Click here for more information on Barchart Opinion and Trading Signals.
The Top Signal Direction page lists those ETFs who are rated to be in the top 1% based on their signal direction.
Signal strength can be used as an indicator of the long-term view of a market, whereas signal direction can be used a short-term (3-day) view of the current price activity.
Available only for U.S. and Canadian markets, each analytic used within the signals is rated by signal strength and direction. The strengths are allocated either 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 points and the directions are allocated 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 points. The strength and direction ratings are listed in the advanced opinion pages. The totals are added up for strength and direction depending on the buy, sell and hold ratings and those ETFs within the top 1% bracket are listed in these pages. Signal strength and signal direction are independent of the signals rating.
Note: Opinions on each symbol are updated every 20 minutes throughout the day, using delayed data from the exchanges. A security needs to have at least 201 active trading days in order to generate an Opinion reading.
What's Included
To be included in the Signals Strength or Direction page, an ETF must have traded today, with a current price between $2 and $10,000 and with a 20-day average volume greater than 1,000. An ETF must also have an opinion and a last month's opinion.
Time Frames
There are two time-frames to choose from using the selection found in the data table toolbar:
- Current - The list of ETFs to display on the Current page is updated every 10 minutes throughout the trading day. You will see new price data appear on the page, as indicated by a yellow "flash". However, ETFs are not automatically re-ranked on the page until the site performs its 10-minute update.
- Daily - The list of ETFs to display on these pages is updated once a day, at approx. 8pm EST.
Signal Strength
The signal strength is a long-term measurement of the strength of the signal compared to the strength of the signal historically. The strength can be one of the following readings:
- Top 1%
- Maximum
- Strong
- Good
- Average
- Soft
- Weak
- Minimum
Maximum is the strongest this signal has been in the historical period, and minimum is the weakest the signal has been in the historical period. The stronger a signal strength, the less volatile the signal. For example, a maximum buy signal is less likely to change to a hold or a sell signal than a weak buy signal.
A hold signal does not have any strength.
Signal Direction
Buy/Sell Signal Direction
The signal direction is a short-term (3-day) measurement of the current movement of the signal. Direction is a short indication of how the signal is performing based on most recent available data.
It compares the current divergence of the signal against the divergence of the nearest 3 trading sessions, and if the divergence is increasing this signifies a strengthening of the trend, whereas if the divergence is decreasing this signifies the trend is weakening.
The buy/sell direction can be one of the following readings:
- Top 1%
- Strongest
- Strengthening
- Average
- Weakening
- Weakest
A buy signal with a "strongest" direction means a buy signal which is becoming stronger. Similarly, a sell signal with a "strongest" direction is becoming stronger. The direction goes with the signal.
Hold Signal Direction
The signal direction of a hold signal is a short-term (3-day) measurement of where the signal is heading, be it toward a buy signal or a sell signal. The hold direction can be one of the following five readings:
- Bullish
- Rising
- Steady
- Falling
- Bearish
A bullish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading toward a buy configuration, and a bearish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading toward a sell configuration.
Screen
Available only with a Barchart Plus or Premier Membership, you can base an ETF Screener off the symbols currently on the page. This lets you add additional filters to further narrow down the list of candidates.
Example:
- Click "Screen" on the page and the ETF Screener opens, pulling in the symbols from the Signals page.
- Add additional criteria in the Screener, such as "20-Day Moving Average is greater than the Last Price", or "Trend Seeker® Opinion is Buy".
- View the results and save them to a Watchlist, or save the Screener to run again at a later date.
- Running a Saved Screener at a later date will always present a new list of results. Your Saved Screener will always start with the most current set of symbols found on the Signals page before applying your custom filters and displaying new results.
