Trade Ideas filters that matter (build a lane first)¶
If Trade Ideas “doesn’t work” for someone, it’s usually not the platform. It’s the workflow:
They’re scanning the entire market with no lane.
This page shows the filters that most intraday traders use to create consistency.
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The “lane” concept¶
Lane = the set of symbols your strategy is even allowed to look at.
Good lanes produce: - fewer names - more consistent behavior - easier tuning
Bad lanes produce: - random results - endless “why did it alert that?” frustration
The core filter stack (80/20)¶
1) Price¶
Price ranges matter for behavior and fills.
Pick a range that matches your style and buying power.
2) Liquidity (Dollar Volume and/or Average Daily Volume)¶
Liquidity is the most common “noise reducer”.
When you get spammed, tighten liquidity first.
3) Time of Day¶
Most intraday workflows are session-specific.
If your backtest or routine is “first 90 minutes after open”, set it that way.
4) Gap % / relative activity¶
For “stocks in play” workflows, gappers and relative volume are often the reason the symbol matters today.
5) Float (optional, but helpful)¶
Float affects behavior (speed, volatility, and how it reacts to volume).
You don’t need to obsess over it, but it’s a useful lane constraint.
My favorite “lane” filters (and why)¶
These are the filters I use most often because they remove obvious junk without turning the window into an overfit science project:
- Price: forces a consistent behavior regime and reduces fill issues.
- Liquidity (pick one or two):
Dollar Volume,Average Daily Volume, and/orVolume Todaydepending on your session. - Time of Day: keeps the window aligned with the session you actually trade/review.
- Gap % / Change from the close: helps focus on “stocks in play” instead of random drift.
- Float: optional, but useful if your results feel like random regimes mixed together.
- ATR / range filters (optional): a simple volatility floor so you’re not scanning dead tape.
The ETF filter trick (EPS)¶
One simple hack from my old workflow: add EPS and set Min = 0.01 and Max = -0.01. It looks backwards, but the intent is to filter out many ETFs (which often show EPS as 0.00 in Trade Ideas).
Use this as a rough filter, not a guarantee. Validate by checking what symbols you’re removing.
How to tighten filters without curve-fitting¶
Use this loop: 1. Save v1 2. Observe what garbage shows up 3. Add one constraint to remove that category 4. Save v2
Repeat slowly. Don’t add 10 filters because you saw a YouTube screenshot.
FAQs you should ask while filtering¶
- “Am I filtering for tradability or for a fantasy backtest?”
- “Does this filter remove a clear category of junk?”
- “If I remove this filter, does the window become unusable?”
FAQ¶
What are the best Trade Ideas filters for day trading?¶
Most traders start with Price, Dollar Volume/ADV, and Time of Day, then add a small number of strategy-specific filters like Gap % or Float.
What should I do if I get too many results?¶
Tighten liquidity and narrow your session before touching the alert condition.
Next¶
Next step
Turn this into a repeatable workflow
If you only do one thing next, tighten your lane and reduce noise. That's how Trade Ideas becomes usable.
