While the S & P 500 rose on Monday, it signalled a "death cross", with the 50-day moving average breaking through the 200-day moving average for the first time since March 2022. Technical analysts usually see a death cross as a signal that the decline is about to intensify. While the index has typically fallen further after a death cross in the past, the pain is often short-lived. The data shows that the overall average of the S & P 500 index will move higher after 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, with gains of 2.5%, 4.2% and 5.8%, respectively. Paul Ciana, chief technical strategist at BofA Securities, said that the impact of the death cross on the S & P 500 index on the market outlook is inconclusive. One key is whether the 200-day moving average at the close has fallen in the past five trading days. If so, it may indicate that the stock market has more room to move lower in the near future. According to Ciana, this could be a clear signal that the index could retest last week's 2025 lows.