The Power of Qualitative Rules for Focus List Creation
Something I believe is often misunderstood by newer traders who dive into trading without proper guidance on the actual routines and processes required for longevity, and the need to manage trading like a business you own, and with tempered expectation.
The truth is, my post- and pre-market routine takes far more screen time than the actual market session itself. Many overlook the effort, commitment, and discipline it takes to show up daily — even on days when no trades will be executed. (For example, I won’t be trading until Thursday this week to avoid pre-market gap risk events since it gives you limited intraday profit cushion.)
My pre/post-market work, often done in a coffee shop, easily takes a minimum of 2 hours per session. The process flows like this:
Screening → Watchlist Management → Focus List Preparation → Situational Awareness from Qualitative Market Reading → Portfolio Stops Management (if required)
No screener alone will capture every opportunity in the market. My process involves running 16 screeners in total (14 via tradingview, 2 weekly via FINVIZ_com). On top of that, I manually review 160 ETFs to observe day-by-day price action across industry groups. I've shared my screeners many times over the past 8 years
From there, results feed into my watchlist but require further manual filtering into an actionable focus list through personal qualitative rules (e.g., ATR% extension from the 50-MA, VCP structures, earnings time cushion, volatility-adjusted RS developments, etc.). Below is my focus list for Thursday — something no simple screener can replicate. This comes from dedicated watchlist management over time.
Thursday RVOL Required: $TeraWulf Inc.(WULF)$ $Amentum Holdings, Inc.(AMTM)$ $Sea Ltd(SE)$ $WeRide Inc.(WRD)$ $Grab Holdings(GRAB)$ $Chime Financial, Inc.(CHYM)$ $Core Natural Resources, Inc.(CNR)$ $UnitedHealth(UNH)$ $QuantaSing Group Limited(QSG)$ $Jumia Technologies AG(JMIA)$ $Destiny Tech100 Inc(DXYZ)$ $DeFi Dev(DFDV)$
Thursday Liquid: $AppLovin Corporation(APP)$ $Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3x Shares(LABU)$ $DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG SMCI ETF(SMCX)$ $Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares(RETL)$ $Direxion Daily Real Estate Bull 3X Shares(DRN)$ $Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund(XLU)$ $Amazon.com(AMZN)$ $Global X Copper Miners ETF(COPX)$
Beyond this, daily situational awareness also plays a big role. This comes from reading price action across indexes, sector and industry RS developments, identifying leaders vs. laggards, spotting intraday violent reversals as red flags, measuring breadth across MAs, and more. All of this builds conviction not just for execution, but also for risk management, position sizing, and knowing when to concentrate exposure within the same industry group. All your big winning trades come in a bundle, likewise for losing trades which comes in a streak. Investigate your own journal and you will find this statement hold true. This is why situational awareness is extremely important.
Additionally, I manage my stops actively — using a 3-stop strategy for new trades within T+3, monitoring closes below the 10-MA, and refining my stop adjustments within the first 30 minutes post-open based on LoD behavior.
And if you’re wondering why I’m still single almost 40 — it’s because I genuinely enjoy hunting inefficiencies, pursuing asymmetric risk-reward setups, making money, and building my asset base. I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned over my 16-year journey, but very few are prepared to align their expectations or lifestyle with the level of commitment this path requires. Trading frequency can be dialed down to suit lifestyle — but performance % will inevitably take a hit when there’s edge in the market. eg. a 25% win rate, avg g/avg l at 3.8, risk 0.3% at 400 trade per year = 47% annualized return vs 800 trade per year = 150% annualized return. What are you willing to sacrifice in life for more screen time for this performance longevity? It's not easy.
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