Dow ($DOW) and LyondellBasell ($LYB) — last scan's two weakest names — reversed again and became this scan's strongest movers on trend and RSI: Dow's classification upgraded from outright "down" to "up" (RSI 44.9→54.1) and LyondellBasell upgraded from weak-down back to strong-up (RSI 48.9→58.2). Sherwin-Williams' ($SHW) multi-scan death-cross flag finally cleared into a golden cross this scan, even as its own RSI eased from 65.4 to 57.7 and its weekly print reversed negative. PPG ($PPG) re-broke down from strong-up to weak-down (RSI 55.5→47.5), and Linde ($LIN) remains the sector's only sub-40 RSI, easing further to 38.0. The materials-sector ETF ($XLB) enters this scan's tracked comparison for the first time, at RSI 55.9 with a strong-up trend.

Data as-of 2026-08-14 close for all nine tickers (current bar for the full group; XLB is newly tracked and has no prior-scan comparison). All numbers from precomputed summaries/chemicals.json. Comparison scan: 2026-08-08-chemicals (2026-08-07 close).

Dow and LyondellBasell were the sector's weakest names last scan, both freshly downgraded after reversing from strong 30-day gains two scans earlier. This scan both turned again: Dow's RSI climbed from 44.9 to 54.1, its weekly print flipped positive (+5.90%, was -3.14%), and its trend classification upgraded from outright "down" to "up." LyondellBasell's RSI rose from 48.9 to 58.2, its trend upgraded from weak-down back to strong-up, and its weekly print posted the sector's best this scan at +7.00%. Both names' 52-week-high gaps remain the sector's widest (Dow -28.97%, LyondellBasell -25.66%) even after narrowing from last scan's -30.58% and -29.68%. Sherwin-Williams, meanwhile, resolved the death-cross flag it had carried for at least the prior two scans into a golden cross — the open question from last scan's writeup — even as its own momentum cooled: RSI eased from 65.4 to 57.7, its weekly print reversed from +8.47% to -2.88%, and its 30-day change decelerated to +8.07% (was +11.85%).

PPG re-broke down this scan after recovering to strong-up last scan: RSI dropped from 55.5 to 47.5, trend downgraded back to weak-down, and its weekly print reversed from +8.32% to -4.09%, the sector's worst this scan. Ecolab's RSI eased sharply too, from 60.8 to 48.7, though its trend held strong-up. Linde remains the sector's only sub-40 RSI reading, easing further from 39.5 to 38.0, still trending weak-down with a 30-day change of -6.11%. Air Products was the sector's steadiest name: RSI firmed to 61.8, the sector's highest, and its 52-week-high gap narrowed to -2.97%, the tightest in the group. DuPont's RSI rose to 60.5 with its 30-day change accelerating to +8.45%. The materials-sector ETF, XLB, enters this scan's tracked comparison for the first time — RSI 55.9, strong-up trend, and a -3.38% 52-week-high gap — with no prior-scan reading on file.

• Dow: RSI 44.9→54.1 (firmed sharply), trend "down"→"up" (upgraded), 7D -3.14%→+5.90% (reversed positive), 30D +1.07%→+4.61% (accelerated), 52wkHi -30.58%→-28.97% (narrowed slightly, still the sector's widest gap); current data shows an active death-cross flag.
• LyondellBasell: RSI 48.9→58.2 (firmed), trend weak-down→strong-up (upgraded), 7D -4.01%→+7.00% (reversed, best in the sector this scan), 30D +6.95%→+9.93% (accelerated), 52wkHi -29.68%→-25.66% (narrowed).
• Sherwin-Williams: RSI 65.4→57.7 (eased), trend "up"→strong-up (upgraded), 7D +8.47%→-2.88% (reversed negative), 30D +11.85%→+8.07% (decelerated), 52wkHi -2.63%→-4.77% (widened slightly); death-cross flag resolved into a golden cross this scan.
• Air Products: RSI 59.5→61.8 (firmed), trend unchanged (strong-up), 7D +2.90%→+1.82% (decelerated), 30D +2.25%→+5.20% (accelerated), 52wkHi -6.28%→-2.97% (narrowed sharply, tightest in the sector).
• Linde: RSI 39.5→38.0 (eased further), trend unchanged (weak-down), 7D +2.42%→-1.48% (reversed negative), 30D -7.14%→-6.11% (improved slightly, still negative), 52wkHi -10.43%→-12.77% (widened).
• Ecolab: RSI 60.8→48.7 (eased sharply), trend unchanged (strong-up), 7D +2.72%→-3.18% (reversed negative), 30D +4.03%→+2.17% (decelerated), 52wkHi -7.70%→-10.67% (widened).
• PPG: RSI 55.5→47.5 (eased), trend strong-up→weak-down (re-broke down), 7D +8.32%→-4.09% (reversed, worst weekly print in the sector this scan), 30D +4.76%→-0.43% (swung negative), 52wkHi -10.72%→-14.01% (widened).
• DuPont: RSI 54.6→60.5 (firmed), trend unchanged (strong-up), 7D +3.99%→+2.66% (decelerated but still positive), 30D +4.02%→+8.45% (accelerated), 52wkHi -6.72%→-8.79% (widened slightly).
• XLB (ETF): RSI 55.9, trend strong-up, 7D -0.61%, 30D +4.04%, 52wkHi -3.38% — newly tracked in this scan's comparison; no prior-scan value on file.

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 a healthy/strong reading, yellow marks neutral or mixed signals, orange marks an extended-but-not-extreme reading, red marks a breakdown or the sector's worst reading. Trend reflects a stock's structural direction based on its moving averages (strong-up, up, weak-down, 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.

RSI < 25 (Oversold): None this scan.

RSI 25-40 (Approaching Oversold): Linde ($482.74, RSI 38.0) is the sector's only name in this band, easing further from 39.5 last scan. Its trend classification is still weak-down and its 30-day change (-6.11%) remains negative, though it improved slightly from -7.14%.

RSI 40+ (Neutral-to-Strong): The other eight names sit here. Air Products (61.8) is the sector's strongest reading and carries the tightest 52-week-high gap (-2.97%). Dow (54.1) and LyondellBasell (58.2) both reversed from being last scan's weakest names into this scan's strongest upgrades. PPG (47.5) re-broke down to weak-down after recovering last scan, posting the sector's worst weekly print. Ecolab (48.7) held its strong-up trend but its RSI eased sharply. Sherwin-Williams (57.7) resolved its multi-scan death-cross flag into a golden cross even as its own momentum cooled. DuPont (60.5) firmed further, and XLB (55.9), the materials-sector ETF, enters the comparison for the first time.

Does Dow and LyondellBasell's reversal hold this time, or does the sector keep rotating between these pairs? Does Sherwin-Williams' momentum stabilize now that the death-cross flag has finally resolved? Does PPG's re-break persist, or reverse again given the sector's recent pattern of names flip-flopping between strong-up and weak-down? And does Linde ever clear RSI 40?

• Tape data (price/RSI/SMA/returns): pre-computed summaries as of the 2026-08-14 close — chemicals.
• Comparison figures: 2026-08-08-chemicals (2026-08-07 close).