On Monday before the open, Gap Inc received an upgrade to its Relative Strength (RS) Rating, from 75 to 82. That was based on action from last week. Unfortunately it did not hold those gains so far in today's trading.
When looking for the best stocks to buy and watch, one factor to watch closely is relative price strength.
IBD's proprietary RS Rating identifies technical performance by showing how a stock's price movement over the last 52 weeks measures up against that of the other stocks in our database.
Over 100 years of market history shows that the market's biggest winners typically have an RS Rating north of 80 as they launch their biggest climbs.
See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks
While Gap Inc is not near an ideal buy point right now, see if it goes on to form and break out from a proper consolidation. Today's key will be if it breaks or holds the 50-day line as seen on MarketSmith.
While the company's top line growth fell last quarter from -6% to -8%, earnings-per-share grew 325%, up from 0% in the prior report.
The company holds the No. 8 rank among its peers in the Retail-Apparel/Shoes/Accessories industry group. Abercrombie & Fitch and Urban Outfitters are also among the group's highest-rated stocks.
Stocks To Buy And Watch: Top IPOs, Big And Small Caps, Growth Stocks