Taking a Look Under the Hood at NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) Shares

NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) shares are on chartist’s watch as the stock is edging below the MACD Histogram zero line.  Current levels place the share price around 112.57, while the MACD indicates a bearish trend.

The MACD-Histogram is an indicator of an indicator. In fact, MACD is also an indicator of an indicator. This means that the MACD-Histogram is four steps removed from the price of the underlying security. In other words, it is the fourth derivative of price.

• First derivative: 12-day EMA and 26-day EMA
• Second derivative: MACD (12-day EMA less the 26-day EMA)
• Third derivative: MACD signal line (9-day EMA of MACD)
• Fourth derivative: MACD-Histogram (MACD less MACD signal line)

The base for this indicator is the security’s price. It takes four steps to get from the actual price to the MACD-Histogram. Chartists should keep this in mind when analyzing the MACD-Histogram. It is an indicator of an indicator. Therefore, it is designed to anticipate signals in MACD, which in turn is designed to identify changes in the price momentum of the underlying security.

Additional Technical Review

NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R is currently sitting at -23.56. In general, if the reading goes above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes under -80, this may show the stock as being oversold.

We can also take a look at the Average Directional Index or ADX of NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI). The ADX is used to measure trend strength. ADX calculations are made based on the moving average price range expansion over a specified amount of time. ADX is charted as a line with values ranging from 0 to 100. The indicator is non-directional meaning that it gauges trend strength whether the stock price is trending higher or lower. The 14-day ADX presently sits at 28.31. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would indicate a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would signify an extremely strong trend. At the time of writing, the 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) is 0.24. Developed by Donald Lambert, the CCI is a versatile tool that may be used to help spot an emerging trend or provide warning of extreme conditions. CCI generally measures the current price relative to the average price level over a specific time period. CCI is relatively high when prices are much higher than average, and relatively low when prices are much lower than the average.

A commonly used tool among technical stock analysts is the moving average. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators that simply take the average price of a stock over a certain period of time. Moving averages can be very helpful for identifying peaks and troughs. They may also be used to assist the trader figure out proper support and resistance levels for the stock. Currently, the 200-day MA for NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI) is sitting at 104.44. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of stock price movements. The RSI was developed by J. Welles Wilder, and it oscillates between 0 and 100. Generally, the RSI is considered to be oversold when it falls below 30 and overbought when it heads above 70. RSI can be used to detect general trends as well as finding divergences and failure swings. The 14-day RSI is presently standing at 63.20, the 7-day is 61.65, and the 3-day is resting at 73.05.