Three names, in a market that is calm on the surface and narrow underneath. The market reading is constructive at 75, but every one of the five leading groups is losing momentum and only ten of thirty-nine are rising, so the list is capped at three. Two of today's names were on Friday's board and were cut for being up too much on the day. Today they are a little lower, and both cleared. The record: fifty tracked picks, 1.53% behind the index on average, with 21 of 50 beating it. That is up from 19 of 48 on Friday, and the median moved from 3.12% behind to 2.57%.
The broad market reading is 75, in the normal band: volatility near 15.6 and steady. Underneath that, all five strongest groups are slowing and only 10 of 39 are rising. The desk caps the list at three when leadership is fading, and that cap is what decided today's list.
All three names come from the same short candidate list that kept surfacing last week. Two of them, IMOS and NTAP, were on Friday's board and were cut there, one for being up more than 8% on the day and the other on a confirmation threshold. Neither condition applies today. The third, DAC, is a container-ship owner and keeps the list out of a single sector.
The usual news and analyst cross-check was not available this session, so the cards rely on price strength and the screen's own scores. That is a thinner basis than usual, and each card says so.
Shipping still tops the table at +9.46 momentum, with semiconductors right behind at +8.82. Semis are up 16.2% on the month and 69.6% over six months. Cloud, software and quantum make up the rest of the top five. All five are decelerating, cloud most steeply at −33.2. Software is the only leader up on the day (+1.2%).
Below the top ten nothing has positive momentum. Defensive groups such as utilities, solar and aerospace show the fastest improvement, but from deeply negative levels. That is a turn to watch, not leadership. Energy has slipped to eighth, with negative relative strength.
Highest relative strength among the converged names. RS 72.9, rising 20.7 on the week, perfect 10/10 stage scores weekly and daily, a breakout flag on the signal screen, 5.3% off its 52-week high, in the semiconductor group. It was cut on Friday for running nearly 14% intraday. Today it trades about 2% below Friday's close, which is the pullback that rule exists to wait for. Caveats: a Taiwan-listed ADR with volatile day-to-day prints (the two screens recorded prices $5 apart this morning), and no news or analyst cross-check was available today.
The most consistent name on the board for three sessions. Highest composite among the finalists (62.4), RS 57.2 and rising 16.1, stage score 66.7, breakout flag, and 2.6% off its 52-week high. It failed a confirmation threshold by a hair on both 09-30 and 10-02. That requirement only applies in a middle-band market, and today's reading of 75 is above it. Down about 2.6% today. Caveat: it traded roughly 8% above its average analyst target on Friday's read, and that gap could not be refreshed today.
The diversifier, and the top composite on the signal screen (63.0). It sits at its 52-week high, with stage 2B, 10/9 stage scores and RS 30.2 rising 7.8, in the shipping group that leads the whole table on momentum. It is classed as Industrials. Container shipping runs on charter rates, not on the crude price that drove the tanker and refiner names in this record. It is the lowest relative strength of the three, but clear of the 20 line the record supports. Caveat: it has been on the momentum list since July, so this is a mature trend rather than a fresh one.
Both income screens were rebuilt by this run: 879 cash-secured puts across 146 names and 500 bull put spreads. No finalist appears in either. Those screens favour large, high-volatility names. Today's top spreads are on ORCL, SPCX and MSTR, and the top puts are on SPCX, TSLA and NVDA. This funnel produces mid-cap trend names, so the two rarely overlap.
| Cohort | Mean alpha | Median | Beat SPY | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 · 7 | +2.97% | +1.79% | 4/7 | CVI +31.7% | GEN −29.4% |
| 2026-09-01 · 7 | −1.55% | +4.65% | 4/7 | CRWD +15.7% | PRGS −22.3% |
| 2026-09-02 · 3 | −14.60% | −14.47% | 0/3 | VET −13.0% | HP −16.3% |
| 2026-09-03 · 3 | −7.35% | −5.50% | 0/3 | CRGY −3.5% | ZYME −13.1% |
| 2026-09-08 · 3 | −2.87% | −7.67% | 1/3 | ELPC +11.9% | MTDR −12.8% |
| 2026-09-11 · 3 | −4.85% | −5.14% | 1/3 | TEN +3.9% | UROY −13.3% |
| 2026-09-15 · 3 | −10.35% | −8.63% | 0/3 | SUN −7.9% | SM −14.5% |
| 2026-09-16 · 2 | −3.40% | −3.40% | 1/2 | MPC +1.6% | LPG −8.4% |
| 2026-09-17 · 3 | +12.88% | +5.47% | 3/3 | IOVA +29.2% | TRMD +4.0% |
| 2026-09-18 · 2 | +0.02% | +0.02% | 1/2 | ABCL +4.6% | CMBT −4.5% |
| 2026-09-21 · 3 | +7.66% | +8.78% | 3/3 | ALAB +11.0% | NBIS +3.2% |
| 2026-09-23 · 3 | −3.24% | −0.77% | 1/3 | MRNA +2.1% | OMER −11.1% |
| 2026-09-25 · 2 | +0.24% | +0.24% | 1/2 | SN +3.2% | LCUT −2.8% |
| 2026-09-28 · 3 | −2.58% | −2.38% | 0/3 | RVMD −2.2% | HUM −3.2% |
| 2026-09-30 · 1 | +0.61% | +0.61% | 1/1 | AMN +0.6% | — |
| 2026-10-02 · 2 | −2.48% | −2.48% | 0/2 | NAT −2.2% | SMTC −2.8% |
| All 50 | −1.53% | −2.57% | 21/50 | trimmed −1.86% · ex top two −2.86% · −76.6 pts | |
| 2026-10-05 · 3 | — | — | — | flagged today · first measurable reading next session | |
Against Friday, 21 of 50 now beat the index (from 19 of 48), and the median moved from 3.12% behind to 2.57%. The mean slipped from −1.40% to −1.53%, and cumulative drag widened from −67.3 to −76.6 points, mostly because Friday's two names are 2–3% behind after one session.
The trimmed mean is unchanged at −1.86%, and removing the two best names leaves −2.86%. The book is still below its benchmark, and the improvement since late September is real but has stopped accelerating.