How to Read SpeedSignal
A quick, plain-language guide to what you see on the dashboard: what the phases, score, and conviction mean, and how to use them to review setups. No jargon. For more on each concept, see the Methodology.
What SpeedSignal is
SpeedSignal is screening and analytics software. Every trading day it scans thousands of US stocks and sorts them by where they sit in the life cycle of a breakout setup. Instead of you scanning charts one by one, it organizes the market into a short list of names that are tightening up, starting to move, or already breaking out, plus the context around each one.
It is a research and organization tool. It does not tell you what to buy or when to trade; it helps you see what changed and where to look.
What the system is looking at
SpeedSignal looks for setups: recurring technical patterns where a stock has been quietly compressing and then starts to expand. It describes what the data is doing right now, in the present. It is not a prediction engine: a strong setup is context, not a forecast that a move will continue.
The output is deterministic and rules-based. Given the same market data, it produces the same result. There is no black-box "AI is bullish" opinion behind it; the AI-written summaries in the dashboard only describe these results and never set them.
The four phases
Every stock is labeled with one phase, which describes the current state of its setup:
- Coiling: the base is forming. Price swings have quieted down and the stock is building a calm, orderly base. Early stage.
- Pre-Ignition: signs of steady demand are starting to show up inside the base. The setup is maturing.
- Liftoff: the strongest active phase, where the base and participation are in place and the latest data confirms the setup.
- Below: not in an active setup phase right now. Most stocks sit here on any given day.
A phase is a description of a state, not an instruction. "Liftoff" means the setup looks aligned in the data, not that you should act.
Score and Conviction
Two numbers add detail to the phase:
- Score (0-100): summarizes how complete the setup looks today across three ingredients: the base, signs of steady demand, and signs that activity is picking up. Higher means a more complete setup.
- Conviction (Low / Medium / High): reflects how a stock's setup ranks against the rest of the market that same day. High Conviction is reserved for the highest relative scores of the day.
Read them together: a high score with High Conviction means the setup looks complete and the name ranks near the top that session. Conviction is a separate axis from both phase and score: a Coiling stock can be High Conviction and a Liftoff stock can be Low Conviction, and a high score does not guarantee high conviction, because conviction depends on how the rest of the market scores that day. Both are context to review, not a measure of how good a trade is.
Using the dashboard
The dashboard is built around one idea: see what changed, then decide for yourself what to look at. The main areas:
- Daily Brief: the home view. Use it to understand what changed today (new Liftoffs, Pre-Ignition upgrades, new Coiling names and Conviction upgrades).
- Signal Board: the filterable list of setups. Use it to explore and compare setups across tickers with presets and search; Pro adds the full ranked universe and advanced filters such as phase and conviction.
- Watchlist: track names you already care about and see how the system classifies them over time.
- Alerts: let the system notify you when the dashboard changes for the names or conditions you chose, so you do not have to check manually.
Reading a ticker page
Open any stock to see its full context. Each part is descriptive, meant to help you review the situation before doing your own research:
- Phase describes the current setup state.
- Score summarizes how complete the setup looks today.
- RS Rank (0–99) shows how the stock's price has performed relative to the rest of the scan. It describes the past and is separate from the Score.
- Conviction groups the strength of the setup context relative to the market that day.
- Risk flags identify conditions worth a closer look (for example, a stock that has already run far from its base, or one with earnings coming up).
- Chart and levels show technical reference points (such as the pivot the setup is built around) as context, not as entry or exit instructions.
What SpeedSignal is not
SpeedSignal helps organize market data and setup context. It does not recommend securities, timing, position size, or trade actions.
- It does not predict returns or tell you a move will continue.
- It does not tell you when to buy or sell, or how much.
- It does not replace your own research or a conversation with a qualified financial advisor.
Speed Signal AI is screening and analytics software, not a broker-dealer or investment adviser. Scores, phases, and screening results are data outputs and research candidates, not investment advice, recommendations, trading signals, or a buy list.