Common questions

Product & features

What makes Momentum Screener different from other stock screeners?

Momentum Screener begins with ranked candidates rather than an empty set of filters. Five independent momentum strategies compare eligible securities by persistent trend behavior across different time horizons. You can then use charts, filters, research pages, watchlists, and other tools to decide which candidates deserve further review. The product is designed for end-of-day momentum research rather than intraday scanning, trading alerts, or single-session breakouts.

Is Momentum Screener a traditional stock screener?

It serves the same broad purpose, but the workflow is different. Traditional screeners generally require you to define filters before seeing candidates. Momentum Screener first ranks the selected market universe and then lets you refine those results using filters, charts, saved screens, and research tools.

Is Momentum Screener a list of stock picks?

No. Rankings are research candidates, not buy or sell recommendations. Momentum Screener identifies securities exhibiting persistent momentum characteristics. You are responsible for evaluating valuation, risk, portfolio fit, market conditions, and any other factors relevant to your decisions.

Can I use Momentum Screener on mobile devices?

Yes. The interface is responsive across desktop and mobile devices. You can review rankings, switch strategies, inspect charts, manage watchlists, and access account features from either layout. Some dense research tools may use a condensed or swipeable presentation on smaller screens.

What assets does Momentum Screener cover?

Coverage depends on the plan and screener.

• Free includes the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 stock universes.
• Core expands coverage to the full eligible U.S. stock universe.
• Edge adds supported multi-asset screeners, including ETFs, mutual funds, cryptocurrencies, dividend-focused research, and other available asset classes.
• Desk can include custom data access and research workflows scoped with your organization.

Available markets and security counts may change as listings and data coverage are updated. See Data updates & coverage for current details.

How do watchlists work?

Watchlists organize securities into named collections and identify them throughout the application. A free account can create up to three lists with up to 20 securities in each. Core and Edge provide expanded saved-research capacity according to the current plan limits. Lists and saved settings are associated with your account and sync between supported devices. Learn more in the Watchlists guide.

What additional research tools are available on stock pages?

Depending on your plan and the selected security, research pages may include interactive price charts, momentum strategy rankings, trend-persistence and stability statistics, volatility and drawdown information, technical indicators, fundamental statistics, company descriptions, historical ranking context, watchlist and alert controls, and configurable dashboard widgets. Some tools are limited to Core, Edge, or specific asset classes.

Rankings & methodology

How does Momentum Screener rank securities?

Momentum Screener uses five independent strategies: 12-Month Trend, 9-Month Trend, 6-Month Trend, 3-Month Trend, and Weighted Average. Each strategy evaluates securities within the relevant market universe and ranks them using objective end-of-day market data. The strategies emphasize persistent trends rather than isolated price spikes. The methodology is documented conceptually, while exact scoring formulas remain proprietary.

What exactly does Momentum Screener measure?

At a high level, it evaluates the strength and persistence of a security's trend over several time horizons. Each strategy uses its own ranking method, so results can differ between the 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-month, and Weighted Average views.

Do I need to know the exact formula to use the rankings?

No. The product starts with ranked candidates and provides charts, filters, statistics, historical results, and other tools to evaluate them. The exact formula is not required to understand where a security ranks or to perform further research. See Methodology for the concepts and assumptions behind the rankings.

Is this just another momentum indicator?

No. Momentum Screener is a market-wide ranking system rather than a single chart indicator. It compares eligible securities across an entire universe and places them in ranked order according to each strategy.

How is Momentum Screener different from RSI or MACD?

RSI and MACD are chart indicators used to inspect one security at a time. Momentum Screener first ranks a market universe using persistent trend behavior, then lets you open an individual chart and add RSI, MACD, moving averages, and other indicators for additional context where available.

What do the strategy badges mean?

Strategy badges indicate that a security appears within the selected result count for one or more momentum strategies. For example, 12M means it qualifies in the 12-Month Trend ranking, while Weighted means it qualifies in the Weighted Average strategy. A security can display multiple badges when it ranks highly in several strategies. See Screener filters for details.

What does a displayed rank represent?

The rank is the security's position within the selected strategy, eligible universe, filters, and result configuration. For example, #4 means the security is currently fourth in that ranking under the active settings. Changing the strategy, universe, filters, or eligible result count can change the displayed order.

How often are rankings updated?

Rankings update once each trading day after the relevant market closes using completed end-of-day data. Processing may continue after the closing bell while prices, corporate actions, and other required data are validated. See Data updates & coverage for the current processing schedule.

Why are rankings not updated continuously during market hours?

Momentum Screener is designed around completed daily market data. Using a consistent end-of-day snapshot ensures that each eligible security is evaluated against the same completed trading session, reducing intraday noise and making rankings, historical comparisons, and backtests more consistent.

What happens in choppy or declining markets?

Choppy conditions may produce weaker persistence scores, more ranking turnover, fewer securities qualifying across multiple strategies, or lower-quality trends overall. Rankings can help reveal those changes, but they do not eliminate market risk or guarantee that highly ranked securities will continue rising.

Historical performance & backtesting

What do the historical performance results show?

Historical performance pages model portfolios constructed from ranked securities under predefined rules. A backtest may specify the ranking strategy, market universe, number of holdings, rebalance schedule, weighting method, benchmark, transaction-cost assumptions, and test period. Results show how that defined model would have behaved historically under those assumptions.

Can I trust the backtests?

Backtests are useful for evaluating historical behavior, consistency, drawdowns, and sensitivity to predefined rules. They remain hypothetical, do not represent an actual account, and cannot predict future returns. Results can be affected by assumptions, survivorship controls, data quality, transaction costs, rebalancing, universe construction, and changing market conditions.

Why do backtests not guarantee future results?

Markets change, and a strategy that performed well historically can perform differently in the future. Actual investors may experience different execution prices, taxes, trading costs, timing, portfolio decisions, and market regimes. Historical results should be treated as evidence about past behavior rather than a forecast.

Free Screener, plans & billing

Is there an ongoing free plan?

Yes. The Free Screener is available indefinitely and does not require a paid subscription. It includes S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 coverage, five momentum strategies, Top 20 results per strategy, end-of-day rankings, and basic charts. You can view the rankings without creating an account.

What can I do with a free account?

A free account adds saved research features to the public Free Screener. It can create up to three watchlists with up to 20 securities in each. Ranking coverage remains limited to the Free Screener universes and result limits.

Do I need a credit card to use the Free Screener?

No. Viewing the Free Screener does not require a credit card or paid subscription. A credit card is required only when starting an eligible Core or Edge trial.

How many ranked results can I view?

Free provides Top 20 results per strategy, Core provides Top 30 results per strategy, and Edge provides configurable Top 5 through Top 100 results. Available securities also depend on the selected plan, market universe, filters, and asset class.

What is the difference between Free, Core, Edge, and Desk?

Free provides current S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 momentum rankings, five strategies, Top 20 results, and basic charts. Core expands coverage to the full eligible U.S. stock universe and includes Top 30 rankings, complete stock research pages, unlimited watchlists, and saved stock-screening workflows. Edge adds configurable Top 5–100 rankings, advanced filters, additional asset-class screeners, advanced indicators, alerts, stability and resilience rankings, and the full MS+ research offering. Desk is separately scoped for professional teams requiring API access, custom screeners, backtests, research workflows, or dedicated support. See Pricing for current terms.

Do you offer a free trial?

Yes. Core and Edge include a 60-day trial. A credit card is required to begin the trial. Cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged. The ongoing Free Screener remains available whether or not you start a paid-plan trial.

When will I be charged after starting a trial?

Your selected paid subscription begins when the trial period ends unless you cancel beforehand. Checkout and account pages display the trial end date, selected billing interval, and expected charge.

Can I cancel or change my plan later?

Yes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel through your account dashboard. The effective date and any billing adjustment depend on the type of change and the current billing state; review the confirmation shown before completing the change.

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Saved lists and account settings may be retained so they are available if you subscribe again. Access to paid features, expanded universes, saved capacity, and plan-specific research tools ends according to the cancellation and billing terms shown in your account.

What is the difference between monthly and annual billing?

Monthly billing charges once each month at the current monthly rate. Annual billing charges once per year at the displayed annual rate and includes the advertised annual discount. The pricing page and checkout show the exact amount before purchase.

Security, account access & support

How do I sign in?

Available sign-in methods may include a one-time code sent to your email, a passkey stored on your device, and supported third-party identity providers. Passkeys let you authenticate using your device's supported security method. See Authentication for setup instructions.

Can I share my account?

Individual Momentum Screener subscriptions are intended for one user. For multiple users, shared organizational workflows, API access, or professional support, contact us about Momentum Screener Desk.

Are my settings synchronized between devices?

Account-based watchlists and supported saved settings are stored with your account and can be accessed after signing in on another supported device. Some local interface preferences may remain specific to the browser or device.

Where can I find more detailed documentation?

The Help Center includes guides covering screener controls, strategy badges, stock and asset research pages, charts and indicators, watchlists, alerts, historical performance, data updates and delays, authentication, and plans and billing.

How can I contact support?

Use the contact page or support guide to send questions, report problems, or provide feedback. For billing or account issues, include the email address associated with the account, but do not send passwords, authentication codes, or full payment-card details.