Golden cross & death cross

Traders watch two averages: the fast 50-day and the slow 200-day. When the 50-day crosses above the 200-day, it's called a golden cross — recent strength overtaking the long-term average (seen as a positive sign). When it crosses below, a death cross — recent weakness (seen as negative). Scary names, but they're just two average lines crossing, and like all chart signals they describe momentum, not destiny.