The Pre-Trade Checklist shows at a glance whether a stock lines up with Chaikin's bullish criteria. It sums up six indicators in two groups, Strength and Timing, so you can weigh the evidence before you buy.

If all six items are green, the stock may have a high-probability bullish setup.

📍 Where Do I Find the Pre-Trade Checklist?

• Power Gauge Rating page: Look up a stock and find the Checklist for panel (for example, Checklist for AAPL) on the right side of the page. See The Power Gauge Rating page for a tour of the rest of the page.
• Advanced Chart: The chart header shows a Checklist summary with the Strength score. See Advanced Chart (New Version).
• Screener: The Bullish Checklist preset finds stocks that pass all six items (steps below).

✅ What Do the Six Checklist Items Mean?

Each group gets a score out of 3, such as Strength 3/3 or Timing 2/3. An item that meets the bullish criteria shows a green check mark with a status like Bullish or Strong. An item that doesn't yet meet them shows a different status, such as a yellow Neutral.

Strength Indicators: Is this a strong stock?

• Power Gauge Rating: What does our model say about the stock? A Bullish or Very Bullish rating is preferred. See What Is The Chaikin Power Gauge Rating And How Do You Use It?
• Rel. Strength vs SPY: Is the stock outperforming the overall market? Green means it's performing well compared to the S&P 500.
• Industry Strength: Is the stock in a strong industry? A strong industry can give the stock a tailwind.

Timing Indicators: Is this a good time to enter?

• Overbought/Oversold: Helps you time entries. The Chaikin Overbought/Oversold indicator uses a scale of 1 to 100 and you will see a few different labels on the checklist:
  • Wait: Stock is over 70 – overbought, and may be due for a pullback.
  • Neutral: Between 30 and 70 – stock is in the middle of its typical range. 
  • Early: Below 30, but still trending down in the OB/OS indicator. 
  • Optimal: Below 30 and starting to trend upward in the OB/OS indicator – often, this is the best entry zone. 
• Long Term Trend: Is the stock in a sustained technical uptrend based on its long-term trend line?
• Money Flow Persistency: Is there consistent buying pressure from institutional investors? This looks at Chaikin Money Flow strength over the last three months. See Chaikin Money Flow.

For more on each indicator, see How to Read a Chaikin Chart.

📊 How Do I Interpret the Results?

The more items that are green, the stronger the overall case. While Power Gauge Rating and Rel. Strength vs SPY are considered the most important, all six working together creates the strongest scenario.

The checklist is a snapshot of where a stock stands today. Buy and sell signals are different: they trigger only when specific conditions are met on a given day. See What Are Chaikin Buy and Sell Signals and Where Can I See Them?

⚠️ The checklist is not a recommendation to buy or sell a stock. You are responsible for your own investment research.

🔒 Which Subscriptions Include the Pre-Trade Checklist?

The Pre-Trade Checklist is included with Power Gauge Report Premier and every higher subscription. See What’s Included in Each Chaikin Subscription for a full comparison.

If you don't have access to the Pre-Trade Checklist and would like to, call our Member Services team at (877) 697-6783, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm ET.