S&P 500's looming 'death cross' may not be as ominous as it sounds, analysts say

A tariff-induced selloff in the U.S. stock market faces another worry, the "death cross" pattern, but history shows the ominous sounding technical signal may not necessarily mean equities face more significant downside. A death cross occurs when the 50-day moving average (DMA), seen by technicians as a proxy for the intermediate-term trend, slips below the 200-DMA, a proxy for the long-term trend. Technical analysts view the occurrence as marking a spot where a shorter-term correction could turn into a longer-term downtrend.