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Market Structure · Beta Instability

Market X-Ray

The chart can be fine while participation breaks down underneath. The X-Ray measures it directly — upside beta (on up-days), downside beta (on down-days), asymmetry and instability — across the key structure pairs and 343 names in our indices. Detecting the rotation before price makes it obvious.

vs S&P 500 29% losing upside participation, 40% gaining downside fragility
vs Nasdaq-100 39% losing upside participation, 26% gaining downside fragility

Updated daily · data as of 2026-07-15 · Participation fragile — fragility rising beneath the surface

Latest read The Generals Have Followed Their Troops — the breadth warning becomes price confirmation →

The pairs we watch — full scores

Each pair, decomposed on up-days and down-days separately. These are the published "Troops Leaving Before the Generals" set — now confirmed by price in "The Generals Have Followed Their Troops".

SMH / QQQ fragile

Semiconductor leadership vs Nasdaq

Upside β1.71
Downside β2.00
Asymmetry-0.30
Particip.0.85
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β1.201.721.711.67
down β2.582.122.001.92
β-z +2.23instab 66 partic 58fragil 98 conv A -1.68 · accelerating-down
downside-beta expansionnegative beta asymmetryupside participation deteriorating (sharp)downside-beta expansion (sharp)
XSD / QQQ fragile

Equal-weight semis vs Nasdaq

Upside β1.82
Downside β2.21
Asymmetry-0.39
Particip.0.82
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β1.781.781.821.89
down β2.592.572.212.11
β-z +2.46instab 85 partic 86fragil 99 conv A -2.21 · accelerating-down
downside-beta expansionnegative beta asymmetrydownside-beta expansion (sharp)
XSD / SPY decoupling

Equal-weight semis vs market

Upside β2.37
Downside β2.29
Asymmetry+0.08
Particip.1.04
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β3.042.742.372.45
down β1.343.002.292.42
β-z +3.31instab 100 partic 79fragil 83 conv A +0.18 · accelerating-up
downside-beta expansiondownside-beta expansion (sharp)
IWM / SPY distribution

Small-cap participation

Upside β1.13
Downside β1.07
Asymmetry+0.06
Particip.1.05
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β0.100.831.131.31
down β0.601.051.071.14
β-z -1.81instab 57 partic 31fragil 30 conv A -0.14 · accelerating-down
beta-adjusted underperformanceupside participation deteriorating (sharp)
RSP / SPY fragile

S&P 500 equal-weight participation

Upside β0.76
Downside β0.81
Asymmetry-0.05
Particip.0.94
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β0.530.620.760.76
down β0.950.770.810.75
β-z -2.35instab 61 partic 26fragil 59 conv A -0.86 · accelerating-down
negative beta asymmetrybeta-adjusted underperformanceupside participation deteriorating (sharp)
HYG / SPY distribution

Credit confirmation

Upside β0.26
Downside β0.20
Asymmetry+0.06
Particip.1.28
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β0.080.240.260.28
down β0.180.160.200.18
β-z -0.29instab 15 partic 42fragil 44 conv A -0.33 · flat
beta-adjusted underperformance
ARKK / QQQ decoupling

Speculative-growth appetite

Upside β1.58
Downside β1.25
Asymmetry+0.33
Particip.1.26
horizon21d63d126d252d
up β1.991.401.581.38
down β0.561.051.251.44
β-z -2.93instab 92 partic 70fragil 2 conv A +2.19 · accelerating-up

Participation breadth — by index (vs S&P 500)

Want a specific name? Open the X-Ray Directory → — search, sort and open any of 2736 names on the full toolbox vs SPY & Nasdaq.

How to read it

For each pair (asset vs benchmark), returns are split into the benchmark's up-days and down-days. Upside β is participation in rallies; downside β is vulnerability in selloffs; asymmetry (up − down) and the participation ratio (up ÷ down) say whether an asset captures more upside than downside. Read across 21 / 63 / 126 / 252 days: a sharp drop at the short horizon while the long looks fine is the early warning.

For information and discussion only — a reading of market internals, not investment advice. Scores are relative and descriptive. Cross-read with the Money Temperature regime.