10 ways ShareScope users stay ahead of the market

Even if you're only interested in shares, other asset classes still have a huge influence. For example, the US dollar's summer rally undermined oil and metals prices, which in turn hit oil and mining stocks, which represent over 25% of the FTSE 100. ShareScope helps you easily monitor a wide range of the markets that really matter, including shares, indices, currencies, bonds, and derivatives.

Hide >

It can be useful to see where the momentum is - to see which asset classes or companies are leading the markets. In ShareScope you can sort any list of instruments by performance over any time frame. For example, the ETF list below is sorted by price change over the last week:

To see the biggest risers and fallers intraday, use ShareScope's heatmap feature and combine it with news flags so you can see at a glance who's leading the market and why. Simply mouse-over news flags to read the headlines.

Hide >

Discover the best ways of getting exposure to the most promising asset classes of the day. ShareScope contains not only information on ordinary shares, but also on exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts and unit trusts. In ShareScope it's easy to compare the relative performance of multiple instruments to help you decide which to invest in.

• Compare the performance of sector peers
• Compare unit trusts in the same sector
• Compare ETFs, unit trusts and investments trusts offering exposure to the same market (e.g. BRIC economies).

Hide >

If you are always looking for the next "ten bagger", ShareScope's powerful data mining will be indispensable. You set the demanding criteria and ShareScope scans the market returning a shortlist of matching stocks instantly. Simply adjust your criteria and settings to hone your approach. This simple yet powerful tool will save you hours of laborious research and help you uncover exciting opportunities before the rest of the market.

As a simple example, the filter below scans for stocks with historical and forecast dividend yields above 4%, good dividend cover, a low PE, and a "Buy" consensus rating.

You can create an unlimited number of filters and select from a wide range of fundamental criteria such as profit, yield, PE, PEG, cashflow, operating margin, NAV and gearing. Once created, ShareScope dynamically updates each filter each day.

To test your investment theories, copy the shortlists into portfolios and monitor their performance over time.

Hide >

If you are a spread bettor, create filters using your favourite trading techniques - scanning for price, volume and technical formations. Each day, your data mining filters can provide you with hotlists of long and short trading opportunities.

Scan for moving average crosses; MACD, RSI and Stochastic formations; Candlestick patterns, Swing chart patterns; other OHLC formations; new highs and lows; and volume.

Additionally, using ShareScope's scripting language - ShareScript - you can create your own technical filters to build your own unique filters.

The following filter searches for charts on which four different bullish technical events have occurred in the last ten days - each day, such filters provide a hotlist of spread-betting opportunities.

Hide >

Many fundamental criteria are difficult to assess in isolation. Only by comparison with other companies can you judge, for example, whether or not an ROCE of 15% is impressive. ShareScope's ranking feature lets you do just this. Measure a company against its market, industry, sector or even sub-sector peers using a wide range of historical, forecast and rolling fundamental criteria:

So, if you are looking to gain exposure to a particular sector, use ShareScope's sector ranking in conjunction with the relative performance charts mentioned above to find the most attractive prospects.

Hide >

You are more likely to trade profitably if a range of technical indicators are all screaming "trend change". Whether you are waiting for the market in general to turn or whether you're trading a stock in a price channel, use multiple analytics to support your decision-making.

Look at the chart below to see how each double bottom patterns is lent further credence by the fact that it is half in and half outside the Bollinger Bands, and by the divergent RSI. In the first instance, divergence on MACD also strengthens the call.

ShareScope's comprehensive charting suite includes over 90 customisable analytics including moving averages, point & figure, Fibonacci, candlesticks, swing and ichimoku.

Save and apply multiple chart configurations with just a single click of the mouse.

Hide >

ShareScope enables you to research stocks thoroughly in seconds. From any view you can access news, results and forecasts, sector ranking, broker ratings, charts, shareholder dealings, key dates, trade history and Level 2 all with a single keystroke - or display them in linked windows on ShareScope's multi-window layout.

ShareScope's sophisticated Portfolio Management feature lets you record your investments and track the performance of your holdings. You can create unlimited portfolios, in different currencies, and structured into groups if required. The performance of each trade and of each portfolio can always be identified. Additionally, you can create and attach cash accounts to portfolios and produce CGT reports for your tax return.

Hide >

To make sure you don't miss significant events, you can set alarms on breaking news, price breakouts, price levels, shareholder dealings, technical formations and unscheduled auctions on the order book.

You can even set alarms on the lines you draw on charts - support and resistance lines or technical patterns such as head & shoulders, double/triple tops & bottoms, triangles and pennants. This way you don't need to stay glued to a particular chart.

For news, you can either receive alerts when news breaks for specific companies, index or portfolio constituents, or for keywords such as "bid", "downgrade" or "gold".

Hide >

You can protect your holdings of shares and other assets from near-term turbulence by taking offsetting positions in covered warrants, listed contracts-for-difference and short ETFs. ShareScope contains the essential data on these essential tools for modern investors.

Hide >