Top Momentum Stocks in 2024 The Motley Fool

Conversely, when a stock is oversold, the price has fallen too far, too fast, and is due for a rebound. Momentum indicators use mathematical calculations to measure the rate of change of a stock’s price over time. There are several types of momentum indicators, each with its unique formula and interpretation.

How we use your personal data

Trading based on trend strength, rather than just on trend direction, increases your chances of being able to maximize potential trend trading profits. Momentum scanners can help you get into a new trend near the beginning and also warn you to take profits and get out before a market reversal occurs. Using a momentum scanner will give you an edge in the market and help you make better and more timely trades. There are various volatility based indicators available in most stock trading tools and brokerage platforms. We define momentum as the past 12-month return, skipping the most recent month’s return (to avoid microstructure and liquidity biases).

What Are Momentum Indicators?

• However, even though it’s sound nice, riding the momentum is not that easy.
• A value above 80 indicates an overbought situation for the stock, whereas a value below 20 indicates an oversold.
• We define momentum as the past 12-month return, skipping the most recent month’s return (to avoid microstructure and liquidity biases).
• It’s crucial to confirm the divergence pattern and not rely solely on the RSI.
• Conversely, it is best to cut your position size when holding for multiple sessions to allow for greater movement and stop placement further away from the present action.
• History has shown that momentum is far more useful during rising markets than falling markets because markets rise more often than they fall.
• Instead, it focuses on catching the wave of market movements, riding the momentum already established by prevailing trends.

For example, some equity traders closely watch the Treasury yield curve and use it as a momentum signal for equity entries and exits. A 10-year Treasury yield above the two-year yield generally is a buy signal, whereas a two-year yield trading above the 10-year yield is a sell signal. Notably, the two-year versus 10-year Treasury yields tend to be a strong predictor of recessions, and also has implications for stock markets. In the stock market, momentum trading looks to profit from investing in “hot” stocks – expecting them to stay hot – and dumping “cold” stocks, expecting them to stay cold. Many momentum traders use momentum scanners to help them identify trades with the best potential for making a profit by comparing stocks against one another.

Build your skills with a risk-free demo account.

Since downtrends tend to be the most volatile, quite often the ADX will move up as the price moves down. Stocks that are prone to upside momentum are often equally prone to big moves to the downside when sentiment changes. That means if you buy at the wrong time or in the wrong stock, you could see a dramatic loss rather than the big profit you had hoped for. This makes momentum stock investing very risky, and very much a leap of faith. As a certified market analyst, I use its state-of-the-art AI automation to recognize and test chart patterns and indicators for reliability and profitability. It has a gaming platform (Garena), an e-commerce platform (Shopee), and a digital payments platform (SeaMoney).

Momentum Investing Example

Market momentum indexes provide momentum indicators for various market sectors. MSCI and FTSE Russell are two companies that have introduced momentum indexes. It is important to recognize that many traders view the RSI value of 50 to be a support and resistance benchmark.

What are the top momentum stocks?

In fact, in its worst year since going public, Kinsale still managed a 10% gain for investors. If you aren’t familiar with its business, Kinsale is an insurance company. Instead of providing coverage for everyday Americans, however, the company specializes in the unusual. Kinsale is a specialty insurer, focusing on property and casualty insurance for high-risk businesses and situations where it’s difficult to accurately estimate risk of loss. For example, many traditional liability insurers wouldn’t provide coverage for a demolition business; Kinsale would. It wasn’t too long ago that investors started to lose faith in Robinhood (HOOD -1.7%) after trust issues with the platform developed among retail investors during the meme stock frenzy.

Best Gold Stocks to India: Top Gold Company Shares (

When the Green KST Line is above the Signal Line, it is a signal to buy, indicating a bullish trend. Conversely, when the Green KST Line falls below the Signal Line, it is a signal to sell, suggesting a bearish trend. By understanding the fundamentals of the KST oscillator and incorporating it into their trading systems, traders can make more informed decisions and improve their overall trading performance. We explain and test four popular momentum indicators for reliability and to deduce the best settings for traders. Momentum investing can be a great way to identify opportunities, but like any other investment strategy, it isn’t perfect.

Related investing topics

In 2023, Meta’s operating income grew by 62% year over year thanks to double-digit revenue growth and impressive margin expansion. The business generated $43 billion in free cash flow last year, giving it plenty of financial flexibility to return capital to shareholders or pursue attractive opportunities as they arise. Meta’s social media platforms have almost 4 billion monthly active users worldwide and have a massive presence in the digital advertising industry, where the company makes most of its money. It has a dominant 75% share of social network ad spending and roughly one-fifth of all digital ad spending in the United States. Plus, the business has been (successfully) leveraging AI technology to improve engagement and content personalization.

Are there risks associated with using momentum indicators?

• “While this would be a bold target at first blush, we do not believe that the building blocks are overly optimistic,” Citi wrote.
• Market sentiment is the overall attitude of investors toward a security.
• Founded in 1993, The Motley Fool is a financial services company dedicated to making the world smarter, happier, and richer.
• There are various volatility based indicators available in most stock trading tools and brokerage platforms.
• This is a highly fragmented industry, and Kinsale makes up a little more than 1% of the market today.
• Mostly, traders utilize this tool for corroborating price movements rather than for direct trading signals.

The Average Directional Index (ADX) is a momentum indicator that measures the strength or weakness of the trend regardless of whether markets are moving up or down. A momentum stock is any stock that is facing a steady price change (up or down), i.e. the stock is in the middle of a strong bullish or bearish trend. The primary goal behind momentum trading is to buy when the momentum is strong and sell when it starts to fade. Hence, it is important to note that momentum always comes to an end eventually. Some tools for momentum investors help to define the trend, such as the trend line.

• In this section, we will explore some key concepts to help you better understand how to interpret momentum indicators.
• You can specify that your stock scanner screen for stocks where, for example, a 10-period moving average is above the 50-period moving average.
• This is because they help in spotting emerging trends by smoothing out price fluctuations over a specified period.
• So, this strategy involves entering trades after a price retracement in the direction of the primary trend.
• Traders use RSI to identify potential trend reversals and confirm a trend’s strength.
• Some companies are trading at low levels for good reason and are likely to see further declines.
• No indicator or strategy is foolproof, and the market can be unpredictable.
• Then, take a closer look at each stock to figure out why they have performed so well, and whether there’s still upside potential if the company continues to execute on its strategy.

Trading Volume

Equity momentum factor performs well during the first stages of crises (as it usually shorts stocks with strong downward momentum and buys stocks which are not falling fast). Momentum crashes usually occurred right as the market rebounded following previous large declines. One explanation for this pattern is the time-varying systematic risk of the momentum strategy because momentum has significant negative beta following bear markets. Numerous amended versions of the basic momentum strategy appeared after the 2008 bear market. These adjusted strategies may offer a better hedge against equity market risk. Each of these strategies – the pullback strategy and the breakout trading strategy – requires a different level of market analysis and understanding of technical indicators.

Momentum Indicators

• By signing up as a member you acknowledge that we are not providing financial advice and that you are making the decision on the trades you place in the markets.
• Momentum indicators help traders understand the strength of a price trend – they measure the rate of the rise or a fall in stock prices.
• Many momentum traders use momentum scanners to help them identify trades with the best potential for making a profit by comparing stocks against one another.
• Either outcome equates to “big earnings upside and multiple expansion,” opportunities Citi wrote.
• Negative market momentum can be caused by news about an industry, new government regulations, or changes in leadership at the company.
• Momentum trading is a strategy that seeks to capitalize on the momentum to enter a trend as it is picking up steam.

The firm expects Carnival Cruise “should be able to generate substantial yield growth,” based on recent trends and the contribution of its land-based assets like Celebration Key. Citi added that Carnival’s debt and interest reduction should offset any sales growth sacrifices. Momentum investing is a strategy that focuses on capturing the short-term growth of an investment by purchasing a security as it grows and selling it before it falls in value. Growth investors are more concerned with a stock’s future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Southeast Asia-based Sea Limited (SE -0.42%) pulled a lot of growth forward during the COVID-19 pandemic. Business then slowed considerably, causing the stock to retreat from its all-time highs before it found momentum again, with a 46% gain barely four months into 2024. Founded in 1993, The Motley Fool is a financial services company dedicated to making the world smarter, happier, and richer. Rather than “buy low, sell high,” momentum trading follows a strategy of “buy high, sell higher.” Fortunately, several alternatives allow retail investors the ability to gain exposure to momentum strategies without the need for intensive personal management. Because they are dealing with stocks that will crest and go down again, they need to jump in early and get out fast.

Position management takes time to master because securities that are best for momentum trades often carry wide bid/ask spreads. Wide spreads mean you need more significant price changes to make a profit, and the large intraday swings can trigger stop-losses, even if the overall trend is still strong. Choose your holding period wisely because the risk increases the longer you stay in your position. The best momentum trades come when news of a shock hits, triggering rapid movement from one price level to another. In turn, this sets off buying or selling signals for observant players who jump in and are rewarded with instant profits. Another batch of momentum capital enters as the trade evolves, generating counter swings that shake out weak hands.

Rather than identifying overbought and oversold zones, many traders use the RSI to identify divergences. This is where as the price continues to trend, the momentum indicator points the other way. Momentum indicators are useful tools for traders to identify potential market trends. One of the most common ways to interpret momentum indicators is by looking for overbought and oversold conditions. When a stock is overbought, the price has risen too far, too fast, and is due for a pullback.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock’s earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

MACD line 1 – Trend Indicator

A trend line is a line drawn from the high price to the low price, or vice versa, over a given time period. If the line is up, the trend is up and the momentum investor buys the stock. If the trend line is down, the trend is down and the momentum investor sells the stock. They attempt to achieve alpha returns by investing Stock Momentum in stocks that trend one way or another. Some are hotter than others (as measured by growth over a period of time). Simply put, momentum refers to the inertia of a price trend to continue either rising or falling for a particular length of time, usually taking into account both price and volume information.

• The market context includes overall market trends, news, and economic data.
• A momentum stock is any stock that is facing a steady price change (up or down), i.e. the stock is in the middle of a strong bullish or bearish trend.
• In addition, traders use price crossing over the zero line for bullish or bearish signals.
• Momentum indicators are meant to help traders spot whether the market trend will continue or reverse.
• Just as some stocks seem to go up illogically just because investors like them, other stocks can crash and burn when Wall Street gives up on them.
• We perform original research and testing on charts, indicators, patterns, strategies, and tools.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, but it is often a good indicator of positive trends in a business, which can certainly lead to superior returns over time. Plus, bull markets can be a great opportunity to take advantage of strong momentum in excellent, well-run businesses. If you’re looking for stocks that can thrive in the new bull market, this list represents a good starting point. Just like any other trading style, there are risks that come with momentum trading. By using this technique, you should know that you are trading on the backs of other people in the market, and price trends are never guaranteed.

Momentum indicators are powerful tools that help traders identify the strength and direction of a trend. However, interpreting these indicators can be challenging for beginners. In this section, we will explore some key concepts to help you better understand how to interpret momentum indicators. As an individual investor,  momentum trading will most likely lead to overall portfolio losses. When you purchase a rising stock or sell a falling one, you’re likely reacting to older news than the professionals at the head of the momentum investing funds.

This is a signal of potential continued momentum in the trend’s direction. Mostly, traders utilize this tool for corroborating price movements rather than for direct trading signals. An upward crossing of the zero line by the indicator signifies increasing upward momentum in price, whereas a downward crossing indicates a growing downward momentum.

The RSI is a popular momentum oscillator that measures the magnitude of recent price changes to evaluate overbought or oversold conditions in the stock market. The RSI ranges from 0 to 100, with readings above 70 indicating overbought conditions and below 30 indicating oversold conditions. Traders use RSI to identify potential trend reversals and confirm a trend’s strength. These momentum indicators can be used differently depending on the trader’s strategy and risk tolerance. Some traders use them to time their entry and exit points, while others use them as a confirmation tool to validate other indicators or chart patterns.

Conversely, if the MACD crosses below its centerline, it may signify a bearish trend. Similarly, if the RSI crosses above its centerline, it may signify a bullish trend, while a crossover below its centerline may signify a bearish trend. It helps in making the best use of the oscillations in the price of a stock. You can use all the indicators mentioned above on Tickertape Stock Screener to filter momentum stocks. However, it is essential to keep in mind that entry and exit points are crucial elements of momentum trading/investing. To determine the entry and exit points for a stock and the direction of the trend, several other technical indicators are used, along with the ones mentioned above.

It often requires frequent trading, sophisticated analysis, and the ability to closely monitor market trends—tasks that can be time-consuming and potentially costly for the average investor. This momentum strategy uses the Average Directional Index (ADX) along with a 200-period moving average on a daily chart. The key here is to look for a rising ADX, which indicates strengthening momentum. A trade is initiated when the ADX starts trending upwards, and the asset’s price breaks through the 200-day moving average.

Investors can gauge momentum differently by looking at varying timeframes. Momentum can also apply to an index or asset class, not just an individual stock. SeaMoney ended 2023 with $8.5 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet, giving it plenty of financial flexibility to invest in its business as it sees fit. If it can continue to grow its e-commerce and financial services businesses, the stock’s momentum could last for a long time. Kinsale had delivered a 36% gain year to date as of mid-April, but its momentum has essentially been going strong since its 2016 initial public offering (IPO). In all, it has delivered a 2,460% total return (more than 50% annualized) due to its incredible profitability and strong growth.