Options to buy today

Screening Filters

1. Market Capitalization ≥ $20,000,000,000 (Large Caps)

   • Purpose: Focus on large, established U.S. companies.
   • Rationale:
     • When someone asks for “options to buy today,” they often want relatively stable, well-known names rather than speculative small caps.
     • Large-cap stocks tend to have:
       • More stable earnings and business models
       • Deeper liquidity (easier to get in and out at fair prices)
       • More analyst coverage and public information, which can reduce information risk.

2. PriceAboveMA200 (Current Price Above 200-Day Moving Average)

   • Purpose: Identify stocks in longer-term uptrends or at least not in established downtrends.
   • Rationale:
     • The 200-day moving average is a widely used technical indicator for the long-term trend.
     • Price above the 200-day MA suggests:
       • Market participants currently value the stock higher than its longer-term average price.
       • The stock is not in a prolonged downtrend, which aligns with the idea of “buying today” into strength rather than weakness.
     • This reduces the likelihood of picking a stock that is structurally deteriorating in price.

3. list_exchange: XNYS, XNAS, XASE (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American)

   • Purpose: Limit results to major U.S. exchanges.
   • Rationale:
     • Your question is specifically about the U.S. stock market.
     • These are the primary, most liquid U.S. exchanges where most mainstream investors trade.
     • It avoids OTC/pink sheet stocks, which can be illiquid and higher risk.

4. Return on Equity (ROE) ≥ 15%

   • Purpose: Focus on companies that generate strong profitability relative to shareholder equity.
   • Rationale:
     • ROE is a key measure of how efficiently a company uses shareholder capital to generate profits.
     • A minimum of 15% is a relatively high bar, tending to capture:
       • High-quality businesses with strong competitive positions
       • Better capital allocation and operational efficiency
     • This helps ensure that the “options to buy” are not just big and trending, but also fundamentally profitable and efficient businesses.

5. P/E (TTM) between 8 and 25

   • Purpose: Filter out extremely expensive or unusually cheap (potentially distressed) stocks.
   • Rationale:
     • P/E below 8 can sometimes indicate deep value, but also heightened risk (cyclical downturns, business problems).
     • P/E above 25 can capture high-growth names but also speculative or overvalued stocks.
     • A range of 8–25 aims to:
       • Keep valuations in a “reasonable” band, balancing growth prospects with price discipline
       • Avoid the extremes on both ends where risk (overvaluation or fundamental trouble) is often higher.

Why Results Match Your Request

• You asked for options to buy today in the U.S. stock market, not speculative long shots.
• The combined filters:
  • Restrict to large, liquid U.S. companies (market cap + exchange filters).
  • Ensure stocks are in a constructive price trend (price above 200-day MA), appropriate for considering a buy now.
  • Require solid business quality and profitability (ROE ≥ 15%).
  • Impose reasonable valuation boundaries (P/E 8–25) to avoid the most overhyped or most distressed names.

Overall, these filters are designed to surface a list of high-quality, established U.S. stocks that are currently in uptrends and not obviously over- or under-valued, which is a rational starting point for “what to consider buying today” in the U.S. market.