Chemicals Scan — October 2, 2026 Close
Chemicals Scan — October 2, 2026 Close
Chemicals are still a sector in a long drawdown: eight of nine names (including the materials ETF, $XLB) sit below their 200-day averages, every one is down over thirty days, and the materials ETF has the lowest RSI on the board at 34.4. Today bounced (eight of nine rose; Linde ($LIN) led at +2.14%) but only Linde and LyondellBasell ($LYB) are positive over seven days. $DD is the one name with a strong year (+27.91%) and alpha +12.9; everyone else is flat, negative, or only modestly ahead.
Data as-of the 2026-10-02 close for all nine tickers, including the sector ETF ($XLB). Numbers from the pre-computed chemicals summary. Comparison scan: the September 25, 2026 close.
Quick Snapshot
| Signal | Reading |
|---|---|
| Overall | 🟠 Broad weakness with a one-day bounce; no leaders in structure |
| Leaders | $DD (+27.91% over one year, alpha +12.9); $LIN (+2.04% over seven days, RSI 56, highest) |
| Laggards | $DOW (-12.6% vs 200-day, -10.58% over thirty days, strong-down); $SHW (-7.09% over one year, alpha -22.1) |
| Caveat | Price/RSI-only screen; several news pulls are stale or failed |
What's Going On
Today's tape was a relief rally inside a down trend: $LIN +2.14%, $APD +1.55%, $DOW and $LYB +1.38% each, $ECL +0.9%, with only $SHW lower (-0.4%). Over seven days, though, seven of nine names are negative; the worst are $SHW (-2.91%) and $ECL (-2.07%). Over thirty days all nine are negative, from $LYB's -12% and $APD's -10.3% to $LIN's -1.64%.
Long-horizon read: no name is in a clean intact trend. $DD is the best (+27.91% one year, 5.6% under its 200-day), $LYB and $DOW are +18% on the year but 5.6% and 12.6% under their lines. $SHW (-7.09%, alpha -22.1) and $LIN, $APD, $PPG (alpha -12 to -14) are the actually weak group on the year.
Cause: unknown. News for $DOW (pulled October 1) and $APD (September 30) returned no items; $SHW, $LIN, $LYB, $PPG, $XLB, $DD and $ECL pulls date from before the move or failed, so they say nothing about it. The stock-events record shows only upcoming earnings (Dow October 22; PPG, SHW, ECL October 27; $LIN, $LYB October 30). The October 1-2 article and X captures name none of these companies.
What Changed Since 2026-09-25
Not itemized name by name; this scan's reading is the cross-section above. The main shift is that $LIN is again the only name with RSI above 50, and $XLB, $APD, $LYB and $DOW sit at or near the oversold band while no name is overbought.
How To Read The Board
RSI under 30 is oversold; the trend tag is short-window. 200-day gap, one-year change and alpha are the longer-horizon check. This is raw screen evidence; low RSI in a down trend is not a setup.
Price Table
| Stock | Price | RSI | SMA20 | vs SMA20 | 7D | 30D | 1Y | vs SMA200 | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOW | $27.97 | 39.9 | $28.72 | -2.6% | -0.18% | -10.58% | 18.07% | -12.6% | 🔴 Strong-down, deepest 200-day gap in the cohort |
| LYB | $58.58 | 39.6 | $61.4 | -4.6% | 0.76% | -12% | 18.75% | -5.6% | 🟠 Under 200-day, near the oversold edge |
| SHW | $319.51 | 40.6 | $324.22 | -1.5% | -2.91% | -3.54% | -7.09% | -4.1% | 🟠 Down trend, negative year and alpha |
| APD | $277.57 | 36.9 | $286.1 | -3% | -1.49% | -10.3% | 2.58% | -2.8% | 🟠 Near oversold, flat year, negative alpha |
| LIN | $479.48 | 56 | $467.4 | 2.6% | 2.04% | -1.64% | 2.13% | -1.4% | 🟡 Best week, but strong-down tag and negative alpha |
| ECL | $273.7 | 45.7 | $274.91 | -0.4% | -2.07% | -2.22% | -0.11% | 0% | 🟡 Sitting on its 200-day, flat year |
| PPG | $105.15 | 40.7 | $106.3 | -1.1% | -2.2% | -5.53% | 0.6% | -6.1% | 🟠 Strong-down tag, flat year, negative alpha |
| DD | $129.98 | 45 | $129.35 | 0.5% | -1.31% | -2.22% | 27.91% | -5.6% | 🟡 Under 200-day but best year in the cohort |
| XLB | $48.86 | 34.4 | $50.22 | -2.7% | -1.89% | -7.72% | 8.92% | -3.5% | 🟠 Sector ETF at the lowest RSI of the board |
Tier Analysis
Capitulation, RSI under 25: None.
Oversold, RSI 25-40: $XLB (34.4), $APD (36.9), $LYB (39.6), $DOW (39.9).
Neutral to strong, RSI 40+: $SHW (40.6), $PPG (40.7), $DD (45), $ECL (45.7), $LIN (56).
Entry Zones
| Stock | Zone | Thesis |
|---|---|---|
| DD | Reclaim of the 200-day | Only name with a strong year |
| LIN | Pullback toward 20-day | Quality, but strong-down tag |
| ECL | Hold the 200-day | On the line, flat year |
| DOW, LYB | None yet | Cyclical, under 200-day, need a base |
| SHW, PPG, APD | None | Negative alpha |
| XLB | Basket proxy | Lowest RSI; wait for stabilization |
Action Matrix
| Action | Stocks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 🔍 WATCH | DD, LIN, ECL | Best relative structure |
| ⚠️ AVOID / CAUTION | LYB, APD, XLB | Near oversold but trend still down |
| ❌ DON'T BUY | DOW, SHW, PPG | Deep gap or negative year and alpha |
What To Watch Next
Does $XLB break into the oversold band and bounce, or keep sliding? Does $DD reclaim its 200-day? Does the late-October earnings run (Dow October 22) change any trend tag? The seven-day weakness has no sourced cause (news not re-pulled for these names, so not pulled for this move; stock-events and the October 1-2 captures checked).
Sources
Related
9 eventsNo direct external sources are attached to this read.