Jul 5, 2026 · Joey Bess, AAMS®
How to Read a Stock Scanner (Without Getting Overwhelmed)
A trader's guide to interpreting stock scanner output: what the columns mean, which signals matter, and how to filter noise.
How to Read a Stock Scanner
A scanner surfaces candidates — it does not tell you what to trade. Learning to read the columns is the difference between drowning in tickers and finding one clean setup.
The five columns that actually matter
- Relative volume — is today unusual? Look for 2x+ average.
- Price change vs sector — moving alone, or moving with peers?
- ATR% — is there enough range to justify a stop and target?
- Float / short interest — will it move fast if a squeeze triggers?
- Catalyst tag — earnings, news, guidance, or nothing?
Filtering noise
Most scanner rows are junk. Apply hard filters first: minimum dollar-volume, minimum price, no earnings in the next 2 sessions unless you're trading the event. Then rank the survivors by a single composite score.
Turning a scanner row into a trade
A candidate becomes a trade only after you have: an entry level, a stop, a target, and a position size that respects your daily loss budget. Everything else is noise dressed up as opportunity.