Let’s be honest—most of us don’t have hours every day to research the perfect stock. Between work, school, life, and scrolling Instagram for 45 minutes when we swore we’d just check one notification, time is limited.
The good news? You don’t need to be a full-time analyst to find good stocks. In fact, with the right approach, you can spot high-potential stocks in just 10 minutes.
Sound too good to be true? Stick with me.
I’ve been using this exact process for over a year, and while it’s not a magic bullet (spoiler: there is no magic bullet), it’s helped me consistently identify strong stocks quickly—and more importantly, avoid bad ones.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to find good stocks quickly, this guide is for you.
Why Speed Matters (But Accuracy Matters More)
First, let’s get something straight: fast doesn’t mean careless. The goal isn’t to blindly buy the hottest stock of the day. The goal is to filter out the noise and focus on the few stocks that are actually worth your attention—without spending your whole weekend doing it.
It’s about working smarter, not longer.
Step 1: Use a Stock Screener (3 Minutes)
This is your best friend if you want to find winning stocks fast.
A stock screener lets you filter the thousands of stocks in the market down to just a few that meet your criteria. Most platforms (Yahoo Finance, Finviz, TradingView, etc.) have free versions that work great for beginners.
Here’s a Simple Filter to Start With:
Market Cap: Mid Cap and above (over $2B)
Price Above 50-day Moving Average: True
Relative Volume: Over 1.5
Current Price: Over $5 (to avoid penny stock traps)
Sector: Optional (choose tech, healthcare, etc. if you want to focus)
This will give you a list of stocks that are:
- Large enough to be stable
- Seeing increased trading activity (a good sign of interest)
- Trading above their short-term trend line (bullish)
Pro tip: Save this screener once you’ve created it so you can run it in seconds next time.
Step 2: Scan the Charts (3 Minutes)
Now that you have a list of potential stocks, it’s time to look at the charts. You don’t need to be a charting wizard—just look for a few basic things.
What You’re Looking For:
An uptrend: Higher highs and higher lows
Strong support levels: Price bounces off key levels repeatedly
Volume spikes: When the stock moves up on high volume, it means real interest
You can do this super fast. Just open the chart, zoom out to the 6-month view, and ask yourself: Is this generally going up or down?
If it looks like a roller coaster with no clear direction, move on.
Step 3: Check the Headlines (2 Minutes)
Now you’ve got a few stocks that are technically strong. Time to do a quick news check.
Go to Google News or Yahoo Finance and type in the stock’s ticker symbol. You’re scanning for:
- Earnings reports (were they good or bad?)
- Product launches
- Analyst upgrades or downgrades
- Legal trouble or big PR issues
- You don’t need to read every article—just skim headlines. You want to avoid jumping into something that’s being hyped without substance or is about to fall apart because of bad press.
- True story: I once found a stock that looked amazing on the chart—until I saw news that their CEO was under investigation. I passed, and it dropped 20% the next week. A quick headline scan saved me from a disaster.
Step 4: Quick Metrics Check (2 Minutes)
For the last step, glance at a few key financials. You don’t need a finance degree—just know what to look for.
Here are 3 quick metrics to check:
EPS Growth (Earnings Per Share)
Is it going up? Positive earnings growth is a green flag.
Revenue Growth
Check the last few quarters—are sales increasing? That’s a sign the company is growing.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio
Not a dealbreaker, but high debt compared to equity can be a red flag. You want to see a healthy balance.
You can find all this info in seconds on Yahoo Finance or Finviz under “Financials” or “Statistics.”
Example: How I Used This to Find a Winning Trade
A few months ago, I was looking for a swing trade. I ran my screener and saw NVIDIA (NVDA) pop up.
Here’s what I saw:
Strong uptrend on the chart
High volume and recent earnings beat
Positive news around AI partnerships
Revenue and EPS were both growing
Within 7 minutes, I had everything I needed. I entered a trade and rode it for a 12% gain over two weeks. Could I have made more with deeper research? Maybe. But I got in confidently, and that’s what matters.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with a fast system, there are traps that beginners (and honestly, even experienced traders) fall into.
Chasing Hype Stocks
Just because something is trending on Reddit doesn’t mean it’s a good investment. Always run it through your screener first.
Ignoring the Chart
A good company doesn’t always mean a good trade. If the stock is trending down, wait for signs of reversal before jumping in.
Overloading Indicators
You don’t need 10 technical indicators. Keep it simple—price, volume, trend.
Want to Go Deeper? Tools You Can Use
Here are a few tools I love for speeding up the process:
- Finviz: Fast, visual screener with built-in charts
- Yahoo Finance: Great for news and basic financials
- TradingView: Excellent for clean charts and drawing trend lines
- Seeking Alpha: Helpful for quick takes on earnings and analyst ratings
- Use these to build your 10-minute system and tweak it as you grow.
Final Thoughts: Speed + Simplicity Wins
- You don’t need to spend 6 hours analyzing every stock on the market. You just need a repeatable system that helps you separate noise from opportunity.
- By using a screener, scanning charts, checking news, and verifying key metrics—all in under 10 minutes—you’ll put yourself lightyears ahead of the average beginner investor.
- And trust me: the more you do it, the faster and sharper you’ll get.
- So next time you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to invest,” just remember—you probably spent more time reading this article than it takes to find a potential winner.
- Try the system today. See what stocks pop up. You might surprise yourself.
Next Article To Read: Don’t Start Trading Without This Checklist