The chart
Buyers showed up
Price cleared the old $47.16 high, finished the week at $59.87, and volume climbed to 6.18M shares. Staying above the old range kept the move healthy.
Alpha Observatory
Latest screening · 2026-09-21
We re-screened 5,140 stocks. 19 qualified for Leading Alpha.
- 5,140Re-screenedRe-screenedThe whole watchlist, evaluated again
- 96On an active research listOn an active research listSeveral different research paths, not one shared gate
- 19Qualified for Leading AlphaQualified for Leading AlphaStill needs your own research and entry plan
Qualifying means worth researching — not a recommendation to buy.
Open the dashboard ->Or pick where to start below.
Where do you want to start?
- I want the strongest evidenceLeading Alpha19->
- I'll look earlier than thatEarly Discovery13->
- I want a second chance on a strong nameRe-accumulation55->
Plus 9 higher-risk speculative names, which is why the three counts above do not add up to 96. They are on the dashboard, but they are not where a first look should start.
What does this actually do?
Stocks earn a place on this watchlist by moving unusually. They do not keep it for free — every one of them is re-run through the same research checks on each completed screening: can it be traded cleanly, is the demand real, why did it move, is the business improving, is the price still sensible, and what could break the idea. In the latest run, 5,140 names were re-screened and 19 qualified for Leading Alpha.
What do the lists mean?
They are the same universe sorted by how much evidence has arrived so far. A stock may first appear in Early Discovery, move into Leading Alpha as more evidence confirms, or show up in Re-accumulation when a strong move pauses. The label can change as the facts change.
- Leading Alpha
- The names that met the most of the research criteria. They still need a sensible entry price and an exit plan.
- Early Discovery
- Something interesting is developing, but the move or business evidence is not fully confirmed yet.
- Re-accumulation
- The stock has already shown strength and may be rebuilding after a pause or pullback.
- Speculative
- The higher-risk research list. Worth knowing about, but not where a first look should start.
- Needs More Evidence
- Shows which required checks have not yet been met, so you can see what is missing rather than guessing.
Does it actually work?
Sometimes. Here is one that did, what it looked like beforehand, and what the evidence showed at the time. It is a past example, not a current pick.
A real example · AppLovin · February 2024
AppLovin moved fast. The evidence helped explain why.
At the start of 2024, AppLovin kept running into the same ceiling near $47. Then earnings arrived on February 14 and the market saw the company differently. Price jumped above that ceiling on heavier trading and stayed above it. Here is what that looked like over the next six months.
APP · Closing price at each checkpoint
The week earnings changed the trend
Started at $59.87 · Aug 15 $85.58 · +42.9%
Before earnings
$38–47 range
The repeated ceiling made it clear what price needed to overcome before the move became interesting.
The breakout
Feb 16 · +29.2%
Earnings changed the story. The price gap and heavier volume showed that investors were paying attention.
The next decision
$57–60 area
The move was now visible. The question was whether to enter, wait for a better price, or leave it alone.
What happened next
It was not a straight line, but the breakout held
Compared with the February 16 close of $59.87
1 month
$63.13
+5.4%
Mar 15, 2024
3 months
$82.49
+37.8%
May 17, 2024
6 months
$85.58
+42.9%
Aug 15, 2024
We know these numbers only because we are looking back. They do not mean the move was obvious at the time, or that every Alpha idea will behave this way.
The chart was only the beginning
A stock has to keep earning its place
A rising line is not enough. Every new run asks whether the price still looks healthy, whether the business is delivering, and whether expectations are moving for a real reason. AppLovin had evidence in all three areas.
The business
Growth turned into cash
Revenue reached $953M, up 36% from a year earlier. AppLovin also reported $172M in net income and $340M in free cash flow.
The story
Expectations were changing
AXON 2.0 was improving advertising performance while the mobile ad market recovered. Investors had a concrete reason to rethink the company's prospects.
What would you do with the signal? A breakout is a reason to investigate, not a reason to rush. Check whether the price is close to useful support, whether the potential upside still outweighs the risk, and what would tell you to walk away.
What should I do first?
If you would rather learn the method before opening a list, start at chapter one. Each is short and stands on its own.
- 01Why Breakouts Get Our AttentionUse unusual price and volume demand to find ideas worth researching, never automatic buys.4 min->
- 02Find a Good EntryUse the range, support, and reward/risk to decide whether to act now or wait.5 min->
- 03Understand the Four Technical StagesRead whether a stock is building a base, advancing, distributing, or declining—and how that differs from the funnel checks.5 min->
- 04When to Sell or Step AsideKnow the price action and evidence that weakens a breakout before the chart turns emotional.4 min->
- 05What the Funnel TestsAsk the questions a compelling chart cannot answer on its own.5 min->
- 06Build a Trade PlanTurn a fast-moving ticker into a calm plan for entry, invalidation, and follow-through.5 min->
- 07The Stock Funnel CheatsheetKeep the questions close for the moments when excitement makes them easy to forget.2 min->
Keep this in mind: a breakout is an invitation to investigate, not a reason to rush.
Start with the breakout ->Stock Funnel is for research and education. It does not provide personal investment advice, and no score or label can promise what a stock will do next.