up tick rule - AD line

Lately, I have been thinking if the abandonment of the up tick rule may have had an effect on the NYSE AD line at market tops. I understand that the up tick rule has been in effect since the 30s and that every important market top since then (and maybe even further back) has been with a divergent NYSE AD line. Could the up tick rule be a cause of the AD line divergence at market tops? My line of thought is more or less the following: When the up tick rule was in effect short players would have to spread their short plays on many stocks in order to increase the likelihood of being filled. Instead of putting a big sell order in on one stock that would run the risk of not being filled they would spread the risk and put in (limit) sell orders on many stocks. At market tops, I believe, that would add to the effect that the AD line was diverging. Maybe the decimalization in 2001 also played a role in this dynamic as an uptick, I believe, would not happen as frequent before the decimalization as after. What do you guys think?

cant answer you but with one cent spreads, the tick is now a lot different too.

the tick is now a lot different too.

You were following the TICK before we went to decimalization?

Can you please explain how the TICK is different from before and now?

Fib