Why Swoopr Is Building This
A headline index can rise while most of its components fall. Breadth measures whether the advance is broad or narrow. Breadth Pulse aggregates multiple participation signals into a single readable score, making the distinction between a broad rally and a narrow index-driven move legible without requiring the user to track each component separately.
Swoopr already publishes market tools, a live proprietary Fear and Greed gauge, a sentiment dashboard, macro and regime education, portfolio diagnostics and a market-history library. This product makes one missing question measurable, explainable and reusable across the site.
What It Measures
The model draws from the following evidence families:
- Advancers versus decliners
- New highs versus new lows
- Large-cap participation
- Mid-cap participation
- Small-cap participation
- Sector participation
- 20-, 50- and 200-day moving-average participation
- Equal-weight confirmation
Scoring Methodology
Each component is normalized to a 0-100 historical percentile score. For a raw value x:
component_score = percentile_rank(x within approved history) * 100
Where a higher raw value represents worse conditions, the score is inverted:
adjusted_score = 100 - component_score
The composite is:
composite = sum(weight_i * adjusted_score_i) / sum(active_weight_i)
Interpretation Bands
| Score range | Label |
|---|---|
| 0-24 | Very narrow |
| 25-39 | Narrow |
| 40-59 | Mixed |
| 60-74 | Broad |
| 75-100 | Very broad |
Bands are communication aids, not natural laws. The reading always shows the numeric value, trend and component contributions.
FAQ
Is Swoopr Breadth Pulse a buy or sell signal?
No. It describes whether market participation is broad or narrow. Narrow breadth has preceded both corrections and continuing advances in historical data. It is educational context, not a recommendation.
What is the difference between Breadth Pulse and Market Health Index?
Breadth Pulse answers: How much of the market is actually participating? Market Health answers: Is the market actually healthy underneath the headline index? Market Health includes breadth as one of several components, while Breadth Pulse focuses entirely on participation signals.
What happens when data are missing?
The affected component is excluded under a predefined rule, coverage falls, and the product shows this to the user. Missing data are not converted to a neutral score.
Why does breadth matter if the index is at a new high?
An index can reach a new high driven by a small number of large-capitalization stocks while the majority of its constituents decline. Breadth Pulse makes that divergence visible by measuring participation rather than index level.
How often is Breadth Pulse updated?
The target is daily, aligned with market session close data. The reading includes a source timestamp, Swoopr ingestion timestamp and coverage indicator so users can see which components contributed to any given reading.
Methodology Version and Source Provenance
Current Version
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Version | v1.0 |
| Effective date | 2026-09-30 |
| Methodology policy | Swoopr Investment: Data & Methodology Policy |
Change Log
| Version | Date | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| v1.0 | 2026-09-30 | Initial published version. Scoring logic, normalization standard, component weights and missing-data rules documented for the first time. |
Source Series and Provenance
The table below lists the primary input series used in this score. Swoopr does not redistribute or relicense third-party data. Source data is retrieved for internal computation only; third-party terms apply to any direct use of those series.
| Component | Primary source | Series / method | Data type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance/decline ratio | Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE) | NYSE composite daily advances and declines | Market breadth |
| New highs / new lows | NYSE/NASDAQ exchange data | Daily 52-week highs and lows count | Market breadth |
| % above 200-day MA | Composite index data | Share of S&P 500 constituents above 200-day moving average | Trend participation |
| Volatility regime | Cboe | VIX (CBOE Volatility Index) | Implied volatility |
Limitations
Breadth indicators are coincident, not leading. Strong breadth reading can persist as markets decline, and weak breadth can persist during sector rotation. Data subject to exchange reporting delays.
All scores are for education and general information only. They do not constitute personalized investment advice. See the Financial Disclaimer and Data & Methodology Policy for full terms.
References
Disclaimer
This score is educational market context only. It is not investment advice, a forecast, or a promise of future returns. Data can be delayed, revised or incomplete. Swoopr publishes the observation timestamp and methodology version with every live reading.