Best stock bet that is under $1

Screening Filters

1. price: {'min': '0.11', 'max': '1.0'}

   • Purpose: Limit results to stocks trading under $1, but above very low “lottery ticket” levels.
   • Rationale:
     • Directly answers your constraint: “under $1”.
     • The $0.11 minimum helps avoid ultra‑illiquid or distressed “triple‑zero” penny stocks (e.g., $0.0001–$0.05) that are often highly speculative, easily manipulated, and not investable in size.

2. list_exchange: ['XNYS', 'XNAS', 'XASE'] (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American)

   • Purpose: Restrict to major U.S. exchanges.
   • Rationale:
     • Aligns with “in the US stock market”—focuses on primary U.S. exchanges.
     • Excludes OTC/pink sheet names, which are typically riskier, less regulated, and much more illiquid; this is important when looking for the “best” quality under $1 rather than just any sub‑$1 ticker.

3. market_cap: {'min': '50000000'}

   • Purpose: Require a minimum company size of $50M.
   • Rationale:
     • Filters out the tiniest, often shell or near‑defunct companies.
     • A $50M+ market cap provides a basic floor of scale and legitimacy, helping you search for “best” among under‑$1 names instead of pure micro‑speculation.

4. market_cap_category: ['small', 'micro', 'nano']

   • Purpose: Explicitly focus on smaller companies where sub‑$1 prices are most common.
   • Rationale:
     • Under‑$1 stocks almost by definition live in the small/micro/nano‑cap space.
     • Ensures the screen is aligned with the market segment that realistically fits the price constraint, while still limiting to exchange‑listed names.

5. monthly_average_dollar_volume: {'min': '500000'}

   • Purpose: Ensure at least ~$500K of trading value per day (on average).
   • Rationale:
     • Liquidity is critical for “best” in a practical sense—you need to be able to get in and out without huge slippage.
     • This removes thinly traded “dead” stocks that can move on tiny trades and are hard to exit, even if the price is under $1.

6. moving_average_relationship: ['PriceAboveMA20']

   • Purpose: Only include stocks trading above their 20‑day moving average.
   • Rationale:
     • A simple technical way to demand short‑term positive or stabilizing momentum.
     • Being above the 20‑day MA suggests the stock is not currently in a sharp downtrend, which is important when looking for “best” rather than just “cheapest.”

7. quarter_price_change_pct: {'min': '0'}

   • Purpose: Require non‑negative price performance over the last quarter.
   • Rationale:
     • Ensures the stock has at least held its value or risen over 3 months.
     • Avoids names in clear multi‑month downtrends or deteriorating situations—again, screening for relative quality and strength within sub‑$1 stocks.

8. month_price_change_pct: {'min': '-100', 'max': '100'}

   • Purpose: Explicitly bound 1‑month price moves to exclude extreme outliers.
   • Rationale:
     • A ±100% cap helps filter out extreme, often one‑off event moves (e.g., massive spike then crash) that may not be sustainable or investable.
     • Keeps the list to under‑$1 stocks whose recent volatility is within a somewhat more manageable range.

Why Results Match Your Request

• Under $1 in the U.S. market:

  • The price filter and list_exchange filters directly enforce “under $1” and “US stock market” (major U.S. exchanges).

• “Best” rather than just “cheapest”:

  • Minimum market_cap and the market_cap_category focus on somewhat established small companies rather than non‑operating shells.
  • monthly_average_dollar_volume ensures practical tradability.
  • PriceAboveMA20 and non‑negative quarter_price_change_pct bias toward stocks with at least stable or improving recent trends.

Together, these filters narrow a very risky universe of sub‑$1 names down to those that are more liquid, somewhat larger, and showing at least neutral‑to‑positive recent performance—reasonable criteria for finding candidates that could be considered among the “better” or “best” under‑$1 stocks.