Good buys for day trading today

Screening Filters

1. Price: $5 – $80

   • Purpose: Focus on reasonably priced, actively traded stocks and avoid the riskiest penny stocks.
   • Rationale:
     • Below ~$5 you get into penny-stock territory: wider spreads, higher manipulation risk, and unreliable liquidity — not ideal for professional day trading.
     • Above ~$80, many names tend to move in smaller percentage swings intraday (not always, but on average) and can be less convenient for smaller accounts to size in/out quickly.
     • This range generally captures a large universe of mid-priced, “in-play” stocks that can move enough on an intraday basis without being extremely illiquid or overly expensive per share.

2. Relative Volume ≥ 2

   • Purpose: Capture stocks that are trading at least 2× their normal volume today, i.e., “in play” right now.
   • Rationale:
     • Day traders need unusual activity: news, earnings, upgrades/downgrades, sector themes, etc. These catalysts show up as much higher volume than usual.
     • Relative volume ≥ 2 means today’s volume is at least double its typical level, which strongly suggests active interest from other traders and institutions.
     • This improves chances of strong intraday moves and tighter spreads, supporting quicker entries/exits.

3. Monthly Average Dollar Volume ≥ $2,000,000

   • Purpose: Ensure baseline liquidity so you can get in and out without major slippage.
   • Rationale:
     • Dollar volume = price × shares traded. It’s more meaningful than share volume alone because a low-priced stock might trade many shares but still have low dollar turnover.
     • A minimum of $2M per day (on average over the last month) screens out thinly traded names where a single order can move the price significantly against you.
     • This helps day traders execute with more predictable fills, smaller bid–ask spreads, and less risk of being “stuck” in a position.

4. 3-Minute Rate of Change: -100% to -0.5%

   • Purpose: Find stocks that are pulling back slightly in the last 3 minutes, not crashing, within an otherwise strong day.
   • Rationale:
     • The rate of change over the past 3 minutes being negative but modest (≤ -0.5%) indicates a short-term dip or micro-pullback.
     • Many day-trading strategies look for “strong stock + brief dip” setups:
       • For longs: enter on a small pullback in an uptrending, high-volume stock.
       • For scalpers: exploit quick mean-reversion after a tiny flush.
     • The lower bound of -100% just acts as a very wide guardrail to avoid broken data/extreme anomalies; the effective constraint is the upper bound of -0.5%, requiring the stock to be slightly red in the last 3 minutes, not plummeting.

5. Daily Price Change ≥ +4%

   • Purpose: Isolate momentum names that are already moving significantly today.
   • Rationale:
     • A stock up at least 4% on the day usually has a catalyst or strong momentum, making it much more attractive for day traders.
     • These are the tickers that:
       • Show up on most intraday scanners.
       • Have enough range (high/low difference) to offer multiple trade opportunities in a single session.
     • When combined with the 3-minute pullback filter, you specifically get strong uptrenders that are momentarily dipping, which is a classic day-trading pattern.

Why Results Match Your Request

• Day-trader-friendly price zone: The $5–$80 filter avoids extremely risky penny stocks while staying in a range where strong percentage moves are common.
• Intraday “in play” focus: Relative volume ≥ 2 and daily price change ≥ 4% hone in on stocks that are moving today, not just in general.
• Liquidity & execution quality: The $2M+ monthly average dollar volume requirement targets names where spreads and slippage are typically manageable for active intraday trading.
• Setup-oriented, not random: The combination of strong daily momentum (≥ +4%) plus a small 3-minute pullback identifies actionable patterns many day traders look for (momentum with intraday dips), rather than just any volatile ticker.

Overall, these filters are tailored to surface U.S. stocks that are liquid, unusually active today, exhibiting meaningful intraday momentum, and currently offering short-term entry opportunities — all of which align well with what most traders mean by “good stocks for day trading today.”