Microsoft was diddling an important Hidden Pivot support at 355.42 on Friday when bulls were likely saved by the bell. That’s because any slippage beneath this ‘secondary’ support would portend more punishment down to as low as 332.67, the maxed-out ‘D’ target of the conventional pattern shown. Both numbers have been theoretically in play since mid-February, when  sellers first drove the stock down to the green line (x=400.93).  Because we treat MSFT as our #1 bellwether for the aging bull market, the implications of the stock’s easy breach of p=378.18, the midpoint Hidden Pivot, are fraught with significance.  If the stock is going to reverse from here, it will signal it via a booster-stage rally of  7.84 points. However, if the bounce comes off a low beneath 352 (or so), we shouldn’t trust it completely. _______ UPDATE (April 1, 10:23): Microsoft is being manipulated higher the old-fashioned way, with short-squeeze gaps on opening bars.  That is why the stock came down so far in the first place, and it will surely do so again, falling to the 332.67 target mentioned above. First, though, it looks likely to achieve will achieve a minimum 387.92 with this short-squeeze rally.  A pullback to 364.42 would trigger a ‘mechanical’ buy, stop 356.57. (Did you know that the ‘Last Price’ given above corresponds to the price at which the stock was trading when this update was published?  That is true for all of my updates.)