The whole product exists to make this flow fast. Top Picks to Calendar to Performance to Ticker Detail to Watchlist. Here's the exact path, with a real example.
The flow in one sentence
Start at Top Picks for ideas, cross-check the sector with Performance, time the print on the Calendar, validate the setup on the ticker page, then add to Watchlist with a written plan.
Step 1: Open Top Picks (2 min)
Scan the 10 names ranked by the model. You're not looking for the "best" one. You're looking for one that matches your style:
- Trader — favor high price-momentum tech with clean technical setups
- Swing trader — favor 4-6 beat streaks and clean 200d positioning
- Long-term holder — favor high profitability + steady fundamentals + boring industries
Pick 2-3 that interest you. Note their sectors. The Top Picks guide covers the factor weights if you want to dig into the score.
Step 2: Cross-check sector with Performance (2 min)
Filter Performance by the sector(s) of your candidates. Look at the cohort table. What's the average 1-day, 1-week, 1-month reaction in the most recent quarter? Are beats holding or fading?
Recent reads from our data:
- Energy — beats holding, average 1m return +5.72%. Earnings trades paying.
- Technology — pops day 1 (+1.27%), fades by month 1 (-0.62%). Day trades work; swing trades don't.
- Consumer Discretionary — averaging -3.64% over a month. Even good prints get sold. Avoid.
If your Top Pick sits in a sector where post-ER drift is negative, the trade is much harder. Either pivot to a different pick or compress your timeframe to day-trade-only. The Performance guide covers slicing the cohort.
Step 3: Time the print on Calendar (1 min)
Check when each candidate reports next. Most will be 1-8 weeks out. Note the date, BMO vs AMC, and whether the importance rating is ≥3. If the print is more than 60 days out, lower priority. Add to watchlist and revisit closer to the date. The Calendar guide covers the filter options.
Step 4: Validate on Ticker Detail (3 min)
The most important step. Open the ticker's detail page and look at the historical earnings table. You're asking:
- Does this stock consistently pop on beats?
- Does it hold the pop, or fade by week 2?
- What did it do the last 4 times it reported?
If the last 4 prints show beat-and-rallied, beat-and-rallied, beat-and-rallied, beat-and-rallied — that's high conviction. If the pattern is beat-and-rallied, beat-and-faded, beat-and-rallied, miss-and-dropped — that's a coin flip. Smaller size.
Read the AI Earnings Analysis paragraph at the top of the page. For the full bull/bear breakdown, add to Watchlist and open the AI Report there (Plus/Pro). The Ticker Detail guide walks the table column-by-column.
→ Open a ticker page (NVDA as example)
Step 5: Add to Watchlist with a plan (1 min)
Don't just add the ticker. Open your notes app and write:
- The ticker and expected print date
- Your thesis in one line ("AVGO — bullish into Mar print on custom silicon ramp")
- Your action if you're right
- Your action if the print disappoints
Real worked example — FSLY
Here's how this flow would have played out on Fastly earlier this year.
Top Picks: FSLY appeared as Hero Pick #1 (S tier) on March 25, 2026. The model picked up the post-Feb-11 momentum.
Performance: Tech was running mixed — favor day-and-week trades over month-long swings.
Calendar: Next print was May 7, 2026.
Ticker Detail: The Feb 11 print had done +35.6% next day, +102.3% one week, +164% one month. Pattern: small beat, massive run.
Watchlist + plan: Add. Plan = ride momentum, set a stop, take partials on the next print if it confirms.
What separates this from "buy the Top Pick"
- You're checking the sector tape before trusting an individual name. A great pick in a hostile sector is a losing trade.
- You're validating the post-earnings pattern before assuming the next print will work like the last. DUOL is the cautionary tale — it went from +22% beats to -21% beats with no warning in the fundamentals.
- You're writing the plan before taking the position. The act of articulating the thesis is most of the value.
What this flow does NOT do
It doesn't time entries (use technicals). It doesn't size positions (use your risk framework). It doesn't hedge (use options or a paired short if that's your style). It gets you to high-conviction names with a written plan. Execution is on you.
Next
Read Flow — Avoid Earnings Disasters. Finding winners is half the game; not losing on the ones you already own is the other half.