What the 3‑day tape is saying about this stock market before NVDA earnings1) Participation is collapsing into the eventTotal notional fell from $13.4B on Mon to $2.7B today (-80 percent).Total premarket volume fell -58 percent and the number of movers fell -54 percent from Mon to today.This is classic wait‑and‑see behavior ahead of a major catalyst.2) Quiet de‑risking in expensive namesMon 25‑Aug: Down movers carried $9.1B vs $4.3B on the up side, even though up movers traded 67 percent of all shares.Dollar‑weighted average price proxy* was ~$34 for down movers vs ~$8 for up movers on Mon.Today: Dollar flow is nearly balanced ($1.4B down vs $1.3B up), but the average price proxy is still ~3x higher in the down group (~$15 vs ~$5).Interpretation: trimming in higher priced and likely larger cap names continues quietly, while activity on the buy side skews to lower priced names.3) Breadth improved toward neutral, not bullishBreadth shifted from +359 on Fri to -212 on Mon to -6 today.Today’s nearly flat breadth plus much lower dollars looks like positioning paralysis rather than risk‑on.4) A notable contradiction to a pure caution storyDespite the dollar de‑risking, up‑volume dominates every day: 82 percent Fri, 67 percent Mon, 72 percent today.That tells you buyers are still active, but they are concentrating in lower priced stocks and smaller names. If NVDA surprises to the upside, this under‑the‑surface bid can accelerate quickly.*Average price proxy = Notional divided by shares traded, a quick way to see whether flows are concentrated in higher priced names.Numbers at a glanceWhat this means for traders and investorsBaseline readIndices with heavy mega cap weightings look slightly vulnerable into NVDA because the dollar flow has been leaning away from higher priced names.The persistent leadership in share volume on the upside suggests risk appetite is not dead, just hiding in cheaper names.If‑then guide for today and tomorrowIf down‑side notional stays larger while breadth sits near flat at the open, expect a range‑bound to soft tape in QQQ and SPY, with IWM holding up better.If up‑side notional overtakes by a clear margin and breadth pushes positive, that would signal a pre‑NVDA relief bid and favors buying dips in semis and beta plays.Post‑NVDA upside surprise: watch for a sharp flip of dollars back into higher priced names and a catch‑up move in mega caps.Post‑NVDA downside or cautious guide: the quiet de‑risking in large caps likely resumes, and small cap strength can unwind.Tactical checklistTrack dollar flow, not just breadth. A day with flat breadth but heavier down dollars is stealth distribution.Watch SMH, NVDA, QQQ vs IWM for rotation tells.Use opening range and VWAP for intraday bias. Fades are higher probability when breadth is flat and dollars skew down.Bottom line for our stock market traders and investorsThe past three sessions show a market that is waiting while lightly trimming higher priced exposure. That creates a small bearish bias for mega cap indices, but the strong up‑volume across the board is a live contradiction that can fuel a fast upside reaction if NVDA clears the bar. Trade accordingly, with tight risk controls.investingLive.com (formerly ForexLive.com) provides you with intelligent news, actionable analysis and decision support only, not financial advice. This article was written by Itai Levitan at investinglive.com.