: Exit when price fails the pivotal line, breaks the latest meaningful reaction low, or shows abnormal reversal action.
Evidence: Canonical setup geometry is available with Pro.
Deterministic educational plan, not a recommendation. No order or stop is changed automatically. Method and sources →

Forming Patterns (predictive — not confirmed)

Head & Shoulders bearish forming
75% built

Possible head & shoulders top — not confirmed. Watch for a daily close below ~126.22 (neckline) to confirm, with measured-move risk toward ~95.52. A push back above 153.57 weakens the pattern; reclaiming 156.92 invalidates it.

Confirms below 126.22
Invalidates at 156.92
Left Shoulder 135.05
Head 156.92
Right Shoulder 153.57
Neckline 126.22
Target 95.52

LS 135.05 / head 156.92 / RS 153.57, neckline ~126.22, vol_fading=yes

Predictive pattern recognition is educational — most forming structures never confirm. Wait for the confirmation level before treating this as a setup.

Pattern Analysis (historical)

Partial Move
86 setup score
RS Score 89
Trend template 7/8
CANSLIM 71.6* (B)
predictor: ✓ predicted direction: up probability: 0.72 retrace pct: 43.6 formation low: 126.22 formation high: 156.92 volume ratio: 1.165 depth pct: 19.56 validation reason: valid generic setup multi tf evaluated: ✓ multi tf reason: weekly trend template 7/8 confirmed
Why This Setup?
Partial Move · schematic

Partial decline stalled at 43.6% of range (126.22–156.92) without touching the bottom; predicts upward break ~72% of the time. Predictor — breakout not confirmed. | Strong trend (8/8) | Top RS (89) | High-confidence pattern (72%) | Volume surging | Stage 2 | Readiness 69/100 (watch) | CANSLIM 71.6 (B)

Ask a Legend ▾
Darvas Box ⚠ Volatility widening into breakout
77 setup score
RS Score 89
Trend template 7/8
CANSLIM 71.2* (B)
box top: 152.34 box bottom: 143.53 box height pct: 0.061 vol ratio: 1.802 is breakout: ✗ pct from 52w high: 0.018 validation reason: valid generic setup multi tf evaluated: ✓ multi tf reason: weekly: within 15% of 52-week high (Darvas box territory)
Why This Setup?
Darvas Box · schematic

Box: top=152.34, bottom=143.53, height=6.1%, breakout=no, vol_ratio=1.8x, 2% from 52w high | Strong trend (8/8) | Top RS (89) | Moderate pattern (65%) | Volume surging | Stage 2 | Readiness 67/100 (watch) | CANSLIM 71.2 (B) | ⚠ Volatility widening into breakout

Ask a Legend ▾
Wyckoff SOS ⚠ Volatility widening into breakout ⚠ Extended past buy zone ⚠ Not actionable yet
55 setup score
RS Score 89
Trend template 7/8
CANSLIM 69.4* (B)
range low: 112.663 range high: 132.602 range pct: 0.177 sos thrust: 0.11 sos vol ratio: 1.838 sos bars ago: 0 near lps: ✗ validation reason: valid generic setup multi tf evaluated: ✓ multi tf reason: weekly: MA stabilizing or rising — accumulation context supported
Why This Setup?
Wyckoff SOS · schematic

SOS: breakout above range_high=132.60, thrust=11.0%, vol=1.8x avg, lps=extended, 0 bars ago | Strong trend (8/8) | Top RS (89) | High-confidence pattern (70%) | Volume surging | Stage 2 | Readiness 58/100 (early) | CANSLIM 69.4 (B) | ⚠ Volatility widening into breakout; Extended past buy zone; Not actionable yet

Ask a Legend ▾
The Universal Edge Check · context only

What the setup still has going for it, recorded for later. The verdict above stands — these principles do not overrule it.

5/7 universals met
  • Clear of earnings — not met in 2 days — event risk
  • A relative-strength leader — partly met RS rank 75 — middling
  • Asymmetric reward — met Met — levels are a Pro detail
  • In a confirmed uptrend — met Stage 2 · Trend template 7/8
  • Not chasing (in range) — met Met — levels are a Pro detail
  • Risk is defined — met Met — levels are a Pro detail
  • Volume confirms — met 1.8× average
Why these seven? → The Universal Edge

Minervini Trend Template

7/8

Grades the price structure — moving-average stacking, distance from the 52-week high/low, and relative strength above the ≥70 uptrend bar. This is the technical trend check; the company's fundamentals and ≥80 RS leadership are scored separately in the Grade Card.

Price above SMA 150 & 200 $140.61 vs SMA150 $129.43 / SMA200 $126.01
SMA 150 above SMA 200 SMA150 $129.43 vs SMA200 $126.01
SMA 200 trending up Slope +4.08 over 20 days
SMA 50 above SMA 150 & 200 SMA50 $146.74
Price above SMA 50 $140.61 vs SMA50 $146.74
30%+ above 52-week low +71.5% from $82.01
Within 25% of 52-week high -10.4% from $156.92
RS score above 70 RS 89

Fundamentals

52W Range
78%
Mkt Cap SEC
346.9B
EPS QoQ
-161%
Rev YoY
+1%
ROE
18%
Gross Margin
78%
D/E
0.94
EPS TTM
$7.28
P/E TTM
19.3x
Float
2.5B
Insider
No Buy

Company

Company profile
Merck & Company, Inc.
MRK · NYSE · Health Technology · Pharmaceuticals: Major
Track all markets on TradingView
O'Neil · Grade Card
CANSLIM — current EPS, annual EPS, new highs, supply, leader RS, inst. sponsorship, market
B 71.6* CANSLIM * disqualified on C, M
C · Curr. EPS
20
A · Annual EPS
68
N · New Highs
100
S · Supply/Demand
100
L · Leader RS
89
I · Inst. Spons.
96
M · Market
30

Weekly Context

Multi-timeframe signals from weekly bars
W. Trend
7/8
W. RS
92
W. Support
$107.90
W. Resist
$156.92
Weekly Structure

Scan History

Oct 22: 88 (Partial Move)Oct 22: 88 (Partial Move)Oct 22: 89 (Partial Move)Oct 22: 89 (Partial Move)Oct 23: 86 (Partial Move)Oct 23: 88 (Partial Move)88
Oct 23
Partial Move ✓ Gate
88
Oct 23
Partial Move ✓ Gate
86 -3.2%
Oct 22
Partial Move ✓ Gate
89 -4.5%
Oct 22
Partial Move ✓ Gate
89 -4.5%
Oct 22
Partial Move ✓ Gate
88 -4.5%
Oct 22
Partial Move ✓ Gate
88 -4.5%

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