Now that we know that the best and efficient way to create watchlists is with StockCraft, let us see how. Watch this video here to see each and every single step of how to create a watchlist, with this walkthrough tutorial. …is a set of stocks that a trader can monitor for potential opportunities. Historical plays are good to study if you want to recognize the patterns. But what about your watchlist, right now, today?

I usually have anywhere from five to 20 stocks on my watchlist. If you have too many stocks — both on your list and in trades — you’re aiming at too many moving targets. A stock screening system like StocksToTrade gives you real-time access to all the information you need to make trades based on your trading strategy. Once you identify a big percent gainer, check to see if the catalyst was earnings. If it was, add this stock to your watchlist.

Why build a day trading watchlist

At least once a day a prospective student asks me… Dux, how do you find the stocks to trade? Choosing the right kind of stocks is one of the most important steps in Day Trading. The thing is, you cannot possibly monitor all of the stocks all of the time with the objective of picking from them. If you think you can do this manually, there’s no chance. I always say that trading is not like gambling.

You don’t even have to understand complex financial statements when it comes to earnings. A stock spike from good earnings news has been one of the most reliable patterns over the last 10 years. The biggest percent gainers from yesterday are a good place to start. What they WON’T give you is an idea of the few truly profitable opportunities for the day. So, while you need to understand traditional stock analysis, let’s keep it simple for now. Trading is different from traditional ‘buy and hold’ stock investing.

These Are The Data Points to Look At When Selecting Which Stock to Day Trade to Reap a Profit

A good watchlist keeps you focused on stocks that matter and makes your trading process more effective. I love the enthusiasm, but those who jump in too soon are those that struggle to succeed. If you’ve followed my Investing for Beginners series, done your research, practiced paper trades, and worked on your strategies, you might feel ready to get started. So if you are ready to go beyond the basics, learn day trading and start your dream life – check out MY COURSES. If you’re already trading, then you likely keep a watchlist already.

• This is where our stock watchlists and trading comes to life.
• Finalize a time daily when you will do this.
• The number of stocks traded over the counter is even higher — more like 15,000.
• Many times you’ll find a stock, security, ETF that you definitely know you want to buy.
• If there’s not enough trading volume I tend to stay away from trading a stock.

We know that the stock market constantly changes, so you have to constantly refresh your list to keep up. Your primary watchlist should only have stocks that you are actually interested in. Whether you choose to do this manually or use a tool is up to you.

KEEPS YOU FOCUSED

The tools available today are amazing compared to what I had when I got started two decades ago. Back then I used to hog three computers in the school library to study stock charts and news. There are far too many stocks to keep track of without a watchlist. Around 4,000 stocks are actively traded on the NYSE and Nasdaq. The number of stocks traded over the counter is even higher — more like 15,000.

Or you have doubts about it, but don’t want it to fall into the sea of other 100’s of securities. When I first started trading back in high school, I immersed myself in learning how the markets work. If news about a stock carries on to day three or day five, then keep watching this stock. It might be primed for the kind of setup you look for to make a play. I don’t like to trade a stock based solely on the percent gain. Percent gain is a good indicator to go do some research.

THIS IS HOW I MADE $6+ MILLION DAY TRADING IN ONE SINGLE DAY

What we really care about is helping you, and seeing you succeed as a trader. We want the everyday person to get the kind of training in the stock market we would have wanted when we started out. It’s important to be aware of stock pumping services that are out there in the trading industry. There are a lot of trading “gurus” out there that are stock pumpers, so be careful when following trades in their trade rooms, especially in the penny stock world.

WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT

Please read our disclaimer and do not buy any symbols unless you know how to trade. The creation of the most optimized watchlists needs the right tools. This is why this year I launched a platform I’ve been working on with a handful of other traders, after seeing the downfalls of the existing retail platforms. Great for both beginner and advanced traders, StockCraft is one platform you can use to help you create efficient watchlists (amongst many of its other benefits). On StockCraft, you can create any number of watchlists to help you implement multiple strategies at once. This is one of the most common questions I get asked.

What to Avoid in Your Watchlist

So here’s a couple of tips for you that can help make your process more efficient. It all starts with finding the biggest percent gainers from the previous day. Don’t start with the biggest losers, or a company that has a good product or service — focus on the biggest percentage gainers. There are several different opinions about what percentage of your account to have in play on any given trade. A lot depends on the level of risk you’re willing to accept.