Power Earnings Gap Scanner
This power earnings gap scanner looks for the earnings version of an episodic pivot: a stock that gaps up hard, on heavy volume, right after it reports. In July 2007 the Stockbee trading blog listed the catalysts that most often led to its profitable episodic pivot trades, and earnings acceleration was first on that list. Every trading day this scanner checks US stocks for a daily low at least 6% above the previous session’s high, final 20-day relative volume above 1, and an earnings report in the 5 sessions up to the gap. The free results use final daily data and run five trading sessions late.
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Latest free power earnings gaps
ACN: Power Earnings Gap on Oct 1
Open chart for ACN- Power Earnings Gap
- Gap 14.5%
- RVOL 5.4x
- Sessions after earnings 0
- Since alert +16.5%
- Earnings dated by SEC 8-K filing
Also matching
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Key Takeaways
- The gap is measured from today’s low to yesterday’s high: the low must be at least 6% higher, and final 20-day RVOL must be above 1.
- The earnings report must fall in the 5 sessions ending on the gap day, dated by an SEC 8-K Item 2.02 filing or a stored earnings report date. A later report never counts.
- Each match is a gap within 5 sessions after an earnings report. The page puts the two side by side; it does not claim the report moved the stock, and it shows no EPS figures.
Free cards also require a close above $5, more than $10 million traded on the alert day, a current market cap of at least $2 billion, and they skip likely buyouts: stocks whose price has stayed within 3% for 10 sessions, which usually means a pending deal.
How the power earnings gap scan works
A stock makes the list on a session only when all three rules pass.
- A real gap. The session’s low is at least 1.06 times the previous session’s high, so the two daily ranges do not overlap. If yesterday’s high was $50, today’s low must be $53 or higher. A stock that opens at $56 and trades down to $52 fails.
- Above-average volume. The session’s complete volume divided by the average of the previous 20 complete sessions is above 1. Volume equal to the average fails.
- A recent earnings report. The first session the report could affect is one of the last 5 sessions, counting the gap day. A report before the open affects that day; a report after the close affects the next session; when the time is unknown, both count.
For example, a company that reports after the close on a Tuesday has Wednesday as its first session. With no holiday in between, a qualifying gap from that Wednesday through the next Tuesday makes the list; a gap one session later does not. A report dated after the gap day never counts, so the history has no look-ahead. A stock with no stored report date is not listed; the scanner never guesses one.
Where the earnings dates come from
Either of two sources is enough: an SEC Form 8-K that includes Item 2.02, Results of Operations and Financial Condition, which companies use to report quarterly results, or the earnings report date and time from our market data provider. SEC filings are stored from August 23, 2004; the provider’s dates cover only recent quarters, so older history relies on the SEC filings.
The scanner uses the date only. It does not read the earnings release, compare results with estimates or look at guidance, and the free cards show the gap, the volume and the timing, never an EPS figure.
Power earnings gap vs episodic pivot
The gap and volume rules are the same as our episodic pivot scanner, which lists every qualifying gap whatever the reason: a contract, a drug approval, an upgrade or earnings. This scanner keeps only the gaps that came within 5 sessions after an earnings report. Our episodic pivot guide explains the wider setup and how traders research the news behind a gap.
How to read the chart
Each chart marks the gap day with “PEG” and shades the gap between the previous session’s high and the gap day’s low. Gray “Earnings” flags mark report sessions in view, and none are drawn after the scan alert. Price bars can run past the alert to a later final close, but scan markers stop at the delayed cutoff.
How to use the list
A big gap after earnings tells you the market reacted hard to new information. It does not tell you what happens next. Open the chart, read the report and the company’s outlook yourself, watch whether the stock holds above the gap day’s low, and check liquidity and nearby resistance. A gap can already price in the good news and can fill. Write down your plan and your risk before you act, then record the trade so you can review it later.
What the delay means
The free cutoff is five actual exchange trading sessions behind the latest complete daily-data session. Weekends and holidays do not count. Free picks are final-only: we wait for the daily close and complete data, and the page updates automatically from stored final scan results. It never shows forming-candle matches.
History of this list
Power Earnings Gap history currently starts November 3, 2004: the first stored session on which the scan covered at least half of the stocks trading that day. Stored SEC earnings filings begin August 23, 2004, so no earlier session is claimed. The history uses the currently eligible stock universe; it is not a survivorship-free database of every company that existed. The history panel with the charts above always shows the current start date. This page shows no backtest results: only the Daily Pivot Breakout page shows the Official backtest.
Current scanners and trade tracking
The Financial Tech Wiz Trading Journal shows every Power Earnings Gap match after each close, the stored history with a chart for each one, and trade tracking with performance analytics. Its developing daily scans are labeled preliminary, check the gap from the session’s low so far without the volume rule, and confirm after the daily close.
Compare the other free tools in our free stock scanner directory, and if you want a simple way to start recording trades, use the free trading journal template.
Related guides and scanners
- CAN SLIM stock screener
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- Minervini trend template scanner
- Daily Pivot Breakout scanner
- Mark Minervini trading strategy
FAQ
What is a power earnings gap?
A stock that gaps up sharply on heavy volume shortly after an earnings report. Here that means a daily low at least 6% above the previous high, final 20-day RVOL above 1, and a report in the 5 sessions up to the gap.
Does the scanner say the earnings report moved the stock?
No. It finds a gap within 5 sessions after an earnings report and shows the two side by side. Other news can land in the same window, so read the report and the news yourself.
Does it use EPS or earnings surprises?
No. It uses only the report date and timing, from an SEC 8-K Item 2.02 filing or our market data provider. It does not compare results with estimates, and the free cards show no EPS figures.
Why can a match come a few sessions after the report?
The window is the 5 sessions ending on the gap day, so a stock that gaps a few days after reporting still qualifies. A report after the close counts from the next session.
How far back does the history go?
Power Earnings Gap history currently starts November 3, 2004, the first stored session on which the scan covered at least half of the stocks trading that day. The history panel on this page shows the current start date.
Why are free picks delayed?
Free pages are final-only and show picks five exchange sessions after the scan alert. Members see current matches.
Is a power earnings gap a buy signal?
No. It is a screening result, not a recommendation. We do not promise results.