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Applied Materials · Sigma Moves

Closed-period price moves, measured against their own history. One engine. Five markets. No forecasts.

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Latest closed period

Applied Materials's latest move against its own history.

11 December 2023 · Daily
AMAT Rare +5.02% +2.73σ About once every 50 trading sessions 25 comparable moves / 1,258 observations

What happened afterwards

All history-qualified moves of at least 2.5σ. Results after the event are descriptive statistics, not trading instructions.

+1 sessions

Median return +0.27%

Completed observations: 19

Middle 50%
-0.77% … +2.36%
Positive returns
53%

+7 sessions

Median return +1.15%

Completed observations: 19

Middle 50%
-0.08% … +5.08%
Positive returns
74%

+30 sessions

Median return +12.77%

Completed observations: 19

Middle 50%
+5.49% … +18.82%
Positive returns
79%

Every rare move, in context

Instrument: AMAT (price return)

DateσMoveObserved rarity+1 sessions+7 sessions+30 sessions
11 Dec 2023 +2.73σ +5.02% About once every 50 trading sessions25 comparable moves / 1,258 observations +1.34% +1.15% +11.27%
10 Nov 2023 +3.09σ +5.25% About once every 79 trading sessions16 comparable moves / 1,257 observations -0.62% -0.95% +9.03%
19 Oct 2023 -3.24σ -4.96% About once every 105 trading sessions12 comparable moves / 1,257 observations -0.23% -2.53% +12.77%
20 Jul 2023 -3.09σ -5.46% About once every 84 trading sessions15 comparable moves / 1,257 observations +1.76% +13.09% +13.97%
25 May 2023 +3.39σ +7.18% About once every 140 trading sessions9 comparable moves / 1,258 observations +4.28% +2.66% +5.43%
15 May 2023 +2.63σ +4.32% About once every 47 trading sessions27 comparable moves / 1,258 observations -0.16% +0.51% +18.92%
22 Dec 2022 -3.03σ -7.84% About once every 79 trading sessions16 comparable moves / 1,258 observations -0.39% +1.75% +23.48%
10 Nov 2022 +3.35σ +11.03% About once every 114 trading sessions11 comparable moves / 1,258 observations +5.48% +0.33% -7.22%
9 Aug 2022 -2.93σ -7.58% About once every 68 trading sessions18 comparable moves / 1,219 observations +5.41% +8.64% -12.61%
16 Jun 2022 -2.51σ -8.04% About once every 37 trading sessions32 comparable moves / 1,183 observations +0.27% +6.06% +18.76%
18 Jan 2022 -3.12σ -8.77% About once every 77 trading sessions14 comparable moves / 1,079 observations -6.10% -14.58% -12.59%
19 Nov 2021 -2.77σ -5.49% About once every 47 trading sessions22 comparable moves / 1,040 observations -1.65% +1.09% +5.55%
4 Nov 2021 +2.78σ +5.17% About once every 49 trading sessions21 comparable moves / 1,029 observations +2.10% +4.09% -2.65%
28 Sep 2021 -4.08σ -6.90% 4 times in 4 years4 comparable moves / 1,002 observations -3.48% -3.77% +17.61%
12 May 2021 -2.62σ -7.02% About once every 39 trading sessions23 comparable moves / 906 observations +4.39% +12.00% +20.35%
10 May 2021 -2.60σ -6.21% About once every 38 trading sessions24 comparable moves / 904 observations -0.91% +0.09% +7.02%
27 Jan 2021 -2.54σ -6.59% About once every 33 trading sessions25 comparable moves / 833 observations +2.61% +2.16% +18.88%
14 Jan 2021 +3.76σ +7.90% 4 times in 3 years4 comparable moves / 825 observations -2.51% -0.26% +15.55%
5 Nov 2020 +3.31σ +7.85% About once every 86 trading sessions9 comparable moves / 778 observations +0.83% +6.48% +23.07%

The number has a method behind it

Sigma measures the size of a log return relative to volatility estimated before the period. Rarity is counted from actual historical standardized moves, not inferred from a normal distribution.

σt = ln(Ct / Ct−1) / vtvt ← t−1, t−2, …

Volatility adapts to the market regime with EWMA (λ = 0.94 for daily and weekly observations). Current-period returns are excluded. Each historical σ uses its own prior volatility.

Both directions count toward rarity. Reference history spans up to five years. A period with no prior exceedances is labelled unprecedented in the observed sample; it is never given an invented recurrence interval.

Stock observations use split-adjusted price returns, without dividend reinvestment. Commodities are explicitly labelled ETF price proxies; they do not represent spot commodity prices.

Questions behind the sigma

What does a 3σ move mean?

The period log return is three times the volatility estimated from earlier periods. Sigma is signed: negative for declines and positive for rises.

Why not calculate rarity from a normal distribution?

Market returns have heavy tails and changing volatility. We count actual past absolute sigma exceedances for the same instrument and period.

Does “once every 200 days” predict the next event?

No. It is the number of historical observed periods divided by comparable moves. Events can cluster and the market regime can change.

How much history is required?

At least three years of valid standardized observations, after a one-year volatility warm-up. This normally requires approximately four years of source history.

Are all instruments directly comparable?

The engine is shared, but each instrument has its own prices, calendar, volatility and reference sample. Commodity cards use explicitly labelled ETF proxies.

What happens on quiet days?

The page shows the largest covered standardized move, the complete rarity scale and recent records. Missing data is reported separately from market calm.

For information only. Historical observations are not investment advice and do not predict future moves. A rare move can be followed by another rare move.