And if you day trade, you’ll often find low-priced stocks with room to spike. Over time as you learn, you’ll have your own favorite stocks to watch. Then you can compare them to the stocks that you’re considering trading. Plus, big movers set the stage for you to watch downtrends and uptrends. What’s the volume, the catalyst, the pattern? That helps you see why popular picks are, well, popular. It’s smart to keep an eye on stocks that are already popular. And know that from day one, narrowing it down is necessary. Try to have a specific focus from the get-go. The stock market constantly changes, so you have to constantly change your list to keep up. That gives you a clean, effective database to work from. Maybe start bigger and slowly weed out stocks that don’t work for you. Then as you watch trends, narrow down to the stocks that best suit your go-to setups. Filter Down to a Focused Watchlistīe a deductive reasoner when you’re on the hunt for stocks to trade. Typically, 12–16 is a safe number to aim for. That way, you don’t have a huge volume of stocks to watch. Trimming your list regularly can keep you from feeling overwhelmed.Īnd consider capping your list off at a number that’s comfortable for you to manage. If it comes back on your radar, add it back to your list. Removing a stock doesn’t have to be permanent. Keep a list of stocks that are close to potential entries. Once stocks on your list no longer meet what you’re looking for, remove them.

So you need to know how you’re going to approach trades, for example, swing trading versus day trading. What should you look for? Some traders like to start with big percent gainers, then filter by float, volume, and other indicators. Plan a personal schedule of how often you’ll comb through your lists to see if stocks still match your trading criteria. And use your previous watchlists as a reminder of the research you’ve done to help fine-tune your trading in the future. Keep Your Watchlist Simple and FreshĬreate separate watchlists based on current factors. Here are some watchlist-building essentials. (StocksToTrade makes that simple, BTW.)īottom line: Find your watchlist flow. swing trade), or whatever works best for you.Īnd you can keep as many watchlists as you like. Sort by market cap, strategy (like day trade vs. So dive in and try some things that work for you. It’s up to you to decide how to best use watchlists. 1 Smart Tips on How to Build a Watchlist.

Premarket watchlist