Six-Month Relative Strength: formula and how to read it

Six-month return compared with the S&P 500. Six-month stock return minus the benchmark return over matching trading dates.

Stock Meadow groups it under Price trend, and shows it in tables as Rel. strength 6m.

Relative strength = six-month stock return − S&P 500 return over matching trading dates

A stock that gained 14% while the S&P 500 gained 6% has a six-month relative strength of +8%. The numbers are made up for illustration.

A higher figure means the stock has outperformed the index over six months. In the Trending Value model it ranks the cheapest stocks.

When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better.

• Not the same as the Relative Strength Index (RSI), which looks only at the stock's own recent gains and losses.
• Needs about 127 trading days of prices, so it is blank for recent listings.
• Six months is short, and leadership changes.

Treat any single metric as one clue, and read the company's financial statements before drawing a conclusion. Stock Meadow's figures are research tools based on reported data, not investment advice.

Fixed-recipe models that score it: Trending Value (O'Shaughnessy).

In Weighted ranking, Z-score composite and Balanced (no weak link), you choose the metrics and weights yourself, so you can include it in a custom score.

Read about every scoring model on the scoring models page.

• 12-1 Momentum: last year's return, ignoring the most recent month.
• Relative Strength Index (RSI): recent buying momentum; 50–70 is healthy.
• Price vs. 200-Day Moving Average: how far the price sits above its long-term trend.

Is relative strength the same as RSI?

No. Relative strength here compares a stock's six-month return with the S&P 500. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a separate indicator based on a stock's own 14-day gains and losses.

Is a higher or lower Rel. strength 6m better?

When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better. That is a ranking convention, so read Rel. strength 6m alongside other measures and compare similar companies.