Data as-of 2026-07-31 close.

The whole cut cooled at once. T and VZ gave back a two-scan overbought run — T's RSI fell from 72.4 to 55.3 and VZ's from 70.6 to 59.8 — while PPC posted the sharpest single move, RSI 58.3 → 40.9 on a -6.75% single day, with its regime downgraded to "collapse." The bigger structural story is LOW: last scan's "first real reversal signal" (trend flipped to weak-up DC) fully unwound — RSI 55.9 → 45.7, trend back to strong-down DC — even though the thesis flag on file still reads "intact." For the first time in several scans, no name sits above RSI 64 or below RSI 40.

Source: defensive.json. Latest bar 2026-07-31 for every name in this cut. Prior scan: 2026-07-28-defensive-scan.

Telecom gave back its run. T's RSI fell from 72.4 to 55.3, and VZ's from 70.6 to 59.8 — both cooling off what had been two consecutive scans of overbought strength. Both still carry the two strongest 30-day prints in the cut (change30d per defensive.json: T +15.04%, VZ +13.37%), just off their recent peak reads rather than reversing outright.

PPC posted the sector's sharpest single move. RSI fell from 58.3 to 40.9 on a -6.75% single day (change1d), with the regime classifier now reading "collapse" — the most structurally damaged name in this cut, sitting -45.89% off its 52-week high.

LOW is the session's clearest reversal-of-a-reversal. Last scan flagged its first real reversal signal — RSI up to 55.9, trend flipped from strong-down DC to weak-up DC. This scan gave all of that back: RSI down to 45.7, trend back to strong-down DC, even though the thesis flag on file still reads "intact" — a case where the tape has re-broken but the desk's own thesis call hasn't caught down to it yet.

XLU dropped the second-most in the cut: RSI 51.6 → 40.4, -4.19% over the week (change7d), giving back essentially all of its prior strength. TSN gave back most of its own prior jump, RSI 66.3 → 46.6. Away from those, only two names actually improved this scan: COST's data delay from last scan resolved and its RSI moved from 46.5 (on a stale bar) to 51.9 on a fresh one, while SBUX climbed from 47.4 to 54.2.

• T and VZ both gave back their overbought run. T: 72.4 → 55.3. VZ: 70.6 → 59.8. Both still show the strongest 30-day gains in the cut (+15.0%, +13.4%) despite the RSI pullback.
• PPC posted the sector's sharpest move. RSI 58.3 → 40.9 on a -6.75% single day; regime downgraded to "collapse."
• LOW's reversal signal fully unwound. RSI 55.9 → 45.7, trend flipped back from weak-up DC to strong-down DC — the "first real reversal signal" flagged last scan did not hold.
• XLU dropped sharply. RSI 51.6 → 40.4.
• TSN gave back most of its prior jump. RSI 66.3 → 46.6.
• COST's data delay resolved. RSI 46.5 (on a stale 2026-07-24 bar last scan) → 51.9 on a fresh bar this scan.
• SBUX was one of only two names to improve. RSI 47.4 → 54.2.
• No name remains above RSI 64 or below RSI 40 — the tightest range this cut has shown in several scans.
• Universe unchanged. Same 15 tickers as the July 28 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 thesis flag still reads "intact" while its own trend classifier flips back toward a death cross — like LOW this scan — is not a clean signal either way; check both fields together before reading either one as confirmed.

None.

None. XLU (40.4) and PPC (40.9) sit just above the line — the closest this cut has come to the band in several scans.

• Cooling band: XLU, PPC, WMT, LOW, TSN, HD. PPC is the standout here — its regime just downgraded to "collapse."
• Basing band: MCD, HRL, XLP, COST, SBUX. None extended, none broken.
• Momentum band: ECL, T, VZ, TGT. Nothing above RSI 64 this scan — down from two overbought names (T, VZ) last time.

• T and VZ both gave back a two-scan overbought run — does the telecom trade find a new base here, or does it keep unwinding?
• LOW's reversal signal from last scan fully failed (trend back to strong-down DC) while its thesis flag still reads "intact" — does the desk's own thesis call catch down to the tape, or does LOW re-attempt the turn?
• PPC posted the sector's sharpest move and is now the only "collapse"-regime name in the cut — does it stabilize, or does the decline keep compounding?
• No name sits below RSI 40 or above 64 this scan, the tightest range in several sessions — does the group stay this contained, or does the next move break it open one way or the other?

• Tape data (price/RSI/SMA/returns): full-scan pre-computed summaries as of the 2026-07-31 close — defensive.