Which one should I buy

Screening Filters

1. Price: 5–40 USD

   • Purpose: Find reasonably priced stocks where a small account (sub‑$1,000) can still build a meaningful position and trade efficiently.
   • Rationale:
     • With your capital size, stocks in this range let you buy multiple shares and scale in/out, which is important for day trading.
     • Avoids ultra‑low “penny stocks” under $5 that often have poor liquidity, big spreads, and higher manipulation risk.
     • Also avoids expensive names where you could only buy a tiny number of shares, which limits flexibility and position sizing.

2. Monthly Average Dollar Volume ≥ 2,000,000 USD

   • Purpose: Ensure strong liquidity so you can enter and exit quickly without moving the price too much.
   • Rationale:
     • Dollar volume combines price and volume, focusing on where meaningful money is trading, not just raw share count.
     • High dollar volume typically means tighter bid–ask spreads and better fills, both critical for day trading.

3. Relative Volume (relative_vol) ≥ 2

   • Purpose: Identify stocks trading at at least twice their normal volume today.
   • Rationale:
     • Relative volume is a classic day‑trader filter: when volume is 2x normal, it usually means something is happening (news, upgrades/downgrades, catalyst, etc.).
     • Higher‑than‑usual activity often brings better intraday moves and cleaner momentum, giving you more tradeable setups.

4. Price Change % (today) ≥ 5%

   • Purpose: Focus on stocks already making a sizable move today.
   • Rationale:
     • For a “Which stock should I buy now?” and day‑trading mindset, you generally want names that are in play—moving at least a few percent.
     • A 5%+ move signals strong momentum or a clear catalyst, making it more suitable for short‑term trades instead of flat, sleepy stocks.

5. Region: United States

   • Purpose: Limit to U.S. equities.
   • Rationale:
     • Keeps results in a single regulatory, tax, and trading environment, with familiar trading hours and generally robust market structure.
     • Fits the context from TWLO and your prior U.S. stock focus.

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

   • Purpose: Restrict to major U.S. exchanges.
   • Rationale:
     • These exchanges have higher listing standards, better transparency, and typically better liquidity and tighter spreads than OTC or pink sheets.
     • This reduces the chance of running into illiquid or low‑quality names.

7. One-Day Rise Probability ≥ 60%

   • Purpose: Use a predictive model to favor stocks with a statistically higher chance of finishing the day up.
   • Rationale:
     • Directly addresses “Which stock should I buy?” from a short‑term perspective by prioritizing names where historical patterns suggest a favorable bias for a positive next‑day move.
     • A 60%+ threshold is selective: not a guarantee, but tilts the list toward higher‑probability setups based on past data.

8. One-Day Predicted Return ≥ 2%

   • Purpose: Ensure the expected move is large enough to matter for a day trade.
   • Rationale:
     • A predicted gain of at least 2% provides room to cover trading costs and still offer an attractive risk/reward for intraday or very short‑term trades.
     • This avoids names that might have a slightly positive probability edge but only tiny expected moves.

Why Results Match Your Question

• The filters are tuned for short‑term, active trading, not long‑term investing—consistent with your prior TWLO/day‑trade focus and the “Which stock should I buy now?” framing.
• Price, liquidity (dollar volume), and exchange filters ensure you get tradable U.S. stocks that work with a small account and let you enter/exit quickly.
• Relative volume and ≥5% daily move focus the list on “in‑play” momentum names—those actually moving today, which is what a day trader typically wants.
• The one‑day probability and predicted return filters use data‑driven expectations to narrow the universe to stocks with both a higher chance of going up and a meaningful expected move, making them more relevant candidates for your next buy decision.