Any good trades for today

Important Note About “Good Trades for Today”

No screen can guarantee “good trades” or profits for a specific day. What these filters do is narrow the U.S. stock universe down to names that tend to be more suitable for short‑term, active trading: liquid, moving, and technically constructive. You’d still need your own entry/exit plan and risk management.

Screening Filters

1. Price: 5–100 USD

   • Purpose: Focus on reasonably priced, actively tradable stocks and avoid ultra‑low‑price penny names and very high‑priced, capital‑intensive stocks.
   • Rationale:
     • Below ~$5 you often get illiquid, very risky penny stocks with wide spreads—harder to trade intraday.
     • Above ~$100, position sizing becomes trickier for smaller accounts and daily percentage swings may be smaller relative to price.
     • The $5–$100 band typically captures many mid‑cap and liquid large‑cap names, which are better suited for day or short‑term swing trades.

2. Volume: ≥ 1,000,000 shares (average daily)

   • Purpose: Ensure high liquidity for easier entries/exits and tighter bid–ask spreads.
   • Rationale:
     • High volume means many participants are trading the stock, so you’re less likely to move the price with your order.
     • Tighter spreads reduce transaction cost—critical for short‑term trades.
     • Slippage risk is lower, making it easier to implement precise intraday strategies.

3. Relative Volume: ≥ 1.5

   • Purpose: Find stocks trading at least 1.5× their normal volume today—i.e., “in play.”
   • Rationale:
     • Relative volume compares current volume to a recent average (e.g., 10–30 days). ≥1.5 suggests unusual interest today.
     • Elevated activity is often driven by catalysts (earnings, news, upgrades/downgrades), which can create intraday opportunities.
     • For “trades for today,” you want names where something is happening now, not just chronically sleepy stocks.

4. Moving Average Relationship: PriceAboveMA20

   • Purpose: Bias toward stocks in a short‑term uptrend or with positive recent momentum.
   • Rationale:
     • The 20‑day moving average is a common short‑term trend indicator. Price above the 20‑DMA often signals buyers are in control over the past month.
     • For intraday longs or short‑term bullish trades, trading with the prevailing short‑term trend generally has higher probability than fighting it.
     • It helps filter out names that are actively breaking down, which are less attractive for long setups (though they could be short candidates—this screen is clearly favoring longs).

5. Price Change % Today: 3% to 15%

   • Purpose: Ensure the stock is moving enough to be worthwhile, but not so extreme that it’s pure chaos.
   • Rationale:
     • A move of at least 3% indicates meaningful volatility—there’s sufficient range for intraday profit potential.
     • Capping at 15% avoids the most explosive moves, which can be extremely erratic, gap‑driven, and prone to sharp reversals (harder to manage risk intraday).
     • This sweet spot tends to produce candidates with strong action but still tradable price behavior.

6. Exchange: XNYS, XNAS, XASE (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American)

   • Purpose: Limit results to major U.S. exchanges.
   • Rationale:
     • These exchanges generally have better regulation, transparency, and liquidity than OTC markets.
     • Filters out pink sheets and OTCBB names that can be illiquid and more easily manipulated—poor fits for reliable intraday trading.

Why the Results Match What You Asked For

• You want “good trades for today” in the U.S. market:

  • The exchange filters target the main U.S. venues (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American).

• You need actionable, tradable setups, not dead or illiquid names:

  • Volume ≥ 1M and relative volume ≥ 1.5 ensure both baseline liquidity and unusual current interest.
  • Price change between 3–15% finds stocks actually moving today with enough intraday range.

• You likely prefer long-side opportunities with positive momentum:

  • Price above the 20‑day MA tilts the list toward short‑term uptrends, aligning with higher‑probability bullish trades.

• You want practical position sizing and execution:

  • The $5–$100 price band makes it easier to size positions and avoid the extremes of ultra‑low‑priced or very high‑priced names.

In sum, these filters don’t promise winning trades, but they systematically surface U.S. stocks that are liquid, actively in play today, and technically constructive—exactly the kind of universe you’d typically scan for short‑term trading ideas.