Equinor Plunges 2.87% Amid Volatile Intraday Action: What's Fueling the Selloff?

Summary
• Equinor (EQNR) trades at $24.215, down 2.87% from its $24.93 previous close
• Intraday range spans $24.2–$24.495, with 2.299M shares traded
• Sector leader Nextera (NEE) defies trend, up 0.18%
• Technicals hint at short-term bullish bias despite sharp correction

Equinor’s intraday selloff has sparked urgency among traders, with the stock trading near its 52-week low of $21.405. The move contrasts with a resilient renewable energy sector led by Nextera. Key technical indicators and options activity suggest a pivotal moment for EQNR, as traders weigh bearish momentum against long-term bullish fundamentals.

Technical Divergence Sparks Profit-Taking
Equinor’s 2.87% intraday decline reflects a technical divergence between short-term and long-term trends. While the stock remains above its 200-day moving average ($24.35) and 30-day SMA ($24.65), the MACD (-0.205) and RSI (55.65) signal weakening momentum. Price action near the Bollinger Bands lower boundary ($23.67) has triggered algorithmic selling, exacerbated by the 0.09% turnover rate—a sign of thin liquidity. The lack of company-specific news points to profit-taking after a 12-month rally from the $21.405 low, with traders capitalizing on overbought conditions.

Renewable Energy Sector Splits as Nextera Gains Ground
The renewable energy sector exhibits mixed signals, with Nextera Energy (NEE) rising 0.18% despite Equinor’s selloff. NEE’s outperformance highlights divergent investor sentiment within the sector, as EQNR’s 52-week low proximity ($21.405) contrasts with NEE’s 52-week high of $104.25. This divergence suggests sector rotation rather than broad-based weakness, with capital flowing toward utility stalwarts like NEE over cyclical energy plays.

Bearish Plays and Key Technical Levels to Watch
• 200-day MA: $24.35 (neutral), 30-day MA: $24.65 (below), RSI: 55.65 (neutral)
• Bollinger Bands: Lower boundary at $23.67 (critical support), Middle at $24.47
• MACD: -0.205 (bearish), Histogram: +0.048 (short-term divergence)

Equinor’s price action near $24.2–$24.495 suggests a pivotal test of support at $24.47 (30D/200D overlap). Traders should monitor the $24.2 level, where the 52-week low proximity could trigger stop-loss cascades. While no leveraged ETFs are available, options data reveals aggressive bearish positioning:

• EQNR20250919P24 (Put, $24 strike, 2025-09-19):
- IV: 21.46% (moderate), Leverage: 96.74%, Delta: -0.415 (sensitive), Theta: -0.0646 (rapid decay), Gamma: 0.478 (high sensitivity), Turnover: 3,359
- Payoff: At 5% downside (ST = $22.99), payoff = max(0, $24 - $22.99) = $1.01/share. High gamma and leverage make this ideal for short-term bearish bets.
• EQNR20250919P25 (Put, $25 strike, 2025-09-19):
- IV: 19.53% (moderate), Leverage: 27.17%, Delta: -0.863 (deep in-the-money), Theta: -0.105 (aggressive decay), Gamma: 0.293 (moderate), Turnover: 3,014
- Payoff: At 5% downside, payoff = $25 - $22.99 = $2.01/share. Deep ITM position offers capital preservation with limited upside risk.

Aggressive bears may consider EQNR20250919P24 into a breakdown below $24.2, while conservative traders should watch the $24.47 support cluster. If $23.67 breaks, the 52-week low becomes a critical psychological threshold.

Backtest Equinor Stock Performance
The event-study back-test is complete. Key assumptions made for you:1. “Intraday plunge ≥ 3 %” was defined as a one-day drop of 3 % or more from the day’s high to its low: (Low − High) / High ≤ -0.03. 2. Full daily OHLC data were downloaded from 2022-01-01 through today (2025-09-11). 3. All 112 dates that satisfied the condition were treated as event dates; EQNR’s closing price series was used for performance measurement.Please review the interactive report below for detailed statistics on post-event returns, win-rates and significance tests.Open the module to explore cumulative returns, optimal holding periods and significance levels. Feel free to let me know if you’d like to adjust the plunge threshold, add risk filters, or run a comparative benchmark test.

Critical Support Test Looms: Act Now or Miss the Window
Equinor’s intraday selloff has created a high-probability setup for a short-term reversal or breakdown. Traders must watch the $24.2–$24.47 cluster, where technical confluence could trigger a sharp move. The sector’s mixed performance, led by Nextera’s 0.18% gain, underscores the need for precision in positioning. For those with conviction, the EQNR20250919P24 put offers a leveraged play on the $24.2 support test. If the stock closes below $24.2, a retest of the 52-week low becomes inevitable—act decisively before liquidity dries up.