Finviz Stock Screener: How To Check Stock Price History
Understanding a stock's price history is crucial for any investor, whether you're a seasoned trader or just starting out. Analyzing past performance can help you identify trends, assess volatility, and make more informed decisions about buying or selling. While there are many tools available, Finviz stands out as a powerful and free stock screener that provides easy access to historical stock data. This guide will walk you through how to use Finviz to check stock price history effectively.
Finviz is a web-based platform that offers a wealth of financial information, including real-time quotes, charts, news, and analysis. Its user-friendly interface and comprehensive data make it a go-to resource for investors of all levels. One of its most valuable features is the ability to quickly view and analyze a stock's historical price movements.
Let's dive into the steps on how to use Finviz to access and interpret stock price history.
Step 1: Navigate to the Finviz Website
First things first, open your web browser and go to the Finviz website: https://finviz.com/. The homepage provides a broad overview of the market, but we'll focus on finding specific stock information.
Step 2: Search for the Stock
In the top-right corner of the Finviz homepage, you'll find a search bar. Enter the ticker symbol of the stock you're interested in. For example, if you want to check the price history of Apple, type "AAPL" into the search bar and press Enter.
Step 3: Access the Stock's Quote Page
After entering the ticker symbol, you'll be directed to the stock's quote page. This page contains a wealth of information about the stock, including its current price, trading volume, news, and financial ratios. The key area we're interested in is the chart, which displays the stock's price history visually.
Step 4: Analyze the Default Chart
By default, Finviz displays a basic chart showing the stock's price history. The timeframe displayed on the chart can vary, but it often shows a period of several months or a year. You can quickly get a sense of the stock's overall trend and volatility by looking at this chart. Observe the general direction of the price movement. Is it trending upwards, downwards, or moving sideways? Note any significant price swings or periods of consolidation.
Step 5: Customize the Chart Timeframe
Finviz allows you to customize the timeframe displayed on the chart to view different periods of historical data. Below the chart, you'll see a series of buttons representing different timeframes, such as:
- 1D: One day
- 1W: One week
- 1M: One month
- 3M: Three months
- 6M: Six months
- 1Y: One year
- 2Y: Two years
- 5Y: Five years
- MAX: Maximum available history
Clicking on any of these buttons will update the chart to display the stock's price history for the selected timeframe. Experiment with different timeframes to get a comprehensive view of the stock's performance over various periods. For long-term investing, looking at the 5Y or MAX chart can be particularly insightful. For short-term trading, the 1D, 1W, or 1M charts might be more relevant.
Step 6: Explore Advanced Charting Options (Optional)
Finviz offers more advanced charting options for those who want to delve deeper into technical analysis. While the basic chart provides a good overview, you can access additional features by clicking on the "Advanced" tab located above the chart.
The "Advanced" tab allows you to:
- Change Chart Type: Switch between different chart types, such as line charts, candlestick charts, and bar charts. Candlestick charts are particularly popular among traders as they provide more detailed information about the stock's price movement during a specific period, including the opening price, closing price, high, and low.
- Add Indicators: Overlay technical indicators on the chart, such as moving averages, Bollinger Bands, and RSI (Relative Strength Index). These indicators can help you identify potential buy and sell signals, as well as assess the stock's momentum and overbought/oversold conditions.
- Compare to Other Stocks: Compare the stock's performance to other stocks or market indices. This can help you assess the stock's relative strength and identify potential investment opportunities.
To add an indicator, click on the "Indicators" dropdown menu and select the indicator you want to add. You can customize the parameters of the indicator, such as the period of the moving average, to suit your specific analysis.
Step 7: Interpret the Stock Price History
Once you've customized the chart to your liking, it's time to interpret the stock price history. Here are some key things to look for:
- Trends: Identify the overall trend of the stock price. Is it trending upwards (uptrend), downwards (downtrend), or moving sideways (sideways trend)? Uptrends suggest that the stock is likely to continue rising, while downtrends suggest that it's likely to continue falling. Sideways trends indicate that the stock is consolidating and may break out in either direction.
- Support and Resistance Levels: Identify key support and resistance levels. Support levels are price levels where the stock price tends to bounce back up, while resistance levels are price levels where the stock price tends to be pushed back down. These levels can help you identify potential entry and exit points.
- Volatility: Assess the stock's volatility by looking at the size and frequency of price swings. Highly volatile stocks are riskier but can also offer greater potential returns. Less volatile stocks are generally safer but may offer lower returns.
- Volume: Pay attention to the trading volume. High volume typically indicates strong interest in the stock, while low volume suggests that interest is waning. Significant price movements accompanied by high volume are generally more reliable than those accompanied by low volume.
- Patterns: Look for chart patterns, such as head and shoulders, double tops, and double bottoms. These patterns can provide clues about future price movements.
Step 8: Combine with Other Finviz Features
The real power of Finviz lies in its ability to combine stock price history with other features, such as news, financial ratios, and analyst ratings. By integrating these different sources of information, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the stock and make more informed investment decisions.
For example, you can check the latest news headlines related to the stock to see if there are any recent developments that could affect its price. You can also analyze the stock's financial ratios, such as its price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) and debt-to-equity ratio (D/E ratio), to assess its valuation and financial health.
Tips for Using Finviz for Stock Price History Analysis
- Use multiple timeframes: Don't rely solely on one timeframe. Analyze the stock price history across different timeframes to get a more complete picture.
- Combine with other tools: Finviz is a great tool, but it's not the only one. Use it in conjunction with other research tools and resources to make well-rounded investment decisions.
- Practice and patience: Learning to interpret stock price history takes time and practice. Don't get discouraged if you don't understand everything right away. Keep learning and experimenting, and you'll eventually develop your own effective analysis techniques.
- Beware of biases: Be aware of your own biases and avoid letting them influence your analysis.
- Understand limitations: Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Conclusion
Finviz is a valuable tool for checking stock price history and conducting basic technical analysis. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly access and analyze historical stock data, identify trends, and make more informed investment decisions. Remember to combine this information with other research and analysis to develop a comprehensive investment strategy. Happy investing!