The sector's direction flipped almost entirely from last scan. Dow ($DOW) and LyondellBasell ($LYB) — last scan's two worst weekly decliners — are now the sector's best 30-day performers, with LyondellBasell's 30-day change extending to +18.07%. Sherwin-Williams ($SHW) and Ecolab ($ECL), last scan's turnaround stars, both cooled and turned negative on the 30-day measure, and both still carry a death-cross flag despite the rally. Linde ($LIN) is the sector's clearest breakdown: its RSI dropped from 46.2 to 30.1 — the sharpest deterioration in the group — on trading volume roughly 2.7 times its average and the largest dollar volume in the sector. PPG ($PPG) and DuPont ($DD) both saw their trend classification downgrade from strong-up to weak-down.

Data as-of 2026-07-31 close (all eight tickers, current bar). All numbers from precomputed summaries/chemicals.json. Comparison scan: 2026-07-28-chemicals (2026-07-28 close).

Dow and LyondellBasell were the sector's worst weekly decliners last scan (-5.32% and -4.85% respectively). This scan they reversed hard: Dow's RSI recovered from 40.6 to 49.9 and its 30-day change extended to +12.1%, while LyondellBasell's RSI jumped to 58.6 and its 30-day change extended further to +18.07% — the best in the sector. Both also narrowed their distance from a 52-week high, though Dow's gap (-29.13%) is still the widest in the group.

The other side of the sector cooled off. Sherwin-Williams, last scan's standout reversal (RSI 63.3, +11.24% weekly), eased to RSI 55.6 this scan; its weekly print (+7.35%) is still strong, but its 30-day change turned negative (-1.5%, was +2.9%). Ecolab followed the same arc — RSI down from 61.1 to 55.1, 30-day change flipping from +1.54% to -0.27%. Both names still carry a death-cross flag in the underlying data despite two scans of price gains. Air Products held its strong-up trend and its weekly print was roughly flat, but its 30-day change reversed hard, from the sector's best last scan (+8.6%) to -3.76% this scan.

Linde is the sector's clear laggard this scan. Its RSI dropped from 46.2 to 30.1 — the sharpest RSI deterioration in the group, and within range of the oversold threshold — on a weekly decline of -6.62% (worst in the sector) and a 30-day decline of -10.34% (also worst in the sector), on volume roughly 2.7 times its average and the largest dollar volume of any name in the group. PPG and DuPont both downgraded from strong-up to weak-down trend, PPG turning negative on the week (-4.72%) with its 30-day change worsening to -9.86%, and DuPont turning negative on both the week (-0.51%) and the 30-day measure (-1.06%).

• Dow: RSI 40.6→49.9 (recovered sharply), trend down→weak-down, 7D -5.32%→+1.51% (reversed), 30D +3.33%→+12.1% (extended, now the sector's second-best), 52wkHi -32.5%→-29.13% (narrowed, still the sector's widest gap).
• LyondellBasell: RSI 45.9→58.6 (sharp recovery), trend weak-down→strong-up, 7D -4.85%→+2.92% (reversed), 30D +8.58%→+18.07% (extended, now the sector's best), 52wkHi -30.64%→-26.04% (narrowed).
• Sherwin-Williams: RSI 63.3→55.6 (cooled from the sector's best last scan), trend unchanged (up), 7D +11.24%→+7.35% (decelerated but still strong), 30D +2.9%→-1.5% (turned negative), 52wkHi -6.69%→-10.22% (widened); death cross flag remains in place.
• Air Products: RSI 49.3→50.7 (roughly flat), trend unchanged (strong-up), 7D -1.19%→-1% (roughly flat, still negative), 30D +8.6%→-3.76% (reversed from the sector's best to negative), 52wkHi -6.99%→-6.35% (narrowed).
• Linde: RSI 46.2→30.1 (sharpest deterioration in the sector), trend unchanged (weak-down), 7D +1.22%→-6.62% (reversed, worst in the sector this scan), 30D +0.02%→-10.34% (reversed sharply, worst in the sector), 52wkHi -6.75%→-12.74% (widened significantly).
• Ecolab: RSI 61.1→55.1 (cooled), trend unchanged (up), 7D +7.08%→+3.3% (decelerated but still positive), 30D +1.54%→-0.27% (turned negative), 52wkHi -8.53%→-10.23% (widened); death cross flag remains in place.
• PPG: RSI 53.9→40.1 (dropped), trend downgraded strong-up→weak-down, 7D +2.85%→-4.72% (reversed), 30D -1.57%→-9.86% (worsened), 52wkHi -10.81%→-17.17% (widened).
• DuPont: RSI 56.5→47.3 (dropped), trend downgraded strong-up→weak-down, 7D +1.43%→-0.51% (turned negative), 30D +3.71%→-1.06% (turned negative), 52wkHi -10.89%→-13.28% (widened).

RSI (Relative Strength Index) gauges how aggressively a stock has been bought or sold over roughly the past two weeks, on a 0-100 scale — under 30 signals an oversold, potentially undervalued stretch; over 70 signals overbought, extended risk; readings in between are neutral. The color icons below track that scale: green marks oversold/healthy, yellow marks neutral, orange marks approaching overbought, red marks a breakdown or extreme overbought reading. Trend reflects a stock's structural direction based on its moving averages (strong-up, weak-up, weak-down, strong-down); vs SMA20 shows how far price sits above or below its 20-day average; 52wkHi shows the distance below the stock's own one-year high — the closer to zero, the closer to a new high.

DOW, LYB — THE REVERSAL OF LAST SCAN'S REVERSAL: Dow ($30.29, RSI 49.9, was 40.6) and LyondellBasell ($62.08, RSI 58.6, was 45.9) were the sector's two worst weekly decliners last scan. This scan both posted sharp RSI recoveries and extended 30-day gains — LyondellBasell's +18.07% is now the sector's best, and Dow's +12.1% is second-best. Both narrowed their distance from a 52-week high, though Dow's -29.13% gap remains the widest in the sector.

SHW, ECL — COOLING OFF AFTER LEADING THE RECOVERY, STILL CARRYING DEATH-CROSS FLAGS: Sherwin-Williams ($340.85, RSI 55.6, was 63.3) and Ecolab ($277.63, RSI 55.1, was 61.1) both posted the sector's sharpest gains two scans ago; this scan their weekly prints are still positive but decelerating, and both turned negative on the 30-day measure for the first time since their recoveries began. Both still show a death-cross flag in the underlying data — the price action has kept running ahead of that lagging technical signal without resolving it.

LIN — THE SECTOR'S SHARPEST BREAKDOWN: Linde ($478.38, RSI 30.1) posted the largest single-scan RSI drop in the sector (from 46.2), the worst weekly decline (-6.62%), and the worst 30-day decline (-10.34%), on trading volume roughly 2.7 times its average and the sector's largest dollar volume. Its distance from a 52-week high widened from -6.75% to -12.74%.

PPG, DD — TREND DOWNGRADED FROM STRONG-UP TO WEAK-DOWN: PPG ($110.52, RSI 40.1, was 53.9) and DuPont ($137.00, RSI 47.3, was 56.5) both saw their trend classification downgrade this scan, both turning negative on the week and worsening on the 30-day measure — DuPont's 30-day change flipped from +3.71% to -1.06%.

APD — STEADY ON PRICE, BUT 30D REVERSED HARD: Air Products ($294.89, RSI 50.7) held its strong-up trend and its weekly print was roughly flat, but its 30-day change reversed from the sector's best last scan (+8.6%) to -3.76% this scan.

Does Dow and LyondellBasell's reversal hold, given the sector has now flipped its weekly leaders twice in a row across the last two scans? Does Linde's breakdown stabilize as its RSI approaches the oversold threshold, or does the elevated volume signal further distribution? And do Sherwin-Williams and Ecolab's death-cross flags finally resolve, or does the 30-day measure keep deteriorating while the underlying moving averages stay unreconciled?

• Tape data (price/RSI/SMA/returns): pre-computed summaries as of the 2026-07-31 close — chemicals.
• Comparison figures: 2026-07-28-chemicals (2026-07-28 close).