🇬🇧 Screener guide
Guide to the main features of the TightShorts screener
What's it?
A screener (filter) for searching and sorting stocks by various criteria of short volume. It allows you to create complex scenarios for the selection of shares based on combinations of filters, which will be discussed in detail later in the text.
Before getting acquainted with the features of working with the screener, I recommend that you first carefully study the guide for working with TightShorts:
What for?
There are several scenarios for using the TightShorts short screener:
Selection of stocks for a trading strategy that includes a short volume. Thanks to the filters, you can select stocks that have a bullish or bearish volume setup at a given time.
Determining the list of stocks at a strong level. The volumes of short sales, in some cases, can serve as a good addition to trading from the moving EMA/SMA on higher timeframes or along trend lines. Incredibly bullish combinations when approaching an important level will emphasize its strength and increase the probability of working out a rebound. The formation of bearish setups, when approaching an important level, on the contrary, indicates its potential weakness.
Tracking your speculative positions for unwanted activity. Sometimes, watching various setups, you can stumble upon a hit in the filter of some of your position. This can be used as a signal to partially fix the profit in medium-term trading. Or vice versa-to build up the position.
Search for anomalies. For example, rare, exceeding the SEV values,% among large companies (as in the case described with CAT in the last analysis). Or tracking abnormal trading volumes (any) - that is, when the volume of the last day is several times higher than the average for the month.
Getting started with the screener
Just as in the case of the main functionality of the site, the analysis should begin with an understanding of the terminology and abbreviations used on the site. If you have already read the terminology in the previous guide, then you should run through the abbreviations in the table again.
Table
And the abbreviations here are still the same, only supplemented by the average for N days. For example:
TV5 - this is the average Total Volume for the last 5 trading days
SV5,% - average Short Volume Ratio for the last 5 trading days
SEV5,% - average Short Exempt Volume Ratio for the last 5 trading days
I think you get the idea. The same will happen for SV20,% and TV20, only for 20 days.
You can also quickly sort the selection results by any column in the table. Just click on the column name to do this.
Stocks that have all columns at zero: no trades were held in the last trading days. This could happen both because of technical stop trades (split, reverse split) so it is for reasons of M&A, bankruptcy, leaving the exchange or changing the ticker.
Working with filters
The filters tab on the right is very easy to use. You have several filter groups (to be supplemented). Filters with arrows allow you to select the direction of the filtering trend. For example:
Total Volume 3d with a green arrow up-indicates an increase in the total trading volume for 3 consecutive days.
Short Volume %% 3d with a red down arrow means a decrease in the percentage of short volume for 3 consecutive days.
To turn off the filter, simply uncheck the box on the left. You can also reset all filters using the corresponding button at the bottom of the filter list.
Similarly, to quickly turn on the filter, you can click on the check mark to the left of it. The filter will turn on with the default filter mode set to increase the selected parameter. Or you can turn it on by simply clicking on any radio button next to the arrows. I think that everything came out intuitively clear, unlike this guide!
Filters can be combined in any format, the main thing is to make sure that this combination makes sense. With the help of the first block of filters, you can limit the selection of those shares that are traded on our stock exchange. But more about this in the next section.
Filters
In this section, I will list the various groups of filters in isolation from the possible combinations. Examples of filter combinations will be available immediately after the analysis of all the functionality.
Please note that as the filters are added/changed, this section will also be updated.
Settings
Settings filters. Yes, not the best name, I agree. The main point in them is to limit the initial selection of shares.
Настройки доступные на данный момент:
Is not complete garbage - filter out "garbage" / dead or inactive stocks. No, dear jokers, he does not filter out SPCE and GME. Yet 🤡. The task of the filter is simply to remove those securities where the trading volume was less than 5000 shares over the last 5 trading days. And also remove securities that had at least 1 non-working day in the past trading week (because this can significantly affect the calculation of averages relative to other stocks).
The concept of "garbage" is very conditional here and some companies may fall into this filter by mistake. For example, the original ticker of Buffett's company BRK.A can be attributed to the conditional "garbage", in the context of short data (not to be confused with BRK.B), since only a few dozen of them are traded per day at best.
In-line sequence
A linear sequence filter for 3 days. A continuous sequence of fulfilling the condition for 3 days. In each sequence, you additionally choose its direction on the right (growth or decline).
In this filter, the linear sequence is of two types:
Linear growth (green up arrow) - each value is greater than the previous one for N consecutive days.
Linear decrease (red down arrow) - each value is less than the previous one for N consecutive days.
Currently available linear sequence filters:
Short volume 3d - the sequence of the short volume for 3 days
Short volume %% 3d - sequence of % of the short volume for 3 days
Total volume 3d - the sequence of the total volume for 3 days
Short exempt volume 3d - sequence volume of closed shorts for 3 days
Short exempt volume %% 3d - sequence of % of closed shorts volumes for 3 days
Exactly the same filters are available for the next group In-line sequence of 5 days. Only for 5 days this time.
Available linear sequence filters for 5 days at the moment:
Short volume 5d - the sequence of the short volume for 5 days
Short volume %% 5d - sequence of % of the short volume for 5 days
Total volume 5d - the sequence of the total volume for 5 days
Short exempt volume 5d - sequence of volume of closed shorts for 5 days
Short exempt volume %% 5d - sequence of % of closed shorts volumes for 5 days
Example
In this example, a combination of filters is assembled that will display stocks whose trading volume has fallen for 3 consecutive days, and the percentage of volume of closed shorts has grown for 3 consecutive days.
Abnormal volume
Abnormal volume. The volume that was 3 times more or 3 times less than the average volume for 20 trading days on the last trading day.
There's no magic here either. There are three types of abnormal volume and two directions for each:
x3 short volume - the volume of shorts for the last day was 3 times more/less than the average for 20 days.
x3 total volume - the total volume for the last day was 3 times more/less than the average for 20 days.
x3 short exempt volume - the volume of closing shorts for the last day was 3 times more/less than the average for 20 days.
The principle of choosing the filter direction is exactly the same as that of the previous group.
Sorting
You already know all the available filters and remember how to sort them. But we need to clarify one important sorting principle, which should not be forgotten.
Sort by the field that you are initially looking for. This way you will get the most relevant result.
Let's take an example from above. I am looking for an abnormal volume that has only been gaining momentum in the last 3 days. Accordingly, I have to sort my results by the total volume field TV/TV5/TV 20, depending on the task. If we sort the TV in descending order, we will get the most abnormal volumes from the selection at the very top.
Simple, logical. But it is important not to forget to apply.
However, the sorting does not have to match the filter directly. You can sort by the SV short volume to get the potentially least toxic abnormal volumes. I give free rein to your imagination and sketch ideas)
Filter combinations
There can be a lot of filter combinations. Very. Many. And I am sure that you will be able to find your own grail. In this section, I will give several combinations of filters that I use myself. Perhaps the section will be updated with new ideas in the future.
All combinations in this section will imply the activation of "Is not complete garbage" setting, in order to limit the initial selection of shares.
An additional news, fundamental or technical justification is required for each setup. Short setups best confirm the strength of the probability of working out fundamental or technical triggers.
Bullish decline in short volume
Settings: Short volume % % 3d-Down, Total volume 3d-Up. Link
The growth of volumes for three consecutive days is accompanied by a drop in % of the short volume. That is, there are more volumes to buy. Very often, this setup takes place near an important price level (trend line, EMA, support level)
Here you can experiment with sequences of different lengths. For example, by switching completely or partially to a 5-day linear sequence.
Abnormal closing of shorts
Settings: Short exempt volume %% 3d - Up, x3 short exempt volume - Up. Link
The growth of volumes for closing shorts within 3 days is accompanied by a surge with a peak on the last day. Sort by SEV,%. I look first at those who had the most closed shorts on the day. I give preference to the one with the smallest SV5,%.
Bearish increase of shorts
Настройки: Short volume %% 3d - Up, Total volume 3d - Down. Ссылка на сетап
The percentage of short volume increases for 3 consecutive days, accompanied by a decrease in trading volumes. I often noticed that this setup acted as a leading signal 1-2 weeks before the downward movement.
Here it is important to look at those who have not had surges of SEV,% recently. Give preference to those who have the highest short volume index for the week (sorted by SV5,%).
Filtering by selected stocks
You can determine in advance for yourself the list of stocks among which you want to look for hits in filters or just for convenient sorting. Just enter the tickers separated by commas and click Find.
At the moment, there is a limit: no more than 25 tickers per request.
Help the project
If you like what I do and you have a desire to help the project, then you can do it in two ways:
Support the author with a donation. You can do this on PayPal. The money goes to pay for servers and food for the cat 🐈
I wish you all good luck!
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