FIELD GUIDE
Handbook
The language, signals, and craft of finding great stocks. Open it any time you see a term you don't recognise.
No matches. Try another term.
01 The Basics
Stock
A share of ownership in a company. When you buy a stock, you own a tiny piece of the business.
Ticker
The short code used to identify a stock (e.g.,
UAL for United Airlines). Think of it as the stock's nickname.Market Cap
The total value of a company. Share price × total shares. A quick way to size up whether a company is small, medium, or massive.
Sector
The broad category of business (Transportation, Technology, Finance). Stocks in the same sector often move together.
Industry
A more specific grouping within a sector (e.g., Airlines within Transportation).
Analyst Rating
What professional analysts think of the stock. Ranges from Strong Sell to Strong Buy.
Index
A membership list of stocks based on certain criteria (S&P 500, NASDAQ, FTSE 100). Being in a major index usually means higher visibility and liquidity.
02 Hunting Types
Every hunter has a preferred type. Pick the one that matches how you invest.
Pack Leader
Proven champions
Rollercoaster
Big swings
Sleeping Giant
Quality bargains
Momentum
Ride the trend
Rebound
V-shape recoveries
🏆 Pack Leader
Proven long-term winners with strong earnings. You collect champions. Companies with a track record of delivering.
🎢 Rollercoaster
High-volatility assets with extreme upside (and downside) potential. Big swings, big risks, big potential rewards.
🐘 Sleeping Giant
Quality stocks that have been beaten down. You hunt bargains with proven fundamentals.
🚀 Momentum
Stocks in sustained uptrends across multiple timeframes. You ride the wave. If it's going up and keeps going up, you want in.
🐇 Rebound
Turnaround stocks starting to recover after a rough patch. You believe in second chances. Look for stocks that have been beaten down but are showing early signs of life.
Every stock gets a heart score (1–5) for each style. More hearts = stronger match.
03 Difficulty Level
Difficulty measures a stock's unpredictability — how hard the price is to handle. The higher the level, the larger the potential swings (both profits and losses). Every stock gets a proprietary Difficulty Level based on volatility, drawdown history, and price behaviour.
L1
very calm
Stable stocks with minimal price movement.
L2
calm
Mostly steady, with occasional mild swings.
L3
unsettled
Faster-moving stocks that require timing.
L4
wild
Unpredictable stocks that can move sharply.
L5
very wild
Extreme volatility. Not for the faint-hearted.
Difficulty is not a measure of total risk. It's a guide to how hard a stock is to handle — not a guarantee of safety or reward. No single score captures every risk factor. Always do your own research.
04 The Signals
Every stock is scored across 11 signals. Each lands in one of three buckets:
🟢 Positive
🟡 Cautionary
🔴 Warning
Trend & Momentum
Short-Term Trend
Direction over the past few weeks. Rising is positive, falling is worrying.
Long-Term Trend
Direction over the past year or more. The bigger picture.
MA Cross
When the 50-day moving average crosses the 200-day. Golden Cross (50 above 200) is bullish; Death Cross (50 below 200) is bearish.
Momentum
How strongly the stock is moving in its current direction. Positive means accelerating up.
Performance
1M Return
Price change over the past month.
1Y Return
Price change over the past year.
5Y CAGR
Compound annual growth rate over five years. The true long-term return, annualised.
52-Week Range
Where the current price sits between its 52-week low and high. 0% = at the low, 100% = at the high.
Volatility & Activity
Volatility
How much the price swings. Higher = bigger moves in both directions. A major input into Difficulty Level.
Unusual Activity
Whether trading volume is spiking vs. normal. Can indicate news, big moves, or shifting interest.
Distance from Peak
How far the stock has fallen from its recent high. A large drop can signal danger or opportunity depending on context.
05 Match Score
When you set your Hunt rules, we score every stock against them and show a Match Score.
🟢 Very Strong90–100Fits your rules closely.
🟢 Strong75–89Good match. Meets most criteria.
🟡 Fair60–74Partial match. Worth a look but not a perfect fit.
🔴 Poor45–59Weak fit for your current rules.
🔴 Very Poor<45Mismatch. Adjust your rules or skip.
06 Field Notes
Every stock gets five plain-language notes. Written to save you from digging through the numbers.
Recent Performance
Short summary of how the stock has moved recently.
Trend
What the short-term and long-term trends are telling us.
Watch Out
The main things worth knowing before acting — volatility, warnings, anything notable.
Style Fit
Which hunting styles this stock matches strongly, and which it doesn't.
Panda Level
A plain-language read of the stock's Difficulty Level.
07 Performance Terms
1W / 1M / 3M / 6M / YTD / 1Y / 5Y / 10Y Return
Price change over that period. YTD = year-to-date (since January 1st).
All-Time Return
Total price change since the stock started trading.
Beta (5Y)
How much the stock moves relative to the market. 1.0 = moves with the market. > 1.0 = moves more. < 1.0 = moves less.
Volatility (1W / 1M)
The average size of daily price swings over that period. Higher = wilder ride.
50-Day Moving Average (50D MA)
Average closing price over the last 50 days. Smooths out short-term noise.
200-Day Moving Average (200D MA)
Average closing price over the last 200 days. Shows the long-term trend.
08 Financial Terms
EPS (Earnings Per Share)
Profit per share. Higher is better.
Net Income
The company's profit after all expenses and taxes. The bottom line.
Gross Profit
Revenue minus the direct cost of making products. Before overhead and other expenses.
EBITDA
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. A measure of operational profit.
Free Cash Flow (FCF)
Cash left over after operating and capital expenses. What's available to reward shareholders or reinvest.
Debt / Equity
How much the company owes vs. what shareholders own. Higher = more leveraged and more risky.
Fiscal Year
The 12-month period a company uses for accounting. May or may not match the calendar year.
09 Technical Terms
Reference terms — the language you'll hear. Not all are surfaced in StockPanda, but they're here so you're fluent.
Golden Cross
50-day MA crosses above the 200-day MA. Historically bullish.
Death Cross
50-day MA crosses below the 200-day MA. Historically bearish.
Breakout
Stock moves above a key resistance level with strong volume. Often a sign of a new trend starting.
Consolidation
Stock trades sideways in a tight range. Often precedes a big move.
Support
Price level where the stock has historically found buyers.
Resistance
Price level where the stock has historically found sellers.
Volume
How many shares traded. High volume confirms moves; low volume questions them.
10 Where the Data Comes From
StockPanda is powered by stock market data sourced from TradingView and refreshed daily. Every signal, score, and field note is derived from that live data — nothing is made up.
No data is perfect. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.
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The Handbook is your reference. Open it any time you see a term you don't recognise. The more you hunt, the more of this becomes second nature.
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