Associated Banc-Corp (ASB Quick QuoteASB - Free Report) reached a significant support level, and could be a good pick for investors from a technical perspective. Recently, ASB's 50-day simple moving average broke out above its 200-day moving average; this is known as a "golden cross."

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.

There are three stages to a golden cross. First, there must be a downtrend in a stock's price that eventually bottoms out. Then, the stock's shorter moving average crosses over its longer moving average, triggering a positive trend reversal. The third stage is when a stock continues the upward momentum to higher prices.

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

Shares of ASB have been moving higher over the past four weeks, up 12%. Plus, the company is currently a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, suggesting that ASB could be poised for a breakout.

The bullish case solidifies once investors consider ASB's positive earnings outlook. For the current quarter, no earnings estimate has been cut compared to 5 revisions higher in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased too.

Given this move in earnings estimates and the positive technical factor, investors may want to keep their eye on ASB for more gains in the near future.