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Stock Scans & Screening Criteria

A comprehensive collection of scanning criteria used by professional traders to identify stocks with relative strength, strong trends, and momentum.

Matt's Primary Scan (Trading Equilibrium)

Purpose: Identifying relative strength and strong trends

Core Criteria

Parameter Value Rationale
Price > $10 Avoid penny stocks, ensure institutional interest
Avg. Volume > 750k shares Sufficient liquidity for entries/exits
Price Position > 200-day SMA Stock is in long-term uptrend
50-day SMA > 200-day SMA Golden cross - medium-term bullish alignment
20-day SMA > 50-day SMA Short-term momentum aligned with medium-term
Relative Strength 1M or 3M performance > SPY Outperforming the market

Matt's Philosophy

"Focus on identifying relative strength and strong trends - let the market tell you which stocks are the leaders."

Visual Reference

Matt's Scan Criteria

Source: Trading Equilibrium

Enhanced Scan Criteria (Dollar Volume Filter)

Purpose: More refined scan with institutional money flow focus

Expanded Parameters

Parameter Value Why It Matters
Price > $10 Minimum price threshold
Avg. 30-Day Volume > 750k shares Daily liquidity requirement
Dollar Volume Avg. 30-Day Vol × Price > $150M Ensures institutional participation
Price Position > 200-day SMA Long-term trend confirmation
50-day SMA > 200-day SMA Golden cross alignment
20-day SMA > 50-day SMA Near-term momentum
Relative Strength 1M or 3M perf > SPY Market outperformance
Sector Exclusion EXCLUDING BIOTECH Avoids binary event risk

Sector Exclusion Rationale

Biotech stocks are excluded due to binary event risk (FDA approvals, clinical trial results) that can override technical analysis.

Dollar Volume Calculation

Dollar Volume = Average 30-Day Volume × Current Price
Target: > $150 million

Why Dollar Volume Matters: Indicates institutional-level liquidity and reduces slippage risk on larger positions.

Visual Reference

Enhanced Scan Criteria

Best Winners Scan (Twitter Community)

Purpose: Capturing established momentum winners with explosive moves

Advanced Momentum Filters

Filter Value Purpose
Market US Stocks Focus on liquid US markets
Price > $1 USD Minimum price filter
ADR (Average Daily Range) > 4.5% High volatility for swing trades
52-Week Position Price > 70% above 52W Low Strong uptrend establishment
3-Month Performance > 0% Positive momentum
Dollar Volume (30D) Price × Avg Vol 30D > $10M Institutional liquidity
Daily Dollar Volume Price × Volume > $5M Daily trading activity
EMA (60) < Price Above longer-term moving average
EMA Alignment EMA(21) > EMA(60) Short-term momentum over long-term

70% Above 52-Week Low

This filter catches stocks that have already established strong uptrends - you're catching the "second leg" of a major move.

EMA Alignment Strategy

graph LR
    A[Price > EMA 60] --> B[Strong Trend]
    C[EMA 21 > EMA 60] --> D[Accelerating Momentum]
    B --> E[High Probability Setup]
    D --> E

Visual Reference

Best Winners Scan

Source: Twitter trading community

Scan Comparison Matrix

Aspect Matt's Primary Enhanced (Dollar Vol) Best Winners
Best For Daily scanning Institutional plays Explosive momentum
Volume Focus Share volume Dollar volume Both
Relative Strength ✅ vs SPY ✅ vs SPY ✅ 52W position
Trend Alignment SMA-based SMA-based EMA-based
Sector Filters ❌ None ✅ Exclude Biotech ❌ None
ADR Filter ❌ ❌ ✅ > 4.5%
Difficulty Level Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Implementation Guide

Step 1: Choose Your Platform

Platform Best Scan Notes
TradingView Best Winners Advanced screener with custom filters
Finviz Matt's Primary Quick and simple interface
TC2000 Enhanced Professional-grade with dollar volume
ThinkorSwim All three Most flexible, requires scripting

Step 2: Scan Frequency

Recommended Schedule

  • Daily (Pre-Market): Run Matt's Primary scan for fresh setups
  • Weekly (Sunday): Run Enhanced scan for swing trade ideas
  • Monthly: Run Best Winners for portfolio core positions

Step 3: Post-Scan Analysis

After the scan generates results:

  1. Verify Trend Quality: Check weekly/monthly charts for context
  2. Check News: Ensure no upcoming earnings or events
  3. Sector Correlation: Note if multiple stocks from same sector appear
  4. Create Watchlist: Monitor for entry triggers (pullbacks, breakouts)

Additional Filtering Techniques

Volume Surge Detection

Add to any scan:

Today's Volume > 1.5× Average Volume

Why: Institutional buying or breakout confirmation.

Consolidation After Advance

Range over last 10 days < 5%
After a > 20% move in prior 20 days

Why: Catches flags/pennants before next leg.

Avoid Earnings Traps

Days to Earnings > 7

Why: Reduces overnight gap risk.

Key Takeaways

Principle Implementation
Liquidity First Always filter by volume (shares or dollars)
Trend Alignment Multiple timeframes must agree (20/50/200 SMA)
Relative Strength Must outperform SPY over same period
Risk Management Exclude high-risk sectors (biotech) when appropriate
Dollar Volume $150M+ ensures institutional participation
Momentum Confirmation Price above key EMAs + positive performance

Scanning Philosophy

"The scan is the starting point, not the endpoint. It narrows the universe from 5,000 stocks to 50. Your edge comes from analyzing those 50."

  • Watchlists: See scanning folder for curated sector lists
  • Entry Rules: Entry Rules for trigger criteria
  • Position Sizing: Factor in ADR and dollar volume for sizing decisions

Scan Templates

Quick Copy-Paste Filters

For FinViz: 

Price > $10
Average Volume > 750,000
Price above SMA200
SMA50 above SMA200
SMA20 above SMA50
Relative Volume > 1
Performance (Month) > S&P 500

For TradingView: 

Price > 10
Volume > 750000
close > sma(close, 200)
sma(close, 50) > sma(close, 200)
sma(close, 20) > sma(close, 50)

For ThinkorSwim (ToS): 

price > 10 AND
volume > 750000 AND
close > SimpleMovingAvg(close, 200) AND
SimpleMovingAvg(close, 50) > SimpleMovingAvg(close, 200) AND
SimpleMovingAvg(close, 20) > SimpleMovingAvg(close, 50)

Notes & Observations

  • Scans typically generate 20-100 results depending on market conditions
  • In strong bull markets, results increase significantly
  • In weak markets, few stocks pass relative strength filter (this is a feature, not a bug)
  • Golden Rule: When scan results dry up, respect the market and reduce position sizing