Frequently Asked Questions

StockBeacon is a momentum stock scanning platform designed to help traders identify stocks experiencing unusual activity. It monitors news catalysts, trading volume, price movement and other stock characteristics and brings that information together in one workspace.

To qualify as a StockBeacon Top Alert, a stock must pass what I call the “5 Pillars” of momentum trading. It must have a current news catalyst, trade between $0.60 and $20.00, be up at least 3% on the day, have relative volume of at least 5 times average with a minimum trading volume of 100,000 shares, and have a float of 20 million shares or less.

A news catalyst can cause traders to focus on a stock in a short amount of time. Common examples include quarterly or annual earnings reports, FDA approvals, company mergers, government contracts, financing announcements, and other significant corporate developments. Positive or negative news can create strong price movement, but the direction and duration of that move can vary.

Relative volume compares a stock’s current trading volume with its average daily volume. For example, if a stock has traded 300,000 shares today and its average daily volume is 100,000 shares, its relative volume is 3.0.

Float is the number of a company’s shares that are generally available for public trading. It excludes certain restricted or closely held shares. Low-float stocks can sometimes move very quickly because a relatively small amount of buying or selling pressure may have a larger effect on price. StockBeacon focuses on stocks with floats of 20 million shares or less.

Unlike Top Alerts, High Volume Alerts may not have a current news catalyst. They are displayed separately because StockBeacon has detected unusually strong trading volume or activity that may make the stock worth watching.

Stocks shown in the Continuation section are stocks that previously attracted attention and continue to show trading activity that may keep them in play. StockBeacon reviews volume and other current trading characteristics to determine whether a stock should remain on the watch list for another potential move.

Nope. StockBeacon does not tell you what to buy or sell. We try to show you what is happening in the market right now and why a stock may be attracting attention. It is always the trader’s decision whether to enter a trade. If you are unsure about a trade, watching the market or practicing in a simulator can be a good way to develop experience before risking real money. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.

No. StockBeacon is an informational and educational tool and does not provide financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading involves substantial risk, and results are never guaranteed. We encourage traders to develop their skills, understand the risks involved, and consider practicing in a simulated environment before trading with real money.

StockBeacon operates Monday through Friday, excluding market holidays, from 4:00 AM Eastern Time during premarket trading through 8:00 PM Eastern Time after hours. At approximately 10:00 AM Eastern, StockBeacon also performs a continuation review to determine which stocks continue to show sufficient trading activity and which may no longer be in play.

As soon as a news story comes out and StockBeacon determines that there are stock symbols associated with the news story, it will immediately log these and show up into the Top Alerts area.

StockBeacon uses third-party market-data and financial-data providers to obtain real-time and reference information used by the platform. Market data currently includes SIP-based U.S. exchange data, while additional company and stock information may be obtained from other financial-data sources. Data providers may change over time as StockBeacon continues to develop.

You may cancel your subscription at any time. If you cancel during a free trial before the trial expires, you will not be charged. If you cancel after becoming a paid subscriber, your access will continue through the end of your current billing period and the subscription will not renew. StockBeacon does not provide refunds for subscription periods that have already been billed.

StockBeacon is designed primarily for desktop and laptop computers, where traders have more screen space for charts, alerts and market information. The site may also be used on tablets, although the desktop experience is recommended.