Reading an alert
Every abbreviation, reason tag and score band that appears in the channels, in one place.
Alerts are written to be read in a second, which means shorthand. Nothing here is unique to TickerRoom — it is the standard vocabulary of the tape — but having it in one place saves guessing.
Alert fields
The abbreviations that make up an alert line.
- $
- Current price.
- #
- Alert number — `#5` is the fifth alert on that ticker in the session.
- ↑ ↓
- Today's percentage change, up or down.
- MC
- Market cap. Price × outstanding shares
- FT
- Float — the shares actually available to trade.
- FF
- Free float, where it differs from the reported float.
- RV
- Relative volume. Above 1.0 is busier than normal for that ticker. Minute volume ÷ average minute volume
- 1V
- Volume in the last minute.
- Mon Vol
- Money volume — the dollar value of the last minute. Price × minute volume
- SI
- Short interest, as a percentage of float.
- DTC
- Days to cover — sessions of normal volume needed to close the short side.
- CTB
- Cost to borrow, annualised. Also shown as the borrow fee.
- FTD
- Fails to deliver — trades that did not settle on time.
- OI
- Open interest — contracts currently outstanding.
- V/OI
- Volume against open interest. Above 1.0 means most of today is new positioning.
- PR
- Press release.
- R/S
- Reverse split, with the ratio and how long ago it took effect.
Alert reasons
Why the volume scanner fired. The tag sits next to the ticker.
- BREAKOUT
- Price pushed through a prior level on volume.
- MOMENTUM
- Sustained directional move. The 2m, 3m, 5m, 10m and 15m variants name the window.
- REV S
- Reversal spike — a sharp turn off a low.
- REV V
- Reversal on volume — the turn is backed by unusual participation.
- BTT S
- Bottom spike — a sharp move off the session low.
- BTT V
- Bottom on volume — the same, with volume behind it.
Indicators
Context flags attached to an alert when they apply.
- Potential squeeze
- The short-side metrics on this name are already stretched.
- High risk
- Structure or history that warrants extra caution.
- Known runner
- This ticker has produced large moves before.
- Zero borrow
- There are no shares left to borrow.
- NEWS
- A headline is attached to the alert.
- SEC
- A filing is attached to the alert.
- IND
- One or more of the indicators above applies.
Scales and bands
Where the scored values sit.
- Trade impact
- LOW → MEDIUM → LARGE → VERY LARGE → WHALE. Judged against that ticker's own liquidity, not a fixed dollar figure.
- Squeeze Factor
- 75 and above reads HIGH, 40 to 74 MODERATE, below 40 LOW.
- IV rank
- Below 40% options are cheap, 40 to 70% normal, above 70% expensive.
- Put/call ratio
- Above 1.0 leans bearish, below 1.0 leans bullish.