Earnings Calendar

How I Use Earnings as a Momentum Trader

I do not hold through earnings. Ever. Earnings are a coin flip with a gap on the other side, and I do not size positions for coin flips. What I do is trade the reaction the next morning, when the gap has printed, the volume is real, and the stock is either a runner or a dud.

The night before

I check this calendar for who reports after the close and before the open. Any name I am holding into the report gets flattened. Any name on the list that has been on my watchlist goes to the top of it for tomorrow.

The morning after

A stock that gaps up on earnings and holds the gap in the first 15 minutes is a candidate. I am not buying the open. I am waiting for the first pullback into the Bone Zone on the 5-minute chart, on decreasing volume, followed by a green candle. That is the entry. The stop goes under the pullback low. Position size comes from the risk calculator, same as any other trade. The earnings beat is the catalyst. The setup is still the setup.

Before Open vs After Close

Before the open means the reaction happens in pre-market and the regular session opens with the gap already in place. After the close means the reaction starts in after-hours and you get a full overnight for the market to digest it. Both are tradable the next session. Neither is worth holding a position into.

Use the calendar to plan the watchlist, not to guess the print. I put the nightly watchlist together with TC2000 and the earnings names are a filter, not a thesis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I hold a stock through earnings?

I do not, and I do not teach my students to. The gap can go either way and you cannot place a stop inside a gap. Flatten before the report and trade the reaction the next morning if the setup is there.

How do you trade an earnings gap?

Wait for the gap to hold the first 15 minutes, then look for the first pullback into the Bone Zone on the 5-minute chart on decreasing volume. Green candle is the entry, stop under the pullback low, size from the risk calculator.

What is the difference between BMO and AMC?

Before Market Open reports come out pre-market and the gap is in place at 9:30. After Market Close reports come out after 4 PM and the reaction develops overnight. Both set up the next session.

Is this earnings calendar free?

Yes. No signup. It is the same list I check the night before to flatten positions and build the watchlist.

Related Tools

• Stock Screener: Find the gappers and runners
• Risk Calculator: Size the earnings reaction trade
• Trade Journal: Log the setup, not just the catalyst