Every weekend, without fail, I carve out time to sit down with my charts and get organized for the week ahead. I make sure that during this time I have no distractions. Just me, the markets, and a fresh cup of coffee.
It’s become my version of Sunday service. This little ritual of mine, just a couple hours, saves me from a week of emotional, reactive trading. I can’t tell you how many times a trade I took on Tuesday felt "effortless"- but only because I’d already planned for it on Sunday. That quiet weekend prep gives you clarity when the weekday chaos hits.
So let me walk you through exactly how I screen for stocks and build a tight, actionable watchlist for the week ahead:
Step 1: Start With the Big Picture
Before I even think about individual names, I zoom out. I want to know: what kind of environment am I stepping into?
I always start by reviewing the major indices—$SPX (S&P 500), $QQQ (Nasdaq 100), $DIA (Dow), $ARKK (for growth/momentum tone), and even BTC (Bitcoin) for broader risk appetite.
This part isn’t about making predictions. I’m not trying to call a top or bottom. I’m simply reading the room. Here are some questions I’m asking in my head as I look closely into the indices:
Is the S&P trending up with healthy pullbacks, or stuck in chop?
Are we seeing bullish follow-through or constant failed breakouts?
Is tech (QQQ) leading, or are defensive sectors like utilities and staples taking the spotlight?
Is BTC showing strength? That can be a canary in the coal mine for speculative appetite.
The market's tone tells me what setups to prioritize.
If the market is strong and trending, I want to lean long - find the relative strength names and ride momentum.
If the indices are showing cracks, I shift my attention to relative weakness - names that could break down if selling pressure increases.
Think of this step like checking the weather before heading out. You wouldn’t dress for summer in a snowstorm. Same idea here.
Step 2: Hunt for Relative Strength (or Weakness)
Once I’ve got the market’s tone, I start filtering individual names.
In a strong tape, I look for stocks trading near their 52-week highs. The ones that are "high and to the right" on your screen. These are your leaders. The ones with institutional backing. When the market pulls back, they dip a little - when the market rips, they lead the charge. The best analogy here is the beach ball under water.
Note the chart of HOOD 0.00%↑ below, its the perfect example of relative strength. HOOD is up from under $30 to almost $80 a share since the April 2025 lows.
That’s the kind of character I want to trade.
In contrast, if the market’s rolling over, I reverse the logic. I look for stocks that are not bouncing when everything else is. That tells you something. It’s like a lifeboat with a leak - it’s going down even before the storm gets bad. Those are great short candidates.
Relative strength and weakness are your compass. They help you swim with the tide, not against it.
Step 3: Look for Setup + Structure, Not Just “Pretty Charts”
A stock can have great fundamentals or buzz, but if there’s no clean setup, it’s not for me.
I want structure. I’m looking for specific chart patterns I know how to trade like bull flags, bear flags, tight consolidations, range breakouts, failed retests. Patterns that show up again and again because human behavior repeats.
And more importantly, I want to see a setup that could trigger this week. If a name has potential but needs more time to tighten up or build a base, I’ll keep it on the back burner.
My best trades almost always come from setups that were obvious—in hindsight. But here’s the thing: they were only obvious because I did the work in advance.
Step 4: Chart Key Levels (Your GPS for the Week)
Once I have a potential setup, I mark it up like a roadmap.
Support and resistance zones are critical - especially the horizontal levels that have been tested multiple times. The more touches, the more meaningful the level. If a stock keeps running into a ceiling and finally breaks through, that’s often when real momentum shows up. Same for breakdowns under support.
These aren’t just lines - they’re where traders make decisions en masse. This is why levels work - many market participants join at the same point.
Specifically, I mark the following areas:
Prior highs and lows
Recent rejection levels
Consolidation zones
Gaps (they often act like magnets or turning points)
Then I set price alerts before the week starts. This one habit changed my trading. It frees up mental bandwidth. No more babysitting the screen all day, I get notified when price hits my zone. Then it’s just execution.
There is another big benefit to this other than the benefit of being organized. Sometimes there will be setups that you are really keen to take. You have found a great setup on a solid stock and clean level but it’s not quite there yet. If it keep it on your screen, it can be tempting to “frontrun” the setup. Sometimes the stock never reaches the level and reverses, and you end up taking a loss on a setup that never triggered.
This is why its best to simple set price alerts at the areas you want to do business at, and keeping them away from your screens. That way, I don’t need to constantly monitor every move. My prep is done. I’ve already mapped out what I want to see and where I want to act. Now I just let the market come to me. It’s like setting a trap in the woods - you don’t need to sit there staring at it all day. You just check when the bell rings.
Step 5: Track Sector Leadership
This part’s huge. And most traders ignore it. I always ask: what sectors are leading?
Money moves in themes. If semiconductors are hot, I want to be in the strongest chip names. If biotech is breaking down, I’m not interested in catching a falling knife. I want to follow the flow.
I use tools like sector ETFs (XLF for financials, XLE for energy, XLK for tech, etc.) to identify what’s strong. Then I drill down into those sectors to find the leaders. Not the laggards playing catch-up.
And this isn’t just for bullish setups. If the market’s weak and healthcare is breaking down, I’ll look for shorts in that space. There’s a rhythm to it. When you align your trades with the sector tide, everything feels smoother.
Step 6: Know the Stock’s Personality
Here’s something I didn’t learn until much later in my trading journey: not all stocks move the same. Some tickers are clean - they obey levels, trend smoothly, and give you time to react. Others are erratic, and prone to fakeouts.
I’ve learned to favor stocks that move fluidly. Names with history. Names that’ve shown they can trend. I want to avoid the stocks that spike up and fade five minutes later - or worse, go nowhere for weeks.
This comes down to screen time. You’ll start to recognize which names respect your style and which ones just frustrate you. Trade the former. Skip the latter.
Step 7: Build a Balanced, Focused List
This is where I bring it all together. I narrow my watchlist down to a focused group of names—usually 12-15 at most.
I prioritize:
The clearest setups
Clean charts with tight risk-reward
Sector leaders
Fluid movers with range
And I balance the list. This is really important. If I’m bullish on the market, most of my watchlist will be long setups (which makes sense). But I’ll always include a couple short ideas. Why? Because the market can turn on a dime. Having backup plans ready saves you from forcing trades in the moment.
Final Thoughts
This process might sound like a lot, but once it becomes routine, it flows. It keeps me grounded. I enter the week with a plan, not a hope. And when you’ve done the work up front, you trade with more confidence, more clarity, and less noise.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being prepared. So next Sunday, instead of watching another random charting video on YouTube, try this. Block off an hour. Scan the market. Find the setups. Chart your levels. Set your alerts. Build your watchlist with intention. The edge isn’t just in what you trade. It’s in how you prepare to trade.
If you found that helpful and want to come trade with us and access our full watchlist for the week, come join us at Trinity Trading Partners:
Awesome post
Great post!