NASDAQ ยท Financial Services ยท Weekly research

CME Elliott Wave report

CME Group Inc

Week ending 28 Aug 2026 Close USD 285.80 276 weekly observations
Current structure Possible bearish Wave 2 crest
47/100 setup score 100/100 data quality
The setup score is a rules-based composite, not a probability or price forecast.
Investment view

What the current structure is saying

Based on weekly closing prices
Setup lifecycle

Watching

The lifecycle separates an interesting setup from price confirmation, an active thesis, maturity and invalidation.

Now

Possible bearish Wave 2 crest is the highest-ranked admissible primary count; cycle status is rising stack.

Next

A weekly close through 221.00, supported by an FLD cross and improving relative strength.

Wrong

The underlying directional structure fails beyond 297.35; a forming endpoint can extend before that happens.

Risk

The active endpoint can move until its reversal is confirmed; earnings, gaps and volatility can jump through technical levels.

The picture behind the setup

Weekly wave structure and decision levels

Filled markers are confirmed pivots; the outlined marker is still forming. Decision lines show where the primary interpretation confirms or fails.

Close 30-week trend Fair Value Confirm Directional failure
Scenario comparison

How the valid counts compete

Possible bearish Wave 2 crest100%
Relative evidence among displayed countsโ€”not forecast probabilities.
Pre-emptive downside check

Contained

6/100
Wave maturity0/25
Trend extension0/20
Range position0/15
Cycle rollover0/15
Multi-cycle risk4/15
Count instability2/10
Event proximity0/10

This is a pre-emptive vulnerability checklist, not a probability of decline. It rises when mature wave structure, overextension, cycle rollover, count instability and event risk cluster before price breaks down.

Current read

The closing-price swing map is classified as possible bearish wave 2 crest. Price is 2.8% above its 30-week trend. 5 of 7 available confirmation measures are constructive.

5 constructive ยท 0 neutral ยท 2 weak

What would confirm the risk

Evidence of deterioration

  • A weekly close below 221.00, the nearest confirmed swing low.
  • Cycle pressure rolling from cresting into falling.
  • Relative strength and market activity losing neutral.
What would challenge it

Bearish structure weakens above

USD 297.35

Confirmed on 2026-05-15. Treat this as a structure reference, not an automatic trading level.

4-week return 6.7%
13-week return 5.0%
26-week return -7.9%
52-week return 11.4%
From 52-week high -10.6%
26-week volatility 32.1%
Wave structure

Price, trend and the active swing

The chart uses a 5.5% closing-price reversal threshold. Filled markers are confirmed pivots; the outlined final marker is still forming.

Primary admissible count

Possible bearish Wave 2 crest

100% evidence weight

Counts must pass hard Elliott geometry rules. Fibonacci relationships, alternation and cycle evidence rank admissible interpretations; evidence weights compare scenarios and are not forecast probabilities.

Confirm 221.00 Invalidate 297.35 Count stability High ยท 84/100
PassWave 2 protects the Wave 1 originOrigin 297.35; Wave 2 285.80.
GuidelineWave 2 retracement is proportionateRetraced 85% of Wave 1.
Strategic degreeNo valid count

Strategic degree uses a 8.8% weekly closing-price reversal threshold.

Primary degreePossible bearish Wave 2 crest

Primary degree uses a 5.5% weekly closing-price reversal threshold.

Tactical degreeNo valid count

Tactical degree uses a 3.9% weekly closing-price reversal threshold.

Active swing 29.3%

9 weeks ยท Forming

Nearest confirmed support 221.00

Pivot from 2026-06-26

Nearest confirmed resistance 297.35

Pivot from 2026-05-15

30-week trend 278.00

Price is 2.8% from trend

Fair Value reference 233.10

Price is 22.6% from Fair Value

52-week range position 67%

218.31 low ยท 319.72 high

Cycle timing

Are the main rhythms moving together?

Nominal cycles are starting bands, not fixed clocks. Each period adapts to the strongest nearby repeat in detrended weekly prices; projected turns are future intervals and require price confirmation.

Pressure phaseRising

Current medium-term pressure direction

Multi-cycle alignmentRising Stack

75/100 constructive ยท 25/100 risk

Nearest trough window18 weeks

Timing estimate, not a dated forecast

Nearest crest window1 weeks

Timing estimate, not a dated forecast

Cycle pressure

Above zero is positive pressure; direction matters more than the absolute number.

Multi-cycle rhythm

The thick line is the blended reading; thinner lines show 20, 40 and 80-week components.

Nominal / estimated10w / 10w
Current phaseRising
Period evidence0/100
FLD confirmationCrossed Up
Since last trough7w
Future trough interval0โ€“7w
Nominal / estimated20w / 25w
Current phaseRising
Period evidence0/100
FLD confirmationCrossed Up
Since last trough7w
Future trough interval10โ€“26w
Nominal / estimated40w / 30w
Current phaseTroughing
Period evidence0/100
FLD confirmationCrossed Down
Since last trough6w
Future trough interval14โ€“34w
Nominal / estimated80w / 79w
Current phaseFalling
Period evidence21/100
FLD confirmationCrossed Up
Since last trough30w
Future trough interval36โ€“62w
Confirmation

Does price behaviour support the wave count?

Each measure answers a different question. Agreement across several measures is more useful than one strong reading in isolation.

71% confirmation alignment
Trend

Price is holding above its 30-week trend.

2.8% above trend
Cycle pressure

The medium-term pressure curve is turning higher.

Rising
Cycle alignment

Several cycle lengths are improving together.

Rising Stack
Relative strength

Underperforming its benchmark

-6.3
Market activity

Participation is weak

-4.5
Market dynamics

Price and volume behaviour is supportive

+0.0
30-week momentum

Medium-term momentum is positive

+1.8
Combined reading Constructive

5 constructive, 2 weak and 0 neutral measures.

This is a count of rules-based evidence, not a recommendation.

Market activity

Whether participation is supporting the move.

Relative strength

Performance against the market benchmark.

30-week momentum

The pace of the medium-term price move.

Market dynamics

A separate scale prevents this lower-range measure being hidden by relative strength.

Risk and participation

How much movement sits behind the pattern?

Wave structure is easier to judge when drawdown, volatility and participation are visible beside it.

52-week low218.31
52-week high319.72
Annualised volatility32.1%

Based on the latest 26 weekly returns

Average weekly range7.2%

Average high-to-low range over 13 weeks

Current drawdown-7.9%

From the highest close in the stored record

Latest volume68%

Of its trailing 20-week average

Drawdown history

Distance below the highest prior weekly close.

Realised volatility

Annualised variability of the latest 26 weekly returns.

Relative volume

Weekly volume as a percentage of its 20-week average.

Market, peer and event context

Is the structure isolatedโ€”or supported by its environment?

Peer breadth tests whether the sector is moving with this security. Event and options context tests whether a catalyst could overwhelm otherwise valid technical structure.

Sector breadth

62% constructive

15 of 24 analysed peers have a bullish rule-valid primary count.

33% have improving cycle stacks Breadth shows whether peers share the structure. Cohort outcomes use non-overlapping, point-in-time trend and momentum states from the same sector and report benchmark excess return when matching benchmark bars exist; they are context, not a backtest of the Elliott count.
Event collision

Catalyst visible

Earnings: 2026-10-21 ยท about 8w away

Options: Bearish ยท 58/100 conviction ยท ยฑ2.4% expected move

Stored options pressure is bearish with 58/100 conviction.

Event and positioning context tests whether a scheduled catalyst or the options-implied move could overwhelm the technical structure.
Peer-state horizonIndependent samplesPositiveMedianMedian excess vs QQQ10thโ€“90th percentile
4 weeks91660%1.7%0.7%-7.4% to 10.1%
13 weeks32564%5.2%0.1%-10.7% to 19.2%
26 weeks18174%9.6%1.5%-11.1% to 31.1%
Historical context

What followed similar readings in this security?

Matches compare trend, cycle direction, momentum, relative strength and market dynamics using only information available at each historical week.

78 similar weekly states

Median forward return

Median outcome after each matching historical week.

4w
0.2%
13w
5.5%
26w
9.8%
HorizonMatchesPositiveMedianRange
4 weeks 78 54% 0.2% -6.4% to 11.7%
13 weeks 78 72% 5.5% -19.4% to 16.6%
26 weeks 74 84% 9.8% -10.2% to 30.4%

Overlapping historical matches are descriptive context, not independent observations or a forecast.

Evidence quality100/100

This measures usable history, indicator coverage and confirmed swing points. It does not measure the chance of the scenario succeeding.

Weekly history
100/100
Indicator coverage
100/100
Confirmed structure
100/100
Model ewc-2.1.0 ยท as of 2026-08-28 ยท only the final active pivot is provisional; confirmed pivots are retained.
How the count is built

Rules, references and limitations

  • Swing points use weekly closes and a 5.5% adaptive reversal threshold.
  • The final swing is provisional until the reversal threshold is met.
  • Candidate counts must pass the Wave 2 origin, Wave 3 progression/length and Wave 4 overlap rules when those waves are present.
  • Fibonacci proportions and alternation rank valid candidates but never rescue a hard-rule failure.
  • Primary and alternate evidence weights compare admissible counts; they are not probabilities.
  • Nominal Hurst periods adapt to observed weekly rhythm. Future windows include measured timing uncertainty and require FLD or price confirmation.
Audit trail

Recent swing points

The exact points used to construct the visible wave map.

DateStatusTypePriceMoveDuration
2024-01-12 Confirmed Low 179.87 -7.3% 6 weeks
2024-03-01 Confirmed High 199.60 11.0% 7 weeks
2024-07-12 Confirmed Low 178.10 -10.8% 19 weeks
2025-05-30 Confirmed High 276.82 55.4% 46 weeks
2025-09-05 Confirmed Low 252.07 -8.9% 14 weeks
2025-11-14 Confirmed High 275.61 9.3% 10 weeks
2026-01-09 Confirmed Low 254.92 -7.5% 8 weeks
2026-02-27 Confirmed High 310.34 21.7% 7 weeks
2026-05-08 Confirmed Low 279.83 -9.8% 10 weeks
2026-05-15 Confirmed High 297.35 6.3% 1 weeks
2026-06-26 Confirmed Low 221.00 -25.7% 6 weeks
2026-08-28 Forming High 285.80 29.3% 9 weeks

Evidence context