ChalniTry the demo

Volume & momentum scan

Momentum Screener: Up 20% in a Month

This scan finds stocks whose price rose more than 20% over the last 20 trading days, about one month.

Run this scan in the live demoFree, no sign-up. The demo uses made-up sample data.

The exact rule

Type this in Chalni: up more than 20% in 20 days

  1. Chg %(20) > 20

Find US stocks where the 20-day change (%) is above 20.

Formula view
change_pct_over(20) > 20
Example chart: Up 20% in a monthDaily candles of a made-up sample stock. The shaded day is the day the scan fired.
  • Shaded day: the scan fired
Example from Chalni's made-up sample market, not a real stock. It shows the most recent time this scan fired in the sample US market, picked whether or not the trade worked.

What it means

A 20% gain in a month is a big move for most stocks. Such moves often have a cause, like strong earnings or a new product, and that cause can keep attracting buyers.

Momentum traders do not buy these blindly. They use the list to find the market's strongest stories, then wait for a calm pause or a pullback before buying.

How traders use it

  • Watch for tight sideways action after the run (a "flag"). A breakout from it can start the next leg.
  • Sort the list by volume or sector to see what is moving the market.
  • Use wider stops: strong stocks swing more.

Watch out for

  • After a huge run, a sharp pullback is common.
  • Low-priced stocks can rise 20% on hype and fall just as fast.

Test it before you trust it

Every scan in Chalni sits an exam. First it runs on older data, the practice: each time it picks a stock, the stock is held for 10 trading days and 0.2% is paid in costs. Then it runs on newer data it has never seen, the exam. A scan that only works in practice has just memorised the past.

See the practice and exam results for this scan in the demo (on sample data; real data comes at launch).

Questions

What is a momentum stock?

A stock that has risen strongly over recent weeks or months. Momentum traders bet that the strength will continue for a while.

Is it too late to buy a stock that is up 20%?

Sometimes. Strong stocks often keep going, but the risk of a pullback is higher after a fast run. Many traders wait for a pause.

Related scans