Trade Count Acceleration Screener: Previous Candle
Compare stock trading frequency with the preceding candle in ChartsWatcher. Filter 1- or 5-minute relative trade counts to identify abrupt activity changes.
Understand the metric
What is Relative trade count (last) (%)?
This version of relative trade count divides the current interval’s trade count by the previous candle’s trade count, then multiplies by 100. ChartsWatcher offers 1-minute and 5-minute periods. Because it uses one immediately preceding candle instead of a ten-candle average, it highlights a different kind of comparison: a local change in transaction frequency.
An illustrative example
Relative trade count (last) (%) in practice
If the previous 1-minute candle recorded 50 trades and the current interval records 150, the reading is 300%. A ten-candle average of 100 trades would instead produce 150% in the separate average-based filter. The baseline changes the interpretation even with the same current count.
Make it part of your workflow
A more deliberate stock screen.
Add this filter to a ChartsWatcher activity screen when investigating abrupt changes from one interval to the next. Display the average-based relative trade count alongside it to see whether a jump also stands out over a broader recent baseline, then inspect volume and price.
ChartsWatcher lets you combine this filter with other criteria in a toplist and rank the results by the columns you care about. Keep the shortlist beside charts, stock news, and watchlists in your own layout.
Explore the screener / toplistBefore you build
A little more detail.
How do I add Relative trade count (last) (%) in ChartsWatcher?
Open or create a toplist and add Relative trade count (last) (%) to its filter configuration. Choose the available options and the bounds that fit your screen. Combine it with other metrics to narrow the results. Filters can also refine which stocks qualify for an alert.
What should I check when interpreting this filter?
An unusually quiet previous candle can inflate this ratio. A large reading may reflect a small denominator rather than an exceptional absolute number of trades.
From an idea to your own scan.
Use Relative trade count (last) (%) with the other conditions that define your setup. Keep matching stocks, charts, and news together, with a configuration you can refine as you go.