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Dell Technologies · Sigma Moves

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

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Latest closed period

Dell Technologies's latest move against its own history.

18 May 2022 · Daily
DELL Very rare -7.08% -3.27σ About once every 55 trading sessions 21 comparable moves / 1,163 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 -1.64%

Completed observations: 12

Middle 50%
-1.97% … +0.09%
Positive returns
25%

+7 sessions

Median return +0.65%

Completed observations: 12

Middle 50%
-2.52% … +3.46%
Positive returns
58%

+30 sessions

Median return +1.00%

Completed observations: 12

Middle 50%
-8.23% … +11.65%
Positive returns
58%

Every rare move, in context

Instrument: DELL (price return)

DateσMoveObserved rarity+1 sessions+7 sessions+30 sessions
18 May 2022 -3.27σ -7.08% About once every 55 trading sessions21 comparable moves / 1,163 observations -5.10% +14.48% -1.32%
31 Mar 2022 -3.46σ -7.60% About once every 63 trading sessions18 comparable moves / 1,130 observations -2.77% -6.46% -10.16%
2 Mar 2022 +2.95σ +7.46% About once every 43 trading sessions26 comparable moves / 1,109 observations -1.88% -2.97% -11.74%
25 Feb 2022 -5.17σ -7.84% 4 times in 4 years4 comparable moves / 1,106 observations -0.97% -2.37% -7.91%
24 Nov 2021 +3.41σ +4.81% About once every 61 trading sessions17 comparable moves / 1,043 observations -1.95% +2.53% +1.20%
13 Sep 2021 +2.63σ +3.83% About once every 34 trading sessions29 comparable moves / 991 observations -1.47% +0.38% +13.55%
27 Aug 2021 -3.73σ -4.53% About once every 65 trading sessions15 comparable moves / 981 observations +1.24% -2.12% +8.51%
1 Jun 2021 +2.68σ +4.27% About once every 34 trading sessions27 comparable moves / 919 observations -2.00% +0.91% -9.19%
15 Apr 2021 +4.65σ +6.71% About once every 111 trading sessions8 comparable moves / 887 observations +2.53% +1.48% +0.79%
13 Jan 2021 -4.98σ -7.19% About once every 165 trading sessions5 comparable moves / 824 observations +2.84% +6.25% +13.81%
28 Oct 2020 -2.53σ -4.51% About once every 29 trading sessions27 comparable moves / 772 observations -0.30% +6.41% +18.88%
26 Oct 2020 -3.81σ -5.05% About once every 64 trading sessions12 comparable moves / 770 observations -1.81% -3.88% +11.01%

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.