(Corrects story link in 1st bullet)
** Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund retreatingfurther from upper boundary of near year-long triangular pattern
** S&P financials worst performing S&P 500 sector YTD; now down 5 pct vs SPX 1 pct gain
** Sector shunned as prospects for near-term Fed rate hikefade, while stress mounts on global financials with majorsovereign yields either at, or near, record lows
** XLF now breaking below 40-WMA; hitting near 2-month low.Chart: http://tmsnrt.rs/1UNyRMv
** Early Apr low $21.85, but ETF can threaten lower boundaryof pattern, $20.00 area; would need to overwhelm $23.93 to clearupside
** Despite prospects for further underperformance vs SPX, USfinancials continue to trend up against global counterparts
** iShares MSCI Europe Financial ETF down 4.5 WTD,and 18 pct YTD; Deutsche Bank making new lows today
** XLF - EUFN spread, now $6.05, exceeding channelresistance line from 2010; shorter-term higher angle-of-attackchannel can suggest spread widening to $9+
** XLF top holdings by pct TNA end-of-Apr include BerkshireHathaway, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo
** HSBC Holdings, Allianz, and BancoSantander among top EUFN holdings