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Should You Buy Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) After Golden Cross?

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From a technical perspective, Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. is looking like an interesting pick, as it just reached a key level of support. SCHN's 50-day simple moving average crossed above its 200-day simple moving average, which is known as a "golden cross" in the trading world.

There's a reason traders love a golden cross -- it's a technical chart pattern that can indicate a bullish breakout is on the horizon. This kind of crossover is formed when a stock's short-term moving average breaks above a longer-term moving average. Typically, a golden cross involves the 50-day and the 200-day moving averages, since bigger time periods tend to form stronger breakouts.

A successful golden cross event has three stages. It first begins when a stock's price on the decline bottoms out. Then, its shorter moving average crosses above its longer moving average, triggering a positive trend reversal. The third and final phase occurs when the stock maintains its upward momentum.

This kind of chart pattern is the opposite of a death cross, which is a technical event that suggests future bearish price movement.

SCHN could be on the verge of a breakout after moving 20.3% higher over the last four weeks. Plus, the company is currently a #1 (Strong Buy) on the Zacks Rank.

Looking at SCHN's earnings expectations, investors will be even more convinced of the bullish uptrend. For the current quarter, there have been 2 changes higher compared to none lower over the past 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has moved up as well.

Moving Average Chart for SCHN

With a winning combination of earnings estimate revisions and hitting a key technical level, investors should keep their eye on SCHN for more gains in the near future.

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