But if you don't mind paying the fees and you're not distracted by the constantly changing prices displayed on your computer screen, streaming watch lists are the better route. They give you an almost tangible sense of how the market's behaving. Getting Organized How you organize your watch lists depends on the kind of trading you do. Below are four approaches. Experiment with them for a while and modify them according to your trading strategy.
Stock screens are really data-mining tools.
Screens let you sift through gigabytes of financial data and ferret out stocks or funds that meet your criteria. For example, maybe you believe underpriced small-cap firms with steady earnings growth will be strong in the months ahead. Set up a screen using those variables. Hone your list by researching the fundamentals of the companies spit out by the screen. Then create a watch list of the finalists.