Redwood Trust (RWT)'s Technical Outlook is Bright After Key Golden Cross

Redwood Trust, Inc. (RWT) reached a significant support level, and could be a good pick for investors from a technical perspective. Recently, RWT's 50-day simple moving average broke out above its 200-day moving average; this is known as a "golden cross."

A golden cross is a technical chart pattern that can signify a potential bullish breakout. It's formed from a crossover involving a security's short-term moving average breaking above a longer-term moving average, with the most common moving averages being the 50-day and the 200-day, since bigger time periods tend to form stronger breakouts.

A successful golden cross event has three stages. It first begins when a stock's price on the decline bottoms out. Then, its shorter moving average crosses above its longer moving average, triggering a positive trend reversal. The third and final phase occurs when the stock maintains its upward momentum.

A golden cross contrasts with a death cross, another widely-followed chart pattern that suggests bearish momentum could be on the horizon.

RWT could be on the verge of a breakout after moving 14% higher over the last four weeks. Plus, the company is currently a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank.

Looking at RWT's earnings expectations, investors will be even more convinced of the bullish uptrend. For the current quarter, there have been 1 changes higher compared to none lower over the past 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has moved up as well.