Day trading watchlist that turns a long scan into five names and a plan
The scanner finds candidates. The watchlist is where you decide which ones you will actually trade and at what levels. Each list keeps the symbols, your key levels, a short note per name and the alerts tied to them, and on Desk a whole team can work from the same list.
A day trading watchlist built for the session, not for the month
Long-term watchlists collect names for weeks. A day trading watchlist is short-lived and specific. It answers three questions for each symbol: why is it here today, where would I act, and where am I wrong.
- Symbol, last price, change %, gap %, RVOL and float, updated on licensed real-time US market data.
- Levels you mark: premarket high and low, prior day high and low, prior close, a round number, your own lines.
- A note per symbol, such as the catalyst in your words or "only above premarket high with volume".
- Alerts on any level, on RVOL or on a VWAP cross, set from the same row.
- A tag for the setup you expect, which carries into the journal when you take the trade.
Several lists, each with a purpose
Most traders keep more than one list. A common set looks like this.
- Today. Three to five names from the morning scan with levels and alerts.
- Second day. Yesterday's big movers that held their gains, worth watching for continuation.
- Earnings this week. Names with scheduled reports, to check the reaction.
- Do not trade. Symbols that burned you before or have spreads you cannot handle.
Lists are unlimited on every plan. Rows can be moved between lists with one click.
Filling the list from the scanner
From the premarket gappers scan or any saved scan in the stock scanner, you add a row to a list with one click. The row keeps the scan values at the moment you added it, so later in the day you can see that the name had a 22% gap and 6x RVOL when you picked it at 8:50 ET, even if the numbers have changed since. Many traders aim to have the final list ready by 9:25 ET and stop adding names after the first 15 minutes of the session, to avoid chasing whatever is moving.
Levels you can trust at the open
Premarket high and low are filled in automatically from 4:00 ET data. Prior day high, low and close are filled from the last regular session. Anything else you draw yourself. Each level can carry an alert with one click, which is how the watchlist and trading alerts work together: you stop watching the list and let the levels call you.
Why the best watchlists are small
A list of 25 names at the open is not a watchlist, it is a second scanner. Attention is the scarce resource in the first hour, and spreading it across too many symbols leads to late entries and missed exits. A few practical limits help.
- Cap the Today list at five names. If a sixth comes in, one goes out.
- Remove any name that loses its catalyst or prints an offering.
- Write the reason a name is on the list in one sentence. If you cannot, it should not be there.
- Clear the Today list after the close and start fresh tomorrow.
Size each name before the bell
Next to every row you can open the position size calculator with the entry and stop prefilled from your levels. If the gap between the premarket high and your stop means you can only take 40 shares on your dollar risk, you know that before the open, not in the middle of a fast candle.
Shared watchlists on Desk
On the Desk plan, an owner or risk manager can publish a shared list for the whole team: the morning gappers the desk agreed on, names under restriction, or symbols with a known offering. Each trader keeps private lists too. Shared lists show who added a symbol and when, and the audit log records changes. That gives a desk lead one place to say "not these names today" without a chat thread. Read more on prop trading desk software.
Your watchlist, measured
Because a trade taken from a watchlist row keeps the scan values, setup tag and note at entry, the day trading journal can later show whether names from your Second day list pay better than fresh gappers, or whether trades on names added after 9:45 ET drag your results. That is the feedback a list on paper never gives you.
Past performance and backtests do not guarantee future results. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.
FAQ
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How many symbols can a watchlist hold
Each list holds up to 100 symbols and you can create as many lists as you need, though a short list works better for day trading.
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Are premarket levels added automatically
Yes. Premarket high and low and the prior day high, low and close fill in automatically. You add any other level yourself.
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Can I share a watchlist with my team
Yes, on the Desk plan. Owners and risk managers can publish shared lists, and each trader keeps private lists too.
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Is a watchlist a list of recommendations
No. Your lists contain the symbols you choose. Nothing in the tool is investment advice.