Data as-of 2026-07-28 close, except COST which carries a 2026-07-24 (Friday) bar under a data-refresh delay — read that row as three sessions stale.

T and VZ both crossed into overbought — RSI 69.3 → 72.4 and 64.3 → 70.6 — continuing telecom's bid from last scan rather than fading. The bigger story is LOW: RSI climbed from 44.0 to 55.9 and its trend classifier flipped from strong-down DC to weak-up DC, the sector's first real reversal signal, though the regime field still reads "downtrend." WMT recovered out of the sector's only sub-40 print (38.1 → 48.8) but its structure actually got worse — death cross confirmed, trend now strong-down — a case where RSI and structure disagree.

Source: defensive.json. Latest bar 2026-07-28 for every name in this cut except COST (2026-07-24). Prior scan: 2026-07-25-defensive-scan.

T and VZ kept running rather than cooling off. T's RSI climbed from 69.3 to 72.4 — now confirmed overbought — on +10.78% over the week and +14.54% over 30 days (change7d, change30d per defensive.json). VZ moved similarly, 64.3 → 70.6, +10.07% over the week. Both names have now posted two consecutive scans of strong gains; a fresh entry here means chasing an extended move, not buying a dip.

LOW is the session's most interesting structural story. RSI moved from 44.0 to 55.9 on a +7.90% week, and the trend classifier flipped from strong-down DC to weak-up DC — the sector's first real reversal signal after being the one clearly broken name for multiple scans. The thesis flag on file now reads "intact." That said, the regime classifier still labels LOW "downtrend," so treat this as an improving structure, not a confirmed turn.

WMT tells a more mixed story. RSI recovered from 38.1 — the sector's only sub-40 print last scan — to 48.8, and price is up modestly on the week (+2.45%). But the underlying structure moved the wrong way: golden cross flipped to death cross, and the trend classifier now reads strong-down, a worse read than the golden-cross label WMT carried three sessions ago. RSI and structure are disagreeing here, which argues for caution rather than treating the RSI recovery alone as a buy signal.

XLU gave back its confirmation of the broader defensive-rotation trade, cooling from RSI 60.4 to 51.6. TSN and TGT both climbed meaningfully (45.9 → 66.3 and 54.6 → 64.3), while MCD ticked up only modestly (41.3 → 51.7) and remains in a strong-down DC structure despite the RSI gain.

• T and VZ both crossed into overbought. T: 69.3 → 72.4. VZ: 64.3 → 70.6. Both extending last scan's move rather than fading.
• LOW posted the sector's first real reversal signal. RSI 44.0 → 55.9, trend flipped strong-down DC → weak-up DC, thesis now flagged "intact." Regime classifier still reads "downtrend."
• WMT's RSI recovered but its structure worsened. RSI 38.1 → 48.8 (no longer the sector's only sub-40 print), but golden cross flipped to death cross and trend now reads strong-down.
• XLU cooled, giving back its rotation confirmation. RSI 60.4 → 51.6.
• TSN had the sector's biggest RSI jump. 45.9 → 66.3, +7.24% over the week.
• TGT climbed back toward its prior "best continuation" status. RSI 54.6 → 64.3, +7.68% over 30 days.
• MCD improved only modestly and remains the sector's most structurally damaged large-cap. RSI 41.3 → 51.7, still strong-down DC.
• No name remains below RSI 40 for the first time in several scans.
• COST carries a stale bar (2026-07-24, three sessions behind the rest of the cut) — its row is unchanged from last scan by construction, not because the stock actually held flat.
• Universe unchanged. Same 15 tickers as the July 25 cut — no entrants or dropouts.

RSI measures how stretched a stock is over the past 14 sessions — under 30 signals oversold, over 70 signals overbought. vs SMA20 is the price gap to the 20-day average. vs VWAP is the premium over the average price paid by current holders — useful for spotting how much of a move is unrealized gain. Trend combines direction/strength with a cross signal: GC (golden cross) is structurally healthier than DC (death cross). A stock whose RSI recovers while its trend classifier flips toward a death cross — like WMT this scan — is not a clean signal either way; check both fields together before reading a bounce as confirmed.

*COST data-stamp date 2026-07-24 — three sessions stale, likely a data-refresh delay; read this row with that caveat.

None.

None. For the first time in several scans, no name in this cut sits below RSI 40.

• Cooling (RSI 41-49): COST* (stale), SBUX, WMT. WMT's RSI recovery came with a trend flip to death cross — a mixed signal, not confirmed.
• Basing (RSI 50-59): XLU, MCD, HD, LOW, PPC, HRL. LOW is the standout — its trend flipped bullish this scan for the first time in a while.
• Momentum / overbought (RSI 60+): XLP, ECL, TGT, TSN, VZ, T. VZ and T are both now above the 70 overbought line.

• T and VZ have now run for two scans straight — does telecom's bid extend into a third, or does the group finally cool?
• LOW just posted its first real reversal signal (trend flip, thesis now intact) while its regime classifier still reads "downtrend" — which read wins next scan?
• WMT's RSI recovered but its trend flipped bearish in the same move — does the structure catch down to the price, or does the RSI-led bounce hold?
• COST's bar has been stale for three sessions — does the next refresh show it moved with the rest of the sector, or independently?

• Tape data (price/RSI/SMA/returns): full-scan pre-computed summaries as of the 2026-07-28 close — defensive. COST carries a 2026-07-24 bar in that file.