Argus - Real-Time Stock Momentum Scanner

What is Momentum Trading?

Momentum trading is a strategy where traders observe stocks that are experiencing significant price movement in one direction. The concept involves monitoring trends in the market, though outcomes are never guaranteed and all trading carries risk. This educational overview is for informational purposes only.

How Momentum Trading Generally Works

Momentum traders typically observe stocks moving significantly on high volume. The strategy involves monitoring price movements and market trends. Common components that traders may consider include:

• Trend Observation: Monitoring stocks moving in one direction.
• Price Action Monitoring: Observing actual price movements.
• Market Timing Attempts: Traders make their own decisions on position timing.

Commonly Cited Characteristics of Momentum Trading

• Volatility: High volatility with potential for both gains and losses.
• Short Term Focus: Often involves shorter holding periods.
• Technical Analysis: Frequently uses technical indicators and trading scanners.

Risks of Momentum Trading

• Substantial Loss Risk: Rapid reversals can lead to significant losses.
• High Complexity: Requires extensive market knowledge and experience.
• No Guaranteed Outcomes: Past momentum does not predict future performance.

What is a Stock Scanner for Momentum Trading?

A stock scanner is a data aggregation tool that displays information about momentum stocks experiencing price movements in the market. These tools compile market data and present it according to specified parameters, providing information only without recommendations or advice.

Functions of a Trading Scanner

• Data Aggregation: Collects price and volume information from markets.
• Parameter Filtering: Displays data based on user selected criteria.
• Information Display: Presents market data in organized formats.
• Multi Session Data: Shows information from premarket, regular, and after hours trading.
• Alert Systems: Notifies when certain parameters are met (informational only).

What Stock Scanners Do and Don't Do

Stock scanners display market data about top momentum stocks today and price movements. They DO NOT:

• Predict future price movements
• Recommend specific trades
• Guarantee profitable outcomes
• Provide investment advice

Introducing Argus: Advanced Market Data Scanner

Argus is a sophisticated market data tool that displays real-time information about stocks experiencing significant price movements. The scanner identifies momentum stocks and correlates price changes with publicly available news, helping users stay informed about market activity across all trading sessions.

Argus exists because of an attention problem. Thousands of US-listed stocks trade at once, something is always moving, and no person can watch it all. Argus does the watching and reduces each session to a short feed of alerts on significant movements, each shown with the stock's recent news when there is any, so users can see what is moving, and the possible context, without monitoring the entire market themselves.

The Argus Approach: Radically Simple, Remarkably Effective

While traditional scanners overwhelm you with dozens of technical indicators, Argus takes a radically simple approach. We focus exclusively on what actually matters: significant price movements.

Here's our philosophy: We track stocks that move beyond 4% from the previous close. Once a stock crosses this threshold, we continue alerting you as it reaches new highs (for rising stocks) or new lows (for declining stocks). This means rising stocks trigger alerts at each new high point of the day, while falling stocks trigger alerts at each new low point.

That rule is the first of three. Two more watch how fast a price is travelling and how heavily a stock is trading against its own normal activity, and every alert names the rule that produced it. The next section describes all three in plain language.

This approach cuts through the noise. Where other scanners hand you dozens of indicators to interpret, Argus keeps the question simple, showing what is moving, how quickly, and on how much trading.

Key Features of Argus Stock Scanner

• Real Time Market Monitoring: Continuously scans for stocks making significant moves (above 4%).
• Directional Tracking: Alerts on new highs for the day for rising stocks, new lows for the day for declining stocks.
• News Integration: Correlates price movements with relevant news articles.
• Complete Session Coverage: Monitors top premarket gainers, regular hours, and after hour market movers.
• Custom Parameters: Users can set their own display preferences.
• Performance Tracking: Monitor daily top gainers and losers across markets.
• Clean Interface: Intuitive design for seamless navigation.

What Argus Provides

• Market Information: Raw data about price movements and top momentum stocks today.
• Time Efficiency: Automated scanning saves time versus manual monitoring.
• News Context: Links to publicly available news for informational context.
• Data Organization: Structured display of market information.

The Three Argus Strategies

Every alert in the feed carries a Strategy badge naming the rule that produced it. Argus runs three rules side by side, and each one watches something different. One watches how far a stock has travelled since yesterday's close, one watches how fast it moved in the last few minutes, and one watches how heavily it is trading compared with its own normal activity. The same stock can appear under more than one strategy on the same day, and plenty of stocks never trigger any of them.

All three are shown by default. In the Filters panel, under Strategy, you can switch any of them off so the feed shows only the kind of movement you want to follow.

New High / New Low

The original Argus rule, and the one behind most alerts. It measures the distance a stock has covered from the previous closing price.

• What sets it off: the stock is at least 4% above or below its previous close, and it has just traded at the highest price (or the lowest price) it has reached so far today.
• What it describes: a move that is still extending. A repeat alert means the stock has pushed past its own earlier peak or trough, not simply that it is still up or down on the day.
• Where the number is: the Change column, measured from the previous close.
• How the badge reads: New High with an up arrow, or New Low with a down arrow.

Rapid Move

This rule ignores how big the day's move is and looks only at how quickly the price is travelling right now, over a window of about the last five minutes.

• What sets it off: the price moved at least 5% within roughly five minutes, with at least $5,000 of stock traded during that window.
• What it describes: speed rather than size. A stock can trigger Rapid Move while its move for the day is still small, because the five minutes are measured on their own; equally, a stock can be up 30% on the day and never trigger it, because it climbed gradually.
• Where the number is: the 5-minute change column, which shows the move over that window.
• How the badge reads: Rapid Move with an up or down arrow, since the burst can go either way.

Volume Spike

This rule watches trading activity instead of price. Volume alone says nothing about direction, so it is the one strategy whose badge carries no arrow.

• What sets it off: the stock is trading far more shares than it usually does. Argus compares the last few minutes of trading against how much this same stock normally trades at that same time of day, so a busy market open does not count as unusual by itself. When a stock has too little history for that comparison, Argus falls back to a simpler test and looks for a day's volume above roughly three times its 20-day average.
• What it describes: a change in participation. More people than usual are trading this stock at this moment, which may happen with the price rising, falling, or barely moving at all.
• Where the number is: the relative volume columns, which express activity as a multiple of what this stock normally trades by the same time of day rather than as a raw share count, so the reading is comparable in pre-market, at midday and at the close.
• How the badge reads: Volume Spike, with no direction arrow.

The Three Strategies at a Glance

Seeing More Than One Strategy on the Same Stock

The three rules are evaluated independently, so the same stock can produce different badges within minutes. A stock that gaps overnight on an earnings release often triggers New High and Rapid Move together, because the same jump is both a fresh high and a fast move. A stock that trades heavily while going nowhere may produce Volume Spike alone. None of these combinations is scored, ranked, or rated by Argus, and no combination is presented as better or more reliable than another; the badge exists so you can tell which rule put the row in front of you.

What a Strategy Label Does Not Mean

A strategy badge is a description of a condition that was met at a specific moment, nothing more. In particular:

• It is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold, and it is not investment advice.
• It does not predict what the stock will do next. A New High alert says a new high happened, not that another one is coming.
• It does not confirm that a news story caused the move. Any news or filings shown beside a row are supplied as context and are matched automatically.
• It does not measure quality, strength, or opportunity. A larger move or a heavier volume spike is not evidence of a better outcome.
• Fast moves and unusual volume are commonly associated with higher volatility, and volatility carries the risk of significant loss.

Verify anything that matters through the linked original sources, and read this section together with the risk disclosure at the bottom of this page.

Unusual Volume and Relative Volume Scanner Alerts

See the Volume Spike section above for the alert rule and the relative volume method already documented on this page.

Argus vs. Traditional Trading Scanners

Premarket Momentum Scanner for Small Cap and Low Float Stocks

Argus provides comprehensive data coverage across all trading sessions. Understanding when different sessions operate helps users know when data becomes available.

Premarket Trading (4:00 AM - 9:30 AM ET)

The scanner begins displaying top premarket gainers and decliners at 4:00 AM ET. Information shown includes:

• Early price movements before regular market open
• Stocks reacting to overnight news and earnings
• Gap information from previous close
• Volume data when available in premarket

Regular Trading Hours (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET)

During regular hours, Argus displays top momentum stocks today with full market data:

• Real time or delayed price data (based on membership)
• New highs for the day for rising stocks
• New lows for the day for declining stocks
• Volume information and related news

After Hours Trading (4:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET)

The scanner tracks after hour market movers including:

• Post market price movements
• Stocks reacting to after hours earnings releases
• Continuation of regular session trends
• Extended trading volume when available

Who Uses Stock Scanners?

Various market participants use trading scanners to stay informed about market movements. Here are common user categories and how they utilize scanner data:

Active Market Participants

Those actively engaged in markets use scanners to:

• Monitor momentum stocks throughout the day
• Track multiple securities simultaneously
• Identify top gainers premarket and during regular hours
• Access correlated news information

Market Researchers & Analysts

Researchers utilize scanner data for:

• Analyzing price movement patterns
• Studying news impact on stock prices
• Tracking after hour market movers for next day analysis
• Understanding market session dynamics

Educational Users

Those learning about markets use scanners to:

• Understand how stocks move during different sessions
• Learn to identify top momentum stocks today
• Study the relationship between news and price
• Observe market mechanics in real time

Part Time Market Watchers

Busy individuals who can't monitor markets continuously use scanners to:

• Quickly review daily market movements
• Stay informed about significant price changes
• Catch up on market activity efficiently

Membership Options

Argus offers different data access levels to suit various needs. Note that data speed and features do not affect or predict trading outcomes.

Free Access

Start with basic market monitoring capabilities:

• 15 minute delayed market data
• Track momentum stocks with delayed updates
• Basic tracking of top premarket gainers
• Standard news correlation
• Daily summary of top momentum stocks today
• Limited alert frequency

Silver Membership

Mid-tier access for regular market watchers:

• 1 minute delayed market data
• Faster updates than free tier
• Track momentum stocks with minimal delay
• Enhanced tracking of top premarket gainers
• Standard news correlation
• Improved alert frequency

Gold & Platinum Membership

Premium data access for active traders:

• Real time data feed across all sessions (no delay)
• Instant alerts for after hour market movers
• Maximum update frequency
• Advanced filter and sort options
• Priority data processing during peak times
• Ad free interface
• Premium support

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does Argus track?

Argus displays stocks moving 4% or more from their reference close (see the next answer for how that reference is chosen). For rising stocks, it continues alerting at each new high. For falling stocks, it alerts at each new low. This directional tracking helps identify sustained momentum.

How does Argus calculate the percentage change?

The percentage shown is measured against a fixed reference price, not the session open. During premarket and regular hours it is the change from the previous trading day's close. In after-hours the baseline switches to today's regular-session close, so the same stock can show a smaller percentage after 4:00 PM ET even though its price kept climbing. The 4% alert threshold uses this same baseline.

What are momentum stocks?

In market terminology, momentum stocks refers to securities experiencing significant price movement with above average volume. These are stocks showing strong directional movement, either up or down.

When can I see premarket gainers?

Argus begins displaying top premarket gainers data at 4:00 AM ET when premarket trading opens. This data continues updating until regular market hours begin at 9:30 AM ET.

Does Argus cover after hours trading?

Yes, Argus tracks after hour market movers from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, displaying stocks that continue moving after regular market close.

How are "new highs" and "new lows" determined?

Once a stock clears the 4% threshold, Argus alerts again each time it pushes beyond the highest price (for gainers) or lowest price (for losers) it has already recorded that day. The alert counters reset at each session boundary, but that recorded high or low carries across sessions, so a stock that already ran in premarket only alerts again in regular hours once it trades beyond its premarket high.

Why did a stock's first alert appear later than the move I saw on the chart?

Argus alerts on new highs for the day, not on every bounce off an intraday low. If a stock already set its high earlier (often in premarket), a later climb back toward that level will not alert until it actually trades above the prior high. So an alert can look "late" when the real move happened earlier in the day and Argus alerted it then.

How are stocks ordered in Argus?

The Top Gainers and Top Losers lists are ordered purely by the size of the percentage move. The live alert feed is ordered by time, with the newest alert at the top. Filters change which stocks qualify to appear, but they do not re-rank the list.

What's the difference between membership tiers?

Gold/Platinum members receive real-time data updates with no delay. Silver members see data with 1 minute delay. Free members see data with 15 minute delay. Higher tiers also offer more frequent alerts, additional filtering options, and ad-free experience.

Can Argus predict which stocks will move?

No. Argus displays current and historical data only. It does not predict future movements or provide trading recommendations.

How the Argus Scanner Functions

The Scanning Process

Argus operates through automated data collection and display:

• Continuous Monitoring: System receives price data from market sources
• Threshold Detection: Identifies stocks moving 4% from the previous close
• Directional Tracking: Monitors new highs for gainers, new lows for decliners
• News Matching: Automated correlation with publicly available news
• Data Display: Information presented in organized interface

Understanding the Alert System

When viewing top momentum stocks today, the alert system works as follows:

• Initial alert triggers when a stock moves 4% from the previous close
• Rising stocks generate alerts at each new high for the day
• Falling stocks generate alerts at each new low for the day
• Alert frequency indicates sustained momentum strength
• News links provide context when available

Data Sources and Timing

• Premarket Data: Begins at 4:00 AM ET for top gainers premarket
• Regular Hours: Full market data from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET
• After Hours: Extended session data until 8:00 PM ET
• News Sources: Aggregated from publicly available financial news

Understanding the Information Display

Argus presents market data in an organized format. Each entry includes:

• Ticker Symbol: Stock identification code
• Alert Count: Number of times new highs/lows were reached in the current session and today
• Price Information: Current price and percentage change, measured from the previous day's close during premarket and regular hours, and from today's close in after-hours
• Volume Data: Number of shares traded
• News Links: Related articles when available

Interpreting Alert Patterns

Understanding what different alert patterns may indicate:

• Single Alert: Stock just crossed 4% threshold
• Multiple Alerts (Gainer): Stock making successive new highs
• Multiple Alerts (Loser): Stock making successive new lows
• High Alert Frequency: Sustained directional momentum
• News Present: Potential catalyst for movement

Data Accuracy and Limitations

Understanding data limitations helps set appropriate expectations:

Data Timing by Membership

• Free Access: 15 minute delay
• Silver Access: 1 minute delay
• Gold/Platinum Access: Real time data feed (no delay, minimal system latency)

Important Data Considerations

• All market data may contain errors or omissions
• News correlation is automated and may not be comprehensive
• Extended hours data may have limited accuracy due to lower liquidity
• System outages or delays can affect data delivery
• Historical data shown is not predictive of future movements

Best Practices for Data Use

• Verify important information through multiple sources
• Understand that displayed data is for informational purposes only
• Be aware that real time claims refer to delivery speed, not guaranteed accuracy
• Consider extended hours data as potentially less reliable