Welcome to Fundstrat Direct!
Learn about and compare our various stock lists.
Every day, the Fundstrat Direct team provides evidence-based investment research and insights that educate everyday investors like you on how to think about the markets and generate investment ideas that deliver outperformance. But often, what you need are ideas that are immediately actionable.
That's where our stock lists come in. Each of our stock lists deliver clear specifics about where the research heads of Fundstrat Direct think the opportunities are, all based on the non-emotional, evidence-based research they deliver to institutional investors – and esteemed members like you.
Sector Allocation
Fundstrat Direct Team
The Sector Allocation strategy provides a disciplined, yet flexible, approach to seeking
outperformance. The strategy can help investors with both longer-term and shorter term strategies.
In addition, investors can use the Sector Allocation list to implement a strategy primarily
based on sector ETFs, or to allocate stock holdings based on sector weightings recommendations.
The stock list represents a merging of longer-term sector perspectives with short-term technical
dynamics, appropriate for both active and passive investment methodologies.
Upticks Strategy
Mark L. Newton, CMT AC
Head of Technical Strategy
Upticks is a 100% technical analysis-derived list of stocks from within the ranks of the S&P 500,
selected by Head of Technical Strategy Mark Newton.
It represents the distillation of Newton's intermediate-term views on the market,
incorporating a range of technical indicators including sentiment, seasonality, cycles, breadth, and
much more.
As with our other stock lists, Upticks does not provide advice regarding entry and exit points.
However, it does provide Newton's views on support and resistance to help investors make their own
decisions.
Fundstrat Large-Cap Core List / Fundstrat SMID-Cap Core List
Fundstrat Direct Team
Actionable investment ideas are embedded in every research note that we publish. With these lists,
we bring together those ideas that Head of Research Tom Lee's data-driven macroeconomic research has
identified as having the best reward-risk potential over the long-term. We have separated those
ideas into large-cap and smid-cap (small- and mid-cap) lists.
These lists represent the investment universe from which our Top and Bottom ideas are selected. Each
list is built using Fundstrat’s evidence-based research methodology.
With input from Head of Technical Analysis Mark Newton, the names on each core list are ranked on an
approximately monthly basis to assess for timeliness – potential for short-term overperformance
relative to the benchmark. "Top Ideas" are those judged to have the highest likelihood of
overperformance over at least a one-month timeframe. "Bottom Ideas" are those viewed as having the
lowest likelihood of overperformance (in other words, the highest likelihood of underperformance) in
the next month.
Note that Top Ideas and Bottom Ideas are both viewed favorably over the long-term. These sub-lists
are for those with a tactical focus, such as those deciding where to allocate new money (Top Ideas)
or which existing positions to sell to raise cash (Bottom Ideas).
FAQ
DirectInsights & the DirectInsights Score
Mark L. Newton, CMT AC
Head of Technical Strategy
DirectInsights takes every research note, webinar, and stock list update Fundstrat Direct publishes and distills them all into a single list of stock names, so that you don't have to read every report to find what was said about a name you care about.
For each stock listed, we include summarized analyst commentary and sentiment, any price levels our analysts gave, which of our lists it sits on, and, where applicable, a link straight to the moment in the webinar where it was discussed.
The DirectInsights Score
Newton assesses every stock using his proprietary methodology, and our algorithm turns that into a score from 0 to 100, displayed as a badge beside the ticker.
The score combines:
- Timing — how well-timed the stock's current setup appears.
- Technical strength — how strong its short-term technical picture is overall.
A stock's technical picture includes analysis of price action, trend, and momentum. A stock has to rate well on both to achieve a high DirectInsights score. A name that looks well-timed but technically weak — or technically strong but poorly timed — lands mid-range rather than near the top.
What goes into it
- Technical indicators only — Price action, trend, and momentum, which are the same inputs behind Newton's published technical work.
- Applied uniformly — The identical algorithm runs across every stock we assess, so scores are directly comparable from one name to the next.
- Kept current — Scores refresh as the technical picture changes, so a setup that looked fresh last month doesn't keep reading as fresh today.
How to read it
The badge is colour-coded so you can scan a long list quickly: green for the strongest technical readings, yellow in the middle, grey for the weakest.
- A high score: The technical setup stands out relative to current market conditions, a sign that you should read (or re-read) the underlying research.
- A low score: Timing and technical setup are unfavorable, but not necessarily conviction. Members of the Fundstrat research team can still be fundamentally constructive on a name whose score is low; the score speaks only to the timing and technical picture at this moment.
How to use it — and what it is not
- It helps you gauge timeliness — it is designed to show how timely a stock's technical setup looks right now. It is not a buy or sell recommendation. Ultimately, any decision to buy, sell, or hold a security is yours to make – and yours alone.
- It is a rules-based model, not an opinion — The score doesn't convey a personal view; it follows a consistent set of rules. Alongside each score you'll also find AI-summarised versions of our analysts' related commentary.
- It is the same for everyone — The model doesn't factor in your portfolio, risk tolerance, or account. For any given stock, the score is identical for every member. What you or any other subscriber does with it depends on your own personal situation, including goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon.
- It reflects rules, not certainty — The model can be wrong, and past technical setups are no guarantee of future results. Factors it does not assess include macroeconomic conditions, company fundamentals, and the geopolitical environment.
When a stock drops off
If a stock goes 45 days without new commentary, its sentiment call is no longer current, so it moves out of the main list into Changes, where it’s documented. If a stock is removed from one of our stock lists, it appears under Removed, with the price when it was added and when it came off.
Start with the research
The DirectInsights Score was built to make our research easier to navigate — so you can quickly identify what is most relevant to your portfolio and decide where to look first. Then, do what you have always done: read the analysis, form your own view, and decide for yourself. The underlying publications are linked right there in DirectInsights, so the full analysis is always one click away.
DirectInsights Scores and all related commentary are provided for general informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute a personal recommendation, an offer, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Fundstrat Direct is not a registered investment advisor and is not acting as a broker-dealer under any federal or state securities laws. Nothing here should be construed as individualized investment advice. Past performance and past technical setups are no guarantee of future results. Please conduct your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision.