Watch These Alphabet Levels as Stock Tumbles on Concerns About Google Search Business

Alphabet (GOOGL) shares tumbled Wednesday after an Apple (AAPL) executive reportedly said the iPhone maker is looking to add AI-powered search options to its Safari browser, adding they could eventually replace standard search engines like Google’s.

The two tech giants have a longstanding partnership that sees Alphabet’s Google pay Apple an estimated $20 billion a year to make its search engine the default option on Safari in exchange for the iPhone maker receiving a cut of Google’s ad revenue through the browser. The news heightened concerns that AI is chipping away at Google’s bread-and-butter online search business.  

Alphabet shares have slumped 20% since the start of the year through Wednesday’s close, in part over concerns that an economic slowdown could hit revenue as ad spending is reined in. The stock fell more than 7% to close near $151 on Wednesday.

Below, we take a closer look at Alphabet’s chart and apply technical analysis to identify major price levels worth watching out for.

Rising Wedge Breakdown

Following an ominous death cross surfacing on the chart last month, Alphabet shares staged a countertrend rally to form a rising wedge, a bearish pattern that indicates a continuation of the stock’s move lower.

Indeed, that move looks to have started in Wednesday’s trading session, with the price breaking down below the pattern’s lower trendline on above-average daily volume. Moreover, the drop coincided with the relative strength index (RSI) plunging below the 50 threshold, signaling accelerating selling momentum.

Let’s identify two major support levels on Alphabet’s chart where the shares may attract support and also locate key overhead areas worth watching during future recovery efforts.

Major Support Levels to Monitor

The first support level to watch sits around $141. This area could attract buying interest near a horizontal line that connects last month’s prominent low with several peaks that developed on the chart in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Selling below this major technical level could see the shares retreat to lower support at $131. Investors may seek entry points in this region near the low of a pullback to the closely watched 200-day moving average in March last year.

Key Overhead Areas Worth Watching

During recovery efforts in the stock, it’s worth keeping track of the $165 area. The shares may encounter overhead resistance at this level near the rising wedge pattern’s peak, which also closely aligns with last November’s trough.

Finally, a close above this area could propel a move to $182. Investors who have accumulated Alphabet shares at lower levels may look for profit-taking opportunities in this region near a trendline that links a range of corresponding trading activity on the chart stretching back to late June last year.

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As of the date this article was written, the author does not own any of the above securities.