Methodology & Data Sources
Last updated: October 22, 2026
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1. Overview
SpeedSignal scans 4,500+ US-listed stocks (common stocks and ADRs on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX and CBOE) daily shortly after the close and gives each ticker three readings: a phase (Coiling, Pre-Ignition, Liftoff or Below), a 0–100 Score and a Conviction level (Low / Medium / High). Read them as three answers to three questions: the phase says what stage the setup is in, the Score says how complete the setup profile looks today, and Conviction says how that setup ranks against the rest of the market the same day.
2. The Three Pillars
A breakout setup has three separate ingredients, and SpeedSignal reads each one separately. The three are different in nature (structure, demand and activity), and a stock can be strong on one and weak on another. Together they feed the overall Score.
How well the stock is building a base. A high Base reading means the recent trading has settled into a quiet, tight and orderly state instead of a wide or choppy one: the stock looks coiled rather than scattered.
Signs of steady demand inside the base. A high Accumulation reading means the quiet base is not empty: the stock shows persistent participation rather than a one-day spike.
Signs that activity is picking up now. A high Ignition reading means trading activity in the latest completed session is expanding versus the stock's own normal level, with broad participation rather than thin or one-sided trading.
3. The Score
The Score (0–100) summarizes how much of the tracked setup profile is present today, across all three pillars. Higher means a more complete setup. It is descriptive, not predictive: a 90 does not mean a stock will go up, only that much of the setup profile is present right now. The Score moves day to day as conditions appear and fade, so the change in Score is often as informative as the level itself.
4. Phase Classification
The Score tells you how much is aligned; the phase tells you what kind of situation it is. The phase has its own classification logic, so it is related to the pillars but is not a direct conversion of the Score. Phases are also stable: a stock does not lose its phase because of one quiet day, which is why a ticker can show many days in the same phase.
| Phase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Coiling | The base is forming. Price action is settling and activity is quiet. Early stage. |
| Pre-Ignition | Accumulation is becoming visible inside the base. The setup is maturing. |
| Liftoff | The strongest active phase. The base and participation are in place and the latest data confirms the setup. |
| Below | Not in any active setup phase right now. Most of the universe sits here on any given day. |
5. Conviction Level
Inside each phase, we add a Conviction dimension: Low, Medium, or High. Conviction reflects how a ticker's setup ranks against the rest of the market in that session; High Conviction is reserved for the highest relative scores of the day. Because it is relative and recalculated every session, the bar adapts to the market. It is a separate axis from phase: a Coiling ticker can be High Conviction, and a Liftoff ticker can be Low Conviction. A high Score does not guarantee High Conviction, because Conviction depends on how the rest of the market looks that day. Conviction is a ranking band, not confidence that a price will rise.
6. RS Rank
RS Rank is a 0–99 rank of how a stock's price has performed relative to every other stock in the scan. Higher means stronger past performance relative to that group. It is separate from the setup Score and describes the past, not a forecast.
7. Risk Flags & Anomalies (informational)
Some tickers carry context flags that do not change the Score or the phase but point to risk worth knowing:
- Extended: the stock is already far from its recent base, so the board marks it as extended context.
- Bearish Market Regime: the broad market itself is trending down, a headwind for new breakouts.
- Elevated VIX: market-wide volatility is running high.
- Pre-Earnings Run: a known earnings event is near (event risk).
- Anomaly: a statistical outlier shown separately from the setup classification, in the Anomalies view.
8. Eligibility Filters
Basic eligibility filters help keep the Signal Board focused on stocks where a setup reading is meaningful. They do not change a stock's Score or phase. Some of them always apply to the Signal Board; the others are optional. The filters look at things like:
- Enough price and daily trading activity, so the reading reflects real, stable activity
- Enough company size and freely traded shares
- Not in a clearly established downtrend
- No violent recent gap down
- An earnings buffer around confirmed earnings dates, when the stock tends to move on the event rather than on its structure
Pro subscribers can see the default values of the optional filters, and switch on and adjust most of them, in the eligibility thresholds of the Signal Board's advanced filters.
9. Data Sources
| Data Type | Source | Update Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Price & Volume | Third-party US-equities market data (Massive) | Daily at close |
| Fundamentals | TradingView Scanner, Finnhub and SEC filings | Provider-dependent |
| Earnings Dates | TradingView Scanner and supplemental provider data | As available |
| Market Context | SPY, VIX and sector benchmark ETFs | Daily at close |
| Company Info | TradingView Scanner with provider fallbacks | Refreshed during enrichment |
10. Limitations
- Scores reflect end-of-day data; intraday moves are not captured
- Historical scores may differ from live scores due to data revisions
- Earnings data availability varies by ticker
- Small-cap stocks can behave differently from larger companies; the board treats that context separately where relevant
- The system is optimized for daily timeframe breakout detection