Investing Goals for 2026: Set Alerts and Stay Ahead
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
The Santa Claus Rally window is officially here, and so far, it looks like we may get that holiday gift. Historically, when the market rallies during this period, it often sets the stage for positive momentum into the new year. On the flip side, if we don’t get a positive rally, it can raise caution flags. However, nothing is set in stone.
Instead of letting seasonal trends dictate your portfolio plan, consider a simpler, better approach: sticking to the basics. That is to say, build habits, stay consistent, and use tools that help you stay objective.
Are You Prepared for 2026?
If you’ve established your first three goals, you’ve already done something many investors struggle with: building discipline. It’s one of the most valuable traits you can have in the market.
After establishing a daily routine, getting organized with ChartLists, and scanning for stocks and ETFs, you’re ready for Goal #4 — Setting Alerts.
Alerts are like your assistant, notifying you when a specific criterion, like reaching a specific price, crossing above a moving average, or crossing a SCTR score, has been met. Alerts can help you fine-tune your entries, manage your exits, and stay consistent.
Setting Alerts in StockCharts
Head to the Scans & Alerts tab and select Price Alert Workbench. From there, you can either set a price alert or create an advanced alert. The price alert involves entering a symbol, choosing your trigger, and deciding how you wish to be notified.
The Advanced Alert feature works a lot like scans. You can build rules based on technical conditions. This can include price crossing above a moving average, SCTR score thresholds, or overbought/oversold areas.
🎁 A Simple “New Year’s Gift” Alert to Try
Here’s a basic alert you can copy and paste into the Advanced Alert criteria area. Replace the symbol with one of the stocks you’re monitoring in your ChartList. Feel free to adjust the parameters to match your needs.
[symbol starts with 'LUMN']and [PPO Hist (12,26,0) x 0.0]
You'll get an alert when the PPO Histogram for the specific stock crosses above zero. It’s simple, but it’s a great starting point. And once you enter a position, you can create additional alerts based on your exit criteria.
An Easy Shortcut
One of the quickest ways to build an advanced alert is to take a scan from the Sample Scan Library and paste it into the Alert Criteria area. You’ll likely need to make a few changes so the alert applies to the specific stock or ETF you care about. There may be a slight learning curve involved, but, once you get the hang of it, alerts become addictive, in a good way.
To learn more about writing alerts, visit the Scan Writing Resource Center.
With these four goals, you are now ready to navigate the market in the new year, making full use of the tools offered by StockCharts. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. Once you start exploring, you’ll find many other tools and features. The key, as with anything else, is to find the ones that work well for you.
Revisiting the SharpCharts Drawer
Last week, we touched on the addition of the new drawer in SharpCharts. It’s worth another quick shout-out. The features make it easier to:
- Switch between ChartLists
- Update chart settings
- View Symbol Summary quickly
- Access tools without scrolling
Try maximizing/minimizing it, as well as pinning/unpinning it. You won’t fully appreciate the convenience until you try it out.
New: Use the Chatbot to Get Help Faster
Another feature you may want to try is our new chatbot, designed to help you quickly find answers and resources. To access it, go to the Help tab in the Page Header and select Ask a Question.
Since we’ve been talking about alerts, try typing something like “How do I create alerts?” Once you enter, the chatbot will point you to the most relevant resources. You can also ask it something more specific, like how to build a particular alert, and it’ll walk you through the steps.
It can save you a lot of time, especially when you’re trying to learn something new. Give it a try!
One Last Thing… The Holiday Sale Ends Very Soon
If you’ve been thinking about joining the StockCharts community or extending/upgrading your membership, this is the time.
The Holiday Sale ends in just a couple of days.
👉 Get 25% off your membership now! (Seriously, don’t wait until the last minute.)
From all of us at StockCharts, we wish you a very happy, healthy, and successful New Year. 🎉
