No black boxes. Just rules.
Every signal we compute is defined, dated, and reproducible. If a hit shows up in the scan, you can see the exact rule that fired and check it against the chart yourself. This page is the source of truth for what TickerLab does — and, just as importantly, what it doesn’t.
What TickerLab does
TickerLab is a bullish technical screener. We run eight named pattern rules across a 514-ticker large-cap universe using the most recent official closing prices. Names that fire at least one signal appear in the scan, ranked by conviction.
Every hit carries three things beyond the fired signals: a six-chip indicator strip (volume, momentum, trend strength, options context, event risk), an analyst overlay (consensus target and upside from a syndicated feed), and an options overlay (suggested call strike, cash-secured put strike, implied volatility, days to expiration).
One name each scan is designated the Top Pick — the highest-conviction hit by our composite ranking, published in full and free to read. The rest of the list is fully public too — signals, indicator strip, analyst overlay, and options overlay all visible without a signup. AI research reports for every hit ship in October.
The neutral, letter-coded naming (A through H) is deliberate. Signal A is a golden cross regardless of whether we’re running it bullish, bearish, or as part of a covered-call scan — the rule doesn’t change, only the direction we look. This keeps the vocabulary stable across future scan types.
The universe
514 US large-cap equities. The universe is fixed for the scan window and refreshed quarterly.
We scan 514 tickers: the S&P 500 plus a curated set of mid- and large-cap names that don’t sit in the index but carry enough options liquidity and analyst coverage to be actionable. The list is refreshed quarterly — adds and drops are logged in the changelog at the bottom of this page.
We deliberately do not scan micro-caps, thinly-traded ADRs, or leveraged ETFs. Signal reliability drops sharply below a $500M market cap and 500k average daily volume; those names generate noise, not edge.
Scan cadence
Scans run against the most recent official closing prices. Published freshness is shown on the homepage — look for “Last scan” in the site header and scanner card.
Scans skip market holidays. On an early-close session (1:00 PM ET), the scan runs from that day’s official close — the shortened session doesn’t affect signal calculations.
The eight signals
Each signal is a Boolean rule — it fires or it doesn’t. A hit is any ticker with one or more signals fired. Higher signal counts weight the composite ranking but don’t automatically mean higher conviction.
The indicator strip
Six chips beneath each row. They don’t drive signal firing — they give context. Added in Aug 2026 as the v2 layer; older scans render blank chips rather than stale data.
Chips are null-safe. A blank cell for DIV means no divergence is present. A blank cell for RVOL on a pre-August 2026 scan means the v2 layer wasn’t computed yet. Rows never break — missing values render as blank instead of failing.
Top Pick selection
Every scan surfaces one name as the Top Pick — the highest-conviction hit by our composite ranking. Published in full, free to read.
The composite is a weighted sum of: fired signal count (weighted toward trend signals A, E, G over reversal signals D), indicator strip alignment (RVOL ≥1.5x, ADX ≥25, RSI in constructive 40–70 range), and analyst upside (consensus target > current price). Names within 14 days of earnings get a small penalty to reflect binary-event risk on the intended holding period.
Ties are broken by signal-count then by market cap. The Top Pick is only downgraded if the pipeline flags a data integrity issue (missing OHLCV, stale analyst target, delisted ticker) — there is no manual override.
Analyst & options overlay
Two contextual layers wrap every hit — the six-chip indicator strip and the options overlay. Both public across the full scan, no signup required.
Analyst overlay
Consensus price target, upside percent (target vs current close), and analyst count. Sourced from a syndicated fundamentals feed and refreshed daily. We show the mean, not the median — the dispersion (std dev) is available in the AI report body when meaningful.
Options overlay
Four fields, computed at scan time from the nearest monthly expiration 14–35 days out:
The options overlay describes structures a trader could use to express the technical setup. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any option. Position sizing, portfolio fit, and risk tolerance are entirely on you.
Limitations we’re honest about
TickerLab is a research tool, not a trading system. Here’s what it isn’t.
Signals are patterns, not predictions
The eight signals identify chart configurations that have historically preceded upward moves more often than downward ones. They are not forecasts. A fired signal tells you the pattern is present; it doesn’t tell you the trade will work.
No backtest is a promise
We’ve stress-tested the signal set on historical data, but survivorship bias, look-ahead bias, and regime shifts are real. Published win rates and average returns are directional evidence, not guarantees of future performance. We don’t publish them on the site precisely because doing so tends to be misread as a promise.
Daily bars, end-of-day only
All signals are computed on daily bars using official closing prices. TickerLab does not scan intraday, does not send real-time alerts, and does not attempt to catch moves inside the session. If you need tick-level or minute-level tooling, this isn’t it.
We don’t give advice
TickerLab is not a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer. Nothing on this site is a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any security. Everything is for research and educational purposes.
Changelog
Rule changes are versioned. Older scans retain the rules that were live when they published.