ChartSmart | stock charting software | technical analysis

Keeping Your Stock Screener Ready Is Akin to Keeping Your Powder Dry

Tuesday February 21, 2012

If there is one fact that seasoned investors have grown to respect, it is that markets are always changing. Yes, markets do fluctuate both up and down, but the nature of the fundamental forces driving the “waves” are rarely identical. For this very reason, the prudent investor knows to remain flexible, always adjusting to the present situation and modifying his approach to the market by his assessment of the near term to come. Your best “tool” for this process is your trusty stock screening software.

The community of investment advisors feels a responsibility to notify their investment clientele of this need to be ever vigilant. As an example, during the past year, the majority of these professionals advised their clients to scale back their positions in the market to free up cash. The objective was to increase liquidity in response to the deteriorating conditions in Europe. As is typically the case, their expectation was that the market would overreact to devaluing companies that derive a considerable amount of their revenues from across the Atlantic. Bargains would arise, so best to be prepared.

This wise counsel does not suggest that an investor should withdraw from the market. On the contrary, it is time to dust off your favorite stock screener and start searching for companies with a wide margin of safety in their present market valuations. Bargains will appear, although you may need to modify both your selection criteria and the way you interpret the results, the individual “twist” that only you can add to the process. Staying “ever vigilant” entails means keeping the “dust” off your screening tool and being well attuned to its use.

Stock screening tools were designed for this selection process. With over 17,000 companies traded on American exchanges, not too mention mutual fund offerings and exchange-traded funds, searching for “nuggets” of value in troubled times can be a daunting task. There are very simple screening tools offered on the market today, but if you are an experienced investor and prefer to customize your options based on your personal tastes, then there are providers of custom software that market products specifically designed with you in mind.

What screening criteria would be a smart response to this past year’s volatility? Two approaches come to mind.

1) The first screen could be termed, “Safety First”. When the weather is uncertain, head for cover, and in the stock world, that means head for the cover of safe, dependable companies. You will want to screen for large-cap, blue chip stocks that have a record of paying high dividends over a period of years.
2) The second screen provides a different way to locate safe and secure companies without focusing totally on the Dow Jones components. Here you will search for “Cash King Margins”, the idea being that companies that accumulate cash on their balance sheets in an increasing fashion over time are prepared for whatever may come, including picking up bargains along the way. Target “Free Cash Flow” and divided that figure by annual operating revenues. If this factor has grown by over 10% a year for the past few years, you have search results worthy of further consideration. A market cap limitation is advised to screen out the many small companies that may appear.

When markets change their “complexions”, step back and calmly review your current portfolio mix and prospect for “nuggets” with your favorite stock screener. Experiment with new settings, based on your personal analysis of the situation at hand. Flexibility is a good thing, especially when the market is preparing to make a move.

© 2012, ChartSmart Inc.
www.chartsmart.com

Keeping Your Stock Screener Ready Is Akin to Keeping Your Powder Dry
Posted by chartsmart at 08:02 pm

New feature for ChartSmart Subscribers

Sunday November 27, 2011

In order to assist our subscribers at ChartSmart, we have added a SUPPORT navigation tab to our web site. If you click on the support tab, you will see a combo box that will allow you to request information about your account from our auto responder. This way within 20 minutes or so you can have up to date information on your account including:

1) Specific questions you may have will be responded to the fastest if you enter you question here

2) You can enter you password for downloading chartsmart and it will be emailed to your current email address used in our database (Be sure you keep us up to date with your email address)

3) Request a copy of your last invoice or an account status which will give you an estimate of your next invoice and when it will be.

4) Add or Remove your email from out mailing list.

All the above are to improve out services to our ChartSmart subscribers.

ChartSmart Technical Support

Now a 10 day free trial

Sunday November 27, 2011

If you have not yet tried ChartSmart Stock Charting and Screening Software you can do so by visiting our website. You can then take a free 10 day trial. Previously we offered a 30 day trial but in has been changed to a period of 10 days. During the trial feel free to email us with you questions and be sure to watch our videos to take you though our powerful technical and fundamental stock screening features. We believe ChartSmart to be by far the most powerful end of day stock screening and charting tool available today.

Chartsmart now works with wide screen monitor

Monday August 22, 2011

After many requests from our subscribers we have enabled ChartSmart to also display all the way across your screen for wide screen monitors. If you are a subscriber, simply go to HELP then select the bottom option to UPGRADE ChartSmart. After you process the upgrade, then go to MAINTENANCE and SCREEN SIZE EMULATION then turn on WIDE SCREEN.

Originally ChartSmart was created for the standard 640×480 or 800×600 screens which is a ratio of 4:3 whereas many monitors, especially laptops, come with screen ratios of 16:9 (wide screen). Anyway, you now have the option to go wide screen. If you are an old subscriber or a potential new subscriber, just go to our web site at http://www.chartsmart.com and download the full version and you can turn on the wide screen option under MAINTENANCE once you get started.

We are continuing to add new features to ChartSmart, which we already feel is by far the best end-of-day stock screening tool available for U.S. and Canadian stocks. It’s value comes by creating unlimited filter sets using it’s diverse technical and fundamental screens, then being able to scroll through high quality stock charts and place the charts you like into your watch lists. Other screeners are available, and they have charts too, but their logic, quality, and ease of use do not match those of ChartSmart. After 15 years of business now, we have loyal subscribers who are still on from it’s inception, and that only comes by offering a product that is valuable for their investing. If you haven’t tried ChartSmart, download it and take your free trial today!

Also be sure to check out our new video .

© 2012, ChartSmart Inc.
www.chartsmart.com

Chartsmart now works with wide screen monitor
Posted by chartsmart at 12:08 am

New Support Features

Saturday July 30, 2011

In order to improve our service to subscribers we have added a SUPPORT tab to our web page at www.chartsmart.com. It allows a subscriber to enter their email address and to select:

a) to retrieve their personal password in the case that they have lost it.

b) to retrieve a copy of their last invoice.

c) To select their account status which will automatically send an approximation of their next automatic billing date and the amount that they will be billed. It takes into consideration their subscription type, subscription period, and HST rate if in Canada. In the future we will be gradually placing all subscribers on an automated billing plan, either for monthly subscriptions or yearly subscriptions.

In addition the new SUPPORT tab allows you to add or remove your email address to our email list. This feature applies to any one who visits our web page and allows you to be informed of our latest upgrades and any special offers.

The support link is at http://www.chartsmart.com/support.php

Dividend growth stocks

Friday July 08, 2011

Filtering stocks in ChartSmart can be done on Fundamental and/or Technical criteria. A common use is to filter stocks looking for shares with a good dividend yield and reasonable price earnings ratio. Conditions can also be added to the filter to look for an increasing dividend payment over the previous years.

Dividend growth stocks provide a good base for your portfolio to bring in cash for future purchases in blue chip stocks.

People who are interested in learning how to set up ChartSmart Software on their computers can view a recorded webinar at the site below. The pre-recorded webinar lasts for about 1 hour and shows you how to set up indicators and run filters for fundamental criteria.

http://ftp.chartsmart.com/webinar.wmv

Stocks with new highs and unusual volume

Thursday July 07, 2011

ChartSmart’s filters can be used to find stocks with unusually high volume and a new high. When a stock has a significant change in volume and reaches a new high for the recent period of time with no news release this can mean there is good news that hasn’t been released. ChartSmart filters can look for a new high over the last 50 trading days with volume more than 3 times the weekly average to find stock that may be of interest to you. You can check for news releases to see no new releases are out yet and help you determine if this may be a good buy.

Check out ChartSmart by watching this video below:

http://www.chartsmart.com/videoswf_mainvideo.html

Screening for Trendline Crossovers

Thursday July 07, 2011

One screening capability often overlooked in ChartSmart is for trendline crossovers. If you had ever used hard-copy stock charts you likely drew trendlines on them. If the stock broke above or below a trendline that may have been a buy or sell indication. Well ChartSmart has this feature in it too. All you do is go to TOOL then ANNOTATIONS AND TRENDLINES, then draw your trendline on the chart. For example, if a stock was going down you might draw a trendline above the bars, declining with the chart. If you did this for 5 stocks for example, you could then in a few days go to the TOOL and ANNOTATIONS and trendlines again, then simply click on SCREEN STOCKS BREAKING ABOVE DECSCENDING TRENDLINES. Chartsmart will then put any stocks where the price has broken above the trendline in your last filtered list. A really neat feature, especially for you technical stock investors who use to draw trendlines on chartbooks.

You can see an example by watching this video below:

http://www.chartsmart.com/mainvideo/video10.mp4

or it is one of the last videos in our theatre video located at

http://www.chartsmart.com/videoswf_mainvideo.html

ChartSmart New Video

Wednesday July 06, 2011

Check out our latest video! It gives a number of great samples of stock screening using ChartSmart. It especially focusses on using ChartSmart for screening out blue chip stocks. For example, screen for stocks with earnings and dividend growth. It also shows you how to screen stocks for stock splits, and many more examples. Be sure to download ChartSmart and take your free 30 day trial if you have not done so already.

Click here to see the Video!

Printing your own stock chart books

Friday April 24, 2009

Independent Survey Company is a division of ChartSmart Software and it has been publishing stock Chartbooks for the last 45 years for North American Stocks. Due to the software revolution hard copy chart books have all but disappeared. This is the same case with Independent Survey Chartbooks. They also will be discontinued in September of 2009 …. but …

Did you know that ChartSmart, our stock screening and charting software, is capable of printing chart book pages the same as ISC chartbooks. This basically means you can print your own chartbooks of the stocks you want with the indicators you want when you want. If you would like to learn more information go to chartbooks.com or watch this video which will help you get started with chartsmart and get started printing your own chart books. This is the video

Stock Reading Articles

Keeping Your Stock Screener Ready Is Akin to Keeping Your Powder Dry

Tuesday February 21, 2012

New feature for ChartSmart Subscribers

Sunday November 27, 2011

Now a 10 day free trial

Sunday November 27, 2011

Chartsmart now works with wide screen monitor

Monday August 22, 2011

New Support Features

Saturday July 30, 2011

Dividend growth stocks

Friday July 08, 2011

Stocks with new highs and unusual volume

Thursday July 07, 2011

Screening for Trendline Crossovers

Thursday July 07, 2011

ChartSmart New Video

Wednesday July 06, 2011

Printing your own stock chart books

Friday April 24, 2009

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