Quick answer
A morning market research routine on this desk is three passes on one board: sort the watchlist, read a single chart range for the outlier, then filter headlines to that symbol. Use the prepared universe SPY, QQQ, NVDA, AAPL with SPY in focus. Stop when you can say which name led, which lagged, and whether the tape has a headline on the name you opened. Do not add a forecast. The workspace itself is explained in how a web research terminal works.
Key takeaways
- Start from a fixed list so the morning is comparable to yesterday.
- Sort by change before you open a chart. The chart is for the name that moved, not for every row.
- Use 3M as the default range. Switch to 1M only if the question is the last few weeks, or 1Y if the question is the path into today.
- Read headlines after the chart, filtered to focus, so a market-wide story is not mistaken for a single-name story.
- Write down provider and as-of if you keep a note. The rule is in cited market numbers.
Who this is for
- People who open a quote page, then a chart, then a news site, and lose the symbol between tabs.
- Editors who need a repeatable pass before they write anything that cites a price.
Who should skip
- Traders who need pre-market prints, options, or a scanner across thousands of names. Screener on this terminal does not scan.
- Readers looking for a model portfolio. This routine does not rank what to buy.
Before you start
You need the Morning layout, a universe of at most ten symbols, and a quote source that returns last price. On the hosted terminal that source is Desk when the lab is down. If a symbol has no quote, the board notes the miss. Do not type a price from memory into the gap. If history is missing, the chart panel says so. Skip the chart pass for that name instead of substituting another site's picture without saying you left the board.
Keep the list stable for a week. SPY and QQQ are there so a single stock move has a market and a growth-index comparison. NVDA and AAPL are there as large, news-heavy names, not as a recommendation. Replace them from the command field if your book is different, and keep the replacement list in the URL you share.
Pass 1: sort the table
- Open the morning board.
- Confirm the status line says which mode you are in. Desk is acceptable. A blank table is not.
- Sort by change percent. Note the top and bottom symbols and the sign. That pair is the only "what changed" sentence you need.
- Check volume only for those two names. A large move on a dash for volume is a weaker observation than a large move with a printed volume, because the bar may be missing rather than quiet.
- Leave PE alone unless a number is actually in the cell. A dash is not a value, which public versus licensed data explains.
Pass 2: one chart range
Click the outlier, not every row. The chart, news filter, and details follow that click. Start on 3M. You are asking whether today's change is a break from a quarter or a wiggle inside it. Move to 1Y if the 3M line is a straight continuation of a longer trend and the morning question is "is this new." Move to 1M only when the argument is about the last month. Hover the crosshair and read the date and close. That pair is what you may quote. Do not quote a price the crosshair did not show.
If the series is empty, stop this pass. The routine does not allow a hand-drawn stand-in.
Pass 3: headlines on the focus
Set news to Focus. You want headlines tagged with the symbol you just charted. If the list is empty, the board shows the wider tape so you can see that the filter missed, not that the world was silent. Say which of those two states you saw. A headline is a title and a link, plus the tape's sentiment label. The label is not a new score you computed. Open at most two links. If neither mentions the move you saw in the table, write that the tape did not explain the move. Absence is a result.
What to write down
| Field | Source on the board |
|---|---|
| Universe and focus | Command line and the highlighted row |
| Leader and laggard, with change percent | Sorted table |
| One chart range and the crosshair date | Chart toolbar and readout |
| Whether focus headlines existed | News filter |
| Provider and as-of | Details drawer |
Failure table
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No quote for a symbol | Drop that name from the sentence. Do not borrow a price from memory. |
| No history | Skip the chart. The table can still show last and change. |
| PE blank | Do not discuss valuation from this board. |
| News filter empty, then a wide tape | Say the focus tape was empty. |
FAQ
How long should this take?
About fifteen minutes for four symbols if quotes load. Longer means you opened a second research question. Park it.
Should I change the range every day?
No. Keep 3M as the habit so weeks are comparable. Change range only when the question changes.
Is the sentiment label a trade flag?
No. It is the label stored with the headline. The routine does not convert it into a position.
Sources
- Morning board used in the steps: terminal with SPY, QQQ, NVDA, AAPL.
- Layout description: how the terminal is put together.
- Next: what you are allowed to cite from the drawer.