Market Turning Points - 2026

A market you want to own has pulled back. Buying now means committing capital to a decline that may not be finished. Waiting means risking that the recovery starts without you. A buy stop order resolves that: placed above the current price, it fills only if the market trades back up to the level you set. This article explains what a buy stop order is, where to place it relative to the crossover averages, and why lower prices alone are never evidence that a decline has ended.

Markets are working through a reset, not a bottoming resolution yet. Relief rallies will occur but should not be confused with the durable low still forming. A market bottom requires time reaching the cycle window, momentum turning positive, and structure confirming higher lows. The February 13-17 window is where probability shifts back to buyers. Buy stops remain the right tool. Patience until alignment. Execution when confirmed.

Choppy markets frustrate investors because most people feel like they need to always be in the market. But forced activity is exactly what chop punishes. You don't get paid for being active. You get paid for being right. When trends, timing, and technicals are out of sync, the odds are stacked against you. Patience is not inactivity. It is positioning. Use buy stops as the cyclical turning point approaches.