What’s in a Screen?

Screening stocks is one of those game-changers that saves you from endless scrolling through thousands of tickers. Essentially, it’s like applying a filter to a vast list of stocks, allowing you to zero in on those that align with your preferences or strategy.

Quick Breakdown:

• What it is: You set up criteria (think price, earnings growth, dividend yield, sector, etc.) and run a “screen” to spit out a shortlist of stocks that fit. No more guessing—it’s data-driven hunting.
• Why bother?: As retail folks, we’re not institutional whales with armies of analysts. Screening helps identify hidden gems, such as undervalued plays or high-momentum runners, ideally before the crowd piles in. It significantly reduces research time.
• How it works in practice:
  1. Pick a tool: Screening platforms, like Finviz, are gold for ordinary traders. We use a free account on Finviz.
  2. Choose filters: E.g., market cap > $1B (to avoid microcaps if you’re risk-averse), P/E under 15 (value hunt), and volume > 1M shares (for liquidity).
  3. Run it: Boom—get a table of results. Then dive deeper with news or charts.

Start simple—maybe screen for your top 3 must-haves—and tweak as you learn. It’s not foolproof (markets are wild), but it’s way better than FOMO-buying.

However, let’s face it: screening options on online platforms, even on Finviz, can be bewildering. Who understands all these parameters without a Ph.D. in economics or finance? There is a solution.

Our ready-to-purchase screens offer convenient, best-in-class values for approximately a dozen key parameters (filters), as well as a few vital ones. More is not always better. Our screens are designed for novice DIY trend and momentum traders, are customizable, and can be applied to most trading platforms. These blueprint screens save busy folks like you precious time and improve your decision-making.

However, screens alone are no silver bullet. The stock market is crowded with traders of all walks of life running screens and then some. Low-hanging fruits are quickly taken, even the unripe ones. The stock market requires your best.